DAY #19: December 24, 2010

Ephesians 1:4 (MB) says “Long before He laid down earth's foundations, He had us in mind, and settled on us as the focus of His love, to be made whole and holy by His love.”

I love that verse. God tells us that before He created the oceans, before He created the mountains, before He created anything, He had us on His mind. We have always been the focus of His love. How powerful is that? If we could just connect with that truth, it would change everything.

Starting today and for the rest of the year, I want to talk about being on guard Or better yet, not letting your guard down. It's so easy to do - especially at Christmas. We fall into old patterns of relating to our family. Old grudges re-appear. Old memories of hurt and heart ache.

Psalms 139:23-24 (MB) says, “Investigate my life, O God, find out everything about me; Cross-examine and test me, get a clear picture of what I'm about; See for yourself whether I've done anything wrong— then guide me on the road to eternal life.”

This is so key, because it is so easy to let unhealthy stuff into our lives. Unhealthy thoughts, unhealthy emotions, unhealthy habits, unhealthy relationships. This unhealthy stuff can be toxic- poisonous if you like. Follow me on this… Jesus had to deal with unhealthy, poisonous people all the time of people.

In fact there were two toxic religious groups in His day. Two different parties. One was called the Sadducees, which were kind of the left-leaning, theological liberals of the day. The other group was called the Pharisees. They were the right wing leaning, conservative, legalists who saw as their whole job to go around to make rules and regulations for everybody.

Well, Jesus didn’t have a whole lot of use for either group and actually dealt with them quite frankly and blatantly. Jesus used terms for the Pharisees like they’re hypocrites. He said they’re blind guides. He said they’re vipers. He said they’re white washed graves. In fact He said they’re poisonous snakes. When Jesus tells somebody that you’ve got to figure they’re toxic. Not only did He warn the Pharisees that they needed to change but He warned everybody else and said, You need to stay away from them.

Luke 12:1 says, “Be on your guard against the yeast of the Pharisees.” What’s He talking about there? Yeast in the Bible often represents evil. He said just a little bit of yeast can get in and leaven a whole batch of bread. Just a little bit of Phariseeism, a little bit of toxic religion in your life can ruin the whole batch. It can mess up your life. It can mess up your attitude. It can mess up your friendships. It can mess up your marriage. He says you need to be aware of the yeast of the Pharisees.

I hate to tell you this but 2000 years later Phariseeism is alive and well. There is still modern day Pharisees. In fact there’s a little Pharisee in all of us. So what I want to do this week is look at five toxic traits of toxic religion. When you see these, this is the religion you run from, you stay away from it. Then we’re going to look at how people become toxic. Then we’re going to look at how to deal with the toxic religion you find in your own life. The Bible says there’s certain things you need to do about it.

I love you guys. I'm praying you'll join us tonight @ 5pm for our Christmas Eve Candlelight Service. It's mu favorite service of the year. Stay faithful. Stay the course. ENDURE!

DAY #18: December 23, 2010

Here’s the third purpose of Christmas – Reconciliation.

Here’s the third thing the angel said at the very first Christmas. “Glory to God in the highest, and on Earth peace good will toward men.” The third announcement was, “Let there be peace on Earth and good will toward men.” That’s called reconciliation.

What is reconciliation? It’s when a broken relationship is restored. When a boyfriend and girlfriend get back together. Or a husband and wife get back together, there’s reconciliation. When a father and son reconcile. They restore harmony, they restore peace between each other. The Bible talks about the kind of peace that Jesus came to give us…

Jesus came to make peace between us and God. Colossians 1:19-20 (NIV) says, "For God was pleased to have all His fullness dwell in Him (Jesus), and through him to reconcile to himself all things, whether things on earth or things in heaven, by making peace through his blood, shed on the cross."

I don’t know if you realize this or not, but if you’re trying to live your life without God, you’re at war with God. If you’re saying, “I’m going to run my own life, and I’m going to do my own thing. Forget You, God. I’ll make my own decisions, thank You very much.”

You’re at war with God, and you need a peace treaty. You need reconciliation because that relationship has been broken. Jesus Christ came to be that bridge over troubled waters, to be that reconciler between God and man.

Acts 10:35 say this, “It makes no difference who you are or where you’re from If you want God, and you’re ready to do as He says, the door is open.” God does not care what your religious background is. You may be Catholic, Protestant, Jewish, Muslim, Mormon, Buddhist, Baptist, Hindu, nothing – no religion. This is not about religion. God did not send Jesus to give religion. He sent Jesus so you could have a personal relationship with God. It’s all about relationship.

Make sure you share this with some you love this Christmas. I love you guys. Stay faithful. Stay the course. ENDURE!

DAY #17: December 22, 2010

The second purpose of Christmas is salvation. That’s the second thing that the angel mentions when he announces the birth of Jesus. Luke 2;11 says, “Today, in the town of David [that’s Bethlehem] a savior [there’s the salvation part] has been born to you, [For you. A personal savior.] and He is Christ the Lord.”

What are you saved from? First you’re saved from sin. That’s what Jesus’ name means. “Jesus” means “to save people from their sin.” In fact, Joseph was told in a dream these words “Give Him the name Jesus because He will save His people from their sin.” That’s what “Jesus” means.

What in the world is sin anyway? Sin is an attitude that says, “I’m just going to do what I want to do. Forget God. I’m going to do what I want to do.” That attitude has caused us to be separated from God.

Every one of your problems is caused by sin, that separation from God. Every single one of them. Sin causes confusion in your life. It causes guilt. It causes shame. It causes regret. It causes bitterness, resentment, grudges. It causes worry. It causes fear. It causes anxiety. Sin causes depression. It causes discouragement. It causes emptiness. It causes despair.

It causes conflict between you and other people. Every single one of your problems is caused because you’re not connected to God. You’re separated by your own sin – “I’m going to do my own thing.”

As a result of that, Jesus said, “I want to set you free. I want to release you. I want to save you.” Jesus Christ wants to save you from your hurts. He wants to save you from your habits. He wants to save you from your hang-ups. He wants to save you for His purpose, and He wants to save you by His grace. But you’ve got to quit trying to do it yourself. You need to let go and let God be God. God is God, and you’re not.

Maybe, you came to that conclusion some time ago. You gave your Life to Christ, but something happened. You got off God's path for your life. You're doing your own thing. Living apart from God and His plan for your life. Come home this Christmas. Rededicate your life to God.

I love you guys. Stay faithful. Stay the course. ENDURE!

DAY #16: December 21, 2010

At the very first Christmas, at the birth of Jesus, an angel announced three things. Luke 2:8-14 (NIV)

“And there were shepherds living out in the fields nearby, keeping watch over their flocks at night. An angel of the Lord appeared to them, and the glory of the Lord shone around them, and they were terrified. But the angel said to them, "Do not be afraid. I bring you good news of great joy that will be for all the people. Today in the town of David a Savior has been born to you; he is Christ the Lord.” This will be a sign to you: You will find a baby wrapped in cloths and lying in a manger." Suddenly a great company of the heavenly host appeared with the angel, praising God and saying, "Glory to God in the highest, and on earth peace to men on whom his favor rests."

In this proclamation of the angel, we find the three purposes of Christmas. The first purpose of Christmas is celebration. It’s a party. I bring you good news of great joy. What’s the joy? God loves us. This is what we celebrate. The Bible says – John 3:17 (NLT) says, “God didn’t send His Son into the world to condemn it, but to save it.”

The Bible makes it very, very clear – God loves you. When He sent Jesus Christ to Earth, Jesus later as He grew to a man, stretched His arms out on a cross to die for your sins, and he was saying at that point, “I love you this much. This much! I love you so much it hurts. I love you so much I’d rather die than live without you.”

You will never fully comprehend how much God loves you. It’s like an ant trying to understand the Internet. You don’t have the brain capacity to understand how much God loves you.

How many of you have been abandoned in life? One of the great truths of Christmas is that God will never abandon you. You may not feel it. But that just means you’re not tuned in. You’re not connected. If you’re lonely this Christmas, you need to turn to Jesus Christ, accept His love. You’ll never be lonely again.

We celebrate Christmas because God loves us and God is with us, but also because the Bible says that God is for us. He’s on your side. He wants you to win. He wants you to succeed. Romans 8:31 (NIV) says, "What, then, shall we say in response to this? If God is for us, who can be against us?"

This Christmas, celebrate these things. In the midst of gift giving and receiving, take time to celebrate God's love for us.

DAY #15: December 20, 2010

He takes care of my past, He takes care of my present.

#3. MY FUTURE CAN BE GUARANTEED.

Hebrews 2 says, "Jesus became like us to set free those who were slaves all their lives because of the fear of death." The fear of death is a universal problem. It doesn't matter if you're rich or poor, educated or uneducated, white, black brown, whatever, we're all going to face death. It a universal problem. It is an inevitable fact of life that we're all going to die. The mortality rate in America is 100%. Since we're all going to die, it seems foolish to go through life unprepared for something you know is inevitable. That just doesn't make sense. I know someday I'm going to die. Everybody else in history has, so I guess I'm going to. So it makes sense to be prepared for it. You're not ready to live until you're ready to die.

Have you noticed people don't like to talk about death? Some of you get nervous with me talking about it now. Why? Because they're afraid of it. Why? Because they're uncertain about what's going to happen when they meet God. You're going to meet God someday. You can run from God the rest of your life, but then you can't run any more.

How do you make certain what's going to happen on the other side? The Bible says "It's appointed unto man once to die." That's one appointment you will not be late for. God has already chosen that time. But He doesn't want you to fear death. It says Jesus came to set us free from the fear of death. Why? If you already know where you're going and you already have a relationship to God and He's your friend, you're not worried about what's going to happen. I can stand before you and say in absolute sincerity, I am not afraid to die. I'm afraid of pain but I'm not afraid to die! I know where I'm going. I've already settled that issue. I'm already friends with God. For a Christian, death is just a homecoming, a transition to better things.

At Christmas time, probably the most used word you hear is "gift". Everybody's worried about getting the right gifts. Have you ever received a gift within a gift? I received one time a pair of ski gloves and inside was money stuffed into each finger. I didn't even know it was there until I stuffed my hand in it. It was a gift within a gift.

God has some gifts for you at Christmas time this year. They are three gifts, but they are wrapped up in one big gift, Jesus Christ. When you receive Jesus Christ, the gift, you get the three benefit gifts.

1) The gift of forgiveness. "Let us praise God for the free gift he gave us in his Son we are set free, our sins are forgiven." That takes care of my past.

2) The gift of strength. That takes care of the present. Jesus said, "I'm leaving you with a gift, peace of mind and heart So don't be troubled or afraid." He says, I'm with you. I'll handle it. I'll help you. You don't know what's going to happen but I'll help you.

3) The gift of eternal life. Romans 6:23 "The gift of God is eternal life through Jesus Christ our Lord."
Two questions:

1) Have you received God's Christmas gift of Jesus Christ? I was reading in the San Fransico Chronicle last week about a guy who got a Christmas gift, 49 years ago and he still hadn't opened it. Isn't that strange? I can't imagine if my wife gave me a gift and it was there under the tree (or you gave me a gift) and three months after Christmas, about March, you say, "How did you like the gift?" I say, "I'm sure I loved it, I just haven't had the time to open it yet."

The tragedy is many people celebrate Christmas, year after year... , and they've never received God's Christmas gift. That doesn't make sense! Have you accepted God's gift of forgiveness, strength and eternal life through His Son, Christ? You can't celebrate Christmas. You're not going to find it under the tree until it's in your heart. Have you ever received that gift?

I heard the story of a father who gave his daughter some plastic pearls. She wore them for years. When she turned 13, he said, "I want you to give me those plastic pearls you're wearing." Why? "Just trust me, just give them to me." As he took them back with one hand, he pulled from his pocket a string a real pearls.

God is saying to you, "Give Me the cheap plastic thrills, give Me the things you think satisfy but really don't, and I'll give you something genuine. I'll give you something real, something that lasts if you'll trust Me."

2) How do you receive God's gift at Christmas? You receive God's gift by believing. What does it mean to believe in Christ? It means more than just having head knowledge. I believe in Stalin, Hitler, Mao but I'm not a Nazi or a Communist. But I believe in Christ and I'm a Christian. Why? Because it means to commit your life to.

Some of you remember the story of many years ago on Christmas day the world famous tight rope walker, George Blondin, decided he was going to walk across Niagara Falls on a tight rope. They stretched a tightrope across Niagara Falls -- Canadians on the Canadian side, Americans on the American side. He was a real ham. He said he wasn't just going to walk across but he was going to push a wheelbarrow full of dirt across Niagara Falls. Everybody knew if he made just one mistake in balance, he'd fall off the rope and over the Falls and be killed. He gets on the other side and was safe. The crowd went wild. He did it again and pushed the wheelbarrow back across to the American side. When he got there safely the crowd exploded with praise. He did it again. He did it about 20-21 times that day -- back and forth. On the last trip he set the wheelbarrow right in front of a tourist who says, "You're incredible. I believe you could do that 100 times. I believe in you." Blondin took the wheelbarrow, dumped all the dirt out and said, "Get in the wheelbarrow."

That is very much what Jesus Christ says to you. If you believe in Jesus, put your money where your mouth is. Lay it on the line, make a commitment and say, "Jesus Christ, I receive Your gift of forgiveness, of power for today, and Your guarantee for the future with You in heaven. In exchange for that I want to trust You with my life." That's what it means to believe in Him.

God is saying to you, "I have a gift for you at Christmas. You matter to me." Maybe you felt close to God in the past but you've drifted away. Or maybe you've moved to this area and have never found another church. We invite you to become a part of our church family. But there is a place for you.

More than that, God has a gift for you. I challenge you to not waste another Christmas by refusing this gift.

DAY #14: December 19, 2010

Christmas is so important - not just because it takes care of your past but...

#2. MY PRESENT CAN BE MANAGED.

I've met more stressed out people in the last six weeks than I have in a long time. I don't know if it's the economy or what, but I think you'd agree that life can wear you down. It gets to you. If you look around it seems people are searching for additional power everywhere.

Notice the best sellers. They are all about power. How to dress for power, how to eat for power, how to shower for power... People are always looking for additional energy. People say "I'm sick and tired of being sick and tired." Good news. The Christ who came at Christmas 2000 years ago can give you the power to manage your present problems.

Philippians 4:13 says, "I have the strength to face all conditions by the power Christ gives me." You don't know all problems and stresses that Christmas this year in 2010 holds, but you can face them all. God assumes the responsibility to meet your needs. That's amazing. When you give your life to Christ, He assumes responsibility to take care of all your needs.

Romans 8:32 says says, "God gave us His own Son. Can we not trust such a God to give us everything else that we need?"

Even if Satan and all the forces of evil come against us, in the end, God promises the victory. How much is God for us? So much that he did not spare even his own Son but gave him up for us all. The word for “spare” is the same word for “withheld,” used in Genesis 22:12, when God said to Abraham, "You have not withheld even your beloved son from me."

Our major struggle with prayer is not that God doesn’t answer our prayer of help and rescue. What upsets us is that He seldom answers in line with our plans or schedule. At those times we may think that God is intentionally withholding something from us. But God has already given us the greatest gift of all. Remembering God’s gift will help us see that God is working for our good even when we can’t immediately see it. God sacrificed his Son to save us; will he now invalidate that sacrifice by refusing to help and guide believers? No, instead, he promises to give us everything else to bring us to the ultimate goal—our sanctification and glorification.

God says He'll supply all your needs. If He supplies all your needs, what else is left? Nothing.

I love you guys. Stay faithful. Stay the course. ENDURE! Keep on keeping on.

DAY #13: December 18, 2010

Why is Christmas such a big deal? What difference does it make?


#1. BECAUSE JESUS CHRIST CAME AT CHRISTMAS, MY PAST CAN BE FORGIVEN.

Romans 3:23-24 (LB)says, "All of us have sinned yet now God declares us `not guilty' of offending him if we trust in Christ who freely takes away our sin." That's good news. The fact is none of us are perfect. I don't measure up to my own standard, much less God's. We all have regrets.

I love reading in the newspaper the letters to Santa Claus. One little kid wrote, "Dear Santa, There are three little boys who live at our house. There's Jeffrey. He is two. There's David. He is four. There's Norman. He is seven. Jeffrey is good some of the time. David is good some of the time. Norman is good all of the time. I am Norman." The problem is -- none of us are Norman's. None of us are good all of the time.

We all have regrets and guilt has a devastating effect on our lives. It robs us of happiness. It causes depression. It can make you sick. Guilt does all kinds of things to us because we don't know how to get rid of it. People will do anything to relieve guilt. They'll take drugs or get drunk or try therapy or go to Disneyland. Thrills, travel, become workaholics. Anything to cover up the things I wish hadn't happened in my life.

But there's only one solution. And that's forgiveness. The good news is God wants to forgive you. He wants to clear your conscious. When God forgives you there's several things about it that you need to know.

- It's instant. He doesn't make you wait to forgive you. You don't have to wait through a long period of time before you're forgiven. It's instant.

- It's undeserved. You'll never earn it. You can't work for it. You can't beg God for it. You can't bribe God for it. It's undeserved.

- It's complete. The Bible says, When we confess our sins to God we give them to Christ, God says, "Their sins will I remember no more." That's one of the most amazing verses in the Bible, that God can forget. The God who made the whole world, chooses to forget your sin once it's forgiven. Isn't that a mind blower? If you come and say, "Christ please forgive me. I accept You as my Savior." And you died tonight and go to heaven and said, "God, about that divorce..." He'd say, "What divorce?" "God, about that dishonesty..." "What dishonesty?" "God about that remark..." What remark? It's forgiven.

What God forgets, you can forget too. That's good news. Most of us, even if we believe God forgives us, don't forgive ourselves. We hold onto guilt over the years. Somebody said, When God forgives us, He takes our sin and throws them in the deepest part of the ocean and then He puts up a "No fishing" sign. Don't drag them out again. Satan wants to keep you under guilt, but God says it's forgiven.


My past can be forgiven. Even if there were no such thing as heaven, and there is, but even if there weren't, it would be worth it just to have a clear conscious.

Have you ever been halfway through painting a room and wish you could start over? Have you ever been halfway through a meal and wish you could start over? Halfway through some project? Halfway through life and wish you could start over?

2 Corinthians 5:17 says, "If anyone is in Christ, he becomes a new person altogether The past is finished and gone. Everything becomes fresh and new." God wants you to not just turn over a new leaf, God wants to give you a new life. It's like starting again, being born all over. Jesus said, I didn't come to rub it in, I came to rub it out. If there is anything that's good news it's that God says my past can be forgiven. Regardless of who you are or what you've done or what you think you've done, you matter to God and He cares about you. He wants to forgive you.

I love you guys. Stay faithful. Stay the course. ENDURE!