We are coming up to August, the back side of summer. Many families are gearing up to get their kids ready for the new school year. A few of our families are heading out to enjoy a short time for vacation. And there are some of our families still looking for work, and the utility bills are the highest they have been all year. We have been able to help out many families so far this year, not only with food boxes, but with some finances as well.

In the midst of all the challenges individually, as a family and as a church body, we all must remember what the Apostle Paul wrote in Philippians 4:6-7 “Be anxious for nothing, but in everything by prayer and supplication, with thanksgiving, let your requests be made known to God; and the peace of God, which surpasses all understanding, will guard your hearts and minds through Christ Jesus.”

We have secured a venue for our upcoming Married’s Retreat. The theme for this retreat is REFRESH!. On Fri., Aug. 27 – Sat. Aug. 28 we will be meeting at the Embassy Suites Resort south of Paradise Valley Mall. This will be our only Married’s Retreat this year.  It begins at 7 pm on Friday night and goes through Saturday at 3 pm.

The cost is $150 per couple which includes your suite for the night, full breakfast and lunch and three sessions: TRUE SOUL MATES; TRUE COMPANIONSHIP; TRUE COMMITMENT; these will be taught by myself and Pastor Jesse. Friday night dinner will be your responsibility. There are many restaurants nearby the resort.

I would like to suggest a project for you as a couple: put together a yard sale and see how much of this cost you can come up with so it doesn’t tax your budget. If you have a little to start with, go ahead, sign up and put it down as a deposit. We have secured 20 rooms so far, so we quickly need to get an estimate of how many couples would like to be a part of this retreat. If you cannot go but would like to offset the costs for another couple who may be having financial difficulties, let the person at the sign up table know.

On another note, I want to thank you all for your continued support and attendance during the Sundays I have been gone, helping other pastors throughout AZ and in Oregon. Pastor Jesse has done a wonderful job of feeding the sheep here at Calvary in my absence. Pastor Jesse will continue teaching the Wednesday night SANCTUS worship service. I am also going to be leading the worship team at least two Wednesday nights a month here at Calvary.

Please be in prayer over our children’s ministry. We are in need of teachers, helpers and coordinators to serve the many children of our congregation. The previous teachers and helpers are doing a great job, but we want to give them the opportunity to take a break. We offer training and materials for those of you who would like to step up to this opportunity; all that is needed is a heart to love them and teach them at their age level. The new quarter begins in September. We ask for a 13 week commitment and do require background checks for the safety and security of our children. Call Pastor Chris at the church office for more information: 602.992.6922

Looking forward to all that Jesus wants to do in us, through us and around us in the coming months, should He tarry.

Pastor Bob Claycamp

****** HOT OFF THE PRESS! ******

1.)  GOOD FRIDAY SERVICE:

We are going to have a GOOD FRIDAY service on Friday night, April 2 at 6:30 pm. It will be a time to have your children with you in the sanctuary and remember what Christ Jesus has done for us on the cross. The service will last an hour and we will have nursery care up to 3 years old. If any of you would be willing to help in the nursery that evening we could use your one-time help. We will also need ushers and greeters for that night.

2.)  We are going to have a SUNRISE SERVICE EASTER MORNING!

This special Resurrection Day service will be held outside in front of the sanctuary at 6:30 AM. We will have coffee and water available (maybe some snacks as well). The service will last an hour. We WILL NOT be having any childcare for the sunrise service. If you would like to be on the set up team to put out the chairs and the portable sound system, please contact PASTOR JESSE at the church office. We will still have both of our regular services at 9:00 AM and 10:45 AM.

3.)  WEDNESDAY NIGHT BBQ’S STARTING AGAIN MARCH 24TH!

We are starting up our weekly spring BBQ’s before the Wednesday night service. The time will be 5:30 pm – 6:30 pm. Sign up in the foyer to let us know how many hamburgers and/or hot dogs you will be wanting for dinner. There will be other food items as well. Remember it is offered on a donation basis per person. If you would like to be on the serving team, the clean up team or the cooking team, put that down on the sign up sheet and/or contact PASTOR JESSE at the church office.

***** AND NOW BACK TO OUR REGULARLY SCHEDULED PROGRAM *****

There are several new families that have begun to make our church their home church. It is important for all of us to remember what it was like for us when we first came here. Don’t be shy about asking if someone unfamiliar to you is new to Calvary. That is the only way to know how to best minister to one another. Just go for it!

With these two new services around Resurrection Day celebration, it opens up a great opportunity to invite coworkers, neighbors and friends to attend. Offer to pick them up and bring them to church if you can. This might be the open door God uses to begin new life in Christ to them!

I want to personally thank all of you who have been praying for God’s grace in my going out more often to minister to different congregations around Arizona. It seems from the feedback of those pastors that God is really using it. This is part of your fruit. Pastor Jesse has been doing a great job feeding you from the Word on Wednesday nights and on the occasional Sunday mornings. Please continue to keep this new venture of outreach in your prayers.

The Wednesday night series I did last fall entitled WHAT’S LOVE GOT TO DO WITH IT? has finally been put into manuscript form. We are going through some editing of the book and giving it the title of TRUE LOVE BEGINS WITH GOD. This is an in-depth look at 1 Cor. 13. Lord willing, it will be done and published by the end of summer.

Thanks for your prayers concerning the paving of our parking lot. We received a special bid (below $3000) that blew away the previous bids ($7000). We had the money in savings and went for it. They did a great job!

Remember that April 3rd, Saturday morning, is our next church work day to clean up the campus. This will be especially important since the next day is Resurrection Sunday and there will be many more visitors on the campus. The sign up sheet will be available on the counter in the foyer.

Let’s keep the main thing the main thing! The main thing is JESUS!

Pastor Bob Claycamp

Yet His promise to us is to be WITH us, to take CARE of us, to meet every NEED as we seek first His kingdom and righteousness. May the Lord work in us to be more grateful for the little things. The sacrifice of thanksgiving is precious to Him and needful for us.

God has shown His great love toward us by sending His only begotten Son into the world. He did this so that forgiveness might be offered to those who believe on the name of His Son, Jesus. Have you received His gift of love?

Pastor Bob

As an update to my previous note, we are NOT going to cancel the LIVE feed of our services on Sunday morning and Wednesday nights. We discovered that we were still under contract with Qwest for those T1 lines for a couple of years. The cost of cancelation was not worth it at this time. So we will just continue with what’s already set up. If you have a Mac computer, you cannot view the live service even on Flip4Mac program unless you go to our website through a side Windows OS [those of you with Mac computers understand most of this ]

Pastor Bob Claycamp

“FAITH BEFORE THE FLOOD – PART 2”

Hebrews 11:7

INTRODUCTION:

I. BY FAITH NOAH PREPARED AN ARK v. 7a

A. Divinely Warned of Things Not Yet Seen

-the core of the verse reads, “By faith Noah…prepared an ark for the saving of his household…”

-God first gave the warning to Noah before he acted; His word first came to Noah; then faith came into Noah’s heart, a kind of faith which led to action

-this is the way it always is with God: the revelation of His word and will leads to changes in the heart

-it is interesting how the Holy Spirit of God uses the word of the Lord; the truth of the word of God is like light shining upon the darkness of the heart of man

-we are told in Rom. 10:17 that faith comes by hearing, and hearing by the word of God

-this principle still is valid today; the Holy Spirit begins to stir the hearts of people to seek the Lord God, and the word of God is used by Him with the same results

-this happened with all of us here today who have accepted Christ as our Savior

-and it continues to happen with us as the Spirit of God continues to lead us to follow Jesus in every arena of our lives

-so, what was going on in Noah’s life before that warning came to him?

Gen 6:9-10

9 This is the genealogy of Noah. Noah was a just man, perfect in his generations. Noah walked with God. 10 And Noah begot three sons: Shem, Ham, and Japheth.

-Noah wasn’t considered perfect or righteous because of his works; his works were the result of his faith, by which he was considered righteous

-we mentioned last week that there were only two men in Scripture of which is was written that they ‘walked with God’: Enoch and Noah

-Enoch was Noah’s great-grandfather; Enoch passed down his faith to his son, Methuselah; Methuselah passed it down to Lamech, and Lamech to Noah

-what was the spiritual condition of the world during Noah’s day?

Gen 6:5 Then the Lord* saw that the wickedness of man was great in the earth, and that every intent of the thoughts of his heart was only evil continually. NKJV

Gen. 6:11-12

11 The earth also was corrupt before God, and the earth was filled with violence. 12 So God looked upon the earth, and indeed it was corrupt; for all flesh had corrupted their way on the earth. NKJV

Gen 6:3 And the Lord  said, “My Spirit shall not strive* with man forever, for he is indeed flesh; yet his days shall be one hundred and twenty years.” NKJV

-to the average guy on the street in Noah’s day all looked pretty normal and ‘business as usual’; but God saw it differently

-but they had so hardened their hearts morally and spiritually against God that they didn’t even see the danger coming round the bend

Luke 17:26-27

26 And as it was in the days of Noah, so it will be also in the days of the Son of Man: 27 They ate, they drank, they married wives, they were given in marriage, until the day that Noah entered the ark, and the flood came and destroyed them all. NKJV

-so what was the first warning God gave to Noah?

Gen 6:13-22

13 And God said to Noah, “The end of all flesh has come before Me, for the earth is filled with violence through them; and behold, I will destroy them with the earth.

14 Make yourself an ark of gopherwood; make rooms in the ark, and cover it inside and outside with pitch. 15 And this is how you shall make it: The length of the ark shall be three hundred cubits, its width fifty cubits, and its height thirty cubits. 16 You shall make a window for the ark, and you shall finish it to a cubit from above; and set the door of the ark in its side. You shall make it with lower, second, and third decks.

17 And behold, I Myself am bringing floodwaters on the earth, to destroy from under heaven all flesh in which is the breath of life; everything that is on the earth shall die. 18 But I will establish My covenant with you; and you shall go into the ark — you, your sons, your wife, and your sons’ wives with you. 19 And of every living thing of all flesh you shall bring two of every sort into the ark, to keep them alive with you; they shall be male and female. 20 Of the birds after their kind, of animals after their kind, and of every creeping thing of the earth after its kind, two of every kind will come to you to keep them alive. 21 And you shall take for yourself of all food that is eaten, and you shall gather it to yourself; and it shall be food for you and for them.”

22 Thus Noah did; according to all that God commanded him, so he did. NKJV

-it must be remembered that Noah’s sons began to be born to his wife in his 500^th year

-we know from Scripture that Japheth was the oldest, and Ham was the youngest

-but then we are told that in the 600^th year of Noah’s life the flood waters came upon the earth

-the space of the warning was 120 years; this means that Noah was given the directions to build the ark BEFORE any of his sons were born!

-Noah’s brothers and sisters wanted nothing to do with Noah’s venture in faith

-his dad, Lamech, died five years before the flood and his grandfather died the same year as when the flood began; Noah’s great-grandfather was Enoch!

B. Determined to Follow Through In Godly Fear

-follow through; this is where a lot of us fall short

-it’s not that we don’t have intentions to do what is right; it’s that we find excuses and then don’t follow through

-what kept Noah building when everyone around him thought he was nuts? he was ‘moved with godly fear’

-what this means is that he followed through in obedience in the same way Abraham did later

Rom 4:20-22

20 He did not waver at the promise of God through unbelief, but was strengthened in faith, giving glory to God, 21 and being fully convinced that what He had promised He was also able to perform. 22 And therefore “it was accounted to him for righteousness.”* NKJV

-his ‘follow through’ took over 100 years! how we can give up so easily when the going gets tough!

-how do you follow through? being moved with godly fear; if you fall, you get back up; you keep putting one foot in front of the other, even if baby steps

-Noah prepared an ark for the saving of his household; he ordered his life in such a way so as to be a godly influence upon his family

-yet even though Noah was a ‘preacher of righteousness’ as Peter wrote in his second epistle, none of his relatives responded to his testimony!

II. BY FAITH HE BECAME HEIR OF RIGHTEOUSNESS v. 7b

A. It Actually Happened as Written

-there are many that discount the record of Noah’s flood

-they say that it was at the most a localized flood; many count it as a legend intended to carry across a moral conclusion like Aesop’s fables

-but all through the history of the Hebrew people it was never viewed in this light

-and why would Jesus quote the flood of Noah as a literal event if indeed it was only a legend? the Son of God would never use a lie to communicate truth

-look at how the Amplified Bible translates the last part of Hebrews 11;7

Heb. 11:7 “…By this [his faith which relied on God] he passed judgment and sentence on the world’s unbelief and became an heir and possessor of righteousness (that relation of being right into which God puts the person who has faith).  AMP

-we tell people we love that Jesus died for their sins; we tell them that He ascended into heaven and will return to this earth in a literal fashion

-we warn them that there has been a day of judgment appointed for this earth in the very near future

-we call the people to turn from their sins and come under the blood of the Lamb of God who takes away the sins of the world

-but if they choose to remain in their unbelief, that day will surely come to pass, just as certainly as the day when the rain began

B. It is by Faith that We are Counted as Righteous Before God

-Noah’s follow through in obedience to his faith was an act that condemned the world of its ungodliness

-they laughed at him while he was building the ark; but the judgment still came

2 Peter 3:1-13

1 Beloved, I now write to you this second epistle (in both of which I stir up your pure minds by way of reminder), 2 that you may be mindful of the words which were spoken before by the holy prophets, and of the commandment of us,* the apostles of the Lord and Savior, 3 knowing this first: that scoffers will come in the last days, walking according to their own lusts, 4 and saying, “Where is the promise of His coming? For since the fathers fell asleep, all things continue as they were from the beginning of creation.” 5 For this they willfully forget: that by the word of God the heavens were of old, and the earth standing out of water and in the water, 6 by which the world that then existed perished, being flooded with water. 7 But the heavens and the earth which are now preserved by the same word, are reserved for fire until the day of judgment and perdition of ungodly men.

8 But, beloved, do not forget this one thing, that with the Lord one day is as a thousand years, and a thousand years as one day. 9 The Lord is not slack concerning His promise, as some count slackness, but is longsuffering toward us,* not willing that any should perish but that all should come to repentance.

10 But the day of the Lord will come as a thief in the night, in which the heavens will pass away with a great noise, and the elements will melt with fervent heat; both the earth and the works that are in it will be burned up.* 11 Therefore, since all these things will be dissolved, what manner of persons ought you to be in holy conduct and godliness, 12 looking for and hastening the coming of the day of God, because of which the heavens will be dissolved, being on fire, and the elements will melt with fervent heat? 13 Nevertheless we, according to His promise, look for new heavens and a new earth in which righteousness dwells. NKJV

COMMUNION

There are a few changes that will be taking place. Our office hours will go back to Monday through Friday, 9 am – 4:30 pm. My office days will be Tues-Fri., Pastor Jesse’s office days will be Mon-Thurs, Pastor Chris’ office days will be Mon-Thurs noon.

We are looking for more volunteers to help out with landscaping and maintenance of our campus. Also for those of you currently unemployed, may I suggest coming down to the church and just offering to freely serve the Lord in whatever need comes up during the week?

If you would like to be put on the emergency prayer team listserver for 2010 to faithfully pray for urgent needs that arise within our congregation, please send a note to prayer@calvarynorth.com and our host, Dale Peterson, will send you the guidelines.

In our continuing effort to work within the funds given to the work of the Lord here at Calvary, we will need to stop the Live Webcast of our services. The video of the Sunday and Wednesday services will still be available on our website, though, as will the audio of the messages.

The Women’s Bible Study will be starting back up Tuesday, Jan. 12. Jeanne Claycamp will be teaching through the Book of Ruth. The morning study with childcare begins at 9:00 am and the evening study without childcare begins at 6:30 pm. These studies will be held in the Fellowship Hall (Bldg. F).

Beginning Wed. evenings, Jan. 13 (Micah Claycamp’s birthday!), Pastor Jesse will be taking over the service. He is going to start off teaching through the Book of Jonah. Pastor Jesse is also going to be taking over the youth ministry for the next three months and working with other volunteers and leaders to prepare for a future youth pastor.

Don Hodges will be taking over the Men’s ministry and the Men’s study will start back up Thursday, Jan. 14. Dinner will begin at 6:00 pm and the study will start at 7:00 pm. The men will meet in the Fellowship Hall (Bldg. F).

We will be having a “State of the Fellowship” night on Sunday night, Jan. 31, 6:30-7:30 pm. This will be my opportunity to share how the Lord has used our church and the vision for the future. I believe this is more than a ‘business meeting’. It has to do with communicating our purpose and goal as a church in these last days.

We have many more opportunities to serve the Lord and become involved here at Calvary. Home Fellowships, Children’s ministry, Missions, Local outreaches, are just a few of them. Please check our weekly bulletin for more information.

I will be expanding my ministry to include helping out other Calvary pastors around the state this next year. I ask for your prayers as I believe I need to take my many years of ministerial experience and be more available to others in ministry positions. I also will be working on putting into book form the WHAT’S LOVE GOT TO DO WITH IT? series on 1 Corinthians 13. Also I want to give specially focused studies on marriage, household financial management, and other teachings.

I give thanks to the Lord for all the prayers you have offered up to Him in behalf of our church and for my family personally. May the Lord pour out His grace and mercy upon your lives and show you His love in fresh new ways this coming year!

Pastor Bob Claycamp

“FAITH BEFORE THE FLOOD – PART 1”

Hebrews 11:4-7

INTRODUCTION:

-the faith that we live by as believers in Christ Jesus is the same faith that every child of God has lived by since the days of Adam and Eve

-faith is not merely a New Testament concept; it is a core element of righteousness that can be seen from the beginning

-when I say ‘faith’ I am referring to a kind of belief that is all-encompassing in its nature; it is not  merely saying ‘I believe’ something exists; it is a resting upon, a complete surrender to

-millions of people every day have faith in the structure and aerodynamics of an aircraft; they put their whole life on the line every time that aircraft takes off

-to stand on the tarmac and say, “Yes, I believe it can safely transport 300 people from one destination to another,” is totally different than entering it yourself and taking off

-many people today say they believe that Jesus came to die for the sins of the whole world, that He was a great prophet and religious figure, that He should be followed

-but they are like those staying on the tarmac in our illustration; they haven’t entered the craft, the ark as it were

-true Biblical faith is a total commitment of life, heart and soul to the One who died for them and bore their sin: Jesus, the Word of God incarnate

-remember that the recipients of this epistle were Hebrew believers in Jesus as their Messiah

-they had the veil lifted from their hearts to understand that indeed Jesus of Nazareth was the promised Messiah; they had trusted Jesus for their eternal salvation

-they had stopped trusting in the sacrifices of animals and offerings to gain for them right standing before God; they now trusted in the Lamb of God, Jesus, who was righteous

-but because of the difficulties that had come their way since believing in Jesus, some of them were considering going back to the old covenant under Moses’ Law

-so the writer of Hebrews sought to reason with them and show them why the sacrifice of Jesus was greater and more worthy than anything the old system could provide

-in ch. 11 we read of many who lived under that old covenant who actually chose a higher way of life than mere outward performance of ritual

-each of them had their own testimony of a life lived out in faith; this was brought out to show that the just shall live by faith, as mentioned at the end of the previous chapter

-today we are going to consider just the first two of these examples: Abel and Enoch

-each of their lives ended differently; each of them testify of some aspect of a life of faith in the promises and person of God

-I will bring out applications to our own lives as we explore these two testimonies of faith

-read Hebrews 11:1-7; pray

I. THE FAITH OF ABEL SHOWN THROUGH WORSHIP V. 4

A. Through Faith He Offered a More Excellent Sacrifice v. 4a

-the record of Abel’s life is found in Gen. 4; here is what we read:

Gen 4:1-8

1 Now Adam knew Eve his wife, and she conceived and bore Cain, and said, “I have acquired a man from the Lord .” 2 Then she bore again, this time his brother Abel. Now Abel was a keeper of sheep, but Cain was a tiller of the ground. 3 And in the process of time it came to pass that Cain brought an offering of the fruit of the ground to the Lord . 4 Abel also brought of the firstborn of his flock and of their fat. And the Lord  respected Abel and his offering, 5 but He did not respect Cain and his offering. And Cain was very angry, and his countenance fell.

6 So the Lord  said to Cain, “Why are you angry? And why has your countenance fallen? 7 If you do well, will you not be accepted? And if you do not do well, sin lies at the door. And its desire is for you, but you should rule over it.” 8 Now Cain talked with Abel his brother;* and it came to pass, when they were in the field, that Cain rose up against Abel his brother and killed him. NKJV

-Abel’s was the first recorded sacrifice in Scripture, other than the implied sacrifice of the animal slain to provide skins for naked Adam and Eve

-when Abel offered his sacrifice as an expression of his faith in God and in the hope of a coming Redeemer, it cost him his life

-his godly act of worship brought persecution and death to him

-this still is the case with those who worship the Father and the Son in faith

2 Tim 3:12 Yes, and all who desire to live godly in Christ Jesus will suffer persecution. NKJV

Acts 14:22 strengthening the souls of the disciples, exhorting them to continue in the faith, and saying, “We must through many tribulations enter the kingdom of God.” NKJV

-living godly is different that simply identifying oneself as a Christian; living godly means that you take every arena of your life and order it in the fear of God

-doing so will eventually cause some to belittle you, to disrespect you, to mock you, to even persecute you

-it is one thing to be obnoxious and to have an ‘in-your-face’ attack mode and then cover it with ‘I’m just serving the Lord’; that will bring trouble for sure

-but to deal respectfully, lovingly, gently with others as you live out your life according to the fear of God shines God’s light upon the darkness

1 John 3:11-12

11 For this is the message that you heard from the beginning, that we should love one another, 12 not as Cain who was of the wicked one and murdered his brother. And why did he murder him? Because his works were evil and his brother’s righteous. NKJV

-Cain was religious, but not righteous; Cain brought his own efforts in fighting with the curse to produce a harvest; his was not a faith-based sacrifice

-Abel offered a sacrifice based on faith in the revelation laid out back in the garden with his parents

-Cain brought his sacrifice based on his own reasoning, showing his goodness through his efforts to be acceptable to God

-Abel was the first martyr of faith recorded in Scripture

-why was Abel’s sacrifice ‘more excellent’ than Cain’s? I believe for two reasons

-first of all the sacrifice followed revelation; secondly the sacrifice was offered in faith to the revelation

-Jesus referred to Abel in Mt. 23:35 as “righteous Abel”

B. Through Faith He Still Speaks v. 4b

-Abel’s sacrifice was an expression of hope in the Seed of the woman who would crush the head of the serpent

-how does Abel still speak? his testimony of faith pointed forward to a better sacrifice: that of the Lamb of God who takes away the sin of the world

-these Hebrew believers to whom this epistle was written were living in the fulfillment of Abel’s hope

II. THE FAITH OF ENOCH SHOWN THROUGH WALKING WITH GOD VV. 5-6

A. The Faith that Passes Death v. 5

-let’s take a look at the section of Scripture that records Enoch’s testimony

Gen 5:21-24

21 Enoch lived sixty-five years, and begot Methuselah. 22 After he begot Methuselah, Enoch walked with God three hundred years, and had sons and daughters. 23 So all the days of Enoch were three hundred and sixty-five years. 24 And Enoch walked with God; and he was not, for God took him. NKJV

-Enoch is the second example of a life of faith in Heb. 11

-with Enoch his life was not cut short by martyrdom but with rapture, a catching away to heaven, ‘God took him’

-Enoch walked with God three hundred years; what is implied in this term?

-fellowship with God; daily prayer and communion with God; bringing God into every arena of life and running all things by Him

-this term ‘walking with God’ comes from the implied desire of God at the very beginning of time when God first created Adam and Eve

Gen 3:8 And they heard the sound of the Lord God walking in the garden in the cool of the day, and Adam and his wife hid themselves from the presence of the Lord  God among the trees of the garden. NKJV

-this is still the desire of God: that we walk with Him daily; this is why the Christian life is referred to in the New Testament as a walk

- it is recorded that Enoch had sons and daughters besides Methuselah

-Methuselah was the oldest recorded living human being: 969 yrs. old–he died just before the flood came

-Methuselah lived during the building of the ark of Noah; maybe a room in the ark was being prepared for him

-what impact did Enoch have upon his sons and daughters? it must have been a pattern that affected them; but still they made their own choices of life

-the wickedness of the world was increasing at this time; Enoch’s generation included Lamech, who had married two wives and boasted of his murder

-Jesus said as it was in the days of Noah, so shall it be in the days of the coming of the Son of Man

-we are approaching those days rapidly; but before Jesus returns at His second coming, He will be coming for His church to gather her to Himself

1 Thess 4:16-18

16 For the Lord Himself will descend from heaven with a shout, with the voice of an archangel, and with the trumpet of God. And the dead in Christ will rise first. 17 Then we who are alive and remain shall be caught up together with them in the clouds to meet the Lord in the air. And thus we shall always be with the Lord. 18 Therefore comfort one another with these words. NKJV

B. The Faith that Pleases God v. 6

-pleasing God; this not only tells us that we CAN please God, it also implies that it is possible to displease Him

-whether God is pleased or displeased with an individual, He still loves them

-I want to live a life that pleases God; do I think that God will love me more if I please Him by the way that I live? no, the Scriptures tell me that’s not so

-so why should I live a life that pleases God? it centers on a loving relationship

-when a couple fall in love, they want to behave in a way that blesses the other person; to see them blessed causes blessing in the other person

-but without faith it is impossible to please God; living by faith involves risk, the risk of being wrong, the risk of having circumstances get worse because of the step you have taken

-we are told here that we must believe that He is…; this I believe is more than believing that God exists

James 2:19 You believe that there is one God. You do well. Even the demons believe — and tremble! NKJV

-believing that God is ties in with His name, Jehovah, I AM; I AM what? I AM each and every thing that you need

-not only so but we must believe that He is a rewarder what we diligently seek Him; diligence implies there are things that resist that effort

-what are some of those things? temptations, laziness, selfishness, distractions of life, cares of the world, anxieties and fears

-pressing against them in faith, holding onto the promises and the person of God is the way through it all

]]> http://www.calvarynorth.org/2009/12/25/christmas-eve-candlelight-service/feed/ 0 00:01:01 CHRISTMAS EVE CANDLELIGHT SERVICE Calvary Chapel North Phoenix Current News info@calvarynorth.com (Webmaster) no no http://www.calvarynorth.org/2009/12/20/834/ http://www.calvarynorth.org/2009/12/20/834/#comments Sun, 20 Dec 2009 21:46:03 +0000 calvary-staff http://www.calvarynorth.org/?p=834 12-20-09

“HEREIN IS LOVE…”

1 John 4:9-11

INTRODUCTION:

-at this time of year we are inundated with advertisements to show our love by getting that special gift for a family member, a friend, a co-worker

- “Why, it’s on sale,” we say, “and at half off! How can I NOT get it (even though I’m out of work, the mortgage company is foreclosing on my house, my kids are sick, and my car just blew a gasket)!”

-to many, this time of year is a real trial; the family is broken up; your spouse is no longer with you; the season seems more materialistic than ever before; depression is setting in

-it is time to take control of the season and get our eyes off ourselves and onto the ultimate, highest gift of love ever sent to us; this gift was sent by the Father in heaven

-the greatest gift that has ever come to us is a Lamb: Jesus, the Lamb of God who takes away our sin that we might be restored to full fellowship with God

-what motivated the Father and the Son to do this for us? God’s love

-on this Christmas Sunday morning, let’s consider once again this great love He has shown to us, personally and collectively, by sending us His Son to this earth

-after all, that is what we are celebrating when we say ‘Merry Christmas’, right?

-read 1 John 4:9-11; pray

I. THE MANIFESTATION OF LOVE v. 9

A. God Sent His Only Begotten Son Into the World

9 In this the love of God was manifested toward us, that God has sent His only begotten Son into the world,…

-in the epistle of 1 John the Apostle John penned the words ‘love or loves or loved’ 46 times!

-God’s love changes things; His love will change us…IF we let Him have His way with us

-what is the highest, most loving thing God could do for us? take care of our eternity!

-the Bible tells us that our sin has blocked us from a living relationship with God

-we were locked out with no way back to Him; our sin nature defiled all our efforts to reconciliation

-therefore God Himself, because of His great love wherewith He loved us, took the initiative and made the first step

-John used the word manifested, which means “to be clear or obvious to the eye or mind, to display or show by one’s acts or appearance, to demonstrate”

-in THIS the love of God was manifested, that God has sent His only begotten Son into the world

-this is the greatest manifestation of love in all of eternity

John 15:12-14

12 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. NKJV

B. God Wants Us to Live Through Him

…that we might live through Him.

-the goal of this love-expression was to give us His life as a gift

-the life that Jesus came to bring to us is called ‘resurrection life’

-the Greek word is zoe’, a quality of life that originates from heaven; when John speaks of eternal life, this is what he is referring to

-God has made it possible by means of the Holy Spirit that I can experience and partake of this life now as well as throughout all eternity

- ‘that we might live through Him’ tells me that I cannot experience this ‘life’ apart from Jesus

John 15:1-5

1 I am the true vine, and My Father is the vinedresser. 2 Every branch in Me that does not bear fruit He takes away;* and every branch that bears fruit He prunes, that it may bear more fruit. 3 You are already clean because of the word which I have spoken to you. 4 Abide in Me, and I in you. As the branch cannot bear fruit of itself, unless it abides in the vine, neither can you, unless you abide in Me.

5 “I am the vine, you are the branches. He who abides in Me, and I in him, bears much fruit; for without Me you can do nothing. NKJV

-God created us to be in fellowship with Him

-this means that the very core of our life is filled with purpose and meaning from His hand; we were created for Him, not vise-versa

-the world in its arrogance has concluded that man creates his own god or gods that he might comprehend the meaning of life

-when man creates his own god, that puts him in the position of headship

-the Bible is God’s revelation of Himself, God’s revelation of who we are and how we got there, and God’s revelation of our world condition

-we read that God created us in His image, according to His likeness

II. THE MODEL OF LOVE v. 10

A. The Role Model of Love

10 In this is love, not that we loved God, but that He loved us…

-v. 10 is where we get the title for this message, “Herein is love…”; I remember it from my first years as a believers reading only the King James Version

-the Apostle John wants us to understand that the true model of love is not found within man on his own

-in THIS is love, not that we loved God, but that He loved us

-when did He love us? when we were deep in sin; not merely because we had sin in our members, but when we were living continuously in sin

-He loved us while we were sinning against Him, against others, against ourselves

Rom 5:8 But God demonstrates His own love toward us, in that while we were still sinners, Christ died for us. NKJV

B. The Removing of Wrath for My Sake

…He loved us, and sent His Son to be the propitiation for our sins.

-here is this big word ‘propitiation’; but really there is no other word that adequately sums up what Jesus did for us by His death on the cross

-propitiation means in its literal sense to win or regain the favor, either of a god, a spirit, or a person, by doing something that pleases them

-my sin nature disqualifies me from winning or regaining the favor of God

-even if I am the best, the most moral person on the earth, my sin nature inherited from Adam defiles my best works before a holy God

-I cannot please God and be accepted of Him by my good works; my very sin nature cancels out my efforts

-therefore, because of God’s overriding love, He sent His Son Jesus to be the propitiation for our sins

-no other religion on earth has this as its foundation; no other sage, holy man, or religious leader has ever made this claim

-this is what separates Biblical Christianity from all other religions

III. THE MOTIVE FOR LOVING OTHERS v. 11

A. The Pattern We Follow

11 Beloved, if God so loved us,…

-Beloved: John uses this term of endearment nine times in his epistles

-it is usually an address just before a very important truth is presented

-it’s as if the Apostle John is grabbing us by the shoulders, looking straight into our eyes and then presenting this important truth

-the pattern for our daily lives is found in the One we follow, the One whose disciple we profess to be

-God’s love for us is the pattern we follow; His love for us while we were still in our sins; His love broke through, reached our hearts and reasoned with us

-His love pursued us through all the vanity, iniquity, impurity, disgusting behavior

-His love won us over

B. The Purpose: Love One Another

…we also ought to love one another. NKJV-

-the Son of God, Jesus, showed us what God’s love looked like in action

-if we say we are His disciple, then we must be obedient to His commands

John 13:34-35

34 A new commandment I give to you, that you love one another; as I have loved you, that you also love one another. 35 By this all will know that you are My disciples, if you have love for one another.” NKJV

-God sent His Son into this world as a gift, the ultimate gift; this is why we celebrate Christmas;

-if God so loved us while we were in sin, what makes us think that God doesn’t love us now that we are His children through faith in Christ Jesus?

-we see our failures, our attitudes, our broken commitments as reasons for Him not to love us; but this is just where we need to go back to the truth

-God loves you and His work is not done in you, upon you, around you