A message from the series “Daily Devotional Videos.”
Reflecting on 2 Timothy 3:16 and Psalm 119:18 Judy Mandl talks about the importance of feeding on God’s Word and the mistake we make when we fill up on appetizers and neglect the main course. She challenges us to consider going deep with God’s Word and even to consider interacting with it in a multi-sensory way.
A message from the series “Daily Devotional Videos.” How Big Is Your God?Monday, August 31, 2020
Hey church family. One of my favorite stories of courageous faith, and willingness to stand up for God even if that means standing all alone is the story of what happened when Joshua sent 12 spies to spy out the land that God was giving them to conquer.
Caleb and Joshua were chosen, along with ten other men, to explore the Promised Land and to come back and give a report to Moses and the people. The twelve men did as they told. They participated in a reconnaissance mission and checked out the land that God was leading them into. When they returned they NOT were united in their report. Ten of the twelve were opposed to the idea of trying to conquer the land. In Numbers 13:32-33 we read their report… “The land we traveled through and explored will devour anyone who goes to live there. All the people we saw were huge. We even saw giants there. Next to them we felt like grasshoppers, and that’s what they thought, too!”
Caleb and Joshua disagreed! They wanted to go immediately and take the land. We’re told that… “All the people began to cry and weep. Then the whole community began weeping aloud, and they cried all night. Their voices rose in a great chorus of protest against Moses and Aaron.” By this time, you would think Caleb and Joshua would have given in to this incredible amount of peer pressure, and go along with the crowd but they didn’t. Listen to what they said, “It is a rich land flowing with milk and honey. Do not rebel against the Lord, and don’t be afraid of the people of the land. They are only helpless prey to us! They have no protection, but the Lord is with us! Don’t be afraid of them!”
When everyone else was trembling in fear, Caleb and Joshua were ready to march ahead. Why would they continue to trust God, when everyone else did not? The answer is because they knew who God was! They saw the promised land through the lens of faith, while the others looked at it through the lens of fear. They remembered God’s faithfulness to them in the past. They had seen him miraculously deliver them out of their slavery in Egypt. They had seen him lead them with a pillar of cloud by day and a pillar of fire by night. They had seen Him provide manna for them to eat, and water for them to drink as they travelled through the wilderness. They had witnessed his constant faithfulness to them time and time again and the result was, they believed!
They saw the Promised Land through a different lens. They knew the God who created the Universe, who called the stars by name would stand with them, and would go before them and as a result they had nothing to fear! The only way to develop the kind of faith that these two had is to KNOW your God. And the best way to get to know Him is to get into His Word and discover who He is. I want to leave you with the words of Jeremiah, from Jeremiah 9:23-24. There, the prophet Jeremiah says this… “This is what the Lord says: “Don’t let the wise boast in their wisdom, Or the powerful boast in their power, or the rich boast in their riches. But those who wish to boast should boast in this alone: That they truly know me and understand that I am the Lord who demonstrates unfailing love…” I pray that that would be your boast and mine. Amen.
A message from the series “Stay Positive.” Sermon Manuscript: Stay Positive Message 3- How To Be More ConfidentSermon preached by Dr. Rick Mandl, Eagle Rock Baptist Church, August 29 & 30, 2020 Recorded in Los Angeles, CA.
Welcome… Continuing our series called “Stay Positive.” Talking today that something is closely tied to Staying Positive and that’s Confidence. I think that confidence is something that all of us struggle with to one degree or another. And sadly, a lack of confidence is also something that can hold us back from things we would otherwise attempt – and who knows, might even succeed at.
Some of you, maybe won’t interview for a job because you feel like “What’s the point?” I won’t get hired. I’ll just be disappointed. I’m better off not even trying. Some of you have thought about the idea of going back to school. Maybe starting, or finishing up your education. But then confidence, or lack of confidence, holds you back. You think… “I’m too old.” “I wouldn’t be able to keep up with the other students.” “It would take me five years to finish.” Five Years! “If I go back to school now, and it takes me five years to finish…” Do you know how old I’ll be then? To which I want to say, “No, but tell me this… “Let’s say you don’t go back to school… “Five years from now, how old will you be if you don’t go back?” Same age, right? Only difference is you won’t have done it. Some of you have thought about trying to get sober. Trying to kick a habit or an addiction. And you’ve thought, “I won’t be able to do it.” I won’t be able to stick with it. I’ll fail. Confidence affects a lot of the things that we do or don’t do.
Today as I’m talking about CONFIDENCE and I want to start with the BIG IDEA Which is simply this… We Don’t Need SELF-Confidence. In fact, today I’m not here telling you… You need to be confident in yourself. We don’t need self-confidence. What we need to cultivate is… GOD CONFIDENCE. And there is a tremendous difference.
When I’m talking about you being confident today, I’m not talking about you being confident in yourself. I want to encourage you today to cultivate God confidence. Where do I get this from? I get it from 1 Corinthians 10:12. The message version which says… “Forget about self-confidence; it’s useless. Cultivate God-confidence.” Let me give you three reasons Why Should WE Forget Self Confidence. Three reasons…
Reason #1 My Heart Is Deceitful. My heart is deceitful above all things is the way the scripture puts it. The truth is we have an amazing ability to deceive ourselves. So if you put confidence in yourself, you can easily wind up disappointed.
Another reason we should forget Self-Confidence is because… My Flesh Is Weak. Do you remember the night before Jesus went to the cross, when he went to the Garden of Gethsemane, and he took his disciples with them and he asked them to keep watch and pray. He came back and found them sleeping. Do you remember what he said? He said, “The spirit is willing but the flesh is weak.” And we’re not much different from them.
A third reason we should forget about self-confidence is because My Behavior Is Consistent. A couple of weeks ago we talked about Paul sharing his experience in Romans 7. Where Paul kind of goes on this rant… He says, “I don’t understand the things I do.” He says, “The things that I wanna do, I don’t do,” And things like I swear I’m not going to do, “I end up doing those things, anyway. He says “I’m such a mess.”
The problem with self-confidence is that it may work for a while, but sooner or later it will fail you. For this reason King David tells us where our confidence should lie… Psalm 57:7 – he says… “My heart is confident in you, O God; And just in case you missed it, he says it again… my heart is confident. No wonder I can sing your praises!” David says,I can have real confidence when I understand who God is, because he doesn’t change And when I understand how he sees, And when I understand his love for me, And when I understand his plan for me… It’s then I can have real confidence.
Today all I want to do is to focus on Three Truths To Help Cultivate God-Confidence. Why is that so important that we focus on these truths when it comes to God Confidence? The reason is that insecurity is always built out of lies. Somewhere along the line we’ve picked up a deception about ourselves, and the only way to counter those lies is with the truth of God’s Word. Now right at the outset I need to tell you that as I talk about God Confidence, these things are meant for those who have chosen to follow God. And maybe you’re watching this (and I’m glad you are) and you’re not a follower of J.C. and maybe today would be the day where you would change that and say “I want to follow J.C.” So, I want to make it clear at the outset… What does it look like to be a follower of JC? What does it look like to be in a right relationship with your Heavenly Father?
#1 – The first thing you acknowledge it that God is your creator – That he is the one who designed you – That you are not an accident, And then after we understand that, #2 – The second thing is to realize that very often our lives are not in alignment with God’s plan for us. There are things that we do, that the Bible calls sin, which simply means not living our lives in the way that God would have us live. And it’s not that God wants us to live in a certain way so that he can control our lives – – – He wants us to live in a certain way because, as our Heavenly Father knows what is best for us, and he wants what’s best for us. And then the third thing… #3 After we realize that often we’re not in alignment with God – Then we have to figure out what is needed to get back in alignment with God – How does that happen?
The way that happens is God sent his only son Jesus Christ from heaven to earth and Jesus lived a perfect life, and he died on the cross. Why did he die on the cross? He went to the cross for one reason and one reason only. It was to pay the price for the sins of this world. For your sin and my sin. He died on that cross and paid the price for sin – for the things that separate us from God – – And then three days later he rose from the grave – – He conquered death – – He showed us that death doesn’t have to have the final word. And now he stands and he offers us this free gift called grace. And he says if you want it, it’s yours. And he offers this great exchange… An exchange in which he offers to take on himself your sin, your shame, your guilt, all the things that hold you back… He says “I will take those on. And in exchange I offer you a right relationship with God the father. He offers it as a free gift, but he won’t force it on you. He says “It’s your choice.”
If you’re willing to surrender to God – if you’re willing to say… “I admit that I’ve been living a life that is out of alignment with you – – – If you’re willing to say “Jesus I want to receive your gift and I want to follow you.” Then He will welcome you into His forever family. If that’s where you’re at today and you realize that what you’ve been doing has not been working – – – Then I’m going to invite you to pause for a moment and just repeat after me and just pray this prayer… Just in the quiet of your own heart, you can say… God I acknowledge that you are my creator… And I acknowledge that I’m a sinner who is not in alignment for what you have for me… God I’ve been doing life my own way and it has not worked… And so God today I recognize the truth, that your son died on the cross… and paid the price for my sin… And God because he died on the cross, he offer to set me free from being a slave to sin. And that’s what I want, so today I receive and accept your gift of grace… God I choose to be your child… I choose to make you Lord of my life… I choose to make you my savior… And I pray this in the power of Jesus’ name – amen.
If you made that decision just now If you prayed that prayer and made a decision to follow God for the first time – – I want you to put that in the chat – say “I decided to follow Jesus.” Or put that on the online connection card – We want to know about that decision. Because we want to pray for you. And if you provide us with your contact information we’ll send you some materials to help you as you move forward on your journey of faith.
Now… Let me give you the first truth about how we build a God Confidence because it’s not about Self Confidence. Here’s the first one… My God Is Always FOR Me. And that’s a message that all of us need to hear. My God is for me. He’s not against me. He’s for me. Our Heavenly Father is a good good father.
A lot of people have a lot of wrong ideas about the character of God. Part of the reason is because they often feel like God’s love and God’s favor and God’s acceptance is tied to our performance. “Well, I did pretty good today, so God will probably answer my prayer.” 1. “I blew it big time today, so God is probably disappointed in me. I better not ask him for anything.” The reality is we do not consistently have good spiritual days. We all fall short. But that doesn’t change God’s love for us. I don’t know if you receive the daily devotionals that we send out from the church. If you don’t receive those and you’d like to, there’s a place for you to sign up on your online connection card this weekend. Pastor Andrew sent out a great Video Devotional on Wednesday and in it he asked “What Metaphor you would use to describe your spiritual life?” He talked about how some would describe their spiritual life as a journey or a pilgrimage. He shared with us some of the Biblical metaphors…
Let me share with you a Metaphor, that you won’t find in the Bible, but I think a lot of people have adopted. It’s the picture of the Christian life, being like a mountain surrounded by a gated fence. The goal is to get to the top of the mountain, to be close to God. The Good News, even in this picture is that Jesus Christ, came from heaven to earth, He came down the mountain— He came down the mountain to open the gate in the fence. And it was then up to the Christian, through hard work and dedication, to climb to the top of the mountain, to get to God. The problem with this metaphor – – or this picture of the Christian life – – is that it puts it all on us. You’re still the one who has to climb the mountain. It all depends on you!!!! That’s not a Biblical picture of the Christian life. Jesus said, “My yoke is easy, my burden is light, my command are not burdensome.” He said it’s not by hard work that you earn God’s favor. Jesus himself did everything necessary to gain us that standing as God’s favored children. And because of that I can know that My God Is For Me.
In fact, this is exactly what Paul said this in Romans chapter eight and verse thirty-one. “If God is for us, who can ever be against us” (Romans 8:31). Someone said is this way… We do not live our lives chasing the approval of God. Why? Because we already have it. He’s already for us. How do we live then? We live our lives out of the approval of God. Never forget that.
The writer to the Hebrews says this in Hebrews 10:35… “So do not throw away this confident trust in the Lord.” If you have decided to follow Jesus, don’t throw that away, hold on to it. “Remember the great reward it brings you” (Hebrews 10:35). The reward of a right relationship with your Heavenly Father. The reward of eternal life. The reward of a life here and now that is fulfilling. Your God is for you!!!!
A second truth I need to cultivate God Confidence is that… My God Always HELPS Me. In Hebrews 13:5 the Lord says to us, “…Never will I leave you; never will I forsake you.” So we say with…. WHAT???? So we say with confidence, ‘The Lord is my helper; I will not be afraid’” (Hebrews 13:5-6).
In what area do you need God’s help right now? Maybe COVID has affected your job in such a way that you don’t know what to do. Maybe there’s financial instability. Or maybe for you, it’s not financial at all, it’s a relational challenge. What you need to know is that God is for you and He will help you. He will give you the words to say, He’ll give you the strength to endure, He’ll give you the faith to move forward. Maybe you’re one of the few that doesn’t feel like you’re much affected by COVID on the outside, but all of us, whether we realize it or not, have been affected mentally and emotionally far more than we know.
And then, the second plague to strike our nation… You turn on the news, and you see another shooting. You see more unrest within our nation. And you feel powerless. I can relate to the feeling. You watch these things and you feel like there’s nothing you can do. But the reality is there is something you can do. You can turn to the one who can do something. This Sunday evening we’re gathering together for prayer. And because we can’t meet here in person, we’ll do in online. And we’ll come together and call out to God in prayer. And we’ll claim the promise that we’re given in Psalm 46:1. The promise that… “God is our refuge… And we need that. A refuge is a place to which we run. And God is that place of safety for us… The Psalmist also tells us that he is our strength, Particularly when we have no strength… But more than that… He is our ever-present help in trouble” (Psalm 46:1). The Christmas name of God? But it’s not just FOR Christmas is IMMANUEL “God with Us.” And He is. And He will be. So we run to him for refuge, and for strength, and help.
A THIRD TRUTH to help you cultivate God-Confidence is that… My God Is Still WORKING In Me. Paul says it this way in Philippians 1:6, “…Being confident of this, that [God] who began a good work in you will carry it on to completion.” Until when??? He will… carry it on to completion until the day of Christ Jesus” (Philippians 1:6). Do you know what that’s telling me? It’s telling me that You’re not done until you’re in heaven. Until that day you’re still a work in progress, so be patient with yourself. Some of you may wrestle with spiritual doubts. And you can beat yourself up, feeling like, by this time I should be beyond that… Or you could remind yourself… “God’s not done with me yet” You may have these nagging habits that keep nipping at your heels and you can’t seem to overcome them. Just remind yourself… “God’s not done with me yet.” It’s one of the next steps on your connection card this week. I will remind myself, as often as necessary: “God’s not done with me yet.”
Take a look at our memory verse for this week. Romans 8:31, “If God is for us, who can ever be against us?” And then next the verse, Romans 8:32 tells us why we can have that confidence… Since he did not spare even his own Son but gave him up for us all, won’t he also give us everything else?” Do you know what that’s telling me? It’s telling me that at the cross, Jesus already solved my sin problem. He already took care of my greatest need. So I need to know that whatever I’m facing today, as big as it might seem in my eyes, is actually incredibly small in comparison to the need he’s already met. If God my Father, did not spare even his own Son but gave him up for us all… Then can’t I trust Him with whatever I’m facing right now? Let’s pray together…
Recorded in Los Angeles, CA.
A message from the series “Daily Devotional Videos.” Raquel Blanchard reminds us of some of the ways that God provides guidance for us as we follow Him. Pointing to Philippians 1:6, Raquel encourages us to rely on God’s direction.
A message from the series “Daily Devotional Videos.” When God Is SilentFriday, August 28, 2020
Hey church family. This week I was rereading the story in John chapter 11 of the death of Jesus’ friend Lazarus. If you’re not familiar with the story, I’d encourage you to check it out for yourself this week. If you are familiar with it, then you know that Lazarus became seriously ill. Because he was a good friend of Jesus’ – Lazarus’ sisters, Mary and Martha sent word to Jesus, with a message. The message was short and simple and to the point.
It simply said, “Lord, the one you love is sick.” There’s nothing surprising in this story up to this point. Jesus, and Lazarus, and his sisters Mary and Martha were good friends. When Jesus travelled through their town, he would drop by their home to share a meal. So, it’s not surprising that at their point of greatest need, this family would reach out to Jesus. What is surprising, is Jesus reaction when he received this request for help.
We’re told that “So when he heard that Lazarus was sick, he stayed where he was two more days, and then he said to his disciples, “Let us go back to Judea.” That delay was costly. Because by the time that Jesus finally got back to where Lazarus was, Lazarus had been dead for four days. Lazarus’ sister Martha was the first to meet Jesus when he reached their town. And she said to Jesus what they all had been thinking. She said, “Lord, if you had been here, my brother would not have died. On the one hand that is a statement of faith in the healing power of Jesus. Martha knew that Jesus had the power to heal the sick, and her brother Lazarus, had been sick. She rightly assumed, that had Jesus been there he could have performed a healing.
What she did not yet realize is that Jesus had something better planned. Not a healing, but a resurrection. When Jesus called Lazarus to come out of the tomb, and he emerged alive, wrapped in grave clothing, it was a spectacular event. Even more spectacular than the healing of someone who was seriously ill, but still alive. Martha couldn’t have known that before the fact. And so the question for her, is the same as the question for us.
What do you do during those times when God is silent? You’ve cried out to him with your need, but he has yet to show up. Usually you’ve got two choices. You can become discouraged, or you can patiently wait and trust that God’s delay is not necessarily his denial.
In the story of Jesus arrival at the grave of Lazarus, by all outward appearances he was four days late. Yet if you know the end of the story, you know that the reality is that He was right on time. I pray that God will teach all of us to trust Him, when his timing isn’t the same as ours.
A message from the series “Daily Devotional Videos.” Not Just For FuneralsThursday, August 27, 2020
Hey church family. I hope you’re doing well today. I was thinking recently that I can’t remember the last time that I was leading a funeral service where I did not include somewhere within the service, the reading of the 23rd Psalm. It’s just the way it goes. Some parts of God’s Word we tend to associate with certain occasions.
If you’re at a wedding, and they are including a scripture reading, it might very well come from 1 Corinthians 13 which provides us with God’s definition of love . . . Love is patient, love is kind. It does not envy, it does not boast, it is not proud. It does not dishonor others, it is not self-seeking, it is not easily angered, it keeps no record of wrongs. Love does not delight in evil but rejoices with the truth. It always protects, always trusts, always hopes, always perseveres. Love never fails.
On the flip-side, if you’re attending a funeral you may well hear words from the 23rd Psalm Because that’s the Psalm that tells us . . . “Yea, though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I will fear no evil, for you are with me.” The interesting thing is that if you study that Psalm you’ll discover that it has more to do with life than it does with death. As I read through this Psalm, I see at least three things that God promises to give us in life.
First of all. . . AS MY SHEPHERD, GOD GIVES ME DIRECTION. David wrote. . . “The Lord is my shepherd,” King David wrote, “I shall not want. He makes me to lie down in green pastures; He leads me beside the still waters. He restores my soul; He leads me in the paths of righteousness for His name’s sake” The idea of God being our caring, guiding shepherd is one of the most beautiful and comforting metaphors in the Bible. The fact is, left to themselves, sheep don’t navigate very well. Isaiah 53:6 tells us . . . “All we like sheep have gone astray; We have turned, every one, to his own way;” A shepherd’s job is to guide, and we have the greatest guide. He also promises to meet our needs, which is how we can say with confidence, “I shall not want.”
#1 As my shepherd, God gives me DIRECTION. #2. As my friend, God gives me PROTECTION. Psalm 23:4 tells us . . “Yea, though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I will fear no evil; for You are with me; Your rod and Your staff, they comfort me” That’s important because, life is not always going to be green pastures and still waters; There will also be dark valleys. But God is right there with us in those valleys. Our Good Shepherd not only uses a staff to DIRECT His sheep, but also a rod to PROTECT His sheep from predators like Satan, who “prowls around like a roaring lion seeking whom he may devour.”
THE THIRD PROMISE God makes in this psalm is that . . . #3. AS A HOST, HE GIVES US PROVISION. Verse 5 says . . . “You prepare a table before me in the presence of my enemies; You anoint my head with oil; My cup runs over.” Here we see God not just as a shepherd, but also as a host who provides us with exactly what we need.. David concludes the Psalm in verse 6 with a statement of faith. He says . . . Surely goodness and mercy shall follow me all the days of my life; and I will dwell in the house of the Lord forever.” David is saying “God has taken care of me up to this point in my life, and I am sure that in the days to come He’s going to do the same.” So even though this valley we’re all going through is dark… And even though we can’t see where we’re going, the shepherd who is leading us can. He knows what you need, He’s going to provide what you need,
He gives us His DIRECTION, His PROTECTION, and His PROVISION And something we need to never forget. . . David wrote about WALKING THROUGH the valley, not LIVING IN IT forever. May that encourage us as we’re going through the tough times.
A message from the series “Daily Devotional Videos.” Reflecting on Psalm 46:1 and Hebrews 4:16 Judy Mandl reminds us of who God helps, how he helps them, and what our part is in the process.
A message from the series “Daily Devotional Videos.” Pastor Andrew Krayer-White continues his examination of the Apostle Paul’s letter to the church at Philippi, and focusing on Philippians 2:16-18 challenges us to compare the ways in which we might describe our spiritual life, with the way that Paul described his.
A message from the series “Daily Devotional Videos.” Judy Mandl confronts one of the most popular Spiritual Urban Legends with the truth of God’s Word as it’s found in 2 Corinthians 12:9-10.
A message from the series “Daily Devotional Videos.” Do You Need A Doctor?Tuesday, August 25, 2020
Hey church family, this week I was thinking about a statement that Jesus made that is recorded for us by three of the gospel writers – Matthew, Mark & Luke. In response to some of the criticism that he was receiving about the people he was hanging around with, Jesus said, “It is not those who are healthy who need a physician, but those who are sick; I did not come to call the righteous, but sinners.” Thinking about Jesus words about sickness, and physicians, started me thinking about something that a lot of people may not know, which is that it was the church that invented the hospital. Not business, not government. It was Christians who invented the hospital and it was invented during a plague.
In the second century and in the third century, after our Lord left earth and ascended to heaven, there were two giant plagues that struck the Roman Empire, one was in the second century and one was in the third century. In both of those cases, the people didn’t know what to do, because they certainly didn’t know about things like germs or infections or viruses. Millions of people were dying in the Roman Empire. And it was at that time, during those pandemics, that the nonbelievers started fleeing the cities because those were the places that the plague was striking hardest – in the urban areas – in the cities. So people began fleeing the cities. It was during that time, the time of both of those pandemics, that Christians ran into the city. Christians ran toward pain, they didn’t run. They ran toward pain as an opportunity for ministry and mission, and they ran into the city to care for the sick and the dying. That’s where the expression “See how they love one another!” came from, because Christians were caring for the sick and the dying in the urban areas of the Roman Empire.
During that time, it was believers who invented a new way of caring and showing hospitality to the people who were sick and dying and invented what later became the modern hospital, where we were “showing hospitality.” It’s a reminder of the truth that people are most receptive to the message of Jesus Christ when they’re under tension or in transition. When they’re under tension means the stresses we’re feeling right now, or in transition when there’s a major change, it could be a positive change… like a new baby, a graduation, just got married… That makes people more spiritually open, or it could be a negative change. Death, divorce, disease.
When COVID hit, it turned a lot of our lives upside down. It is primarily the healthcare community’s job to care for the disease, but it is the church’s job and the job of the Christians everywhere to help you with your dis-ease,” the stress that’s caused by the pandemic. As we move toward this year’s election, I think it’s safe to say that this is going to be the most unusual election in our nation’s history. It might be not election day., specifically. There might be multiple days, and even weeks before we’ll know how everyone has voted. But in this time of transition, and in this time of uncertainty and tension, when people are under stress, it’s also an opportunity to point them toward the one we know is the source of our ultimate hope. We can let them know that trusting in Jesus won’t give you a pass on all the suffering in this world, but will give you assurance that no matter what we’re going through now, our future is secure.
God tells us in his word, “We often suffer, but we are never crushed.” Even when we don’t know what to do, we never give up. In times of trouble, God is with us, and when we are knocked down, we get up again… because we know that God raised the Lord Jesus back to life. And just as God raised Jesus, he will also raise us to life. Then he will bring us into his presence together” (2 Corinthians 4:8-9, 14). That’s the confidence we have as followers of J.C. and it’s the message that God has given us to share with others.
