Sunday May 12, 2013, Mother’s Day: Et Tu Mommy?

Posted on May 14, 2013 by PastorAndy

May 12, 2013 – Read the Word on Worship

Mother’s Day 2013: Et Tu Mommy? from Sunrise Community Church on Vimeo.

It is very easy for many to speak in glowing terms about their mother’s especially on Mother’s Day. But what about those who see Mother’s Day as a painful reminder? How does the young woman who has had an abortion or the young man who has know idea of what a father looks like because so many men have passed through their home because his mother’s immorality celebrate Mother’s Day? Jesus offers to call everyone who believes into a new family, a closer family, than any earthly experience we may have. Join us this week as we look at Jesus teaching on who is His mother and who are His brothers and sisters from Matthew 12 verses 46 to 50.

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Matthew 12:48-50
“But Jesus answered the one who was telling Him and said, “Who is My mother and who are My brothers?” And stretching out His hand toward His disciples, He said, “Behold My mother and My brothers! “For whoever does the will of My Father who is in heaven, he is My brother and sister and mother.”

Every news story we read or see on television seems to hinge on morality. Whether the issue is over homosexual marriage, immigration reform, health care, or even taxation (even sugary drinks and obesity are now issues of morality in our state), there are denomination and special interest groups which have become very visible and very vocal in promoting their agendas. Even evangelicals have become active in proclaiming morality, patriotism, and fidelity to traditional American values. And so everyone, from the left to the right, is trying to grab the ear of a legislator to turn the morality of the nation in a direction they approve.

As Christians, we must be concerned about moral and ethical issues. God’s Word is unequivocal in its standards of righteous living, justice and social responsibility and we should reflect that same standard. But morality cannot be separated from a right relationship to God. In fact the Scriptures give us many examples of the dangers of morality separated from right relationship from God such as the Pharisees. They were committed to the highest human standard of religion and ethics and were so convinced of their self-righteousness that when God Himself lived amongst them they rejected Him and crucified Him. Their acts of morality only cleaned the outside of the cup, but never brought regeneration or redemption of the soul.

Being rightly related to Christ, however, requires more than self righteousness or a verbal promise of loyalty to God. Jesus warned the disciples in the Sermon on the Mount that “not everyone who says to Me, ‘Lord, Lord’ will enter the kingdom of heaven.” (Matthew 7:21) In fact many of these same people will point to incredible deeds and miracles they may even attribute to God. But these works of righteousness were not accompanied with a right relationship to the Lord. A saving relationship with Jesus Christ only comes from a submitting to Him and receiving the gift of salvation He offers.

Morality changes the outside of a person, in its best sense, but in some cases, it is barrier to the changes required of the heart. A right relationship with Jesus Christ brings about new life, both inside and outside. The central truth of the Scriptures is that Jesus Christ came to the earth to save sinners, which requires transformation not merely reformation. The message of the gospel, and also of the church, is not a call to clean living for the sake of morality, but a call to deliverance from sin through the atoning work of the Lord Jesus Christ.

Sunday – May 5, 2013, “Promises, Promises”

Posted on May 7, 2013 by PastorAndy

May 5, 2013 – Read the Word on Worship

Promises, Promises from Sunrise Community Church on Vimeo.

We are often told about the faithfulness of God and the promises He has made to the believer, but how certain are you about these promises made to you. It is one thing to believe these promises made to the church from a generic sense, but it is another to realize these promises were given to you. Join Elder Ken McAuley as he examines the faithfulness of God and how that is pictured in the marriage relationship from his study on Matthew 19 verese 1 to 12 and Jeremiah 6.

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Gal. 3:21-22
Is the Law then contrary to the promises of God? May it never be! For if a law had been given which was able to impart life, then righteousness would indeed have been based on law. But the Scripture has shut up everyone under sin, so that the promise by faith in Jesus Christ might be given to those who believe.

I promise. What does that mean to you? Does it have built-in conditions or provisions that one is supposed to expect? Or, is it unconditional and you intend to keep it no matter what? Usually it is something in between. You intend to keep it, but there might be circumstances that might keep you from fulfilling it. It’s like a handshake. It might mean that your word is for sure, but if it isn’t in writing, it might not hold up in court.

It seems as though we don’t care about our promises anymore unless it’s convenient. It used to be that we would fight if someone called into question something that we said. It’s sad that our word can’t be taken at face value anymore. Jesus told us that our yes should be yes and our no, no. In other words I think we should give more thought to what we say so that we don’t have to go back on our word so easily.

Our marriage vows are like that. We promise to love and to cherish, no matter what, until death. But prior to saying our vows we make prenuptial agreements that look forward to the failure of our marriage for any reason at all. What a sad commentary on today’s society. Why don’t we make plans to stay together and nurture our relationship in every possible way? If we did, our children wouldn’t have to go through counseling the rest of their lives because they imagine that somehow they were the cause of our breakup when it was only because of our own selfishness. The reasons for divorce may sound good at a given time because one or both parties have been hurt or angered, but there is nothing that can’t be remedied if divorce wasn’t so easy and commitment so weak.

What if Jesus had told His Father, God, that He didn’t want to go through the pain and suffering of the cross because we, the people whom He had created with whom to have fellowship, had no integrity? They couldn’t keep their promises so why should God keep His? His Father would have simply reminded Him that they, we, needed someone to be the example and show the way. After all, He created us, not the other way around. He promised to redeem us from death that leads to Hell, and He kept His promise even though it cost the death of His only begotten Son. Have you received the Gift that He has provided at such great cost? That is the only way to have fellowship with Him in His Heaven. We are incapable of getting to that place by our own efforts, no matter how good we are.

Sunday – April 28, 2013, “How Do You Understand Old Testament Prophecy?”

Posted on April 30, 2013 by PastorAndy

April 28, 2013 – Read the Word on Worship

How Do You Understand Old Testament Prophecy? from Sunrise Community Church on Vimeo.

Everyone seems to have a opinion when it comes to the Scripture. Depending on where they went to school or what denomination they come from, opinions run all over, especially when it comes to Old Testament prophecy. So how do you know who is right? Even more, how can you understand for yourself what oes the Bible teach? Elder Thom Rachford takes us through Zechariah 12 breaking down the text so everyone can see for themselves what God is foretelling and explains simple questions you can ask for yourself as to the meaning and the purpose of God’s plan for His people.

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II Timothy 16-17
“All Scripture is God-breathed and is useful for teaching, rebuking, correcting and training in righteousness, so that the man of God may be thoroughly equipped for every good work.”

Often we can read God’s Word and come to certain conclusions about what it says and what it means to us. The process of looking into God’s Word to reach conclusions about His plans is the natural process the Lord has set up. He has given us the inner desire to know him and he has chosen to reveal himself and His plans for us through His scripture as we spend time in it.

We know the Lord usually does not reveal everything in only one section of scripture. He usually does not outline His plan or spiritual principle by listing step one in detail, then step two in detail, step three in detail, and so on. Frequently the steps or concepts are found in various portions of scripture and the whole of scripture has to be studied to fully grasp what the Lord is saying and what he wants in response from us.

This is good. For as, humans in this time in history, we tend to want it all wrapped up in one short package that we can consume in a very short time. In His wisdom the Lord has placed portions of His plans in various places. This requires us to fully study the complete message of God if we want to understand His communications.

Sometimes we approach God’s Word with pre-conceived ideas about His plan. These ideas may come from well-meaning counselors or even false teachers who want to make their comments sound good. More often preconceived ideas come from our own desires, fears, or human “wisdom.” We like what makes us feel good or seems to be an easy way or builds up pride in our own abilities or deeds. Then it is easy to find those passages or individual scriptures that support our view or seem to support our foregone conclusions. When we don’t find specific passages to support these conclusions we may distort or misquote the scripture to make them appear to support. Once we think we have the answers, human nature prompts us to not seek any further scriptural truth about the subject. This is the way heresy, false teaching and apostasy gain prominence and control. And in turn, the heresy, false teaching, and apostasy lead further away from studying the totality of scripture. It is a downward spiral.

The antidote to the downward spiral of erroneous views or incorrect interpretation is daily study of God’s word accompanied by prayer. Daily study has some conditions. First, ask the Lord to clear away our misconceptions and to reveal His truth in the scriptures even when the revelation does not agree with what we had made up as truth in our mind. Second, the daily study must eventually include all the scriptures, even those that seem boring or dealing with Old Testament actions or less than interesting genealogies. Third, we must take God’s Word as literal unless it is clearly allegorical or symbolic. We must take scripture literally even when the scripture seems to defy the rules of nature. Our God is the creator of nature and nature’s laws and can and does overrule them when it suits His purpose. He is, after all, the God of miracles. Daily study of the Word will lead us to a right view of God, His plan for relationship with man, our salvation, growth and blessing.

Sunday – April 21, 2013, “Remember, Obey and Be Thankful”

Posted on April 22, 2013 by PastorAndy

April 21, 2013 – Read the Word on Worship

Remember, Obey and Be Thankful from Sunrise Community Church on Vimeo.

Does it seem like your walk with the Lord is a boring repetition of that actions day in and day out? It certainly must have felt that way for Israel during their 40 years in the Wilderness. For 40 years they ate the same food, worn the same clothing that did not wear out and followed the same commands of God. It was so easy for them to forget why they were doing the things they were doing. And it is the same with you and I. We fail to remember the faithfulness of God and then begin to disobey thinking all we have is from our effort and innovation only to fail to be thankful for the grace and provision of God. Join Elder Ken McAuley in this insightful journey through Deuteronomy 8 and take this important reminder to heart.

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Deuteronomy 8:1-2
“All the commandments that I am commanding you today you shall be careful to do, that you may live and multiply, and go in and possess the land which the LORD swore to give to your forefathers. “You shall remember all the way which the LORD your God has led you in the wilderness these forty years, that He might humble you, testing you, to know what was in your heart, whether you would keep His commandments or not.

God wanted to know whether or not His people would pay attention to Him. He is still doing the same thing today. He leads us into and through tough times to see if we will turn our attention to Him. He promised to lead them into a rich land full of milk and honey if they would keep His commandments. They didn’t pass the test and spent 40 years wandering around in the wilderness. He used those 40 years to try to get their attention so that they would teach their children to do what they refused to do, trust in the Lord their God.

How many years will it take the Lord our God to get our attention as He takes us through rough places in our lives until we realize that we can’t always do on our own what it takes to provide for our families, make our business successful, win that tournament, etc. Sometimes even our friends can’t help. He only wants us to acknowledge Him so that He can give us His blessing. It may not be what we want and how we want it, but it will be better than we could have imagined in the long run.

God provided water out of a rock (unexpected), clothing that did not wear out (unexpected), manna and quail for food (unexpected). What do you suppose He could do for you in your circumstance? Does it have to be what you would expect? He doesn’t have to operate within the box. All He wants you to do is keep His commandments. Jesus said, “you shall love the Lord your God with all your heart, and with all your soul, and with all your mind, and with all your strength. The second is this, ‘You shall love your neighbor as yourself.’ There is no other commandment greater than these.” (Mark 12:30-31) That sums up the 10 commandments for us today if we will listen to Him.

God provided His sacrifice to provide redemption for us who don’t even know we need it. The wanderers in the wilderness needed it and offered sacrifices for their sin as the Lord their God demanded so that He could deal with them. Without those sacrifices He would not have been able to even look upon them because of His righteousness. It is the same today. We need to realize that we need salvation from the wilderness of Hell that we are doomed for if we don’t acknowledge that God has provided the only way that works for Him. And He is the God of Heaven. Jesus Christ is “the Way, the Truth, and the Life, no one comes to the Father except through Him” (John 14:6). If you can accept this, then your hope is to dwell with the Father in Heaven (our promised land) for Eternity. This message is for the people of God. Are you included?

Elder Ken McAuley

Sunday – April 14, 2013, “The Proper Wife”

Posted on April 18, 2013 by Bernie

April 14, 2013 – Read the Word on Worship

The Proper Wife from Sunrise Community Church on Vimeo.

The prophetic allegory in the Old Testament illuminates the New Testament.

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John 5:39-40
You search the Scriptures because you think that in them you have eternal life; it is these that testify about Me;and you are unwilling to come to Me so that you may have life.

As the speaker, Jesus is referring to what we now call the Old Testament. Today, many assume that because we have a New Testament that the Old one is nullified or at best a historic curiosity and at worst a mythical depiction of a vengeful, almost sadistic God. Indeed, there are Christian groups and denominations that say they would not follow or want a God who would tell the Jews to slaughter the inhabitants of the land of Canaan. They only want a God of LOVE. And that love is defined by their limited understanding and desires, not necessarily as defined by God and revealed in the scripture Jesus is addressing.

However, Jesus gave validity to the Old Testament. He quoted the scriptures of the Old Testament a multitude of times, referring to them as absolute truth from God the Father. The problem is not that the scriptures are out of date, as some suggest. The problem is many don’t study the Old Testament, and don’t know the scriptures well enough to see the truth clearly. What they see they discount because it does not fit their preconceived notions. Also, they believe false assessments and interpretations of those who are advancing another gospel cleverly disguised as truth by their language or sincerity. The truth is that God the Father has revealed his plan for man’s salvation throughout the Old Testament.

This revelation is purposely deep enough to prevent a casual reader, curiously interested in the intellectual and informational content only, from grasping God’s deep truths. Yet, the revelation is simple enough for the sincere seeker to see the completeness and unity of God’s plan for the redemption of mankind throughout both Testaments. The plan remains unchanged from the God who is the same, yesterday, today and tomorrow. And Jesus makes it clear in John 5:39 that the scriptures testify about him – as the redeemer of mankind. As Jesus often said, “let he who has ears hear and he who has eyes see.”

Today, we have an advantage – we see the Old Testament through the magnifying glass of the New Testament. We can more easily see Jesus and his redemption through his sacrifice in the pages of the Old Testament. For example, in Isaiah 9:6,7 we see the prophesied miraculous birth of Jesus the savior and his reign as king in his kingdom forever. In Genesis Chapter 5 we see God’s complete plan of salvation of man explained by joining the root meaning of the succession of names in the chronology from Adam to Noah.

In the Genesis account of Abraham and Isaac we again see God’s salvation plan in an innocent willing to be sacrificed. Through Abraham and Isaac, we see the miraculous birth of a son, followed by a father willing to sacrifice this only son, the providing of the real sacrifice by God himself and finally the choosing of a willing and perfect bride for the son. All are prophetic allegories of the purchase of the bride of Christ for salvation and new life with him. Let he who has ears hear and he who has eyes see.

Sunday – April 7, 2013, “The Promise”

Posted on April 13, 2013 by Bernie

April 7, 2013 – Read the Word on Worship

The Promise from Sunrise Community Church on Vimeo.

We often look at the Old Testament as being a collection interesting stories of long ago. Why has the Lord included these stories in his word? What is the purpose of these stories? Are they more than just stores? How do they speak to us today? How do they reveal God’s plan?

We begin our exploration by taking a deeper look at the significance of the Old Testament stores concerning the events surrounding Abraham, the birth of his son, Isaac and the call for the sacrifice of Isaac.

Word On Worship – April 7, 2013 Download / Print

1 Samuel 18:1-4
After David had finished talking with Saul, Jonathan became one in spirit with David, and he loved him as himself. From that day Saul kept David with him and did not let him return to his father’s house. And Jonathan made a covenant with David because he loved him as himself. Jonathan took off the robe he was wearing and gave it to David, along with his tunic, and even his sword, his bow and his belt.

I do not know what David said to Saul that impressed Jonathan – his faith in God, his humble spirit or the care David had for the people of Israel; but it is clear from this point forward they were kindred spirits. We also know David and Saul will struggle for the remainder of Saul’s days. For better or for worse, Jonathan and Saul will represent the two possible responses people in Israel will have to David and his kingdom.

Jonathan provides the most excellent picture of the love that God requires of us toward His Son. This is symbolized so beautifully when Jonathan removes his robe and armor to provide them to David. Throughout the Bible, the robe is the outward representation of authority. In Genesis, it was the robe given to Joseph that symbolized his authority in Jacob’s home. Before Aaron died (Numbers 20:22-28) his priestly garments were removed so that they could be worn by his son Eliezar. Even in the gospels the woman with the issue of blood looked to just to touch the hem of Jesus robe, the symbol of his authority while he was here on earth. The offering made by Jonathan is not “above the call of duty” but rather the fulfillment of his duty.

Saul’s response to David is similar to the disciples; and sadly, of many in the church today – jealousy, competition and self-recognition. The disciples were continually looking to see who would be the greatest in the kingdom, and indignant with any other disciple that seemed to outdo them. Jesus had to continually remind them that the first will be last while the last is first and in Mark 9:35 “If anyone wants to be first, he shall be last of all and servant of all.” Saul failed to grasp this truth as well.

Today, all who are born of the Spirit are given a spiritual gift or gifts to enable them to excel in the ministry they have been called as a blessing to others in the Body of Christ. We can both rejoice in the strengths God has given to others and seek to benefit from their ministry or we can resist them with a competitive spirit. How much criticism of those serving the Lord is rooted in jealousy and envy rather than faithfulness to God and His Word? Let each one here guard against jealousy. Many wonderful things in ministry are obscured by the ugly face of jealousy because we have made ministry about how it will make us appear to the world around us.

Sunday – March 31, 2013 – Lessons from the Empty Tomb

Posted on April 4, 2013 by PastorAndy

March 31, 2013 – Read the Word on Worship

Easter 2013: Lessons from the Empty Tomb from Sunrise Community Church on Vimeo.

It is very easy to read the story of the women at the tomb of our Lord and to expect a very different message from the angels. When I consider my shortcomings and lack of faith, I hear the angels prepare a word of rebuke at why these women failed to take Jesus at His word at rising again on the third day. How many other things has Jesus spoken to us in the gospels that we acknowledge as Scripture but still fail to truly take Jesus at His word?
Join us this Resurrection Sunday at we “Learn From the Empty Tomb” lessons on taking Jesus at His word for life and living from the Gospel of John 20 verses 1 to 18.

Word On Worship – March 31, 2013 Download / Print

John 20:11-13
“But Mary was standing outside the tomb weeping; and so, as she wept, she stooped and looked into the tomb; and she saw two angels in white sitting, one at the head and one at the feet, where the body of Jesus had been lying. And they said to her, “Woman, why are you weeping?”

This is a teachable moment in the lives of these women, just as you and I have teachable moments when the Lord calls us closer to look and see, testing for ourselves that the validity of His promises is sure and not to throw away our confidence which yields great reward. Jesus is no longer in the tomb, but the evidence remains — the linen wrappings lying there with the face cloth rolled up to the side. No disciple has come to remove the body or any enemy to pillage the tomb. Jesus has yet again kept His word.

There is a time to believe the promises of God as a child believes a parent when told to be ready for school in the morning. But there comes a time when each one of us must learn by faith to believe the Word of God is unfailingly true. We will experience the prick of our doubts, just as the women must have felt when the angels reminded them in Matthew 28:6 “He is not here, for He has risen, just as He said.” This resurrection Sunday is the day for us to move forward, past our previous doubts and failures, into the realm of faith. Not understanding how God will do what He has promised, but believing He who has promised is faithful, and will bring it to pass for our good and His glory.

For the church to believe Jesus rose from the dead is fine, but it is not enough. We need to personally understand what kind of Savior rose from the dead. He is the same loving Redeemer who healed the sick, comforted the mourning and died for the sinner. That is the Savior who now calls us to share with others — the news Jesus Christ has risen — just as He said. He laid down His life so we could share in the inheritance as members of His family, if we believe as John did that first morning when he entered the tomb and saw and believed.

Sunday – January 27, 2013

Posted on January 29, 2013 by PastorAndy

January 27, 2013 – Read the Word on Worship

Who Does Jesus Think Is? from Sunrise Community Church on Vimeo.

The world of wicked tenants described in the parable given from Jesus is very much like the world we live in. The tenants will stop at nothing to get what they way. They do not care that they have made obligations of themselves for the fruit of their labor, in the end they want what they want and will take it by any means necessary. They have not forgotten who owns the land, but their covetousness knows no bounds and leads them to say “mine is the power, the kingdom and the glory”. Do humans think that by erasing God from their lives that they can control their earthly and eternal destinies?
Join us Sunday as we continue in our study of the Gospel of Mark as we look at “Who Does Jesus Think He is?” as we study Mark 11 verse 27 through chapter 12 verse 12.

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Mark 12:6-10
“He had one more to send, a beloved son; he sent him last of all to them, saying, ‘They will respect my son.’ “But those vine-growers said to one another, ‘This is the heir; come, let us kill him, and the inheritance will be ours!’ “They took him, and killed him and threw him out of the vineyard. “What will the owner of the vineyard do? He will come and destroy the vine-growers, and will give the vineyard to others.”

The world of wicked tenants described in the parable given by Jesus is very much like the world we live in. The tenants will stop at nothing to get what they want. They do not care that they have made obligations of themselves for the fruit of their labor; in the end they want what they want and will take it by any means necessary. They have not forgotten who owns the land, but their covetousness knows no bounds and leads them to say “mine is the power, the kingdom and the glory.” Do humans think that by erasing God from their lives that they can control their earthly and eternal destinies? Even when they have killed the son, they still have God to contend with.

To many, God seems to be the absentee landlord and a foolish one at that. They want to establish themselves as the lords of their little world rejecting the reality that they are creations of God and live in God’s vineyard. People think they will get away with it, but God’s judgment will inevitably come. The parable assures us that God will win even when it seems He has lost. Those who reject God’s claims on their lives and God’s call to repentance will always be losers, even when it seems they have won. They sow the seeds of their own destruction.

This parable particularly applies to the church today. Israel was chosen by to fulfill God’s gracious purpose for the whole world. God equipped them for the task, but they mistook that assignment as a special privilege and wanted to be accountable only to themselves, not God. If you ask what fruit God requires from us today, the answer comes from what immediately precedes and follows the parable. God requires that our place of worship be a house of prayer for all people and that our community be a forgiving one. We are to render to God what belongs to God and to love God with all of our heart, strength and mind and to love our neighbors as ourselves. In other words, God expects the vineyard – God’s people – to be an accepting, prayerful, forgiving, devoted and loving fellowship of people built around His Son, Jesus Christ. Whenever we fall short of this standard, we invite God’s judgment.

Sunday – January 20, 2012

Posted on January 22, 2013 by PastorAndy

January 20, 2012 – Read the Word on Worship

Jesus & The Original Occupy Jerusalem Movement from Sunrise Community Church on Vimeo.

Sadly most readers, and many commentary writers, are shocked to read that Jesus could be so spiteful to curse a poor fruit tree. Instead of seeing the guilt of an unproductive tree in full leaf, many people instead think Jesus is being irrational and petulant as He curses the tree. Yet would they wring their hands in disbelief when a chicken farmer assigns a chicken that no longer produces eggs to the stew? What we fail to see is both the fig tree and the activities of the temple failed to produce the very thing they created to produce. The tree was created to produce figs and the temple was created to be a house of prayer for all nations. What should the Master do when the when the proverbial chicken does not produce what it was created to produce?
Join us tomorrow as we continue in our study of the Gospel of Mark as we look at “Jesus and the Original Occupy Jerusalem Movement” from Mark 11 verses 12 to 26.

Word On Worship – January 20, 2012 Download / Print

Mark 11:12-14
“On the next day, when they had left Bethany, He became hungry. Seeing at a distance a fig tree in leaf, He went to see if perhaps He would find anything on it; and when He came to it, He found nothing but leaves, for it was not the season for figs. He said to it, “May no one ever eat fruit from you again!” And His disciples were listening.”

The last miracle of Jesus in the Gospel of Mark is the most unusual. For the first time, a miracle of Jesus brings about death, not life. Needless to say, this raises many questions. How is it that Jesus can tell the disciples where to find a colt tied up from outside the city and yet He can’t see from a distance whether a tree has edible fruit? How is Jesus able to feed five thousand people with five fish and two loaves but one fig tree frustrates Him to the point of cursing it?

Sadly, most readers and many commentary writers are shocked to read that Jesus could be so spiteful as to curse a poor fruit tree. Instead of seeing the guilt of an unproductive tree in full leaf, many people think Jesus is being irrational and petulant as He curses the tree. Yet would they wring their hands in disbelief when a chicken farmer assigns a chicken that no longer produces eggs to the stew? What we fail to see is that both the fig tree and the activities of the temple failed to produce the very thing they were created to produce. The tree was created to produce figs and the temple was created to be a house of prayer for all nations. What should the Master do when the proverbial chicken does not produce what it was created to produce?

Jesus has taken the place of the temple during His ministry. Jesus announced in John 2 that He is the Temple. From there, Jesus proclaims throughout the gospels the forgiveness of sin, healing for the sick, and the restoration of people to society. He has replaced the tables of the money changers, where worshippers had to pay for atonement, with the Lord’s Table, were He presents the free offering of His life on the cross as payment for the forgiveness of sins to all who come to the Father through Him.

And that leaves one last question for you and me. What were we created for? Were we merely created to make sure we make arrangements with God to get our fire insurance in order? Or should we have learned from the parable of the soils in Mark 4 that the desired end is for our lives is to be people of the fourth soil producing fruit? The Lord is very serious about His people growing in maturity so that we produce good fruit. Do not miss the lesson of the fig tree. Realize how God deals with things that do not produce – especially when they outwardly profess to be fruit bearing.

Sunday – December 23, 2012

Posted on December 24, 2012 by PastorAndy

December 23, 2012 – Read the Word on Worship

What Christmas Is All About from Sunrise Community Church on Vimeo.

I don’t know about you, but sometimes I need to be reminded about what Christmas is all about. And sometimes that lesson comes from learning what Christmas is not about. Christmas is not about elves. Christmas is not about Frosty the Snow Man. Christmas is not about lights- even though they may be really pretty. And Christmas is not about the MAN- one Kris Kringle AKA in the Netherlands from where my family came, Cinder Klaus. There are so many things out there that have nothing to do with Christmas.
Join us this Sunday as we go back to what the Bible has to say about Christmas as we turn to Luke 1:26-38 and see “What Is Christmas Really About”.

Word On Worship – December 23, 2012 Download / Print

Matt 1:19-21
Because Joseph her husband was a righteous man and did not want to expose her to public disgrace, he had in mind to divorce her quietly. But after he had considered this, an angel of the Lord appeared to him in a dream and said, “Joseph son of David, do not be afraid to take Mary home as your wife, because what is conceived in her is from the Holy Spirit. She will give birth to a son, and you are to give him the name Jesus, because he will save his people from their sins.”

Christmas is a celebration of the God who spoke the universe into existence and entered the world of His own creation as a baby. The idea of a “god” entering into the affairs of men is not unique. Before the time of Jesus, many of the Greek gods were known to have had all sorts of entry into history and direct human contact. Even in modern times we have numerous examples of “super-beings” who intervene in human history. Some are larger than life, like the heroes of comic book fame and others are more human than divine such as the sports stars we see competing every week.

None of these inventions of imagination, ancient or contemporary, provide help for us to better understand the doctrine of the incarnation of Jesus Christ – fully God and fully man. Our minds are captivated by the fiction of people able to do more than humans are capable of doing. But nothing in fact or fiction compares with the mystery of the incarnation of our Lord Jesus Christ. Except for a few disregarded prophets, no one anticipated God’s intervention into history by the birth of a child in a manger. Not even Judaism was looking for the Messiah in this way.

Today we have become so accustomed to biblical narratives of Christ’s birth that many have become numb to its significance. And that is the mystery of the incarnation. Something that was not known before is now made known to the world. The all-powerful, supreme God who created the universe humbled Himself, took on human form and entered His creation as a vulnerable infant.

This Christmas, my prayer is that we appreciate this mystery of the incarnation and understand in a new way how incredible it is for God’s greatness to be contained in human flesh. Further, that we take the next step to sincerely ask what this means for each of us. May this be the Christmas where the focus of our celebration is Jesus Christ, God incarnate, who entered human existence so that we may be born again, born of God.

Sunrise Community Church

Jesus is THE Way, not only a statement of faith; the way of life.

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