"The Hope of a Future" - Doug Rehberg

Sixty-five years ago in London, a violinist was scheduled to give a concert and the place was sold out. Now normally such a concert would not have attracted much attention. But this night the violinist was scheduled to play a $10,000 instrument, and all across the city music lovers flocked to hear what it would sound like.

As soon as the bow hit the strings everyone knew that they had made the right decision. They were mesmerized. They had never heard anything like it. They listened with rapt attention all the way through the middle of the third piece, when suddenly the musician stood up and began smashing his instrument on the stage.

The audience was stunned. For several minutes they sat motionless until the stage manager came out and said that the maestro would be right back after he uncased his $10,000 instrument. The one he had been playing was a $100 violin he had picked up earlier that day at a bargain music store.

And you know something? When he returned to the stage and started to play, no one could tell the difference; because in the hands of the Master, it’s not the instrument that matters, it’s the Master.

Corrie ten Boom was once asked, “How do you stay humble when Christians all over the world long to see you and hear your testimony?” Corrie smiled and said, “Do you think, for one minute, that the donkey that carried the Lord Jesus into Jerusalem thought the crowds were cheering for Him?”

This week we’re going to go to the beach together where we find Peter and the other disciples learning again from Jesus the essence of the Gospel – Jesus + nothing = everything.

It’s not Jesus + obedience. It’s not Jesus + good works. It’s not Jesus + the approval of others or our own performance. It’s Jesus alone! For He alone is our Hope of a future.

In preparation for Sunday’s message, “The Hope of a Future” based on John 21:4-22 and Jeremiah 29:8-14, you may wish to consider the following:

1. What does Paul mean in Galatians 2:14(a) when he says, “When I saw that their conduct was not in step with the Gospel…”?
2. How is Peter’s self concept in John 21 out of step with the Gospel?
3. Why does Peter say to the others, “I’m going fishing”?
4. What is the significance of Jesus’ question in verse 5?
5. What is the significance of the catch He provides?
6. What is the significance of this being the third revelation of Jesus to His disciples?
7. What does Peter’s love for Jesus have to do with his restoration?
8. How is Jesus’ instruction to him in verse 17 the essence of discipleship?
9. How is Peter’s response in verse 20 & 21 stereotypical of a “works righteousness” attitude?
10. How is the Gospel our only sure future?

See you Sunday!

"An Ancient Reminder for a Modern World" - Scott Parsons

As a young teen I distinctly remember watching the cultural revolution of the 60’s with fascination. I was too young and too sheltered to really understand the anger and the cultural battles that were taking place, but as I would sing along with Dylan’s "The Times They Are A-Changin’", I knew that the world I would live in was going to be significantly different than the world my parents had lived in…and I was right!

Some things, like racial and gender equality were better. Other things, like abortion, morality, anger and violence were worse. But it was my world and I have learned to be comfortable in it. Now, fifty years later, the times are changing again, and now I am on the other side of the change! I understand better now the fears and angst of the generation before me. I find myself looking back and wondering what happened to the country, culture and church that I knew; and looking forward with fear and uncertainty.

But how are we to look at the past, present and future as follower of Jesus? What is to be our anchor in the midst of turmoil and uncertainty, and our guiding principle as we forge ahead? That is what we are going to be talking about Sunday morning as we look at Isaiah 6:1-8. I would encourage you to read these verses several times, and then consider the following questions:

1. What is the greatest motivator in your life? What vision guides you on your journey?
2. How do you view people who are different from you (racially, culturally, sexually, economically)? How do you react when they challenge you? Disagree with you? Threaten you?
3. How does God view you? Why?
4. Does God have a purpose for your life? If so, what is it? Are you fulfilling the calling He has given you? Why or why not?

See you Sunday!

"Another Look at Joseph" - Doug Rehberg

My friend, Steve Brown, has written a new book: Hidden Agendas (Dropping the Masks that Keep Us Apart). In it he talks about the prodigal son story in Luke 15, where the younger son demands from his father his share of the inheritance. When he gets it, he goes out and loses it among Gentiles (a major taboo for a Jewish heir).

Jesus tells us that, when he’s at a point of total desperation, he conceives a plan to go back to his father and plead for mercy. As we have seen in our study of this story, the disingenuousness of his plan is observed in the words of his speech before his father. They are nearly identical to Pharaoh’s plea before Moses and Aaron when the brunt of God’s plagues was fully felt. In other words, he’s back to conning his father. And yet, his father interrupts his speech and lavishes on him unthinkable gifts. Remember the Greek word for gift and grace is the same word – charis.

Brown takes us to the party where the fatted calf is killed and the wine flows freely. He says, “Imagine the taste of that wine.” Now remember, to the Jews wine was the symbol of life and joy. So what does the wine mean at the party? What is the father saying to his profligate son? He is saying, “You once were dead, but now you are alive. You once were in mourning but are now full of joy.” It seems like everyone is grasping the significance of the wine but the elder brother. He won’t come into the party. He won’t taste the wine. He won’t allow himself to share in the grace just like the principle targets of Jesus’ story, the Pharisees. Brown says, “Imagine that everywhere that younger son would go, even back to the pigpen, he would remember the taste of that wine.” Everyone at the party who allows himself to drink and celebrate would forever remember the taste of that wine. And as they would remember it, they’d share anew in the joy and life of the Gracious One.

But you know the sad reality? The church today is filled with elder brothers. The church is filled with those who can’t bring themselves to come in and taste the wine. They say it’s not right. It’s not responsible. That sin’s too great. It might spill over to others and cause them to stumble. That’s one of the sadness’s, but you know the other? We who have tasted the wine are prone to forget its sweetness. We are prone to do what Luther warns us about. We are prone to revert to the old Adam who forgets the grace and clings to his own goodness.

With all that in mind, this Sunday we will return to the Joseph story, Genesis 45, and see again the phenomenal measure of God’s grace distributed to us in Jesus. In a message entitled “Another Look at Joseph”, Genesis 45:16-28, we will look at one of the clearest biblical portraits of God’s grace to us. In preparation for Sunday you may wish to consider the following:

1. How is grace by definition “one way”?
2. What does the question, are you saved, really mean?
3. Whose command is Joseph following in his treatment of his brothers in verses 17 and 18?
4. How long have his brothers and father believed him to be dead?
5. In verses 17 and 18 what are his brothers being saved from?
6. What is the meaning of Joseph’s words in verse 20?
7. What is the significance of the values mentioned in verse 22?
8. What is the significance of the garments Joseph distributes in verse 22?
9. What is it that revives their father in verse 27?
10. How are the wagons and the cross alike?

See you Sunday.

"The Marks of a Changed Heart" - Doug Rehberg

Three mean-looking guys on motorcycles pulled into a truck stop café where a trucker was eating his lunch at the counter. As soon as they entered the café and spotted the little man on the middle stool, they walked up behind and grabbed his food. Next, they spun him around and laughed in his face. And you know what the trucker did? Nothing. He simply paid his bill and walked out without saying a word.

One of the bikers was unhappy that they hadn’t succeeded in provoking the small man into a fight; and he bragged to the witness, “He sure wasn’t much of a man, was he?” The waitress replied, “No, I guess not.” Then, glancing out of the window she added, “I guess he’s not much of a truck driver, either, because he just ran over all three of your motorcycles.”

Remember the old adage, “Don’t get mad, get even.” That pretty much sums up the natural inclination of the human heart – not only to others, but to God.

Have you lived long enough, and thought deeply enough, to know that most problems people have with God are not theological, but personal? I think of Elizabeth Elliot’s whose first husband was murdered by cannibals to whom he and several others had come to minister. Her second husband died of cancer. And she wrote about it.

“The experiences of my life are not such that I could infer from them that God is good, gracious, and merciful necessarily. To have one husband murdered in the cause of Christ and another one disintegrate, body, soul, and spirit, through cancer, is not what you would call a proof of the love of God. In fact, there are many times when it looks like just the opposite. My belief in the love of God is not by inference or instinct. It is by faith.” And that’s exactly what we see in Sunday’s text – Genesis 50:15-21.

After the Civil War, Robert E. Lee visited a woman in Kentucky who took him to a grand old tree that once stood in front of her house. There in front of that tree she wept bitterly that the Union soldiers had come and destroyed its limbs and trunk. She looked for a word of condemnation from the general. Surely he would see her plight and share in her mourning. But, after a brief silence, the God-fearing general looked her in the eye and said, “Cut it down, my dear madam, and forget it.” But how do you get there? How do you get to the place where you don’t only forgive and forget, but love? Joseph shows us.

In preparation for Sunday’s message, “The Mark of a Changed Heart”, you may wish to consider the following:

1. How long has it been since Joseph’s brothers sold him into slavery?
2. How long has it been that they and their father have lived in Egypt?
3. What would prompt them to think that Joseph may wish to pay them back for all their evil?
4. What does their message in verse 16 signal about their desperation?
5. Why does Joseph weep? (Note verse 17)
6. Do you see any similarities between these brothers in verse 18 and the youngest son in Luke 15?
7. What does Joseph’s response in verses 19-21 say about his changed heart?
8. Who does Joseph most resemble in the Scriptures?
9. In what ways does the story of Joseph mirror Jesus’ story?

See you Sunday!

"A Peculiar Faith" - Dan Weightman

Has anyone ever called you strange or different? What if they were to call you peculiar? Would you shy away from such a distinction or embrace it? Likely, if they were referring to your favorite socks or interest in exotic foods, you might take offense. But what if they were referring to your faith?

Interestingly, in Titus 2:11-14 Paul outlines how followers of Jesus Christ were to be different, even “peculiar” when compared to the world around them. This week’s sermon is going to explore what it looks like to have an authentically peculiar faith that is both Christ-like while at the same time a credible witness to the world around us.

To do so we are going to do a character study of the life of Joseph and see how he exemplified a peculiar trust in the Lord through his proclamation of God’s peculiar promises, a peculiar integrity, and maximizing the peculiar position given to him.

In preparation for this message, I invite you to spend some time in Genesis 37-50 reviewing the life of Joseph. This study includes a number of chapters, so try reading a few each day leading up to Sunday asking yourself the question, “How was Joseph’s example of a peculiar faith a powerful witness to those around him?” Also, as you go through your week, I invite you to examine yourself by asking the same question.  

"The Money Trap" - Scott Parsons

Sunday will be the last day in our series, "Walk This Way". Today's passage, 1 Timothy 6:17-19, presents us with a subtle warning that the path of walking with Jesus may not be as we would like to believe. 

In Luke 9, we read that everyone wanted to walk with Jesus. I mean, why not? He was healing them and feeding them, and telling them things that stirred their souls. Just when He seems to have the masses on His side, He turns to them and says, “If anyone would come after me he must deny himself, take up his cross daily and follow me.” In others words, Jesus calls to the crowd and says “Follow me and die!” Not exactly a stellar church growth motto! But He means it. Shortly after this a man says to Jesus, “I will follow you wherever you go.” Jesus looks at him and says, “I’m homeless. Come live like me.” Jesus calls another man to follow Him, but the man says, “Let me go home and take care of my family first.” Jesus says, “Let the dead bury their own dead. You go and proclaim the kingdom of God.”

Seems harsh, doesn't it? It doesn't seem to fit with our image of a meek, kind, easy to follow Jesus.  But in our series we have learned that though Jesus is accepting and kind, He is also the eternal Son of God who will not accept second place in anyone’s life. Walking with Jesus means dying to everything we are and have, and following Him on the path He desires to walk. That's why idols are such terrible things. They are things we keep in our lives that are more important to us than Jesus. And the idol that tends to be most troublesome in our lives is wealth. We may be reticent to talk about money, but God is not. Money or wealth is mentioned in the Bible over 800 times. Read 1 Timothy 6:17-19 and ask God to lead you on an idol hunt in your own heart.

"Men of Athens" - Doug Rehberg

One evening last week I came home late from meetings to have a card handed to me. It was from Max, a neighbor kid who’s as cute as can be. The card read, “Dear Doug & Barb. I’m sorry for making skid marks on your patio. Will you please forgive me?” I looked at Barb as if to say, “What’s this all about?” But if you know anything about my wife, you know that she was filling me in as soon as my eyes diverted from the card.

It seems that Max and a neighbor girl were using our driveway and patio as a race track. That’s nothing new. What is new is that Max had decided to change the mode of transportation. Instead of using the #1 toy of last season – a cool, plastic 4-wheeled car that surpasses any “big wheel” variant I’ve ever seen – he opted for his bicycle. Now it’s one thing to ride your bike on the “Rehberg long course”; it’s another to lay rubber for more than ten feet a dozen or more times! It seems that Jimmy Buffet was right when he sang, “There’s a woman to blame.” Max has fallen into the common male trap of trying to impress the girl. After all, if one skid mark doesn’t impress her, maybe eleven more will!

When Barb filled me in on the details it turned out that Max’s indiscretion spread like wildfire. His parents sprang into action trying to remedy the problem before Doug set his eyes on the carnage. Really, for the life of me, I still can’t figure out this fear of me. (Maybe I’m not as sweet and lovable as I think I am!)

Anyway, the rest of the story happened two days later when Max’s mom marched him over to face me. He stood there, directly in front of me, sheepishly repeating his written plea. “Doug, will you forgive me for making skid marks on your patio?” Instantly I grabbed him, hugged him, and said, “Of course I forgive you, Max. You’re my buddy!” His mother looked like a five-hundred-pound weight had been lifted from her shoulders, and the smile on Max’s face was the stuff of Norman Rockwell.

I’ve thought about that incident in the last few days, especially as I’ve focused on Acts 17:16-34 and Paul’s ministry in Athens. Look at what he says in verse 30: “The times of ignorance God overlooked, but now he commands all people everywhere to repent…” It’s a fascinating statement for a lot of reasons. First, he’s not speaking in the synagogue, he’s in the Aeropagus. Second, he’s not talking to Jews, but Gentiles. Third, he’s not talking to God-fearers, but polytheists. Fourth, he’s not talking about what commonly passes for repentance in evangelical circles these days (turning around), he’s talking about biblical repentance – a whole life change. Rather than addressing behavioral change based on a concerted human effort, he’s talking about a thorough life change founded on the totality of the divine effort in Jesus.

There’s a lot in this text that further informs us as to what walking with Jesus looks like. But to boil it down to its root, what we have is a picture of a man living what Martin Luther refers to as “a life of repentance” – the surest sign of walking Jesus’ way. (By the way, how do you think skid marks on a patio compare to lash marks on the back of Jesus?)

In preparation for Sunday’s message, you may wish to consider the following:

1. What was the first of Martin Luther’s 95 theses? Why did he start there?
2. What is Jesus’ point to Simon the Pharisee when He tells him the parable of the forgiven debt in Luke 7?
3. Why is Paul in Athens?
4. Why does he leave the synagogue and expand his ministry to the marketplace? (see vs. 17)
5. What is an agora?
6. What does Luke mean in verse 16 when he says that as Paul looked around his spirit was “provoked”?
7. What is the result of his spirit being provoked?
8. What does he mean in verse 22 when he says that he “perceives” that in every way they are religious?
9. What is the result of this perception?
10. What is the ground of true repentance?

See you Sunday!