Lisa Godard (Lisa)

Sermon Outline “Until He Comes: Drink Your Milk!” - I Peter 2:1-3 “25 million copies of Bible sold annually in America. Best selling title in America.” 92% of Americans own a Bible, & “75% of Americans believe the Bible is either Word of God or inspired by the Word of God.” “Gideons International distributes annually over 45 million Bibles (86 every minute).” Gallup Poll: “Fewer than ½ Americans can name the 1st book of the Bible” (can you?). “Only 1/3 know who delivered the Sermon on the Mount” (some naming Billy Graham). “Only ¼ know what is celebrated on Easter.” From a 1997 Barna research: “12% of Christians think Noah’s wife was Joan of Arc.” “80% think that ‘God helps those who help themselves’ is in the Bible” (not!). George Gallup: “We revere the Bible, but we don’t read it.” 64% gave the excuse that they were too busy & 80% stated that the Bible was confusing & hard to understand. Reality? Scripture is not a priority. Woodrow Kroll, Pres of Back to the Bible: “Biblical illiteracy is a matter not of the inability to read, but the choice not to read.” Peter urges us to not coincide w/those stats, but be those who regularly & diligently read/study the Bible. 2012’s theme: Until He Comes - looking for Jesus to come again & living according to that perspective. Great news & even greater news: He is here! He is coming again! I Peter 2:1-3 “put away” gives the sense that it is a choice we need to make once & for all (yet revisit again & again). Malice, deceit, hypocrisy, envy, slander - all opposite of love for God & one another (1:22). The Christian life involves a lot of discarding - former ways of thinking, acting, reacting, being - so that we can put on, embrace, adopt, put into practice new ways of thinking, acting, reacting, being - according to Christ-likeness. Can’t put on Christ-likeness unless we put off the old self. How do we get hold of this kind of thinking? From Scripture. Drink your milk! Just as baby goes after his mother’s breast or the bottle, that’s the way we’re to go after Scripture - pure spiritual milk. The reason we’re not thirsty is that we don’t understand the value of Scripture. It’s by the Word of God we grow spiritually. Word of God teaches us - how to live the Christian life, - how to love our wives/husbands, - how to raise our children, - how to get along w/our neighbor, - how to succeed God’s way in life, - how to handle your finances, - what it means to follow Christ, - what it means to be a man/woman of God, - how to share our faith, etc. Believe that? I don’t think we really do, or we would be hungry & thirsty for the truth of God’s Word. Vs.3 - Have you tasted God’s goodness - His saving grace, forgiveness, revealed in Scripture?” Psalm 34:8 - “Oh, taste & see that the Lord is good!” Peter is saying, “there’s much more where that came from!” Until He comes, let us drink our “milk” - the life-giving and directing Word of God, and live according to it.

Sermon Outline “Until He Comes: Think! Choose! Be!” - I Peter 1:13-25 Given any information, we must think about it, choose according to it and act out what we have chosen. 2012’s theme: Until He Comes - looking for Jesus to come again & living according to that perspective. Great news & even greater news: He is here! He is coming again! I Peter 1:13-25 “Therefore” - “what’s it there for?” Since: God has caused us to be born again to a living hope; We have an imperishable, undefiled, unfading inheritance; We are being guarded by God’s power; Our faith in Christ is being tested by various trials; Jesus is coming again; We love and believe in Him. Therefore, think about it - “preparing your minds for action, and being sober-minded” - “gird up your minds,” think about it seriously. There are choices to be made with the information you’ve been given. There are actions you must take. Choose: 1)To be hopeful - vs13 - “set your hope…” 2)To be holy - vs14-16 - “separated, set apart” 3)To reverently fear God - vs17-21 - It’s only by His grace that you/I can call Him Father, so show some respect. - Remember what God has done for you in Christ. - Realize who you are in Christ. 4)To love one another earnestly - vs22-25 - If we’re not loving one another, then something’s wrong. - The motivation for love is God’s love & our salvation - I John 4:11 - “The living & abiding word (Logos) of God” is Jesus. - “The word (rhema) of the Lord” which “remains forever” is Scripture. Given the living Word of God sent to redeem us & the written/ spoken Word of God declaring for us His love & the work of redemption, we need to think about it, make wise choices according to the info given & act accordingly, be who we are in Christ. Until He comes, let us set our hope on Him, choose to be holy, live in reverential fear of God, thankful for what He has done in Christ, remembering who we are in Christ, loving one another.

“Until He Comes: Genuine Faith” - I Peter 1:6-12 Many things in life we don’t enjoy doing or wouldn’t choose, but if we know it is for our good, or the good of those we love, we can do it or endure it. The promise of God - Romans 8:28-29; I Peter 1:6-12 2012’s theme: Until He Comes - looking for Jesus to come again & living according to that perspective. Great news & even greater news: He is here! He is coming again! And, as we wait, He is at work in our lives. I Peter 1:6-12 - “In this…” - Verses 3-5: living hope; imperishable, undefiled, & unfading inheritance; we being guarded through faith. This is to be our focus/perspective. “you rejoice…” - “exult, rejoice exceedingly, be exceedingly glad” (Strong’s). When was the last time? “though now for a little while…” - compared to eternity, the duration and intensity is slight, light. II Corinthians 4:17-18. “if necessary…” - “right & proper, in reference to what is required to attain some end” (Strong’s). “you have been grieved by various trials…” - Why are they necessary? “so that the tested genuineness of your faith…tested by fire” “dokimazo” (verb) - “to test, examine, scrutinize (to see whether a thing is genuine or not), recognize as genuine after examination, to approve, deem worthy” (Strong’s). “more precious than gold that perishes…” - Our faith in Christ is our most valuable possession. It means we have Him! “may be found to result in praise and glory and honor at the revelation of Jesus Christ.” - “time” - “honor; a valuing in by which the price is fixed…” (Strong’s). “Though you have not seen Him, you love Him.” None of us have seen Jesus with eyes, but He has captured our hearts! “Though you do not see Him now, you believe in Him…” Do you believe? He is Savior, Lord; here, with us; coming again? If your spiritual eyes are set on Him, then you can: “rejoice with joy that is inexpressible and filled with glory…” This is hard! It takes a looking away from your struggle to Him - again & again & again! “obtaining the outcome of your faith, the salvation of your souls.” Obtain - “carry away for one’s self” (Strong’s). Jesus has secured our salvation; we take hold of it by faith in Him. Vs10-12 - The prophets understood the wonder of this salvation. They wanted to know more. The angels want to know more also. They are craning their necks to see! If we grasp the wonder of our salvation & the sureness of our hope in Christ & the vastness of God’s love for us, then God will be seen as He is - greater than any mountain we have to climb. And our struggles here would appear less large, as God works in us thru them. Until He comes, hope in Him, embrace His love, see your trials from His perspective, and rejoice!

Sermon Outline “Until He Comes: Living Hope” - I Peter 1:1-5 The climate of much of our world today: hopelessness. Hopelessness: “Having no expectation of good or success - despair, not susceptible to remedy or cure, incapable of redemption or improvement; giving no ground for hope - desperate; incapable of solution, management or accomplishment - impossible.” (Miriam-Webster Dictionary) Great news & even greater news: He is here! He is coming again! 2012’s theme: Until He Comes - looking for Jesus to come again & living according to that perspective. I & II Peter - begins and ends with a declaration of hope in the soon coming Christ. Verses1-2: We, in Christ, are: grafted into the vine of the true Israel; exiles in this life; elect “according to the foreknowledge of God;” chosen “in the sanctification of the Spirit;” set apart “for obedience to Jesus Christ…;” “for sprinkling with [Jesus’] blood.” Verses 3-5: “According to His great mercy…” Mercy: “eleos” - “kindness or good will toward the miserable & afflicted, joined w/a desire to help them” (Strong’s). “He has caused us to be born again to a living hope…” Regeneration is the work of God in those who believe - Eph. 2:5 Living: “possessing life & vitality,” having life in itself. Hope: expectation - our hope in Christ’s presence & coming is living hope, not just wishing, because it’s based on Him. “through the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead…” Our resurrection and eternal life is dependent upon that same proven power whereby He arose “to an inheritance that is imperishable, undefiled, & unfading…” Inheritance - “property received (or to be received) by inheritance; what is given to one as a possession” (Strong’s). Imperishable: “not liable to corruption or decay” (Strong’s). Undefiled: “unsoiled, free from that which by nature is deformed & debased or its force & vigor impaired” (Strong’s). Unfading: “not fading away, perennial” (Strong’s) “kept in heaven for you…” Kept: being tended to carefully, taken care of, reserved. “who by God’s power are being guarded through faith…” We are under guard by God Himself & legions of angels under His command. God’s power is distributed thru our faith. We must abide in Christ. “for a salvation ready to be revealed in the last time.” This salvation is “the final end of the new birth” (Faussett). I Corinthians 2:9 Last time/day: “the closing day of grace; the day of judgment & redemption, the day of the restitution of all things (when Christ will right all wrongs) & of perdition of the ungodly” (Faussett). Are you in Christ? Come to Christ today. If you are in Christ, then keep this perspective in mind: This world is not my home & my life is not my own; my God is w/me in the trials of this life, so I will look to Him, I will follow Him. My life is His & He is mine. I will look for Christ’s coming & be about His business until He comes. Let hope fill your heart. Until He comes, hope in Him, submit to Him, obey Him.

Sermon Outline “Until He Comes” - I Peter 1:1-5 Great news & even greater news: - He is here! - He is coming again! That’s the “big picture” perspective believers need to keep. Last year’s theme: Fully Devoted, Fully Engaged Christ-Followers 2012’s theme: Until He Comes - looking for Jesus to come again & living according to that perspective. I & II Peter - begins and ends with a declaration of hope in the soon coming Christ. Introduction of I Peter: Peter, the Apostle, called & set apart by Jesus. Wrote to “elect exiles of the dispersion.” We, in Christ, are grafted into the vine of the true Israel. We, in Christ, are exiles in this life, this world is not home. We, in Christ, are elect “according to the foreknowledge of God.” Foreknowledge: “prognosis” - “fore thought, pre-arrangement” (Strong’s). “Foreordaining love” - A.R. Faussett. We, in Christ, are chosen “in the sanctification of the Spirit.” Sanctification: “the Spirit’s setting apart of the saint as consecrated to God,” the “execution of God’s choice.” (A.R. Faussett). We, in Christ, are chosen and set apart “for obedience to Jesus Christ…” - new direction, basis for living. We, in Christ, are also chosen & set apart “for sprinkling w/His [Jesus’] blood.” I John 1:7b Verses 3-5: We, in Christ, have “a living hope,” “an… imperishable, undefiled and unfading” inheritance. Jesus could come in 2012! Are you one of His elect? Are you obedient? Let hope fill your heart. Until He comes, hope in Him, submit to Him, obey Him.

Sermon Outline

“Incarnation: He is Here!” - Matthew 1:20-25, Luke 2:8-14

The greatest message the world needs to hear today is the same message those of old needed to hear.

- The prophecy of Isaiah: “The people who walk in darkness have seen a great light…For to us a child is born, to us a son is given…” (Is.9:2, 6)

- The report of the Apostle John: “The light shines in the darkness, & the darkness has not overcome it…the Word became flesh & dwelt among us…” (John 1:5,14).

- The message of the angel to the shepherds: “Unto you is born this day in the city of David a Savior, who is Christ the Lord” (Luke 2:11).

- The message of the angel to Joseph, concerning Mary & her baby: “…that which is conceived in her is from the Holy Spirit. She will bear a son, & you shall call His name Jesus, for He will save His people from their sins…they shall call His name Immanuel (which means, God w/us)” (Matthew 1:20b-21, 23).

- The message of Jesus Himself in John 3:16 - “For God so loved the world, that He gave His only Son, that whoever believes in Him should not perish but have eternal life.”

God has made Himself known in His Son, Jesus Christ. “He is here! The Savior has been born. The One we’ve waited for…the promise of the King…”

God w/us!
Incarnate Deity!
The Light of the world!
The Bread of life!
The Good Shepherd!
The Door!
The Resurrection & the Life!
The Way, the Truth & the Life!
The Vine!
He is here! Christ the Lord! The King of Heaven, coming again!

Consider His claim on your life.
Believe Him
Embrace Him
Worship Him
Surrender to Him
Give Him your life
Forsake sin by His gracious enabling
Receive His forgiveness
Serve Him
Trust Him
Hope in Him
Lay your need/children/family/marriage before Him
Walk w/Him
Follow Him
Live life His way
Tell others about Him!

He is here! He is here!
Joy to the world!
Glory to God in the Highest!

“May his Presence gently hover above the presents, and "may the God of hope fill you with all joy and peace as you believe in him, so that you may abound in hope by the power of the Holy Spirit.” (Dr. Edward Fudge, Romans 15:13)

Christmas Eve Service including carols, scripture reading and message by Pastor Burks...

Title: Surrender Passage: Gal 5:22-23 (NLT) 22But when the Holy Spirit controls our lives, he will produce this kind of fruit in us: love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, 23gentleness, and self-control. Here there is no conflict with the law. We as Christian’s sometimes have a funny view of surrender. - When it comes to God. We believe surrender means we give up - And let God o take care of our problems. Webster’s dictionary defines surrender as A: to yield to the power, control, or possession of another upon compulsion or demand B : to give (oneself) up into the power of another especially as a prisoner Surrender does not mean that your new master - has to make all your dreams come true. Surrender means – You lost - It means you could not do it. - It means you give up all your rights - All your possessions - It means you give up your very person o To the will of another - It means you now live by the command of your master My flesh won’t surrender to me Nor, can I make my flesh - surrender to God Gal 5:24 (ESV) And those who belong to Christ Jesus have crucified the flesh with its passions and desires. I have overcome the world thru faith in Christ - And only by Faith in Christ - Have I overcome this world My flesh however - has not overcome the world - Nor will I ever be able to o make it overcome the world My flesh is still of this world - I am not. Heb 13:6 (ESV) So we can confidently say, "The Lord is my helper; I will not fear; what can man do to me?" Here is the answer. - The writer of Hebrews is not speaking of his flesh - He is speaking of himself who lives in the flesh 1Jn 5:3 (ESV) For this is the love of God, that we keep his commandments. And his commandments are not burdensome. Your kid comes home - And says someone punched him or her o Tell them to turn the other cheek o And it won’t be burdensome. When you think your marriage is finished - Husband o Love your wife as Christ loved the Church o Love your wife who is unlovable o And it won’t be burdensome. Wife - Submit to your husband - A husband who makes you sick to just be around - And it won’t be burdensome. But Church - please listen If we strive to make our flesh that cannot please God - To do the right things for God - To strive to make our flesh o do the commands of God - Make no mistake - It will be very burdensome. But if it is God’s work thru us - Then it will not be us doing it. Make no mistake - We will surrender to a master - We will surrender to the sin nature o That woos us - Or we will surrender to God - And our master of our choice Will bore their fruits thru us. Church – if we strive against the sin nature - So we can rule our flesh we will fail - The commands of God will be burdensome - And when we can’t fight any longer - We will surrender to our sin nature - And the vicious cycle starts all over again. Surrender means – You lost - It means you could not do it. - It means you give up all your rights - All your possessions - It means you give up your very person o To the will of another - It means you now live by the command of your master To surrender to God - We must get in His Face. - We must surrender ourselves - And all we hold dear - Knowing we may never o See these things or people again. - Knowing our bodies may never o Heal from what ails us. - It’s to submit our presuppositions to God - And to surrender our very own person o In unconditional surrender to God Only in surrender to God can we submit to God - Only in surrender can we find the throne of God For we must seek God alone - In Christ alone That means giving up or surrendering the striving - To make our flesh do good things - To make our flesh obey God’s commands It means only seeking God alone - By Faith in Christ alone Because only in Christ alone - Can we draw close to o God the Father o God the Son o And God the Holy Spirit Only when we draw close to Him alone - Will He draw close to us This is when His commandments pour forth from us - As His Spirit leads us. His Spirit will turn our cheek for the next punch - His Spirit overflowing His love o Out of us o And all over our spouse - thru this flesh. - His Spirit overwhelming us with Him who is Love o His Spirit giving up our fleshly possessions o With no fight from us - Because they pale in comparison - To what we have found - As we are filled with Him o Because He is the abundant life 1Jn 5:3 (ESV) For this is the love of God, that we keep his commandments. And his commandments are not burdensome. John does not say - This is how we love God – By keeping his commandments He says rather: - For this is the love of God 2Co 5:14 (ESV) For the love of Christ controls us… Gal 5:16-17 (NLT) 16So I advise you to live according to your new life in the Holy Spirit. Then you won’t be doing what your sinful nature craves. 17The old sinful nature loves to do evil, which is just opposite from what the Holy Spirit wants. And the Spirit gives us desires that are opposite from what the sinful nature desires. These two forces are constantly fighting each other, and your choices are never free from this conflict. Eph 5:18 (NLT) 18Don’t be drunk with wine, because that will ruin your life. Instead, let the Holy Spirit fill and control you. Gal 5:22-23 (NLT) 22But when the Holy Spirit controls our lives, he will produce this kind of fruit in us: love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, 23gentleness, and self-control. Here there is no conflict with the law.

“Incarnation Prophesied” - Isaiah 9:1-7

Great Expectations - novel by Charles Dickens - nothing happened just as “Pip” expected. It’s much the same in our lives.
One great expectation that has been/will be fulfilled just as envisioned - Messiah - Savior sent from God to redeem fallen man/creation.

“Incarnation” - “the union of the 2nd person of the Godhead w/manhood in Christ” (Webster’s).

The incarnation of Christ was planned in eternity past & promised as early as in the Garden of Eden.

The incarnation of Christ was prophesied throughout the O.T.

Micah 5:2, Isaiah 7:14, Isaiah 9:1-7

A.R. Faussett wrote, “The same region so darkened once would be the among the 1st to receive the Messiah’s light.” Mt. 4:13-14

God will break the yoke of the burden of Israel & lift the staff & rod of his oppressor (Assyria, Babylon, Satan, Sin). Understand the greater reaches of this prophesy, beyond Israel’s oppression & deliverance, to the greater oppression & deliverance of mankind, under the curse of sin & death.

So has come & is coming the day of victory in Jesus, when we will “study war no more.”

The reason for the hope prophesied: a child born, a son given.
Before he identifies this child/son, Isaiah says, “the government shall be upon His shoulder.” This is way bigger than you/I.

“Wonderful Counselor” - one fit to guide our lives.

“Mighty God” - David Gudzik, “God of all creation & glory, the Lord who reigns in heaven, the One worthy of all our worship & praise. This is a straight forward declaration of the deity of the Messiah.”

“Everlasting Father” - Father of eternity

“Prince of Peace” - “Shiloh, the ‘Tranquilizer.’”

His rule will continually increase, & w/the spread of His kingdom shall come unending peace, justice & righteousness.

The reference to the throne of David - II Sam.7 - “Your throne shall be established forever.”

Jesus, God incarnate, is the fulfillment of Isaiah’s great prophesy.

If from eternity past God planned the redemption of fallen man & to bring all things together in Christ, then don’t you want to be on the right side of that plan?

If Jesus, God incarnate, is He to whom tribute belongs, is King of kings & Lord of Lords, then shouldn’t you & I focus our whole lives, existence upon Him?

If the eternal, almighty, holy God would take on human flesh to carry out His eternal plan & bring whoever will believe into relationship w/Him for eternity future, then shouldn’t that relationship with Him be what our lives are about?

God has graciously included us who believe in His vast eternal plan, we who are specks of paint on the great canvas of eternity, granules of sand in the limitless sands of time, mere drops of water in the infinite ocean of His purpose. Let us look to Him, order our lives after Him, give our lives totally to Him, consider His claim on us.

To God be the glory, great things He has done!