40 DAYS IN THE WORD WEEK 5

  

                                                   TIME OUT   PART 2

                                                    By the Rev. John Donnelly

 Welcome to week 5 of 40 Days in the Word. Where we are growing to become learners of the Word, lovers of the Word, and Doers of the Word.  This week it has been my joy to hear some praise reports from some of our small groups who are already becoming doers of the Word through Micah Outreach Projects:

·       The Wed. young men’s group is wrapping up its clothing drive.  They are now considering the possibility of coordinating a movie night for all men, and  a living nativity in December.

·       The Friday night group reports, “Last week our small group was touched by the Holy Spirit, as something amazing happened.  Previously we seemed to be having a hard time coming together with an inspired idea for the Micah Outreach  Project. A suggestion was made to reach out to a particular family in Oxford outside of our parish.  Turns out someone else in our group has a direct connection to the mother of the family! So, the whole idea started to roll with lots of heartfelt suggestions and enthusiasm. We are becoming doers of the Word! “

·       As previously reported, the women & men’s Wednesday night group beginning to raise some seed money to provide Thanksgiving dinner at a school in an impoverished community in Waterbury.  They report,” We all feel a very deep commitment to its success. The excitement in our small group  was amazing…. We were not burdened with this project, we were blessed. We will all be doers of the word! 

Meanwhile. We continue today looking at our real need for God’s Word on a personal basis.  Today we are going to build on last Sunday’s discussion on our need for spiritual rest in God’s Word as we navigate the waters of our overly frenetic ,  fast changing, fast paced, fast tracked life in the 21^st century.  Those of you present will recall that we need God’s word to teach us to find spiritual rest in the midst of the chaos of our times.

Looking at our daily routines, we are such a busy people.   Demands on our time come from families, work, community, church, and our own children.  In our relationships with w/ all these groups, we have: errands to run   meetings to attend…problems to be solved…and work to be completed. 

Of course, we all have good motivations for doing all the things we do, but the sheer volume of activity is so tiring ands frustrating.  

·       So many necessary and urgent things to be done.  And after they are done, there are more demanding our immediate attention.

·       Our Calendars are filled with appointments & dates;  our weeks are filled with engagement & tasks; our years are filled with projects and plans.

Too people are addicted to frantic activity, which can lead to neurotic excess and/or burn out.  And, such crazy lives hurt us and others:

Thomas Merton, great spiritual writers of themed 20^th century writes, “To allow oneself to be carried away by a multitude of conflicting concerns, to surrender to too many demands and to commit oneself to too many projects, to want to help everyone in everything, is to SUCCOMB TO VIOLENCE—TO COOPERATE WITHJ VIOLENCE.”

·       The violence that emerges from our extending ourselves is self-inflicted violence—damaging our own mental health, wounding our relationships, draining our enthusiasm, and alienation us from God.

Today’s psalm speaks of this: IT IS IN VAIN THAT YOU RISE UP EARLY AND GO TO BED LATE, AS YOU EAT THE BREAD OF ANXIOUS TOIL. “How many of us not only eat the bread of anxious toil, but we choke loaf after loaf every day?”

Now last Sunday we spoke about our need for quiet time to rest in God’s Word, that we might become spiritually refreshed.  Today I would like to look at this concern from the perspective of our priorities.      God has given each person 168 hours per week. In this regard, all people are equally blessed by God, who shows no partiality.  However, here is the big question. Please repeat after me: How will I choose to spend my time.   Now, some people reply that they do not choose how they spend their time.  Rather, the circumstances of life dictate their schedules. That is certainly what most unbelievers think.  But the Bible gives us a different perspective.  God’s Word says that our own PRIOROTIES GUIDE US IN DECIDING HOW WE WILL SPEND OUR TIME.

 WHAT DO YOU REALLY VALUE?    SEE HOW YOU INVEST YOUR TIME

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TYPICAL AMERICAN PRORITIES

		3.  Optional Activities
	2.                   MY PASSIONS
1.       WORK    (HOMEMAKING)

                                                                      god

 

MY PASSIONS-Internet, TV, movies, reading, creative cooking, hygiene, bodybuilding/exercise, ‘couch potato’ing, sports-football, kid activities, house hold chores, investments, gambling, hiking, dining out, etc. Your “passion” is what you think about the most and always spend time doing.

Optional Activities— EVERYTHING ELSE.       Activities &/or quiet time alone with spouse, and/or children; worship & prayer; church activities; volunteering; self-reflection; personal improvement, etc.

You do these things if you have the time and desire.  If WORK & PASSIONS require more time, these activities frequently get dropped.

THE PROBLEM IS MOST PEOPLE THINK THAT THEIR WORK AND HOMES ARE THEIR CHIEF PRIORITES AND THE FOUNDATIONS OF THEIR LIVES.  PEOPLE DO NOT COMPREHEND THAT GOD IS THE TRUE FOUNDATION OF THE PEOPLE’S LIVES, WHETER THEY RECOGNIZE IT OR NOT.  GOD HAS MADE PEOPLE TO BE RELATED TO HIM.  WE ARE NOT WHOLE IF WE ARE NOT RELATED TO GOD, LEARTNING HIS WORD, AND LIVING OUT HIS PRIOROTIES. This is what Jesus is speaking about in our memory verse about building our lives on the solid foundation of His Word.    So, looking above, that life is unstable because THERE IS LITTLE OR NOT RELATIONSHIP WITH God to hold it up.  Worship is optional.  Nurturing love within your family is optional.   If I can fit it in, great.  If not, well, there is always next week.  (PAUSE)   This life is designed to fail.  This is not the design created by the architect & creator do the universe, who is the author of all life.  Like so many human constructions, this one will eventually fail.

++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++

                                                BIBLICAL PRIORITIES

Now, looking below—we see God’s design for human life,

Here we build our lives upon God’s priorities, AS WE HEAR THEM IN God’s Word.

You SEE, THERE AE SPIRITUAL LAWS IN THE UNIVERSE, just as there are physical laws, too.  Let us pretend that you do not know about the law of gravity.  Is gravity still going to impact your life?  Of course. 

Well, unknown spiritual laws likewise impact our lives.   God calls us to allocate our time according to his priorities.  If we do, then we will have stable lives.   J

So, in the Bible, the most important time in your week is your time with God in worship and prayer.  Now that may only require an hour and a half & 45 minutes out of the 168 hours that He has given you.  But that time is the foundation of your week and life.  The 2^nd biblical priority is loving and caring for your family.  What we are speaking of here does not involve earning income or doing chores.  This sacred time is where you spend some quality time for conversation and fun, where you can create and recreate relationships.  This is the time required where you focus your attention and energies not upon yourself, but upon the needs, happiness, and wellbeing of others as you spend some quality time with them.  This may only take a minimum of two to three hours, but this is sacred time.  Without such family time, the rest of your life will cave in.

3.    Everything else

2. Family—not chores
	1. GOD

                                                  Rock Solid foundation 

                              

GOD—Worship & prayer only.   Not church activities

So, what happens when we learn God’s priorities and live them out in our lives?

1.    RESTORATIVE RELAXATION.As I said last week, God’s Word & Worship stimulate the “Peace of the Prince of Peace, the Peace of God, which surpasses all logic and understanding.  Jesus said, “Peace I give to you, my own peace I leave with you….not as the world gives to you.”

2.    RENEWED RELATIONSHIPS—as we devote time just to be with our spouses and families.  The family is meant to be a class for learning how to love, and as we learn to love within our families, we can forth to do a better job loving our neighbors as ourselves.

So, this week, I invite you to reflect on God’s priorities and yours. 

[Preacher gives encouragement for people to do the Bible Study—

“PICTURE IT” BIBLE STUDY METHOD on Luke 10:38-32]

Take Home Bible Study for Week 5

                        ^{“PICTURE IT”} 

             ^{BIBLE STUDY METHOD}  

^{Try to imagine the scene in your own mind.  See yourself as the active participants.  Ask yourself, ”How would I feel if I was that character? What would I think, feel, say or do?}

1.      READ THE FOLLOWING PASSAGE TWO TIMES, TRYING TO IMAGINE YOURSELF AS EACH OF THE TWO SISTERS. Luke 10:38-42   As Jesus and his disciples were on their way, he came to a village where a woman named Martha opened her home to him. ³⁹ She had a sister called Mary, who sat at the Lord’s feet listening to what he said. ⁴⁰ But Martha was distracted by all the preparations that had to be made. She came to him and asked, “Lord, don’t you care that my sister has left me to do the work by myself? Tell her to help me!”⁴¹ “Martha, Martha,” the Lord answered, “you are worried and upset about many things, ⁴² but few things are needed—or indeed only one.^[f] Mary has chosen what is better, and it will not be taken away from her.”

2.     NEXT, ASK YOURSELF ,”WITH WHOM IN THE STORY DO I IDENTIFY MOST?

                                      Circle one :         Martha        Mary  

3.      HOW  DOES YOUR LIFE SITUATION COMPARE TO THAT OF THE CHARCTER, WHOM YOU CHOSE IN #2?

_____________________________________________________________________________

     

              ____________________________________________________________________________________

              _____________________________________________________________________________________

       

4.        IDENTIFY ONE THING THAT YOU HAVE LEARNED FROM THIS STORY. KNOWING OF GOD’S GREAT LOVE FOR YOU SHOWN IN JESUS CHRIST (John 3:36), WHAT LESSON IS GOD TRYNG TO TEACH YOU INTHIS PASSAGE?

5.       APPLY IT. DO IT.  HOW DOES THIS PASSAGE APPLY TO YOUR LIFE?

                          Check appropriate responses as apply to you.

_____  I  (or ‘My spouse and me” or “My family and me” or “Fr. John & I” need to examine my priorities in my life, because I feel off balance.

_____I need to attend Sunday services on a more regular basis. 

_____I need to read the Bible on a more regular basis . [Note:  Bible study guides will be made available on Oct. 27].

_____I am really sort of lazy.  I need to pray to God, asking for his help, at least for 2 to 3 minutes every day.

_____Other :_______________________________________________________

6.       PRAY IT  Dear  Father God, thank you for speaking to me in this bible story. I do want to be closer to you. Empower me to make time for you, because I love you, Jesus Christ, and I value your spiritual companionship  Amen.

40 DAYS IN THE WORD WEEK 4

TIME OUT   Part 1

By the Rev. John Donnelly 

with liberal use of material from Rick Warren

Over the last month or so, we have spoken about our need for God’s Word to help us build a firm foundation for our lives, to bring us forgiveness, to help us discover our life’s purposes.   Today we are going to explore one additional reason that we need God’s Word in our fast changing, fast paced, fast track life in the 21^st century?  We need God’s word to teach us how to find rest in the midst of chaos. Not the rest you find in your grave, in the future; but rest here on earth, now and here, in this life time.   

 REST for our souls, rest for our minds, which will in turn help bring rest for our bodies. And does our culture ever need rest. The truth is: We live in a society that is in a state of constant movement, uncertainty, and frenetic activity, which takes a heavy toll on most people.    For example, let’s look at our families:   Families with children squeeze in work and chores and errands and commuting, while simultaneously trying to make everything fit in around their children’s busy schedules.  By the time everyone comes home after their busy days, everyone is so exhausted that quality family time is pushed aside. Everyone is tired and wants nothing more than to veg out or to go to sleep.  Other times, people are so stressed out that misunderstandings and conflict spring up, normally at the least convenient times.

Consequently, I know of many families who are sacrificing their marriages, sacrificing quality family time, sacrificing visits with parents and grandparents and sacrificing Sunday worship, on the altar of their schedules. One father of school age children told me that between work and home, that he had come to realize that his life was no longer his own. He had become a slave to his calendar, which had become his master.”

And, of course, this is not the way that we were meant to live.  God created the Sabbath, the 7^th day, not just for worship, but for physical and mental rest, too.

This is what Jesus is talking about in today’s Gospel.  Many people initially hear the seed God’s Word and they like it. But God’s word is like a seed, which must grow in our hearts.  If we do not care for this seed by building God’s Word into our lives, then it will die.  Consequently, many people kill the growth of God’s word in their hearts through neglect: by the various cares, activities, and troubles of life, or by excessive preoccupation with earning and worrying about money.   PAUSE On another occasion, Jesus instructed his friend, Martha, to stop worrying about all her chores for a few minutes, so that she could sit down, relax, and find refreshment in God’s Word. I think that today, Jesus is offering each of us the same opportunity.

For many years, I tried lovingly family and my church and the world through my own resources, not understanding that if I didn’t get filled up with God’s word, that I would eventually be running on empty.  And each time that happened, I knew that I was in for a big crash, resulting in sickness, or depression, or trouble at home, or excessive irritability, and the like.

What we need is rest for our souls…spiritual rest.  Do you understand that “resting ion God” is not a suggestion?  It is one of the top 5 commandments, preceding even you shall not murder nor commit adultery.  Why is that so important?  Because if you do not rest in God with his word, you will never really hear it; and if you don’t hear it, then you will not receive the rest and that your soul so desperately needs.  You can go to bed, and rest your body physically.  But if you have not rested your soul, then you will remain tired and refreshed. Perhaps this is why our culture is so uptight and frantic. Spiritual rest trumps physical rest.

So, we need God to have spiritual rest.   And where does that rest come from?  God says in His word, “My presence will give you rest.”  So, Jesus says, please repeat after me, “Come to me /all who are tired/ and carrying heavy burdens/ for you will find rest for your souls.  And I will teach you/ from my Word/ so that you can receive my peace.”  You see, Jesus is the prince of Peace, and if you want to share in his peace, then you have to spend time with him, listening to and reflecting upon his word.

So, how does spending time in God’s word give us rest?

1.    FRREDOM FROM GUILT. A thoughtful reading of God’s word exposes sins, especially those sins which have slipped from our consciousness.  Our sin produces an inner burden of guilt.  So, God’s word teaches us to seek forgiveness, which we will then automatically receive. Look at brown: Nothing can separate us from God’s love through the cross and resurrection of Jesus Christ.  .  So by reading God’s Word and becoming aware of our sins, we tell God that we are sorry.  He forgives us, and then we are freed of the burden of guilt. Therefore, we can rest in the knowledge of his love.

2.    PRIORITES.  As we read God’s word and learn or reconnect with God’s purpose in our lives, we can then make wise choices about trimming down our busy schedules.  Look at the red circle. Let us read that one together. “I will teach you and instruct you.  I will guide you with my eye.

3.    HELP. Reading God’s word builds enables us to grow in our trust of God so that we can share the secret burdens of our heart.   Of course, God already knows what is going on in our hearts.  Look at purple “I know you and I am familiar with all your ways.   So He knows us.  But, He continues on saying, “My thoughts toward you are precious.”  Then dropping to the bottom circle, because God promises that he will not fail you in any way.”

4.    FREEDOM FROM CONDEMANTION.   I know from experience that self-condemnation is so exhausting.  It makes everything harder and more difficult. However, as we continue to read God’s word on a regular basis, we grow to experience the truth that Jesus loves us more than any person could ever love us.  Looking at the yellow lines at the bottom right corner, Let us read together, saying, “I love you with an everlasting love.” Then moving to the yellow highlighted promise at the top of the page, we read together saying, “I will not forget you.”   Generally speaking, when someone loves us it boosts our esteem and confidence.   Then life is not nearly as draining, and we feel more refreshed. 

5.     REFLECTING UPON GOD’S WORD CAN GIVE US HOPE.  Like self-condemnation, hopelessness can drain the life out of you. But God’s word reassures that our future is not as bad as it may appear. Looking at the pink highlights, working form the bottom up, God promises us that “Your times are in my hands. Nothing that is good will ever be withheld from you.....and With me, all things are possible.”

6.    FREEDOM FROM THE BURDEN OF EXCESSIVE ISOLATION.    The Nobel Prize Winner, the late Mother Teresa of Calcutta, was once asked what is the greatest problem in the world?  And she said one word, “LONLINESS.”  As we read God’s word, we grow to understand that we are not alone.  my hand.”  And where does Jesus lead us?  To join His loving family.  Looking at the blue circled verse at the top of the page, God promises.  And of course, God’s family is not just in heaven, but here on earth.  It has been so wonderful to hear of the new friendships in Christ being made in our small groups, where people are growing to better know one another, and to one another.”

7.     GOD’S WORD CAN TEACH US THE WAYS OF PEACE.   This past week, one woman told me that due to what she has learned in the Bible, she NOW can read it and understand it.   J J This is so important, because Jesus wants to teach us how to live more tranquil and harmonious lives. Looking at the light blue highlights in the middle, right hand side of the page, God says, “ I will discipline you (or teach you)  not to harm you, but to free you from every enemy of peace.”  Therefore, looking at the night blue shading on the left top corner, “We can learn not to be overcome by anxiety, O so that, looking at the blue highlights across the page, so that we can rest in his love.”

How can you do this?  Well, if you would turn your colored insert over, you will see a 10 minute Bible study, where IF YOU APPLY YOURSELF, you can find greater peace of mind in ten minutes.  We have previously tested it out, and it works because Jesus, the Word of God, is the Prince of Peace, and he can lead you to lie

Is that you would like for yourself?  Well, then we need to ask Jesus for help by first, confessing that we have gone astray for the way of peace.  So now, let us confess our need for God. Our confession is on page 6 of your bulletin.

40 DAYS IN THE WORD WEEK 3

SEEING WHAT GOD WANTS ME TO SEE

40 Days In The Word  by   Rick Warren

as adapted and abrodged by John Donnelly for CCQF

SECTION  A:  WEEKLY THEMES

Week 1: Inspiration

Week 2:  Action

Week 3” ILLUMINATION: Letting the Holy Spirit show me the ________of God’s Word and how it _________to my life

SECTION B    WORDS OF POWER

1.      “He is the Holy Spirit, who leads into all ______.”  John 14:17 (NLT)

2.      “I pray also that the    ____      ______      ____   ______     may be enlightened , in order that you may know the hope to which he has called you.  Eph. 1:18

3.        Then God opened her eyes and she saw a well of water. So she went and filled the skin with water and gave the boy a drink.”  Genesis 21:19

4.            "Ask and it will be given to you; seek and you will find; knock and the door will be opened to you.”  Matt. 7:7

5.       “He guides the humble in what is right and teaches them his way.”             Psalm 25:9

6.            “Trust in the Lord with all your heart and lean not on your own understanding; in all your ways acknowledge him, and he will make your paths straight.”     Prov. 3:5-6

Welcome to week three everybody of 40 Days in the Word.  Have you ever thought this: “I just never get anything out of the Bible.  When I read it it’s just flat out boring.  I don’t get anything out of it.  I don’t understand it.  It doesn’t make sense.  I don’t know what the big deal about it is.  It seems like a closed book to me.” 

If you’ve ever felt that way you picked a good day to come to church.  Because I’m going to explain why the Bible is a closed book to you and how God wants to open it up and how you can start seeing what God wants you to see.  The fact is the Bible is a difficult book if you don’t understand the principle of illumination.  That’s what we’re going to talk about this week.

This week we’re going to look at the issue of illumination. Please take out your 40 Days book mark, and let us read together the key verse for is under week # 2 from Psalm 119.  Saying together, “Open my eyes that I may see  Wonderful things in your law.”     

God’s Word uses the metaphors of light and sight to describe reading God’s Word with inspiring insight.   The key to understanding the Bible is based on illumination.

Now pls turn to your sermon notes, and those of you at the end of the pews, pass those pens on down your pew.  Please keep your book mark and your sermon notes out, as you are going to need to use both.

So, looking at  Section A,  What is illumination?  Pls fill in the blanks Letting the Holy Spirit show me the meaning of God’s Word and how it applies to my life.    Let us read that together: Illumination is letting the Holy Spirit show me meaning of God’s Word and how it applies to my life. That’s the power to interpret, to understand,  

& to see things you’ve never seen before.  This is the Holy Spirit’s job.

Looking at Section B, verse # 1 “He is the Holy Spirit, who leads into all TRUTH.”  It is the Holy Spirit who leads you to understand what the truth is in the Word of God. Illumination is God’s Spirit saying, this is what this means in your mind, as you read it.  So as we seek illumination from the Bible, the Holy Spirit whispers in my ear, He puts thoughts, he puts impressions, He opens my eyes.  He illuminates, he lightens.  The light goes on in my mind – oh, that’s what that’s all about!  You can ask, what does he mean here? Look at verse # 2 and fill in the blanks:

Ephesians 1:18-19 explains it.  “I pray also that the _____   Fill in   eyes   of

your heart may be enlightened [illuminated] in order that you may know the hope to which he has called you.”

Look back at the phrase “the eyes of your heart.”  What’s he talking about there? 

God gives you spiritual senses and you get spiritual ears to hear some things you never heard before.  And you get spiritual eyes, and all of a sudden you start to see some things about life you didn’t see before. And all of a sudden you feel some things that you didn’t feel before.  These are the eyes of your heart, the spiritual senses. 

It says, “I pray that the eyes of your heart [that’s your spiritual eyes] will be enlightened…”  Circle “enlightened.”    So one day you are hearing the bible read in church, or you are reading it on your own, and all of a sudden one day the light bulb comes on in your mind and you go “Bam!  I’ve never seen that before!”  It’s the ah-ha moment!  You go “Whoa!  I’ve read that verse a lot of times but I’ve never seen that before.  That’s exactly what I needed.  That’s exactly what I needed today, right now, to encourage me, to help me to know which way to go.  Wow!  Ah-ha!  Eureka!  I’ve found it!  Yes!  I understand it!”

That is illumination.  And how do you receive such illumination.  You have to ask. Jesus says, "Ask and it will be given to you; seek and you will find; knock and the door will be opened to you.”  Matt. 7:7

For example:  God can use the Bible to show us answers to our problems.

In today’s Old testament story, we hear of Hagar and her son, Ishmael, who were dying in the desert without water and food. Hagar prayed to God.

We pick up the story in verse 19 on your outline.  “Then God opened her eyes [circle “opened her eyes”] and she saw a well of water.  So she went and she filled the skin [the canteen] with water and gave the boy a drink.”  Here’s the point:  She had the solution right in front of her – this well of water – but she couldn’t see it until God opened her eyes, illuminated her mind, helped her see it from a different perspective. 

Now Bob, would you tell us what Rick warren has to say about this:

Bob: Rick Warrens says, quote,  “I don’t know what problem you may be  going through right now. But you may be saying to yourself “Frankly, I don’t see any way around this.  There’s no answer to it.  I can’t see the solution.  It just looks like one dead end after another.  I cannot see the solution.”  You need the Holy Spirit to enlighten your mind.  You need God to open your spiritual eyes so you can see the solution in His Word.  You need to see it from God’s point of view.   The answer may be right in front of you.”

SLOW   Other times we pray, and God does not immediately present the solution.  Other times, we pray and God calls us to trust Him, and to wait, until the solution is revealed in the future. This happened to me this past week.  There is a problem in my family, that’s  so embarrassing because it is so trivial and childish.  But now it has blown up, and it is a complicated mess. For several weeks, I have felt frustrated, because I have prayed and not seen any solution.  So, I  stopped praying and just quietly brooded about it. 

  Well, a parishioner came to visit me and explained how he was receiving help from Jesus, who was leading him to deal with his  problem.  Suddenly, the light bulb went on in my head.   I had become so convinced that my family’s problem could not be solved, that I had  doubted God’s willingness to help.  Then   I remembered one of the memory verses for our  40 days, which I would like for you to repeat after me: Please look at  your book Marker,  week #  6,and let us read that together:  Your word is a lamp to my feet, And a light upon my path.   PAUSE So, I was reassured that God had a plan, even if I did not know what it was right then.  All I had to do was to choose to trust Him.   

Now, return to your sermon notes, verses # 5

Psalm 25:9 “He guides [and that’s what you need.  You need guidance this week] the humble [If you’ll be humble and sincerely ask God, He  will guide you] in what is right and teaches them his way.”

And let us read together verse # 6, saying, “Trust in the Lord with all your heart and lean not on your own understanding;  in all your ways acknowledge him, and he will make your paths straight.  In other words,  He’ll point you on the path to success.   PAUSE

Right now, I wonder if there is a problem that you are facing, for which you do not have the answer?

·       I wonder if you need to ask God for help, with the understanding that you are important to him and that if Ask, He will help, as he promises in His Word?

 Today, we are not just going to be hearers of the Word, but doers of the word.  Instead of affirming our faith by reciting the creed, today you will have a chance to affirm your faith by asking God for illumination. Right now,  I invite you to pray about a problem or yours, or of someone you know. We are going to pray that Christ will shine  His light of hope into that problem, so that you can see a path forward…to  lead us to resolve the problems that can be resolved, to make peace with problems never be resolve,  and for the wisdom to know the difference.  Once we begin, you ask God for help either aloud or silently.  The benefit of doing it aloud is that everyone else in the room can affirm your prayer as we pray it with you.   Also, if you would like to receive the comfort of praying with our Healing Team, they will be by the rocking chair, ready to pray with you from now through the Peace.

So, now, let us begin.  Pls bow your heads for a word of prayer: PAUSE.    Father God, your word says that we are important to you, and we are growing to know that to be true. And if we are important to you, then our problems are important to you, too. Now, inspire us to give you one problem, asking for your illumination, which you will give in your own precious time:

40 DAYS IN THE WORD WEEK 2

HOW THE BIBLE CHANGES US

By John Donnelly for CCQF, utilizing material from Rick Warren

I want to welcome everybody to week two of 40 Days in the Word.  This weekend I want us to look at the theme of How the Bible Changes Us, and the changes that are for the good.

The Bible is unlike any other book.  That’s why we call it the Holy Bible.   It has a power, a supernatural power in it, that no other book has, to change lives.   You see the Bible according to the Lord, is God-breathed.  The reason why the Bible has the power to change our lives is because it’s not just words in print. It’s not just human ideas.  It’s not just pop psychology.  It is the Word of God.

The Word of God is the most powerful thing in the universe.  In fact, the Bible says the entire universe was created by the Word of God.  God spoke it into existence.    God speaks and it happens!   So the Word of God spoke.  The Bible as God said, please repeat after me,  “Let there be light,” and then the light appeared.  God said, Let there be this and bam, there’s that.  Over and over.  God speaks life into people.   You see for God, his words and actions are intimately connected.  When Jesus was walking on the planet two thousand years ago he brought people back to life simply by his Word.  These were widely seen miracles not attested to by two or three people but four, five hundred people at a time. 

I don’t have a power like that.  You don’t have a power like that because we’re not God. But the power of God’s Word is that God can create things and bring them into existence.  That’s enormous power.

So if God can do that, then God’s Word can change our reality, too. 

·       If you have sinned, God’s Word  proclaims through his word that you are forgiven.

·       If you are sad, God’s Word proclaims that he will comfort you.

·       If you are angry, God’s Word of peace can liberate you.

Jesus said that his words were more than just words, they were spirit and life.  The Bible says this in John 6:63 “The words I have spoken to you are spirit and they are life.”  In other words Jesus says, when I talk it’s not just words.  We’re talking about spiritual power. 

1.    The first way that God’s Word changes me is it recreates my life.

God’s Word can recreate my life.  What does that mean?  It means when my life is falling apart, when my life has gone to the dogs, when my life is… I feel like it’s at the end of the rope, God comes in and recreates my life.  He gives me a whole new life.  He gives me a fresh start. He lets me begin again. 

I saw the power of God’s Word creating new life in a grieving couple, who found Christ’s love is this past week at Christ Church Quaker Farms.  As most of you know, this couple lost their  3 yr. old -daughter, Lily, in  an irresponsibly  reckless and unnecessary care accident that occurred on the road in front of our church.

Early this week, I visited with the parents, whom I had never met before. As you can imagine, their hearts were shattered like broken glass, shattering across the floor.  Hearts broken in pieces too numerous to count, resulting in an unending flood of tears and sorrow. Likewise, everybody who heard the news reacted with horror and sorrow.

·       As did Leigh Brooks and Anne Marie Sharon of this parish.  The 2 of them wondered how they might help the parents, whom they did not know.  So at that moment, they decided to be doers of the word of God.  The operative verse here is Micah 6:8, which I would like for you to repeat after me, “What does God  require of you…….

  So, Anne Marie & Leigh decide to love mercy.  They chose to  make heart shaped memorial pins. The next 2 days, a couple dozen of their friends joined them here at church, where together,  they made 650 of them.

·       Next, once Marilyn Stebar learned that  the child’s funeral was going to be here, she decided to love mercy by hosting a reception for the grieving family and their friends.  And then, lo and behold, dozens and dozens of people joined her in making food donations, decorations, and more.

·       Next, as we were preparing to receive the little girl’s casket for the funeral, we encountered the big problem.  Normally at a funeral, the casket is covered by a pall, which is like a beautiful ornate blanket.  However, all of our palls were made for adult caskets.  If they were to be used to cover the little girl’s casket, it would look like she had been covered in a circus tent.  So, upon hearing the problem, Wanda falconer went home and made a beautiful child sized pall, one which we hope never to use again. But Wanda acted upon God’s Word to do mercy, too.

Then meanwhile another couple dozen folks volunteered to help out with the service by ushering, assisting with parking, and serving in the worship and at the reception.

So, meanwhile, I met with the parents and I told them how our church and community had rallied behind them, and they both were speechless…overcome this emotional sense of blessing and love from people they did not even know. Jon, the father fell to his knees, choked up with by this outpouring of love and affection. Then, he begged me to tell all of you just how touched they were by our support and care for them, and care for their late daughter.  There broken hearts were changed because so many of us chose to be doers of the word, and not just hearers. Bible is often compared to a seed. . It’s like a seed planted in your life.  Once it takes root in your heart it begins to sprout and it begins to grow and then it begins to bear fruit.  Then you see all these changes for the good in your life.

The Word of God is not just words.  It is alive. The living and enduring Word of God.  So we, as James says, “Humbly accept the Word planted in you which can save you.”

So it starts off by recreating my life.  But it’s got a lot more to do than that.

2.    It activates my spiritual growth

Learning, loving, and living the Word of God is so important because it gives me confidence. 

You know what I’ve discovered today?  Most people are not confident.  Most people are not courageous.  Most people are flat out scared to death. They’re afraid to take risks.  They have a fear of failure.  They’re afraid of dying.  They’re filled with all kinds of fears.  They’re not walking confidently because they’re not people of faith.

Faith is Word activated.  The Bible says this, Romans 10:17, “Faith comes from hearing the message, and the message is heard through the Word of Christ.” 

.  If you’ve ever been in a service where I or some other pastor was teaching or you’ve been in a Bible study and you heard the Word of God and all of a sudden you thought, “I can do this!  I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me!”  You just had your faith activated by the Word of God.

But the power of God’s Word not only tells what to do but it gives you the power to do it.  And it increases your faith.  And as you grow in faith through reading, hearing, and living God’s Word, you will begin to discover that the purpose of the Bible is to help you live out the purpose God has for your life. That you will be thoroughly equipped, that you will have all you need, you’ll be fully prepared, you’re ready to face life and you’re not insufficient for life.  You’ve got everything you need to take on life.  And he says the way God gets you ready for life, the way God gets you ready for his purpose is through the Bible.  And the Bible does four things.  He says it’s for teaching and rebuking and correcting and training.

Let me explain that in a little different way. Looking to your sermon insert, it says __________ is God showing me the path to walk on.  God’s Word, as in Jeremiah, says this.  Please repeat after me, “I know the plans that I have for you, says the Lord.  Plans not to harm you, but to give you a hope and a future.”  So God’s word says that He has plans for us to have a full, rich, and joyful life.

          Next ___________ is when God shows me how I got off the path, and I’m now in the ditch. That’s called rebuking.  So, the other night I was plotting revenge against someone, outside this church, who had hurt me.  Then, I remembered the Lord’s prayer: Forgive us our trespasses, as we forgive those who trespass against us.”  At that moment, I decided to obey God’s Word, and then I prayed for the strength to forgive.”

          Correcting is how I get back on the path, the right path for life, for my life.

          And training is how I stay on the path and don’t fall off in the ditch again.

Previously, I have told you of the many dangerous paths that I took as a young man. After I had fallen in the ditch, I turned to God’s word to discover my life’s purpose.  In that way, to paraphrase Psalm 119, God’s Word was lamp upon my feet, and a light upon my path.”    Verse says, “Let the word of Christ, dwell I you richly.” By continuing to grow in God’s Word, I have fallen into much shallower ditches, from which God & I have quickly extracted me, to continue on the path that He has set for me.

That’s what those four things are.  Let me say it again. Conclude by saying this…… The Word of God is profitable for teaching, rebuking, correcting and training in 

40 DAYS IN THE WORD "How can we trust the Word of God? Week 1

Sermon by Rick Warren as abridged and adapted for CCQF

Today we begin our 6 week sermon series on “40 Days in the Word.”   Over the next 6 weeks, you will grow to learn the word of God like never before, love the word of God like never before, and live the word of God like never before.   Today we are going to  learn to love the word of God because God’s Word is trustworthy & true.

Now as an example, let’s look at this tractor over here.  This is a used tractor that I am interested in purchasing.  The salesman says that this tractor is a great deal, and it would serve me for many years to come.  But , how can I trust Him?  (Questions—wait)

·       History—track fax

·       Consistency—Does it actually do what the instructions claim that it will do?

                    //Test it.

·       Expert Opinion—Brand?  , Mechanic Check It Out.

Well, in a similar fashion, we can test the Bible to determine if it  is trust worthy.  So, why can we trust the Bible?

1.    The Bible is historically accurate.

So how do we know that the Bible is historically accurate?  By the same way you know that any other history is accurate.  You just go by the test of good history. 

For instance, one of the ways you test good history is, is it from eyewitness accounts?  An historian would say is this written down by somebody who saw it or is it second hand or third hand, or is it a legend written down a hundred years later?

The Bible is primarily eyewitness accounts.  That’s why it’s good history.  Moses was there when the Red Sea split.  Joshua was there when the walls of Jericho fell.  The disciples of Jesus sat in the upper room and saw the resurrected Jesus appear and then they wrote down what happened and we read about it.  So its eyewitness accounts of what had happened.

Another proof is in archeology.  You look at archeology and it proves again and again that the places and the people, all that the Bible talks about are true.  It’s not fiction.  You can go find these places.  We’ve dug up these places.  I was privileged to visit the Pool of Siloam where the blind man was healed.

One place that the Bible describes where Jesus ministered was his home town, Capernaum by the sea. For hundreds and hundreds of years skeptics said that this town was make-believe, because no archeologists   had ever found it.   30 years ago, they found it.  An ancient buried, beautiful ruined village located just where it is described in the Bible.  This is just one of hundreds of such stories.

2. We know we can trust the Bible because it is prophetically accurate.

What does that mean?  It means that the predictions in the Bible always come true.

There are over three hundred prophecies in the Bible about Jesus, the Messiah, up to a thousand years before he was born.  And over a thousand year period, three hundred prophecies said things like, This is when he’ll be born, this is where he’ll be born, this is how he’ll be born. 

.  This is how he’ll die, the manner he’ll die, and what he’ll die from.  Over three hundred prophecies, all of which were proven by Jesus’ life.

What are the odds of me making three hundred predictions about you and every one of them coming true?  The odds are so astronomical you couldn’t write that number down.  It takes more faith to believe it was all just a coincidence than to believe that God planned it.  It takes enormous faith to believe it’s all just random, that it all just happened, without a designer, without a creator.  A thousand years before Jesus came and died on the cross, David in one of his psalms describes what death by crucifixion is like.  He didn’t use the word “crucifixion” because nobody knew that word.  But a thousand years before the Romans are even thinking of crucifixion, David describes what the death of crucifixion was like.  How did he know that?  Only God could have told him.

2.    The third way I can trust the Bible is because of expert opinion.  Now, I’m not talking about scholars, theologians, or seminary professors.  I am talking of the one true expert whose opinion matters more of than everyone else combined. 

Jesus trusted the Bible. You may have heard somebody say, you may have even thought, “I trust what Jesus said, I’m just not so sure about those other guys.”  Here’s the challenge to that: Jesus trusted the rest of the Bible.  So if I trust Jesus then I have to trust the rest of the Bible, because Jesus trusted the rest of the Bible.  Jesus proclaimed the Bible as a unique book above all others.

Matthew 5:18, Jesus speaks about this.  Pls repeat after me: “I’ll tell you the truth,/ until heaven and earth disappear/, not the smallest letter,/ not the least stroke of a pen/ will disappear from the Word,/ until everything is accomplished!”

Jesus looks at the Bible and says, it’s going to last until the end of time.  It’s going to accomplish what God wants to accomplish in this world.  In John 10:35 Jesus said “Scripture is always true.”  Jesus proclaimed the truth of the Bible.  And when Jesus talks about the truth of the Bible, I’ve got to listen to that in my own life. 

When Jesus talks about the Bible, he doesn’t just talk about poetry and history.  He talks about it as something that is life changing.  Luke 11:28 here’s what Jesus had e true expert to say: “Blessed rather are those who hear the word of God and obey it.”  Do it.  In other words, trust the bible and be doers of the Bible.

Jesus, as he talked about the Bible, he talked about it as a real book, talking about real people, and real places by a real God who’s really at work in our lives.

Just a real quick list of some of the people and places that the Bible talks about as real and Jesus also confirmed as he taught that were real. 

Jesus believed in the prophets.  He talked about all the prophets being real.  He talked about Daniel being real.  Jesus believed in Noah, everything that happened with the flood.  He  speaks about  in Adam and Eve.  Jesus believed in the tragedy of Sodom and Gomorrah and what happened there.  He taught on that.  For example, He believed  in Jonah, who was swallowed by the whale..

Jesus believed they really happened.  In fact he used this story as  an illustration of what was going to happen in his resurrection.  If Jesus really believed in Jonah, I believe it happened.  I don’t know how God created a fish that could swallow a guy, but he did.  I trust in it because Jesus trusted in it. 

It sort of makes me smile when two thousand or three or four thousand years later we look back at the Bible and go, “I’m going to trust that part and I’m not going to trust that part.  Based on my subjective or emotional feelings, I’m going to accept that part and I’m not going to accept that part.”  Jesus trusted it.  Jesus trusted it, so we can choose to trust it.

In so doing, we receive immediate benefits.