Messages

A message from the series “Stay Positive.” Sermon Manuscript: Stay Positive Message 5- Be EnthusiasticSermon preached by Dr. Rick Mandl, Eagle Rock Baptist Church, September 12 & 13, 2020Recorded in Los Angeles, CA.
 
Hey church family great to welcome you today. We’re wrapping up our Stay Positive teaching series with the idea of Being Enthusiastic. And when it comes to Enthusiasm, there are two types of people. Those who let CIRCUMSTANCES influence their enthusiasm and their passion for things. And then the other type of person is the one who… Those who use their ENTHUSIASM to influence their circumstances. So which one are you?
 
Are you the one who lets the things going on around you determine where your passion flows. Or are you the kind of person who says “No, nothing will derail my enthusiasm.” Think of the difference this way… You are either a THERMOMETER or a THERMOSTAT. A thermometer, as you know, takes its cues from the outside world. Bring it into a room and it will let the room determine what the temperature will be. A thermostat, on the other hand, does the opposite. It sets the mood for the room. You either SET THE TEMPERATURE or you READ THE TEMPERATURE. There are those who let what’s going on around them dictate the mood and spirit of their lives, and there are those who let the enthusiasm and mood and spirit of their lives influence the mood of those around them.
 
I want for a moment to look at the “root” of this word “Enthusiasm.” Our word “Enthusiasm” comes from the Greek word En Theos. It’s actually a compound of two words… En Is Greek for “In.” And “Theos” is the Greek word for “God.” En Theos means “in God.” Or “Filled with God.” It is the passion that you have that is borne out of a connection with God.
 
I love how the Apostle Paul says this to the church in Corinth. He says, “But thank God! He gives us victory over sin and death through our Lord Jesus Christ” (1 Corinthians 15:57). To which all of us want to say AMEN. And he goes on and says, “So, my dear brothers and sisters, be strong and immovable.” What Paul is saying there is – don’t let the circumstances around you affect you – be immovable. Always work enthusiastically for the Lord.
 
Why? Here’s why… “for you know that nothing you do for the Lord is ever useless” (1 Corinthians 15:58). Paul is reminding us that “we work for the Lord.” And that when we work for the Lord, that transforms something mundane into something meaningful. He said it this way in his letter to the Colossians… He said, “Whatever you do, work at it with all your heart, as working for the Lord…” (Colossians 3:23). What Paul is saying here is it’s not WHAT you do that makes it meaningful it’s WHO you do it for. That’s what makes the difference. The fact is, you can have passions for any variety of things. You can have passions for sports and hobbies. For your job or any number of other things. You can have passion. You can also lose it. And when that happens, how do you get it back?
 
We’re going to see that as we look at the life of King David. What I want to do is I want to look at what I’m calling the “en theous” of David. From the example of David, we’ll see that you can have spiritual enthusiasm and you can lose it. I want to look at the spiritual enthusiasm of a little shepherd boy who grew up to be king. I want to show you when he had spiritual enthusiasm and when he lost it, because maybe some of you have had it, and you’ve lost it, and just like David, you can get it back again. I want to start with the very well-known story about David and a giant named Goliath. When we read this I want you to read it through the lens of spiritual enthusiasm.
 
If you know the story of David & Goliath then you know that the Philistine army was at war with the Children of Israel and what they would sometimes do was to pick a representative from each side to engage in a fight. And based on who won that fight they would declare which army had won the battle. So David goes into battle. Fighting on behalf of the Philistines was this massive giant named Goliath. Fighting on behalf of Israel was a little shepherd boy named David. “David said to the Philistine, (Goliath) ‘You come against me with sword and spear and javelin.'” In other words, you come against me with all your stuff. All your state-of-the-art weapons of warfare. And truth be told you’ve got some pretty impressive stuff. And I’ve got no doubt that you know how to use it. “… but I (David) come against you (Goliath) in the name of the LORD Almighty, the God of the armies of Israel, whom you have defied’” (1 Samuel 17:45). “This day the LORD will deliver you into my hands, and…”
 
Pause there for a moment. You know we tell these Bible stories to our kids. And we absolutely should tell these Bible stories to our kids. But when we do, we kind of sanitize them. We make sure they’re rated “G” for general audiences. And that’s okay. We need to communicate Bible truths in an age-appropriate way. But we need to make sure that as adults we do know for ourselves, the rest of the story. David didn’t just predict that he would be victorious in this battle. What he specifically said to Goliath was… I’ll strike you down and cut off your head. This very day I will give the carcasses of the Philistine army… Not just yours, but your entire army… to the birds and the wild animals, and those birds and those animals will chow down on those bodies. They are going to pig out! Well, David might not have said “Pig out” because he was Jewish. What he did say was… and the whole world will know that there is a God in Israel.” 
 
Where does this guy, this guy who is 17, 18, 19 years old, get this enthusiasm? How did this teenager? How did this young adult get this enthusiasm? Where Did David’s Enthusiasm Come From?
 
Three things… He trusted God daily. He walked with God daily. He worshiped with God daily. David trusted God daily, he walked with God daily, and he worshiped God daily. And the key word, just to make sure you don’t miss it is… Do you know what the key word is? If you know what it is, write it in the chat or say it out loud. The key word is DAILY.
 
How could David fight a giant? He could fight a giant because He trusted God. Because in previous days when David was taking care of the sheep and a bear would come up to attack one of the sheep, what did David do? He charged after the bear, and God gave him the strength to defeat the bear. And because David TRUSTED God the day before for that battle – – Boy vs bear – –  he could trust God today for the battle ahead of him – – Boy vs Giant. He trusted God and God had been faithful, and so he said, “God did it once. God will do it again. David figures, “I just happen to believe, based on my past experiences from the times that I’ve trusted God, that he will continue to be faithful and deliver the enemy into my hands. He TRUSTED God daily.
 
David also WALKED with God daily. Remember, David was the one who wrote the 23 Psalm. He was the one who said, “The Lord is my Shepherd…” “The Lord is my shepherd. I shall not want. He makes me lie down in green pastures. He restores my soul. He leads me, he guides me, he comforts me, he protects me. He’s always with me. He guides me along the right path. Even though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I will fear no evil for He is right there with me, His rod and His staff protect me. He prepares a table before me in the presence of my enemies. He anoints my head with oil.” David said that as I walk with God I am convinced that mercy and goodness will follow me all the day of my life, and when my life is over… Then I know I will dwell in the house of the Lord forever. David TRUSTED God daily. David WALKED with God daily.
 
And David WORSHIPED God daily. When the Ark of the Covenant, where the presence of God dwelled, came into town, scripture says, “David worshiped God and he danced with all of his might.” So much so that it embarrassed his wife, like, “You are humiliating yourself,” and he didn’t care. David’s relationship with God was not a “click” on a computer screen once a week to watch a sermon so that he could say “Check. I did the church thing.” It wasn’t even a drive across town to sit in a church service and sing some songs once a week. It was a daily abiding in the presence of God that gave him this enthusiasm.
 
Why did he have such enthusiasm? Because he TRUSTED God. He WALKED with God. He WORSHIPED God.
 
The tragedy is, this didn’t last forever in David’s life. He was very, very enthusiastic, spiritually charged at one point in his life, but as he grew older, evidently the spiritual fire stated to cool. Fast forward from 1 Samuel 17, which is David & Goliath to 2 Samuel 11, which is David & Bathsheba. When we reach 2 Samuel 11 David’s not a kid. Life is more comfortable, and he is now the king. Verse 1 and 2 of 2 Samuel 11 tells us that, “In the spring, at the time when kings go off to war…”
 
Pause there for a moment. What time is it? It’s spring-time. Who is David? David is the king. Where do kings go in the spring? They go off to war. Does David go off to war? No. David sent Joab out with the king’s men and the whole Israelite army” (2 Samuel 11:1). David sent his army. David sent his general. But David does not go. He stays at home. And at a time when he wasn’t WHERE he was supposed to be… He climbs up on his roof and SEES something that he’s not supposed to see. A woman taking a bath on the roof of her house. And as a result he THINKS something he wasn’t supposed to think and then ultimately he DOES something that he wasn’t supposed to do – he has an affair with her.
 
I don’t want you to miss the contrast between these two periods in David’s life. As a kid with enthusiasm, David ran into the battle to serve his God. But as a king with apathy, David stayed home to serve his comfort. As a kid, with enthusiasm, he ran into the battle to serve his God. With apathy, David walked on the roof to serve his comfort.
 
Question. How did a man with so much enthusiasm as a kid, lose it as a king? Think about it. How did a man who had so much spiritual enthusiasm as a kid, lose it as a king? The answer is he took his eyes off his calling and he put it on his comfort. My question to you today is this… Which one best describes you? Which of those two categories best represents you? Are you filled with “En theos” – enthusiasm – filled with God? Whatever you do – it’s not meaningless – because it’s not about the WHAT – it’s about the WHO. Or do you find yourself – more spiritually comfortable? More complacent? With a calling on your life, are you charging into spiritual battles? Do you even know what those battles are? Are you gaining ground? Helping others find and follow Jesus? Or are your days mostly spent, making yourself comfortable?  Is your priority your CALLING or your COMFORT? Which one best represents YOU?
 
During COVID everyone has established new habits. All of us! What new habits have you established? Are those new habits all about yourself? Or are those new habits about you and God? Based on what I know about human nature and what I know about people… We don’t drift toward discipline…  We don’t drift toward health… We don’t drift toward good decisions… We drift toward complacency. We drift toward apathy. We drift toward self-centered attitudes. And sadly, when people are sometimes disengaged from the physical presence of worship, they may start out at church online for a little while, but then they start to drift. And bad habits set in. And the good disciplines go away and rather than being filled with the presence of God, they’re filled with fear, and doubt. And a loss of joy. And a loss of purpose. And what once was a vibrant passionate calling from God has been replaced by comfort.
 
Which best represents you? En theos… Calling? Purpose? Passion? Spiritual Enthusiasm? Or comfort….and complacency? David had that Spiritual Enthusiasm, but then he lost it. And in God’s grace, he sent a prophet named Nathan to confront David. And after the confrontation David realized how he had fallen away. And he cried out to God in the very powerful Psalm 51. And it’s there that we read these words… “Create in me a pure heart, O God, and renew a steadfast spirit within me… Restore to me the joy of your salvation and grant me a willing spirit, to sustain me.”
 
Jesus said this to the church at Ephesus… He said, “Yet I hold this against you…” When Jesus tells you he has something against you, it’s time to listen up and take notice. What did he have against them? He says, “It’s this… You have forsaken the love you had at first.” Another version says, ‘You’ve forsaken your first love.” In other words, you didn’t LOSE your enthusiasm, you LEFT it. You didn’t LOSE it. It’s not like it slipped down between the cushions in the couch, or you left it at TARGET. You LEFT it. You walked away. You surrendered it.
 
Some of you can relate to this. There was a time in your life when you were enthusiastic about God, and now, you’re not so much anymore. It’s almost like you’ve been comfortable with the, “Yeah, Jesus saved me, blah, blah, blah, blah, blah, blah. Now, I’m going to do my life thing.” To you Jesus say, “You’ve forsaken the love you had.” And then Jesus says, “Consider how far you have fallen!” And it might be good for some of us to do that. Consider how you drifted. Consider the intimacy you once had. Consider the power of God that was with you. Consider his presence that never left you. Consider!
 
And then Jesus says very simply, “Repent. Change direction. Change the way you think and do the things you did at first.”  Do them again. What do you do? You walked with him daily. You trusted his goodness daily. You worshiped him daily. Not out of DUTY but out of DELIGHT.
 
Like I said at the beginning… There are two types of people. There are those who let their circumstances… COVID-19, Fear, Panic, Anxiety… influence their posture, their heart, their own spiritual temperature. And there are those who let their ENTHUSIASM, borne out of a vibrant and ongoing relationship with God, influence their ENVIRONMENT. There are two types of people… Those who WALK with God and DWELL with God and TRUST God and he EMPOWERS them with SPIRITUAL ENTHUSIASM. And there are those who don’t LOSE it but they LEAVE it. Which type are you? Do you want your enthusiasm back? Then make the commitment to always work Enthusiastically For The Lord, knowing that nothing you do for the Lord is ever wasted.
Let’s pray.
Recorded in Los Angeles, CA.
 
 

A message from the series “Daily Devotional Videos.” Devotional Manuscript: The Most Difficult Instrument In The OrchestraBy Dr. Rick Mandl on September 11, 2020Recorded in Los Angeles, CA.
 
Hey church family. This past weekend, as part of our “Stay Positive” series, we looked at the importance of encouragement. We saw that God is the ultimate encourager. And that in order for us to be like him, we need to grow in our ability to encourage others. If I were ask you, to name for me, an individual in the Bible who you think of when you think of encouragement, I wonder who would you name?
 
There might be a number of different names that could populate your list. You might think of Jonathan for the ways in which he provided encouragement to King David. Or maybe Aaron for the ways that he encouraged his brother Moses. But suppose I said, okay there ARE many encouragers in the Bible, but give me the one name that stands out head and shoulders above the rest… If you thought about that for a moment, you might suggest that of course it’s got to be… Joseph. You know the apostle Joseph, from the tribe of Levi, who came from the island of Cyprus. You hear me say that, and you might counter with… Actually Pastor Rick, I wasn’t going to name this guy Joseph, that you’re talking about. In fact, I’ve never even heard of him. I was going to name “Barnabas”. The guy we meet in the book of Acts. The guy whose very name means “Son of Encouragement.” At which point I would say, “You’re right!” “Same guy.”
 
In Acts chapter 4 we read about how those first followers of Jesus were known for their generosity. And one example is this guy we’re talking about – Joseph -er Barnabas. Acts 4:36 (NLT) tells us, “For instance, there was Joseph, the one the apostles nicknamed Barnabas (which means “Son of Encouragement”). He was from the tribe of Levi and came from the island of Cyprus. He sold a field he owned and brought the money to the apostles.” From this point on in the book of Acts, every time that we meet Joseph the Levite, from the island of Cyprus, he’s simply known as “Barnabas – the Son of Encouragement.” And almost every time we see him, we see him encouraging someone else.
 
One of the first examples was the Apostle Paul, who had been known as Saul, who before he met Jesus, was most famous as the persecutor of the first Christians. Saul was so committed to his task of persecuting Christians that he was willing to leave Jerusalem and hunt down Christians wherever he could find them and bring them back and throw them in prison. It was on one of those fishing trips that he met the resurrected Jesus (you can read all about it in Acts chapter 9) and that meeting changed everything. Paul the persecutor, became a follower of Jesus Christ. Which was great for him, and great for the future of the church, but at first no one believed that Saul’s conversion was real. They thought that maybe it was some clever con-job to try and gain the trust of the Christians so that he could infiltrate their ranks and arrest more of them.
 
In fact, Acts 9:26 tells us, “When Saul arrived in Jerusalem, he tried to meet with the believers, but they were all afraid of him.” They did not believe he had truly become a believer! It’s at this point that we see Joseph… er Barnabas, step us on behalf of Saul. Acts 9:27 tells us, “Then Barnabas brought him to the apostles and told them how Saul had seen the Lord on the way to Damascus and how the Lord had spoken to Saul. He also told them that Saul had preached boldly in the name of Jesus in Damascus.” Barnabas stood up for Paul when he needed someone to stand up for him. He encouraged Paul by believing in him – by trusting that he had really changed. These two became partners in missionary work together. In fact, when you first read of these two together, Barnabas’ name is listed first. You know why? It’s because he was the major-leaguer and Paul was the rookie–until you get to Acts 13. From that point on, it’s no longer Barnabas and Paul. From that point on it’s “Paul and Barnabas.” I love this: Barnabas saw a need and pushed Paul up higher and higher until Barnabas himself became less significant. The truth is – – – If we didn’t have a Barnabas, we wouldn’t have Paul.
 
Encouragement is a needed gift, and it goes a long way. I started out by talking to you about Joseph, from the tribe of Levi, who came from the island of Cyprus who was so much known for his encouragement that they renamed him – they gave him the nickname – son of Encouragement. I wonder if the people who know you best were going to rename you, and, as a result, from this point forward they were going to refer to you by your most visible character trait, what would that be? hat can be a pretty humbling thought when we stop to think about it. I pray that the nickname they gave you, would be one that they gave you, because of an area of your life where they see that you are a lot like Jesus. Amen.
 
 

A message from the series “Daily Devotional Videos.” Raquel Blanchard looks at Psalm 40:1-3 and reminds us of the hope that comes from knowing that God is our Redeemer.

A message from the series “Daily Devotional Videos.” Judy Mandl explains what intercessory prayer is, and how God can use it to help us become the hands and feet of Jesus to those around us.

A message from the series “Daily Devotional Videos.” Devotional Manuscript: When You Need A Place To Run ToBy Dr. Rick Mandl, September 10, 2020Recorded in Los Angeles, CA.
 
Hey church family. Are you familiar with the “Cities of Refuge?” Read through Numbers chapters 35 and 36 and you’ll see that before the Children of Israel entered the land of promise that God was giving to them, God has a few more instructions to give them. He tells them that after they enter the land they are to choose cities which will allow a person who has killed another unintentionally to have a place to flee from those who would want to avenge the death of their relative. The idea was that the relatives of the person who died had the right to take vengeance upon the one who killed their relative. But, if it was an accident, the killer could flee to the nearest city of refuge. Once he arrived there, his case would be heard with the high priest presiding. If the person was, indeed, found to be innocent he was allowed to live, as long as he stayed within the walls of the city, until the death of the high priest.
 
The Bible continually tells us that God is our Refuge. Psalm 46:1 reminds us, God is our refuge and strength, an ever-present help in trouble.” You and I don’t have to flee to a city of refuge, because God, our Refuge, is present with us at all times. We do not have an impersonal God who is too busy to care about the daily needs of His children. Instead, He is available to us 24/7 to lead, comfort, and guide.
 
In addition to this we have the Holy Spirit living within our hearts who guides and directs us. We have a Savior, the Lord Jesus Christ, who sits at God’s right hand and makes intercession for us. And, in addition to all of this, God the Father is available at all times to hear our prayers.
 
I encourage you to think of Numbers 35 and Numbers 36 and be reminded today, that, as a follower of Jesus Christ, your Refuge is right there beside you wherever you go this day.
 
Recorded in Los Angeles, CA.
 
 

A message from the series “Daily Devotional Videos.” We learn a lot from the examples that others set for us. This is why the Apostle Paul was not afraid to say “You should imitate me, just as I imitate Christ” (1 Cor.11:1) Pastor Andrew continues his examination of Philippians chapter 2 and shows us that Paul provides us with another example to follow.

A message from the series “Daily Devotional Videos.” Judy Mandl unpacks 1 Thessalonians 5:17 and provides us with practical pointers for integrating prayer into every aspect of our lives.

A message from the series “Daily Devotional Videos.” How To Hear God SpeakTuesday, September 8, 2020
 
Hey church family. It was exactly two months after the Israelites left Egypt that they arrived and set up camp at the base of Mount Sinai. You can read the whole story in Exodus 19. We’re told that… On the morning of the third day, thunder roared and lightning flashed, and a dense cloud came down on the mountain. There was a long, loud blast from a ram’s horn, and all the people trembled. The Bible goes on to say that, “ All of Mount Sinai was covered with smoke because the Lord had descended on it in the form of fire. The smoke billowed into the sky like smoke from a brick kiln, and the whole mountain shook violently. As the blast of the ram’s horn grew louder and louder, Moses spoke, and God thundered his reply.” This is one example, from the Bible, of one of the ways in which God speaks – but we shouldn’t use this as the only model of how he speaks.
 
In Job 33:13, Job said… “God does speak—sometimes one way and sometimes another—even though people may not understand it.”  When God spoke to the prophet Elijah, Elijah was expecting some miraculous, earth-shattering, fire-filled experience – – maybe he was expecting to hear God the same way that Moses heard him on Mt. Sinai. But instead God spoke to him in a “gentle whisper.” And it’s often the same for us today. But to hear that whisper we need to be still, and listen.
 
Hebrews 1 tells us… Long ago God spoke many times and in many ways to our ancestors through the prophets. 2 And now in these final days, he has spoken to us through his Son. God continues to speak to us through His Son, Jesus Christ, And because of what He’s done for us at the cross, we don’t have to wait at the base of a mountain while someone else, goes up the mountain on our behalf and then comes down to tell us what He’s said. “Because of what Jesus Christ has done for us at the cross, we can come boldly to the throne of our gracious God, where we will receive his mercy, and we will find grace to help us when we need it most.”
 
I pray that we will be taking Him up on that invitation today.
 
 

A message from the series “Daily Devotional Videos.” Prayer can be challenging for a lot of us. Where do we start? What do we pray about? How can we make sure that our times spent in prayer are more than a laundry list of requests that we repeat without thinking every time we pray? Judy Mandl shares a simple pattern for prayer that helps us balance our own concerns with a healthy dose of worship and thanksgiving.

A message from the series “Daily Devotional Videos.” The Power Of Unconditional LoveMonday, September 7, 2020 
Hey church family. COVID 19 has touched each of us in different ways. Here at the church it means we can’t minister in the same ways that we have ministered throughout the 90+ years of our church’s presence here on this corner. That’s obvious when it comes to things like not being able to meet in person for our weekend worship services. But something you don’t see, is that we also can’t visit those in our congregation who in the hospital – because it’s not allowed –  sometimes that’s done to protect us – sometimes it’s done to protect them.
 
This past Sunday night we had one of our ERBC Zoom prayer meetings. And with us on that call was a member of our church family who was joining us from his bed at Kaiser Sunset where he’s been admitted with COVID-19. I was so glad that he was on that call, because not only did it allow him to pray with us, and others in our church for all the things we were praying for, but it gave us an opportunity to pray with and for him. It’s hard when pastors can’t visit church members in the hospital. Harder still is when family members can’t visit members of their own family who are in the hospital. And it’s even harder when you’re not talking about a hospital, from which most people are released after a short stay, but rather a nursing home where people are often living out the rest of their lives.
 
This week I was reading about a man names Jack Eccles. Jack Eccles is a longtime Baptist pastor with two doctoral degrees. And he’s also someone who I would describe as a life-long learner. I say that because even at the age of ninety-three, Jack Eccles is still learning. He is currently learning German and recently posted a sermon to YouTube. His wife of seventy years, Gerry, is the mother of their nine children. Five years ago, in 2015 Gerry was diagnosed with Alzheimer’s and as a result lives in a nursing home in North Carolina.
 
Earlier this year, on March 12, Jack Eccles arrived at the nursing home, just like he did every day to visit his wife and to spend much of the day with her. But on this day he couldn’t visit. On this day he was turned away because of the coronavirus. Not willing to take no for an answer, the next day Jack returned with a suitcase of clothes, his books, his medications, and his computer. The nursing home had agreed to rent him a single room so he could care for his wife Gerry. As I said, that was March 12. He has been there ever since.
 
Wearing a mask and goggles, he feeds his wife three times a day, checks to be sure she gets her required forty ounces of liquid a day, and wipes drips so they don’t stain her clothes. He positions Gerry’s head and neck carefully to be sure she doesn’t choke. Their profile in the Wall Street Journal is an inspiring story of love, family, and ministry. In it, Dr. Eccles explains his care for his wife simply by saying, “We’re married. I want to be with her. She took care of me for seventy years, and now it’s my turn.”
 
Jack and Gerry Eccles are a powerful example of a true Christian marriage: a lifelong, unconditional covenant between a man and a woman. As I was thinking about the marriage that they have built, I realized that if through the years they had only focused on their marriage for only an hour once a week and a few minutes each day, there is no way that their relationship could not be the love story it is today. The Bible tells us that as Christians we are the “bride” of Christ. If we focus on our “Spouse” for only an hour each week for worship, and maybe a few minutes each day for prayer and Bible study, how strong will our relationship be?
 
Believing in God is one thing; having a relationship with Him is another. Just like a marriage, having a relationship with God takes effort and time. When we prioritize our relationship with God, just like we would with our spouse, we can experience the benefits of a relationship that’s not just special but extraordinary.