AUDIO

in-that-day an audio message by Pastor Joel

RECENT SERMON SUMMARIES

08-22.2010 – Shock Treatment (Pastor Joel)

Luke 13:10-17. Jesus is in one of the local synagogues on some Sabbath doing what Jesus does best – teach.  Jesus used a real-life prop to get his point across.  The synagogue leader has a valid point – Jesus could have waited a few more hours until after the Sabbath to heal the crippled woman. So why did Jesus heal on the Sabbath?  Shock treatment!  The people were unable to distance themselves from the Law as the means to salvation, as the means to “standing up straight” before God.  They could not grasp that Jesus was their “standing up straight” before God.  In him we are set free from whatever cripples us.  Jesus shocked them out of their closely held expectations and into the reality of him.  Read verse 17.  Which are you?

08-15.2010 – Standing In the Fire (Pastor Joel)

Luke 12:49-56. Jesus’ fire and Jesus’ immersion (baptism) are one and the same – his immersion into our humanity taking upon himself our fallen flesh and hammering out in the fire of life our salvation, sanctification, and glorification. Are we able to discern the presence of Jesus on earth today and join with him in the Father’s ongoing mission to the world? Are we standing outside the fire or in the fire?

08-08.2010 – Abide in the True Vine (Pastor Joel)

John 15:1-11,26. Abiding in Jesus and Jesus in us is the only way to produce fruit.  In our culture we think we are simply “one among many” so we cut ourselves off from the vine (from participation in the true humanity of Jesus) and become dead twigs. Abiding is active not passive participation in Jesus’ real humanity, which he shares with us. Abiding is not the means to some ends; the method to achieve some goal.  Abiding is the ends and is the goal!

08-01.2010 – Eternal Life Here and Now (Pastor Joel)

The church is the actual form that eternal life takes in the here and now.  This stands in direct opposition to the American consumer mentality of the church. The church is not the means to some ends.  The church is the goal or the ends!  The church is not the means to salvation, to sanctification, to knowledge or to any other goal.  The church is the communal aspect of salvation.  Everyone – everyone! – is called to ministry!  No one is called to just sit and receive something that benefits the self.  The Incarnation is permanent and ongoing. (Luke 4:17-21; 1 Peter 4:8-11; Ephesians 4:11-13)

07-18.2010 – Stewardship Effectiveness (Pastor Joel)

Matthew 6:19-34 – Part 2 on stewardship.  Covered how to be an effective steward through four principles or implications.  They are contentment, generosity, awareness, and counsel.  Stewardship is a goal that all believers are working to move towards as we move away from our contemporary culture’s understanding that we are owners.  These four principles help move us in the right direction direction.

07-11.2010 – Stewards of Grace (Pastor Joel)

I Corinthians 6:19-20; 10:31 – In relation to our material possessions culture sees us as Owners but the Bible sees us as Stewards.  What are the fundamental differences between the two?  Stewardship is all about who we are in that we belong to Christ not ourselves or any other person.  Stewardship is our response-ibility as believers.  Our lives are not our own. Our time is not our own. Our minds and hearts are not our own. Our relationships are not our own. Our skills and abilities are not our own. They all belong to Jesus Christ. We have the new covenant gift (and I do believe it’s a gift) of managing someone else’s property – God’s!  And yet we are still free and must decide how to use our lives, our time, relationships, skills and abilities.  How will you decide?  How do you see yourself – as an Owner or as a Steward?

07-04-2010 – A New Creation (Pastor Joel) Part 5 from Galatians

This is the concluding message from Galatians. Paul concludes his argument by declaring that we live by the “law of Christ” and not by the law of Moses!  The “law of Christ” means becoming like Jesus in carrying one another’s burdens as Christ carried ours on the cross.  We are not to be burdened by the law but burdened by freedom – by becoming slaves to one another in community not slaves to the law.  Paul’s authority for making this dramatic change in the pattern or rule of life from the Mosaic Law is the cross of Christ.  Paul declares three deaths occurred on the cross. Christ died – not just a mere man but the Messiah, the anointed one, Abraham’s promise. Second – the world died. The world is eternally bound to its Creator Jesus.  Jesus took upon himself our humanity. So what happens to Jesus happens to humanity – death, resurrection and ascension to a new humanity.  Third – Paul died.  He experienced his own death in Christ.  Thus he is part, as we all are, of the new creation.  This new creation is what matters not the law!  So we live according to that pattern or rule of life and it brings communal peace and mercy – Messianic Kingdom qualities.  Amen

06-27-2010 - Walking (Pastor Joel) Part 4 from Galatians

One of the primary accusations made against Paul was that his “gospel of freedom” resulted in a soft approach to sin.  Even today critics of Paul accuse him of “sanctifying the world’s sin.”  In fact the truth is just the opposite.  Paul describes salvation as an inheritance – something we inherit not something we earn.  Our inheritance is based upon God’s actions towards us.  We receive our inheritance – we clothe ourselves with Christ.  So now walk or live according to your inheritance.  Walk according to who you are based upon God’s actions upon your life.  Walk the way God, as Father, Son and Spirit walk in their eternal communion of love.

06-20-2010 - Identity Crisis (Pastor Joel) Part 3 from Galatians

One of the issues that the Galatians had with Paul’s gospel of freedom was that of an identity crisis.  They felt cheated out of an identity because Paul’s gospel freed them from keeping the Mosaic Law.  Paul argues that their identity is much older than Moses and the Law.  Their identity goes all the way back to Abraham and the fulfillment in Jesus of the promise made by God to Abraham.  So their identity is one of “clothing themselves with Christ” and not one of obeying the law.

06-13-2010 - Faith OF Christ (Pastor Joel) Part 2 from Galatians

Paul argues that we are not saved by our faith, by our actions, but by the “faith OF Christ” – by Christ’s faithful obedience.  That means that everyone is on equal footing when it comes to salvation and to membership in the church.  This truth creates unity in the church whereas the perverted gospel created classes of Christians and division in the church.

06-06-2010 – Deserting God (Pastor Joel) Part 1 from Galatians

Paul is quite angry because some “false brothers” have seduced the Galatians into believing a perverted gospel, which Paul says really isn’t a gospel at all.  These false teachers have accused Paul of cheating them out of the complete gospel and of being soft on sin.  Paul counters their accusations by arguing that they have changed the gospel by taking the focus off of God’s actions towards us – that is Christ crucified – and put the focus on our actions towards God – that is the Mosaic law, which has the effect of deserting God. It’s not that these false teachers are leading the Galatians into immorality but, as Paul argues, this perversion steels away our freedom as the children of God and makes us slaves again to religion.  I argue that we have the same problem today with many perverted gospels that seek to make us slaves and steal our freedom.