Freedom Community Church Sunday Service

Sunday, December 20, 2020 - Luke 1 - Freedom Community Church - Pastor Rob Lloyd - Battle Ground, Washington, US Sunday Service Time: 10 AM Sunday Service Location: 1919 SW 25th Ave, Battle Ground, WA 98604 Phone: (360) 975-9356 Email: info@freedomcommunity.church Prayer Request: wepray@freedomcommunity.church Mailing Address: 1400 NE 136th Ave, Ste 201, Vancouver, WA 98684 Sermon Notes: Luke 1 As we begin the gospel of Luke, I want to start in a different way. Jeanne and I just finished a TV series that’s a love story wrapped in a spy show. The young lady comes from a broken home and has no idea what love is or how to love. She’s saving the world but can’t fix her heart. But she meets a man who instantly falls in love with her and as they work together, he relentlessly loves her until they both recognize the beauty of what they have. Then one day a computer is uploaded into her brain and makes her forget him. He refuses to let it go at that, so he pursues her to win her back. In the end, he finds her sitting on the beach and sits with her. She knows she lost something amazing but simply has forgotten everything, so it closes with her saying, “tell me our story again”. • At this point your saying, “ok, what does this have to do with Luke?” Folks, sometimes we go along with life uploading all kinds of information, from all kinds of sources, and we can begin to live as though we’ve almost forgotten pieces of Gods love and deliverance for us. We can forget the power he’s given the church in reconciliation. We can forget the freedom He’s given us from anxiety and fear. We can forget He’s taught us how to love our enemies. We can forget He’s given us a way of escape from every temptation. We can forget He’s given us eternal life with Him. Maybe not totally but at least partially. • And just like the young man telling this young woman their story again, we need to regularly return to the gospels to be reminded of the rescue plan God enacted for us because of His unimaginable love. • And both today and Wednesday we will jump into this account in perfect timing as we celebrate Christmas, when God sent His only begotten Son into the world. 1 Inasmuch as many have taken in hand to set in order a narrative of those things which have been fulfilled among us, 2 just as those who from the beginning were eyewitnesses and ministers of the word delivered them to us, 3 it seemed good to me also, having had perfect understanding of all things from the very first, to write to you an orderly account, most excellent Theophilus [likely his employer], 4 that you may know the certainty of those things in which you were instructed. Of the four gospel accounts, Luke’s is put together like a defense you might see, because the details are so systematic and orderly. And its written to Theophilus, whose mane means “loved by God” - very fitting! • And even though we pick up with the account of the birth of John the Baptist, we need to remember this plan was constructed before the foundations of the earth. And God waited until the perfect timing to bring it about. 5 There was in the days of Herod, the king of Judea, a certain priest named Zacharias, of the division of Abijah. His wife was of the daughters of Aaron, and her name was Elizabeth. 6 And they were both righteous before God, walking in all the commandments and ordinances of the Lord blameless. 7 But they had no child, because Elizabeth was barren, and they were both well advanced in years. What a great reminder this account starts when the Jewish people were still under the law. And these two were seriously committed to serving and honoring God with their lives. Now to be sure, this isn’t saying they were perfect people, because the bible tells us no one is (Rom. 3:23). But what it is saying is they really desired to please God and to live like it. So, He chose them to bring in the one who would prepare the way for Jesus! • And Herod is mentioned to remind us the world they were living in was in was under unrighteous rule. 8 So it was, that while he was serving as priest before God in the order of his division, 9 according to the custom of the priesthood, his lot fell to burn incense when he went into the temple of the Lord. 10 And the whole multitude of the people was praying outside at the hour of incense. 11 Then an angel of the Lord appeared to him, standing on the right side of the altar of incense. 12 And when Zacharias saw him, he was troubled, and fear fell upon him. Offering the incense in the temple was a once in a lifetime experience with up to 20,000 priests in 24 divisions. So, this was one very special day for him. But I bet he wasn’t expecting this. • It reminds me of 1 Cor. 2:9 which tells us “Eye has not seen, nor ear heard, Nor have entered into the heart of man The things which God has prepared for those who love Him.” • Folks, don’t freak out in the face of the unknown. God’s prepared great things for us who love Him! 13 But the angel said to him, “Do not be afraid, Zacharias, for your prayer is heard; and your wife Elizabeth will bear you a son, and you shall call his name John. 14 And you will have joy and gladness, and many will rejoice at his birth. We all need some good news, so let’s take a break with Zacharias and join in with the joy and gladness and rejoicing he was experiencing. • Just as John would be the one to herald the coming of Jesus, we too are being told through prophecy, the coming of Jesus is near. Now of course most wouldn’t know Jesus as Messiah for more than 30 years, but I’m really don’t think we’re going to have to wait that long before we He call us out of here. • And what these two events have in common, is they both foretell of a greater promise coming. And that’s worth celebrating!!! 15 For he will be great in the sight of the Lord, and shall drink neither wine nor strong drink. He will also be filled with the Holy Spirit, even from his mother’s womb. Do you remember the similarity of this description of the Nazarite vow when we read of Sampson? It was also in a season when everyone did what was right in their own eyes and ignored Gods divine authority. • But this will be an entirely different story, for in our time, just as the Holy Spirit entered John, we have received the gift of God (Jesus Christ our Savior), and the Holy Spirit is living in us. • So, we have already met this Savior he would introduce the world to. And because of that we are set apart to live for and worship God. 16 And he will turn many of the children of Israel to the Lord their God. 17 He will also go before Him in the spirit and power of Elijah, ‘to turn the hearts of the fathers to the children,’ and the disobedient to the wisdom of the just, to make ready a people prepared for the Lord.” What an amazing description of John. Can you imagine being described with Elijah? But the truth is their both being identified as empowered by God for the work of the reconciliation of man to God. • And folks, God has since passed on the ministry of reconciliation to all who have received Jesus. • Our world needs the message of reconciliation with God so desperately, and we have been equipped by God to bring it! Let’s not let this message get lost in the mail. 18 And Zacharias said to the angel, “How shall I know this? For I am an old man, and my wife is well advanced in years.” 19 And the angel answered and said to him, “I am Gabriel, who stands in the presence of God, and was sent to speak to you and bring you these glad tidings. 20 But behold, you will be mute and not able to speak until the day these things take place, because you did not believe my words which will be fulfilled in their own time.” This isn’t “Touched by an Angel”, but rather “Rebuked by and Angel”. And why? Because of unbelief. So now go back and ask yourself how you responded when I just mentioned we’ve been given the ministry of reconciliation. Do you believe Gods Holy Spirit in you has called you to this, or are you speechless? 21 And the people waited for Zacharias, and marveled that he lingered so long in the temple. 22 But when he came out, he could not speak to them; and they perceived that he had seen a vision in the temple, for he beckoned to them and remained speechless. 23 So it was, as soon as the days of his service were completed, that he departed to his own house. 24 Now after those days his wife Elizabeth conceived; and she hid herself five months, saying, 25 “Thus the Lord has dealt with me, in the days when He looked on me, to take away my reproach among people.” Just a thought, but was it a blessing to him that he couldn’t speak, being all his energy would be talking to God and contemplating what had occurred. I think we’d all be blessed in a season with our full focus only on God. • And Elizabeth now came to the understanding of the plans God had for her that she couldn’t imagine. • But now another birth is about to be announced! 26 Now in the sixth month the angel Gabriel was sent by God to a city of Galilee named Nazareth, 27 to a virgin betrothed to a man whose name was Joseph, of the house of David. The virgin’s name was Mary. 28 And having come in, the angel said to her, “Rejoice, highly favored one, the Lord is with you; blessed are you among women!” 29 But when she saw him, she was troubled at his saying, and considered what manner of greeting this was. 30 Then the angel said to her, “Do not be afraid, Mary, for you have found favor with God. 31 And behold, you will conceive in your womb and bring forth a Son, and shall call His name Jesus. 32 He will be great, and will be called the Son of the Highest; and the Lord God will give Him the throne of His father David. 33 And He will reign over the house of Jacob forever, and of His kingdom there will be no end.” Gabriel, the angel, told her to name Him Jesus, or Yeshua in the Hebrew. Which means “to deliver” or “to rescue.” And then he goes on to give this description that any Hebrew girl would have known was talking about Messiah! Can you imagine what went through her head and heart in this conversation? • It was just another of many rough days for the Jews and there is no way she could have expected this. But God had in store for her what Eye had not seen, nor ear heard, Nor had entered into the heart of man The things which God has prepared for her who loved Him. 34 Then Mary said to the angel, “How can this be, since I do not know a man?” 35 And the angel answered and said to her, “The Holy Spirit will come upon you, and the power of the Highest will overshadow you; therefore, also, that Holy One who is to be born will be called the Son of God. I love that communion has two elements, because if the bread was only to represent the crucifixion, then there would be no need to the cup which is the new covenant in His blood. That bread also represents 1) the body that God the Son would take on this very day. 2) The body that would reveal Him in the flesh before His creation. 3) That body that would be crucified in our place. And 4) that body that would be resurrected incorruptible 3 days later, 5) ascend into heaven and 6) which we will see again in Rev. 5, and which we will be like when we return with Him in Rev. 19. But unlike us, He would never use it to sin because He is the perfect Son of God! 36 Now indeed, Elizabeth your relative has also conceived a son in her old age; and this is now the sixth month for her who was called barren. 37 For with God nothing will be impossible.” 38 Then Mary said, “Behold the maidservant of the Lord! Let it be to me according to your word.” And the angel departed from her. When those who love God speak of things concerning Him, its always good news for us! And even when the world looks its darkest. God is ready to do through us who believe, things we couldn’t even imagine. • And unlike Zacharias, when Mary heard all these things, she believed it and received it. The words of the angel (which came from God), were going to happen, but she believed. Do we? What God has promised is still going to come to pass, but its so much more glorious when we receive them in faith! 39 Now Mary arose in those days and went into the hill country with haste, to a city of Judah, 40 and entered the house of Zacharias and greeted Elizabeth. 41 And it happened, when Elizabeth heard the greeting of Mary, that the babe leaped in her womb; and Elizabeth was filled with the Holy Spirit. 42 Then she spoke out with a loud voice and said, “Blessed are you among women, and blessed is the fruit of your womb! 43 But why is this granted to me, that the mother of my Lord should come to me? 44 For indeed, as soon as the voice of your greeting sounded in my ears, the babe leaped in my womb for joy. 45 Blessed is she who believed, for there will be a fulfillment of those things which were told her from the Lord.” Both she and the baby in her womb knew instantly that the Messiah just came to visit. And all she could do was praise and stand in awe. Oh, how I pray we never forget the first encounter we had with Jesus! • And how I pray we both continue to have them, and are just as in awe with Him now as we were the first time; so blown away that He would come to where we are to meet us again. • And what a great season to learn to jump for joy for Him again. Remember the rescue of His love! 46 And Mary said: “My soul magnifies the Lord, 47 And my spirit has rejoiced in God my Savior. 48 For He has regarded the lowly state of His maidservant; For behold, henceforth all generations will call me blessed. 49 For He who is mighty has done great things for me, And holy is His name. 50 And His mercy is on those who fear Him From generation to generation [that includes us]. 51 He has shown strength with His arm; He has scattered the proud in the imagination of their hearts. 52 He has put down the mighty from their thrones, And exalted the lowly [oh how we need that now]. 53 He has filled the hungry with good things, And the rich He has sent away empty. 54 He has helped His servant Israel, In remembrance of His mercy [and we need some of that], 55 As He spoke to our fathers, To Abraham and to his seed forever.” 56 And Mary remained with her about three months, and returned to her house. 57 Now Elizabeth’s full time came for her to be delivered, and she brought forth a son. 58 When her neighbors and relatives heard how the Lord had shown great mercy to her, they rejoiced with her. This would have been a holy slumber party indeed. Can you imagine the celebration during this time? And being Elizabeth was 6 months pregnant when Mary arrived and she stayed three months, it sounds like she was there for this birth. And now everyone is coming together to praise the Lord and celebrate. • And in this season, that’s what we are doing too. We are coming together to worship and celebrate. 59 So it was, on the eighth day, that they came to circumcise the child; and they would have called him by the name of his father, Zacharias. 60 His mother answered and said, “No; he shall be called John.” 61 But they said to her, “There is no one among your relatives who is called by this name.” 62 So they made signs to his father—what he would have him called. 63 And he asked for a writing tablet, and wrote, saying, “His name is John.” So they all marveled. 64 Immediately his mouth was opened and his tongue loosed, and he spoke, praising God. 65 Then fear came on all who dwelt around them; and all these sayings were discussed throughout all the hill country of Judea. 66 And all those who heard them kept them in their hearts, saying, “What kind of child will this be?” And the hand of the Lord was with him. I can’t help but see that once again obedience leads to greater deliverance (such as Zacharias tongue being loosed) and also a chance for God to be glorified among those who watch such transformations. • John was indeed specially set apart for an amazing work of the Lord. You and I are not John the Baptist, but we have also been set apart to be used by the Lord. And when our obedience leads to greater deliverance, you can count on God being glorified. 67 Now his father Zacharias was filled with the Holy Spirit, and prophesied [first prophecy in 400 years], saying: 68 “Blessed is the Lord God of Israel, For He has visited and redeemed His people, 69 And has raised up a horn of salvation for us In the house of His servant David, 70 As He spoke by the mouth of His holy prophets, Who have been since the world began [God’s been telling us of the story He’s written for us since the beginning- the Jew first and then the gentile], 71 That we should be saved from our enemies And from the hand of all who hate us, 72 To perform the mercy promised to our fathers And to remember His holy covenant, 73 The oath which He swore to our father Abraham: 74 To grant us that we, Being delivered from the hand of our enemies, Might serve Him without fear, 75 In holiness and righteousness before Him all the days of our life. Jesus was still in the womb, but Zacharias spirit knew God had entered the world to visit and offer redemption to humanity. Kind of like our hearts know Jesus will be coming in the clouds soon! • And is it just me or is it strangely comforting to know when Jesus came into the world it was a bad situation for all who loved God and were hated by others for their faith in Him? • Its because our God is a covenant keeper who is set on delivering us. But I also think its great that this prophecy notes the deliverance wasn’t so they could do nothing and wait. It was deliverance that they “Might serve Him without fear, 75 In holiness and righteousness before Him all the days of our life.” • Folks, there is a deliverance that comes so we can serve God without fear and there’s serving God without fear that delivers us. And this Christmas has a special joy for me as we’ve been serving in the fire response. If you’re not in the mood for celebrating Him yet, maybe its time to serve Him first. The prophecy continued: 76 “And you, child, will be called the prophet of the Highest; For you will go before the face of the Lord to prepare His ways, 77 To give knowledge of salvation to His people By the remission of their sins, 78 Through the tender mercy of our God, With which the Dayspring from on high has visited us; 79 To give light to those who sit in darkness and the shadow of death, To guide our feet into the way of peace.” 80 So the child grew and became strong in spirit, and was in the deserts till the day of his manifestation to Israel. Isn’t it wonderful that the Holy Spirit led him to make a declaration of truth in salvation that finds us right where the rubber meets the road! For truly he has covered every state or condition which anyone could be in when the good news of Jesus is revealed to them. • And in every state, we find Jesus (the Dayspring from on high), has brought light and peace to those who would receive it. • Its so overwhelmingly wonderful, and yet sometimes we allow the other things bombarding our mind and thoughts to somehow steal it. So, just like the lady in the show who lost her memories, we say, “Jesus, would you tell us our story again”. And He gets so excited to do that very thing. • I pray you will fall in love with Jesus all over again this Christmas and through this book!!!

Sunday, December 27, 2020 - Luke 2:21-52 - Freedom Community Church - Pastor Rob Lloyd - Battle Ground, Washington, US Sunday Service Time: 10 AM Sunday Service Location: 1919 SW 25th Ave, Battle Ground, WA 98604 Phone: (360) 975-9356 Email: info@freedomcommunity.church Prayer Request: wepray@freedomcommunity.church Mailing Address: 1400 NE 136th Ave, Ste 201, Vancouver, WA 98684 Sermon Notes: Luke 2:21-52 If you were with us Wednesday night as we celebrated the account of Jesus birth, you will quickly recognize we are picking up today immediately afterward. 21 And when eight days were completed for the circumcision of the Child [in other words Jesus is now eight days old], His name was called Jesus, the name given by the angel before He was conceived in the womb. 22 Now when the days of her [their] purification according to the law of Moses were completed, they brought Him [Jesus] to Jerusalem to present Him to the Lord 23 (as it is written in the law of the Lord, “Every male who opens the womb shall be called holy to the Lord”), 24 and to offer a sacrifice according to what is said in the law of the Lord, “A pair of turtledoves or two young pigeons [which was the offing of the poorest].” This section alone is so amazing for several reasons. First, we see from the beginning that Jesus would fulfill every detail and component of the law (1 Pet. 2:22). Now we heard that Zechariah and Elizabeth were dedicated to doing so, but as with all people it is an absolute impossibility to fulfill all the law all the time. Only One could and did, and that was Jesus! • And that makes these verses really interesting, because we see Joseph and Mary also doing their best to keep the law by complying with Lev. 12:2-4, which dealt with what had to be done after a woman had a male child in order to deal with their uncleanness. And if you’ve seen a birth this is messy business. • So, in regard to the woman, this deals mainly with her physical uncleanness. • But in regard to the baby, he was to be 1) presented to the Lord, 2) circumcised and 3) have an offering made on his behalf, because as with all people, we are born into sin (Eph. 2:2). And this is why this is so important. First because Jesus was the only one every born who was not born into sin (Adam and Eve were created, not born). And because of that, this offering wasn’t necessary for Jesus at all. • And in Him being circumcised and having this offering made on His behalf, identified Him with sinners of His own accord, because even though He was a baby, the Father could have certainly found a way to keep Jesus from this. • So right from His birth, the words of 2 Cor. 5:21 leap out at us; “For He made Him who knew no sin to be sin for us, that we might become the righteousness of God in Him.” This was all part of the plan. • But of equal wonder, in Jesus fulfilling every detail of the law perfectly, He was able to be the sinless sacrifice that would free us from the curse of the Law (Gal. 3:10-29, Col. 2:14). Folks, not one thing we just talked about was necessary for Jesus. And as a matter of fact, even sending Jesus into the world wasn’t necessary for God. All of this was done because of the love of God for us. He did it to set us free. 25 And behold, there was a man in Jerusalem whose name was Simeon, and this man was just and devout, waiting for the Consolation of Israel, and the Holy Spirit was upon him. 26 And it had been revealed to him by the Holy Spirit that he would not see death before he had seen the Lord’s Christ [Messiah]. This description is really important. It says Simeon was just, meaning his dealings with others were above board. And it says he was devout, meaning he was fully devoted to the Lord his God. And it says he was waiting for Messiah, meaning his focus was not on the things of this world, but on the eternal life with God. • And he’d been given a very special promise, that he would not die before he had the privilege of seeing Messiah. And I for one find it interesting the way he would see Jesus would be as a helpless baby who was completely dependent on others for everything. • In the natural mind, I believe most who were in the circumstances of that time would have thought, “a baby is useless to us now and even just another person to have to defend and care for”, thinking, “a baby is not what we need”. • But I believe Simeon saw exactly what he was looking for; 1) joy at the life of a baby coming into the world, 2) fulfillment of the promise of God that He would see the Messiah with his own eyes, 3) the way God came into the world that He might identify with His creation and they might identify with Him, and 4) I dare say the revelation that God would entrust Himself into the hands and care of those He created, who love Him. This really is almost unfathomable. Seriously, consider that for a minute! But before we move on, I want us to see how many of us are like Simeon. Here’s a quiz; 1) are you committed to living uprightly with others? 2) Are you devoted to being set apart for Jesus? 3) Are you waiting for the consolation from heaven when Jesus calls us home to be with Him, knowing it will occur because the Holy Spirit is in you? 4) And do you fully believe you might not see death before He returns for us? • If so, you are in that privileged group of Jesus followers. Not privileged because God favored you more than other believers, but because you receive it in faith, standing in the truths God has given us and standing on the promises which were made to all who would receive Jesus. • And if not, you’re the one ripping yourself off, because all these are possible for you right now. And the great news is you can change your position here today, immediately. 27 So he [Simeon] came by the Spirit into the temple. And when the parents brought in the Child Jesus, to do for Him according to the custom of the law, 28 he took Him up in his arms and blessed God and said: 29 “Lord, now You are letting Your servant depart in peace, According to Your word; 30 For my eyes have seen Your salvation 31 Which You have prepared before the face of all peoples, 32 A light to bring revelation to the Gentiles, And the glory of Your people Israel.” That includes everyone! Now I want you to picture this; you are out of the state when you have a child and 8 days later you take that child to church with people you’ve never seen before. And when you walk through the door this old man comes up to you and takes your baby out of your arms and lifts him up to heaven while praising God. How would you respond? • I ask this question because the text doesn’t say they maced him or freak out (this is their first born 😊). • But we also have to recount that both Mary and Joseph have had 1) separate visits from the angel Gabriel, and 2) both know Mary became pregnant by immaculate conception, and 3) Elizabeth foretold Mary’s birth when she wasn’t yet showing, when both her and the baby in her womb leapt for joy. And 4) they heard from the shepherds of the host of angels which told them to come worship the newborn Savior. • And this was another one of those miraculous events. So, where’s the tipping point? I mean, when did they have enough encounters with the work of God to just begin to accept it to be their new reality? Folks, I ask this question because we have seen so many amazing works of God in our lives and I’m wondering if we have passed over the tipping point? • I know some clearly have, some are clearly faking it, and some refuse to acknowledge the amazing intervention, outreach and communication of God with us. • I hope and pray this very day those who have not tipped into faith and excited anticipation of what God will do next, will begin to return to Him with the faith of a child. • And for those who have, I pray you become contagious and never take Him for granted. 33 And Joseph and His mother marveled at those things which were spoken of Him. 34 Then Simeon blessed them, and said to Mary His mother, “Behold, this Child is destined for the fall and rising of many in Israel, and for a sign which will be spoken against 35 (yes, a sword will pierce through your own soul also), that the thoughts of many hearts may be revealed.” This message started out with the good news of the salvation which had come for all people (both Jew and Gentile [vs. 32]), but now just took what I imagine was an unexpected turn for so many. • This wasn’t the message of universalism which suggests all people will go to heaven regardless of what they believe. For, just because Jesus came, did not mean everyone would choose to receive His gift of eternal salvation (Acts 4:12, Matt. 7:13-14). • Additionally, Simeon foretold that Jesus would have many who would target and speak against Him because they didn’t want to give up their power or position over other people. And therefore, Jesus coming to set others free was unacceptable to them. And finally, He gave warning to Mary about how difficult it would be being the mother of the Messiah. • And once He began His ministry, the animosity of those we just mentioned would even bring her to the point of wondering if He had lost His mind (Mark 3:21, 31). • And ultimately, she would see the violence done to Him, and watching Him die a brutal death. Thank goodness the resurrection was only three days away! 36 Now there was one, Anna, a prophetess, the daughter of Phanuel, of the tribe of Asher. She was of a great age, and had lived with a husband seven years from her virginity; 37 and this woman was a widow of about eighty-four years [over 100 years old], who did not depart from the temple, but served God with fastings and prayers night and day. 38 And coming in that instant she gave thanks to the Lord, and spoke of Him to all those who looked for redemption in Jerusalem. [she just couldn’t stop talking about Him- I hope that describes us too] Both Simeon and Anna where so tuned into the Spirit of God because they were full out living for Him. And as a result, they both were prepared to hear and be moved without trepidation. I believe we all secretly want to be like Simeon or Anna in their ability to move so confidently in their understanding of what God is doing. And to be so bold in that confidence that they we’re not even worried about what a single person might think. • But here’s the key. They both loved the Lord with all their heart, mind, soul and strength (Luke 10:27). • They weren’t living compartmentalized lives where parts belonged to God and others were kept for self. And they were not deciding for themselves the modern interpretation of God’s word according to their evolving morality and understandings (because the law was thousands of years old now). • These two had set themselves fully apart to the service of the Lord. And that’s available to anyone of us who choose the same today. And with that comes the clarity and confidence in Him we all desire!!! 39 So when they had performed all things according to the law of the Lord, they returned to Galilee, to their own city, Nazareth. 40 And the Child grew and became strong in spirit, filled with wisdom; and the grace of God was upon Him. Now other than the wise men coming later to visit Jesus (Matt. 2:1-12) and then Joseph and Mary having to take Jesus into Egypt to keep Him from being killed by Herod’s decree (Matt. 2:13-23), this is all we know of the childhood of Jesus until this next account. 41 His parents went to Jerusalem every year at the Feast of the Passover [one day]. 42 And when He was twelve years old, they went up to Jerusalem according to the custom of the feast. 43 When they had finished the days [the weeklong feast of unleavened bread], as they returned, the Boy Jesus lingered behind in Jerusalem. And Joseph and His mother did not know it; 44 but supposing Him to have been in the company, they went a day’s journey, and sought Him among their relatives and acquaintances. Now, its really important to start off the rest of the events of today’s study with a clear understanding that Jesus, who fulfilled all the law, would certainly have honored His mother and father (Deut. 5:16, Ex. 21:17). So, any commentary or teaching you might read that makes Jesus a little rowdy or mischievous is just plain wrong. • So, whether orchestrated by God the Father or truly accidental, Jesus wasn’t acting out. • So, kids, don’t get any ideas that you get a pass here 😊. After all Eph. 6:1-3 says “Children, obey your parents in the Lord, for this is right. “Honor your father and mother,” which is the first commandment with promise: “that it may be well with you and you may live long on the earth.” • But I can’t help but think of how His parents where feeling, for its one thing to lose a child but they just lost the Savior of the world! 45 So when they did not find Him, they returned to Jerusalem, seeking Him. 46 Now so it was that after three days they found Him in the temple, sitting in the midst of the teachers, both listening to them and asking them questions. 47 And all who heard Him were astonished at His understanding and answers. There are some other uninspired accounts that tell of miracles Jesus did as a child, but we know Jesus didn’t start His ministry until He was 30, so those are fabrications. What we do find here is His understanding of truth. • Throughout time people have been looking for signs and wonders, when what we’ve needed all along is the way, the truth and the life (John 14:6). And in their midst, all three housed in one 12-year-old boy! • What I want to know is did they know, like Simeon and Anna, that they were with the Messiah? • Honestly, I think there are many times where people are having an encounter with Jesus (both the saved and unsaved) and because they’re focused on something other than the truth for their verification, they exit that experience never knowing. In John 8:31-32 “Jesus said to those Jews who believed Him, “If you abide in My word, you are My disciples indeed. And you shall know the truth, and the truth shall make you free.” Folks, like anyone else, I love to see a miracle of God. But what we need more than a miracle is for God to 1) hear us when we sit with Him, 2) asking us questions to get us thinking, and then 3) giving us understanding as He share the truth we need to hear. And the beauty is we have that right now. Let’s not miss it! 48 So when they saw Him, they were amazed; and His mother said to Him, “Son, why have You done this to us? Look, Your father and I have sought You anxiously.” 49 And He said to them, “Why did you seek Me? Did you not know that I must be about My Father’s business?” 50 But they did not understand the statement which He spoke to them. 51 Then He went down with them and came to Nazareth, and was subject to them, but His mother kept all these things in her heart. 52 And Jesus increased in wisdom and stature, and in favor with God and men. Remember, Jesus isn’t being snarky with them here, He is simply stating truth. Yet in their panic (not His), it went right over their heads. Folks, even here we have some great lessons; 1) when we get a little panicky over the events in life, Jesus is always going to be the calm one (Luke 8:22-25). • I’m so grateful for that because as a person who meets with people on some of their hardest days, I know just being there without any agenda other than to support them, is a huge gift. And Jesus is always there being the voice of reason and our source of reassurance. • 2) But we’re also reminded that once someone has had their system shocked like this, it might take a bit for them come down off the stress response before they can take in truth. • And so, 12-year-old Jesus responded as God the Father has instructed all children, by 1) answering clearly and 2) then respecting their authority over His life at this time. o And no- your parents didn’t pay me to say this 😊. It’s in the bible! And again, as we found when the shepherds came, Mary kept all these things in her heart. Pondering is of such great importance and I’m afraid it’s something too many of us “responsible,” “busy,” or “relaxing” people fail to make enough room for. • Did you take some time this season to ponder the true meaning and implications of Christmas? If you did, I can guarantee it was rich beyond measure. • And maybe today is a great time to ponder on things like 1) our righteous God purposefully identify with sinful humanity to save us. Or 2) where the tipping point of faith is that causes us to accept and expect the supernatural works of God to show up in our lives naturally. Or 3) if you are in a place in your following God where you’re constant prepared to hear and be moved by Him. Or 4) pondering if you’re living a compartmentalized or evolving morality and understanding existence in spite of Gods truth. Or, 5) if a youth, you live in such a way as to speak clearly and submit to your parents. Or, or, or… • It’s called pondering, and it’s good for the soul. Will you make room for the Lord to deposit treasures in your heart by spending time pondering with Jesus? I hope so.

Sunday, January 10, 2021 - Luke 3:21-4:13 - Freedom Community Church - Pastor Rob Lloyd - Battle Ground, Washington, US Sunday Service Time: 10 AM Sunday Service Location: 1919 SW 25th Ave, Battle Ground, WA 98604 Phone: (360) 975-9356 Email: info@freedomcommunity.church Prayer Request: wepray@freedomcommunity.church Mailing Address: 1400 NE 136th Ave, Ste 201, Vancouver, WA 98684 Sermon Notes: Luke 3:21-4:13 Well, it’s hard to imagine each and every week we can say it’s been more interesting than the week before, but I think that’s a fair statement. And as always, we wonder where we should go in our bibles to get what we need for the moments we are in. Folks, the best thing we can do now is keep our eyes on Jesus, so the gospels are the place to go. • Last week we heard of all who came to John to be baptized for the remission of their sin. That’s where we pick up today. 21 When all the people were baptized, it came to pass that Jesus also was baptized; and while He prayed, the heaven was opened. 22 And the Holy Spirit descended in bodily form like a dove upon Him, and a voice came from heaven which said, “You are My beloved Son; in You I am well pleased.” Last week we took a little time to consider what it would have been like for us personally if we were there on the shore, and after having been baptized, saw this whole thing went down between Jesus and John. And I for one can say as I spent time pondering that, all I could do was be in complete awe of even the thought. • But John and Jesus weren’t the only ones involved in the baptism, for in these verses we see the Holy Spirit come upon Jesus and hear the Father make a proclamation about Jesus. • So, all three persons of the God head are in this scene, once again affirming the trinity. • And for those who wonder if Jesus is God, go to the internet and look for “Is Jesus God?” at gotquestion.org. And for one clear answer, in Heb. 1:8 God the Father is speaking and says “But to the Son He says: “Your throne, O God, is forever and ever;…””. And of the two verses quoted by God the Father about Jesus, coming out of heaven, both are Messianic passages. Meaning Jesus was clearly proclaimed, at the beginning of His ministry, to be the Messiah. • So, one has to ask, with such clarity about who Jesus is, why is there so much confusion? Because the enemy is a liar and those who have not the Spirit of God are being deceived. • Folks, there is a spiritual war going on and those without Jesus are blind to the truth. Some might see the physical realities more clearly, but without Jesus they are still in delusion. • And the fact that sinless Jesus was baptized for the remission of sins, when the entire world was without the gospel of grace, once again reminds us God died for all while they were still in sin. Even those who are deeply immersed in that place today. So now we get a genealogy counting backwards starting at Joseph, going through King David and arriving at its origin in God. 23 Now Jesus Himself began His ministry at about thirty years of age, being (as was supposed) the son of Joseph, the son of Heli, 24 the son of Matthat, the son of Levi, the son of Melchi, the son of Janna, the son of Joseph, 25 the son of Mattathiah, the son of Amos, the son of Nahum, the son of Esli, the son of Naggai, 26 the son of Maath, the son of Mattathiah, the son of Semei, the son of Joseph, the son of Judah, 27 the son of Joannas, the son of Rhesa, the son of Zerubbabel, the son of Shealtiel, the son of Neri, 28 the son of Melchi, the son of Addi, the son of Cosam, the son of Elmodam, the son of Er, 29 the son of Jose, the son of Eliezer, the son of Jorim, the son of Matthat, the son of Levi, 30 the son of Simeon, the son of Judah, the son of Joseph, the son of Jonan, the son of Eliakim, 31 the son of Melea, the son of Menan, the son of Mattathah, the son of Nathan, the son of David, 32 the son of Jesse, the son of Obed, the son of Boaz, the son of Salmon, the son of Nahshon, 33 the son of Amminadab, the son of Ram, the son of Hezron, the son of Perez, the son of Judah, 34 the son of Jacob, the son of Isaac, the son of Abraham, the son of Terah, the son of Nahor, 35 the son of Serug, the son of Reu, the son of Peleg, the son of Eber, the son of Shelah, 36 the son of Cainan, the son of Arphaxad, the son of Shem, the son of Noah, the son of Lamech, 37 the son of Methuselah, the son of Enoch, the son of Jared, the son of Mahalalel, the son of Cainan, 38 the son of Enosh, the son of Seth, the son of Adam, the son of God. Both Matthew and Luke record the genealogy of Jesus, but they are not the same. Matthew records the genealogy from Joseph, who was Jesus father legally but not biologically. Luke records the genealogy from Mary’s side although her name is not mentioned because women were not to be listed in the official records of that time. • So instead of her name, we get the clues from the text that this is Mary’s genealogy. The first is it tells us Jesus was the supposed son of Joseph (meaning all knew Jesus was not born of Joseph). And second, Heli was a descendant of Mary. • But of real importance is that in both Mary and Joseph’s genealogies it is proven they are descendants of David (because Messiah had to come through this line), • and with 1) Mary’s genealogy beginning with God and moving to Adam reminds us God is the God of all people, and 2) Jesus lineage shows He’s the Messiah for all people. 4:1Then Jesus, being filled with the Holy Spirit, returned from the Jordan (presumably intending to head back home) and was led by the Spirit into the wilderness, 2 being tempted for forty days by the devil. This speaks powerfully to the humanity of Jesus as He was moved by the Spirit to go into the wilderness. • And this is of monumental importance not only because Jesus was the perfect example of a perfectly lived life. But also, because He reveals the pattern of how we are to live life. • You see, if Jesus used His own instruction and His own divine power to live His life, then we would say “that pattern is of no help to me because unlike Jesus, I’m not God”. • But Jesus was led and empowered by the Father and the Holy Spirit. And since we have received Jesus, our relationship with the Father was reconciled so that we’re told to enter boldly into the throne of grace (Heb. 4:16). And the Holy Spirit did more than come upon us, He took up residence (2 Tim. 1:14). o So, Jesus starts His ministry by operating in a way that is fully accessible to us. And before we move on, I want to quote David Jeremiah here because it really hits home this week. “Sometimes believers think that encountering difficult circumstances means they have somehow missed Gods will, but the Spirit of God may lead the faithful into the wilderness, just as with Jesus.” • Folks, the wilderness (or dessert) is not a punishment here. It’s an opportunity to stand on the truths of God when they are put to the test (Deut. 8:1-2). o And when we get to verse 14, we’ll see great things came out of this. • Also remember it’s the same God who leads us beside still waters when that’s what we need (Psalm 23). • And He does know what is better and loves us enough to provide the experience we need. If it was all still waters, we would become lethargic. If it was all dessert, we’d become overwhelmed. o But in either of those places, or anywhere in between, for those who dwell in the secret place of the Most High (as Psalm 91:1-4 tells us), we are also tucked under the shelter of His wing! And now we come to the first of three temptations. 2bAnd in those days He ate nothing, and afterward, when they had ended, He was hungry. 3 And the devil said to Him, “If (since) You are the Son of God, command this stone to become bread.” 4 But Jesus answered him, saying, “It is written, ‘Man shall not live by bread alone, but by every word of God.’ ” The minions of our enemy seem to always show up when we’re drained in one way or another in order to temp us into focusing on our own self-interests over the will of God. • Certainly, they are waring with us in other occasions too, but when we’re low on personal reserves it seems the temptation is to use the divine for the feeding of our flesh more than for the fulfilling of the perfect will of God. • And this is an interesting temptation for if Jesus was to command the stones to become bread, He certainly didn’t need the devil to do it. Satan offered nothing but the temptation here, which is often true in our lives also. • And it was a legitimate temptation, for after fasting that long, food would be a real thought and need. But Jesus again laid out a spiritual battle strategy which is 100% accessible to us; He quoted the Word of God (specifically Deut. 8:3) to reveal that life comes from and is only really sustained by God. • We are told God spoke us into existence (Ge. 1:26-27, Psalm 33:6-9) and by His word we know He is the only one who can sustain us both physically and spiritually (Heb. 1:3). • So where do we find this nourishment? In the Word of God. I just posted Psalm 91 a few days ago with no commentary (because Jesus will quote from it today) and let me tell you it started getting hit quickly because it contains Gods promises to us and people know this is what they need right now! It’s what will sustain them in the trials and temptations of life. It nourishes the soul. • And folks, using scripture is how Jesus is going to undo any plans of Satan in all three of these trials. • You want to be victorious in the battles, follow the example of Jesus. Know the Word of God! Now we come to the second attempt. 5Then the devil, taking Him up on a high mountain, showed Him all the kingdoms of the world in a moment of time. 6 And the devil said to Him, “All this authority I will give You, and their glory; for this has been delivered to me, and I give it to whomever I wish. 7 Therefore, if You will worship before me, all will be Yours.”8 And Jesus answered and said to him, “Get behind Me, Satan! For it is written, ‘You shall worship the Lord your God, and Him only you shall serve.’ ” In both this temptation and the next, it says the Devil took or brought Jesus to different locations. No one knows for sure but its likely these are visions and not actual changes of location. But it brings up the question of Satan’s abilities. Can he really relocate a person physically like the Holy Spirit did to Phillip in Acts 8:39-40? • The bible doesn’t say, but it does tell us Satan can’t do anything unless God permits it (Job 1:12, Luke 22:31). And if God permits it, it’s for our benefit or His glory. Either way, we win because Jesus won. • But Satan really did have the authority to give these things to Jesus, because God had given them to Adam (Gen. 1:26-28) (and therefore to mankind) and Adam forfeited them to Satan (John 12:31). So, what was the temptation; to offer Satan worship for a perishing world. When said like that it doesn’t sound so tempting, but it says Satan showed Jesus all the kingdoms of the world in a moment of time. What that means is Satan offered Jesus something that had great structures, amazing technologies, and great power, from a human standpoint. • But besides the fact Jesus made all the really impressive stuff like atmosphere, the heavens, the sun and moon (Col. 1:16) what Satan offered Jesus is one day going to burn (2 Pet. 3:10-12). It was temporary at best. And you know Satan has offered so many temporary things that look enticing or maybe even beautiful now but are only temporary. But unlike Jesus, many have taken the deal that can’t last. But here’s the real temptation. Satan knew Jesus was coming to win back and take control of what Satan temporarily had, because the devil knows scripture. And Rev. 11:5 says of a time coming in the near future “The kingdoms of this world have become the kingdoms of our Lord and of His Christ, and He shall reign forever and ever!” So what Satan was offering was a way for Jesus to take it all back without going to the cross. • I can almost hear Satan saying, “why should you have to go through all that suffering. Look at these people. They have done nothing worth your suffering to save them.” And he would be right. • But he missed an important point. If it wasn’t for those same people, Jesus could’ve simply wiped out everything including Satan and declared it justifiable cleansing; although He has no one to answer to. • But the rebuke Jesus gives Satan again comes from the Bible (Deut. 6:13), by declaring there’s only One we are to serve and One worthy of worship, and it’s our God! Folks, this life has seasons of wilderness and still waters, times of loss and gain, times of sorrow and times of joy (Ecc. 3:1-8). And in all those times the enemy will send his, to tempt you. And there’s nothing better than proclaiming truth and then doing it. So,1) know your bible, 2) go out and serve the Lord with the days you have, and 3) worship and revere Him the entire time, in every season of life. Including this one. And now we come to the last of three attempts of Satan. 9 Then he brought Him (Jesus) to Jerusalem, set Him on the pinnacle of the temple, and said to Him, “If You are the Son of God, throw Yourself down from here. 10 For it is written: ‘He shall give His angels charge over you, To keep you,’ 11 and, ‘In their hands they shall bear you up, Lest you dash your foot against a stone.’ ” 12 And Jesus answered and said to him, “It has been said, ‘You shall not tempt the Lord your God.’ ” 13 Now when the devil had ended every temptation, he departed from Him until an opportune time. Satan does a scriptural hack job here (much like many today) as he deletes a section in the middle of Psalms 91:11-12 which would defeat his objective. And he leaves out so many other pieces before and after to mislead people from the main point. It says “Because you have made the Lord, who is my refuge, Even the Most High, your dwelling place, No evil shall befall you, Nor shall any plague come near your dwelling; For He shall give His angels charge over you, To keep you in all your ways. In their hands they shall bear you up, Lest you dash your foot against a stone. You shall tread upon the lion and the cobra, The young lion and the serpent you shall trample underfoot. • The prerequisite of this great blessing of shelter is making the Lord your dwelling place. And the angels spoken of here were to help if needed, but Jesus wouldn’t call on them and instead simply kept all His ways, which was to glorify God in everything. • And of course, Satan left out the fact that in doing so (which Jesus did), the result would be the crushing of all that would come against Him, which certainly is focal against Satan. But why this temptation? Why did he think it would be enticing to Jesus? I dare say it’s likely because in watching mankind, Satan saw the frequency in which many have attempted to use the gifts given to us by God for our own elevation before other people. • We see it in ministries that try to use the sensational instead of sticking to the inspired. And we often hear people tell us all their own personal experiences where the Lord did this and said that, in attempts to show their special connection with God that you can’t have, and therefore why you should follow them. • But in truth you can get to the same place by another route, and that’s when we purposely get out in front of God and then expect Him to respond according to our will. In those moments we are testing or tempting the Lord. It’s not the same as being bold. It’s trying to be in charge. • But for the third time Jesus shuts him down with what God has spoken. And we see after Satan knew he couldn’t win; it says he departed from Him until an opportune time. What does an opportune time look like in your life? Do you know when you are more vulnerable than at other times. You should, because he does. And my guess is the last 8 months has probably revealed a few of them. • And if you know them, then in those time might I suggest you get in the word and find the verses which defeat the lies and temptations that are common to you. • Know them in advance, learn them by heart and place them where the temptation resides. Quote them out loud so your neighbors looking in the windows think your nuts. Because it’s better for them to know you’re crazy for Jesus than just plain crazy 😊. • Jesus our Savior and our example has not only shown us the way to victory, He provided the victory for us. We just need to follow His leading.

Sunday, January 17, 2021 - Luke 4:14-30 - Freedom Community Church - Pastor Rob Lloyd - Battle Ground, Washington, US Sunday Service Time: 10 AM Sunday Service Location: 1919 SW 25th Ave, Battle Ground, WA 98604 Phone: (360) 975-9356 Email: info@freedomcommunity.church Prayer Request: wepray@freedomcommunity.church Mailing Address: 1400 NE 136th Ave, Ste 201, Vancouver, WA 98684 Sermon Notes: Luke 4:14-30 Last week we watched as Jesus defeated Satan with the Word of God, and now that trial period is over, we will see the result: 14 Then Jesus returned in the power of the Spirit to Galilee (population of 3 million; more than 18 states in the continental US), and news of Him went out through all the surrounding region (that’s a lot of coverage). 15 And He taught in their synagogues, being glorified by all. Jesus has now returned to where He thought He was going after His baptism. But now He’s going in the overflowing power of the Holy Spirit. • We know the power of the Holy Spirit was already upon Him, and now we see Him being filled with the Holy Spirits power again. • And being that Jesus, who had the Holy Spirit, also had this encounter of having the Holy Spirit coming upon Him to lay upon Him more power, and being Jesus was our perfect example of how to live this life victoriously, then we can assume this should be a naturally occurring thing in our lives too. • Eph. 5:18 makes this point in that its written in the present imperative tense, meaning it would read something like “be being filled (or “keep on being filled”) with the Holy Spirit. So, there is a difference between the indwelling of the Holy Spirit and filling of the Holy Spirit. The indwelling is promised to everyone who receives Jesus (John 7:37-39, Gal. 3:2). • But the filling of the Holy Spirit comes as we yield to Him, just as Jesus displayed as He let the Holy Spirit drive Him into the wilderness and then depended upon the Holy Spirt during the entire experience, in order to glorify the Father. • When we’re not yielding to the Holy Spirit (which is shown in our lack of obedience to what God has called us to be engaged in, and our not abstain from what He’s told us to have no part in) (Eph. 5:14-18), Ephesians 5:19 tells us we can quench the Spirit. Folk’s, we need an outpouring of the Holy Spirit right now and we can have it. But because we leak, we need to keep the spigot open and constantly pouring into us. So, ask yourself, are you yielding to Him? If not, you’re going to get drained! 16 So He came to Nazareth, where He had been brought up. And as His custom was, He went into the synagogue on the Sabbath day, and stood up to read. Sticking with the understanding that Jesus lived in a way that we can and should follow, because He is our pattern for living, did you notice it was His custom through all His life to attend weekly services. • Of course, those were synagogue services because Jesus is Jewish, and the church wouldn’t come into existence until after His assentation (Acts 2). But this is certainly the pattern He has given us. o No wonder the enemy is working so hard to close churches down. • And what was the focus in synagogue? Teaching of the Word! Now, we must go back a few verses and remember Jesus was being spoken about everywhere by now because of the amazing things that were happening as the Holy Spirit was working in Him. So, when they handed Jesus the scroll, there was no way they were unaware that He was someone special in God’s plan. They just hadn’t decided how special. We will come back to this. 17 And He was handed the book of the prophet Isaiah. And when He had opened the book, He found the place where it was written: 18 “The Spirit of the Lord is upon Me, Because He has anointed Me To preach the gospel to the poor; He has sent Me to heal the brokenhearted, To proclaim liberty to the captives And recovery of sight to the blind, To set at liberty those who are oppressed; 19 To proclaim the acceptable year of the Lord.” 20 Then He closed the book, and gave it back to the attendant and sat down. And the eyes of all who were in the synagogue were fixed on Him. 21 And He began to say to them, “Today this Scripture is fulfilled in your hearing.” We’re not sure if this was assigned reading or if Jesus chose this passage from Isaiah 61. • If He chose it, wonderful because it was written of Him and had been waiting all this time to be fulfilled. • On the other hand, if it was the assigned reading, then it shows what we so often see in our own services as we are working through a book and see it perfectly fits the season of life that we’re in. • Either way, what a display of God’s intimate involvement and fore planning in the lives of His creation. And as Jesus told them these passages spoke of Him (providing the answer they were looking for), He read five things that would identify Messiah when He came. And you can look at these from 1) the practical needs of our humanity (Ps. 146:7-8, “The happiness of those whose help is the Lord”), or 2) from the spiritual side, or 3) from both. • I believe we should understand both apply, but since its pretty straight forward to see the ways in which Jesus did all these things and more while ministering (which bore witness of His claim to be Messiah), • we will focus on the spiritual fulfillment of each here. 1. He has anointed Me to preach the gospel to the poor. Jesus did preach to those others considered out casts, unworthy and even unclean. The cast offs of society. And He got ridiculed for it by the religious. • But I think the greater understanding is the poor in spirit (Matt. 5:3). The poor in spirit are those who understand their absolute dependence on Gods mercy because of their fallen condition. • And that they are utterly dependent on Him for life itself. • This would describe those who came to be baptized by John and who then were ready to receive Jesus. And it describes those today who understand their own depravity and need for salvation. 2. He has sent Me to heal the brokenhearted. Up to this point they were in their sins, awaiting Messiah. But all this just changed. 1 Pet. 2:24 says of Jesus, “by whose stripes you were healed (my emphasis). For you were like sheep going astray, but have now returned to the Shepherd and Overseer of your souls”. • And Psalm 107:20 says, “He sent His word and healed them, And delivered them from their destructions”. • Sin steals the joy God intended for us to carry in our hearts and instead breaks them. Wasn’t this true of you personally before you came to Jesus? Or if you haven’t come to Him yet, aren’t you listening today because you have reached a point where your heart can’t take anymore? • And it’s not just our sin that breaks our heart, but the sin of everyone. And its effects on us all. • I still remember the darkness lifting the moment I received Him. I still had trials coming my way, but on the other hand, I began to see everything differently, and it was wonderful. • It was the day Jesus healed my broken heart. Will you let the love of Jesus heal your heart? 3. To proclaim liberty to the captives and recovery of sight to the blind- In John 8:32 Jesus said, “You shall know the truth and truth shall make you free.” So those who came to Jesus would see what they had never seen; the truth! Their eyes would be opened. • And after they argued back with what He just said (John 8:33), He continued “Most assuredly, I say to you, whoever commits sin is a slave of sin. And a slave does not abide in the house forever, but a son abides forever. Therefore if the Son makes you free, you shall be free indeed.” John 8:34-36 • Sin has made captives of every person who ever walked upon the earth, with the exception of Jesus. • And because it never took Him captive, He is able and willing to set us free! 4. To set at liberty those who are oppressed- We’ve seen that sin takes us captive and it’s our own doing. But oppression is something brought upon someone by another. • Later in this book, we’ll witness Jesus deliver people both oppressed by demons and by other people. • And in Psalm 146:7 it says of the Lord “Who executes justice for the oppressed”. And to be clear, that’s not a question, it’s a guarantee! • But this oppression being addressed here is the oppression of sin. Sin is the enemy and Jesus defeated it at the cross! (Col. 2:13-14) Folks, Jesus ministry in the stage we are currently includes liberating us from oppression. But He also does the work of executing justice for the oppressed at the right time. And there’s a new season coming, and in it our King will pour out vengeance on all that oppresses Him and His children. It’s always part of liberation. 5. To proclaim the acceptable year of the Lord- many have wondered if this specifically speaking about the year of Jubilee (Lev. 25) which happened every fiftieth year and gave people a two-year vacation, canceled all the mortgages and debts, and required that anyone who’d sold themselves into slavery to be set free. • And it could be this was one of those years. But even if Jesus was using the year of Jubilee as an illustration, the actual year of Jubilee wasn’t the main point. • What He’s saying is like the year of Jubilee foreshadowed, this was the point in time when Gods deliverance arrived, bringing renewed beginnings and rest from burdens. What a blessing! What’s also important to see is where Jesus stopped, because the very next words of this prophecy are “And the day of vengeance of our God”. He stops here because this portion of the prophecy was still future. But it’s not too much longer into the future before this verse applies. • And since it can’t take place until we are taken to be with Jesus, that’s coming even more rapidly! Isn’t it amazing how often the subjects surrounding the end times are brought up in scripture? Is almost like the Lord wants us to keep our focus there 😊, even though so many in the church are turning from this topic. 22 So all bore witness to Him, and marveled at the gracious words which proceeded out of His mouth. And they said, “Is this not Joseph’s son?” 23 He said to them, “You will surely say this proverb to Me, ‘Physician, heal yourself! Whatever we have heard done in Capernaum, do also here in Your country.’ ” So again, when it said in verse 21 that Jesus said, “Today this Scripture is fulfilled in your hearing”, don’t make the mistake of believing this was the end of His teaching. It was the beginning. • But as He spoke (after claiming to be Messiah), something about His teaching instantly drew them to the grace of God coming out through His words. It was attractive to their hearts. • And all of us who love to engage with the Lord in prayer have experienced this ourselves. As He speaks to us, it’s like the two disciples that unknowingly encountered the resurrected Jesus. And afterward said “Did not our heart burn within us while He talked with us in the road…” Luke 24:36 But somewhere during His teaching, the sceptics began seeding the questions of doubt, specifically if Jesus could really be who He said He was and if this prophecy could really speak of Him because they all knew Him from the time, He was a boy. • It’s such a shame because they appeared to be so close and yet Jesus knew their marveling wasn’t going to be doing any transforming, because they would refuse to receive Him. • And He dealt with their calls (really their feelings of entitled demands) that He do the work in His own hometown that He had done elsewhere, to prove to them He was Messiah. That’s the wrong attitude towards God, yet its pretty much what many still say; “if your God and you want me to follow you, prove it”. The work of proving has been done. Now is the time for humbling and receiving. 24 Then He said, “Assuredly, I say to you, no prophet is accepted in his own country. 25 But I tell you truly, many widows were in Israel in the days of Elijah, when the heaven was shut up three years and six months, and there was a great famine throughout all the land; 26 but to none of them was Elijah sent except to Zarephath (outside of Israel), in the region of Sidon, to a woman who was a widow. 27 And many lepers were in Israel in the time of Elisha the prophet, and none of them was cleansed except Naaman the Syrian.” They thought among themselves that regardless of what they believed (apparently even regarding the truth of Messiah), they would go to heaven just for being Jews. And they felt if Jesus was Messiah then they should be entitled to even more because He grew up in their town. • So, when Jesus, through these historic events, reminded them the prophet Elijah was sent out of Israel to do what he was not sent to do in Israel (1 Kings 17:8-16), and his successor Elisha was sent to a gentile to do what he had not done for the Jews (2 Kings 5:1-15), this was a major rebuke. 28 So all those in the synagogue, when they heard these things, were filled with wrath, 29 and rose up and thrust Him out of the city; and they led Him to the brow of the hill on which their city was built, that they might throw Him down over the cliff. 30 Then passing through the midst of them, He went His way. Do you kind of feel like that’s what’s going on still to this day? I mean, aren’t people still losing their minds when Jesus won’t do what they want Him to do, or let them tell Him who He should be? • Isn’t there a sense of entitlement among so many that says in one way or another “who are you, God, to tell me I don’t deserve heaven.” And then they respond with violence towards Gods messengers. • But just like what takes place after they reveal their hearts, Jesus simply slips away from their sight. • Yet the result is none the less the same today. The Savior they couldn’t control slips away from them, leaving their wrath to lead them to destruction. Because without Him, they’re doomed. We started by learning being filled with the Spirit comes through yielding. We end seeing destruction comes through resisting Jesus for the illusion of control. And the distance between these two is becoming more notable. One comes with eternal blessing and freedom. The other with everlasting torment. It’s no different today, so don’t be worried. Jesus is familiar with these responses and it won’t change His eternal plan!

Sunday, January 24, 2021 - Luke 4:31-5:11 - Freedom Community Church - Pastor Rob Lloyd - Battle Ground, Washington, US Sunday Service Time: 10 AM Sunday Service Location: 1919 SW 25th Ave, Battle Ground, WA 98604 Phone: (360) 975-9356 Email: info@freedomcommunity.church Prayer Request: wepray@freedomcommunity.church Mailing Address: 1400 NE 136th Ave, Ste 201, Vancouver, WA 98684 Sermon Notes: Luke 4:31-5:11 Have you ever heard someone say the bible is irrelevant because it doesn’t address the things they’re dealing with today? Maybe you’re the one who said that at some point in your life, or even now hold that position. • Personally, I have found the exact opposite to be true. Every time I open the word and really look at what it’s saying, I find it’s the only thing that’s relevant, and furthermore, trustworthy. • I don’t think todays study is any different. So, let’s jump in and see what the Lord has for s today. 31 Then He (Jesus) went down to Capernaum, a city of Galilee, and was teaching them on the Sabbaths. 32 And they were astonished at His teaching, for His word was with authority. So now we add to His grace filled teaching (4:22), teaching with authority. This is not simply speaking of His confidence, or even just that they could tell in their spirit He was speaking absolute truth, but that He was living out the authority He was speaking under. • How many voices speaking today do you see as having real authority in the things they are saying? • Do you find that in government? Do you find that in media? Do you find it Hollywood? Or in the majority of religious leaders in the world? • The only place of real authority is in the person of God. And anyone who speaks the word of God is speaking from the only place of absolute and unchanging authority. o But Jesus did more than just speak with authority, He exercised it. We’ll see that next. And I really appreciate the Lord making the point again that they gathered on the Sabbath to hear the teaching of the Word of God. This was focal, and needs to remain focal, as we follow Jesus example. 33 Now in the synagogue there was a man who had a spirit of an unclean demon. And he cried out with a loud voice, 34 saying, “Let us alone! What have we to do with You, Jesus of Nazareth? Did You come to destroy us? I know who You are—the Holy One of God!” Do you find it strange this occurred in the equivalent of what for us would be the church gathering? I can assure you the others in the synagogue were shocked by this revelation. • And some might then conclude, well then there’s no safe to go. But notice that in the presence of Jesus, the demonic had no place to hide. So, the solution is to be in a church where the presence of the Lord is. • And how do you know that? It’s not where perfect people are (they don’t exist), but where people who love, worship and serve our Lord Jesus come together. He is there/here in our midst (Matt. 18:20). • And we should also see the demons knew who Jesus was and feared He would destroy them, because they know without a doubt He can and one day will! So how will Jesus deal with this situation? 35 But Jesus rebuked him, saying, “Be quiet, and come out of him!” And when the demon had thrown him in their midst, it came out of him and did not hurt him. 36 Then they were all amazed and spoke among themselves, saying, “What a word this is! For with authority and power He commands the unclean spirits, and they come out.” 37 And the report about Him went out into every place in the surrounding region. So here is that authority we were just talking about. And we need to understand there were others who practiced casting out demons at that time, yet really had no authority over them. That’s why the people were so astonished when by these simple words it was done. • Each and every one of us can expect to be pestered by demons, but as believer we can never be possessed by them because God isn’t going to share authority over us with them, when we belong to Him. • Those unbelievers who are possessed lose their ability to do as they will. They are moved and compelled beyond their control to do the will of the one who possesses them. • But in Jesus presence and at His command, they could no longer steal this person’s life Now, let me apply this in a word for today. There has been a lot of talk and concern about the vaccine for COVID. For the record, I have no intent of receiving it. But I respect your right to disagree. • But if you think the Lord would allow one of His children to be overridden in their spirit by a creation of man, when He has authority to control the higher spiritual realm, I also disagree (2 Cor. 11:2). • And if you are concerned this is the mark of the beast, go back to Rev. 13:11-18 and see this cannot happen until the mid-point of the tribulation. Which requires some astounding things to happen first that have clearly not occurred yet (Rev.8:7-13); one being the rapture of the church. So, maybe just pray about it first and then only move as the Lord leads. That’s always the way to go in everything. 38 Now He arose from the synagogue and entered Simon’s house. But Simon’s wife’s mother was sick with a high fever (Peter was married), and they made request of Him (Jesus) concerning her. 39 So He stood over her and rebuked the fever, and it left her. And immediately she arose and served them. Other than 1) refuting the Catholic understanding that priests need to be unmarried men (which by the way in the 4th century was to stop priests from giving church property or positions to their children) and 2) claiming Peter was the first Pope, 3) this shows all Jesus did in order to heal her was speak and touch her hand (Matt. 815). • Now if you are sick and come forward for prayer, we’re told us to anoint you with oil and pray for you (James 5:14-15). And if you ask, that’s what we’ll do. • You won’t get some strange voice and some weirdness to freak you out. You’re going to hear us passionately praying to the Father through Jesus authority as we humbly seek His will and mercy. • That might be strange if you’ve never experienced it, but it’s not going to be a televangelist ordeal because Jesus doesn’t need a show to judge if we are worthy. We’re not. He is and He loves us, so we just come together to make request of Him, according to His Word. 40 When the sun was setting, all those who had any that were sick with various diseases brought them to Him; and He laid His hands on every one of them and healed them. 41 And demons also came out of many, crying out and saying, “You are the Christ, the Son of God!” And He, rebuking them, did not allow them to speak, for they knew that He was the Christ. Some have read these verses and concluded that every time we pray for someone, we will always see the answer to the prayer we ask for. Is that a correct way to approach this? • If the demon we pray against is cast out but they don’t receive Jesus afterward, the bible tells us their new condition will be worse than their previous state (Matt. 12:43-45), so maybe God is waiting until they are ready to receive Him, or at least not making their problem worse. He knows. • And if all sickness is healed will we not all still die physically (unless raptured). So, is it possible the Lord doesn’t heal because either He is using us/them to bring others to Him, or using their illness to open their eyes to their mortality and need for Him? He knows. The only miracles we all absolutely need in order to inherit eternal life are 1) forgiveness of sin (Eph. 1:7), 2) reconciliation with the Father (2 Cor. 5:18), and 3) an advocate forever pleading our case (1 John 2:1) at the right hand of the Majesty on High (Heb. 1:1-4), 4) who has conquered death (John 14:19). o But that they all might know without a doubt that God had sent Jesus, a display of His absolute authority over all they feared, was being poured out (we will see in Luke 5:24). But why wouldn’t Jesus let the demons tell everyone He was the Christ? I mean, why withhold this when people needed to know who He is in order to believe in Him and be saved? The answer is it has to do with God perfect timing. Some have said the only reason for time is to keep everything from happening at once. • It’s kind of like cooking, certain things have to go into the pan in a certain order to make things come out right. And when it comes to our salvation and the restoration of all things, God is the chef and He created the perfect recipe. • But we might say “I’ve never had this dish before. How do I know it will turn out like it’s supposed to or that I’ll even like it?” Here’s the answer; trust the Chef based upon His past dishes and wait with excitement and anticipation for the next. I think it’s fair to say many of us wondering about God’s timing right now. It’s not that we think He has the timing wrong; it’s just considering the circumstances; we want to know what’s next and when. • We’re always given what we need when we need it. We are to trust the Savior’s (master chef’s) timing. It’s perfect even if we don’t get it yet. And remember, the only time He ever burns anything is when He’s intending to (Rev. 16:8-9, 20:10-15) and that’s not the dish He’s serving us (1 Thess. 5:9)! 42 Now when it was day, He departed and went into a deserted place. And the crowd sought Him and came to Him, and tried to keep Him from leaving them; 43 but He said to them, “I must preach the kingdom of God to the other cities also, because for this purpose I have been sent.” 44 And He was preaching in the synagogues of Galilee. He had just healed the entire city, so they didn’t want to let Him go because they knew where He was, there was tangible help and hope. And I totally get it. If I was in their place at that point in time, I hope I would have been no different in this regard because they wanted to be in the constant presence of Jesus. • But things have changed since Jesus ascended and the Holy Spirit came. Now His followers, through the indwelling of the Holy Spirit, are to bring the presence of the hope and help He brought and brings. • While He was here, He went. Now, we who are His are to go. • While He was here, He led others into the synagogue every sabbath to hear and study the Word. Now, we are to be those who lead people into bible believing and teaching fellowships where the saints come together to worship Jesus. o Jesus was sent by the Father for this purpose. And Jesus has now sent us (Matt. 28:18-20). 5:1So it was, as the multitude pressed about Him to hear the word of God, that He stood by the Lake of Gennesaret (Sea of Galilee), 2 and saw two boats standing by the lake; but the fishermen had gone from them and were washing their nets. 3 Then He got into one of the boats, which was Simon’s, and asked him to put out a little from the land. And He sat down and taught the multitudes from the boat. The crowd by now was growing so large it seems Jesus has to keep backing up to make room, and was coming to the point He would either have to forbid anymore to come, step into the sea, or find another alternative. • We all know that forbidding others to come was never going to happen, just like we would never say to people truly seeking to worship Jesus, “sorry, there’s no room for you here.” If Jesus had to endure hardship to make a place for them, He most certainly would have done so. • And although Jesus could have kept stepping back into the sea until He came to His chin, He found a way to bless to bless Peter (in asking to use what God had supplied him to serve the Lord in return) and accomplish the work of preaching to the masses. • Folks, when we can use what God has given us for the furtherance of His work here on the earth, what we get in return is indescribable. It’s not a burden, it’s a double portion of blessing. But before we continue with this account, we need to note the washing of their nets meant the workday was over (which happened to be during the night for them). I worked in a restaurant in high school for a short bit and I remember closing for the night, washing every last dish, cleaning the ovens, the bathrooms and so forth. When we were done, we were just exhausted and so glad it was done. So, keep this in mind for a few minutes. 4 When He (Jesus) had stopped speaking, He said to Simon, “Launch out into the deep and let down your nets for a catch.” 5 But Simon answered and said to Him, “Master, we have toiled all night and caught nothing; nevertheless at Your word I will let down the net.” I have to tell you if anyone came in after we had done the work of closing up and asked us to cook them a steak, I believe I can honestly say the answer would have at the least been an emphatic no. • And Peter in his natural man felt this way at this moment, but He had just heard the teaching of Jesus. And he says these words (being moved in his spirit) that need to follow every difficult thing we might want to avoid; “nevertheless at Your word…” • There are all kind of difficult things I want to avoid, but after taking them to the Lord and seeking guidance in the Bible, something is moved in my spirit to say “nevertheless at Your word…” There are several things I think many of us hope to not have to go through, but because we trust Jesus timing and know His ultimate plan is perfect, we need to conclude every one of those conversation with Him with those words of surrender. 6 And when they had done this, they caught a great number of fish, and their net was breaking. 7 So they signaled to their partners in the other boat to come and help them. And they came and filled both the boats, so that they began to sink. Even in this the Lord is working out a greater blessing. It’s the gift of being so blessed in the work of the Lord you have to ask others to come help take in the harvest He’s providing. 8 When Simon Peter saw it, he fell down at Jesus’ knees, saying, “Depart from me, for I am a sinful man, O Lord!” 9 For he and all who were with him were astonished at the catch of fish which they had taken; 10 and so also were James and John, the sons of Zebedee, who were partners with Simon. And Jesus said to Simon, “Do not be afraid. From now on you will catch men.” 11 So when they had brought their boats to land, they forsook all and followed Him. Folks, I think you have to rewind to see this correctly. Peter was in the synagogue listening to Jesus teach with true authority, and then watched Him cast out a demon. Then He went to Peters house and instantly healed his mother-in-law. Then Jesus healed everyone in the city and cast out every demon. And now Peter drops to his knees at a great catch of fish? Why did this bring him to this place? Why didn’t every other supernatural work bring him to this place immediately? • I think it’s fair to say he finally came to a place where he quit resisting what he knew to be true. And when he came to that place, he realized how sinful he was, and that he had no right to be in the presence of the holy God. • And when Peter finally humbled himself, Jesus 1) caught him, 2) calmed him (do not be afraid) and 3) called him (you will catch men). • And how did Peter respond? “Lord, just let me take this fish to market and then I will have all the funding I need to do full time ministry”. No, it says they (including James and John) simply left it all on the shore and walked away from it for good to follow Jesus. Folks, I’m hoping there are some today who will quit resisting what they know to be true of Jesus. You’ve known it for some time but you haven’t come to this point Peter did in this account. When you do, you will know real freedom and hope. • For those of us who have had the moment, are we freaking out about the timing, or do we trust His plan? Maybe we need to practice concluding every conversation with “nevertheless at Your word…” • Are we out there catching others for the gospel and lending back to the Lord the things He’s made us stewards over to further His desire that all would come to know Him? Or are we saying, Lord I just have to take in, or cash in, one more of the blessing before I can get to that? • We are in the final stretch. The waiting is over, it’s time to go fishing for those who are lost. We’ve all been given different bait to use for those we are called to reach. Let’s get it in the water!

Sunday, January 31, 2021 - Luke 5:12-32 - Freedom Community Church - Pastor Rob Lloyd - Battle Ground, Washington, US Sunday Service Time: 10 AM Sunday Service Location: 1919 SW 25th Ave, Battle Ground, WA 98604 Phone: (360) 975-9356 Email: info@freedomcommunity.church Prayer Request: wepray@freedomcommunity.church Mailing Address: 1400 NE 136th Ave, Ste 201, Vancouver, WA 98684 Sermon Notes: Luke 5:12-5:32 We left off last week with Peter, James and John getting a real idea of who Jesus was. They haven’t fully grasped it, but they’re moving soundly in that direction. What’s shocking about that is some 2,000 year later we have many who still have no idea. And we’re not talking only about those who don’t claim to know Jesus. • As we’ve been working through the bible it keeps giving us a diagnosis of the state of what calls itself the church in our nation, and much of it is an absolute mess. • We know not one of us is perfect. In fact, we know from the bible we are all deeply flawed (Jer. 17:9). So, this isn’t a call to simply try harder. • It’s the need to understand the true gospel and what God has instructed us in, according to our Bibles. And today as we look at the religious leaders of God’s chosen people, who were to introduce Him to the world, what we’ll see is their spiritual sickness then, looks a lot like many churches today. • And we’ll discover what they were practicing and teaching as being from God, wouldn’t get them into heaven. As a matter of fact, they would condemn themselves to forever be separated from God. • Which, unfortunately is also true among many today. • So with that, let’s witness Jesus interaction with all manner of people then, to get insight for us now. 12 And it happened when He (Jesus) was in a certain city, that behold, a man who was full of leprosy saw Jesus; and he fell on his face and implored Him, saying, “Lord, if You are willing, You can make me clean.” 13a Then He (Jesus) put out His hand and touched him, saying, “I am willing; be cleansed.” Lev. 13 tells us there was more than one kind of leprosy and this man had the worst kind. It was a disease with 1) no hope for recovery, 2) was highly contagious (causing people to run in fear and conclude the infected person was cursed by God), and 3) was a sentence to being alone and despised, being considered physically and spiritually unclean (Lev. 13:45-46). • And being it says this man was full of leprosy, this means he was in the advanced stages. So, we are coming back to Jesus ability to heal, as we also looked into last week. • But what we hear of this man is he 1) believed in faith Jesus could heal him (although if healing had ever happened before it was so rare it was considered pretty much impossible [Num. 12]), while at the same time 2) he understood the sovereignty of God in saying Lord, if You are willing, You can make me clean. That’s real faith (see also Dan. 3:17-18). • We started today talking about the condition of the church in our nation. And folks, we need to go deeper here now as we’re talking about the healing power of Jesus compared to what we are seeing by the Word of Faith and Prosperity church leaders. They could have learned a lot from this leper who knew Jesus could heal but also understood His sovereignty to choose what was best for this man. And that Jesus touched him is almost too great for us to fully comprehend. Although recently I think more are at least catching little bits of this understanding. For example, the leper was never allowed to be any closer than six feet to another person (sound familiar) and lived in isolation even from family? • Folks, God made us for human interaction, including touch. When we touch, our brain releases Oxytocin (the bonding hormone), which releases serotonin and dopamine (the feel-good neurochemicals), while inhibiting cortisol and norepinephrine (the stress response chemicals). God designed us this way. • How long had it been since this man had been touched and shown compassion? Jesus was willing! • But we also need to see leprosy in the bible is a picture of our sin left untouched by Jesus; it’s isolating, disfiguring, too much for us to bare. It separates us from others and can leave us feeling untouchable. • Do you feel too defiled to let Jesus touch your life today? He’s willing. And He’s able to cleanse you right now. This is the beauty of the gospel. It’s being offered to everyone and its never on back order. 13bImmediately the leprosy left him. 14 And He (Jesus) charged him to tell no one, “But go and show yourself to the priest, and make an offering for your cleansing, as a testimony to them, just as Moses commanded.” 15 However, the report went around concerning Him all the more; and great multitudes came together to hear, and to be healed by Him of their infirmities. So, after this instantaneous healing of what was considered the incurable disease, there were protocols under the law of God. The first was that anyone claiming healing for Leprosy had to go to the priests to get verification the healing had actually occurred (Lev. 14). • So, this wasn’t something you could fake like the miraculous growing leg deal faith healer’s push. • It’s a shame there are so many cons played on desperate people by so-called Christian leaders, who turn the word of God into a circus. They couldn’t easily get away with it in Israel at that time. • And by-the-way, this verification process also made Jesus healings unquestionable. So, God had not only put this in the law to help protect people, He had long past put it in the law so that when Jesus came into the world, even the religious leaders who would oppose Him would have to declare true the very things that revealed Him to be Messiah. But there’s another important detail in these verses. Jesus told this man to tell no one but the priests, and yet Mark’s account tells us he went out told everyone (Mark 1:45). Who could really blame him? It’s like he’d just been born again. • He was walking around like a dead man and now he’d been given a new life. Its another perfect picture of what Jesus does for each of us when we come to Him for the healing of our sin. • But it does strike an interesting contrast in that 1) he was told to tell no one about Jesus and yet in his overflowing joy he told everyone. And 2) as followers of Jesus we’ve been told to tell everyone of the gospel and yet so many have never told anyone. • Which action do you think Jesus would be more disappointed with? Where is the passion for the truth of the One who saved us from the seemingly uncurable sickness of our sin? 16 So He Himself often withdrew into the wilderness and prayed. Marks gospel tells us this man’s testimony caused so many people to seek Jesus, He couldn’t enter the city because of the masses. So, Jesus went to the deserted places and they came from everywhere to see Him. • And as these demands for Jesus help increased, so did His need for prayer and rest. And that holds true for us also. • You might be thinking “because demands have increased, I have no extra time for prayer”. The mistake is placing prayer in the wrong slot. Prayer is not to be floating around on the schedule as something to do when we have some extra time. • Prayer is to occupy the main spots and then we fill in the schedule around it. Now I know some are saying “but what about work or…” Well, we are to constantly be engaged in conversation with God, but for sure there must be a transition in the type of prayer we have with the Lord. Jesus was showing us this very thing as He was engaged in ministering directly to people. o But Jesus is also demonstrating there is a different kind of prayer we also need, and it’s requires getting alone with the Father. If we have this kind of prayer in its rightful spot, we do well. 17 Now it happened on a certain day (we have a scene change here), as He was teaching, that there were Pharisees and teachers of the law sitting by, who had come out of every town of Galilee, Judea, and Jerusalem. And the power of the Lord was present to heal them. Isn’t that interesting. The religious leaders are also coming from everywhere now to hear and watch Jesus. On one hand I appreciate their desire to make sure He wasn’t some charlatan leading the people away from God. After all, the pharisees came into existence to zealously protect Gods law when the nation was taken into captivity. This was their entire aim; to make sure Gods word was purely taught. Is that wrong? • If you believe it’s good, they would have such a heart for Gods truth that they were prepared to call out heretics (Matt. 23, 7:21-23), how do you feel about those who call out teachers with false doctrines today who are leading people to another gospel (1 Tim. 1:19-20, 2 Tim. 1:15, 2 Tim. 2:17, 2 Tim. 4:10, 1 Tim. 5:19-20)? • But on the other hand, once they saw the work that He had done that verified He was Messiah, and heard the clear teaching of the Word with authority and no deviation, then their jealousy took over, making them the ones who would lead the people astray. Not all of them, but most. • But what’s really curious to me is when it says, “And the power of the Lord was present to heal them”. I want to know what kind of healing this is referring to. I’d have to say Jesus seems to show us this answer as we move forward here. 18 Then behold, men brought on a bed a man who was paralyzed, whom they sought to bring in and lay before Him. 19 And when they could not find how they might bring him in, because of the crowd, they went up on the housetop and let him down with his bed through the tiling into the midst before Jesus. We’ve seen Jesus teach in the synagogues, houses, in deserted areas and on the sea, so I find it surprising that when there were so many who wanted to hear Him, He didn’t simply move the meeting to the great outdoors. • Well if He had, then we wouldn’t have this account. It wouldn’t be the same if they walked straight up to Jesus and just set him down. • But I’m sure at the time some had to think, “why didn’t He get a bigger venue?” You can almost hear us (oops, I meant them) airing their grievance. • Sometimes we operate with what we think makes the most sense for God to accomplish His purposes until after we see His plan completely unfold. Then we stand back in awe. Well, that’s what happens here because they do climb up on the roof and lower their friend down to Jesus. • This would have been quite the scene. • Folks, in real life these men would’ve assumed a lot of labor, risk and possible letdown to bring him to Jesus. I sure hope you have and are a friend like this, when you or they need to be carried to Jesus. 20 When He saw their faith, He said to him, “Man, your sins are forgiven you.” 21 And the scribes and the Pharisees began to reason, saying, “Who is this who speaks blasphemies? Who can forgive sins but God alone?” 22 But when Jesus perceived their thoughts, He answered and said to them, “Why are you reasoning in your hearts? 23 Which is easier, to say, ‘Your sins are forgiven you,’ or to say, ‘Rise up and walk’? 24 But that you may know that the Son of Man has power on earth to forgive sins”—He said to the man who was paralyzed, “I say to you, arise, take up your bed, and go to your house.” 25 Immediately he rose up before them, took up what he had been lying on, and departed to his own house, glorifying God. And they’re not wrong in that only God can forgive sins. They just don’t understand who they’re with isn’t blaspheming, but rather letting them know He had come into the world just as the scripture had foretold. • But He also knew how hard it would be for them to believe, so He sets the stage for them in order to give them the best chance to overcome any doubt. And He still sets the stage for us today to overcome our doubts which might keep us from believing. • Maybe before this study you thought your sin was too dirty for Him to ever want to heal you, until He touched your heart with the good news of Jesus. • Has He been setting the stage for your salvation or return today? If you’re asking that question you can bet He has. But we also need to see whose faith it was that caused Jesus to forgive the paralytic’s sin. It wasn’t his own, but the faith of the men who brought him. Now of course they brought him for healing of his physical body (and were likely taken back by Jesus first response), but none the less it was their faith, not his. • So, we started out today with a man with leprosy who, in faith, knew the Lord could heal him but also recognized Gods sovereignty. And now we come to a man who’s healed by the faith of his friends. • The point being both of these are the opposite of what the word of faith teachers say and do. For if they pray for someone and that person isn’t healed, they say the person didn’t have enough faith. o And they say it’s not Gods will that any should ever be sick or poor, and that they have the same power as God to heal. • Folks, don’t fall for their deception and false doctrine. Its shipwrecked so many people’s faith. And I dare say this doctrine of theirs is one of the main sicknesses in what calls itself the church today. It’s a doctrine that can’t save because it presents a wish granting gene like Jesus, who is there to do our will, not His own (2 Pet. 2:18-22). Our God can heal instantly and completely. And the demons flee at His presence and know of their coming destruction. But our God knows how to set the stage for our salvation and the salvation of others. • He knows the perfect time for us to come home and how, or if healing would be the best for us and how. And even when we think we should be His event planner to help Him out, we later come to find His ways are always perfect. • We live in a fallen world, yet instead of vaporizing it, and all of us in it, He offers to saves us out of it. • We don’t need a feel good, best life now, prosperity on earth gospel that makes the proud say “just try harder but you’ll never be enough”, and makes the deeply broken just give up. We need the gospel of the grace of God that came when He sent His Son into the world to reconcile us to Himself. And we have it in Jesus Christ our King! Now we don’t know what all the religious leaders did on that day when they had seen and heard all of this because the text says; 26 And they were all amazed, and they glorified God and were filled with fear, saying, “We have seen strange things today!” Folks, truly we have heard of strange things today. Think about it, when’s the last time you’ve seen the things spoken about here? This is why events like this are called supernatural, because Jesus is supernatural! • He’s not like us. He’s the incarnate, eternally existent God. And something in the people in that house that day knew that to be 100% true. • So, they do what anyone should do when they realize they’re in His presence; they 1) glorify Him and 2) are filled with reverent fear, 3) knowing He even perceives our thoughts (verse 22)! • But the real question regarding them was, did anyone choose to hear His message of their need to repent so that they could be reconciled to God? And the real question today for those who haven’t done so is, will you receive that message today? And then join those of us who want to give Him all the glory and reverence He deserves for the rest of our lives. And for those of us who do know Him, maybe we can learn to stop trying to tell Him the way things should work and just enjoy the surrendering of our will to His perfect plan.

Sunday, February 7, 2021 - Luke 5:27-39 - Freedom Community Church - Pastor Rob Lloyd - Battle Ground, Washington, US Sunday Service Time: 10 AM Sunday Service Location: 1919 SW 25th Ave, Battle Ground, WA 98604 Phone: (360) 975-9356 Email: info@freedomcommunity.church Prayer Request: wepray@freedomcommunity.church Mailing Address: 1400 NE 136th Ave, Ste 201, Vancouver, WA 98684 Sermon Notes: Luke 5:27-39 Last week we saw the reason Jesus did so many miracles, was not only due to the great compassion He had for people (because that is certainly true). But also, that the common people and the religious leaders would know He had the power to forgive sins. In other words, that He was God come in the flesh (2 Cor. 5:19). • And now many people were watching Jesus because of the amazing things He was saying and doing. • We start off today with one of those people, who was likely intrigued also by Jesus standing up to the religious leaders who had clearly lost their way with God. 27 After these things He went out and saw a tax collector named Levi, sitting at the tax office. And He said to him, “Follow Me.” 28 So he left all, rose up, and followed Him. There’s so much information tied to this one verse which is vital to get what’s really going on here. • First off, this person identified as Levi here is better known by us as Matthew; a name which he received from Jesus when Matthew chose to follow Jesus. But his former name along with his positions, reveal some important things. • Being he was Jewish, where linage was a big deal and pretty much known by everyone, it’s almost undoubtable he was raised by a family of priests, meaning he would have been trained to be a priest. o And in his account of Jesus life (the gospel of Matthew) he uses over 90 references to the Old Testament, which is by far the largest source of references of the four gospels. • And being that we already have seen Jesus dealing with the hard hearts of the religious leaders, and soon will hear of the extensive corruption of their positions, we can imagine the corruption of the religious leaders Levi witnessed growing up. For, much like we spoke about last week, many priests at that time were using their positions for financial gain and/or to enjoy a place of elevated status and importance. Now let’s look at Levi personally. In the eyes of the Jewish people, being a tax collector was on course with being the worst kind of criminal. They were absolutely despised because the position they held came with the power of the Roman military, which they counted on for intimidation purposes. • And the way the tax collector made their money was to get the percentage Rome required, and then extort whatever else they could from the people for themselves. There’s nothing new under the sun. • But it’s here I must say at least Levi didn’t use the religious system to extort the people. I have far more respect for him than those who use the church as a way to make themselves rich (1 Tim. 6:5). • But to be clear, he would’ve been viewed as a traitor and extortionist by his own people. So, let’s play the film from back from the beginning of everything we just learned. 1) Levi grew up in a family of prominence based on their being in the priestly line and 2) using that for swindling the people who came to worship God. • 3) He was raised and trained to be a priest but when he saw a way out, 4) he instead became a tax collector for Rome instead. • And 5) in this place where Levi collected these taxes (BTW- in the town Peter, Andrew, James and John worked in [Matt. 4:18-22], meaning he would have taken advantage of them) that Jesus sees this man they would see as a traitor and says follow me. Now rewind that film to the beginning and let’s have it play from the beginning about 2,000 years later. Today we have many compromising faith leaders using religion as a means for their personal gain and agendas. Leaving many manipulated, confused and misinformed about the real gospel and who God really is. • So now we see the actions of those who are their disciples (supporting and voting for unlimited and fully funded abortion, unrestrained substance use, alternate sexual identifies, endorsing unjust scales…) and truth be told, we can have a tendency to see them like the Jewish people saw Levi- like traitors! • So, the question is, how should we see them? Well, Jesus is going to give the religious leaders many chances to be healed from their sin (5:17), but what we will see is most will refuse. And it comes to a point where He switches gears to openly rebuking them in front of the people, they kept deceiving. • But for the common people (those who had been led astray, deceived, or disillusioned by these corrupt leaders), Jesus calls them out of all that to simply follow Him! Folk’s, in our current position in our country we have people on opposites sides who both feel like the other is a traitor to 1) this nation, 2) to their faith, 3) or both. And maybe you’re here today feeling that way about someone or are aware someone feels that way about you. The question is what do we do with that now? • When it comes to the corrupt leaders, pray God will stop them, open their eyes and cause them to repent. But when it comes to the masses; those disciples of such indoctrination, do what Jesus did. Invite them to follow Him. 2 Cor. 4:2-4 tells us we have renounced the hidden things of shame, not walking in craftiness nor handling the word of God deceitfully, but by manifestation of the truth commending ourselves to every man’s conscience in the sight of God. 3 But even if our gospel is veiled, it is veiled to those who are perishing, 4 whose minds the god of this age has blinded, who do not believe, lest the light of the gospel of the glory of Christ, who is the image of God, should shine on them. • Folks, the enemy loves to deceive and then turn us against each other because of his lies. So, for the believer there is one thing to do with a traitor, invite them to follow the real Jesus. And I promise when Levi met the real Jesus, it was Jesus countenance of peace and truth that made Matthew leave a position he could never return to, in order to follow Him. What’s our countenance feel like to others? • And what do you do if they don’t want to follow? Keep walking until Jesus brings you by them again. And what’s the next thing that happens? 29 Then Levi gave Him (Jesus) a great feast in his own house. And there were a great number of tax collectors and others who sat down with them. Do you know there are people you might not be able to reach because you don’t even know where they are? For example, I’ve been to the Tillamook cheese factory once in my life and I’m sure (even though I’m very young 😊) they’ve likely had some turnover since I’ve been there. But there are others who live in Tillamook who see some from the factory on a fairly regular basis, know their names, and maybe even share in some of the same recreational activities. So, unless I meet someone while in Tillamook and that person connects me to their contacts, I’m likely to never meet these people. • At this point you’re saying, “No kidding Rob, thanks for the deep thinking”. But the truth is so many have decided that introducing people to Jesus is the job of the pastor. And if we just think that through, then how many people does that leave who will never hear the good news of Jesus? • But there’s another piece to this and it’s that Matthew threw the party for Jesus and then invited His friends to come and meet Him. Now if you invited your contacts to come to a Jesus party the next question would be, do they see such a significant difference in you that they would come? • You see Matthew couldn’t contain his excitement after Jesus saw Him as a man (Matt. 9:9) who needed Him, and not as a traitor to the nation (vs. 27). And because of that, when he invited his friends (no doubt sharing some of what happened) they had to come and see this man from God, who loved a sinner. Now before we move away from these verses, we should probably address the abuses associated with this verse and others like it where Jesus hung out with sinners. First of all, we need to remember Jesus has a perfect track record, meaning He never sinned (ever). So, when He hung out with sinners, we see He was always the one influencing them and never the other way around. • And in case you’ve forgotten, we don’t have the same track record 😊. We can’t all associate in the same places because we don’t all have the same weaknesses. So, when you know what yours are, don’t go near them or let someone else talk you into doing so. • Psalm 1:1 gives some strong counsel in this regard, saying “Blessed is the man who walks not in the counsel of the ungodly, Nor stands in the path of sinners, Nor sits in the seat of the scornful…”. You see a progression here that says, “a fall is coming”. • So although on one hand we might be the avenue in our circles of influence to invite people to meet Jesus, let’s not be foolish enough to continue to go where we are not the influencer for the love of Jesus. 30 And their scribes and the Pharisees complained against His disciples, saying, “Why do You eat and drink with tax collectors and sinners?” 31 Jesus answered and said to them, “Those who are well have no need of a physician, but those who are sick. 32 I have not come to call the righteous, but sinners, to repentance.” When the religious leaders note Jesus brought His disciples with Him, we don’t know exactly who or how many there were, because He had far more than twelve (Mark 2:15). • But coming back to the understanding that the Jewish people would have seen Matthew as a traitor, and realizing the vast majority of Jesus disciples were Jews, the fact they were eating together with an entire gathering of tax collectors and outwardly practicing sinners was in itself a miracle (He has that effect). • In that time, eating together was a sign of being one with those you were dining with because you broke from the same bread and dipped in the same bowls. So, this truly was scandalous to the religious leaders, because this was a sign of friendship with the sinner (they will make that accusation in Luke 7:34). Now of course for us (other sinners who know their condition), what the religious leaders see as a negative thing, we identify as wonderful. For all of those who have ever felt like you’re not good enough for God to bother with, always remember it’s you Jesus came for. And we should ask, what made Matthew follow Jesus so quickly? I mean did Jesu tell Matthew something He didn’t know about his being a sinner and Matthew all the sudden woke up to the reality? Or is it more likely Matthew knew he’d fallen short of the glory of God long before now, so when Jesus came with an offer of a new beginning, Matthew jumped on it? From personal experience, I think we know it’s the latter. • And Matthew’s friends also knew this about themselves. But the religious leaders had it so messed up that they codified the law into all these meaningless practices that they then thought if they kept, would make them acceptable to God (taking them a long step past righteousness to self-righteousness). • When people see religion like that, it’s no wonder they have no desire for it. But when they learn of the grace of God (not greasy grace, but real grace that comes from repentance and faith in Jesus), our hearts can’t help but notice the difference. • So, don’t be confused with this saying of Jesus; they were not healthy! Because the disease is unrighteousness and the bible tells us there is none righteous, no not one (Rom. 3:10). They simply refused to see themselves as being in need of repentance and therefore had no access to salvation!!! I’m surprised how many still think like the pharisees did/do. You present Jesus to them and they tell you they’re a good person. • Maybe a good prayer for them is that all who don’t have Jesus would be made aware of just how sinful their sin is to a holy and righteous God (Acts 9:3-6, Luke 5:8). When they have that understanding and encounter the Holy Spirit nudging them, then salvation will be accessible to them. 33 Then they said to Him, “Why do the disciples of John fast often and make prayers, and likewise those of the Pharisees, but Yours eat and drink?” 34 And He said to them, “Can you make the friends of the bridegroom fast while the bridegroom is with them? 35 But the days will come when the bridegroom will be taken away from them; then they will fast in those days.” There is only one place in the Law where fasting (“afflicting their souls”) is to be regularly observed and it’s on the Day of Atonement (Lev. 23:27). All other fasts were self-initiated and private. As a matter of fact, Matt. 6:18 tells us we are not supposed to let others be able to observe we’re fasting. • But the religious leaders, again adding their own pieces to the law, made it a regularly required thing. So, Jesus wasn’t going against the law. He was ignoring man’s add-ons to the law. • Yet when they asked this question, I’m betting they had no idea of the answer they would get. While the disciples had the opportunity to follow Jesus as He walked on the earth, even though they went through various trials along the way, there was the constant sense of anticipation of seeing what He would do next. And a real sense that everything was always going to be ok. • Of course occasionally there was a temporary concern they might implode, 1) like when they were on the sea and the storm came (Mark 4:35-40), or 2) when Jesus had to rebuke them (Matt. 16:23, Mark 10:35-40), or 3) when Jesus told them to feed the five thousand (Mark 6:37). • But I believe even in those, there was a real sense Jesu had it handled. And I believe for the one today who really trust Jesus is who He says He is, we have that same sense, even though at times we feel like it might implode. • So, walking with Jesus for the disciples was a time of adventure and celebration, because they knew Jesus loved them and would take care of business. What a way to travel through life then and now. Yet Jesus spoke of another time coming, and it would be when He would ascend (Acts 1:9-10) back to His place of glory (Heb. 1:1-4, John 12:23). And of that time, He says “then they will fast in those days”. There’s no doubt they experienced something we haven’t…yet. For Job 19:26 says “Even after my skin has been destroyed, yet in my flesh I will see God”. (See also 1 John 3:2, Psalm 17:15)! • We know until Jesus ascended and the Father sent the Holy Spirit, they didn’t have the Holy Spirit indwelling them. But we also know they were the first ones to experience that. So, it’s certainly not unique to us. But what was unique to them was physically walking the earth with Him. • So, Jesus made it clear when He was taken away from them, they would fast and pray. And since fasting and prayer can be instituted anytime we desire to deny the flesh and draw nearer to God, then we see Jesus was alluding to this fasting and prayer having an element of sorrow that they couldn’t be were He was now bodily. • Thank goodness the bible also tells us of the coming event called the marriage supper of the Lamb (Rev. 19:7-10), where His church will stand on the same ground with Him and never be separated again. 36 Then He spoke a parable to them: “No one puts a piece from a new garment on an old one; otherwise the new makes a tear, and also the piece that was taken out of the new does not match the old. 37 And no one puts new wine into old wineskins; or else the new wine will burst the wineskins and be spilled, and the wineskins will be ruined. 38 But new wine must be put into new wineskins, and both are preserved. 39 And no one, having drunk old wine, immediately desires new; for he says, ‘The old is better.’ ” He was saying to these guys who were trying to fulfill the law that they never could, and had subsequently convoluted by making their numerous add-ons, “what I am doing now is so wonderful that it can’t be contained in the Old Covenant (Heb. 8:7-13). I’m bring a New Covenant as the fulfillment of the old (Rom. 10:4). And guys, although you’re missing it now, this one is what you really want. It’s what you really need (Acts 4:12)”. • They wanted the law they could never keep. He wanted to give them grace they could never earn. • They wanted rules that made them feel better about themselves when comparing themselves to others. He wanted to give them liberty from the wages of unrighteousness and a new beginning. • But the only ones who can receive what He wants to give, are those who know they need it and have no way to obtain it by any other means than as a free gift from God. o And in that truth, we see that even those we are at odds with, or are at odds with us, all have only one hope, and that’s to follow Jesus.

Sunday, February 14, 2021 - Luke 6:1-16 - Freedom Community Church - Pastor Rob Lloyd - Battle Ground, Washington, US Sunday Service Time: 10 AM Sunday Service Location: 1919 SW 25th Ave, Battle Ground, WA 98604 Phone: (360) 975-9356 Email: info@freedomcommunity.church Prayer Request: wepray@freedomcommunity.church Mailing Address: 1400 NE 136th Ave Ste 201, Vancouver, WA 98684 Sermon Notes: Luke 6:1-16 Last week I told you we were going to come back to the instruction from Jesus on how we are to treat those we might have viewed as traitors, betrayers, or enemies. Well, we’re going to get a reprieve for another week as the pieces here today are just so wonderful, I didn’t want to try and push through. • So, as we jump in today, we’re going to see two incidents that deal with the Sabbath (meaning to cease from activity, or to rest). Now just to be clear about the Christian and the Sabbath, Col. 2:16-17 says “let no one judge you in food or in drink, or regarding a festival or a new moon or sabbaths, which are a shadow of things to come, but the substance is of Christ. Meaning Jesus came to give us true rest from our striving. • That’s why Rom. 14:5 (speaking of the Sabbath) tells us “One person esteems one day above another; another esteems every day alike. Let each be fully convinced in his own mind.” So, the Sabbath of the law is not required for the follower of Jesus. • But the principles of the Sabbath, which Jesus fulfilled, are extremely relevant and important to us. 6:1 Now it happened on the second Sabbath after the first (Luke 4:31) that He went through the grainfields. And His disciples plucked the heads of grain and ate them, rubbing them in their hands. 2 And some of the Pharisees said to them, “Why are you doing what is not lawful to do on the Sabbath?” I picture the disciples just walking, talking and enjoying life with Jesus as they walk along the road, and personally I feel we get a glimpse of heaven here, until the legalist Pharisees come along to try and steal the joy of the Lord for a shot at self-righteous condemnation. • And looking at their accusations we see its not what they were doing that was the problem for these religious leaders (because Deut. 23:25 made provision for eating grain by the handfuls when traveling), but when they were doing it. For they took Gods blessing of rest and added 613 laws of burden to it. • Laws such as not being able to travel more than 1,999 paces from your home on the Sabbath, you couldn’t sow more than one stitch or write more than one letter, or switch on a light… • And among those laws the Pharisees decided rubbing the grain together in their hands on the Sabbath was threshing (not to mention three other laws they were apparently breaking). Which in effect undid what God intended to be a blessing. But before we go on to see how Jesus responds, we should notice the freedom the disciples felt when they were with Jesus. All the do’s and don’ts of the religious leaders that they grew up under seem to have just vanished when they were walking with Jesus. • And that’s how it is today for those who truly know what its like to walk with Him. • What a shame it is when we 1) either choose to go a different direction than He’s going sometimes, or even more so, 2) for those who never walk with Him. • He wants to give such rest and liberty (Gal. 5:1) to all who will walk closely with Him. So now Jesus responds. 3 But Jesus answering them said, “Have you not even read this, what David did when he was hungry, he and those who were with him: 4 how he went into the house of God, took and ate the showbread, and also gave some to those with him, which is not lawful for any but the priests to eat?” 5 And He said to them, “The Son of Man is also Lord of the Sabbath.” The incident Jesus brought up is in 1 Sam. 21. And unlike their questioning why Jesus disciples were breaking their law, this incident really was a violation of the law. Now a lawyer would try to make sure something like this never came up, but Jesus, knowing the Law and knowing the intent of it, dove straight in. • The Law says these twelve loaves of bread (one for each tribe) were only to be eaten by the priests and replaced once a week (Lev. 24:5-9). But when David and his men were starving, they went into the tabernacle (which was in Nob at this time) and the priest gave them the bread to eat. • So, Jesus brings up this passage which these religious leaders never knew what to do with (because King David is a national hero to this day) and shows them the priest at that time understood what they did not. • To get this we could use some more information Matthew provides of this account, where in addition to calling them out for not knowing the scripture when they claimed to be the experts of it (something He’s going to do on 4 other occasions [Matt. 19:4, 21:6, 21:42, 22:3]), He says “If you had known what this means, ‘I desire mercy and not sacrifice,’ you would not have condemned the guiltless” (Matt. 12:7, Hos. 6:6). You see, they made the Sabbath a burden, while Jesus intended it to be a blessing. They made the Sabbath work while claiming what they were doing was abstaining from work (for every law they created they then had to figure out how to get around themselves). Jesus intended for it to be a day of rest. • Mark’s gospel makes this point in adding to this very account that Jesus said “The Sabbath was made for man, and not man for the Sabbath (Mark 2:27). • And knowing they would ask, “by whose authority do you make these claims”, He beat them to the punch and said, “The Son of Man is also Lord of the Sabbath.” • Folks, make no mistake about this, with these words Jesus was declaring Himself to be God. And in essence was saying, “I know what I made the Sabbath for and its not what you have done with it”. Now we come to our second Sabbath account. 6 Now it happened on another Sabbath, also, that He entered the synagogue and taught. And a man was there whose right hand was withered. 7 So the scribes and Pharisees watched Him closely, whether He would heal on the Sabbath, that they might find an accusation against Him. So now these religious leaders are beginning to figure out just how compassionate Jesus is, and you would think this would begin to win them over, but the opposite is true. • I can almost picture them finding this man and asking him to come to synagogue with them so they could set Jesus up for this moment. • Their hearts had become so hard they were more interested in discrediting Jesus than they were in caring for the very people they were to be leading into a closer relationship with God. 8 But He knew their thoughts (5:22), and said to the man who had the withered hand, “Arise and stand here.” And he arose and stood. 9 Then Jesus said to them, “I will ask you one thing: Is it lawful on the Sabbath to do good or to do evil, to save life or to destroy?” 10 And when He had looked around at them all, He said to the man, “Stretch out your hand.” And he did so, and his hand was restored as whole as the other. 11 But they were filled with rage, and discussed with one another what they might do to Jesus. How often have people turned the blessing of God into curses? They sure did. Jesus even pointed out that it was evil (wrong) for them to ignore meeting a serious need, when it was in their power to meet it, especially on the Sabbath. • But a few more of the Pharisees laws again point out how far they were from His heart, for if a building collapsed on the Sabbath, they said you could move just enough rubble to release someone who was still alive, but couldn’t retrieve the dead until after the Sabbath. And if the person you saved had a dislocated ankle, you couldn’t set it until after the Sabbath. • And if that wasn’t enough proof, after Jesus shows the heart they should have had for this man (by healing him on the spot) but didn’t, they start plotting His destruction. Which was His very question to them, for 1) this was the Sabbath and 2) they were literally planning His destruction (verse 9, Mark 3:6)! What marvelous passages these are for in them the Lord explains His heart for His creation. • I’m so grateful for these verses because it again tells us our Lord isn’t about keeping us under some oppressive rule, but rather about liberating us from bondage as we follow Him. • And in these passages, He instructs us in how we are to respond when there is a legitimate need and we have the capability to meet it. • I say legitimate because the enemy would love to throw stuff at us non-stop to keep us from gathering to worship. And truly, most things can wait without detriment to those the Lord has placed before you. But when it cannot, do not. Folks, our God loves to set people free, and He’s been demonstrating His love for us from the beginning. • The question is are we trying to hem Him in while He’s trying to liberate us, or are we letting the Lord of the Sabbath give us rest, • that we might demonstrate even a portion of the care towards others He’s displayed to us, so they might know Him too. -----------------Mid week message this Thursday------------------ 12 Now it came to pass in those days that He went out to the mountain to pray, and continued all night in prayer to God. 13 And when it was day, He called His disciples to Himself; and from them He chose twelve whom He also named apostles: Jesus (who is God Himself) spent all night with the father before separating the twelve out as those who would be the Apostles of the church. And it appears Jesus already knew (at least in His spirit) who some or all would be (just as we can know in our spirit the answers to some things almost intuitively). • Yet Jesus didn’t finalize these decisions before going to be with the Father, as He waited upon Him. And this wasn’t some twenty-minute deal but rather an all-night engagement. • And again, sometimes God gives us some answers before we can almost even finish answering the question, while other times His desire we wait upon Him. And when we won’t make time to wait it out, we miss out. • When we don’t take the time, He still loves us the same, but we miss out on what we need to know, and likely on our ability to bless others with what He wanted to provide us. Can you imagine what it would have been like if Jesus had done this like we sometimes (maybe often times) do, and simply gave The Father 20 minutes and went ahead and chose the twelve? • What if He then got 50% wrong? Thank goodness we don’t know. • But I bet we can think of times when we’ve done that and the results that didn’t have to turn out the way they did. It doesn’t have to be this way. We can simply make time to wait. 14 Simon, whom He also named Peter, and Andrew his brother; James and John; Philip and Bartholomew; 15Matthew and Thomas; James the son of Alphaeus, and Simon called the Zealot: 16 Judas the son of James, and Judas Iscariot who also became a traitor. Casting Crowns wrote a song titled “Only Jesus” and the lyrics say “I don’t want to leave a legacy, I don’t care if they remember me, only Jesus. And I’ve only got one life to live. I’ll let every second point to Him. Only Jesus- Jesus is the only name to remember”. What a great reminder and message! • If you wonder why I bring this up here, then without looking at your bibles or the verses on the screen, recite the names of the 12 Apostles listed here. • Let’s say you got all twelve, what can you tell me about Alphaeus? Tell me your favorite memory of Bartholomew from the Bible. • You see, some of the Apostles we hear quite a bit about while others sit in obscurity. And I would say to you the ones we hear much about, after having seen the resurrected Jesus, wouldn’t care if you knew their names at all. I would dare say they would hope the only name we really keep on our minds in our hearts is only Jesus. Now, Rev. 21:14 speaks of the New Jerusalem in the eternal heavens and tells us “Now the wall of the city had twelve foundations, and on them were the names of the twelve apostles of the Lamb.” So, we see their names and their faithfulness matters to God. He’s the One who chose to put their names there and not themselves. • So, in keeping with what they learned and handed down to us, that’s what we should desire also. • But one name among them will not be there and that’s Judas Iscariot. Which leaves us with two possible questions; 1) why did God choose someone He knew would betray Him and turn completely away, and 2) whose name is on that pillar or pillars (if each of their names is written on each pillar and not on each)? Dealing with Judas, it is first true that God is not restrained by time as we are. He is in all places at all times, meaning He knows what our future is before we arrive in it. And with that in mind, He knew what Judas would do. So why did He choose such a man as this? • Remember, Jesus came into the world to offer Himself as a living sacrifice with the full intension of dying for us and being raised again on the third day. So, He used what was already in Judas’ heart, by allowing Judas to be close enough to Him that Judas could turn Him over at the appointed time. • Now to be clear, Jesus didn’t set Judas up or coerce him into betraying Jesus. • He simply allowed Judas to do what was already in His heart, knowing one way or the other the result would have been the same for Judas, because even after walking side by side in the flesh with God, Judas desired money more than Him. If that experience didn’t change him, nothing would. And when it comes to who took Judas’ place on the foundations in heaven, we have two choices; 1) Matthias, as listed in Acts 1, or 2) the Apostle Paul. The answer is no one knows for sure. • What I can tell you is its Matthias, being he was legitimately chosen that day in Acts 1, then you can also bet God has a plan of equal prominence for Paul. It’s just who our God is. • Folks, increasingly this world dislikes the followers of Jesus more and more. And the more you conduct yourself as a follower of His, the more they will dislike you. Even when your heart is to do good towards them. • But our God knows how to minister to His followers. And He loves to reward us, when our motivation isn’t about the reward but about offering our love and honor to Him.

Sunday, January 26, 2020 - Haggai 2 - Freedom Community Church - Pastor Rob Lloyd, Battle Ground, Washington, US Sunday Service Time: 10 AM Sunday Service Location: 1919 SW 25th Ave, Battle Ground, WA 98604 Phone: (360) 975-9356 Email: info@freedomcommunity.church Prayer Request: wepray@freedomcommunity.church Mailing Address: 1400 NE 136th Ave. Ste 201, Vancouver, WA 98684 Sermon Notes: Last week we looked into the first prophecy of Haggai as he was called by the Lord to get the people who had returned from the Babylonian captivity, back on track in rebuilding the temple. • In the third siege of the Babylonians against Jerusalem, they decimated the city, the wall and the temple before taking the people captive to Babylon. And the word of God delivered through Haggai worked, so the people got back to work after about 15 years of neglect of the things of God. • And as we pick up today in Ch. 2, Haggai is given three more prophecies for this group of people. • And although there is going to be mention of the corrective process that has been occurring because of the long period of neglect, each of these prophecies are given directly by God to encourage them as they keep pressing forward. And I hope we will find encouragement for the same. And verse 1 brings us to the second of four prophecies found in this book: In the seventh month, on the twenty-first of the month, the word of the Lord came by Haggai the prophet, saying: 2 “Speak now to Zerubbabel the son of Shealtiel, governor of Judah, and to Joshua the son of Jehozadak, the high priest, and to the remnant of the people, saying: It’s been just short of 1 month since they started rebuilding, as we heard about in 1:12-15 • And from doing the math, this is October 17, 520 BC, meaning this would have been the last day of the Feast of Tabernacles (one of the three fall feasts) 3 ‘Who is left among you who saw this temple in its former glory? And how do you see it now? In comparison with it, is this not in your eyes as nothing? I don’t know about you, but this seems a little rough, like he’s rubbing their face in the fact that what they had before was far superior to what they are building now. And when its not even done yet and they are already down about it, that makes being encouraged kind of difficult. • If we go to Ezra 3:12-13, which was written 15 years earlier, when those who had seen Solomon’s temple, then laid the foundation of this new temple and saw that it was nothing in comparison, they wept out loud. So, the Lord bringing this up here is something that has been on their mind all this time. • But like I told you in the beginning, these three prophecies are going to deal with the obvious discouragements head on, so the Lord can encourage them to keep moving forward • And so He rips the proverbial band aid off, not because He wants to cause them pain, but for the exact opposite reason; so they can address it and move forward: And having done so, now comes the encouragement portion; 4 Yet now be strong, Zerubbabel,’ says the Lord; ‘and be strong, Joshua, son of Jehozadak, the high priest; and be strong, all you people of the land,’ says the Lord, ‘and work; for I am with you,’ says the Lord of hosts. 5 ‘According to the word that I covenanted with you when you came out of Egypt, so My Spirit remains among you; do not fear!’ Last time the Lord stirred up their spirits to get them going, but now, when discouragement comes, the Lord says to each of them three important things; 1) be strong 2) keep working, and 3) I am with you • And honestly, these instructions during times of discouragement have never changed among the people God has covenanted with, which includes us • It’s not hard to get discouraged while laboring in a world that is temporary and decaying. Where the work we do can be torn down, disrespected, stolen, destroyed and so forth • And what can make it more frustrating is when we are the cause for the loss and/or the replacement is far less than what we had before o kind of like when you wreck your car and the insurance company gives you half the payoff But when we get back on track with Jesus, and are engaged in the things of His kingdom that He has set out for us to do, when discouragement comes we need to remember these same three things; 1) be strong 2) keep working, and 3) He is never going to take His Holy Spirit from us, so there is no reason to fear • So often we feel like quitting would be the right answer because of discouragement, but the truth is the discouragement is there because we have different expectations than God does. Often it can be that our expectations are greater than His plans. And I have watched that play out in several ways. One can be when we decide not to engage or continue in the work because we don’t have the same gifting others do, so we fear our impact would be too insignificant. • Another can be when we think we have to keep up with others expectations or even our own, so we decide to increase the scope of work beyond Gods plan. • And the preemptive way to avoid this kind of discouragement is to let God decide the work and scope, and then follow His lead. o If we are doing that, then everything we offer will be what He wants and will be matched with what He provides. It will still be work, but it will be blessed. And in bringing up the covenant He made with them 900 years earlier, when He brought them out of Egypt, He intends for them to be reminded that He has an eternal plan for them that He will be faithful to follow through to the end. And that’s where He now takes them as He continues to encourage them 6 “For thus says the Lord of hosts: ‘Once more (it is a little while) I will shake heaven and earth, the sea and dry land; 7 and I will shake all nations, and they shall come to the Desire of All Nations, and I will fill this temple with glory,’ says the Lord of hosts. 8 ‘The silver is Mine, and the gold is Mine,’ says the Lord of hosts. 9 ‘The glory of this latter temple shall be greater than the former,’ says the Lord of hosts. ‘And in this place I will give peace,’ says the Lord of hosts.” Everything He just said is in regard to what is coming in their future (and ours). For the reference to Him shaking the heaven and earth is speaking of things that will occur during the tribulation period, which must happen in order to finally judge, and therefore end, the consequences of sin entering the world. • And some might say, “well that doesn’t sound very encouraging to me to hear the Lord is going to judge the earth and violently shake it as part of the process”. • But there are two key pieces that need to be considered here. First f you have a relationship with Jesus, you won’t be here during this time (so be encouraged as we are instructed in 1 Thes. 4:18). • And the other point that He is focusing on here is that this temple they are building isn’t the final temple Up to this time there was 1) the Tabernacle in the wilderness, then 2) Solomon was given permission to build the first temple (it was destroyed in 586 BC), now we are hearing of what many have called 3) Zerubbabel’s temple. 4) Harrod (the Idumean) would pretty much tear it down and build the temple that would have been standing during Jesus time on earth. That temple was torn to the ground in 70 AD • And as we discussed last week, 5) there is a current temple and it is us; each follower of Jesus (1 Cor. 6:19-20, 2 Cor. 6:16-18) • 6) Another temple will be built and standing during the tribulation. This is not a temple God has asked for. And will actually used by antichrist • But then comes 7) the temple we will see during the millennial reign and it will be replaced in the 8) eternal heaven. There we are told in Rev. 21:22 “…for the Lord God Almighty and the Lamb are its temple.” It’s the temple that Jesus will occupy during the millennial reign that God is bringing to their attention, because it’s there the Prince of Peace will be reigning from • And the same God who was able to cause King Cyrus to send them back with all the treasures of the temple that were taken during the Babylonian captivity, could allot any amount of material to this current temple, because He owns it all. Kings and rulers might pass it around, but when the Lord wants it, He doesn’t have to ask anyone because it’s all His • And when we see Jesus in the millennial temple, I promise that any disappointment we have ever encountered will be nothing but a past experience forever more So if your feeling discouraged now, remember the Lords encouragement is for us to look ahead to what is coming and not to get fixated on the here and now! Now we come to the third of the four prophecies 10 On the twenty-fourth day of the ninth month, in the second year of Darius, the word of the Lord came by Haggai the prophet, saying, Now this is about 2 months later than the last prophecy (Dec. 18th). And what we need to see is the Lord is going to point to the condition they were in when Haggai began to prophecy, and then move forward to what as been happening since 11 “Thus says the Lord of hosts: ‘Now, ask the priests concerning the law, saying, 12 “If one carries holy meat in the fold of his garment, and with the edge he touches bread or stew, wine or oil, or any food, will it become holy?” ’ ” Then the priests answered and said, “No.” 13 And Haggai said, “If one who is unclean because of a dead body touches any of these, will it be unclean?” So the priests answered and said, “It shall be unclean.” 14 Then Haggai answered and said, “ ‘So is this people, and so is this nation before Me,’ says the Lord, ‘and so is every work of their hands; and what they offer there is unclean. Just because Haggai got them working again it doesn’t mean they all came into the work with the right heart. After all the Lord did tell them they were missing out on His blessing because the temple was neglected, which as the very mission they returned to complete. So, some might have said in their heart, “I will do this and He will have to bless me” • But the point is working on the temple alone could not make them holy (set apart for God). If their hearts were not right with Him, the Lord would not receive this work as a return to or offering for Him • And they knew this because the law instructed that each sacrifice had to be inspected by the priest to insure it was without blemish, and if it was, it was rejected And now the Lord reminds them of what He told them in 1:9-11; 15 ‘And now, carefully consider from this day forward: from before stone was laid upon stone in the temple of the Lord— 16 since those days, when one came to a heap of twenty ephahs, there were but ten; when one came to the wine vat to draw out fifty baths from the press, there were but twenty. 17 I struck you with blight and mildew and hail in all the labors of your hands; yet you did not turn to Me,’ says the Lord. The sad truth is even while the Lord was trying to get their attention through the shortages and losses they were incurring, the strategy of many of them was to ignore Gods attempts to get their attention And I am sure there are some who have adopted this strategy in their present situation. They have pulled back from engaging with the Lord, and in return He has been using what He can to get their attention. Yet they keep ignoring Him, somehow believing if they do, at some point He will quit pressing or maybe stop making such a big deal of their complacency. And if that’s your strategy, I have some bad news. It won’t work any better for you than it did for them. But now is where His message turns the corner to what has been changing in them since they started engaging with the Lord again, so that He might bring them encouragement 18 ‘Consider now from this day forward, from the twenty-fourth day of the ninth month, from the day that the foundation of the Lord’s temple was laid—consider it: 19 Is the seed still in the barn? As yet the vine, the fig tree, the pomegranate, and the olive tree have not yielded fruit. But from this day I will bless you.’ ” Three times now in just 4 verses, He has asked them to consider. And honestly, busywork for the Lord is not going to be a turning point for the heart but sitting before the Lord and working through what has kept you from Him will. • This is exactly what happens in Isaiah 1, where the Lord lays out the case against them and then coming to verse 18 He says “Come now, and let us reason together”… And He concludes with how He wants to bless them • And what did He want them to consider? I believe its since their hearts were complacent about the things of the Lord, and therefore the temple laid in ruins (cause and effect), He identified them as unclean when they came to work on the temple before getting their hearts right. • And He is saying “now that you have re-engaged with your hearts and hands, (because there is a correlation [James 2:17-18]), I am restoring the blessing” o This is a double win for them, for they would reengage with the God of the universe, and He would provide for them. Folk’s, our God never changes (Heb. 13:8, James 1:17), so when we read of what He wants to do with and for them, we too should be encouraged, because He also wants to be our provision and blessing as we abide (make our home with) Him. • And if you have neglected your relationship with Him (and therefore real service for His kingdom), He is saying the same thing to you right now; “come to me and lets air this out and get you plugged back in”. Do you want that? Because He wants it for you! • And if you need some encouragement from the Lord, this is where you will find it Now we have come to the fourth and final prophecy and this one is on the same day as the one we just finished 20 And again the word of the Lord came to Haggai on the twenty-fourth day of the month, saying, 21 “Speak to Zerubbabel, governor of Judah, saying: This prophecy (message from God) is specifically for Zerubbabel and there’s a reason for that. • And it’s one more reminder that God goes out of His way to speak to those who are His, especially when they need specific instruction or encouragement. • But we will also see this prophecy casts a bigger net than just for Zerubbabel, even though it is for him. ‘I will shake heaven and earth. 22 I will overthrow the throne of kingdoms; I will destroy the strength of the Gentile kingdoms. I will overthrow the chariots And those who ride in them; The horses and their riders shall come down, Every one by the sword of his brother. So we are brought back to a reference to what’s going to happen during the tribulation, with the addition of some details. One of those is to assure Zerubbabel the time of the gentiles will come to an end and the Jewish people will once again take the place God has given them. This happens in the Millennial kingdom • So, going to verse 23 we know we are being told of something still future, even to us • But I believe these references to the tribulation are so specific so no one can say these are past events, but rather are being used to point to the time when Jesus returns to set up His kingdom upon the earth 23 ‘In that day,’ says the Lord of hosts, ‘I will take you, Zerubbabel My servant, the son of Shealtiel,’ says the Lord, ‘and will make you like a signet ring; for I have chosen you,’ says the Lord of hosts.” When the Lord says to anyone, “I have chosen you”, you don’t really need anything more. And indeed, He has said that to every follower of Christ in John 15:16 But for Zerubbabel, who was a descendant of the last legitimate king of Israel (Jehoiachin), who the Lord declared a curse over because of his wickedness, and allowed Nebby of Babylon to kill, this is powerful. • In that curse of Jehoiachin, God said his descendants would not sit on the throne and likened him to a signet ring on Gods right hand that He would take off and cast down (Jer. 22:24). • But there’s another significant piece of the story. That was the lineage of David, and it would be the lineage of Jesus. • So, in essence God now says to Zerubbabel, “I’m going to restore the lineage through you. You will be My signet ring. Zerubbabel, I have chosen you for this” So not only did God lift Zerubbabel’s spirits by removing all these nagging questions he must have had, by declaring him as Gods seal. He also promised an irrevocable blessing on the nation during the millennial kingdom. • I find God’s pretty good at this encouragement thing. And if you are united with Him with both your heart and hands, when you need encouragement, I have a sneaking suspicion you will find more than you need. He’s just that good!

Sunday, October 13, 2019 - Romans 11:25-36 - Freedom Community Church - Pastor Rob Lloyd, Battle Ground, Washington, US Sunday Service Time: 10 AM Sunday Service Location: 1919 SW 25th Ave, Battle Ground, WA 98604 Phone: (360) 975-9356 Email: info@freedomcommunity.church Prayer Request: wepray@freedomcommunity.church Mailing Address: 1400 NE 136th Ave. Ste 201, Vancouver, WA 98684 Sermon Notes: Romans 11:25-36 As we open to Romans 11:25 we come to one more week dealing with Gods promises in order to hammer home to Israel and the church that our God is the God who keeps His promises. And then through the rest of the book of Romans we come to the very practical application in the life of the Christian now. • Which include topics such as 1) what our way of life should look like as followers of Jesus, 2) spiritual giftings given to the body of believers, 3) how to live like the family in Christ we all are, 4) our responsibility in regard to government, 5) how to live with and among our neighbors and more But picking back up today with our study in Ch. 9-11, we need to remember that last week, although the information God is conveying is regarding Israel, verse 24 made it clear He is now speaking to the gentiles • And with that, we are going to pick up in verse 25; 25 For I do not desire, brethren, that you should be ignorant of this mystery, lest you should be wise in your own opinion, (and now He tells us what the mystery is) that blindness in part has happened to Israel until the fullness of the Gentiles has come in. 26 And so all Israel will be saved, as it is written: “The Deliverer will come out of Zion, And He will turn away ungodliness from Jacob; 27 For this is My covenant with them, When I take away their sins.” (Isa. 59:20-21) On behalf of ever follower of Jesus, if you are a gentile and have not yet come to faith in Jesus, I want you to know how great the desire of everyone in this room is that you would give your life to Jesus today and be saved • And as you turn to Him today, and others continue to do the same, at some point the last one will come, and when they do, God is going to do an amazing work in Israel, washing and restoring them to Himself • And if you think there are a lot of tears of joy at a wedding, when the bride comes down the aisle, you haven’t seen nothing yet The website “Jewish Voice”, regarding these verses has said “More Jewish people have come to faith in Yeshua in the last generation than at any time since the first century. Through the ministry of Jewish Voice alone, we have seen some thousands of Jewish People respond to the Gospel in the last decade of outreaches alone! God is opening long-blinded eyes and softening thousands of Jewish hearts just as the Scriptures promised. The time during which the good news finds hearing only among Gentiles is coming to an end. We recognize this as a fulfillment of biblical prophecy, and a clear indication that the Last Days are upon us.” • So, if this blindness is coming to an end, and the age of the gentile is coming to a close, then the time for us to being going home is drawing close Now, I know there is a lot of confusion regarding what Gods plans are for Israel going forward, and I think in revealing some of those plans, I will also be able to address 1) who from Israel is going to be saved, 2) how God is going to turn away ungodliness from them, and 3) how He will take away their sins • And so, we are going to start with 1) Gods plan for Israel directly after the rapture of the church, 2) during the second half of the tribulation, then 3) into the 1,000 year reign of Jesus upon the earth, and finally 4) into the eternal heavens After the last gentile receives Jesus, I believe strongly that the church will be raptured and antichrist will soon after make a seven year peace deal (covenant) with Israel (Dan. 9:27) initiating the Tribulation. And during that time God is going to reinstate Israel as His time piece for the significant events of His coming into the world again (read Dan. 9:24-27 or listen to our study there for more details of the significance) • And During the first 3 ½ years of this 7 year tribulation, we learned in Revelation of Gods evangelistic program during the tribulation, for 1) He sends out 144,000 sealed Jewish male evangelists (7:1-8 & 14:1-5), then 2) of the two witnesses which we believe to be Moses and Elijah, who will prophecy, perform miracles and then after being dead and unburied, 3 days later stand to their feet like nothing happened and then ascend into heaven while the whole world watches (11:1-14), and 3) finally, 3 angels will be making proclamations to the entire earth as they fly around it; which includes the everlasting gospel (14:6-11) • And I will admit the angels are not Jewish 😊, but the 144,000 and two witness are as Jewish as Paul was. This is because God has reinstated them as His time piece, just as the bible tells us He will Now, that was just the start of God reinstatement of Israel during the tribulation, for at the half way point (3 ½ years) antichrist will break that peace covenant (Dan. 9:27 & Matt. 24:15) • Now hear Dan.12:1-2; “At that time Michael (angel over Israel) shall stand up, The great prince who stands watch over the sons of your people; And there shall be a time of trouble, Such as never was since there was a nation, Even to that time. And at that time your people (Israel) shall be delivered, Every one who is found written in the book. 2 And many of those who sleep in the dust of the earth shall awake, Some to everlasting life, Some to shame and everlasting contempt • This is written specifically of that last 3 ½ years known as The Great Tribulation or the time of Jacobs trouble. And Jeremiah 30:7 says “Alas! For that day is great, So that none is like it; And it is the time of Jacob’s trouble, But he shall be saved out of it. • So not only are we told its going to be horrific, but also that it’s going to come to an end and those who are ethnic Israel are going to be turning to Jesus as a nation (but not every one of them) And as Jesus returns in what we know as His Second Coming, Israel will recognize Him as Messiah and God will restore them. (see Zech. 12) • Of this time, Ezekiel 11:17-21 says; Therefore say, ‘Thus says the Lord God: “I will gather you from the peoples, assemble you from the countries where you have been scattered, and I will give you the land of Israel.” ’ 18 And they will go there, and they will take away all its detestable things and all its abominations from there (remember verses 26-27). 19 Then I will give them one heart, and I will put a new spirit within them, and take the stony heart out of their flesh, and give them a heart of flesh, 20 that they may walk in My statutes and keep My judgments and do them; and they shall be My people, and I will be their God. 21 But as for those whose hearts follow the desire for their detestable things and their abominations, I will recompense their deeds on their own heads,” says the Lord God. • Which also supports what we have been hearing starting in Ch. 9, which is that is that those of Israel who receive Jesus then will be saved ( and we are told in Zech. 13:8-9 this shall be 1/3- a remnant still, but a much larger remnant) but those who do not, will not, and will not make it through the tribulation • And this gives us more information on 1) who from Israel is going to be saved, and 2) how God is going to turn away ungodliness from them (verse 26), and 3) how He will take away their sins (verse 27) This leads us into the period after the tribulation, known as the Millennium. Ezekiel 37:21-28 tells us God will bring them back into the land He gave them during the millennial kingdom, and I will establish them and multiply them, and I will set My sanctuary in their midst forevermore (this has obviously not happened yet). 27 My tabernacle also shall be with them; indeed I will be their God, and they shall be My people. 28 The nations also will know that I, the Lord, sanctify Israel, when My sanctuary is in their midst forevermore. • Isaiah 60-66 covers this time well and we see there you cannot separate the regathering of this people from the land given to them, for great blessing will come to them there • And its from there they will serve the Lordi n the land that He has forever given to them • And Isaiah 27:6, speaking to Israel, says “Those who come He shall cause to take root in Jacob; Israel shall blossom and bud, And fill the face of the world with fruit”. Which means although Israel failed to bring many people to God during human history up to this point, they will be very fruitful in leading those who are born during the millennium And going forward into the eternal kingdom, the promises of God that tie them to Him and the land He has given them, will never change; 28 Concerning the gospel they (Israel) are enemies for your sake (the gentiles), but concerning the election they are beloved for the sake of the fathers (the patriarchs). 29 For the gifts and the calling of God are irrevocable. I like that a lot; that the gifts and the calling of God are irrevocable! And so, should everyone who has called upon the name of the Lord, because His promise is that if we repent and call upon Jesus, we shall be saved! And I want to read just one more passage regarding this promise which God made to Israel to sum this up. • Jer. 20-26 20 “Thus says the Lord: ‘If you can break My covenant with the day and My covenant with the night, so that there will not be day and night in their season, 21 then My covenant may also be broken with David My servant, so that he shall not have a son to reign on his throne, and with the Levites, the priests, My ministers. 22 As the host of heaven cannot be numbered, nor the sand of the sea measured, so will I multiply the descendants of David My servant and the Levites who minister to Me.’ ”23 Moreover the word of the Lord came to Jeremiah, saying, 24 “Have you not considered what these people have spoken, saying, ‘The two families which the Lord has chosen, He has also cast them off’? Thus they have despised My people, as if they should no more be a nation before them. 25 “Thus says the Lord: ‘If My covenant is not with day and night, and if I have not appointed the ordinances of heaven and earth, 26 then I will cast away the descendants of Jacob and David My servant, so that I will not take any of his descendants to be rulers over the descendants of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob. For I will cause their captives to return, and will have mercy on them.’ ” Folks, God keeps His promises. It might not be in the way or in the timing you think it should be, but it will be exactly as He has promised. And you and I should be so grateful for that, because we are holding onto an eternal promise made to us • And although I wish He would have called the church home yesterday, and the day before that… • What I do know is that He will call the church home. And on that day, every Jew and gentile who has trusted in Jesus will be so overwhelmed with joy • But until then, especially on those intensely difficult days between now and then, we stand on the promise of God (because of our relationship with Jesus) to carry us through o So when the enemy comes and tries to get you to loose hope, cling to the faithfulness of Jesus. 30 For as you (gentiles) were once disobedient to God, yet have now obtained mercy through their (Israel’s) disobedience, 31 even so these also have now been disobedient, that through the mercy shown you (gentiles) they (Israel) also may obtain mercy. 32 For God has committed them all to disobedience, that He might have mercy on all. The truth is that both Jews and gentiles have had seasons where their disobedience as a people is focal, and God has desired to show mercy to both and all (1 Tim. 2:4, 2 Peter 3:9) But what does it mean that God has committed them all to disobedience, that He might have mercy on all • We must go back to the beginning to find this answer (Rom. 5:12). And there we find that God created Adam not as an infant but as a grown man (many believe he was in his early 30’s). And the reason this is important is to make clear that it didn’t take Adam decades before he and Eve sinned. For we know both he and Eve were created in the first 6 days of human history, yet no child is mentioned until after the fall • And I have a feeling it wasn’t even months before they, in their fertility, conceived. Meaning I believe it didn’t take long after the creation for the fall • And therefore we can see Adam was not some long term superstar in using of his free will untainted, and one day, long into the future, then blew it. Because free will provides decisions for us to make Now before the fall, Adam had an amazing relationship with God but man’s potential for the type of relationship he could have with God was far greater after the fall then it was before. • Before Adam communed with God but never had Gods righteousness. But once the fall occurred the scene was set, which pointed to Jesus coming, and therefore man’s eternal salivation. • Which included man receiving Jesus righteousness in their account by trusting in Him (see Rom. 5 study) • So, in saying God has committed them all to disobedience, I think clearly speaks of God giving every person freewill. Because in creating free will, God created the most amazing door for a transforming relationship with Him, which, by necessity, also created the potential for us to sin. You cannot have one without the other. o And here Gods reminds us the decision now rests in each one of our hands (Josh. 24:14-15) So, when all are born into sin, its because all are born with free will, for there would be no sin without freewill because then God would move us around life like puppets, and because He does not sin or cause anyone to sin (James 1:13-14), there would therefore be no sin, for the potential would be gone. • But He has committed (or “consigned”) us all to disobedience, and therefore no one can say “well, that’s a problem for you guys but not for me, because I haven’t sinned”. (Rom. 3:23) • And I for one am grateful because I couldn’t imagine what it would look like if it was up to us to decide if someone had sinned or not, and therefore needs salvation. o It’s as if God has ripped the band aid off the open wound of sin, that resulted from our using freewill for rebellion, leaving all with a clear decision to make • But to be absolutely clear on this issue, His hope and intent in giving freewill is that ALL would choose Him and therefore be showered in His mercy!!! And for some, everything I just said sounds really theological, and therefore there might be some here asking why they need to know this. Well, as a pastor who gets to field a lot of questions, I can tell you these are the very kind of questions regarding salvation and Gods nature that are most frequently being asked. And As the church, I hope you have a desire to be able to answer these questions well when they come your way And now he concludes this section, saying: 33 Oh, the depth of the riches both of the wisdom and knowledge of God! How unsearchable are His judgments and His ways past finding out! 34 “For who has known the mind of the Lord? Or who has become His counselor?” 35 “Or who has first given to Him And it shall be repaid to him?” 36 For of Him and through Him and to Him are all things, to whom be glory forever. Amen. And I love this final section because after the Holy Spirit has used Paul to explain all of these things to us, there are simply things we are still trying to grasp and/or gain a greater understanding of. • And the Rob translation of what God is saying here is, “Look, I’m God and you can’t know all that I know and think all that I think, so trust My love for you”. Of course, the Holy Spirit puts is far more succinct, but I think you get the point (I hope) Folks, when we think about all that God has done 1) through the creation, 2) through giving man free will to love Him or chose sin, 3) in already having a plan for salvation before the creation was created and the fall occurred, 4) in choosing Israel as His set apart people to reveal Him to the world, 5) in using their temporary blindness as an opportunity for the gentiles to come in, 6) while setting a plan to reinstate Israel during the last 7 years and into eternity, and… • I hope we are all smart enough to realize we have trouble filing our taxes, remembering where we set our keys, deciding what to have for dinner, and… • that we would surrender the things we don’t fully grasp, as we pursue a greater understanding of God, to one simple and valuable truth- He gets it all, and Has secured forever, those who love Him! And, it’s His creative nature that envisioned absolutely everything. And it’s His power that then created and sustains all of it. And it’s all perfect because it was all made for a perfect God! • I believe this is the “of Him and through Him and to Him” • And what should our response be? To simply worship and praise Him, so that the fellow believers would be mutually encouraged (Rom. 1:12) as we work together to bring Him glory, and make Him know to the lost! • And this is pretty hard to do if in the back of our minds we are wondering if He might give up on us. So, I hope after all of this, you and I can fully rest in the fact that He never will (Deut. 31:6, Heb. 13:5)

Sunday, October 27, 2019 - Romans 12:3-13 - Freedom Community Church - Pastor Rob Lloyd, Battle Ground, Washington, US Sunday Service Time: 10 AM Sunday Service Location: 1919 SW 25th Ave, Battle Ground, WA 98604 Phone: (360) 975-9356 Email: info@freedomcommunity.church Prayer Request: wepray@freedomcommunity.church Mailing Address: 1400 NE 136th Ave. Ste 201, Vancouver, WA 98684 Sermon Notes: Romans 12:3-13 Last week, as we studied verse 1 we noted that our reasonable response to all the mercy God has poured upon us, is to offer our bodies as a living sacrifice to His service. • And then is verse 2 we learned the desire of Jesus is for us to be transformed by the renewing of our minds, which happens as we open up our bibles and let the word of God replace all of those old ways of thinking with the truth. And now, as we come to verse 3-8, he is going to address the use of the spiritual giftings He has given to each of us, to bless God by blessing the body of believers. • But this is not a separate line of thinking from these first two verses, for as we will see, in order to exercise the giftings of God in a way that honors God, we need to be actively in the process of presenting our bodies to Him and being engaged in the renewing of our mind. • I didn’t say we have to have arrived at total transformation, because we know that’s not going to fully occur in our present state, • but that we must be engaged and desirous of this work of the Holy Spirit in us. And now we pick up at verse 3; For I say, through the grace given to me, to everyone who is among you (the church), not to think of himself more highly than he ought to think, but to think soberly (sound judgment), as God has dealt to each one a measure of faith. Now, you might say here, “I thought you just said this section was about spiritual gifts that different people have been given by God, so what does this have to do with that?” And the answer is “everything”. For one of the difficulties that arises when we talk about spiritual gifts, can be the feeling of inflated importance in the gift one has been given 1) such as their gift being superior (meaning everyone should be invested where they are invested) or 2) even that their gifting makes them superior to others • Which is so ridiculous considering these are not acquired skills one wants and therefore does tremendous work to gain, but rather, just as it clearly says, are gifts given by God. • And when it’s a gift, why should anyone walk around as though their gift makes them more valuable. But some do, and that’s the reason that some with certain giftings never have a calling placed on their lives by God. • The gift is not given for the person who has it (although it is my experience that when you are walking in your gifting, to bring glory to the Lord, it’s the most fulfilling place to be). The gift is given by the Lord to be used in the service of the Lord, to bring glory to the Lord (Isa. 42:8, Acts 12:21-22). o Which He most often utilizes in the service to the church family and in evangelizing the world. But the focus here is certainly on ministering to the church! And this is how those first two verses connect to the ministry gifts, because if we have given our bodies as a living sacrifice and have been having our minds renewed in Jesus, then we will engage in the service set before us by the Lord, with the proper perspective and heart in the work we do. • And we have likely all seen how so-called Christian work has gone off the rails, because the first two verses are not a reality in someone’s life, and therefore their “gift” builds pride and the problems associated with pride that come afterwards 4 For as we have many members in one body, but all the members do not have the same function, 5 so we, being many, are one body in Christ, and individually members of one another. 6 Having then gifts differing according to the grace that is given to us, let us use them: Aren’t you grateful we all have different gifting we are given to serve the Lord with? Because diversity and numbers in giftings means more ministry in the body, for more in the body. • And again, we see here that God sees us as members belonging to or knit into one another in the body • Now that does not mean someone tells another what they must do, or takes power over them, nor does it mean we forfeit our individuality (although some groups wrongly teach that it does). • What it does mean is that wherever God places you as a member of a church body, choosing to take only the position of the served, without also choosing to serve, is not in the will of God. Period! And by the way, it also doesn’t mean we serve everywhere or all the time so we can avoid participating in the worship, teaching, celebration and congregating as a body. Which also misses the point. Now he lists some of the ministry gifts here; if prophecy, let us prophesy in proportion to our faith; 7 or ministry, let us use it in our ministering; he who teaches, in teaching; 8 he who exhorts, in exhortation; he who gives, with liberality; he who leads, with diligence; he who shows mercy, with cheerfulness. Now, prophecy is not primarily speaking of foretelling future events, but more commonly it’s the gift of speaking to a matter that has been empowered by divine insight to speak directly to something you may or may not be aware of in the hearer or event. • Now, I for one believe that often times this occurs without the speaker even knowing they have just exercised the gift. It happened to me this week when I was speaking to a pastor in Cal. about a mission’s matter. If someone else was in on our conversation, they might have thought, “this guy is off topic here”, but as the one who was receiving from his gift of prophecy, I can assure you he was not. • I have also seen this gift exercised more intentionally and can testify to its genuineness there too. • But I want to say, when you do think the Lord has spoken, and you are trying to exercise your gift, I think you should say “I really believe the Lord has given me something to share with you, and I would like to share it with you, but please go to the Lord yourself to affirm that He is speaking to you” And as a believer, I have been sure the Lord has spoken something to me, and then been criticized by another because they interpreted that the Lord had not spoken it because it didn’t turn out the way they expected it must • So I want to conclude in speaking about this gift with a few summary remarks; 1) you can dismiss those charlatans who use prophecy for gain or attention (and you absolutely should), 2) we must remember that prophecy will never contradict what God has already told us in the word, 3) we want to remember that prophecy is most often not predictive but a divinely inspired and timely word directed by the Holy Spirit, and 4) we need not be afraid to exercise the gift, but do speak cautiously, and point people back to the Lord to get their own confirmation. Now we come to ministering which simply speaks of serving where service is needed. And sometimes, after meeting some practical need(s), someone might say “that really ministered to me”. And that would be a correct use of this term. • This is such an amazing gift in my perspective, because anyone can minister to others, but some people are wired to do this as part of the way God gifted them. And such a person loves to meet the needs of others or see a task that needs to be done and just jump in with joy. • And we know for others, they might have to kind of push themselves to meet the need before them, because maybe they are especially gifted by God in mercy and can’t pull themselves from caring for that broken hearted one, they spotted during worship. • So, when one says they want to be a minister, hand them the broom, the Sunday school lesson plan, the keys to the church bus…because this is what we are talking about here. Teaching is the gift most often associated with the pulpit ministry, but it needs to operate in multiple places and through multiple persons within a church family, doing many different forms of teaching • The thing many forget is it also means you have to 1) have the discipline of studying, 2) along with the desire to seek God for what He wants to say and with the heart He wants to convey in saying it. Now, exhortation is also spoken of by Paul to a budding young ministry leader in Titus 1:9, which says of ministry leaders “that he may be able, by sound doctrine, both to exhort and convict those who contradict” • The reason I bring us there is for twofold; 1) that we can see the gift is to be operated by use of sound doctrine, meaning this requires exhortation to be biblically backed, and not some opinion, and 2) that there is a difference between encouraging someone through exhortation and convict those who contradict, which is a corrective action. • Some have believed this is the gift of chewing people out. Folks, for clarity, that’s not a gift! Next, the bible speaks specifically to giving to the Lord as an act of worship and faith, and this is for every follower of Jesus. I for one remember pastor Chuck Smith saying, “If you want to see where your heart is, look in your checkbook”. That’s kind of dating myself now that everyone pays online, but you get the idea 😊 • But, when it speaks of the gift of giving here, it’s talking about someone who just feels called to give and delights in doing it. And it’s not exclusive to money, but also in needed things. It’s the gif of generosity! • Now as a word of caution, I have encountered some who say they have this, and therefore they have to work more to make more money, yet in their current state already give so little proportionately • And at the same time have encounter others who don’t have a lot but are like an ever-flowing channel to which God pours into and they simply move those supplies or moneys to the destination God wants it to go. And whether rich or just getting by, this is the gift of giving spoken of here. Regarding leading, there are some with ideas and/or skills, who then go out and try to get others to join them, yet are lacking the gift of leadership. And what you get are disgruntled people, including themselves. • Now for sure, even individuals with God given leadership skills will occasionally encounter rebellious or overly grumpy people, but even then, they find a way to work through the situation without losing the others along the way. • But generally, those with leadership gifting are those a group will tend to gravitate toward when coming together. And a good leader will always want everyone to give all the glory to Jesus alone And as we come to mercy, I can’t help but think of an illustration which summed up these gifts so well . I’m changing it up, but it’s something like this; “A lady was walking up the steps of the stage to take communion she tripped. Someone with the gift of mercy came and sat beside her, trying to reduce the impact and shield her as she collected herself, hardly saying a word. Another with the gift of ministry came and examined the steps to see if they were slick or caused the fall. Someone with the gift of teaching came to her afterward and instructed her of a better way to approach the steps during her next attempt at communion. Someone with the gift of prophesy was sent to her to tell her the Lord was using this event to speak to leadership about their need to take communion to those who physically are not able to come forward. Then someone with the gift of exhortation spoke to the leadership who then went to the servers and created a system which met the needs of all the members of the church. Folks, don’t be disgruntled when those in the body come to you and give the gift they have been given to give. Receive it with the heart with which it was intended, never forgetting who is actually giving it! • Chances are you might feel like only one or two of those individuals actually helped you but appreciate them all. This is how the family of Jesus shows love for the body of Jesus- the church. We should encourage it and be grateful when we witness it occurring Now, after finishing addressing individual gifts for the serving of the body, now we come to instruction that is for absolutely every follower of Jesus, yet is still speaking of the way Christians are to live and love each other • And we will see that is practical and at the same time should be convicting for some 9 Let love be without hypocrisy. Abhor what is evil. Cling to what is good. 10 Be kindly affectionate to one another with brotherly love, in honor giving preference to one another; 11 not lagging in diligence, fervent in spirit, serving the Lord; 12 rejoicing in hope, patient in tribulation, continuing steadfastly in prayer; 13 distributing to the needs of the saints, given to hospitality. What does love without hypocrisy look like? It’s the serving of others, for others (especially as unto Jesus), and not for self. It’s the real desire and heart that gives preference to others over self. Love like that is the will of God for and from each of us. • And I believe the “one another” we are called to give “preference” to, is speaking of the members inside of a church family, yet the principle surely extends to other followers of Christ also. • This is backed up in verse 13 which calls us to distributing to the needs of the saints, given to hospitality. For although we can meet the needs of the saints everywhere, it’s hard to invite them over to lunch when they live in Pakistan, India, Africa…which is basic hospitality. • So, we can see the call is to care for and desire each other. And in case anyone believes that means only our group within the church, we should understand that hospitality means “pursuing the love of strangers”, so its speaking of taking the time and making the effort to get to know one another. Now to be clear, I know that no one can drop everything all the time for everyone, but we are all called to engage. And if we all do, then we, as a church family, will display and experience what is spoken of here And to be kindly affectionate to one another with brotherly love means not only do we love each other, we show that in the way we communicate and interact with each other. This is speaking of being polite and considerate; something the world is really struggling with, but that the church should not. And we close by looking at the intensity we are to serve one another with, described in verse 11, which reads “not lagging in diligence, fervent (literally “boiling”) in spirit, serving the Lord.” • Now to operate like this in the church family (or anywhere else), requires several things, but three basics are 1) a real love for others, 2) commitment, and 3) an understanding that this is being done for Jesus! • It doesn’t mean you meet others needs to the point where you can’t sustain your own life and needs, o but that you dedicate yourself to not only having a heart for others, but the actions that show the reality of that heart. • Some can really talk up their love for the church, but always seem to have made plans that never make time for the church, the needs of the members of the church, or to use their gifts inside the church family. o While others who are wearing multiple hats in the church will always are trying to find a way to meet a need, because they know their service is unto the Lord. Folks, God didn’t give us the church as a place to attend, but as a family to enter. A family where each one of us makes up a portion of the body, and where He himself is the head. So, to love the church is to love God. • And as we’re living in an increasingly loveless or self-devoted world, this kind of love preaches the gospel of our Lord Jesus in a way that can penetrate the most hardened and longing hearts. • But not if we bite and devour one another as Gal. 5:15 warns against, and can happen 1) when we don’t appreciate the gifts of others, or 2) try to operate in those giftings without offering ourselves as living sacrifices to Jesus and being engaged in the renewing of our minds, or 3) if we sit on our gifts while we watch others who are utilizing their giftings, perspire and tire from carrying the loads we have been gifted to carry. • Folks, the church needs the church and the world needs the church in order to hear the good news of Jesus Christ our King, and to see what genuine love looks like.

Sunday, December 1, 2019 - Romans 14:14-23 - Freedom Community Church - Pastor Rob Lloyd, Battle Ground, Washington, US Sunday Service Time: 10 AM Sunday Service Location: 1919 SW 25th Ave, Battle Ground, WA 98604 Phone: (360) 975-9356 Email: info@freedomcommunity.church Prayer Request: wepray@freedomcommunity.church Mailing Address: 1400 NE 136th Ave. Ste 201, Vancouver, WA 98684 Sermon Notes: Romans 14:14-23 When I was preparing todays study it made me think of a scene in a movie where two people were fighting over who is the greatest superhero. And as they battled this out, they kept listing the abilities of their pick to try and display why their hero was the one. • And although that’s just fiction, there are certainly real-world people who have displayed incredible bravery and acts of valor. And some of those individuals are simply warriors at heart. • But when those acts of valor are performed for love, there is something even more spectacular. It’s as though they have an extra super hero gift. o This reminded me of the true account of Hacksaw Ridge where Desmond Doss saved 75 men during the Battle of Okinawa, unarmed and alone. • And this brought me back to the words of Jesus in John 15:13; “Greater love has no one than this, than to lay down one’s life for his friends.”. And obviously for us, we all realize the greatest act of love ever performed was God sending Jesus to lay down His life for us. But does laying down one’s life always mean having to physically die? What if one of the greatest acts of love meant laying down your right to do something so that another isn’t enticed into something that might destroy them. Choosing to love over exercising certain liberties? Well, as we continue into the second half of Ch. 14 today, we will deal with this very thing, and the focus it takes to make this a way of life! 14 I know and am convinced by the Lord Jesus that there is nothing unclean of itself; but to him who considers anything to be unclean, to him it is unclean. This is not saying there is no activity that is unclean for even starting in Ch. 1 of this book he began dealing with things the Lord has clearly declared as unacceptable • What it is saying is there is no longer any unclean food from Gods perspective. And Gods perspective matters, for though in Acts 10:15 and 11:9 God is speaking to the Jew about not calling the gentile unclean anymore, He uses food to make His point. • And in both cases, He emphatically says, what God has declared clean you must not call common (or unclean). • But the point here is even after God has declared all foods as clean, some people will still struggle with what they can eat for sake of conscience. o And as long as they don’t make it about the dietary law (because then they are depending on keeping the law for their salvation Gal. 5:1-6), then it’s good for them to follow their conscience. And as we discussed last week, conscience in areas not specifically addressed by the bible, leaves us with freedom to choose. But if, for whatever reason, we feel like something is wrong to do (in these areas of liberty), then it is wrong for us to do it. • Now, at this point we need to be clear, because many people say, “let your conscience be your guide” • And again, this can be correct, if it does not violate 1) what the Lord has clearly told us is sin (and therefore what we should not do), or 2) is something He has told us we are to do, such as loving our neighbors as ourselves (13:9, Mark 12:31). • So, we can let our conscience be our guide in certain areas, in what Paul described as doubtful things in verse 1, but these things can never violate the clearly stated will of God, and should still be lifted up in prayer so we can receive direction from God (we covered this more in-depth last week). But now comes a very important consideration in regard to our Christian liberty, and our having a clear conscience in what we choose; 15 Yet if your brother is grieved because of your food, you are no longer walking in love. Do not destroy with your food the one for whom Christ died. I’m still brought back to a husband and wife I knew that both professed Jesus as their savior. The husband was an alcoholic, and trying to keep their marriage and beat the addiction, but the wife very emphatically said it was his problem, and that she had no intension of removing the wine from the house or to stop drinking • And she had the liberty to have her glass of wine without getting drunk (because getting drunk is prohibited but having a glass of wine is not), so we must recognize that is a liberty she has. o But I hope I don’t have to tell you what a self-centered and callus attitude she displayed toward the one she committed to be her life-long partner. • In essence she said, my ability to have my glass of wine is more important than you. Granted there was a lot of hurt, and she too could say that he was saying the alcohol was more important than her. • But there’s more, for not only did this destroy their marriage, it also has a much bigger ramification, for that man is Gods child. And regardless of what he would do with her act of love if she had chosen to suspend her liberty for him, in her not choosing to do so, she was willing to sacrifice him for her liberty. o That’s a miss on every level because it’s not Jesus style at all. Folk’s this is just one area I used for an example because it comes to my mind, but there are so many others. In the picture of the meat offered to idols and then sold in the meat markets (last week’s study), neither eating it or not eating it was a sin. • So, if you had invited someone over and noticed them getting squeamish around the BBQ ribs, you might ask if they like ribs, and if they brought up issue regarding eating meat, you would simply put them back in the fridge, grab the salad, and maybe even through some corn on the BBQ. • This is a triple win situation, for 1) you get to have those ribs all to yourself when they leave (but not because your stingy), 2) they were loved by you when you suspended your liberty for them, and 3) Jesus is glorified by your loving your neighbor as yourself, thus fulfilling all of the law. o If you change the subject and keep the response, and you already have this down. • And someone might say, “but what if in the end I don’t get what I want by suspending my liberty for that person in that moment?” Even better, for God is the one who rewards us in heaven (Matt. 6:1-4), which is a far greater prize than ever eating another BBQ anything, getting to do or own this or that… o And this is exactly what Paul said he would do in 1 Cor. 8:13, saying; Therefore, if food makes my brother stumble, I will never again eat meat, lest I make my brother stumble And as always, I think this is another great area to check our hearts in. Is there a liberty you would not give up in order to protect the conscience of a weaker brother or sister, or even for fellowship? This could also be speaking of just a weak area they wrestle with. And in truth, with exception to those we live with, there are few things that are permissible by God that we would have to give up entirely. We simply have to choose to suspend them around those who struggle with them, as we will be told when we get to verse 22. 16 Therefore do not let your good be spoken of as evil; 17 for the kingdom of God is not eating and drinking, but righteousness and peace and joy in the Holy Spirit. 18 For he who serves Christ in these things is acceptable to God and approved by men. I am afraid there are far too many who have redefined the victorious Christian life as simply living in prosperity and with position here on earth. And in doing so, it becomes about 1) luxury instead of needs, 2) about ease rather than service, 3) about fine meals rather eating without offense. 4) It becomes the “all about me and my entitlement” attitude. • And again, I really like food and am confident that God has nothing against us having great meals, followed by coffee and a great desert. • But if that is the goal, or if that draws my focus away from the eternal and the holiness God has called us to, so that we might bring glory to Him, then we should switch to bread and water, because folks, that’s setting our minds on things below instead of setting our minds and hearts on the real treasure (Col. 3:2). And again, we are not just speaking about food, but truly about the difference of letting our old nature rule and reign or our new nature, which is empowered by the Holy Spirt. It’s what we call the Spirit filled life • And Jesus makes the distinction between the two when after praising Peter, He then has to rebuke Peter, saying in Matt. 16:23 …He turned and said to Peter, “Get behind Me, Satan! You are an offense to Me, (and now He lists the offense) for you are not mindful of the things of God, but the things of men.” • Peter, hearing what Jesus would go though in order to pay our sin debt, must have said in his heart something like; “we can’t lose Him this way, He cannot be treated this way, and this will not bring the kingdom to earth right now, if he dies we then we have no hope now”. o These are all thoughts regarding the flesh and this current life only, and for this Jesus strongly rebuked Peter, because this old way of thinking is to be behind us, not in front of us (Rom: 12:2) • And we are to be mindful, or set our minds on the things of the eternal, because these are the everlasting things God has in store for us (1 Cor. 15:20-28). Interestingly enough, there is a big push on the practice of being mindful, or what is termed mindfulness, in order to reduce the stress in life and even to deal with severe trauma. And I agree with the premise. • But the real question is what are we to be focusing on? For those who don’t have Jesus, its going to be the things of the world, because that’s all they have. Yet as the bible tells us, our physical lives are but a vapor (James 4:14) and even the world and the things of it are passing away (John 2:17) • But as a follower of Jesus, our explicit instruction is to be mindful of the things of God; the eternal things that will never pass away (2 Cor. 4:18), that are eternal in the heavens because He is eternal in the heavens and we shall be forever with Him (John 14:3) • What a shame it is when the church makes the things of the flesh focal, over the things which have been given to us in the kingdom of God. I don’t know about you, but each time I have had my attention drawn back to the world, I don’t find anything resembling Jesus righteousness, His peace, or the joy that can only be manifested from communing with the Holy Spirit. 19 Therefore let us pursue the things which make for peace and the things by which one may edify another. What’s being spoken of here is still addressing our pursuing peace with other believers in the debatable areas. • And what that means is if you cannot discuss or engage in a debatable matter without offending one another or causing further division, switch subjects, movies, activities, locations…that will edify instead. • Sometimes I think we believe it’s our place to press another believer into a view we think they must have, because if we don’t do it, who will? And the answer is quite easy. If necessary, the Holy Spirit. • Hear how Paul explains this in Phil. 3:15, saying; Therefore let us, as many as are mature, have this mind; and if in anything you think otherwise, God will reveal even this to you. Folks, when we are worried about someone’s choices or views in the areas of liberty God has given them, we too can be confident that God is doing a much better job than we are at working this out with them. o So in these areas we are to back out and simply pursue peace and encourage one another in our walks with the Lord, because there are more than enough discouragements from other sources. So now we see again this is not a “one side is right and the other is wrong” type of issue, for he will give us two examples of both the weaker and stronger believer and the way they can sin from their side. 20 Do not destroy the work of God for the sake of food. All things indeed are pure, but it is evil for the man who eats with offense. 21 It is good neither to eat meat nor drink wine nor do anything by which your brother stumbles or is offended or is made weak. 22 Do you have faith? Have it to yourself before God. Happy is he who does not condemn himself in what he approves. 23 But he who doubts is condemned if he eats, because he does not eat from faith; for whatever is not from faith is sin. (1 Cor. 8:7) For the stronger believer, their instruction is to not destroy the weaker believer, but rather in areas of liberty that could be a stumbling block to others, to exercise those things in their own home so they don’t condemn themselves by causing a weaker believer to fall. • And for the weaker believer, who tends to be more rule bound or even legalistic (because they need those boundaries firmly in place to keep themselves from stumbling, or have a weaker conscience), their instruction is remember it would be evil for them to participate in what they believe is against God, • But that its wrong for them to condemn other believers for participating in what God has given them liberty to do. • It’s actually pretty straight forward and yet it clearly needed to be said then and now because both sides were offending and finding offense with one another then, and the same is true today. So, how did you do? You know what I mean. Just a few days ago was Thanksgiving, and there were places where you had liberty. Did you exercise those liberties at the cost of another? • Or on the other hand, there were areas in which you do not yet have faith that participating in certain things is ok for you. • Did you stick to your guns without putting a trip on everyone else in these disputable areas where God has not clearly told us what we are to do or not to do? • If your able to find the areas of liberty that you had and were willing to suspend so that the focus stayed on Jesus and not a heated debate or squabble, you’re probably basking in the joy of the Lord, even if it cost you something.

Sunday, December 8, 2019 - Romans 15:1-13 - Freedom Community Church - Pastor Rob Lloyd, Battle Ground, Washington, US Sunday Service Time: 10 AM Sunday Service Location: 1919 SW 25th Ave, Battle Ground, WA 98604 Phone: (360) 975-9356 Email: info@freedomcommunity.church Prayer Request: wepray@freedomcommunity.church Mailing Address: 1400 NE 136th Ave. Ste 201, Vancouver, WA 98684 Sermon Notes: Romans 15:1-13 Last week there was an emphasis on choosing to suspend a liberty that we might have, in order to not cause another follower of Jesus to stumble. • And I think this is something that everyone can struggle with at some capacity. So, I believe we were challenged to examine our own willingness to suspend liberties when it would help another • But this week, he is moving being called to even higher ground, and some might say “I’m still working on last weeks stuff”, to which I would say, “aren’t we all”. • Yet Jesus wants us to know where He is taking us through the work of the Holy Spirit in us. And although some are already finding victory in the areas we will address today, while others are not quite there yet, these things are for every follower of Jesus and the only way to lasting unity in the church . 1 We then who are strong ought to bear with the scruples of the weak, and not to please ourselves. Notice this is addressed to the strong. In the last few weeks we have been receiving instruction for both the weaker and stronger believers, but here its specifically calling out those who believe themselves to be the stronger (or mature) Christians. But truthfully, you and I might be more mature than some, while less mature than others. Meaning this applies to every believer, depending on the maturity level of those you’re with! • And, to the strong or more mature, the call here isn’t to simply put up with the weaker or less mature, it’s to bear them up. So, this goes beyond our considering to suspend our liberty for their conscience, to protecting their process in Christian maturity. • This made me think of how a father who is teaching his 7-year-old to catch doesn’t through a 50 mph ball at him simply because he can. No, he holds back so the child can grow in a safe place and I dare say even enjoy the growing process. o Here the picture is to have the same kind of care and nurture in matters of faith regarding the weaker believer. And I dare say they should be provided a safe and enjoyable atmosphere for growing in the grace and knowledge of Jesus (2 Peter 3:18). And there is no way to do this unless we become others focused people. The actual order should be Jesus, others, then self (Phil. 2:3-4). Which means anyone who has a focus of pleasing ourselves above others is not going to be able to do what was just described. And I think this is a critical point. • We can do the right things with the wrong motive and come out with the wrong result. For example, you can serve in a capacity even in the church, but if the motive for doing so is because you want the acknowledgement of others, or control, then 1) you would not really be serving Jesus (who is to be first), and 2) you would not be serving others (who are to be the next), 3) the service is then truly for self • And self can even put on a good show, until others don’t acknowledge, or do as we want them to. Then the motive behind the service, and who it was for, begins to seep out. And the bummer about this is, you can be doing great at putting Jesus first, then others, and then self, and all the sudden come to realize somewhere along the way you drifted to making self-first. And its in the way you respond to someone or something that might get your attention, signaling an adjustment of priority is once again needed (Psalm 119:59, Hag. 1:5-7). And this is true for every one of us. 2 Let each of us please his neighbor for his good, leading to edification. 3 For even Christ did not please Himself; but as it is written, “The reproaches of those who reproached You fell on Me.” So now we move another step further in maturity, for not only are we called to bear up, we are instructed to build up, which is what edification means. • And in the coming verses he is going to show us what building up the weaker believer looks like, for this is exactly the task he is engaged in for the church in Rome, and truly for all believers who will read this letter. And as we discussed that our focus is to be Jesus first, then other and then self, now he is going to remind us that Jesus put others before His own human desires and needs. His scourging and crucifixion are undoubtedly the most selfless acts of all time, for anyone else who has died for another, has an account of their own sins and therefore, in some cases, can even say something to the effect, “I have deserved far worse.” • But not only did Jesus have nothing in the category of sin, He also experienced the weight of every murder, every adultery, every theft or swindled person left to despair of even their own life, every child with no parent to love them…all of our junk brought on by human sin, in one singular moment. • And what is more miraculous is the persons He died for were guilty of the same. • So, when we understand He endured such affliction for the victims, who were also the perpetrators of sin against Him and others, we see what it means to please his neighbor more than oneself. But there is one more point made here that is vitally important and its that he qualifies pleasing our neighbor as having to be for their good. • Which means we are not giving into things which will cause them to engage in false understandings, destructive activities or anything which will put something between them and Jesus. • So, this is not appeasement out of cowardice or a hatred of conflict, but again to bear them up and build them up in the faith . The condition of so much of what calls itself the church today is an absolute mess because of wrong motives in pleasing our neighbors, and that’s not what he is saying here. For first off, this is speaking of interactions between believers- the church. • And inside the church, the foundation is to forever be what was given to us in the word. • And to adopt theories or practice contrary to the truth in bible, believing if we somehow compromise those truths, we can atract more people to the church, will be for no ones good, • because a lie cannot protect or spiritually build up anyone, much less save them 4 For whatever things were written before were written for our learning, that we through the patience and comfort of the Scriptures might have hope. When he speaks of the things written before, he is referring to the Old Testament scripture. And those who have studied the OT know the patience and comfort those passages can bring to us, such as the numerous times the six verses of Psalms 23 have been recited through the ages. • And so many have decided to view the bible as a book of restrictions, but we have learned God did not intend it to be a book of confinement but a declaration of the freedom we have in Jesus. • And further, His intent for us in learning it is for our patience and comfort. • Now the reason the scriptures bring hope to us is 1) not only do they remind us of Gods never failing love, and 2) that even in the trials He will always be with us, but 3) the Scriptures repeatedly remind us that biblical hope is not wishing for something that might or might not come, but it’s a guarantee of coming good. When we live with that eternal hope, it should be a natural reflex to put others before ourselves. The problem is when we stop living biblically, patience and comfort are replaced with anxiousness and fear, and hope is exchanged for spiritual unrest. • That’s why we must be a people of the Bible, who are constantly washing ourselves in the word (Eph. 5:26) and not the pursuits or wisdom of the world (1 Cor. 9:19). • In our western culture this can be a challenge. For those who love the world, living by the Scriptures is impractical or even dangerous thinking. • Yet for those who want to live in the eternal hope of God, this is the only way of thinking. 5 Now may the God of patience and comfort grant you to be like-minded toward one another, according to Christ Jesus, 6 that you may with one mind and one mouth glorify the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ. I don’t know if you caught that, but Paul just stopped and prayed for their/our ability to pull this off in the power of the Holy Spirit, because he is well aware, it’s going to take Gods help to live for others over self and in unity (which is now revealed as the goal). In fact, he is asking God to grant us this miraculous gifting. • But specifically, he is praying for us to be like minded toward one another (speaking of being unified) so that we might come together in glorifying Him. This is another reason its so important to be in the word together. I think about this often because we as a church family are all taking turns serving in various ministries, or are home sick, or are on vacation, and therefore can occasionally miss the time of worship and of studying the word together. • This is why we type out 3-4 pages of notes each week, record the messages on our web site and broadcast the services live. Because we know when we’re all worshipping, praying and studying together the bible together, there is a unifying factor working in us. • It causes us to purposefully be likeminded toward each other, and with one mind and one mouth join in glorifying the fulness of God in unity together! Yet another practical “rubber meets the road” piece we need to see in the combination of these first 6 verses is 1) on one hand we have been called to bear up and build up our neighbor by being an “others focused” person, 2) and yet at the same time we are being told the only way to pull this off is to be students of the word and a people of prayer. And honestly, all of these take time in our 24 long days. • Now some people are so invested in prayer and reading the word, they never get to ministering to others in the body of Christ. • While others are so invested in ministry that never get to being built up in the study of the ever-lasting word of God and in communion with God or His people, because there’s always something else they need to be doing. o So, what are we to do? Both, but in order! • When Jesus came, He not only liberated us, He showed us how to live for God. He got his ability to minister to people by first being with the Father. Folks, we have to keep first things first, but we are also called to be about our Lords work, so fill up, pour out and repeat until Jesus calls us home. 7 Therefore receive one another, just as Christ also received us, to the glory of God. This verse serves to set up verses 8-13, for they will show the pattern of Gods desire for there to be unity between the Jew and the gentile. Remember when we started this letter, we learned it was written to a church comprised of Jews and gentiles who trusted Jesus, but that there were disputes in terms of their liberties. This is the very picture of the conflicts that occur in our immaturity. • And by immaturity, I am not suggesting they failed to be engaged in growing, but rather they needed more time, experience and understanding. And that’s exactly what Paul is now giving them. • And his call for them translates to the same call for us, and that is to receive one another in the same way Jesus received us. Can you remember the state you were in when Jesus received you? What about after you believed? He has been receiving us each day since, because as we’ve been discussing, we didn’t instantaneously mature at salvation (as can be seen by the fact that no one of us has fully matured now). • How do you picture Jesus receiving us? Do you see Him with that look of disgust, like a child who cannot get approval from their parent no matter their level of effort? • Or do you see Him as the patient and affirming Father who loves to watch the growth of His children and smiles at their effort, even when its far short of full maturity? • Just think back to the last time you were really off base in your life, not even simply by immaturity, but maybe even by foolish decisions. How did Jesus receive you afterward, when you came to Him? o That’s how we are to receive one another. And so now he gives us four examples from the OT to show us its always been Gods plan to unite the Jew and the gentile as one family of faith in Jesus, thus pointing us back to His desire for unity among us! 8 Now I say that Jesus Christ has become a servant to the circumcision (the Jew) for the truth of God, to confirm the promises made to the fathers, 9 and that the Gentiles might glorify God for His mercy, as it is written: “For this reason I (David, a Jew) will confess to You (the Lord) among the Gentiles, And sing to Your name.” (2 Sam. 22:50) 10 And again he says: “Rejoice, O Gentiles, with His people (the Israelites)!” (Deut. 32:43) 11 And again: “Praise the Lord, all you Gentiles! Laud Him, all you peoples (Israelites)!” (Ps. 117:1) 12 And again, Isaiah says: “There shall be a root of Jesse; And He who shall rise to reign over the Gentiles, In Him the Gentiles shall hope.” (Ps. 11:10) There is a theme of 1) hope found in the Lord and 2) praise being given to Him in each of these verses. And it’s the Lords desire for the Jew and the gentile to come together to celebrate this hope, and to bring our praises to Him as one unified family. • But since the problem was the disunity of the Jewish and gentile believers in the church of Rome, does this have application for us today. After all, from where we are positioned in the world, most of us honestly don’t encounter many Jewish believers. And when I do, I really enjoy the time together! • Well the truth is often its easier to keep unity with those you don’t see very often. It’s the “absence makes the heart grow fonder” model. But how are we doing with those in the church we see regularly? How’s our unity? • I think I’m equally amazed at the fragile nature of unity in the church on one hand, and the absolute commitment to staying united to one another in Jesus on other the other. At times it’s seems the bonds many of us share in Jesus are unbreakable, then I’m blindside by how something that didn’t go the way someone expected, can cause division almost instantaneously. Our effort should always be in fighting for unity instead of fighting against it. There’s enough stuff in the world that causes difficulty and division. The Lord gave us the gift of the church body to be place of refuge, refreshing, maturing, and celebration. It’s as Psalm 133 says, “Behold, how good and how pleasant it is for brethren to dwell together in unity!... 3It is like the dew of Hermon, descending upon the mountains of Zion; For there the Lord commanded the blessing— Life forevermore. And now Paul prays again, because he has witnessed the difficulty of unity in the church, which our old nature (which is focused on pleasing self) and Satan himself are constantly engaged in uprooting 13 Now may the God of hope fill you with all joy and peace in believing, that you may abound in hope by the power of the Holy Spirit. Do you believe the church can be united in Jesus and function as the place where each of us can grow in Christ together, in an atmosphere filled with all joy and peace? • This is Paul’s prayer for us, and I believe that through the power of the Holy Spirits working a maturing process in us, this can and should be our reality even now. • For some reason this reminded me of a question that was asked of Benjamin Franklin when he came out from the Constitutional Convention of 1787. Someone said “Well, Doctor, what have we got- a Republic or a Monarchy?” and He replied, “A Republic, if you can keep it”. • And far more powerful than that, we can almost hear someone saying to Jesus, “what kind of church have you given us”, and He would reply “a holy and united one”, but instead of following with “if you can keep it”, He would say, “if you abide in Me and have faith in the work I am doing in each of you!”

Sunday, January 12, 2020 - 2 John - Freedom Community Church - Pastor Rob Lloyd, Battle Ground, Washington, US Sunday Service Time: 10 AM Sunday Service Location: 1919 SW 25th Ave, Battle Ground, WA 98604 Phone: (360) 975-9356 Email: info@freedomcommunity.church Prayer Request: wepray@freedomcommunity.church Mailing Address: 1400 NE 136th Ave. Ste 201, Vancouver, WA 98684 Sermon Notes: 2 John This is a short but powerful letter which I believe is very timely for us as we live in a time of unprecedented deception. Deception is being inserted and practiced in every sector of life, and that most certainly includes spiritual deception. • But there is something which God has given us that we should never fall prey to spiritual deception, and that is truth (Col. 2:4). These are the topics John is going to tackle in 2 John. • And I specifically say we should not fall prey to spiritual deception, because honestly there are so many other types of lies and cons running out there, it’s almost inconceivable that we won’t be duped a few more times in this life. o And those simply provide us a place to practice forgiveness and repentance 😊 • This little letter of 13 verses can be broken up like this; 1) verses 1-6 speak of truth and its inseparable partner love, while 2) verses 7-11 address deceivers and the cost to those who receive and believe them, and 3) verses 12-13 then closes the letter out with a good little reminder. As we begin this letter, we should know one more thing. John was about 90 years old and the last of the apostles alive, so in the very beginning, as John calls himself the Elder, it speaks two truths 1The Elder, To the elect lady and her children, whom I love in truth… In regard to who this elect lady and her children are, there is some debate. Some think this an actual lady and her children while others believe this to be a pastor and congregation. If it were a house church it could be both • And because parts of the letter are specifically written in the singular while others in the plural, the debate goes on. • So why didn’t John help us all out and just give us some more details? We might get an answer looking at the situation today in areas where the church is persecuted. If you want to work in those regions of the world, you have to labor diligently not to out a church member who might be killed if their identity were to be made known (encrypted messaging, blocked out facial features, disguised voices…). • What we do know is these are real people who really loved Jesus. And whether this is an actual lady and her children or a pastor and a church congregation, the same points are 100% relevant for both, because the enemy tries to undermine and destroy the family and the church assemblies with deception. o Because he knows if he can destabilize these two institutions by getting them to believe lies, then he can do the maximum damage. How are we doing at resisting him on these fronts? Because we are either being vigilant or losing ground. To think neutrality or coasting is a strategy, is a level of ignorance we cannot afford. The Elder, To the elect lady and her children, whom I love in truth, and not only I, but also all those who have known the truth, 2 because of the truth which abides in us and will be with us forever: Now there are different levels of understanding we can have as followers of Jesus, because we have different levels of access to instruction, ability to read the bible, maturity and so forth. But there are some foundational truths that are essential to the Christian faith. • The reality that Jesus is God who came in the flesh, died on the cross, and was raised to life on the third day in the flesh, are key truths which are nonnegotiable, and will be focal in this letter. • And although I do have love for those who are lost, I can also testify I have a different kind of love for those who have found salvation in the truth of Gods grace, made possible for us through Jesus. • It’s a supernatural love that’s a gift given to us by God and not an emotion we conjure up. But, do see the primary focus here is on truth. And I believe this is so important to discuss because we are highly aware that God loved us while we were yet sinners, and if that is having its correct impact on us, it should cause us to exude grace for others. • And I say this because many become confused or even torn between being overly acceptant and overly closed off, in regard to the level of acceptance we should have for those who claim Jesus. • As a matter of fact, as we deal with this letter that is instructing us not to accept deceivers, the very next letter John writes is in regard to not turning away evangelist and teacher who are true followers of Jesus. So, there is a place of balance between these two. • But how are we to know which of the two are appropriate in each situation? By knowing the truth! The never changing truth which is in the word and will be in and with us forever. And for those who will receive the truth, he is able to say; 3 Grace, mercy, and peace will be with you from God the Father and from the Lord Jesus Christ, the Son of the Father, in truth and love. What a great promise. He does not say, “I hope by chance that grace, mercy and peace will someday come your way, since you have the love and truth of God”. No, he says they will be with you from God the Father and from the Lord Jesus Christ. • This speaks of our reconciliation (or peace) with God because the Son of the Father was given for us • And out of gratitude to Him and love for the lost, we can never surrender the true gospel in order to create a pseudo-peace that really contains no peace at all; most importantly, eternal peace with God • And by the time we get to verses 10-11, we will see its also detrimental for us to do so! 4 I rejoiced greatly that I have found some of your children walking in truth, as we received commandment from the Father. It’s not just enough to know the truth, we also need to walk in it. And here he notes that’s what her children (which very likely could be a congregation) are doing just that. • And this isn’t restricted to your mission trip to the Congo, it’s actually most powerful when 1) we’re forgiving someone who deeply injured us, or 2) coming to the point of trusting Gods plan in relationships, or 3) finding victory in removing filthy language from our vocabulary, or 4) learning the joy of giving over receiving, or 5) coming into victory over worry… because these are all truths of God for us. • And I can tell you as a pastor, when I get to watch these victories occur in our lives, as we continue to be bathed in the truth (John 17:17), I understand why John says he rejoiced greatly. o The reality is, these victories are the encouragement that keeps the ministry workers going. And by the way, even though not stated here, the converse is also apparent, and that is when anyone who loves the Lord watches another believer choose to disregard the truth, we can also grieve greatly. And because John had certainly seen this too, he continues into verse 5 5 And now I plead with you, lady, not as though I wrote a new commandment to you, but that which we have had from the beginning: that we love one another. 6 This is love, that we walk according to His commandments. This is the commandment, that as you have heard from the beginning, you should walk in it. Have you ever begged someone to stop going the wrong direction in their walk with Jesus because they were operating under falsehood rather than truth? Well, here John is preemptively pleading with this lady (pastor) to stay obedient to the call of the Lord to love one another in truth. • And I say it’s a plea for them (us) to stay obedient because in the last 3 verses we have heard the word “commandment” four times. Because genuine love for God is displayed through obedience • So, what is this commandment? Well Jesus tells us directly in John 15:12-17, saying This is My commandment, that you love one another as I have loved you. 13 Greater love has no one than this, than to lay down one’s life for his friends. 14 You are My friends if you do whatever I command you. 15 No longer do I call you servants, for a servant does not know what his master is doing; but I have called you friends, for all things that I heard from My Father I have made known to you. (here is where we get truth) 16 You did not choose Me, but I chose you and appointed you that you should go and bear fruit, and that your fruit should remain, that whatever you ask the Father in My name He may give you. 17 These things I command you, that you love one another. • Here’s some simple spiritual truth math; when we receive the truth from God, and then display love for God by the way we walk out those truths in our lives, then we are going to love one another. And loving one another is so foundational to the Christian life that it’s a key to discerning who is of the faith (John 13:35). And now he turns the corner to deal directly with deceivers who might come to them! 7 For many deceivers have gone out into the world who do not confess Jesus Christ as coming in the flesh. This is a deceiver and an antichrist. Lets first deal with the word antichrist because some believe it simply means “those who are against Christ”, but it also can mean “another Christ”. And it’s this John is dealing with. There were many traveling teachers of one sort or another during this time, who would stop into various villages just as Paul had. But these were not typically planting churches, but rather going to already established ones. Which is often (but not always) what those who present another Jesus (which is not Jesus at all) do. • And although some of these traveling teachers were undoubtedly men of great integrity in the scripture and had a calling from the Lord (see 3 John), there were many deceivers also. • And the only thing that has changed is that it’s gotten and is getting worse. As a matter of fact, Paul tells us that in 2 Tim. 3:13, saying; “…evil men and impostors will grow worse and worse, deceiving and being deceived.” (1 Tim. 4:1) In that time the primary problem was known as Docetism (where Gnosticism comes from). It was the belief that Jesus didn’t come in a real body, meaning He wasn’t both fully God and fully man. • So, in our day we are all aware that Mormonism teaches Jesus as the spirit brother of Lucifer and that both came through physical union of God (one of many) who was banished but then earned his deity back. While Jehovah’s Witnesses believe Jesus is the Archangel Michel (also not deity) and have even created their own translation of the bible (the New World Translation), which is absolutely twisted to back their doctrinal views. • But there are many others who are also out their deceiving in the name of Jesus, who many in the faith have validated. I was reading of an individual who held a “revival” outreach in Florida where 10’s of thousands of Christians attended, and during that conference here is what a pastor described seeing (which was televised BTW) 1) “He kicked a lady in the face, choked a man, and hit a man so hard that he knocked out a tooth!”. And 2) instead of preaching from the bible, he spoke about is encounters with angels, even describing one as a female by the name Emma. 3) He also conferenced called to sisters who received and anointing the night before, because they both woke up the next morning with gold teeth in their mouths. And 4) this individual says that God told him specifically to not speak about Jesus because everybody believes in Jesus, but instead to focus on the supernatural. • So, doctrine and biblical truth is thrown right out the window or twisted to the point it is now their truth and not the truth and not THE truth. And I want you to know he is not alone, for the leaders of the New Apostolic Reformation prophesied that he was one of Gods new apostles to the church. And 10’s of thousands of believers went night after night to hear him. o I could go on and on about this insanity, because just as Paul said in 1 Tim. 4:1-2, “…the Spirit expressly says that in latter times some will depart from the faith, giving heed to deceiving spirits and doctrines of demons, 2 speaking lies in hypocrisy…” Folks, we must be on guard and discerning, because there is a lot of deception out there mascaraing itself as Christian truth. So, we must know THE truth and be like the Bereans in Acts 17:11, who searched things out to see if they lined up with the word, before adopting or approving of them. 8 Look to yourselves, that we do not lose those things we worked for, but that we may receive a full reward. Do you realize God called other saints to take part in our coming to Jesus? And when they got invested in praying for us, sharing the gospel, sowing into our lives, there’s no way for them not to love us in Jesus and delight in seeing us receive new life. • And so, John is urging them to contend for, and cling to the true Jesus they received, so that no one’s heart is broken, and they all might receive the full reward in both receiving and serving Jesus. • To be clear, no one who has labored for Jesus will lose any reward from Him based on another’s decision, but we can certainly loose the joy we received in watching you pursue God, if you begin to adopt any of the deceptions running around out there. 9 Whoever transgresses (literally “not to continue in the bounds of”) and does not abide in the doctrine of Christ does not have God. He who abides in the doctrine of Christ has both the Father and the Son. There are too many who have heard the gospel and agree with parts of it but for one reason or another have never excepted it is 100% truth. They have played around with it, some even attending church regularly, but even after years never really commit to Jesus being who He says He is, adopting the bible as truth. • In 1 John 2:19 he spoke of this group saying They went out from us, but they were not of us; for if they had been of us, they would have continued with us; but they went out that they might be made manifest, that none of them were of us. • We saw this very thing when Jesus approached Jerusalem on Palm Sunday and they cried “Hosanna! Blessed is He who comes in the name of the Lord” (John 12:13), as He filled a host of prophecies pertaining to Messiah. But shortly after they would shout “crucify Him” (Luke 23:21). • And anyone who does not believe the truth of who Jesus and the word says He is, and then receive Him as such, does not have doctrine that saves. o So, if you’re comfortable in going out of bounds in your walk, I think that should scare you. And John then jumps right to what we are to do with such a one who is bringing a false understanding of who Jesus is, while claiming to be a fellow follower of Jesus. 10 If anyone comes to you and does not bring this doctrine, do not receive him into your house nor greet him; 11 for he who greets him shares in his evil deeds. Folks, I have listened to Francis Chan and other pastors and teachers share their experiences with the door-to-door cult members and some of them are simply great. They are not mocking these individuals, because that would yield nothing. But they already know what these groups are peddling, and they just keep bringing them back to what the bible says. And they are thoroughly equipped to do that. • But I will tell you its most often unfruitful, because those individuals are not there to listen to you, but to find ways to make you question what you know to be true. • What this is saying is don’t acknowledge their understanding as partly true, to bless them or buy one of their magazines to be nice, don’t give them any validation that they can use to deceive others, don’t do anything that encourages them to keep propagating another Jesus! o For if you do, you share in their evil deeds. • In Johns time these teachers would ask people to let them stay with them while they were in town doing their work. We don’t have that happening so much, but I can tell you that if you find someone who is in doctrinal error regarding Jesus, politely say something to the effect of “I go to a bible believing church and I am fully aware we believe in a different Jesus. You’re not going to change my mind and you have no intention of me changing yours. I wish I could for your salvation, but that’s going to take prayer, not this conversation”, and then politely shut the door or just keep walk. Folks, truth (which we find in doctrine) matters to Jesus. And although we are to love everyone, we cannot love and acknowledge everyone as a fellow follower of Jesus when foundational truths are replaced or missing, and deception is practiced in its place. There is a balance that must be weighed by the word of God, because spiritual deception is the forecast, and it will remain that way until we are called home. And now he closes out this letter: 12 Having many things to write to you, I did not wish to do so with paper and ink; but I hope to come to you and speak face to face, that our joy may be full. 13 The children of your elect sister greet you. Amen. Even back before there were tweets, texts, emails, on line services and so forth, while John was forced to use snail mail, he understood there’s nothing as wonderful as a face to face encounter with other followers of Jesus • That’s always a great reminder for us.

Sunday, December 12, 2019 - Romans 15:14-32 - Freedom Community Church - Pastor Rob Lloyd, Battle Ground, Washington, US Sunday Service Time: 10 AM Sunday Service Location: 1919 SW 25th Ave, Battle Ground, WA 98604 Phone: (360) 975-9356 Email: info@freedomcommunity.church Prayer Request: wepray@freedomcommunity.church Mailing Address: 1400 NE 136th Ave. Ste 201, Vancouver, WA 98684 Sermon Notes: Romans 15:14-32 Today, as we close out the application part of the letter of Romans, Paul is going to wrap this up with three themes: 1) he is going to show a pattern of living moment by moment for the Lord, 2) he is going to show that when we serve God, its ok to have our godly desires but in the end we need to trust His desires over ours, and finally 3) he is going to invite the believers in Rome to join him in serving Jesus, which will provide them an opportunity to bearing eternal fruit and set some of the foundations for raising missions support. • Now there are some other pieces he will also address, but these are prominent, and even though this was written to the church in Rome almost 2,000 years ago, the Lord is transferring these same invitations and understandings to every generation of believers, so do make personal application 14 Now I myself am confident concerning you, my brethren, that you also are full of goodness, filled with all knowledge, able also to admonish one another. I hope all of us are on the same page, as we hear Paul declare this to these followers of Jesus, that the only way for anyone to be full of goodness, and filled with all knowledge is if the Holy Spirit (who is the third person of the trinity- meaning He is God) is dwelling and operating in us/them. • Even Jesus, when addressed as “good teacher” replied “Why do you call me good? No one is good but One, that is, God.” (Mark 10:18). And in this incident Jesus was attempting to get them to see that He was God. The point being that only God is good. • So as Paul says this to them, he is recognizing their salvation and therefore the indwelling of the Holy Spirit in them, as was in him, and is in us! • And it was to make this point; they had the ability to admonish (which is to warn or exhort) one another, meaning if they followed the leading of the Holy Spirit (and not their opinions or preferences), then they would come to the same conclusion in all matters where encouragement or correction was needed. o And I for one believe you can tell when the Holy Spirit is working in those types of actions because there is far more encouraging than correcting. 15 Nevertheless, brethren, I have written more boldly to you on some points, as reminding you, because of the grace given to me by God, 16 that I might be a minister of Jesus Christ to the Gentiles, ministering the gospel of God, that the offering of the Gentiles might be acceptable, sanctified by the Holy Spirit. So why did Paul give them all this doctrine and instruction in this letter then? Because the Lord called him to be the apostle to the gentiles, and even though he did not plant this church, this included many of them. • We see in Acts 10 that Peter and others (Acts 8) also had powerful encounters in leading gentiles to Jesus, but of the Apostles, only Paul was given this as his mission focus. • And in that calling we see it wasn’t simply to evangelize the gentile but also to instruct the gentile in the faith so they could grow towards maturity. • And I will tell you, this is what many missionary agencies are investing in, because they have witnessed that evangelization without instruction can lead to difficulties that could have been averted by a clear understanding of the word. And as you know, when we see the word “that” in a text, we can read it as “in order that”, meaning now he is telling us one of the prime reasons he is engaged in instructing them. Which is in order that the offering of the Gentiles might be acceptable, sanctified by the Holy Spirit. • In this letter Paul has instructed them to live by faith alone, in Christ alone, through grace alone. And that once they/we came into that reality, they/we are to have the Spirit rule over the flesh and not the flesh over the Spirit, because he wants them/us to be victorious in Jesus. • And when we come to this understanding, then we are not trying to earn Gods favor, but rather responding to it. • And here is the key; when we live in this truth, and therefore respond to Him in love, and not because of law, then our very lives become an offering that is acceptable and sanctified by the Holy Spirit. o This is what Paul wanted for them and is truly what every one of us should want for each other. We will come back to this a little later. 17 Therefore I have reason to glory in Christ Jesus in the things which pertain to God. 18 For I will not dare to speak of any of those things which Christ has not accomplished through me, in word and deed, to make the Gentiles obedient— 19 in mighty signs and wonders, by the power of the Spirit of God, so that from Jerusalem and round about to Illyricum I have fully preached the gospel of Christ. Now Paul brings it all back into perspective because he knows some at this point might think he is the one who has done this work by his own will. And he quickly dispels that thinking and rightly focuses on the only things of real value being the things Jesus and the Holy Spirit have done through him. And he shows this by pointing out only things God can do, such as mighty signs and wonders, by the power of the Spirit of God. • But also note he does get to glory in what Christ has done through him. And I hope we have all had this experience many times (even in this last week), because it is awesome to know and see the Lord had used your willingness to accomplish His will. o The truth is the results here on earth might not turn out the way we would like them to, but to know we did what Jesus called us to, still brings His peace. • Paul had a lot of first-hand experience of trying to do things for God by his own strength and leading, which after he became a believer would be things he would identify as being things he was now ashamed of (Rom. 6:21). • And as believers in Jesus there’s a lot of that activity (self-drive and self-empowered activity) that still goes on. But what a joy it is when we simply great each day, encounter and opportunity by first reporting before Jesus as ready to do His will (Rom. 6:13) and then let Him work through us. Those are the moments we can then boast about Jesus in (that’s what to glory in Christ Jesus is referring to). And what we also see here is that his service to the Lord was not just an occasional venture here and there, but rather a pattern of devotion to completing the work the Lord had for him to do among the gentiles. And that pattern is seen in the approximate 1,400 mile semicircle of the area he took the gospel and instruction of the Lord to. And more than one time! • And there is one more important pattern to catch here and its that in serving the Lord by ministering to the gentiles, it was not in word only, nor in his pattern of living only. It was both in in word and deed. • And folks, the saying “talk is cheap” really is true. We need to live out what we’re talking about because although others might not listen, they can’t help but watch. We are all people watchers by nature. • And along with our good works, we need to tell them of the One who has inspired us to serve them in love, because our good deeds can’t save anyone. The deeds are temporary, but they need the eternal. o So, we want to ask ourselves, what are people hearing and seeing as they spend time with us? Does it vary from day to day or is it our pattern of devotion in serving the Lord? 20 And so I (Paul) have made it my aim to preach the gospel, not where Christ was named, lest I should build on another man’s foundation, 21 but as it is written: “To whom He (Jesus) was not announced, they (the gentiles) shall see; And those who have not heard shall understand.”(Is. 52:15) Paul had an aim and it was at the target God pointed him towards. Now to be fair, when God first pointed him to the gentiles as his mission field, Paul didn’t immediately get on board, and continued pursuing the Jews. Yet it didn’t take him to long to realize that wasn’t producing anything. But when he let Gods calling be his target, its as though he couldn’t miss. Imagine that! 😊 • And the truth is Gods target was a lot bigger than Paul considered aiming at. Yet it had been a declared plan of God to bring salvation to the gentiles from the beginning, and he was called to be the conduit God accomplished this work through. • And like Paul, often we want to settle for what we know and is in our comfort zone, yet God often has in mind what we have never known would be so fulfilling. After all, who knows us better than God? • I think many of us today you could tell you story after story where this has been the case. Now before we move on, I just want to clarify that he is not saying it’s wrong to build on another mans work, for in truth we are all building on what Jesus has done. In 1 Cor. 3:6 he even says, “I planted, Apollos watered, but God gave the increase”. This is the very picture of building on another person’s work. • But as an Apostle of Jesus (being there were just 12 of them), this mission was given to him by the Lord, and it was a call to pioneer this work to the Gentiles. • And today there are opportunities to pioneer new works and to build on work that others have started before us. And as long as it’s the Lord who is setting your target, then you’re in the right place. • But make no mistake, here Paul is also preparing them with understanding of his mission, before he invites them to join him in this work. I have read some compelling mission support letters, but you can’t beat this one 😊. And this goes to show recruiting support for the work the Lord has pointed you towards is biblical. And in many cases the ability to raise support is another affirmation you’re being called by the Lord into this work, or the brake the Lord is using to tell you to hold back for now. But either way Paul sets a biblical precedent for doing so here. 22 For this reason I also have been much hindered from coming to you. 23 But now no longer having a place in these parts [meaning he had completed what the Lord called him to do there], and having a great desire these many years to come to you, 24 whenever I journey to Spain, I shall come to you. For I hope to see you on my journey, and to be helped on my way there by you, if first I may enjoy your company for a while. Paul started laying out his desires here, which included a new missionary work to Spain. But first he hoped to visit the believers in Rome, taking time to encourage and impart some spiritual gifts to them (Rom. 1:11). • But what we are going to find is Paul’s plans won’t turn out in the way he was thinking, for when he went to Jerusalem, he was arrested and then sent to Rome in chains to Caesars palace, not to the church as a beloved brother in the Lord. • But what we do find is Paul will be able to have the church visit him, and in the way which God had orchestrated things, this would also bring the gospel into Caesars house and to him personally (Acts 23:11) • And in regard to Paul getting to Spain, many feel pretty certain he did since Clement of Rome, Chrysostom and Jerome all claim he did. And we are seeing another pattern develop here, pertaining to our faith walk with Jesus, and that’s that His plans are to be trusted and desired more than ours. • Paul realized his past plans to come to them were hindered by the Lord. And as we just mentioned, his future plans turned out differently. • But Paul never shows signs of being disgruntled about that. Instead, he seems to simply go wherever the Lord points his feet, without missing a step. And there’s no way to do that unless we surrender to the desires of the Lord, over our own. • To be sure, I don’t think anyone other than Jesus has done that 100% of the time, but I don’t want to diminish the possibility for any of us to choose to do so. For after all, Paul was just a man like we are and although not scoring a 100%, this was his pattern or default. And the reason this is being presented to us is because its also a possibility and the desired outcome of Jesus for us. (1 John 2:6, 1 Cor. 11:1) And he also lists in these verses one way they can partner with him in this work in Spain and that’s through providing material needs. But there’s far more than him asking for money here. He really wants them to have a part in this ministry. We’ll come back to that in just a minute. 25 But now I am going to Jerusalem to minister to the saints. 26 For it pleased those from Macedonia and Achaia to make a certain contribution for the poor among the saints who are in Jerusalem. 27 It pleased them indeed, and they are their debtors. For if the Gentiles have been partakers of their spiritual things, their duty is also to minister to them in material things. 28 Therefore, when I have performed this and have sealed to them this fruit, I shall go by way of you to Spain. 29 But I know that when I come to you, I shall come in the fullness of the blessing of the gospel of Christ. Now he changes direction here a little to explain that before he can plan on coming to them, there is one more task he needs to do, and that’s to go to Jerusalem to bring the gift the gentile churches had put together for the impoverished Jewish believers there. • And I think its more than coincidental that this also had to do with meeting material needs because the word often talks to us as followers of Jesus, about bearing fruit that remains (John 15:16). Meaning being invested and engaged in the work that is eternal and has eternal reward! • And some hear the stories of missionaries traveling all over the world and feel as though their part of donating to the work is not nearly as valuable as the work of those who go. And I’m delighted to tell you that’s just not so. Here he identifies that very thing as bearing eternal fruit! • And Paul, like any good pastor, has a strong desire to not only have those he ministers to come to salvation and even mature, he wants to see them engaging in the work of the Lord in order to bear their own eternal reward. But he also makes another statement that we as gentiles should pay attention to, which is that we own a debt to the Jewish people. Now some don’t see it that way, but it is that way. The covenants and the promises were delivered to and through them. And we are the one who have been grafted in. (Rom. 11:16-18) • Its one of the reasons we pray for the peace of Jerusalem each week, because I don’t ever want us to forget God's covenant with Israel, which points to His faithfulness. (Ch. 9-11) • And while some are turning against Israel, be certain of this, we can never go wrong in supporting them. 30 Now I beg you, brethren, through the Lord Jesus Christ, and through the love of the Spirit, that you strive together with me in prayers to God for me, 31 that I may be delivered from those in Judea who do not believe, and that my service for Jerusalem may be acceptable to the saints, 32 that I may come to you with joy by the will of God, and may be refreshed together with you. 33 Now the God of peace be with you all. Amen. As Paul closes, he lists the other way they can partner with him in this work, and that’s through prayer. • Specifically, he is asking for prayer coverage for deliverance from the unbelieving Jews who, in two different prophecies, he was warned would try to take him in chains to have him killed. (Acts 21) • And this wasn’t just throwing a prayer out here and there, this is a call to cover him in fervent prayer, which was also for the success of his work in blessing those in need in Jerusalem. • Is there anyone or anything we pray about that fervently? If we do, know that also bears eternal fruit. And he closes with this simple prayer; “Now the God of peace be with you all. Amen” and the truth is, if we take hold of what has been given to us in the remarkable letter, and make it our own, we will know the God of peace and the peace of God!

Sunday, November 17, 2019 - Romans 13:8-14 - Freedom Community Church - Pastor Rob Lloyd, Battle Ground, Washington, US Sunday Service Time: 10 AM Sunday Service Location: 1919 SW 25th Ave, Battle Ground, WA 98604 Phone: (360) 975-9356 Email: info@freedomcommunity.church Prayer Request: wepray@freedomcommunity.church Mailing Address: 1400 NE 136th Ave. Ste 201, Vancouver, WA 98684 Sermon Notes: Romans 13:8-14 In the last few weeks we have dealt with how the Christian is to conduct themselves 1) with other Christians, 2) with the unbelieving world and 3) with the governing authorities. • And as we jump in today, we are going to find a command that encompasses all of these areas, which is to love all people we encounter. • And in todays world of high media, social media and internet presence, I would like to challenge us to consider that this includes those persons we see though those venues, which I will explain more after we get into verses 8-10. 8 Owe no one anything except to love one another, for he who loves another has fulfilled the law. 9 For the commandments, “You shall not commit adultery,” “You shall not murder,” “You shall not steal,” “You shall not bear false witness,” “You shall not covet,” and if there is any other commandment, are all summed up in this saying, namely, “You shall love your neighbor as yourself.” 10 Love does no harm to a neighbor; therefore love is the fulfillment of the law. First off, I do not believe (as some do) that this is about using credit to purchase, but it certainly speaks to not taking on debt you cannot pay, or over extending yourself to the point where you cannot assist others • Eph. 4:28 (which is a section that tells us how to conduct ourselves among our neighbors) even commands those who used to steal, now that they are Christians, to work hard so they can meet their own needs and have the ability to help others when they are in need (Acts 20:35, Prov. 11:24, Lev. 19:9-10 ) • Now, if we over extend ourselves (which is in fact leveraging all of Gods resources He has entrusted to us) for our own personal interests, that’s a stewardship problem (Psalms 24:1-2, Matt. 25:14-30) • And it might make it impossible to tangibly love our neighbor as our self. (Matt. 6:21) And I do want to mention that we all have these tough seasons in life, where beyond our circumstances (or maybe in our lack of wisdom) we don’t have much to give. But I’ve also witnessed that some who have the least, are often the most generous to others. So, its not all about surplus, it’s about faith, priorities and love. And, all of the items listed here, which we are commanded not to do, are actions of one person against another. It’s much like the second half of the 10 commandments, for one half deals with our sins against God (first half), while the second half deals with not sinning against each other. • But here is the point of these verses, that Jesus is telling His followers they are to love those they come in contact with. • And if we do any of the items listed above, 1) we not only sin against at least one other person 2) and against God, but 3) that sin also shows the opposite of love for those we sin against. • What is does show is a heart of indifference, consumption or contempt, which is the reverse of our calling as followers of Jesus. For, if anyone commits adultery, they also cause the other person to sin against their own body (1 Cor. 6:18) and God, endangering the other persons eternal salvation. • And I hope I don’t have to explain that with murder, but I would like to say there is a great ripple that goes out from such an act, that has caused many to curse God and/or fall into extreme brokenness. • If anyone steals, bears false witness or covets, they are in fact saying, “that person is less important than me and their loosing something isn’t as important as me getting what I want and/or deserve.” • And this is why I also mentioned our need to consider our heart for those we interact with through technology, and not just face to face. Even if we never actually meet that other person in person. I think we have all been made aware of the correlation between bullying on social media and the result of those receiving such criticism, then taking their own lives. (October saw a 10-year-old girl do so) • And I think we have to be honest that through the many kinds of media we have streaming in and out of our devices, we are being desensitized to the fact that 1) the perverse act, 2) violent interaction, 3) defamation of another’s character, are actually happening to real people God created with a desire that they would be redeemed, and in His presence forever. • And I believe the advances in technology have created a unique situation to our generation and made it too easy for us to distance ourselves from that reality, since we see these other people as though they almost were a holographic invention, instead of a real person that has only one of two possible destinations for eternity! • And I would like to ask each of us to consider everyone we see through these media, and everyone we see in person, and acknowledge them as a creation of God, whom He loves o For a follower of Jesus, it makes it pretty hard for us to do them harm, when we see the way Jesus loves them and wants them to come to saving faith in Him. So, you’re watching the impeachment proceedings, and your flesh is saying something that is unloving and even contemptuous. What should our response look like in terms of the Spirit ruling over the flesh (8:1-4)? We first take those thoughts captive to Christ by simply confessing them to Him and asking for Him take them (2 Cor. 10:5) • And then we pray according to His will (1 John 5:14). And the Lord stands strongly against corruption (2 Pet. 1:4), strongly against a lying tongue (Prov.6:17), strongly against usurpers of authority He has given (Num. 12 & 16). • And you say, “but Rob, that’s what both sides are accusing the others of doing”. To which I say, exactly. So, let the Lord make it all evident and work out the details, because that’s what we are to be praying for. Plus (and this is the big part in loving others), that the Lord would use the result to cause each one of them to turn to Him. • And what did we want for ourselves? To be pardoned and saved. So, to love our neighbors as our self, we need to pray for their repentance, pardon and salvation. And as we learned in 12:17-21, then it’s God’s to deal with, and He does a much better job than we do! And as Paul (through the Holy Spirit) is telling us our response is to love our neighbor, he is simply saying exactly what Jesus said (Matt. 22:36-40) • And we can be involved in all kinds of church related activity, yet as 1 Cor. 13 tells us, if we have not love, it does nothing to transform us and brings no reward. • So, as we are developing ministry opportunities, or are currently serving, we have to ask if we are loving those we serve under and those we directly serve. Because if not, according to Jesus, we are accomplishing nothing (1 John 4:7-11) 11 And do this, knowing the time, that now it is high time to awake out of sleep; for now our salvation is nearer than when we first believed. First off, when it says our salvation is nearer, since we know that the very moment we received Jesus we were once and forever sealed (8:35-39), this is not speaking about the act of our sin being forgiven and us being saved • What this is addressing is that there is a day coming where we will see the fulness of our salvation. For when we were in 8:23-24, we heard “even we ourselves groan within ourselves, eagerly awaiting for the adoption, the redemption of our body. For we were saved in this hope…” • And folks, we know that day means a face to face encounter with Jesus (1 John 3:2) which means we will be home in His presence forevermore! • This is simply saying we are to see that the time is growing closer with each minute. But when he speaks of the need for the church (because he is talking to the church) to awake, this takes me back to the book of Jonah. Jonah was called to go to Nineveh, which was NE of Israel, and proclaim the judgement of God was coming. Jonah’s first step was to then get on a ship and head west to Spain, about 2,500 miles in the opposite direction. And to get Jonah’s attention, God decided to kick up hurricane force storm (typhoon). Listen to the account; “…the Lord sent out a great wind on the sea, and there was a mighty tempest on the sea, so that the ship was about to be broken up. 5 Then the mariners were afraid; and every man cried out to his god, and threw the cargo that was in the ship into the sea, to lighten the load. But Jonah had gone down into the lowest parts of the ship, had lain down, and was fast asleep. 6 So the captain came to him, and said to him, “What do you mean, sleeper? Arise, call on your God; perhaps your God will consider us, so that we may not perish.”” What a picture for us to lay ahold of. Please consider a few things here. Jonah was one of Gods people, and because he had purposely gone the wrong direction, God had to bring a wakeup call. • Folks, often we blame the world for the calamity that might come upon a group of people, but could it be the calamity is really coming because Gods people are the ones being disobedient? (1 Peter 4:17) • And sometimes the church is so asleep that God has to send even an unbeliever to wake them/us up. • Next, we see that while Jonah slept and God worked, those who had false gods, or no god at all, were in desperate search of salvation, but Jonah, the one who knew God, had made himself unavailable to them. • And finally, while he was trying to ignore what God had sent him to do, attempting to go out from the presence of the Lord (1:3) He was no good even to himself. So, in summary, 1) He was the real reason for the storm, 2) he slipped off to where he didn’t have to help in others, and 3) he slept through the time when the unbelieving word was in desperate need of his God, and even attempting to figure out who the true God was so they could call out to Him for help. And I think we have to take some inventory personally and collectively to see if we or the church (the little “c” and big “C” church) have fallen asleep. Are we failing to provide the real presence of Jesus, and the answers to the perishing world, of salvation in Jesus? • Now, speaking on behalf of this body of believers, buy-and-large I believe we are wide awake • But if you have not been, then count this as the alarm clock Jesus set for you that’s going off right now. • Will you push snooze and go back to a spiritually coma, or will you arise, and report to the service of the Lord and the people He wants so desperately to know Him? 12 The night is far spent, the day is at hand. Therefore let us cast off the works of darkness, and let us put on the armor of light. I believe there are many people, from all walks of life, that are wondering where we are at in world history. And what I mean by that is people by-and-large have an internal understanding that this cannot go on forever the way it is now. 1) Some think its because of global warming, and they are wrong. 2) Some think it’s because as humans we are going to come to some new stage of enlightenment when we just discover who we really are, and they are also wrong. 3) Others think we just need a one world governmental system, and all will then be right. They’re the most deceived of all. But for all who feel things will not continue as they are for much longer, they are 100% correct. • But as followers of Jesus, not only do we know what is going to happen, we also have signs of where we are at on the journey, because God has told us, and folk’s the hour is extremely late. • And all the prophecy that relates to the tribulation period, and what’s going to occur during those last 7 years, are all set in place and the details are just as the Lord told us they would be. o Yet not one of those things has to occur before the rapture of the church. They are all set up in regard to what will happen after we are gone. • And the speed with which these things are unfolding is so rapid and constant that I am very confident it could be any moment. But if its years from now, that changes nothing for me, because I know for certain that the night is almost over and the day will come. And with that awareness, which only the follower of Jesus has, we are given the next instruction, and that is to clean up now, for what is coming. 1 John 3:2-3 states this so clearly, saying; “Beloved, now we are children of God; and it has not yet been revealed what we shall be, but we know that when He is revealed, we shall be like Him, for we shall see Him as He is. And everyone who has this hope in Him purifies himself, just as He is pure. • I have officiated a lot of weddings and one thing I know to be a certain truth is there is an expectation as to my appearance during the ceremony, and trust me, it would get ugly if I showed unbathed and in dirty clothes. • And we as followers of Jesus, we are going to be taken from this life and find ourselves immediately in the physical presence of the Lord, and can you imagine showing up in lude t-shirt smelling like whisky? o Now, of course that’s not how we will appear before Him then even if that was our condition at the time of our departure here, but why should we appear before Him now in this condition? • Well, Jesus had an encounter with some of the religious leaders, and they had all of the external stuff looking good, but He had this to say to them ““Woe to you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! For you cleanse the outside of the cup and dish, but inside they are full of extortion and self-indulgence. Blind Pharisee, first cleanse the inside of the cup and dish, that the outside of them may be clean also. Matt. 23:25-26 Folks, someone who never cleans up and dresses up can fake it when need be, but to put on the armor of light, is not a last-minute thing (1 Cor. 3:15), but the preparation of a life with and in Jesus now! 13 Let us walk properly, as in the day, not in revelry and drunkenness, not in lewdness and lust, not in strife and envy. 14 But put on the Lord Jesus Christ, and make no provision for the flesh, to fulfill its lusts. In closing, he tells us not only to clean up, but to stay clean! And then list 3 sets of 2 things that are common areas that cause the Christian to live in the dark allies of the night as opposed to walking in the day. • And truly, if someone comes to me with a situation in their personal life, their work life, the marriage or with other members of family, at least 90% of the time its one of these areas. • So, when he tells us to make no provision for the flesh, these would be great areas to already have made plans to cut off all provision to. This does not mean your invincible in these areas (1 Cor. 10:12), but if you make provision for, or do not cut off provision to, then you have already lost! You have an alcohol problem? Then get some counseling, get a sponsor, join a support program, take the pills that make you miserable when you drink… • You have a flirtation issue at work? Ask for a transfer or get another job! • You have an issue with pride? Then think about what you’re going to say before you enter into a conversation and don’t talk about you, but rather ask everyone else about themselves, and don’t compare their lives with yours! • You get where I’m going here! And folks, I hope we all understand that if we are going to take something off, we really need to put something back on! And there is no more lovely garment than Jesus Christ our King, for He clothes us from the inside out!!! • Ladies, you will never be more radiant than when Jesus is pouring out of you. Men, you will never be more captivating than when Jesus is shining from within you. • And this is not primarily for finding a mate. (although that can be pretty effective between those in Jesus 😊) • Its for drawing the world to Him while we are being transformed for our soon coming, in-person, encounter with Jesus!

Sunday, December 29, 2019 - Romans 16 - Freedom Community Church - Pastor Rob Lloyd, Battle Ground, Washington, US Sunday Service Time: 10 AM Sunday Service Location: 1919 SW 25th Ave, Battle Ground, WA 98604 Phone: (360) 975-9356 Email: info@freedomcommunity.church Prayer Request: wepray@freedomcommunity.church Mailing Address: 1400 NE 136th Ave. Ste 201, Vancouver, WA 98684 Sermon Notes: Romans 16 As we close out this letter today, Paul will name more than 2 dozen people, and with some of them we hear of their laboring with Paul in serving the Lord, while for others it’s simply a greeting of brotherly love, possibly because they were called to serve in areas not so closely intertwined with those the Lord gave Paul to do. • And as we read through this list of people in the first 16 verses, we have to ask ourselves; who were these people and where did they come from in regard to their walks and positions in life before coming to Jesus. • The point being these are just ordinary people who experienced the same salvation, and learned the same things we have been discovering, and then chose to act upon them in a way that transformed their lives. 1I commend to you Phoebe our sister, who is a servant of the church in Cenchrea [a seaport in Corinth], 2 that you may receive her in the Lord in a manner worthy of the saints, and assist her in whatever business she has need of you; for indeed she has been a helper of many and of myself also. The word servant here is the same word we get “deacon” from, meaning Paul is describing her as a deaconess. • Many serve in their church families, but a deacon or deaconess is someone who has certain qualifications set forth by the Lord (1 Tim. 3:1-13) and the heart for getting the job done even when it’s not convenient or a position or task they would naturally pursue. o Their true desire is to do whatever it takes to get the will of the Lord done through serving. • Here we are told this is exactly what Phoebe did, as Paul says of her “she has been a helper of many and of myself also.” • And she was the one who was delivering this letter to the church in Rome, because she, like other women, held a prominent position within the church. Historically we know nothing else about Phoebe, but we do know is her ministry to the followers of Jesus was a vital part of the work of the church. And she helped expand the efforts of Paul, which is often what deacons and deaconesses do. Who do you know like this? 3 Greet Priscilla and Aquila, my fellow workers in Christ Jesus, 4 who risked their own necks for my life, to whom not only I give thanks, but also all the churches of the Gentiles. 5 Likewise greet the church that is in their house. We are introduced to this husband and wife team in Acts 18, as tent makers who had to flee from Rome to Corinth because of the persecution of the Jews. As they connect with Paul, it’s not long before the church is meeting in their home • And when Paul leaves Corinth, they follow until he leaves them in Ephesus to minister to an aspiring young preacher named Apollos, and there also start another home fellowship. (1 Cor. 16:19) • Finally, we see them in Ephesus as Paul is in prison in Rome and left the church to Timothy, now standing by and encouraging him. (2 Tim. 4:19) • And what we find here, is they even had placed their lives on the line to labor alongside Paul in the work of the Lord, in the places he was called to. Now, this was just an ordinary working couple who, when encountered with an opportunity to serve Jesus side by side in their marriage, took hold of that opportunity and went for it. So, we should ask ourselves, what makes them different from any other married couple here today? Does or can this look like your marriage? 5bGreet my beloved Epaenetus, who is the firstfruits of Achaia to Christ (speaking of him being the first to receive Jesus there).6 Greet Mary, who labored much for us. 7 Greet Andronicus and Junia, my countrymen and my fellow prisoners, who are of note among the apostles, who also were in Christ before me. The way Mary is described here is better translated that she worked to the point of exhaustion as she served the church. Meaning she understood the idea that Jesus was to be first, then others, and then self. (Ch. 15) • Some say the believer shouldn’t work to exhaustion, but it was what Jesus did when He ministered on the earth, as well as Paul (1 Cor. 15:10). Yet we also find they did make time for getting away to be with God. (Mark 14:13, Luke 6:12) • The point isn’t that in order to serve the Lord well you must do it to exhaustion, but rather that is the way God has wired some. And to do less is not who He made them to be. • But now we come back to the question, who was she before she became a believer? Actually, we don’t know, meaning there was nothing so prominent about her previous position to warrant mentioning it. And Andronicus and Junia must have come to salvation on or near the day of the Pentecost revival, for they certainly were saved before Paul and well known by the Apostles. And here we find at some point they were incarcerated with Paul. • But who were they before the Gospel of grace changed their lives? We also do not know, but what we do know is when they placed their faith in Jesus, they never turned back, even after going to prison for their faith. 8 Greet Amplias, my beloved in the Lord (a common slave name of that time, so no prominent past here). 9 Greet Urbanus, our fellow worker in Christ, and Stachys, my beloved. 10Greet Apelles, approved in Christ. Greet those who are of the household of Aristobulus. 11 Greet Herodion, my countryman. Greet those who are of the household of Narcissus who are in the Lord. Here we find two different households where Paul asks to have the believing members of those households be greeted, leaving out the head of both of them, speaking of the men; Aristobulus and Narcissus. Commentators believe this is because these men had chosen not to follow Jesus at this time. • And consequently, in Greek mythology the name Narcissus is where we get the term narcissist from; originally meaning to be so fixated with one’s own self, their physical appearance or public perception. • And this a reason many will not follow Jesus, even if not clinically a narcissist. Is a correlation intended here? We cannot say for certain, but names in the bible tend to play a significant role. • The bigger picture however, would be their missing out on being a part of their families walk with Jesus, but even more tragic, they would not be with their family in heaven for eternity. o So, if this is the case, what caused these families to live boldly enough for Jesus even as the heads of the household refused Him? And would you be able to, or choose to do the same? 12 Greet Tryphena and Tryphosa (meaning “delicate” and “dainty”), who have labored in the Lord. Greet the beloved Persis, who labored much in the Lord. Some have speculated there is a difference between these two who labored and Persis who labored much, but the Greek shows the labor of Persis being in the past tense, meaning she was likely elderly and not able to labor as she had before: • And I for one wonder if she was able to slow down because these two ladies of the next generation stepped into service. And there are some who work so fervently it takes two or more to fill their place. • What a shame it is when a succeeding generation come to church for a personal experience or to be hearers only (James 1:22) and do not fill the places of the generation before them in serving Jesus • And on the contrary, what a glorious thing when they do! o I wonder if these ladies had to wait to be invited to help serve the Lord, or if they just jumped in. 13 Greet Rufus, chosen in the Lord, and his mother and mine. We know the account of Jesus collapsing after His scourging, and the Roman soldiers then making Him carry the crossbeam He would be crucified on. Well, as Mark 15:21 tells us of that event, saying; “then they (the Roman soldiers) compelled a certain man, Simon a Cyrenian, the father of Alexander and Rufus, as he was coming out of the country and passing by, to bear His cross (speaking of Jesus).” • And since no other Rufus is mentioned in the Bible, most believe this is the son of Simon, and he either would have seen or heard about this event of his father carrying the cross beam for Jesus. • It appears Simon and possibly the boys, were Jewish believers there for the Passover and were not followers of Jesus at the time. • And I for one wonder what went through Simon’s mind as he had the blood of Jesus all over him after this event. He would then be restricted from the Passover, but in reflection he was likely one of the only ones there who really got the significance, for his son and wife are now listed as chosen in the Lord. o And she apparently cared for Paul during his time of ministry, with great affection and care. 14 Greet Asyncritus, Phlegon, Hermas, Patrobas, Hermes, and the brethren who are with them. 15 Greet Philologus and Julia, Nereus and his sister, and Olympas, and all the saints who are with them. 16 Greet one another with a holy kiss. The churches of Christ greet you. So, what do these people have in common? They are ordinary people living extraordinary lives because they received the grace of God, and chose to serve Jesus out of love and gratitude for all He had done. • And Paul never viewed them as resources for the work he was given to do for the Lord. He simply went about his service with passion, and then saw those around him who also wanted to be invested, and provided them with an opportunity to serve the Lord together with him. (or they just jumped in first) • And those to whom he noted no specific work of the Lord they were involved in, no doubt they were also serving Jesus, simply in a work other than his own. • These were people of all walks of life that trusted Jesus and now comprised the church. o And folks, this is the same opportunity presented to each of us today. We can let the truths of God transform us and then live them out simply and boldly! And I think we should also see that Paul could have never accomplished what he did for the Lord if it were not for these friends who became family. That’s because God designed it to be that way. • Would we have even gotten this letter if Phoebe hadn’t delivered it, or if Priscilla and Aquila were not there to aid the work of Paul and who risked their necks for him, or if the mother of Rufus hadn’t cared for Paul, or if Tertius hadn’t written it for Paul while he dictated to him. (vrs. 22) • All I can say is “thank you Jesus for the church, for the friendships and the ability to serve side by side as we desire to worship and serve you out of gratitude and love”. What a gift! Now he addresses a different kind of people: 17 Now I urge you, brethren, note those who cause divisions and offenses (traps or tricks), contrary to the doctrine which you learned, and avoid them. 18 For those who are such do not serve our Lord Jesus Christ, but their own belly, and by smooth words and flattering speech deceive the hearts of the simple. There have always been individuals in the church that are not truly servants of Jesus, and the way to spot them is 1) by knowing sound doctrine, 2) being discerning of the smooth talker who doesn’t walk out their faith even in the simple ways (because they are too loftily to do so), and ultimately 3) by the divisions they will cause. • Some are very obvious, but others are like those movies where a computer virus was planted and over years has been able to sit undetected, until the damage has already been done. • And I have learned that often these people don’t see themselves as they really are, but rather as slightly superior in their understanding, with a feeling they need to correct everyone else’s naive understanding. • And the instruction we are given is to avoid them. Now sometimes that’s simply trying to keep our paths from crossing, while other times it might mean telling them you don’t want any of what they are peddling, and telling them to go away. o You might think that’s divisive, but truthfully it might be corrective, where as if they continue in their ways, real division will absolutely result, and the less mature will always be the victims. 19 For your obedience has become known to all. Therefore I am glad on your behalf; but I want you to be wise in what is good, and simple concerning evil. 20 And the God of peace will crush Satan under your feet shortly. The grace of our Lord Jesus Christ be with you. Amen Obedience is one of those words we need to reclaim as being wonderful. If your dog doesn’t obey you, you will find big troubles and so will it! But somehow when obedience is spoken of in terms of us, many take it as being immediately offensive, but obedience to a perfect and grace filled God brings everlasting peace. • Now He’s the one that has made peace with Him possible, but I will tell you a lack of our obedience will steal our peace for sure. And it opens the door for Satan to come in and tempt us to imagine more sin, thus bringing us shame and anxiety. • And Gods desire is for us to be separated from all the yucky stuff we were fixated on before, and to renew our minds (12:2) in purity (Titus 1:15). But folks, we can only maintain that through our obedience to His call to live as He lived (Matt. 5:48) and to set our mind on those things above. (Col. 2:3) But there is also a very wonderful promise here and it’s that it won’t always be this way; Satan and this present evil will all be crushed one day. And when they day comes; Satan’s demise will be very quick. (shortly) • But please notice it’s not us who crushes Satan as some suppose. It’s God who will do it, but to let us have part in His victory, we will stand with Jesus over the defeat of Satan. (Rev. 19:13) And he now closes by letting those who are with him in Corinth send their greetings also. Folks this is the church being the church, to all the church. What a blessing it is to witness this and feel inspired to do the same. 21 Timothy, my fellow worker, and Lucius, Jason, and Sosipater, my countrymen, greet you. 22 I, Tertius, who wrote this epistle, greet you in the Lord. Because of Paul’s physical condition, he was not able to write his own letters, likely not being able to see well enough to do so. And so, Tertius takes the opportunity to slip in a personal greeting himself. That’s family style right there! 23 Gaius, my host and the host of the whole church, greets you. Erastus, the treasurer of the city, greets you, and Quartus, a brother. 24 The grace of our Lord Jesus Christ be with you all. Amen. So, a greeting from one church to another, including all the brothers and sisters displaying for us an understanding of just what a special bond God has made between His people, even nations apart. And now Paul gives the benediction: 25 Now to Him who is able to establish you according to my gospel and the preaching of Jesus Christ, according to the revelation of the mystery kept secret since the world began 26 but now made manifest, and by the prophetic Scriptures made known to all nations, according to the commandment of the everlasting God, for obedience to the faith— 27 to God, alone wise, be glory through Jesus Christ forever. Amen. I love it when Paul identifies the gospel as “his gospel”, because it truly is our gospel if we have received Jesus. Nothing can take it away from us because if Jesus has established us, who can un-establish us. No one! (8:35-38) • And the mystery contained in prophecy long before Jesus was born into the world was that God would make one people for Himself out of both the Jews and the Gentiles who put their faith in Jesus. • It was His plan before the world even was created, that God would send Jesus to die in our place, to wipe away our sin, and whoever would believe in Him would not perish but have ever lasting life. • Now if you can give even an ounce of glory to anyone other than Him, you simply don’t get it! o But I believe each of us do. And one day when we see the triune God as described in Revelation 4 & 5, our glorying won’t be over, it will be ramped up all the more, into eternity. And as we look round about us on that day, we will see the family He created through salvation by faith alone in Christ alone!