Today I want to look at Genesis chapter 1.And specifically I want to look at 2 doctrines introduced in Genesis 1.Genesis 1 is the creation story and in that is a story of creation AND blessing.So before we dig in to these two doctrines, what is doctrine?Well, simply put it is a ‘teaching’.Christian doctrine is the attempt to state intellectually the message of the Gospel and the content of the faith it elicits - BritannicaSo Christian Doctrine is the teachings of our faith.The first doctrine I want to look at this morning is the Doctrine of Creation.God created everything known and unknown.And this creation had a specific order of events. Let’s look at it.Day 1 -  - The earth created from a watery, formless object suspended in space; - God created light - God separated the light from the darkness (which is an indication of the earth beginning its rotation on its axis)Day 2 - - God forms the earth’s atmosphere Day 3 - - God separates the dry land and the oceans - God creates a system to water the earth - God creates vegetationDay 4 - - God places the sun - God places the moon in its orbit establishing the marking of time and seasons - God creates stars and other planetsDay 5 - - God creates the water creatures - God creates the birds of the airDay 6 - - God creates the land animals - God creates man - God creates womanNow the reason we spend time looking at the order of creation is because it has purpose.And in this purpose we see that God is a God of order and purpose.God created light first, because as we know without light life on earth will not flourish.Next God separates the light from the dark implementing the earth’s rotation,Which keeps what’s on earth, on earth…After gravity is established through the earth’s rotation, the atmosphere is created,Which is necessary for life on earth.Then the land and water are separated and a system of watering the earth is established.This is because created life on earth will need both land and water.After this, vegetation is created producing food and oxygen.The oxygen will fill the created atmosphere as a result.Now the sun and moon are placed in the correct order to establish time tracking, seasons, tides, etc.Now that all of that is in place and food and water and atmosphere are established to support life, the animals are created.Then man and woman are created to care for all of it.So we can see now that the world was created in specific order,To both establish and support life.We can also see that God created the earth to fulfill a purpose…the earth itself has a calling by God.In the very beginning of Genesis we can see that God forms the earth…Calls it to its purpose even though the earth isn’t ready or able to fulfill that purpose,But has to depend entirely on God to fulfill that purpose.Look at the similarity between God forming/calling the earth,To God calling you.When God calls you and I, it is not when we are educated enough,Or skilled enough, or talented enough.God calls us when we are formless and void in our life with Christ,Into the Kingdom of God, through God…dependent o

Wye Mills UMC Podcast

Episode 79 - Doctrine of Creation.Blessing

This morning we are going to look at Genesis 2. I wasn’t going to.I was going to skip it and go to chapter 3 because chapter 2 is a retelling of the creation account.But there is something in chapter 2 that needs to be unpacked.In verse 18 we heard this morning that God said “It is not good for man to be alone…”There is a lot in this statement and I call this the Doctrine of Togetherness.The synonyms for togetherness, according to thesaurus.com, are:affection, intimacy, closeness, friendship, fellowship, close, feeling, inseparableness…Togetherness encompasses all of these, so, the Doctrine of Togetherness.God speaks a deep lesson in this phrase.It is not good for us to be alone.God creates another human being so the first human being will not be alone.I know this verse is most often used in the context of marriage,But I believe it is much broader than that.See, God is sovereign and knew/knows what will happen in the history that is to come.And knew/knows all of this before the earth is ever created.Along with that, two human beings, male and female, goes along with God’s created order (that we talked about last week).God created the earth in such a way that is sustains itself,And with two humans that can reproduce, that creation can sustain itself,In that we will never have to be alone.The beauty of this is it wasn’t just Adam and Eve God was looking at here.God was looking at forever.God was looking to you and I.God was ensuring we (all of us; you and I; future generations),Would not be alone.When God spoke the words - It is not good for man to be alone,God was speaking for that moment and every moment to come after,From that moment until now and future moments.Can you see how wide and how deep God’s creative process is?God deals in eternity as much as God deals in right now.And when God speaks something, then we need to look to then, now, and ahead.And when we limit this verse to the context of marriage,We are missing so much of what God is doing here.Don’t hear what I am not saying here.This verse is 100% relevant to marriage,It is just not limited to marriage.We were created to be in relationship, friendship, in intimacy, in love.God created us to experience togetherness,And being alone too much will have negative effects on us.Now - being alone sometimes is a good thing because we need that reset.If there had never been any sin, we wouldn’t need that reset and could be around everybody all the time.But as it is, being alone too much is not good for us.Take stock of the times you were lonely…or maybe you’re lonely right now.Think about your emotional state during loneliness…during times you are separated from people.I know some of my lowest times were in loneliness.When I thought that I had no one.There was this feeling of no one caring enough about me to be with me.One of the loneliest times in my life (and I was surrounded by friends),Was when my best friend in high school was killed in a car accident.I was at a really low point and in fact had thought about just driving my car into oncoming traffic at full speed.I felt like I was alone in this world.The

Episode 77 - Doctrine of Togetherness

Continuing on in Genesis and looking at what doctrines are in Genesis,This morning we are going to look at Genesis 3.This is the account of the fall of man.And the most obvious thing to look at is the Doctrine of Sin,But I want to look at two other doctrines this morning;The Doctrine of Disobedience and the Doctrine of Provision.I know that disobedience and sin could be the same teaching,But I want to look specifically at disobedience because it is the base action of sin. Pride is the underlying attitude of sin and disobedience is the base action.So, the Doctrine of Disobedience - we have the serpent show up and deceive Eve and Adam.So we have here the deceiver doing what the deceiver does,And in doing so, leads Adam and Eve away from what they know is true,Or away from what they think might be true…or finding an area where they weren’t confident in the subject.Now, it is inferred here that Eve knew everything Adam knew;That God had made known everything to Eve that had been made known to Adam.And that Eve was held to the same standard as Adam.And for whatever reason, Eve falters here and presents an opening for the deceiver,And the deceiver takes full advantage.In this exchange between the deceiver and Eve in Genesis 3:1-7,We learn a critical lesson.We learn that it is important to pay attention to what God says,And to not even entertain the deceiver.If we do not pay attention to God and the deceiver comes as something or someone,More wise than God trying to tempt us away from the Truth.This leads us away from God and into disobedience.The Doctrine of Disobedience is telling us to be firmly grounded in God, lest we be led into disobedience.Now this act of disobedience is the first act we see that is contrary to God’s created order.We see throughout the story of Israel that this disobedience is repeated over and over again,And each time has grave consequences…even in forgiveness there are consequences to sin.We don’t need to look any further than Genesis 3 to see that. ***READ some of Genesis 3***Some consequences of disobedience here: - Creation is cursed- Serpent is cursed- Ground is cursed (thorns and thistles; will not easily give up its fruit)- Birth will be painful and dangerous- Man and woman will experience the need to work at relationships and how they see one another- Kicked out of the place of their creationThe Doctrine of Disobedience clearly teaches us, throughout Scripture,There are always consequences to disobedience to God.Now - Does God leave us alone in our consequences?Hallelujah! No He does not!!!Look at Genesis 3:21 ***READ***This is the Doctrine of Provision.So, here we have Adam and Eve learning the dire outcome of their disobedience,And God does what? Does God abandon them in their consequences;Wish them good luck and send them on their way?Nope.God looks at His beloved Eve and Adam and has mercy on them even in the midst of judgement.Let me say that again…God has mercy even in the midst of judgement.And in this mercy is provision (and protection, but we will get to that in chapter 4).We see that there are consequences to our disobedience,But do we realize

Episode 78 - Doctrine of Disobedience/Provision

Looking at God's reaction to Cain killing Abel

Episode 76 - Doctrine of Protection

Well - we are living in an interesting time right now.There is no shortage of opinions and commentary,On everything that is happening right now.And it is easy to get caught up in all of the misinformation,And all of the ‘shade tree medical professionals’,(Those who are  not professionals but want to tell us what and what not to do).Now I am not going to get into what we should and shouldn’t do concerning the corona virus this morning.I do have some thoughts on it, but I am not going to voice them here.I will do that outside of this virtual pulpit,Because the pulpit, wherever it is, should not be for public service announcements.It should be for the preaching of the Gospel of Jesus Christ,And that is what I am going to do this morning.In 1 Corinthians 1 this morning, you heard Kristi read that the Cross of Christ,Is foolishness to those who are headed for destruction.But to those of us who are being saved, it is the power of God!God has seen to it that the world will never know God through human wisdom.And instead uses the preaching of the foolish to save those who believe.To that I say - Praise God!Not because I am a preacher, but instead because God proves Himself in this,Because through the preaching of those who are only able to preach,Because of the foolishness of their faith,God draws people to Himself and saves them!That is foolishness to those that do not know the saving grace of Jesus Christ.But to a wretched sinner like myself, that is the most glorious thing I have ever heard.The Wisdom of God confounds those who do not know Christ as their Lord and Savior.Yet, you and I were once among them.You and I were once sinners being drawn by a loving God,Even when we didn’t know that was what was happening.God doesn’t wait for us to realize what He is doing,Before He does a thing.God’s Wisdom is to reach down and draw us to Him even while we are his enemies.And that is the message of the Cross of Christ…That while you and I were yet sinners - enemies of God - God sent His Son,Jesus Christ to live among us, to suffer in our place, to die in our place,And to defeat death and the grave and sin so that we may live with God…So that we may be resurrected with Christ, right here, right now!So that we can be made brand new,With the old sinful man gone and the new creation alive in Christ!You see, like it said in Ephesians 2 this morning,Once we were dead because of our disobedience and our many sins.Some would stop there, because the next sentence is offensive…You used to live in sin, just like the rest of the world, obeying the devil.Well, the truth is that we are for Christ, or we are against Christ.There is no middle ground.I hear people say they are riding the fence,Well I am here to tell you - the devil owns the fence.And God is calling you and I to get off that fence…trying to leave one foot in the world…And get fully committed to Christ.Now, I am not saying that we cannot enjoy all that God’s creation has to offer.What I am saying is - trying to keep that sinful heart, while at the same time trying to honor God.Church, you cannot serve two master

Episode 75 - Christ is the Gate

I know last week was Transfiguration Sunday.I know I am a week late according to our calendar of Sundays. Sorry about that.But, I do want us to see how the Transfiguration prepared Christ for what He had to do.Listen to the text of the Transfiguration…Luke 9:28-36.Jesus was discussing His exodus from this world.Which is what the Passion leads up to.So Jesus was there, with Elijah and Moses, discussing what would take place,In the upcoming days.So we know, that Jesus had a work to do.He had the work of salvation to do.And in that work of salvation, were some hard things.And Christ had to be prepared…ministered to…spoken over…equipped.Jesus invited some Disciples to go up with Him, and they fell asleep.I mean, think about what they had already witnessed.You would think that when Jesus invites just a few of them somewhere, they would pay attention.But, nope.And let’s be honest…neither would we.We would most likely be like - ‘Jesus going up to pray again’…And not think anything of it really…just like Peter, John and James.But what was happening was Jesus was being prepared for His upcoming suffering, death, and resurrection!You see, there is a lesson here for us.Jesus was about to enter into the salvation work of God,And knew He needed to be equipped.Not in oratory skills, or administration, or creativity, etc.But He needed to be equipped spiritually;Strengthened spiritually;Guided by the Father.You see, when God calls us to something, He will equip us.We may not get Elijah and Moses to meet us on the hilltop,But God will equip us.And if we move into that which God has called us without God’s equipping,Then we are working under our own resources…And that is never enough.I mean, Jesus gave us this example for a reason.Now - Jesus was transfigured…The Greek for transfiguration is metamorphoo,And means - to change after being with; changing form in keeping with inner reality.Jesus was changed in His appearance and readiness,While staying true to who He is.I love this.We think when God prepares us, or changes us,We have to get the stereotypical western Christian look, and speech patterns,And personality, and ‘fill in the blank’.When, of we look at what happened to Jesus during His equipping moment,He remained Jesus, but His preparedness for the task was in place.This is yet another example set forth for us by Christ.When you feel, or hear God speak to you to do something,Seek God for the equipping that only God can provide.What will change when God equips us is we will be more like Christ.And that brilliance of the Transfiguration will be how your spirit looks. Listen to it again…When I submitted to God and God’s call on my life,God began equipping me at an accelerated rate.And part of that was the healing of hurts, and stripping away of fears,And breaking of chains all while leaving me who I am.Not who I was…but who I am.Right - because Christ changed me from a person that knew death,To someone who is alive and learning to live as the person God created me to be.

Episode 74 - Transfiguration Equals Preparation

Lord, I Want to be Like Ananias Dane Rada 2/2/2020 When I was a kid ***tell the story of always wanting to be the Thing when playing Superheroes*** I think we all, regardless of our age, still have someone we look up to, Or hold as an inspiration. Maybe even someone we ascribe to be like. I have heard, countless times, Christians say which disciple they want to be like, Or whose faith they would like to mirror. And the disciples are indeed rocks of our faith, That we should look to be like. I mean, they spent time with Jesus, learning at His feet; They preached the Gospel of Christ in power and walked in the power of the Holy Spirit. Page 1 of 11 Lord, I Want to be Like Ananias Dane Rada 2/2/2020 And I so terribly want to do that. I, with all my heart, want to walk through this life like that... Sitting at the feet of Christ, listening, learning. And walking in the power of the Holy Spirit at all times. You know? Walking around like someone that has the Spirit of God in them. There are other giants of the faith in the Bible that people look at and think, man...I would love to be that person. Like Daniel. Daniel worshipped God, and stayed strong in His belief in God, And God saved him from the lion’s den. Page 2 of 11 Lord, I Want to be Like Ananias Dane Rada 2/2/2020 Or how about Meshach, Shadrach, and Abnedigo? They had such a faith that Christ saved them from the furnace. There are so many. There are so many faithful believers and followers of Christ. There are so many we haven’t heard of; There are so many who may only be mentioned once or twice in Scripture. But if I could say there is a person in Scripture whose faith I would like to mirror, (And I do not say this lightly, because I am not one for trying to be someone else...) It would be Ananias. We read about Ananias this morning in Acts 9. Page 3 of 11 Lord, I Want to be Like Ananias Dane Rada 2/2/2020 Listen to that passage again ***READ ACTS 9:10-19*** So what is happening here? This is just after Christ blinds Saul on the road to Damascus. Saul is a Pharisee - a very well educated Jew in the Law. Saul has been going around persecuting and killing those who follow Christ. And Christ stops him on the road one day and actually confronts Saul about this. Saul, why are you persecuting me, etc. etc. And Christ blinds Saul. Now let’s pause here for a minute. When we think of Christ operating in our lives, blinding us is never an option. Page 4 of 11 Lord, I Want to be Like Ananias Dane Rada 2/2/2020 Is it? We always think the Christ is going to do all the good things for me, And we never think Christ may actually give me a hinderance...a thorn in my side... To get my attention; to cause me to listen to Him. But look what Christ did here! Christ took Saul’s sight so Saul would stop and listen to Him. In fact, in the passage we just read, Christ tells Ananias that Saul was praying to Christ even now. We get so caught up in having an easy, trouble free life, And we make that our goal. We are missing it. Page 5 of 11 Lord, I Want to be Like Ananias Dane Rada 2/2/2020 That is not the goal. That is not the end game. A trouble free life is nice and comfortable, but it isn’t necessarily what Christ has planned for me. Amen? Jesus suffered and bled and died for me, and tells me in His Word that I will have trouble in this lif

Episode 70 - Lord I Want to be Like Ananias

We are about to enter into the season of Lent. Next Sunday is the first Sunday in Lent,And next Sunday we will talk about what that means from a Biblical perspective…Not a worldly perspective.And to prepare for this upcoming season of Lent, i want to look at God’s Saving Grace.And I want to start by looking at the Ten Commandments.Let’s dig in.The 10 Commandments…the Law of God.Where is the grace in the Law?Well, we heard in our reading this morning these Ten Commandments,And it would seem there is no grace in there.Just a list of what, and what not, to do.And that is true on the surface.Now, I am not going to go through each commandment this morning.Instead I want to look at the Spirit of the Law.What is the purpose of the Law?It is to show us our need for God’s Great Grace.We can’t live up to the letter of this Law.Let me ask you something…Have you ever lied?Then you are a liar.Have you ever stolen anything?Then you are a thief.Have you ever gossiped or been involved in rumors?Then you have borne false witness.Have you ever not honored your parents?Have you ever misused the Name of the Lord?You get the point?You and I cannot, and have not, lived up to the letter of the Law.We are sinners.And in the presence of a Holy and Just God, we cannot stand.Because of God being Holy and Just and Omniscient,God knows we cannot live up to the letter of the Law.Then why give it to us?Well, because without God’s Law, we sinners do not know we have sinned.Without something to measure against, we cannot know where we stand.And this Law of God is not just on a couple of tablets.It is written on our hearts and minds.You see, God has made known to each one of us the Law of God.And in this Law that is written on our hearts and minds, we find that we have a longing,To be made right with God…to worship God.We recognize there is a hole in who we are that needs to be made complete.And we will spend our lives trying to find that completeness in any variety of ways.God’s Law is in us, but to be fully realized, there is another component we need.See, this Law of God doesn’t save us, or show us grace in and of itself.Instead, it points us to Grace.The Law shows us where and why we need God’s Great Grace.It points out my need for a Savior…for Christ.Because of my sinful nature, the Law itself cannot save me.And that is why God used the Law to show my need for Him,And then gave himself TO save me!God told us, ‘here is what is required, and you cannot meet it.But do not lose hope because I have made a way for this requirement to be met!’God says to us that though we fail short, and cannot meet the Law’s requirements,He is faithful to us, even in our sin…our falling short!Hallelujah! Praise God!The Law shows us that our sinful nature leads to death, because not meeting the Law’s requirements leads to death!Our sinful nature cannot fulfill the Law, and failing to meet the Law’s requirements brings death.I hope you see the connection here.List

Episode 73 - Getting Ready for Lent

You ever hurt yourself, or get injured through the fault of someone else?Either way, you have that one part of your body that is injured and not functioning,The way it is designed to be working.And this throws off how you do things, how you get around…Like maybe you break a toe, and now you can’t walk the way your body is designed to walk.Or you have shoulder surgery and your arm now doesn’t function the way it is designed to,And this throws off the way you perform daily functions.Things you normally wouldn’t even have to think about how to do,Are now requiring actual thought and intention to accomplish.I have had multiple physical injuries…neck injury, broken foot, sprains, pulled muscles, back injury, etc.And with each one, something in my body had to compensate,For the part of my body that was injured so I could accomplish every day tasks.And that throws the whole body out of whack.Because of the inability of this part of my body to contribute,Another part of my body has to pick up the slack and do more than it is designed to do,Or do a job that is completely foreign to its design.And because of that, the body isn’t as effective as it could be,If every part was working as designed.Now, it will still function and get done what it has to do,But not as well as it otherwise could, and not as effective as it should be able to.And it isn’t just when we are physically injured.We withdraw into ourselves when we have been injured emotionally; spiritually.When our emotions and spirits and minds are injured,We think we have nothing to offer; we are not useful; we are not a loved part of the family.And that can be way more debilitating than a physical injury.A physical injury will heal, or the body will adapt in a way the still allows the body to function.When we are injured emotionally; spiritually; mentally,Our body cannot make the adjustments to adapt.We cannot not physically heal an injury of that depth.It isn’t a ‘rub some dirt in it’ kind of injury where you can just ‘walk it off’.The emotional; spiritual; mental injury is by far the more devastating injury,When it comes to the Body of Christ.It can be hidden, yet still be broken…we can be broken and no one can see it.But inside we are shredded.And that is not only devastating to the person,But it is a real blow to the Body of Christ as a whole.You see, the Body of Christ needs all of us to be what we are created to be.Now that being said, just like the human body,The Body of Christ can heal itself through Jesus Christ and the Holy Spirit.Just like our body can mend itself with help from doctors,The Body of Christ can mend itself with help from Christ.By that I do not mean the Body of Christ can do it on our own.What I mean is that through our dependance on Christ, we can be healed.Now - Let’s look at our little part of the Body of Christ here in Wye Mills.All the folks in here are important parts of the Body of Christ.We have folks that love through food. - Expand on this (cooking for those who can’t; participating in Neighborhood table, etc.)We have folks that love through making things. - Expand on this (making blankets and giving them away, etc)

Episode 71 - Members of the Body

***Old cheesy martial arts movies******My favorite was Bruce Lee******Saw a documentary on Bruce Lee discussing his fighting style - Be like water***Ok Dane, how does that pertain to this morning’s Scripture lesson?Well, water takes the form of whatever it is poured into…Its shape and boundaries are defined by whatever vessel it is in.And depending on angles and gravity and other factors,The water can sit dormant, or it can move.When water sits dormant, it becomes stagnant and begins to stink and become good for nothing.But when water is moving, or being consumed by something,Then it is good for something.Now water can also be a powerful force when moved by the right circumstance.When there is a raging river, or a storm, or something happens in the ocean,Or closer to home - when it is pumped through a hose…I saw a video this week about a water drill and this thing was impressive.By using a high pressure jet of water it was cutting through steel like it was butter.So water, when calm and unmoving, is harmless,But when acted on by an external force is powerful.Now, with all of that in mind, let’s look at our lives…In particular, our spiritual lives.You see, in Romans 12 Paul exhorts us to not be conformed to the world any longer…What does that mean; to be conformed to the world?It means do not think or act the way you did before knowing Christ.See, before knowing Christ, the way we handle things,The way we perceive things, what way we treat our relationships,The things we put our hope in, the way we trust, the way we love,The way we see money, the way we use our money,It should all be different from how the world operates.“The world” here, is not God’s creation; is not the things in the world we enjoy,Like food, or technology, or entertainment, etc.Now some of this will change when we know Christ because our world view changes.We no longer look to these things for our worth, or our purpose.Instead we see them for what they are, nothing more.Food, technology, entertainment, money, etc. - these things cannot define us,Or be our driving force when we know Christ, but the “world” being spoken of here,Is deeper than these things, even though these things are included.See, the “world” here in this statement is the underlying way of thinking,The underlying spirit of the world.Looking out for me first.Keeping all I can because the one who dies with the most, wins.Using others to get ahead in life.When we speak of the world we are talking about a way of thinking,That divides and that has a 100% me first attitude.One that looks at others to determine where they fall short so I can feel better about myself.And Paul is admonishing us - those of us who know Christ - to not conform to this.But instead, be transformed by a renewing of our mind.See, following Christ is first and foremost a spiritual pursuit,But it is one that also includes our mind and logic.And we are to seek God’s Word and seek God in prayer,So that we know what this looks like.When we surrender our lives…ourselves…to Christ, we are given a new heart,We are forgiven and redeemed, and

Episode 72 - Be Like Water

Today I want to take a look at persistence, and in particular,Persistence in our faith; our walk with Christ.We live in a time of instant gratification that is unrivaled historically.We have information at our fingertips;We have cell phones that are more powerful than the first computers,And on them we can access any data and information we want.And we can have access to it in seconds.We don’t have to wait for hardly anything,And we don’t like it when we do.With all of this information and data and things to aid in our decision making,So readily available at a moments notice.With one search we can get millions of places on the internet that can answer our request.And this kind of access to information can be a really good thing.But one thing we don’t have to do is persist to find our answer.I mean, if I ask Siri to find something on the internet for me, she can do it and I only have to ask once.So when it comes to having to be persistent in something,We have gotten to the place where we might just give up,Rather than having to keep after it.Do you remember anything in your life you have had to be persistent about?***Tell the story of the year it took to get the job in Nashville***Persistence…it pays off.Now, the Bible has a lot to say on the topic.The three Scripture passages this morning each have to do with being persistent.Hosea, chapter 6 verse 3 reads:Oh, that we might know the Lord!    Let us press on to know him.He will respond to us as surely as the arrival of dawn    or the coming of rains in early spring.”“Let us press on to know Him”…What does this look like; Pressing on to know God?Well, have you ever read a passage of Scripture and thought - I have no idea what that means;Or - I have no idea how to apply that to my life?Well, pressing on in this would be to keep reading it; pray about it;Study it; write your thoughts down about it; read it again…Rinse and repeat.Seek advice and counsel about it from someone you trust in the faith.in pressing on to get to know God, you have to be persistent in your prayer…You need to seek God in the area you have questions,And to not be satisfied with anything other than God’s very own revelation to you.***Tell the story of Kenny being baptized in the Holy Spirit***Persistence, when spent in relation to God, will NEVER leave you wanting…Hebrews 12:1 Therefore, since we are surrounded by such a huge crowd of witnesses to the life of faith, let us strip off every weight that slows us down, especially the sin that so easily trips us up. And let us run with endurance the race God has set before us. “And run with endurance the race God has set before us”Now, how do you run a race with endurance?First thing is training.You practice running and running and weight training and proper diet and rest.Right?You go about it with a disciplined mindset that prepares for the obstacles to come in this training.When you are training for that race,You approach everything you do in your training with the race in mind.You are not pulled this way or that, instead you are focused on your

Episode 69 - Persistence

A couple of weeks ago we talked about Christ’s peace,And what it means for us to have Christ’s peace with/in/for us.This week I want to look at fear.What is fear?Fear is defined as an unpleasant emotion caused by the threat of danger, pain or harm;A feeling of anxiety regarding the likelihood of something.Now - knowing the definition of fear, let’s look at Romans 8:15 ***READ***Do you hear that?!We did not receive a spirit that makes us fearful slaves to sin!Well, what spirit did we receive then?According to Romans 8:15, we received the Holy Spirit.It says that we did not receive a spirit (lower case s) of fear,But instead, we received the Spirit of adoption (Spirit with a capitol S)…the Holy Spirit.The Spirit of God.Oh Church, this is about to get good.We received the Holy Spirit of God.Well, that’s great and all, but how does that relieve our fear?Where does our fear stem from?I mean as someone who knows right from wrong;As someone who is a rational human being;As someone who has been through some ups and downs and come out ok…Where does our fear come from?Well, what kind of fears are we talking about here, right?I am talking about fear of the future; fear of tomorrow; fear of failing;Fear of walking through a door we WANT to walk through…Fear that we will not do the right thing;Fear that God will be disappointed with me if I choose “wrong”;Fear of the immediacy of life and decision we think need to made right now;I am talking about deep seated fears that ultimately come from being deceived in the Garden of Eden.I am NOT talking about fear of snakes, or creepy crawlies, or clowns…I am talking about fear that hinders us everyday…The same fear that grabbed a hold of Adam and Eve.Sin brings with it fear,And for some of us, it I can be crippling to our walk with Christ.Now, the laws of God…the precepts of God…are written on our hearts and mindsJeremiah 31:33 ***READ***Now, this is for the Jews, but we see in Romans 2:14-15, that under the New Covenant (Christ),This reaches the Gentiles as well:14 (Indeed, when Gentiles, who do not have the law, do by nature things required by the law, they are a law for themselves, even though they do not have the law. 15 They show that the requirements of the law are written on their hearts, their consciences also bearing witness, and their thoughts sometimes accusing them and at other times even defending them.) So you see, these precepts of God are there, and when we are not aligned with them,There is fear in our very soul because - when we are not aligned,With the will and heart of God - we are aligned with sin.And when we are slaves to sin; when we are controlled by our sinful nature,That causes this deep seated fear that seems irrational.Listen to Romans 8:5-6***READ***You hear that?When we are dominated by our sinful nature, we think about sinful things,And that leads to death…which carries with it profound fear.Conversely, those who have submitted to the Holy Spirit,Think about the things of the Spirit…Godly things, things that please the Holy Spirit,And this leads to life and peace, which carries none of that fear with it.Now, those

Episode 68 - Fear

Episode 67 - Christ's Peace For Us

Episode 66 - Ok to Flee

Today is the fourth Sunday of Advent, and today we talk about Love.Normally, in a sermon, you build up to the main thing.But this morning, I am going to start with the main thing.1 John 4:19:We love each other because he loved us first.In fact, listen to verses 16-19 0 ***READ***Now, pair that with Jeremiah 31:31-33 ***READ***Now, listen to Hebrews 10:8-17 ***READ***Now, Jeremiah is in the Old Testament, and 1 John and Hebrews are in the New Testament.Yet they all have this in common:Jesus Christ and Jesus Christ as the New Covenant.You see, the birth of Christ is the beginning of the New Covenant,Coming to mankind.With Christ, God’s Law is written on our hearts.And what is it that God expects from us?Micah 6:8No, O people, the Lord has told you what is good,    and this is what he requires of you:to do what is right, to love mercy,    and to walk humbly with your God.And this fourth Sunday in Advent speaks of Love…And it is a Love that is from God; that is God.And you and I can love one another because Christ first Loved us!And how did He/does He do it?With the New Covenant that begins with the birth of Christ.This one act…this universe altering act of God…This one act that changes everything!There are no more Convental sacrifices;There is a revelation of the Holy Spirit and Jesus Christ!Now, we think we know what it means to love.Before we know Christ, we think we have it figured out.Let’s see, before Christ, I thought love was people doing good things for me;Giving me good things;Giving me what I want;Being what I considered nice and what I considered good.But then Jesus comes and shows me a different way…Jesus comes and shows me THE Way…Jesus comes and shows me what Love is!Jesus comes and shows me it is more about loving than it is about being loved.If we seek to be loved, then we will take almost whatever comes along.Do you understand what I am saying?I am saying that if I spend all my time looking to be loved, eventually,I will settle for something that looks like love but has its own best interest in mind.What does Jesus tell us about this?John 13:34“A new command I give you: Love one another. As I have loved you, so you must love one another”The command is not “seek love”, but rather “to love”.You see, we go around getting our feelings hurt because we expect people to love us,Which translates into us looking to be loved,Instead of looking to give love.What is God doing by the birth of Christ?Is God looking to BE loved?God is looking to SHOW His Love for us!God is looking to Love you and I.The birth of Christ is such a joyous thing because it is not a ‘what can you do for me’ event.It is a ‘I love you’ event.There are a lot of people out there that hate religion.And I 100% understand that.They hate it because religion has this ‘follow my rules, or else’,This ‘I am better than you’, and this history of violence toward those that don’t follow that religion.

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Wye Mills UMC Podcast

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