A message from the series “Daily Devotional Videos.” Raquel shares one of her favorite passages from Psalm 42:1-2 and reminds us that we should be thirsting for God in the same way that a deer longs for streams of water.
A message from the series “Daily Devotional Videos.” Devotional Manuscript: Pray Boldly
Message by Dr. Rick Mandl, February 9, 2021, Eagle Rock Baptist Church
Recorded in Los Angeles, CA.
Hey church family, I want to start off today with a couple of verses of scripture that come from Genesis chapter 18. I’ll read them for you, and then spend a moment or two unpacking them. In Genesis 18, beginning in verse 23, we’re told that, “Abraham approached (GOD) and said, ‘Will you sweep away both the righteous and the wicked? Suppose you find fifty righteous people living there in the city—will you still sweep it away and not spare it for their sakes?’ . . .And the Lord replied, ‘If I find fifty righteous people in Sodom, I will spare the entire city for their sake’” (Genesis 18:23-26).
Think about that for a moment, and the consider this question . . . If you could ask God for anything, what would it be? So often our prayers are very much ‘Me-Focused’– Lord, help ME at work or help ME through a relational problem. Our prayers are all about MY needs, MY hurts, MY wants.
Now make no mistake, this is an important part of prayer. Prayer involves giving those things to God and asking Him to work in our lives. But, if that’s all there is to our prayer-life, then we’re missing out on a huge part of prayer. And that is . . . . Praying on behalf of someone else. . . It may be someone we know. It may be someone we don’t know. It may be someone we have never even meet. This part of prayer is called intercessory prayer.
Someone once observed that . . . “Too often our prayer ministries are more concerned with keeping sick believers out of heaven, than keeping unbelievers out of hell.” If you look at the prayer of Abraham recorded in Genesis 18, you’ll see that Abraham wasn’t afraid to bring a BOLD prayer request to God. Six times Abraham asked God for mercy on behalf of a huge city that had been earmarked for destruction, and God answered Abraham and told him YES– if only fifty righteous people could be found in that city, the city would be spared. Now the way the story played out, ultimately, the city wasn’t saved, but don’t miss this key principle: God responded to Abraham’s BOLD prayer. . . And it was a prayer on behalf of a people that Abraham likely didn’t know, and probably had never met.
Turn on the news. Pick up a paper. And think about the bold asks that you could pray for in your community, city, or nation? You may not know all the names, or the individual stories of the people you’re praying for, but you can boldly ask the One who does. Because one of the most selfless prayers is asking God for His mercy and blessing in the lives of others. The question is – will you?
Recorded in Los Angeles, CA.
A message from the series “Daily Devotional Videos.” Judy Mandl reflects on James 1:17 and Psalm 27:7-8 and the importance for us to be pursuing the giver rather than the gifts.
A message from the series “Daily Devotional Videos.” Devotional Manuscript: Pray And Don’t Forget
Message by Dr. Rick Mandl, February 8, 2021, Eagle Rock Baptist Church
Recorded in Los Angeles, CA.
Hey church family. I wonder if you’ve ever noticed that when the Bible tells us not to forget something, the reason most often is, because without that warning, we have a real tendency to forget whatever it is, that God’s Word is telling us to not to forget. So it is with the instruction found in Philippians chapter 4 and verse 6 where it says . . . “Don’t worry about anything; instead, pray about everything; tell God your needs, and don’t forget to thank him for his answers.”
Notice – – – when it comes to prayer, the instruction is not just to pray about everything . . . telling God our needs . . . Along with that is the reminder to not forget to thank Him for His answers. One of the best examples of someone who put this principle into practice is God’s servant Daniel. In the Old Testament book that bears his name, the book of Daniel, chapter 2, we read about a desperate prayer that Daniel prayed.
Let me set the context for you . . . Daniel and his three closest friends, Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego, were living in captivity far from home. They had been taken from Jerusalem, and transported to Babylon where they were serving as advisors to King Nebuchadnezzar.
One day King Nebuchadnezzar had a series of dreams that troubled him greatly. The King summoned before him all of his magicians, enchanters, sorcerers, and astrologers, and he demanded that they provide him with an interpretation of the dream that he had had. They agreed. They answered the king saying. . . “Long live the king! Tell us the dream, and we will tell you what it means” (Daniel 2:4).
King Nebuchadnezzar told them.. . . “If you tell me what I dreamed and what the dream means, I will give you many wonderful gifts and honors. Just tell me the dream and what it means!” (Daniel 2:6). Oh, and BTW, he also told them . . . . If you don’t tell me what it was I dreamed about and what it means. . . . “You will be torn limb from limb, and your houses will be turned into heaps of rubble!” The wise men pleaded with him once again, saying . . . . “Please, Your Majesty. Tell us the dream, and we will tell you what it means” (Daniel 2:7).
“The astrologers replied to the king, ‘No one on earth can tell the king his dream! And no king, however great and powerful, has ever asked such a thing of any magician, enchanter, or astrologer! The king’s demand is impossible. No one except the gods can tell you your dream, and they do not live here among people’” (Daniel 2:10-11).
How did the king react to their refusal? “The king was furious when he heard this, and he ordered that all the wise men of Babylon be executed. And because of the king’s decree, men were sent to find and kill Daniel and his friends” (Daniel 2:10-13). Thankfully, this is not the end of the story . . . Verse 16 tells us that . . . “Daniel went at once to see the king and requested more time to tell the king what the dream meant” (Daniel 2:16). Thankfully, the king said yes to Daniel’s request. And using that “more time” Daniel gathered his friends, Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego, and urged them to pray to God. . . asking Him to reveal both the dream and its meaning so that these four would not be executed along with all the other wise men in Babylon.
The prayer they prayed was a desperate prayer. They were praying for their lives. After an all-night prayer session, God answered and revealed the king’s dream to Daniel. Can you imagine the relief that Daniel must have felt when his prayer was answered? Daniel and all the king’s advisors were saved. However, it’s what happened next that is the truly amazing part of this story. Before running back to the king with the answer, Daniel stopped to pray and thank God for answering his prayer.
I wonder. . . How many times have we prayed in desperation for God to do something, and then when He does, we immediately forget to thank Him? We move on so quickly to the next problem without the slightest acknowledgment of the miracle that God just performed. Daniel not only thanked God for the answer, but he gave Him all the credit. I pray that the next time God answers your desperate prayer, you’ll remember to thank Him – just like Daniel did. Amen
Recorded in Los Angeles, CA.
A message from the series “Daily Devotional Videos.” Judy Mandl reflects on Psalm 106:12 and reminds us that even in the darkest times, God offers us the opportunity to believe His Words and sin His praise.
A message from the series “Living In The Goodness Of God.” Sermon Manuscript: Living In The Goodness Of God Message 2- When I’m Worried About My NeedsSermon preached by Dr. Rick Mandl, Eagle Rock Baptist Church, February 6 & 7, 2021
Hey E.R.B.C. family. Great to be with you as we continue our new teaching series based on Psalm 23 called “Living In The Goodness Of God.” Today looking at what it means to be Living In The Goodness of God When I’m Worried About My Needs.
Today we’re just focusing on the first verse of the Psalm . . Psalm 23:1 which says . . . “The Lord is my shepherd; I shall not want.” One of the things that we ought to be reminded of as we look at this verse is that . . . It’s Okay To Want. We all have wants.
Those of you who voted in the election this past November. . . . I’m guessing that you the reason that you voted the way you voted was because you wanted your candidate to win. We want the economy to survive. We want this pandemic to be over We want things to get back to normal. Wants are not bad things . . .
There are some world religions in which in their goals, are to teach people to deny their needs and their desires and to try to get to a place where they have no wants. The Bible doesn’t do that. Read through the creation story and you’ll discover that man was created with wants, and needs even before sin entered into the world. Even when the world was perfect. God created us in such a way that we needed food.
God didn’t have to create us that way. But He did. We needed purpose. We needed relationship, right? Think of the statement that God made following his work of creation when he said. . . “It is not good for man to be alone.” What is that if it’s not a want or a need?
What we need to understand is that . . . Paradise was not a place without Wants And Needs. Let me repeat that . . . Paradise was not a place without wants or needs. What paradise was . . . Paradise was a place where our Wants And Needs are met in a Relationship with God.
This really is the key to understanding Psalm 23. And this is the difference between someone who knows the Lord as their Shepherd, and someone who does not. Jesus, in His sermon on the Mount, talked about that relationship, that we as God’s children have with Him as our Loving Father and He said, “That is why I tell you not to worry about everyday life – whether you have enough food and drink, or enough clothes to wear. Isn’t life more than food, and your body more than clothing? Look at the birds. They don’t plant or harvest or store food in barns, for your heavenly Father feeds them. And aren’t you far more valuable to him than they are?” (Matthew 6:25-26). “Can all your worries add a single moment to your life? And why worry about your clothing? Look at the lilies of the field and how they grow. They don’t work or make their clothing, yet Solomon in all his glory was not dressed as beautifully as they are” (Matthew 6:27-29).
“And if God cares so wonderfully for wildflowers that are here today and thrown into the fire tomorrow, he will certainly care for you. Why do you have so little faith? So don’t worry about these things, saying, ‘What will we eat? What will we drink? What will we wear?’” “These things dominate the thoughts of unbelievers, but your heavenly Father already knows all your needs. Seek the Kingdom of God above all else, and live righteously, and he will give you everything you need. So don’t worry about tomorrow, for tomorrow will bring its own worries. Today’s trouble is enough for today” (Matthew 6:32-3).
Jesus challenged those who heard him speak – – – to think about the way they were acting when they begin to worry about things like food and clothing and daily necessities.mHe said, “I get why unbelievers would be worried about these things. I get why these things would dominate their thoughts.” And notice also, that he didn’t say, “Your heavenly Father knows you don’t really need those things.” He said, “When it comes to the important stuff, He knows you need it, and it’s okay to want it.
If you don’t have a job right now, if you don’t have food or clothes, if your family is going COVID CRAZY from being cooped up inside for so long… if our country is divided and full of hatred… The difference between believers and non-believers is not that those things don’t concern us. The difference is that we know who the shepherd is.
Jesus, in verse 33 says, “Seek the Kingdom of God above all else, and live righteously, and your heavenly father will give you everything you need.” If you were to sum up this section of Jesus teaching on worry in a single sentence, you could say . . . The key to meeting your Needs isn’t found in Pursuing your Needs, but in Pursuing God. Let me say that again . . . The key to meeting your Needs isn’t found in Pursuing your Needs, but in Pursuing God. Why? Because God is good . . . All the time . . . And all the time . . . God is good.. .
Three Truths About The Goodness Of God… Number one . . . God is the SOURCE of EVERYTHING I need. When it comes to your needs, you don’t need to look anywhere else. You don’t have to look to Wall Street. You don’t have to look to the government. You don’t have to look to your spouse or your individual retirement account or your social security or your job. God is the source of everything I need to live.
Now, the key thing to understand here is that if you’re going to look to something for your security. . . You need to look to something that can never be taken from you. Because if your security is tied to something that can be taken from you, then you’re not secure. Think about it . . . You can lose your HEALTH. You can lose your JOB. You can lose your GOOD LOOKS. Some of you already have. You can lose your FAMILY. You can lose your LIFE. You can lose your MIND. You can lose ALL OF THOSE THINGS. That’s why the key to real security is to put your hope in something that cannot be taken from you and that is your RELATIONSHIP TO GOD. Nobody can take that away from you.
Psalm 23:1, the first verse of this psalm says, “The Lord is my shepherd,” And then it says . . . “I shall not want.” If you were with us last week you’ll remember that we said that it’s not exactly a compliment when the Bible likens us to sheep. Sheep are incredibly defenseless animals. They have a lot of natural predators. They’re not fast. They can’t run. They don’t have claws. They don’t have teeth with sharp incisors that can bite. On top of that, they’re not very smart animals. They’re not very intelligent. They fall off cliffs and they get lost. . . In order to survive they really need a defender. They need a shepherd. Left on its own, a sheep’s probably going to get eaten.
What does a shepherd do? A shepherd FEEDS, LEADS, and MEETS NEEDS. That’s what a shepherd does. A shepherd leads, feeds, and meets needs. God says, “I will be your shepherd. I will feed you, I will lead you, and I will meet your needs.” Now, your needs are various. Sometimes you need protection. Sometimes you need comfort. Sometimes you need encouragement. Sometimes you need a little discipline. Sometimes you need direction. As we go through this Psalm we’ll look at how God does those things for us. So First, God is the source of everything I need to live.
Number two, there is nothing I need that God Can’t Supply There is nothing that I need. There is nothing that you need that God can’t supply. In Philippians chapter 4 and verse 19 the Apostle Paul writes . . . “This same God who takes care of me will supply all your needs from his glorious riches, which have been given to us in Christ Jesus.” Philippians 4:19 The key phrase there is . . . in Christ Jesus He’s talking to those who have that relationship. . . He’s talking to those who can call God their father, because they’ve been adopted as His children when they placed their faith in Christ. He’s talking to those who can say . . . “The Lord is my shepherd . . . . “Because that’s what you need, to be able to say “I shall not want” or “I lack nothing” or “I have all I need.” God’s goodness to you is not based on YOUR goodness, it’s based on GOD’S goodness. You don’t have to be good, for God to be good to you His goodness is based on what Jesus did on the cross.
A third truth about God’s Goodness is that . . . . God doesn’t want me WORRYING about ANYTHING. Worry may be the most common sin on the planet. And God tells us that it’s totally unnecessary. In Philippians 4:6 he gives us something better to do than worry, He says . . . “Don’t worry about anything; instead, pray about everything.” When it comes to the things that concern us, we’ve got two choices. We can worry or we pray.
Somebody once said. . . “If we spent half as much time praying, as we spend worrying, we’d have a lot less to worry about.” God doesn’t want us WORRYING about anything, but instead, praying about EVERYTHING.
How do we do that? How Do I Trust God For My Needs instead of worrying about my needs? Let me give you three things you can do . . .
Every Day Ask The Lord To Be My Shepherd. Every day, I ask Jesus to be my shepherd. If I ask him to be my shepherd, then he’s going to feed and he’s going to lead, he’s going to guide, he’s going to provide. Last week we looked at John chapter 10 where Jesus says . . . “I am the good shepherd.” Where he said “I know my own sheep and they know me…. Where he said . . .. “I lay down my life for my sheep.” That’s what he did for us on the cross. He gave his life for you. If he loved you enough to die for you, he certainly loves you enough to feed, lead, and meet your need. So you can begin each day asking him to do those things for you.
Number two, second but very important,
Give Him First Place In EVERY AREA of my life. If you’re someone who has entered into a relationship with Jesus Christ you’ve given him first place in your life, you’ve said, “Lord, I want you to be number one,” But most likely there are still different parts of your life that are not under his control. It’s like inviting “Jesus, come into your house,” And you say to him ….. Lord, You’ve got access to the bedroom. You’ve got access to the bathroom. You’ve got access to the kitchen in my life. But when it comes to that closet over there. . . That’s where I’ve got all kinds of stuff hidden. That’s not yours, that’s mine! He wants to be in first place in every area of your life. Now if you’re wondering how you can go about figuring out what areas are not under his control. I’ll give you a clue. Anytime you worry, that is a warning light that that particular area of your life you have not given him first place. Any area of your life where God is not number one, you’re going to worry about it. Any area of your life where God’s not number one, that’s going to be a source of insecurity in your life, Any area of your life that is not under the lordship of Christ, is going to be a constant source of worry and insecurity in your life. If God is not first place in ANY area of your life, you’ve got everything to be worried about. But very often, even after surrendering our lives to Him, and inviting him to be our Lord. We still have strongholds that we haven’t surrendered. He wants to be your Lord and shepherd over EVERY area.
Trust Him For One Day At A Time. In Matthew chapter 6:34, Jesus said, “So don’t worry about tomorrow because tomorrow will have its own worries. Each day has enough trouble of its own.” He’s saying don’t open your umbrella until it starts to rain. Someone said . . . There are two days of every week you should never worry about, yesterday and tomorrow, because you can’t do anything about them. When you worry about tomorrow’s problems, you miss all the blessings of today. Some of you, you got something coming up in two weeks, or a week, or a month, and it’s scaring you to death and you’re making it worse because you’re ruining every day between now and then by worrying about it. What is that worrying doing? Nothing positive Now I know that the future can often seem very overwhelming. God has graciously divided it up into 24-hour segments so that the future doesn’t come to you all at once. You get it 24 hours at a time. God gives it to you in 24 hour increments. I love the way that the Message Translation presents Matthew 6:34. It says . . . “Give your entire attention to what God is doing right now, and don’t get worked up about what may or may not happen tomorrow. God will help you deal with whatever hard things come up when the time comes.” Matthew 6:34
I don’t know what your future holds. I don’t know what my future holds. But if the Lord is my shepherd, then I do know the one who holds the future. And he invites me to trust Him with that future. Let’s ask Him to help us to do that as we turn to him in prayer. Would you pray with me?
Recorded in Los Angeles, CA.
A message from the series “Daily Devotional Videos.” Devotional Manuscript: Who Is The G.O.A.T.? (GREATEST OF ALL TIME)
Message by Dr. Rick Mandl, February 5, 2021, Eagle Rock Baptist Church
Recorded in Los Angeles, CA.
Hey church family . . . . Just in case you were not aware of it, this Sunday is Super Bowl Sunday. And it seems almost inevitable that conversations will spring up leading up to that event, around the subject… Who is the “G.O.A.T” – or “The Greatest Of All Time”
Whether you’re talking about Football, or Basketball, or Baseball… Committed fans all seem to have their own answers to that question, and they can become quite passionate when it comes to defending those answers. It’s easy to get caught up in those arguments. But before you do, you might do well to ask yourself, “Am I more amazed by the greatness of man or the greatness of God?” It’s a fair question and one that we shouldn’t ignore, particularly in a world that is so easily obsessed with the greatness of man.
There is nothing inherently wrong with appreciating and enjoying the greatness of man. However, we need to keep things in perspective. The most amazing talents and accomplishments of mankind pale in comparison to the glory, and greatness of God. It would be sad if we spent our entire lives more enthralled by the impressiveness of man than the majesty of our Creator.
In Psalm 145:3 the Psalmist writes . . . “Great is the Lord and greatly to be praised; and His greatness is unsearchable” (Psalm 145:3). The word “great,” is used in one form or another, 3 times in that one verse. To say that His greatness is “unsearchable” doesn’t mean that we can’t search to understand it, It simply means that we’ll never reach the limit of our searching.
The good news is that, though His greatness is unsearchable, He is not unknowable. God has chosen to reveal Himself through His son, Jesus Christ and also through His word. Colossians 2:9 tells us that, “In Christ, the fullness of Deity lives in bodily form.” If we want to begin to understand the greatness of God, we don’t have to look any further than Jesus. Louie Giglio, a popular writer and pastor, explains that it’s through Jesus we understand that God is both “infinitely awesome” and “intimately approachable”.
So, how should we respond to His greatness? Let me give you three suggestions:
1) Choose today to walk in an attitude of humility, reverence, and worship.
2) Make the decision to never grow complacent in seeking to know Him more intimately
3) Take God out of whatever box you might have placed Him in.
He’s far greater than you can begin imagine. May we never lose our ability to be amazed by his greatness. Amen!
Recorded in Los Angeles, CA.
A message from the series “Daily Devotional Videos.” Devotional Manuscript: So Was It The Chicken Or The Egg?
Message by Dr. Rick Mandl, February 4, 2021, Eagle Rock Baptist Church
Recorded in Los Angeles, CA.
Hey church family . . . Hope you’re having a good week. Looking forward to seeing you with us in worship this weekend. Whether that’s online as we stream out services out to you, or live and in person in our parking lot this Sunday morning at 11:00AM.
In all our services we’ll be observing “The Lord’s Supper” and I look forward to sharing that with you. In thinking about that – I was reflecting on the age-old question. . . Which came first, the chicken or the egg?
Strong arguments can be made on both sides. And in case you’re not aware of it, life is filled with these types of questions. Scientists study, and examine and argue over the origin, and the make-up, and the effects of different forms of life and matter all of the time. Sometimes they find definitive answers, and sometimes they are left with more questions.
Likewise, there are many deep, theological questions that are constantly examined and debated in the Christian community. Oswald Chambers touched on one of them when he wrote . . . “I am not saved by believing; I realize I am saved by believing.”
In other words, “Which came first, my faith or my salvation?” While some might be frustrated by questions like this, I think they’re necessary. And the reason is, that there can be a tendency among Christians to emphasize what we have done, over and above what God has done in Christ when it comes to our salvation. We don’t mean to do it…but it happens. We look to our repentance, and our prayer of salvation, and other outward signs to give us confidence that we are saved. When it comes to our salvation experience we look to the point at which we realized what Christ had done for us; instead of to that cross thousands of years ago, through which we became His own.
The fact is, if any one of us is right with God, it is because of what Jesus did – long before anything we had done. We are saved totally because of His finished work on the cross and His resurrection from the grave. When God reveals the truth of the Gospel, and invites us to believe, and we accept His invitation. . . It’s then that we experience the supernatural grace of God. And all at once, we stand right with God. Not because we repented and believed, but solely because of what Jesus has done.
Romans 5, verse 10 says it this way . . . “For if, while we were God’s enemies, we were reconciled to Him through the death of His Son, how much more, having been reconciled, shall we be saved through His life!” (Romans 5:10). That verse tells us that we were reconciled with God – not when we believed – but while we were His enemies.
There is nothing we did to earn salvation…and there is nothing we can do to earn God’s favor now. It’s His grace that saved us, and His grace in which we are able to stand right now. And that’s something for which we can all be thankful – AMEN.
Recorded in Los Angeles, CA.
A message from the series “Daily Devotional Videos.” Reflecting on Acts 11:26, Judy Mandl reminds us that when we identify ourselves as Christians, we are aligning ourselves with Christ and because of this we should represent our savior well.
A message from the series “Daily Devotional Videos.”
Pastor Andrew looks at Philippians 3:20 and Mark 3:31-35 and reminds us that although we may be divided by many things, if we share a kingdom citizenship, then the thing that unites us is more powerful that any of the things that separate us.
