Children of the Promise

Since we had a power outage at our church on Sunday (along with most of the city of Sumner!!), I wanted to post some of my notes from Sunday since there won't be a recording on our church website.

Our church is going through the book of Galatians right now and it's an amazing book. Paul is writing back to churches that he planted and sees that his church is being enslaved by legalism. They are being told by false teachers that in order to be saved they must obey laws/rules/man-made customs. And this book, which is a letter, is simply saying that we are only saved by Jesus Christ. That's it. Yes, the law is great at pointing out the sin in our lives, but obeying the law won't justify our lives. 

And so we were in Galatians 4:21-31. In this text, Paul will use an analogy to help the Galatians understand. What you can do is grab your Bible and read along with my notes. 

C. 4 V. 21: Let me clarify what he means when he talks about being under the law. To be under the law is not a reference to those who obey the law. When he uses the phrase under the law, he's talking about those who would use the law as a means of justification. I will obey the law, and in my obedience to the law, I'm going to have right standing before God. God will accept me. God will approve of me, and God will bless me because I am doing these things. Paul says no.

V. 22-23: This is one of the more interesting, compelling stories in the book of Genesis.

Gen. 15:4-5, ‘You will have a son…your offspring will be like the stars.’

Abraham points out some things. "Hey, I'm really, really old, and my wife is really, really, really old. Not only that, she's been barren for her whole life. I just don't know that all of a sudden we're going to have little miracle babies," but he believes and he goes and tells Sarah.

Abraham and Sarah get a little antsy and so Sarah gives Abraham her maidservant, Hagar.

Gen. 16:2, ‘…perhaps I can build a family through her.’ Hagar gets pregnant. This actually wasn’t an uncommon practice. But it wasn’t a wise one. That son is named Ishmael.

Gen. 18:10, ‘I will return to you about this time next year, and Sarah your wife will have a son.’

Gen. 18:12, ‘Sarah laughs.’  And in Gen. 18:15, she lies about laughing.

Gen. 21 Isaac is born. ‘The Lord was gracious to Sarah as he had said, and the LORD did for Sarah what he had promised. Sarah was 90 and Abraham was 100!! Whew!!

Now you should start to be able to see where Paul is going with this. If his argument throughout the letter to the churches in Galatia is basically, "You can't; God can," you can see where he's going. The child born of the slave woman, Hagar, was born by the flesh, i.e. you didn't need God's help for that. You could do it. You could make it happen. Here's a younger woman who is not barren and that is a son born of the slave woman via the flesh not the promise.

But Sarah's baby, Isaac, that baby is miraculous. That son is a son of promise. 

V. 24-25: "Now this may be interpreted figuratively..." Now that's an important little verse, and I know you might not see it's importance, but really the greatest error among evangelicals when preaching, teaching, looking at the Old Testament is we want to make everything allegory. Everything is allegory as though it didn't actually historically happen, but it's just a story that teaches us a moral lesson about the God we serve.

The truth is the Old Testament is historical and rarely allegory(analogies, metaphors). What ends up happening in allegory is that stories are abused. The story of David and Goliath is just butchered, repeatedly. You can conquer your giants. Where are your five smooth stones? We look at him as what our God can accomplish, but the story of David and Goliath is about the workings of God, not the workings of man. It's a literal story that changed the course of human history! Jonah is literally swallowed by a fish. He refuses to go to Nineveh, and he is historically and literally swallowed by a fish. Wait! Can you really believe that?? Oh, I believe it. And things get real goofy when all of a sudden everything is allegory and things aren't true anymore. They are just kind of stories that teach a moral lesson. Officially stepping off the soap box. 

So what we have here is Paul saying, "Hey, listen. That can be taken allegorically." Now let's look at how he does that. "These women are two covenants. One is from Mount Sinai..." What did we get at Mount Sinai? The Law. "One is from Mount Sinai, bearing children for slavery; she is Hagar. Now Hagar is Mount Sinai in Arabia; she corresponds to the present Jerusalem, for she is in slavery with her children."

For you and I, that might not come across as unbelievable, but for the Jewish people who heard him say that... I mean, he's already at odds and he just open-hand slapped them with that phrase, because to them Hagar is the mother of the Gentiles whom they despise, whom they are trying to convert to Judaism. They would not view Hagar as their mother. They would view Sarah as their mother, but he just said Jerusalem (present Jerusalem, this stronghold of Jewish practice), those are the children of Hagar. They are enslaved.

 V. 26-27: Now that is Paul quoting the prophet Isaiah in Isaiah 54, verse 1, who is communicating to the Israelites who have been pushed into exile, who have been dispersed across the nations. Their hope as a great nation is dashed. It's gone. Other nations are becoming powerful. Their once mighty nation is almost dissolved completely. But the prophet Isaiah reminds them, "Oh, no, no, no. It is when you are weak and barren, when you have no ability to bring forth life that God flexes most mightily. It's when you are weak that he is strong. It's when you are barren that he brings life. It is when you have no ability that God makes a way." 

V. 28-29: What we read about in the Scriptures is that we are adopted sons and daughters of God, and that is a beautiful reality. Throughout the book of Galatians what you'll find are these invitations that are laid out for those of us who would hear and believe. This is Easter from last week, that if you would believe in and trust in the life, death, and resurrection of Jesus Christ, then you could, regardless of how you've come in here today, leave differently.

You could leave differently and point to how you walked in today as who you used to be. What you used to do. The anxiety you used to have. The fear you used to walk in. The chains you used to have. You could have this former life, and now the invitation that is being laid out is...Do you want to be a slave or do you want to be a son or a daughter of God?

V. 30: What do we inherit? We all like inheritance, right?! Let me lay out just a few things that pertain to this inheritance of believing in Christ. 

1. We get God himself. This is our first and primary inheritance. There is nothing more lovely and nothing we need more than God himself, and our inheritance in Christ, being adopted as sons and daughters, is we get God.

2. We will get, upon our resurrection, new imperishable bodies. Starting in verse 42 of 1 Corinthians 15. Regardless of how attractive you are right now, your nose and your ears never quit growing. Google it. It means if you live long enough, things start looking strange on you, and you can't hear as well, and you don't have the vitality, and things make you a bit nervous.

The Bible says the new body we receive doesn't get sick. It doesn't get tired, and it doesn't cry tears. So not only do we get God himself now and evermore, but we get a resurrected, imperishable body, and that's good news.

3. We will get suffering, and persecution. 2 Timothy 3:12 says this: "Indeed, all who desire to live a godly life in Christ Jesus will be persecuted." So what is the second word in that? All. See, I would like that verse so much more if it said, "Indeed, some," because then I could separate myself out and go, I need to pray for those people, but he said, "Indeed, all who desire to live a godly life will be persecuted." We don't change scripture. It is our source of truth.

V. 31: What is our response to this invitation of adoption rather than slavery?

If you choose to be a slave in this life to legalism, you'll be a slave for eternity.

If you choose to be a son or daughter of God now, you'll be adopted forever!!

Have you made your choice?

-PC

pastorcory@rescuesumner.org

www.rescuesumner.org

It Is Time

'Have I now become your enemy by telling you the truth?' Gal. 4:16

We've all been there. We get fired up by the Holy Spirit of God. Most likely at church on Sunday, go home, decide who we're going to tell about Jesus. Knock on their door, AND....
Rejected.
Wait, what?!?! Jesus is everything! How in the world can't they accept a message of real, true freedom? And now, more than anything, I feel like their enemy for telling them about Jesus. We become timid, guilty, embarrassed. I know, because I've been there. Why is it that we feel like we are on God's Roller Coaster sometimes?
I can tell you this-it's not God's fault, it's ours. I need to realize that if I knock on 100 doors and 1 gives their life to Christ-it's a celebration!! But am I willing, or strong enough, to knock on 100 doors? That's really the question. I think it's time our actions start pouring out from our love for God.
Ready for some truth? We need to evangelize. Not better or more-we need to START!!
Let me see if I can get some zeal for the Almighty God rushing through your veins.
John 15:7-9 is simply awesome.

'If you abide in me and my words remain in you, ask whatever you wish, and it will be given to you. This is to my Father's glory, that you bear much fruit, showing yourselves to be my disciples. As the Father has loved me, so have I loved you. Now remain in my love.' 

God is wanting us to bear fruit. He is waiting for His army to rise and take on this world with the Good News of Jesus Christ! We are his disciples! We have a Father who loves us! Whatever we ask, it will be given to us!! And so it is time. 

Lord, we ask for revival. 

-PC (Pastor Cory)

pastorcory@rescuesumner.org

www.rescuesumner.org

This is Why I'm Free

This is who I am, 
It's where I stand, I won't apologize
This is why I'm free, now I believe
I will not compromise, this is who I am. 
-Colton Dixon 'This is Who I Am'

I'm beginning to understand why people take breaks from Facebook, Twitter, and other social media outlets. If you're not careful you can fall into a mode of hatred-real quick!! There have been times where I was literally frozen staring at my computer thinking, 'Did he/she really just say that?!' Sometimes it makes me wonder about where we're headed. The world, our nation, our churches, Christianity, and especially our next generation (in which I hold a special place because they are my children's era).
The problem starts to come when I start to worry. I forget so easily the passages in the Bible where Jesus says that he is a good shepherd, that he will never leave me and of course-not to worry. So how are we to live? 'The righteous will live by faith.' (Gal. 3:11) 'So the law was put in charge to lead us to Christ that we might be justified by faith.' (Gal. 3:24)
I will be justified if I put my faith in Jesus Christ. Sounds like a simple formula. So what happens when I see all of these present-day events on the news or social media outlets that don't line up with the Law of God, and don't line up with proclaiming Jesus Christ? What am I to do?
It's difficult. We are starting to live in a culture where if you proclaim your beliefs as a Christian, then you are offending or judging someone. And the argument is usually assaulted back at Christians as, 'Jesus would have loved everyone and you are hating!' Have Christians/the Church messed up sometimes-sure. But how did Jesus handle sin?
I can't think of a better way than in John 8. A woman is caught in adultery. The pharisees most likely had already picked up some stones to kill her. They bring her to Jesus to catch him in a trap. The Law of Moses had said that they must stone her (In a way the law led this woman to Christ-literally!). They wanted Jesus to say otherwise so they could arrest him as well. Then something amazing happens. I say amazing because we don't know. Jesus bends down and writes something on the ground with his finger. The pharisees leave. The woman is saved from the stoning.
But Jesus ends this encounter by saying something very profound-'Go now and leave your life of sin.' Jesus does not mess around with sin. He fully understands sin, and he fully understands the sin that is in all of our lives. But he brings freedom. Whereas the law cannot save us, it can reveal evil. Was this woman still guilty? Yes. Is adultery bad? Yes. But it doesn't have to equal death!!

Jesus loves you so much that he wouldn't let you die in your sin. 


-PC
pastorcory@rescuesumner.org
www.rescuesumner.org

Self Help

Whenever I have new people come into the church and give their lives to Christ, it's a celebration! It is the fullness of what the church is about-bringing people to Jesus!! Not a church's agenda, culture, or movement they're trying to push. It's always supposed to be about Jesus.
And the obvious question that comes after this celebration is...'Well, what should I do now?'
It's a pretty simple, and understandable question to ask-what's next??
I've caught myself sometimes because I go into pastor mode too quickly and unleash this amazing package of Bible readings, our small group schedule, sign them up for our next baptism, schedule a meeting for membership, how they can help, how they can do this and that...
Have you ever read the Bible and the words convict you so much you just sit back and feel embarrassed because there's a good chance you've been doing things wrong?? Or maybe, you've just been doing things with the mentality of 'works'??
If you haven't, you need to read the book of Galatians...TODAY. It's takes 30 minutes to read.

'So we, too, have put our faith in Christ Jesus that we may be justified by faith in Christ and not by observing the law, because by observing the law no one will be justified.' (Gal. 2:16)

'I do not set aside the grace of God, for if righteousness could be gained through the law, Christ died for nothing.' (Gal. 2:21)

'All who rely on observing the law are under a curse...' (Gal. 3:10)

'The righteous live by faith.' (Gal. 3:11)

The hardest one for a pastor to read, 'If anybody is preaching to you a gospel other than what you accepted, let him be eternally condemned!' (Gal. 1:9)

I understand that we live in a day of 'self-improvement' or 'self help'. If something is wrong-you fix it. And I personally know good Bible believing Christians who are in the field of counseling that are doing remarkable things. The difference here is that we need to know where the healing comes from. We need to know where our salvation comes from. I believe God can use counselors, teachers, pastors, mentors, etc. to bring about change in our lives, but that's the point-GOD uses them. Let's not praise the process but instead, the source. 

And so this may be a hard way to get people more involved in church, or for better attendance, offerings, etc. But everything has to start over. We need to have a church restart. Are we doing things because of Jesus or because we feel good about our own works? I believe that if we start with Jesus, our churches would become healthier. That we become even more obedient through our love for Jesus, rather than trying to love out of obedience. 

And so today I will live by faith.

-PC

pastorcory@rescuesumner.org

www.rescuesumner.org

Ash Wednesday

For most of my life I was really oblivious about Ash Wednesday. It wasn't until 2004 that it really came to my attention. Mel Gibson's The Passion of the Christ came out on that date. A movie that accomplished  so much for Christians as well as bringing to light what Ash Wednesday was. It's a holiday (holy day) that Christians have honored for over ten centuries. It falls at the beginning of a 6 week season called Lent. It prepares us and leads us up to Easter. In the earliest centuries, Christians who had been stuck in persistent sin had ashes sprinkled on their bodies as a sign of repentance, even as Job repented in 'in dust and ashes' (Job 42:6). Around the 10th century, all believers began to signify their need for repentance by having ashes placed on their foreheads in the shape of a cross. It was to be a sign of good things to come. As we know there is an empty tomb that goes with the cross of Christ.
Which led me to think about Ash Wednesday differently, even for today. It can be taken as a 'gloomy' holiday, but it reminds that through the bad news of our sin, there is GOOD NEWS through Christ. So this Ash Wednesday I've decided to stare death in the face and acknowledge that I am mortal. But the only reason I can is because of the assurance of life, real life, eternal life that I have through Jesus. When we know our lives are in our Father's hands we can be honest about what lies ahead. We can be confident in the face of death because we serve the one who conquered death.

-PC
pastorcory@rescuesumner.org
www.rescuesumner.org

Is Christianity a Religion?

I remember playing tetherball in my backyard growing up. The kind of setup where you just throw a bunch of concrete in a tire and then put a pole in the middle, attach a ball on a rope and you've got a weekend of fun!! When I had friends over, usually at some point we made our way over and would play for hours. One day I had my friend Doug over and we were in a heated battle (I must admit-I had game), and in the middle of this heated game I asked him about coming to church. His reply was, 'No, I go to a church. The Mormon church down the road.'
I stared at him as I let him spin the ball around the pole. What do you mean no?? I thought we were friends! And you're a Mormon...wait...there's other kinds of churches?? What?!?!
In today's obsession with terms it's simply called pluralism. Multiple people have multiple opinions about God, life, happiness, heaven, hell, etc. I grew up a majority of my childhood thinking that if you believed in God you were a Christian and went to church, and if you didn't that meant you didn't go to church. The idea of multiple religions hadn't smashed the windshield of my brain yet.

Have you ever had this asked of you-'What right do you have, as a Christian, to tell me that my religion or cultural practice, my traditions, my views of God are wrong?'

This solely depends on where you find your freedom. I find my freedom in Jesus Christ. It's humbling and yet freeing at the same time to know that I'm saved not by how 'good' or 'nice' I am but that I recognize I'm saved by the grace of God. That Jesus rose from the dead to conquer sin, Satan, death, and to save me from myself.
You might be reading this and say, 'Well that's just your religion. And so again, you have no right to tell me about right or wrong.'
The interesting thing about Christianity-true Christianity-is that it doesn't allow itself to be considered just another religion. It always says that it's the truth, and it is the only truth. Jesus is not owned or belongs to any specific culture as well. Jesus sits above culture and religion. Jesus has authority over all religions and cultures.
John 14:6, 'Jesus answered, 'I am the way, the truth, and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me.''
I've decided to make a choice in this life and follow Jesus. In a world that cries for tolerance but needs Jesus-I will understand if you don't follow Jesus, but I can't accept it. Jesus will forever be on my lips and so if you choose to live a lifestyle that glorifies yourself, I'll understand but try and love you to Jesus. If you would rather choose a world religion, I'll understand but I won't stop loving you to Jesus. We can't stop the (com)mission that Jesus laid out for us.

There will be those who accept, and those who don't. That doesn't change who I am in Christ.

-PC
pastorcory@rescuesumner.org
www.rescuesumner.org

Year 1

Our church body turned 1 this past Sunday. It was great to have so many people in attendance, baby dedications, membership, amazing time in worship. I felt bad because there was so many there that I couldn't talk to all of them! I had a moment before I left as I looked at the 'sanctuary' with no one there. All the music equipment was put away, we took down the banners, all the cake and coffee were gone. It was empty. And the easy answer would be-Church is over. Time to go home!
But God has taught me something in Year 1 of our church plant and that is our Sunday gathering is just the beginning. There is never a championship won in the locker room, it's won on the field.
So no matter the raw-raw given inside, it must be accomplished outside. That's why I'm excited for year 2 of our church. I feel God has placed a new boldness in the hearts of His people. Before each week I'm receiving an email, text, or phone call about how someone asked someone about Jesus! That's what we're supposed to be doing!!
Amidst the struggles/trials/tribulations we are facing, He is wanting to move! I'm blessed by our congregation because I believe they are yearning for it. Not just for life to get better but for God to be glorified even in our troubles. It's a message that our community and neighborhoods need.
It's a message of HOPE. That all we see is not all there is. That there is a God who loves them so much He gave them His Son, Jesus.
I've started to let Philippians 1:6 change me. 'Being confident of this, that he who began a good work in you will carry it on to completion until the day of Christ Jesus.'
How will people know that God is working if I don't tell them? I think if we were honest with ourselves we would say, we have squandered enough opportunities. I know I'm guilty of it. That's where the beauty of Jesus comes in because He knows. He knows I've made mistakes and yet He loves me. The most beautiful stories of Jesus are how He went to those who were in sin, and told them He had life for them. He is THE RESCUE.

Year 1 of our church was foundational. Year 2 of our church will be______ (you fill in the blank).

-PC
pastorcory@rescuesumner.org
www.rescuesumner.org