A message from the series “Daily Devotional Videos.” Pastor Andrew looks at what Acts 2 tells us about the birth of the church, and reminds us that the story begun in the book of Acts is a story that continues to be written.
A message from the series “Daily Devotional Videos.” Reflecting on the words of Jesus from Mark 6:31 and Matthew 11:28, Judy Mandl reminds us that in Jesus, we have a savior who cares not just for our souls and our spirits, but for our physical well-being also.
A message from the series “Daily Devotional Videos.” Devotional Manuscript: Don’t Be Surprised By Suffering
Message by Dr. Rick Mandl, January 26th, 2021, Eagle Rock Baptist Church
Recorded in Los Angeles, CA.
Hey church family, I’ve got a question for you. My question is . . . Do you expect suffering as a follower of Jesus Christ? I think it’s a fair question, because I’ve talked to a lot of people who don’t. They feel as though if they are followers of Jesus, that should mean that they get a pass when it comes to suffering.
The fact is, the New Testament has a lot to say about suffering. The Apostle Peter, wrote his letters during a time of great suffering among those who were followers of Jesus Christ. If you were a Christian living in the first century in the Roman Empire, life wasn’t easy. The governing authority in the land was a mad man named Emperor Nero Historians remember Nero for having Christians burned at the stake, and using their flaming bodies to light up his garden.
It’s difficult to imagine such hatred for God and His people – but that was what those first followers of Christ were up against. Peter, wrote a letter to these first-century Christians to let them know that God had not abandoned them in their suffering , and that suffering was part of the will of God.
Writing in 1 Peter 4:12-13, (NLT) Peter says, “Dear friends, don’t be surprised at the fiery trials you are going through, as if something strange were happening to you. Instead, be very glad—for these trials make you partners with Christ in his suffering, so that you will have the wonderful joy of seeing his glory when it is revealed to all the world.”
The reason that Peter could tell them “Don’t be surprised . . . and “Suffering is to be expected” was because Peter had spent three years walking with Jesus. Over and over Jesus had tried to prepare His disciples for what was ahead.
In John 15:18-19 (NLT) Jesus told them, “If the world hates you, remember that it hated me first. The world would love you as one of its own if you belonged to it, but you are no longer part of the world. I chose you to come out of the world, so it hates you.”
It seems at least a little strange that in an age of increasing tolerance, people seem to be growing more and more intolerant of Christians. And yet that’s what we’re seeing. As Christ followers, how should we respond to this? Should we be shocked and outraged? Should we fight back?
The answer is no, we should expect it. This is not some strange, new phenomenon. And even in the midst of suffering God calls us to continue to love our neighbors and pray for our enemies. He also calls us to remember that if we are experiencing suffering for the sake of Christ, that is exactly what Jesus told us would happen.
Whether or not we WILL suffer is often beyond our ability to control. What we can control is how we respond to it when it happens. My prayer is that God would give us the grace to suffer well…and that in the process we would be those who point others to Jesus. . . the one who has promised us that if we are today sharing in His suffering, there is for us a day coming when we will also share in His glory. May that promise give us hope during the tough times – Amen.
Recorded in Los Angeles, CA.
A message from the series “Daily Devotional Videos.” Judy Mandl looks at Psalm 77:19 and Psalm 40:5 and reminds us that our God is constantly at work around us, but unless we’re attentive, it’s easy to miss what He’s doing.
A message from the series “Daily Devotional Videos.” Devotional Manuscript: Do As I have Done To You
Message by Dr. Rick Mandl, January 25th, 2021, Eagle Rock Baptist Church
Recorded in Los Angeles, CA.
Hey church family. The 12 disciples that Jesus called to follow Him had seen a lot of strange things during the three years that they had walked with him. They had seen him calm a storm. They had seen him heal the sick. They had seen him raise the dead. Yet in spite of all the amazing things they had seen, nothing prepared them for what they were going to witness on the night before he went to the cross.
The gospel writer John describes it with these words . . . “Jesus knew that the Father had given him authority over everything and that he had come from God and would return to God. So he got up from the table, took off his robe, wrapped a towel around his waist, and poured water into a basin. Then he began to wash the disciples’ feet, drying them with the towel he had around him.” John 13:3-5 (NLT)
For the disciples, this was something they had never seen. No rabbi or any person of any status had ever washed another’s feet. It just wasn’t done. The job of foot washing was always given to the lowest of the low. This was the way things worked in that society. But Jesus never allowed society to dictate His behavior. He never let it distract Him from His mission. He had come to serve.
Just a little while after this incident Jesus would show the world his greatest act of service as he would lay down his life for you and me. After Jesus washed the disciples’ feet, He told them, “And since I, your Lord and Teacher, have washed your feet, you ought to wash each other’s feet. I have given you an example to follow. Do as I have done to you” (John 13:14-15). Jesus said, “Do as I have done to you. [Serve each other.]”
Serving was a way of living for Jesus and it ought to be a way of living for those of us who have chosen to follow Him. Unconditional service! Unconditional service is never easy. Unconditional service always has a cost. But unconditional service ought to be one of the things that marks us as followers of the one who did not come to be served, but to serve, and to give his life a ransom for many. My prayer is that that would be true of you and that it would be true of me. Amen
Recorded in Los Angeles, CA.
A message from the series “Daily Devotional Videos.” Judy Mandl reflects on Joshua 4:21-24 and encourages us to build memorials as reminders that when things seem impossible, our God is able.
A message from the series “In God We Trust.” Sermon Manuscript: In God We Trust Message 4- Why Should I Trust GodSermon preached by Dr. Rick Mandl, Eagle Rock Baptist Church, January 23 & 24, 2021Recorded in Los Angeles, CA.
Hey church family. Great to welcome you as we come together to worshipThis past Wednesday Joseph Biden was sworn in as our forty-sixth president.In his inaugural address, one of the things that President Biden said was:“My whole soul is in this: bringing America together, uniting our people, uniting our nation. And I ask every American to join me in this cause.” Earlier, that day President Trump released a video farewell address in which he stated… “We inaugurate a new administration and pray for its success in keeping America safe and prosperous.” All Christians, whatever our political beliefs, we are all called to lift up our nation and its leaders in prayer. God’s Word commands that “supplications, prayers, intercessions, and thanksgivings be made for all people, for kings and all who are in high positions.” Let’s take that challenge to heart and offer a word of prayer right now for our new president and our country. Would you pray with me. . . .
Once again, great to be with you as we come together for worship and as we wrap up a series we’ve been in called “In God We Trust.” Today wrapping up that series by thinking about the question of . . . Why Should I Trust God? Particularly thinking about WHY I should trust Him during those times when He seems to be so far away. When it seems like He is absolutely oblivious to the struggles that I’m going through. We’re going to be covering a lot of scripture in this message, so it will be easier to follow along if you grab hold of your message notes . . . There’s a link to download them, right below this player and that will help you to follow as we go.
And while you’re getting those notes I want to share with you something that I think is a great example of the way that a lot of us may feel at one time or another. What I’m going to show you comes from a TV commercial for a certain brand of windows. And as you watch it, I’d ask you to think about whether you’ve ever felt like the guy on the other side of the pane of glass in this spot. Take a look at this. . . Pella Windows Commercial. I wonder if any of you have ever felt like the guy on the other side of the window in that commercial. Everything’s going wrong, you’re world is falling apart, and you feel like God is somewhere on the other said of a triple paned window, and he’s totally oblivious to everything that is happening to you. Hopefully that’s not where you’re at right now, but I think if we’re honest, most of us have been there at one time or another. And that’s what I want us to think about today.
How we keep on trusting God during those times when we can’t see Him? During those times when it feels as though He has left the building? And the part of God’s Word that I want us to look to for an answer today is Psalm 77. This particular psalm as not writer by King David, who was the one who wrote most of the psalms, but rather was writer by a man Asaph.
If you read the psalms that he wrote you’ll find that Asap was a man who struggled with depression. And depression is something that all of us struggle with at one time or another. One writer calls depression “the common cold of emotional disorders.” In Psalm 77 Asaph shares some of the . . . Symptoms of his struggle . . . A struggle with the fact that he felt as though God was nowhere to be found . . . I want you to look at the symptoms of his discouragement here in Psalm 77. And as you do, see whether maybe you can relate to any of these?
The first symptom is this. I feel like Praying is Pointless. In verses two and three he says . . . “When I was in distress, I sought the Lord; at night I stretched out untiring hands and my soul refused to be comforted. I remembered you, O God, and I groaned” (Psalm 77:2-3). He says “I sought the Lord.” In other words, “I prayed, but felt at though my prayers weren’t getting any higher than the ceiling. He says, “My prayers brought me no comfort.”
The second symptom of his discouragement at feeling abandoned by God is that he . . . Can’t Sleep. He has insomnia, and he’s blaming it on God. You see that in Verse 4. . . . He says . . . “You kept my eyes from closing. . . He says, “I don’t even have words to express the way I’m feeling.’
A third symptom . . . I long for the Good Old Days. It’s interesting, but when you’re going through one of those times where you feel like God has abandoned you . . . Like he’s nowhere to be found. . . One of the things that you’ll sometimes do is look back, and the days behind you somehow, are always something that you remember as being better than they really were. The Psalmist says . . . “I thought about the former days, the years of long ago; The good old days . . . I remembered my songs in the night” (Psalm 77:5–6a). And that’s what those good old days were . . . . Nothing but good. . . Just song after song, sung in the night. Funny how we always seem to remember the “good old days” as being better than they actually were.
And then the final symptom of this psalmist’s depression . . . I don’t think things will Ever Get Better. Take a look at verses 7 and 8. Asaph says . . .“Will the Lord reject forever? Will he never show his favor again? Has his unfailing love vanished forever? Has his promise failed for all time? Has God forgotten to be merciful? Has he in anger withheld his compassion?” (Psalm 77:7–9a). Don’t miss the words that he uses there. . . . Words like forever and never and forever and for all time. Someone said this is just true of human nature. When you’re down, you feel like you’ll never be up again. And when you’re up, you feel like you’ll never be down again. And the writer of this psalm was DOWN, DOWN, DOWN.
What does he share in this psalm as The Solution? As the way out of his pit of despair? The Solution that he shares. . . And you see it in verses 10-12 is something that you might call . . . The Power Of Positive Remembering. Not positive thinking, but positive remembering.
Now positive thinking is great, as far as it will take you, right? Given the choice I would much rather be around you if you’re a Polyanna than a Debbie Downer. I appreciate people who see the cup as Half-Full, rather than Half-Empty Me? I just want to know who drank the other half. But the problem with positive thinking is that there are times when it just doesn’t work. Just because you can conceive something, doesn’t mean you can achieve it.Positive thinking. . . Too often tries to peer into the future and make things happen. The problem with that is, you have no control over the future. But positive remembering is different, because it can look to the past, and focus on fact. And that’s what we need to do. Look at what the Psalmist did in Psalm 77:10-12. He writes . . . Then I thought, “To this I will appeal: the years when the Most High stretched out his right hand. I will remember the deeds of the Lord; yes, I will remember your miracles of long ago. I will consider all your works and meditate on all your mighty deeds” (Psalm 77:10-12). Again – POSITIVE REMEMBERING.
Take a look at those verses and notice his focus on REMBERING. He said . . . I will remember the deeds of the Lord . . . I will remember your miracles of long ago… I will consider all your works and meditate on all your mighty deeds. What’s the SECRET to being able to do what Asaph did, and point to the things that he pointed to? The secret is a principle that you see throughout the Bible that you can call . . . The Principle Of Monumental Faith, And what it’s talking about is faith that is strengthened by monuments. One example of this is when Joshua leads the nation of Israel across the Jordan River.
Do you remember what happened? The waters parted and the people walked across on dry land. Now this is actually THE SECOND TIME a miracle like this happened for the children of Israel. What was the first time? It was the Red Sea? God parted the Red Sea as the Children of Israel came out of Egypt ahead of Pharaoh’s arm. That was 40 years prior to God parting the waters of the Jordan, But. . . the Bible says that the people forgot what God did for them. And so, Psalm 78 tells us that as a result of their forgetfulness, terror and fear struck their hearts when they thought about going into the promised land. . . Why? Because they forgot the wonders of God. So the next time that God parts the waters, 40 years later, Joshua says, TIME OUT.
As they’re getting ready to move on, he says let’s take a moment and have everybody go back to the riverbed while it’s still dry, and pick up a big river rock. Why? What were they going to do with the rocks? Look what he says in the next verses. . . It says . . . “Each of you is to take up a stone on his shoulder… to serve as a sign among you. In the future, when your children ask you, ‘What do these stones mean?’ tell them… These stones are to be a memorial to the people of Israel forever” (Joshua 4:5–7). He says, “Let these stones serve as a monument. . . Let them serve as a memorial . . . Let’s not make the mistake that we made before in forgetting what God has done for us. Let’s set something aside as a reminder.
Read through your Bible and you’ll see that . . . . Over 100 Times The Bible Tells Us To “Remember” God’s Deeds. Why? Why are we commanded as Christians to remember? There are a multitude of reasons, but let me give you FOUR: These aren’t on your notes, but you might want to jot them down so you can refer back to them later.
God commands us to remember. . . .1. Because we’re forgetful. God knows better than we do how forgetful we are of who He is and what He has done, And it’s for that reason that He commands us over and over and over again to remember. The command to remember is a command as forceful as any other command you find in Scripture. And so if there’s one thing we can learn from the repetition of that command it’s that Remembering, is an active choice. Without us actively and intentionally choosing to remember, we will forget.
CS Lewis knew this and once remarked, “People need to be reminded more than instructed.” I don’t know if you’ve ever thought about it this way, but this is one of the reasons that we come together each weekend in worship. When we open the scripture, more often than not, we’re not necessarily doing that to learn. . . We’re doing it to remember. After all, Solomon, who was regarded as one of the wisest men who ever lived, has written that. . . “There is nothing new under the sun” (Ecc. 1:9). But just because it’s not new, doesn’t mean it’s at the front of our minds. Because we’re forgetful, we need be reminded to remember.
A second reason that I believe that scripture repeats this command so often is that . . .
2. Remembering makes us aware. The forgetful person is the person who is unaware. As we go about our daily lives, it’s so easy for us to operate on auto-pilot and entirely forget the fact that an all powerful and all-loving God has put this day together for us. We will, if we don’t fight against it, by default forget the fact that this is His day, the day that He has made. . . And He has made it for our sake and for His glory. When we choose to remember, we are making the decision to actively look for what He is doing that we might otherwise miss at first glance.
A third reason why we’re told again and again to remember is because . ..
3. Remembering gives us hope. As we look back over the course of our lives, we are able to see in retrospect things that we might not have been able to see at any given moment. We can for example, with the benefit of rear-view vision see that no matter what the circumstances were, the Lord was actually at work in a given situation for our good, and for His glory. When we find ourselves feeling like we’re stuck in the weeds in the middle of a situation from which we see no way out – – remembering gives us hope – because we are reminded that God has never once abandoned us. And the fourth reason we’re commanded to remember is because. . .
4. Remembering gives us perspective. Whatever is happening to us right now – – typically tends to be the thing that we’re focused on. The present trial, the present joy, or the present sorrow – – those are the things that dominate our focus. But remembering provides us with perspective. That’s the WHY behind the command to remember.
But that leaves us with the question of . . . HOW. The issue of “HOW” you do this. . . How you develop MONUMENTAL FAITH?? Let me give you three things you can do to help develop monumental faith . . .
#1 Notice God Working. At the end of Psalm 77 there’s a verse that Asaph wrote that says . . . Your path led through the sea, your way through the mighty waters, though your footprints were not seen” (Psalm 77:19). Think about that. . . God’s footprints are never really seen. But if your eyes are open to it, you will see that he was there.
David demonstrates this same kind of monumental faith when is about to go into battle against the giant Goliath. He could have looked back on his life and said, “You know what, if it weren’t for bad luck, I wouldn’t have had any luck at all. One time when I was out watching the sheep. . . “I was attacked by a lion.” Another time when I was watching the sheep . . .“I was attacked by a bear.” And now here I am just doing the “Postmates” thing and dropping off lunch for my brothers, and suddenly I’ve got to face off against this giantBut that wasn’t his perspective.
Instead he said . . . “The Lord who rescued me from the paw of the lion and the paw of the bear will rescue me from the hand of this Philistine” (1 Samuel 17:37). David had developed the ability to NOTICE God Working, around him, and in him and through him. To the point where he didn’t see the things that he had been through as just random occurrences, but rather examples of God at work. It happened for him, and it can happen for you and me, but you’ve got to be looking for it, so that you won’t miss it when it happens.
One of the NEXT STEPS on the back of your notes, and on your connection card for this week is to ask God to help me to NOTICE Him working – – – you need to be intentional and look for it, or you’ll miss it. A second thing you can do to Create Your Own Monuments. Now you don’t have to necessarily make your monuments out of River Rock, like the children of Israel did when God led them across the Jordan, although sometimes a physical reminder of what he’s brought you through can be helpful . . . But one simple way of creating your own monuments is to keep a journal. This can be a pen and paper journal or a file on your computer where you keep a record of your prayers requests, and your answers to prayer. You keep a record of ways in which you saw God at work in your life or the lives of those around you. Then during the dark times, the times of doubt, the times when maybe you’re wondering if there even is anyone on the other side of that window who knows what you’re going through, you can look back and be encouraged realizing that if God did it once, He can do it again.
A third thing you can do to develop monumental faith is to . . . Share Your Stories. When it comes to sharing your faith. . . And I’m talking specifically here about sharing Christ, with someone who doesn’t know Him, one of the most powerful tools that God has given you is your own faith story. And the reason that it’s so powerful is because it’s YOUR story – no one else’s. It’s your experience of how God led you into a relationship with Himself. But in a similar way, your stories of how you have seen God at work in your life, in the years since you entered into a relationship with Him are no less powerful.And you need to share them, and share them often, for at least two reasons. First of all to encourage others, And secondly, so they’re not forgotten.
Again, on your notes. . . . Our memory verse for this week comes from Psalm 78:4 and it says . . . “We will tell the next generation the praiseworthy deeds of the Lord, his power, and the wonders he has done” (Psalm 78:4). Would you join me in asking God to help us to be faithful to do that. . . Let’s pray . . .
Recorded in Los Angeles, CA.
A message from the series “Daily Devotional Videos.” Devotional Manuscript: Why Should I Trust God?
Message by Dr. Rick Mandl, January 22, 2021, Eagle Rock Baptist Church
Recorded in Los Angeles, CA.
Hey church family. This weekend we’re wrapping up our teaching series called “In God We Trust” and we’re looking at the question – “Why Should I Trust God?” I think it’s a fair question. Because if, trusting God guaranteed me a pass on all the pain and problems in life, then I could certainly understand why I should trust Him. But inasmuch as I don’t get that kind of guarantee, then why should I trust Him?
The problem of evil or suffering is a barrier for a lot of people when it comes to placing their trust in God. The American poet and writer Archibald MacLeish, in his 1959 play “J.B.”, makes the statement, “If God is God He is not good, If God is good He is not God.”
Ponder his words for a moment because I believe that they sum up the problem well. If God is all-powerful, (if he’s God) then he has the ability to stop all the evil in the world. And if God is perfectly good, he would want to stop all the evil in the world. Evil, however, exists in the world. Therefore, God either must not be all powerful, or He must not be all good, so in either case, why trust him.
The problem with that argument is that it ignores the Biblical worldview … The Biblical worldview is that . . . God created everything and called it good; Mankind, back in Eden, made a bad choice that has had disastrous repercussions for every generation since; As a result death has reigned—spiritually, physically, and morally— But God staged a long-term rescue mission; that mission began when Jesus dealt with sin at the cross, and it will culminate when He returns to rule over a restored creation with those He was sent to save.
If you don’t live with that worldview, most of life is going to seem random, arbitrary, cruel, and frightening. Even if you do live with that worldview, life will still hurt and be hard, but the bigger picture of God’s purposes will bring clarity to you and comfort you.
The Bible helps us lean into this perspective. It shows us that even as Christians, we’re not immune to pain. Jesus said that the Father “makes His sun rise on the evil and on the good, and sends rain on the just and on the unjust” (Matthew 5:45 NKJV). In one sense it’s an over-simplification to say that bad things happen to good people, because the Bible also makes it clear that, in light of God’s holiness, there are no “good” people. We all fall short, and even our most righteous deeds are a pile of dirty rags before the Lord. But the amazing thing about the way in which God works in our lives is that He is able to work all of our shortcomings and failings into an opportunity for something good, if we trust in Him.
Think of David, the man after God’s own heart. When bad things happened—when he was on the run from Saul, David still believed God was in charge and in control. He had a high view of God. This belief steadied him and gave him confidence and courage. David’s suffering still ministers to us today. When bad things happened, David could say, “But God is still on His throne.” That means when bad things happen in our lives, it’s not the end of the story.
Evil may succeed for a day or for a season, but in the end, God will triumph, and we will triumph with Him. In the meantime, every hardship is an opportunity to check your worldview and examine the way in you’re looking at life. We’ll dig deeper into that this weekend as we examine the question – “Why Should I Trust God?” I hope you can be with us.
Recorded in Los Angeles, CA.
A message from the series “Daily Devotional Videos.” Looking once more at Colossians 3:2, Judy Mandl reminds us that adopting an eternal perspective is something that can help us to get through what we’re going through.
A message from the series “Daily Devotional Videos.” Devotional Manuscript: Winning Through Losing
Message by Dr. Rick Mandl, January 21st, 2021, Eagle Rock Baptist Church
Recorded in Los Angeles, CA.
Hey church family, if you were with us this past weekend, you’ll remember that we talked about how Jesus way of winning is really the exact opposite of the world’s way. Well thinking a little bit more about that… Have you ever thought about the fact that any religion, any faith system that talks about heaven or hell always talks about heaven being “up” and hell being “down”? You find that same sort of imagery throughout the Bible.
For instance, Psalm 14:2 says, “The Lord looks down from heaven on the entire human race;” You see, the birth of Christ was really just the beginning of a round trip that Jesus took from heaven, down to earth, and then took back up to heaven. In the second chapter of a letter that Paul wrote called Philippians, Paul describes this round trip so that we can understand it better. The entire life of Jesus isn’t a story about somebody climbing a ladder; It is a picture of someone descending a ladder.
From eternity past, Jesus was at the top of the organizational chart of the universe. . . But He went from the top to the bottom. He left heaven and came to earth where He became an ordinary human being. He wasn’t born in a palace to a king and a queen but laid in a manger as a peasant son of an impoverished couple. From the time that He was born until the day He died, He spent His entire life doing two things: obeying God and serving others.
Why? He did it for you and me. In Mark 10:45 NLT – Jesus said, “For even the Son of Man came not to be served but to serve others and to give his life as a ransom for many.” In Luke 9:24 Jesus told us, “For whoever wants to save their life will lose it, but whoever loses their life for me will save it.”
There are no shortage of people around you who will tell you what you need to do in order to achieve greatness. Jesus made it really simple. He said . . . SERVE. He said . . . GIVE. When I give up my life for Christ, He gives me a new life in Him, and it is infinitely better than anything I could ever get for myself. I pray that, that is something that each of us would discover as we surrender ourselves to His Lordship, AMEN.
Recorded in Los Angeles, CA.
