Messages

Message: “Who Do You Look Like, And Why?” from Dr. Rick Mandl

A message from the series “Daily Devotional Videos.” Devotional Manuscript: Who Do You Look Like And Why?Message by Dr. Rick Mandl, October 9, 2020. Recorded in Los Angeles, CA.
 
Hey church family. Some time back an article appeared in Atlantic Magazine titled. . . “Why You Look Like Your Dog: Behind The Phenomenon of Pet/Owner resemblance” The article said . . . This phenomenon has been amply documented. Researchers around the world have repeatedly found that strangers can match photos of dogs, with photos of their owners at a rate well above chance. So the fact is – this is a real thing.
 
So let me ask you . . . Have you ever observed this? Have you seen people who look like their dogs? Or dogs, who look like their people? They have photo after photo to document this. There are no shortage of examples that I could show you . . . Each of which illustrate the truth that dogs and their masters look alike. Now, we know the WHAT. Even if we’re still trying to figure out the WHY.
 
I’m not sure if you’ve ever thought about it, but this can also illustrate a spiritual truth which is that whether we’re aware of it or not, we tend to become like WHO or WHAT we hang out with. Let me share with you one verse, that echoes this truth. It’s 2 Corinthians 3:18 and it says . . . And we all, who with unveiled faces contemplate the Lord’s glory, are being transformed into his image with ever-increasing glory, which comes from the Lord, who is the Spirit.
 
The idea is that as we hang out with Jesus, as we spend time with him, and think about him, and contemplate him, we are being transformed into his image. I don’t mean by that, that we’re going to necessarily have long hair, a beard, and a flowing robe. What I do mean is that our character becomes like his. We’re being transformed from the inside out to more and more resemble him.
 
Psychologists call this “The law of association” – you become like those you spend time with. Jesus said it this way in John 15. He said . . . “If you abide in me and I in you, you will bear much fruit.” I think one of the things he was talking about the fruit of the spirit. Love, joy, peace, patience, gentleness, self-control. You spend time with Jesus, and you see his faithfulness, and that produces peace in you. You see the ways in which he ministered to those he came into contact with. You see the patience that he showed toward the twelve with whom he spent so much of us time, and that encourages you to show patience toward those who might otherwise try your patience. You grow in forgiveness as you look at the cross and see him praying for the forgiveness of those who were crucifying him. How do you grow in kindness? You look at Jesus and see him pouring it out on those that he ministered to. You become like who or what you focus on.
 
There are so many things in our world today that compete to draw our focus away from Jesus. In the words of the writer to the Hebrews, let me encourage you to . . . Fix your eyes on Jesus, the author and perfecter of our faith, who for the joy set before him endured the cross, scorning its shame, and sat down at the right hand of the throne of God. Consider him who endured such opposition from sinful men, so that you will not grow weary and lose heart.
 
Recorded in Los Angeles, CA.
 
 

Message: “Following Jesus Means Forgiving” from Dr. Rick Mandl

A message from the series “Daily Devotional Videos.” Devotional Manuscript: Following Jesus Means Forgiving OthersMessage By Dr. Rick Mandl, October 8, 2020.Recorded in Los Angeles, CA.
 
Hey church family. If you with us for worship this past weekend, you know that the subject we looked at was forgiveness. I want to continue with that theme today.
 
Our memory verse for this week is Colossians 3:13 which says, “Make allowance for each other’s faults, And forgive anyone who offends you. Remember, the Lord forgave you, so you MUST forgive others.” Emphasis on the MUST. The idea is that FORGIVEN people will be FORGIVING people.
 
I was challenged recently to think about it this way . . . Consider the following situations . . . A father mourns the death of his teenage boy who was killed when a drunk driver hit the car he was driving. A police officer is shot and paralyzed from the neck down by teenagers he was questioning in a park. A woman was brutally beaten and raped by an unknown attacker. All of these people have suffered trauma from a wrong done to them. The wrong done that was done was outside of their control. Still, in all three cases, the people who suffered also made a conscious decision to forgive the people who caused the trauma.
 
It’s always amazing when you see people who suffer such extreme wrongs, work through the pain and then make the decision to forgive. We all know that the decision to forgive can be an extremely difficult one. But, most of us, if we’re honest, don’t have to deal with forgiving such huge sins against us. For most of us forgiveness is something more like, forgiving a family member for taking the last piece of cake.
 
The truth is regardless of the extent of our pain, we all experience hurts from time to time. We saw last weekend that while forgetting is sometimes impossible, forgiveness is not. In fact, Jesus expects His followers to be people of forgiveness. Why? Because forgiveness is a choice. It includes the ideas of canceling a debt, wiping the slate clean, and releasing the other person from what they owe us. We DON’T FORGIVE OTHERS so that God will forgive us. RATHER, we forgive others because God has forgiven us. We prove that we understand what forgiveness is all about when we forgive others. If we regularly harbor grudges against others who have wronged us, it means that we’ve either never understood, or never experienced God’s forgiveness.
 
Forgiveness is more than God’s suggestion. It is a command. Even though we may feel hurt and angry with others who have wronged us– And although it’s okay to take time to process those feelings– We need to forgive them if we have experienced God’s forgiveness in our own lives. Forgiving others ought to be the defining characteristic of those who are followers of Jesus Christ. May it be something that others see clearly in you and me. Amen.
 
Recorded in Los Angeles, CA.
 
 

Message: “What’s In A Name?” from Judy Mandl

A message from the series “Daily Devotional Videos.” Judy Mandl looks at Psalm 8:1 and reminds us of what the Bible says about the name of God, and challenges us to look at our own lives and ask ourselves what we’re saying about His name through the lives we’re living.

Message: “If You Can’t Say Something Nice…” from Andrew Krayer-White

A message from the series “Daily Devotional Videos.” Most of us are familiar with the saying “If you can’t say something nice, don’t say anything at all.” Pastor Andrew continues his study of the Apostle Paul’s letter to the church at Philippi by looking at an issue that was going on within that church that was so serious, and so potentially divisive, that it might seem as though Paul felt it necessary to disregard this bit of wisdom altogether.

Message: “Do You Know What Happens When You Assume?” from Judy Mandl

A message from the series “Daily Devotional Videos.” There is an old saying that begins “Do You Know What Happens When You Assume? The answer is, “You make mistakes!” The reasons that we make mistakes when we assume is that we’re making judgments without having all the facts. Judy Mandl shares a real-life experience of a time when God had to give her a whack upside the head, and how that reminded her of Samuel’s experience in 1 Samuel 16:7 when God sent him to anoint a new king for Israel.

Message: “Paid In Full” from Dr. Rick Mandl

A message from the series “Daily Devotional Videos.” Devotional Manuscript: Paid in FullMessage by Dr. Rick Mandl, October 6, 2020.Recorded in Los Angeles, CA.
 
Hey church family. During his time on earth, Jesus said a number of things that upset the religious leaders of his day. I would imagine that you would be hard pressed to find anything he said that might have upset them more, than when he shared a parable and then in explaining that parable to them said . . .. “I tell you the truth, corrupt tax collectors, and prostitutes will get into the Kingdom of God before you do.”
 
Prostitution is something that is condemned in Scripture as immoral. And yet two prostitutes can be found in the genealogy of Christ, and one of them, Rahab, is actually included as an example of faith in Hebrews 11. Luke 7 tells us that when Jesus sat down to eat in the home of a Pharisee named Simon, “….a certain immoral woman from that city heard he was eating there, She brought a beautiful alabaster jar filled with expensive perfume. Then she knelt behind him at his feet, weeping. Her tears fell on his feet, and she wiped them off with her hair. Then she kept kissing his feet and putting perfume on them.” (vv. 37-38).
 
When a female was referred to as “a certain immoral woman” in that culture, it meant one thing: It meant she was a prostitute. So why did this woman come to the house of a Pharisee? Only one reason, It was because Jesus was there. I think she thought, “If I’m ever going to find love and forgiveness and hope, it’s going to be from that Man.”
 
When Simon the Pharisee, saw her barge in and break down in remorse and repentance, he said to himself, “If this man were a prophet, he would know what kind of woman is touching him. She’s a sinner!” It was then that Jesus spoke up and told a story about two debtors, one who owed his creditor five hundred pieces of silver and one who owed fifty. Neither one could pay their debt, but the creditor decided to forgive them both, cancelling their debts. Jesus asked Simon, “Who do you suppose loved him more after that?” Simon answered, “I suppose the one for whom he canceled the larger debt.” “That’s right,” Jesus said. . . . He continued . . .“I tell you, her sins—and they are many—have been forgiven, so she has shown me much love. But a person who is forgiven little shows only little love.”
 
Jesus was saying, “Simon, these two debtors, of whom I speak, are you and this woman. She’s a 500 silver-piece sinner, but you’re a 50 silver-piece sinner. Her sin may be an outward sin of passion, but yours is an inward sin of pride, And the fact is neither of you can pay the debt you owe to God.” Then Jesus said to the woman, “Your sins are forgiven. . . Your faith has saved you; go in peace.”
 
The lesson in that story is that whether we are a great big sinner, or a really wonderful little sinner, all of us have a debt we cannot pay. But Jesus paid a debt He did not owe. Because of that, every single human being can be forgiven by God. This woman was very aware that she was a great sinner and Jesus was a great Savior, so she sought that forgiveness from Him. And she walked away that day, knowing that God has a big eraser when it comes to sin. Thank the Lord that you and I can know the same thing today.
 
Recorded in Los Angeles, CA.
 
 

Message: “What Does Your Future Look Like?” from Dr. Rick Mandl

A message from the series “Daily Devotional Videos.” Devotional Manuscript: What Does Your Future Look Like?Message by Dr. Rick Mandl, October 5, 2020Recorded in Los Angeles, CA.
 
Hey church family, I’ve got a question for you, and my question is . . . What Does Your Future Look Like? What Does Your Future Look Like? You may never have thought about it, but the fact is. . . Predicting the future is big business. As long as there have been people, there has been a desire on their part, to know what their future was going to hold. In fact it’s that desire to know the future, that has made horoscopes, psychics, and weathermen so popular. Of course, scripture warns us to stay away from those things. Well maybe not weathermen, but those other things. And the reason is, because they don’t work. The only one who knows the future for sure is the one who holds the future in his hands, and that’s God.
 
This week I was reminded that even though we can’t predict our future circumstances, we can predict our future responses to those circumstances. Think about the Apostle Paul. When it came to his circumstances, his future was uncertain. Paul was sitting in a Roman prison. He didn’t know whether he would be released or executed. Yet, he could rejoice, because he saw a positive end to either result.
 
In Philippians 1, Paul wrote, “For to me, to live is Christ, and to die is gain” (v. 21). If you were to take that verse and personalize it to make it your own, what would you say? For me, to live is _____, and so, to die is _____. Let’s say that for you, to live is wealth. Then you’d have to say to die is a total loss, because you can’t take your wealth with you. You leave it all behind. If you said “For me to live is fame and status, then you’d also have to say to die is loss… Because you lose those things when you die. If you said to live is having a perfect physical body… ou’re going to have to put loss next to that one too, because when you die things go south really quickly. In fact, the only thing you can put in that first blank that makes death a gain is Christ. That’s why this verse was the perfect summary of Paul’s life.
 
Paul really believed Jesus’ words in John 11: “I am the resurrection and the life. He who believes in Me, though he may die, he shall live. And whoever lives and believes in Me shall never die”. Paul didn’t know if he was going to live or die, but either way, he wasn’t afraid. He reasoned . . . “If I live, I’ll preach Christ.” “If I die, I’ll be with Christ.” So for Him it was a win/win proposition either way.
 
I mentioned that you can’t predict your future circumstances, but the fact is, there is one circumstance you can predict – and that is where you’ll spend eternity. Will you spend eternity in heaven or in hell? You can know for sure. Not because you’re relying on your own good works, and hoping that at the end of the day, your goodness will have been good enough to earn admission to heaven. But rather because you have believed and trusted in Jesus Christ and His finished work: If you’ve done that you can know for certain that you’re going to heaven. I know that. Without a doubt. What about you?
 
Recorded in Los Angeles, CA.
 
 

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