Launch Sunday
September 5, 2010
I am so excited about today and what’s coming in the next 7 ½ months. I really believe the opportunity for spiritual growth by every person is going to surpass what we’ve ever imagined for our lives. This is going to be fun! We’re going to laugh, we’re going to celebrate, and I’m sure we’re going to cry. It’s not always the best thing for the Pastor to say, I’m not sure where we’re going to land, when this is over. In a sense that’s scary, yet, that’s also really cool, because it means we have to trust in the plans God has for us, as opposed to the plans we have for ourselves.
Today is what we’re calling LAUNCH Sunday. It’s like thinking about a rocket taking off on it’s journey. Do you remember the old Apollo launches? They would count down from 10. It was so cool to watch and listen as that huge rocket took off. And be ready for next weekend, because we will see something remarkable from a group of Apollo astronauts. So, we’re in that countdown phase. It’s like we’re setting the table for the food and we’re eagerly awaiting our meal.
You know, when I think about The Story, I think about our stories. I mentioned that at the end of worship last week, after Charlie, Adam and Kevin spoke. We all have a story, and the Bible is wrapped up as one humongous story. It’s the story as we move from creation, the creation of the world and humanity, to the creation of a new heaven and a new earth in Revelation. The Bible is book-ended as an amazing story, but it’s more than just a story, it’s more than a history book, it’s the story of God and humanity. It’s a story which more than anything teaches, encourages, exhorts and commands us to get involved in the story of God. The story is God’s pursuit of you and I.
Think about it, and we’re going to talk about it over the next months, and it’s really the Gospel story contained within the overall story of God . . . it’s the story of His love for you and I and His willingness to seek us out and bring redemption to people who are filled with sin. God loves you and I so much that it breaks His heart when we turn away from Him.
So, we’re going to look at the condensed version of the Bible over the next 7 ½ months. And we’re going to test our readiness for the Story with a Bible quiz. So, get your paper and pencils ready, because here we go. . . I’m serious, get your paper and pencils ready. The beauty is, you can correct them yourself. There’s only 5 questions — —
1. On the seventh day God created . . .
A. Light
B. The Sunday afternoon nap.
C. Confusion
D. Elephants
E. The Deacons
2. When Moses parted the Dead Sea, did he use . . .
A. A huge wind
B. A sea parting angel
C. Union labor
D. The Deaconesses
E. This is a foolish question
3. How many people did King Nebuchadnezzar see in the fiery furnace?
A. 3
B. Pastors Michael, Doug and Rob
C. 4
D. The Trustees
E. Brett Favre and Tom Brady
4. Jesus’ first followers were called . . .
A. Peter, Paul and Mary
B. The Disciples
C. The Apostle Islands
D. The Rolling Stones
E. The Finance Team
5. The Bible is like . . .
A. A library
B. A John Grisham novel
C. An encyclopedia
D. A story of power, love, joy, grace, majesty, strength, energy, forgiveness, gifts, skill and so much more
E. All of the above.
Okay, correct your papers. I’m not going to ask how you did. But, over time, my hope is that not only do we gain Bible knowledge, but we’re able to demonstrate the Spirit of the Bible to those around us.
Now, as we move forward, just like we saw last week, in Adam, we’re going to get to meet some Bible characters. Some of those Bible characters can also be called heroes. Some of them may come from the Bible. As we look at the Bible over the next months, I want you to write down the answer to this question - - - who are your heroes? Write down some names of people who might be a hero.
Often times heroes are —
Sports stars / Movie or TV stars / singers / politicians
As we get older, we tend to look away from these people as our heroes and our heroes become more of the ordinary people in our lives. People who have in our hearts and minds accomplished some extraordinary accomplishments.
So, who are the heroes in your lives?
Let me tell you something . . . as I look out at you, you are heroes as well. I see so many of you, living well, living with a purpose, to bring and share the love of Christ with others. You are investing your life well as you invest your life in other people. You are heroes. And don’t ever sell yourselves short. Remember simply living the ordinary life to you, may look extraordinary to someone else.
There are also heroes in the Bible. People like Abraham (who left home without knowing where his final destination would be, with no GPS system to help him); Noah, who built a huge boat in his backyard not knowing if it would rain (after all he didn’t have the Weather Channel to help him); then there was Moses, a man who lived 3 different lives. He lived as a prince, as a shepherd, and as a leader of God’s people traveling through the desert.
There’s Esther, Ruth, David, Elijah, Jeremiah, Peter, Paul, Barnabas, Mary, Tabitha, Priscilla and so many more. Would you consider Jesus as one of your heroes? He would be a hero and so much more. The amazing fact that God would send His Son to leave the perfection of heaven to live here on earth, to suffer and die, yet rise again from the grave, all for us, what a gift from God. Yes, Jesus is the ultimate hero.
One of my heroes is Paul. And I wanted to read scripture from Paul . . . and let me tell you, next weeks scripture reading is going to seem like it’s from another world. I can’t wait for you to hear it -
Paul’s final letter is written to Timothy. It contains some powerful thoughts from Paul about life and death, and in chapter 3, Paul wrote these words for us . . .
10 But you, Timothy, certainly know what I teach, and how I live, and what my purpose in life is. You know my faith, my patience, my love, and my endurance. 11 You know how much persecution and suffering I have endured.
14 But you must remain faithful to the things you have been taught. You know they are true, for you know you can trust those who taught you.
15 You have been taught the holy Scriptures from childhood, and they have given you the wisdom to receive the salvation that comes by trusting in Christ Jesus. (NLT)
16 All Scripture is God-breathed and is useful for teaching, rebuking, correcting and training in righteousness,
17 so that all God's people may be thoroughly equipped for every good work. (NIV)
These are great words from Paul to Timothy. In essence, Paul is telling Timothy, ‘recommit yourself to stand courageously for the truth. You can do this because you already know the Word of God and you are being empowered and equipped by God to do His work, through the ministry of the Holy Spirit.
So, let’s look at some very important points Paul wanted Timothy and wants us to understand about this passage.
Firstly, in verse 14 - Paul uses the words truth and trust.
14 But you must remain faithful to the things you have been taught. You know they are TRUE, for you know you can TRUST those who taught you.
The question we need to ask ourselves is “what is the truth I can trust?” You see, we live in a world in which anything goes. You can be whatever it is you want to be and nobody is allowed to be critical of you and your lifestyle. Yet, for years, actually, for centuries, Christ followers have held onto something called Absolute truth. Absolute truth is what Paul is talking about in this verse. It means what I’ve told you is true and you can base your life on it. Trust me on this, Timothy.
Even in Timothy’s world, lots of things were permissible. Absolute truth was foreign to them as well. And we live in a world which has dismissed absolute truth. But the Bible says there is such a thing as absolute truth.
Think about it this way . . . if everything is negotiable, then nothing is totally reliable. There’s no solid ground to stand on. Everything becomes debatable and that is not what God has in mind for us. That leads to confusion and chaos. God is a God of order. It makes sense in our souls that there’s absolute truth and order. Imagine a football game in which we throw the ball out there and say go and play, but the rules constantly change, there is no out of bounds for one person, and for another there is an out of bounds. For everyone it’s chaos.
We need something that grounds us, and that is God and His Word. The Word of God is supposed to ground us, and we can count on the Word as the true because we trust the author, God.
Let’s keep moving forward through this great passage. Look at the first part of verse 15. How important is this scripture for grounding our children? Paul reminds Timothy, he was taught the scriptures since he was a child. It’s so important to help our kids know and learn the Bible, to know who the Bible characters are, and to know what God wants from us, so we can move in that direction.
Parents this is so important for you to be able to talk to your children about and to talk to one another about. Remember the passage from Deuteronomy 6, in which we are commanded,
5 Love the LORD your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your strength. 6 These commandments that I give you today are to be upon your hearts.
7 Impress them on your children. Talk about them when you sit at home and when you walk along the road, when you lie down and when you get up. 8 Tie them as symbols on your hands and bind them on your foreheads. 9 Write them on the doorframes of your houses and on your gates.
So, how do we pass the word of God to one another? Do we talk about the Bible and about our spiritual condition when we come together or is it just about the Colts and whatever else? You see, real fellowship is when we care enough to talk about our spiritual condition and ask others about theirs.
Sometimes we think the Word of God is just old. It’s been around for thousands of years, and maybe we just take it for granted. But remember, and we’ll talk about this next week, when we read those first words of the Bible, “In the beginning” from Genesis 1 - - - - and those words are repeated again in John 1, when John tells us “1In the beginning was the Word and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. 2 He was with God in the beginning.”
You see, the Word existed before time. It’s eternal and can be trusted. Because we need to understand, the metaphor John was using to describe Jesus. Jesus was the Word, who was alive and existed before time, He is eternal, He was before this world was ever created. And you can trust the Word, which is Jesus. When you think of something old, what do you think of? Something that’s worn out, beyond it’s time, decaying, old. Or when you think of something new, you think of something shiny, fancy, exciting.
And when you think of the word, eternal, we may use words like - time tested, trustworthy, everlasting, of God. There’s a different feel to that word. So, remember folks, God’s word is eternal.
Verse 15b. Paul continues, and they have given you the wisdom to receive the salvation that comes by trusting in Christ Jesus.
In other words, when we read scripture we receive things. It’s called “revelation.” God reveals things to us, wisdom, divine knowledge, understanding and insight.
With scripture there’s mystery and majesty to God. God is totally beyond understanding, yet at the same time, God doesn’t want us to live in confusion, He wants to reveal what’s been hidden, and we need to open our hearts and listen.
Consider what Jesus said in Mark 4:22-23 - 22For whatever is hidden is meant to be disclosed, and whatever is concealed is meant to be brought out into the open. 23If anyone has ears to hear, let him hear.
Jesus is telling us there are secrets God wants to reveal to us. It’s not like God wants to hide everything from us, or He wants to tell only a few people on the side. God wants us to know, and when we’re willing to listen and take in His word and be obedient to Him, He reminds us that we will be given even more.
It’s like God is giving us a view of His kingdom. And there is beauty, power and a plan which is unfolding which we can take part of. That’s revealed in scripture.
Verse 16 is the famous passage so many have heard, when Paul tells us, 16 All Scripture is God-breathed and is useful for teaching, rebuking, correcting and training in righteousness, 17so that all God's people may be thoroughly equipped for every good work.
What is so cool in this passage is the way Paul describes the word of God. He says it is God breathed - God inspired. It means to breathe in. God breathes into scripture and it is filled with His goodness and love. This is why we say it’s a living Word. You heard the Word of God and at one time or another His Word has filled you with great meaning; bringing you joy, peace, comfort, wisdom, strength, courage and more. God’s word is alive and active and can and will fill you with everything you need, if you are open to listening and embracing His word.
And it is also a life giving word. You see in Genesis 2:7, we read, 7 And the LORD God formed man of the dust of the ground, and BREATHED into his nostrils the BREATH of life; and man became a living being.
God breathed scripture is life giving and it’s life transforming. I’ve enjoyed John Grisham novels, which was one of the answers on the quiz. I can read one of his novels and when I’m done reading it, I can put it down and think, that was entertaining, but when I walk away I’m probably not going to be any different.
My heart hasn’t been touched by something in the book, yet when I read the Word of God, if I am open and willing, my heart can and will often be touched which will lead me to life change and transformation. His Word is always life transforming, if we are willing. Scripture has the power to change us because it is God breathed.
And lastly, in verse 17, we read that God uses His life giving word 17so that all God's people may be thoroughly equipped for every good work.
The Bible can teach us and not just equip us, but to thoroughly equip us to do EVERY good work and to accomplish all God has in mind for us.
Okay, WOW!! That’s a lot to chew on for this week. Now, next week we begin The Story. So, take that bookmark with you, take your copy of the story and start reading. We’ll hit the ground running next week.
Let me end with this final thought,
How would you communicate with someone who is far away? Maybe you’d . . .
Send someone or write a letter, or maybe you’d go in person to see them.
Understand, this is what God did for us. He sent His Son, Jesus. He wrote you a letter called the Bible. And He came in person through the Holy Spirit.
Begin reading Genesis 1-4; 6-9.
Shorter story of the Bible. Buy one of them. Mention my name and you’ll get a great deal.
** Power point available for free upon request. **
