A message from the series “Daily Devotional Videos.” Looking at Jesus and His disciples experience in the Garden of Gethsemane in Matthew 26:40-41 on the night before His crucifixion, Raquel reminds us of what we can do at those times when we feel as if we have the desire, but not the strength to follow Jesus.
A message from the series “Daily Devotional Videos.” Reflecting on Romans 10:17 and Nehemiah 8, Judy Mandl reminds us of the importance of hearing God’s Word.
A message from the series “Daily Devotional Videos.” Got Joy?Thursday, September 2, 2020
Hey church family. This week I was reading a devotional by A.W. Tozer on the subject of “Joy” and he said something that stuck with me. He said, “If you have lost the joy of the Lord in your life, Who moved, you or God? For in his presence is fullness of Joy.” In case you’re not familiar with it Tozer was quoting Psalm 16:11 which says, “Thou wilt show me the path of life; in thy presence is fullness of joy; at thy right hand there are pleasures for evermore.”
A. W. Tozer, suggested several ways for the believer to achieve real joy:
#1.Cultivate a genuine friendship with God because He is a Friend who sticks closer than a brother.
#2. Take time to exercise yourself daily unto godliness. Vow never to be dishonest about sin in your life, never to defend yourself, never to own anything (or let anything own you), never to pass on anything hurtful about others, never to take any glory to yourself.
#3. No known sin must be allowed to remain in your life. “Keep short accounts with God” – Never allow unconfessed sins to pile up in your life.
#4. Set out to build your own value system based on the Word of God. Meditate on the Word; practice the presence of God. Set priorities as you realize what is truly important. It will be reflected in the standard of values you set for yourself.
#5. Share your spiritual discoveries with others.
It’s been said that a joyless Christian is a contradiction in terms. After all “Joy” is one of the fruit of the spirit that God desires to see growing in you and me, and in John 15 Jesus told us that the way to experience it is to remain closely connected to Him. In John 15:7-11 Jesus said, “If you remain in me and my words remain in you, you may ask for anything you want, and it will be granted. When you produce much fruit, you are my true disciples. This brings great glory to my Father. I have loved you even as the Father has loved me. Remain in my love. When you obey my commandments, you remain in my love, just as I obey my Father’s commandments and remain in his love. I have told you these things so that you will be filled with my joy. ”
Yes, your joy will overflow! Doesn’t that sound great? Over-flowing Joy? Jesus said it comes to us as a result of walking closely with Him. May we be people who have that walk, and as a result experience that joy – Amen!
A message from the series “Daily Devotional Videos.” Judy Mandl shares from Psalm 119:11 to remind us of some of the many benefits of Bible memorization.
A message from the series “Daily Devotional Videos.” The Power Of PurposeWednesday, September 2, 2020
Hey church family. Last Friday Chadwick Boseman, the actor who played the title character in the Oscar-winning film Black Panther, died at the age of forty-three. In addition to his role in Black Panther Boseman received high praise for his depictions of Thurgood Marshall, Jackie Robinson, and James Brown. He died on the fifty-seventh anniversary of the March on Washington and also the day baseball honored Jackie Robinson. Chadwick Boseman died of cancer, but he also died in faith.
Rev. Samuel Neely, the pastor who baptized Boseman as a child, said the arts were always part of his life, singing in the church choir and producing plays in high school. According to Rev. Neely, Boseman continued to live out his faith as an adult. In a speech last year, Boseman thanked actor Denzel Washington for providing a scholarship that enabled him to study one summer at Oxford University. He ended that speech with this benediction: (paraphrasing Ephesians 3:20). “May God bless you exceedingly and abundantly more in what’s in store than he ever has before.”
In 2018 Chadwick Boseman delivered the commencement address at his alma mater, Howard University. In that address Bozeman quoted Jeremiah 29:11, which states: “For I know the plans I have for you,” declares the Lord, “plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future…” Boseman said, “Graduating class, hear me well on this day… You would rather find purpose than a job or career. Purpose crosses disciplines. Purpose is an essential element of you. It is the reason you are on the planet at this particular time in history… The struggles along the way are only meant to shape you for your purpose.” He added: “When God has something for you, it doesn’t matter who stands against it. God will move someone who is holding you back away from a door and put someone there who will open it for you if it’s meant for you… If you are willing to take the harder way, the more complicated one, the one with more failures at first than successes, the one that has ultimately proven to have more meaning, more victory, more glory, then you will not regret it.” I believe that most would agree that Chadwick Boseman’s death came too soon, but thankfully not before he discovered his purpose in life.
Biblical scholar William Barclay once noted, “There are two great days in a person’s life—the day we are born and the day we discover why.” I wonder, has that second “great day” come for you? If so, that’s great! Pursue that purpose with all you’ve got. If not, ask the Lord to reveal it to you, and he will. Someone said, “If you’ve got a pulse, you’ve got a purpose” – I want to challenge you to pursue it.
A message from the series “Daily Devotional Videos.” Judy Mandl continues to explore the practices that God has given us in His Word to help us grow. Looking at Joshua 1:8 and Psalm 1:1-3, she encourages us to consider one that is too often ignored by many of us.
A message from the series “Daily Devotional Videos.”
Pastor Andrew looks at Philippians 2:17-18 and shows us that the Apostle Paul’s path to genuine happiness is different one than many of us are following.
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 “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 “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.
