Church of the Nazarene

WELCOME- START OF PASSION WEEK BEGIN NEW SERIES ENCOUNTERS ENCOUNTERS JESUS HAD THIS SEASON SET THE SCENE- MATTHEW 21 ( ALL 4 WRITERS SAY) 21 As they approached Jerusalem and came to Bethphage on the Mount of Olives, Jesus sent two disciples, 2 saying to them, “Go to the village ahead of you, and at once you will find a donkey tied there, with her colt by her. Untie them and bring them to me. 3 If anyone says anything to you, say that the Lord needs them, and he will send them right away. 10 day of Nisan     This was the day they selected the lamb to be sacrificed on the 14th day- the day when Jesus this lamb would ride. He then says to them and us- I will take on the entire sin nature of these dirty people The mud was cleaner than the souls of the people LIMO VEHICLE VLADIMIR PUTIN CAR  HELICOPTER FORMER BRITTISH PRIME MINISTER RISHI SUNAK TRAIN ARORMORED- FOOD SECURE- POWERED KIM JONG UN  DONKEY LAST YEAR PASTOR STEPHEN WILLIS DONKEY- THIS CROSS DESGN ON ITS BACK HORSE- A WAR HORSE                                 RODE DONKEY MEANS YOU “COME” IN PEACE WAR HORSE MEANS YOU COME TO … SIZE DIFFERNCES ARE BIG SCRIPTURE ZECHARIAH 9:9   9. “REJOICE, O PEOPLE OF ZION! SHOUT IN TRIUMPH, O PEOPLE OF JERUSALEM! SCRIPTURE ZECHARIAH 9:9   9. LOOK YOUR KING IS COMING TO YOU. HE IS RIGHTEOUS AND VICTORIOUS, YET HE IS HUMBLE, RIDING ON A DONKEY- RIDING ON A DONKEY’S FOAL. SCRIPTURE ZECHARIAH 9:10   10. I WILL REMOVE THE BATTLE CHARIOTS FROM ISRAEL AND THE WARHORSES FROM JERUSALEM.  SCRIPTURE ZECHARIAH 9:10   10. I WILL DESTROY ALL THE WEAPONS USED IN BATTLE, AND YOUR KING WILL BRING PEACE TO THE NATIONS. HOSANA-(SAVE NOW) PALM BRANCHES SCRIPTURE 9:10                                              10. HIS REALM WILL STRETCH FROM SEA TO SEA AND FROM THE EUPHRATES RIVER TO THE ENDS OF THE EARTH.”      THE VISUAL PICTURE DIFFERENCE       JESUS ARRIVES ON A COLT- PEACE-HUMILITY WASN’T THE FIRST KING TO ARRIVE DONKEY- SOLOMON RODE IN TO JERUSALEM SCRIPTURE LUKE 19:41   41. “AS HE APPROACHED JERUSALEM AND SAW THE CITY HE WEPT OVER IT.” WHY- WHY IS HE WEEPING? BECAUSE OF THE PAIN WILL SUFFER?  PASSION WEEK FOCUS     MATTHEW – 40 %- LAST WEEK OF JESUS LIFE     MARK- 60 %     LUKE 33 %     JOHN- ALMOST 50 % HOW MUCH TIME THIS WEEK IN REFLECTION? BE INTENTIONAL IN REPENTANCE- IN PRAISE SCRIPTURE MATTHEW 23:13                      13. “WOE TO YOU, TEACHERS OF THE LAW AND PHARISEES, YOU HYPOCRITES! (1)YOU SHUT THE DOOR OF THE KINGDOM OF HEAVEN IN PEOPLES FACES. HYPOCRITE DEFINED    A PERSON WHO PRETENDS TO HAVE MORAL STANDARDS OR OPINIONS THAT THEY DO NOT ACTUALLY HAVE.     ACTOR Ain’t going to church- church is full of hypocrites- TRUE ON SOME LEVEL I also had some relatives and friends who loved Jesus and they were NOT hypocrites- do you know some real very real THE HYPOCRISY STARTED 6 DAYS BEFORE THIS JUDAS AND JESUS BEING ANOINTED- WOW WHAT A JOKE THIS WAS – JUDAS    WHEN YOU HEAR HYPCOCRITE- YOU THINK OF WHAT IT IS OR DO YOU PICTURE A FACE? LANCE ARMSTRONG/HOLLYWOOD NOT PICKING ON LANCE- BUT HE TALKED HOLLYWOOD- EVERYONE GETS UPSET THEM  SCRIPTURE MATTHEW 23:13   13. YOU YOURSELVES DO NOT ENTER, NOR WILL YOU LET THOSE WHO ARE TRYING TO.       SCRIPTURE MATTHEW 23:23   23. “WOE TO YOU, TEACHERS OF THE LAW AND PHARISEES, YOU HYPOCRITES! (2) YOU GIVE A TENTH OF YOUR SPICES-MINT, DILL, CUMIN. SCRIPTURE MATTHEW 23:23   23. BUT YOU HAVE NEGLECTED THE MORE IMPORTANT MATTER OF THE LAW-JUSTICE, MERCY, AND FAITHFULNESS. SCRIPTURE MATTHEW 23:23   23. YOU SHOULD HAVE PRACTICED THE LATTER, WITHOUT NEGELCTING THE FORMER. SCRIPTURE MATTHEW 23:24   24. YOU BLIND GUIDES! YOU STRAIN OUT A GNAT BUT SWALLOW A CAMEL.”  SCRIPTURE MATTHEW 23:25   25. “WOE TO YOU, TEACHERS OF THE LAW AND PHARISEES, YOU HYPOCRITES! (3) CLEAN THE OUTSIDE OF THE CUP AND DISH, BUT INSIDE THEY ARE FULL OF GREED AND SELF-INDULGENCE. SCRIPTURE MATTHEW 23:26   26. BLIND PHARISEE! FIRST CLEAN THE INSIDE OF THE CUP AND DISH, AND THEN THE OUTSIDE ALSO WILL BE CLEAN. SCRIPTURE MATTHEW 23:27   27. “WOE TO YOU, TEACHERS OF THE LAW AND PHARISEES, YOU HYPOCRITES! (4) YOU ARE LIKE WHITE WASHED TOMBS,  SCRIPTURE MATTHEW 23:27   27. WHICH LOOK BEAUTIFUL ON THE OUTSIDE BUT ON THE INSIDE ARE FULL OF BONES OF

https://www.bible.com/events/49585583 Church of the Nazarene - East Rockingham Campus  Encounters Part 1  The Pharisee's  Today we begin our Easter teaching series called Encounters. Throughout this series we will be looking at encounters that Jesus had with people to see how it changed their lives and what we can learn for our lives today.  Our series begins today with Jesus encountering the Pharisee's in Matthew 23. This particular encounter we are looking at today, happens on Tuesday of passion week.  Throughout the gospel accounts you will read of different encounters with the Pharisee’s and legal experts.  The Pharisee’s were a group of Jewish religious folks who had completely separated their lives from normal activity to dedicate themselves to the strict observing of the law of Moses. They were the best of the best as far as being religious goes.  The Legal experts or scribes (depending on your translation) that are also mentioned here in the text- They were professional religious intellectuals. They were highly trained in the law of Moses, they were often asked to teach and give rulings when there was a dispute.  After multiple failed attempts to trap Jesus in his words, Jesus turns his attention to the crowds of people in the temple and addresses them. That’s where we pick up in Matthew 23  ‭‭Matthew‬ ‭23‬:‭1‬-‭7‬‬  Then Jesus said to the crowds and to his disciples: “The teachers of the law and the Pharisees sit in Moses’ seat. So you must be careful to do everything they tell you. But do not do what they do, for they do not practice what they preach. They tie up heavy, cumbersome loads and put them on other people’s shoulders, but they themselves are not willing to lift a finger to move them. “Everything they do is done for people to see: They make their phylacteries wide and the tassels on their garments long; they love the place of honor at banquets and the most important seats in the synagogues; they love to be greeted with respect in the marketplaces and to be called ‘Rabbi’ by others.  Jesus reveals that most of what these Pharisee’s were doing, was for show, was to impress other people- Jesus says “don’t do that”  After speaking to the crowds, he then turns his attention directly to the Pharisee’s and legal experts and begins to reveal what’s really behind all of their religious practices.  ‭‭Matthew‬ ‭23‬:‭13‬-‭14‬‬  “Woe to you, teachers of the law and Pharisees, you hypocrites! You shut the door of the kingdom of heaven in people’s faces. You yourselves do not enter, nor will you let those enter who are trying to.  The word hypocrite here means to be a play actor, a pretender. A person who does right things for the wrong reasons. A person who says one thing and does another.  Jesus calls the Pharisee’s and legal experts hypocrites because all of their religious rules and activities actually prevent people from finding God- and they themselves don’t even have a relationship with him. They are pretending.  ‭‭Matthew‬ ‭23‬:‭15‬-‭22‬‬  “Woe to you, teachers of the law and Pharisees, you hypocrites! You travel over land and sea to win a single convert, and when you have succeeded, you make them twice as much a child of hell as you are. “Woe to you, blind guides! You say, ‘If anyone swears by the temple, it means nothing; but anyone who swears by the gold of the temple is bound by that oath.’ You blind fools! Which is greater: the gold, or the temple that makes the gold sacred? You also say, ‘If anyone swears by the altar, it means nothing; but anyone who swears by the gift on the altar is bound by that oath.’ You blind men! Which is greater: the gift, or the altar that makes the gift sacred? Therefore, anyone who swears by the altar swears by it and by everything on it. And anyone who swears by the temple swears by it and by the one who dwells in it. And anyone who swears by heaven swears by God’s throne and by the one who sits on it.  Here Jesus seems to be calling out a convoluted system of swearing oaths- by the temple, by things inside of it- they had a whole system established for how serious something needed to be sworn in.  For Jesus, he says let your yes be yes and your no be no.  ‭‭Matthew‬ ‭23‬:‭23‬-‭24‬‬  “You’re hopeless, you religion scholars and Pharisees! Frauds! You keep meticulous account books, tithing on every nickel and dime you get, but on the meat of God’s Law, things like fairness and compassion and commitment—the absolute basics!—you carelessly take it or leave it. Careful bookkeeping is commendable, but the basics are required. Do you have any idea how silly you look, writing a life story that’s wrong from start to finish, nitpicking over commas and semicolons?  The Pharise

How can we live "strong in grace.”?  The answer is quite plain and simple:   We grow strong in grace when we understand God's unconditional forgiveness of us, then learn to unconditionally forgive others.  God calls us to grow strong in giving grace to others — growing in Christlikeness  Giving grace to another person is simply to forgive them, unconditionally, just as God forgave us through Christ  SO, WHAT IS FORGIVENESS?  Forgiveness = Deliberate release of anger, resentment, and other negative feelings toward someone who has wronged you  GRUDGE (Merriam-Webster)  A persistent, long-lasting feeling of deep-seated resentment, bitterness, or ill will toward someone, often stemming from a past insult, injury, or perceived wrongdoing. It involves holding onto anger rather than letting it go, sometimes leading to a desire for retaliation or a continued refusal to forgive. Not all negative emotions are the same. Healthy anger motivates action, sets boundaries, and seeks solutions. Grudges, however, act as long-lasting emotional weights with negative outcomes. It  negatively impacts your relationship with God.  It negatively impacts your other relationships.  It affects your health. — mentally and physically  It affects your soul  Hebrews 12:14-15 (tells us what happens when we fall short of grace):  Make every effort to live in peace with everyone and to be holy; without holiness no one will see the Lord. See to it that no one falls short of the grace of God and that no bitter root grows up to cause trouble and defile many. Ephesians 4:30-32  30 And do not grieve the Holy Spirit of God, with whom you were sealed for the day of redemption. 31 Get rid of all bitterness, rage and anger, brawling and slander, along with every form of malice. 32 Be kind and compassionate to one another, forgiving each other, just as in Christ God forgave you. DO YOU UNDERSTAND HOW MUCH GRACE YOU HAVE BEEN GIVEN?  Oswald Chambers.  We trample the blood of the Son of God if we think we are forgiven because we are sorry for our sins. The only explanation for the forgiveness of God and for the unfathomable depth of His forgetting is the death of Jesus Christ. Our repentance is merely the outcome of our personal realization of the atonement which He has worked out for us. It does not matter who or what we are; there is absolute reinstatement into God by the death of Jesus Christ and by no other way, not because Jesus Christ pleads, but because He died. It is not earned, but accepted. All the pleading which deliberately refuses to recognize the Cross is of no avail; it is battering at a door other than the one that Jesus has opened. Our Lord does not pretend we are all right when we are all wrong. The atonement is a propitiation whereby God, through the death of Jesus, makes an unholy man holy.  "The purpose of the cross," someone observed, "is to repair the irreparable.”  “If someone says, ‘I love God,’ and hates his brother, he is a liar; for he who does not love his brother who he has seen, how can he love God who he has not seen?” (1 John 4:20-21 NKJV). If our relationship with God is so intricately connected with how we relate to others, it won’t be surprising then for us to read what Jesus said Matthew 6:14-15 (directly after teaching them how to pray ‘Lord’s Prayer’) 14 For if you forgive other people when they sin against you, your heavenly Father will also forgive you. 15 But if you do not forgive others their sins, your Father will not forgive your sins. Matthew 6:12 And forgive us our debts, as we also have forgiven our debtors. Imagine that, before we get this warning from Jesus (14-15), Jesus told us to ask God for grace (forgiveness) but only at the same level and frequency as the forgiveness we extend to others. Whether we admit it or not, we often think we have the right to “punish” others because they have hurt us or offended us. We believe we are justified in withholding forgiveness from them. Unforgiveness is inherently contradictory to godliness  “Often it is the case that we judge others by their worst actions, and we judge ourselves by our best intentions.”  Just as we don't deserve God's forgiveness, someone you know may not deserve yours.   It doesn't matter We are still commanded to forgive them because we have been forgiven so much first. “The devil doesn’t care if you go to church or read your Bible as long as you don’t apply it to your life.”  THE LITMUS TEST FOR GRACE   Have you extended the grace of God, the grace of forgiveness, towards the person(s) who has hurt you the most and least deserves it?  Forgiveness is an action you must choose, rather than a feeling you must create  THE CHOICE IS CLEAR AND IT’S YOURS TODAY  Repent of unforgiveness & Release it so you no longer carry that anger/resentm

The Hurdle of Unforgiveness Recap – Pastor Jared has been sharing over the past few weeks about the hurdles to our faith sharing and asking to evaluate us where we are in these potential hurdles and how they are impeding us? Are we attempting to live a saved life without actually giving our life to Jesus, have we fully surrendered and received the gift of sanctification that frees us from a desire to live in the depths of sin, and then he reminded us the destruction that even a little bit of sin will bring to our lives (or our water!). This morning, we will look at another hurdle that often impedes our faith. This hurdle is one that will keep us bound, keep us stuck, cause physical illness, and even paralyze us in hopes to hurt another – the hurdle of unforgiveness. I don’t want you to stop listening before we even dive in this morning so I want to speak to those of you in the room that may have suffered deep betrayal, hurt, or abuse – whatever your story – forgiveness is essential BUT is not forgetting, it is not validating a persons poor choices.  Forgiveness is not an invitation to more hurt, it is an invitation in Christ for healing. It does not even require reconciliation it is an invitation to our release and restoration. And though it does not require reconciliation with those relationships that need boundaries or are no longer continued at all–  I will also remind you that all relationships this side of heaven at some point will require forgiveness – even the best ones. PRAY When I heard we were going to tackle hurdles to our faith – I chuckled as I remembered in middle school being asked by a friend if I would run track with her and be on her hurdle relay team – I think that is what its called.  We ran with our batons and passed it as we also ran and jumped over the hurdles. We even went home with a metal from a huge track and field event that we had the opportunity to participate in.  Wow! Cant you just see me jumping over hurdles with ease?  Me neither, not now. It is only a fond memory, and  I can only think of the physical pain that would result if I attempted anything remotely like that now.  For me it feels more like a wall than difficulty or an obstacle. Do we feel the same way about forgiving those in our lives that have wronged us.  It is more than a hurdle – it’s a wall, it feels impossible.  You may be thinking to yourself, You don’t know what I’ve been through, what they did, what they said – if I forgive I will give freedom to hurt me again, it will validate their behavior, or they don’t deserve it.  Forgiveness is a gift … a gift I just can’t give them. And for those moments you carry – I am truly sorry.  This is a tough message but one with deep hope on the other side. FORGIVENESS is a GIFT that we have all been given the opportunity to receive, and one we CERTAINLY don’t deserve. Isaiah 53:5  "But he was pierced for our transgressions, he was crushed for our iniquities; the punishment that brought us peace was on him, and by his wounds we are healed". We have all been given opportunity for forgiveness of our sins through his name -  through his wounds. All of us simply by believing, by receiving.  In him we have redemption through his blood, the forgiveness of sins, in accordance with the riches of God’s grace. Ephesians 1:7 This is the foundation of our faith – the gift we are given through Christ. He bought our redemption by his blood, his sacrifice allows for the forgiveness of our sin according to the riches of His incredible, indescribable grace.  We have (present tense) redemption as we say yes to him and invite him in. If you have not received him as your Savior – that is the most important message of forgiveness that you should hear this morning. He died to provide forgiveness for our sins, to provide redemption when we do not deserve it, when we will never deserve it. That’s what makes it the greatest gift. Receiving this gift available to us is foundational to our Christian faith. As we walk out our journey, recipients of this grace, we will be faced with our own decisions to forgive. You may feel the nudge of the holy spirit in you saying okay it’s your turn!  You know the elbow nudge that parents give their kids when they want them to listen to what the Pastor is saying or want to spur them on to take a step of courage toward what is good? Let’s take a look at scripture. Join me in Matthew 18:21-35  – key verses will be on the screen Matthew 18:21-35 New International Version The Parable of the Unmerciful Servant 21 Then Peter came to Jesus and asked, “Lord, how many times shall I forgive my brother or sister who sins against me? Up to seven times?” 22 Jesus answered, “I tell you, not seven times, but seventy-seven times.[a] 23 “Therefore, the kingdom of heaven is like a king who wanted to settle accounts with his servants. 24 A

WEEK 3 OF SERIES ON HURLDES   A TEMPORARY OBSTACLE OR DIFFICULTY, A BARRIER A WALL OF FENCE.  NOT A DEAD END WEEK 1 HURDLE- READ FIRE AIM                                              IS IT POSSIBLE SOMEONE IS TRYING TO LOOK LIKE A GRAPE- ACT LIKE A GRAPE- SMELL LKE A GRAPE TASTE LIKE A GRAPE – AND THEY ARE NOT SAVED WEEK 2- WHAT ARE POSSIBLE HURDLES FOR US AS CHRISTIAN PEOPLE RELATED TO CULTURE? WEEK 3.  … STEALTH BOMBER                                              February 23 2008, Spirit of Kansas, a B-2 STEALTH BOMBER Spirit crashed. aircraft destroyed, crew members EJECT The accident marked the first operational loss of a B‑2 bomber TINY SENSOR FROM UNDER WINDSHILED 1/100TH OF 1 % OF COST OF PLANE HUMIDITY SENSOR estimated loss of US$1.4 billion- NOW 2 BILLION. TODAY WE CONTINUE OUR SERIES ON HURDLES WHAT KEEPS US FROM EXPERIENCING FULLNESS OF LIFE WITH GOD? EVEN A TINY THING- A SMALL SIN IN OUR LIVES IS TOO MUCH IS YOUR LIFE FREE FROM THE CONTAMINATION OF SIN – HOW DID WE GET HERE? SCRIPTURE GENESIS 2:15     15. “THE LORD GOD TOOK THE MAN AND PUT HIM IN THE GARDEN OF EDEN TO WORK IT AND TAKE CARE OF IT” SCRIPTURE GENESIS 2:16   16. AND THE LORD GOD COMMANDED THE MAN, “YOU ARE FREE TO EAT FROM ANY TREE IN THE GARDEN; SCRIPTURE GENESIS 2:17   17. BUT YOU MUST NOT EAT FROM THE TREE OF THE KNOWLEDGE OF GOOD AND EVIL, FOR WHEN YOU EAT FROM IT YOU WILL CERTAINLY DIE.” PERFECT UNION- HARMONY WITH ONE ANOTHER NEED YOU TO KNOW ALL THIS IS YOURS JUST ONE SMALL THING- ALL OF IT- BUT … AN OUTSIDE VOICE- THE DEVIL ARRIVES  SCRIPTURE GENESIS 3:3                                       3. BUT DID GOD SAY, “YOU MUST NOT EAT FRUIT FROM THE TREE THAT IS IN THE MIDDLE OF THE GARDEN, AND YOU MUST NOT TOUCH IT, OR YOU WILL DIE.” SCRIPTURE GENESIS 3:4    4. “YOU WILL NOT CERTAINLY DIE,” THE SERPENT SAID TO THE WOMAN. SCRIPTURE GENESIS 3:5    5. FOR GOD KOWS THAT WHEN YOU EAT FROM IT YOUR EYES WILL BE OPENED, AND YOU WILL BE LIKE GOD, KNOWING GOOD AND EVIL. SCRIPTURE GENESIS 3:6    6. WHEN THE WOMAN SAW THAT THE FRUIT OF THE TREE WAS GOOD FOR FOOD AND PLEASING TO THE EYE, AND ALSO DESIRABLE FOR GAINING WISDOM SCRIPTURE GENESIS 3:6    6. SHE TOOK SOME AND ATE IT. SHE ALSO GAVE SOME TO HER HUSBAND, WHO WAS WITH HER, AND HE ATE IT. RELATIONSHIP FRACTURED- ONE BITE? THE INTENDED DESIGN NOW BROKEN SCRIPTURE GENESIS 3:8    8. “AND THEY HEARD THE VOICE OF THE LORD GOD WALKING IN THE GARDEN IN THE COOL OF THE DAY.” SCRIPTURE GENESIS 3:8    8. AND ADAM AND HIS WIFE HID THEMSELVES FROM THE PRESENCE OF THE LORD GOD AMONGST THE TREES OF THE GARDEN RELATIONSHIP BROKEN-YET GOD PURSUES THEM SIN IS … WE DON’T EVEN USE THE WORD SIN COULD BE SOMEONE ELSE SALVATION DO SOMETHING YOU KNOW IS WRONG DO IT ANYWAY. DANGEROUS/RISKY/UNFORGIVING SIN: WILLFUL VIOLATION TO THE KNOWN LAW OF GOD SLIDE 16: TEN COMMANDMENTS SERVE THE LORD ONLY DON’T TAKE LORDS NAME IN VAIN REMEMBER THE SABBATH (NOT AS SERIOUS) HONOR YOUR MOM AND DAD DON’T KILL- BIGGER ONE DON’T COMMIT ADULTERY DON’T STEAL DON’T BEAR FALSE WITNESS DON’T COVET NEIGHBORS WIFE OR GOODS SCRIPTURE 1 JOHN 1:5    5. THIS IS THE MESSAGE WE HAVE HEARD FROM HIM AND DECLARE TO YOU. GOD IS LIGHT; IN HIM THERE IS NO DARKNESS AT ALL. SCRIPTURE 1 JOHN 1:6     6. IF WE CLAIM TO HAVE FELLOWSHIP WITH HIM AND YET WALK IN DARKNESS, WE LIE AND DO NOT LIVE OUT THE TRUTH. SCRIPTURE 1 JOHN 1:7    7. BUT IF WE WALK IN THE LIGHT AS HE IS IN THE LIGHT, WE HAVE FELLOWSHIP WITH ONE ANOTHER, AND THE BLOOD OF JESUS, HIS SON, PURIFIES US FROM ALL SIN.  (YOU CANNOT MANAGE SIN)    THERE IS A FOUNTAIN FILLED WITH BLOOD.                    DRAWN FROM EMMANUELS VEINS`     AND SINNERS PLUNGE BENEATH THAT FLOOD     LOSE ALL THEIR GUILTY STAIN SCRIPTURE MARK 7:20   20. HE WENT ON: “WHAT COMES OUT OF A PERSON IS WHAT DEFILES THEM. SCRIPTURE MARK 7:21   21. FOR IT IS FROM WITHIN, OUT OF A PERSONS HEART, THAT EVIL THOUGHTS COME-SEXUAL IMMORALITY, THEFT, MURDER,  SCRIPTURE MARK 7:22   22. ADULTERY, GREED, MALICE, DECEIT, LEWDNESS, ENVY, SLANDER, ARROGANCE, AND FOLLY. SCRIPTURE MARK 7:23   23. ALL THESE COME FROM INSIDE A PERSON AND DEFILE A

https://www.bible.com/events/49578577 Church of the Nazarene - East Rockingham Campus  Hurdles Part 3  Control freak...  We are continuing in our 4-part teaching series called “Hurdles”.  Throughout this series we are going to face some of the key obstacles or hurdles that keep us from a full and abundant life in Christ.  Today we are talking about the hurdle of control.  The fact is, we love this level of control and in many ways have come to expect it in most areas of our lives…  Sometimes we expect control in our relationship with Jesus. And control will always be a hurdle for us in growing closer to Jesus.  ‭‭Matthew‬ ‭16‬:‭24‬‬  Then Jesus said to his disciples, “Whoever wants to be my disciple must deny themselves and take up their cross and follow me.  Jesus says that whoever really wants to experience life with him, you have to be all in.  You have to deny yourself- say no to your desires, your old ways of doing things, what feels good. Give up your right to do your own thing, yoru own way.  Take up your cross- Jesus is using the cross bearing idea that we would literally die to our old way of life and thinking- that it has no power over us anymore.  We deny ourselves, put a decisive end to life our way, and we follow after Jesus. We learn to do all of life, his way.  This is the picture Jesus paints for everyone who wants to know him in relationship.  ‭‭Proverbs‬ ‭3‬:‭5‬-‭6‬‬  Trust in the Lord with all your heart and lean not on your own understanding; in all your ways submit to him, and he will make your paths straight.  This is one of the often quoted verses of the bible and it’s all about letting go of control. That we would trust the Lord completely, we wouldn’t depend on our perspective or our understanding- we would give that up and trust him.  In all your ways submit to him, that is a letting go of control. Surrender.  As long as we clinch on to what we will and wont do, what we will and wont surrender. Our hands and our heart are closed off from receiving more of God’s grace, more of his presence in our lives. We are closing ourselves off from the Lord.  ‭‭Galatians‬ ‭2‬:‭20‬‬  I have been crucified with Christ and I no longer live, but Christ lives in me. The life I now live in the body, I live by faith in the Son of God, who loved me and gave himself for me.  Paul is saying that he has put to death his old self, his desires, his self-determination, his rights, he has given all that over to the Lord- it’s as if he died. Complete and total surrender to Jesus himself.  You could say, Paul has waved the white flag of surrender.  ‭‭Romans‬ ‭12‬:‭1‬‬  So here’s what I want you to do, God helping you: Take your everyday, ordinary life—your sleeping, eating, going-to-work, and walking-around life—and place it before God as an offering. Embracing what God does for you is the best thing you can do for him. Don’t become so well-adjusted to your culture that you fit into it without even thinking. Instead, fix your attention on God. You’ll be changed from the inside out. Readily recognize what he wants from you, and quickly respond to it. Unlike the culture around you, always dragging you down to its level of immaturity, God brings the best out of you, develops well-formed maturity in you.  The normal Christian response to all of God’s mercy is that we would give ourselves 100% over to the Lord and whatever he wants and wills for our lives.  This is not just for pastors, or board members, or those who feel some sort of calling on their life- This is for everyone who wants to be a Christian, a follower of Jesus.  Because this is exactly what Jesus taught us…  On the other side of the hurdle of control is grace, peace, life, and freedom that far surpasses anything you are being asked to surrender.  When we waive the white flag of surrender over our lives, we open ourselves up to receive more of him, more of his grace and presence in our lives. And that’s our invitation this morning.  To waive the white flag of surrender over our lives. 

Panel Discussion on the hurdles of our culture ““Teacher, which is the greatest commandment in the Law?” Jesus replied: “ ‘Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind.’ This is the first and greatest commandment. And the second is like it: ‘Love your neighbor as yourself.’ All the Law and the Prophets hang on these two commandments.””‭‭Matthew‬ ‭22‬:‭36‬-‭40‬ ‭NIV‬‬

https://www.bible.com/events/49575323 Church of the Nazarene - East Rockingham Campus  Hurdles Part 2  A little dance with darkness...  We are continuing in our 4-part teaching series called “Hurdles”.  Throughout this series we are going to face some of the key obstacles or hurdles that keep us from a full and abundant life in Christ.  Today we are talking about the hurdle of "little sins".  It can be easy for us to think that the smaller consequences of some sin, means they are not that big of a deal. But that’s not a biblical view of sin. In fact, the bible knows nothing of "little sins". The bible says that all sin is serious and it is always a hurdle in our relationship with Jesus.  Sin shows up in the human story in chapter 3 of Genesis.  In Genesis 1 and 2, God has created all things. All of creation and the cosmos, the land, the sea, and everything in them. He has created Adam and Eve, male and female, in his image. God has given them an identity, a calling and purpose for their lives. They are his co-agents, in creation, they enjoy perfect intimacy together.  This is God’s vision for humanity- for your life and mine. That hasn’t changed.  In this relationship, God gives them a choice. For a relationship to be loving, for it to be real intimacy, there has to be choice. Without a choice, Adam and Eve would have been God’s Robots, not sons and daughters.  So God has given them unlimited freedom with only one rule, one choice to obey him.  The devil comes into the story as a snake, and he goes after Eve at the point of this choice. He convinces her that God is holding out on them, that he cant be trusted.  ‭‭Genesis‬ ‭3‬:‭6‬‬  When the woman saw that the fruit of the tree was good for food and pleasing to the eye, and also desirable for gaining wisdom, she took some and ate it. She also gave some to her husband, who was with her, and he ate it.  Sin enters our story.  Sin wasn’t just the eating of a forbidden fruit, the breaking of a rule. It was the failure to be fully human as God intended. It was a fracture of trust and relationship with God, it was outside of his planned design for their lives. Friends that’s sin.  In the Old Testament Hebrew Language, the word for sin is Khata (Ha-tah). In the New Testament Greek the word is Hamartia. Both words carry the same idea of missing the mark, or a failure to make the goal, or coming up short.  The bible pictures sin as a failure to live into our calling as image bearers of God, a coming up short of our truest calling as his sons and daughters.  ‭‭Genesis‬ ‭3‬:‭8‬-‭9‬‬  Then the man and his wife heard the sound of the Lord God as he was walking in the garden in the cool of the day, and they hid from the Lord God among the trees of the garden. But the Lord God called to the man, “Where are you?”  We choose sin, it continually separates us from relationship with God and distorts our lives. God in his mercy and grace continually comes after us, inviting us to turn away from our sin and into right relationship with him.  To be transformed, to be healed, and remade into the design he has for our lives and our flourishing.  And the healing and renewal is a critical part of God’s mercy because sin, according to the bible, is not just wrong actions, a list of rules broken. Sin has distorted our humanity- it’s a nature, a drive within us. Sin is part of our nature now as a result of Genesis 3.  ‭‭Romans‬ ‭8‬:‭7‬‬  The mind governed by the flesh is hostile to God; it does not submit to God’s law, nor can it do so.  ‭‭1 John‬ ‭1‬:‭9‬‬  If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just and will forgive us our sins and purify us from all unrighteousness.  The Good news for us today, is that Jesus came to deal with both. The guilt of our wrong actions, and the corruption and impurity of our heart.  ‭‭1 Thessalonians‬ ‭5‬:‭23‬-‭24‬‬  May God himself, the God of peace, sanctify you through and through. May your whole spirit, soul and body be kept blameless at the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ. The one who calls you is faithful, and he will do it.  Dealing with sin on our own seems hopelessly impossible, and to be honest, it pretty much is. But God does not expect us to deal with it alone, he invites us to surrender out life to him, including our sin, and allow him to come into our lives and make us new.  To literally restore and renew his image witin us, that we wouldn’t even desire sin anymore.  That’s the hope today friends- that’s the invitation.  ‭‭1 John‬ ‭1‬:‭5‬-‭9‬‬  This is the message we have heard from him and declare to you: God is light; in him there is no