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Illuminate Community Church Podcast - Pastor Jason Fritz - Scottsdale, AZ
Episodes
Tuesday Jan 03, 2023
Tuesday Jan 03, 2023
From that time Jesus began to preach, saying, “Repent, for the kingdom of heaven is at hand." -Matthew 4:17
For a good part of 2023, we will be looking at the words of Jesus. Specifically, the things he tells people they should or should not be doing. Now I realize this might not be popular because no one likes being told what to do. At the same time, people are desperately searching for meaning, hope, help and direction. Before Jesus speaks a word there is a surprise introduction. It comes in the form of his cousin John. You might know him as John the baptizer. He called people to repent and be baptized for the forgiveness of their sins. This was a new concept for the Jews. Only Gentiles were baptized as they converted to Judaism. But now John is calling everyone to be baptized in recognition that they have a sin problem. John’s ministry was preparation for Jesus and when Jesus arrives he continues the message of John. In fact, the first words recorded by Matthew are these...From that time Jesus began to preach, saying, “Repent, for the kingdom of heaven is at hand.” -Matthew 4:17
Jesus mimics the words of John but he also adds the motivation - “The kingdom of heaven is at hand.” Jesus often contrasted the heavenly kingdom with the earthly kingdom. The heavenly kingdom is spiritual, eternal and pure. The earthly kingdom is physical, temporary and corrupt. Jesus is inaugurating the heavenly kingdom and if you want to be identified with it, then it begins with repentance. This is the central message that we see all throughout the gospels. It is summarized here in one short, simple verse. Jesus came to preach and his first word recorded by Matthew is, “repent."
Repent literally means, "to change your thinking." Jesus is asking everyone to change their thinking about what is right and what is wrong and what is good and what is evil. Change your thinking about what will give you life and how you get to heaven. Change your thinking about who you are. Repentance begins in the mind but it doesn’t end there. Later, Jesus says this to the religious rulers, "Bear fruit in keeping with repentance." (Matthew 3:8.) In other words, he calls all people to turn from their hypocritical and self-righteous ways. This is the essence of Jesus’ message to you, me, and everyone on earth.
Turn away.
Turn from your sin, turn from yourself, turn from all your attempts to earn your way to God. Turn from your attempts to find fulfillment and turn in all ways from sin, self, and even your good deeds. Do this because the kingdom of God has been brought to earth by Jesus and he is the true king!
Tuesday Dec 27, 2022
Tuesday Dec 27, 2022
Tuesday Dec 27, 2022
"The people living in darkness have seen a great light; on those living in the land of the shadow of death, a light has dawned.” Matthew 6:14 It surprises people to know that the story of Jesus’ birth contains two opposite images: darkness and light. Both are essential to understanding the truth about Christmas. Timothy Keller captures it well... “Christmas, therefore, is the most unsentimental, realistic way of looking at life. It does not say, “Cheer up! If we all pull together we can make the world a better place.” The Bible never counsels indifference to the forces of darkness, only resistance, but it supports no illusions that we can defeat them ourselves. Christianity does not agree with the optimistic thinkers who say, “We can fix things if we try hard enough.” Nor does it agree with the pessimists who see only a dystopian future. The message of Christianity is, instead, “Things really are this bad, and we can’t heal or save ourselves. Things really are this dark—nevertheless, there is hope.” The Christmas message is that “on those living in the land of deep darkness a light has dawned.” Notice that it doesn’t say from the world a light has sprung, but upon the world a light has dawned. It has come from outside. There is light outside of this world, and Jesus has brought that light to save us; indeed, he is the Light.” Timothy J. Keller, Hidden Christmas: The Surprising Truth Behind the Birth of Christ
Monday Dec 19, 2022
Monday Dec 19, 2022
Joseph and Mary were required to travel to their ancestral homeland to be counted for the census. They were from the line of David so this meant a four or five day trip from Nazareth to Bethlehem (known as the city of David). Do you realize the prophet Micah foretold the birthplace of Jesus 500 years before Jesus was born?
"But you, O Bethlehem Ephrathah, who are too little to be among the clans of Judah, from you shall come forth for me one who is to be ruler in Israel, whose coming forth is from of old, from ancient days.”
-Micah 5:2
Think about this young couple. As God fearing Hebrews they know Micah's prophecy. Did they also know that the messiah would be born of a virgin? I think so.
"Therefore the Lord himself will give you a sign. Behold, the virgin shall conceive and bear a son, and shall call his name Immanuel.”
-Isaiah 7:14
On the way to Bethlehem perhaps they were thinking, “Wow, we are two for two!!” It must have been truly amazing from their perspective to see these events unfold - especially for Mary the pregnant virgin. Moreso, Mary gets a visit from an angel with a very special message in advance.
And behold, you will conceive in your womb and bear a son, and you shall call his name Jesus. He will be great and will be called the Son of the Most High. And the Lord God will give to him the throne of his father David, and he will reign over the house of Jacob forever, and of his kingdom there will be no end.” And Mary said to the angel, “How will this be, since I am a virgin?” And the angel answered her, “The Holy Spirit will come upon you, and the power of the Most High will overshadow you; therefore the child to be born will be called holy - the Son of God.
-Luke 1:31-35
Mary knew she was giving birth to the Son of God. You would think things would be easy going from here; but no. When arriving in Bethlehem the anxiety builds.
And while they were there, the time came for her to give birth. And she gave birth to her firstborn son and wrapped him in swaddling cloths and laid him in a manger, because there was no place for them in the inn.
-Luke 2:6-7
Max Lucado calls the birthplace of Jesus, "majesty in the midst of the mundane." A manger is a wooden structure from which animals are fed. Why would God have his son born into the sights, sounds and smells of farm animals? Because God is revealing that Jesus is for everyone. Jesus was not born in an intimidating palace behind a massive gate that keeps people out. Instead, Jesus could be found in a lowly stable accessible to all; just as the angel proclaimed to common shepherds.
And the angel said to them, “Fear not, for behold, I bring you good news of great joy that will be for all the people. For unto you is born this day in the city of David a Savior, who is Christ the Lord.
-Luke 2:10-11
Upon hearing the announcement of Jesus’ birth a chorus of angels begin to sing, “Glory to God in the highest, and on earth peace among those with whom he is pleased!” -Luke 2:14
Let’s not forget the words surrounding the birth of Jesus - great joy, peace, do not fear, reign, never ending kingdom, Immanuel. It all began in that little town of Bethlehem.
Monday Dec 12, 2022
Monday Dec 12, 2022
The Bible never ceases to amaze me. We find our faith’s inspiration from the real-life accounts of the men and women who have gone before us. Jacob is old and dying. His last work is to pass God’s promises of land and family to an unlikely pair of what some have called, "half-breed" grandchildren. Jacob will adopt Mannaseh and Ephraim as his own sons. One of them will have a descendant who will bring forth the Messiah, the forever king.
Both boys are brought before Jacob. Certainly, the greatest privilege will fall upon Mannaseh, the older son who is placed under Jacob’s right hand of blessing. But no. Jacob crosses his hands and once again we see the younger take precedent over the older.
The crossing of hands tells us that God’s grace arrives in surprising ways. There may be some desire in your life that you want to put forward under God’s right hand and you are displeased because the right-hand passes over that onto something or someone else. It’s not that God doesn't understand, but rather he refuses to bless that which you will covet. He will give you all you need and the grace to live without what you most earnestly desire so you must be content to trust him.
God’s grace cannot be tamed. The shocking truth is that these boys are not even fully Hebrew and the younger will have the place of preeminence. God has his own principles that cannot be confined to conventional human wisdom. It took Jacob a lifetime to learn this lesson.
Joseph’s own faith was being tested. This meant that his sons were never going to live the high life of a noble position in Egypt. They are now placed into a lowly Hebrew shepherding family and have no chance of any great future as Egyptian royalty. What Joseph and Jacob could not fully see was the dramatic work God was going to do through these two young men. But Jacob and Joseph had faith to see it through and this is why they are listed in Hebrews chapter eleven as examples for us.
Monday Dec 05, 2022
Monday Dec 05, 2022
Finally, the moment arrives. Father and son reunited after 20 years. What a sight for both. Joseph arrives in style. He would have been wearing the white linen of aristocracy, surrounded by an entourage while riding in one of his personal chariots.
It’s an emotional reunion…As soon as Joseph appears before Jacob, the son throws his arms around his father and he weeps for a long time. Jacob said to Joseph, “Now I am ready to die, since I have seen for myself that you are still alive.” -Genesis 46:29-30
It’s been a long, long time, so naturally the tears flow. The family looks on in amazement and joy. Both men are much older and both have had terrible pain and suffering. However, in this moment it all disappears and there is enough joy for dad to proclaim, “It doesn’t get any better than this, I can die right now a peaceful and happy man.” They will in fact have 17 years together. Jacob embraces Joseph not just as his son, but also as the one who has brought the entire family salvation from the famine.
Genesis points to Jesus.
Joseph’s story is a foreshadow of the salvation that is to come. Jesus was rejected by his own, just like Joseph. Jesus was sold for money, just like Joseph. Joseph would save his family and all of Egypt. Jesus will save the world. Jesus is a better Joseph.
The story of Jacob and his son Joseph is one of difficulties. But the steady underlying presence of God working in and through their lives has brought it to a beautiful conclusion. Rest assured; everything that comes to us in this life, whether we regard it as good or evil, is meant to prosper us. Those who regard God’s word as truth will ultimately prevail and experience blessing. Until then, let’s continue to take courage from those who have gone before us and remember Paul’s words in Romans 15:4.
"For whatever was written in former days was written for our instruction, that through endurance and through the encouragement of the Scriptures we might have hope."
Monday Nov 28, 2022
Monday Nov 28, 2022
This week we will take a brief pause from our series in Genesis to reflect on the theme of thankfulness. Thanksgiving Day means different things for different people, but what I hope it allows us all to do is spend a few moments reflecting on our lives and all that we have to be thankful for. When Pastor Jason asked me to speak on this topic, I began to think about our church, and my mind instantaneously went to Philippians 1:3-8.
In this passage, we find the apostle Paul in rare form. He is not trying to convince the church of profound doctrine through beautiful greek rhetoric, but rather, is expressing his heartfelt love and gratitude for the Philippian church.
We find that the core of Paul’s thankfulness stems from the Philippians' partnership with him in the Gospel. Paul had an incredible resolve for the mission and life that God had called him to, which was taking the Gospel to the ends of the earth. Though Paul could have been content doing it all by himself, in Philippians 1:3-8, we see a tired, old, and beaten up Paul getting emotional over how nice it is to have a church family partnering alongside him.
When I reflect on the last year, I can relate to Paul. It has been a privilege to partner alongside this Illuminate Community Church family as we continue through the grace of God to take ground for the sake of the Gospel of Jesus Christ.
I know that the holidays bring a bag of mixed emotions with all the different family dynamics that exist throughout our congregation. I hope that through the Word of God being preached, our hearts are stirred toward thankfulness for our church family, and our eyes are raised to exalt and glorify the head of the church body, Jesus Christ.
Monday Nov 21, 2022
Monday Nov 21, 2022
Trauma can be devastating. Everything within us wants to avoid the pain of going back to those hurtful memories and experiences. In our text this Sunday, Joseph is confronted with the reminder of abuse at the hands of his own brothers. Time has passed but deep wounds don't easily heal. Twenty years later these wounds quickly summon strong emotions that haven’t changed. However, Joseph's knowledge of God has dramatically changed. He knows that every event is naturally brought about by a supernatural God to fulfill His larger purposes - not the least of which is the reconciliation of his family. Two things brought healing… 1. The brother’s confession and sorrow over their wrongdoing and 2. Joseph’s ability to forgive, which was enabled by his knowledge of God’s providential care.
In a painful conversation and for the first time Joseph hears how his brothers explained his absence to their father. They lied. "Wild animals tore him apart dad!" At the same time he sees a change of heart. Judah is now willingly volunteering his own life in deference to his father’s favoritism for the sons born to him by another woman. Judah will not leave Benjamin. Instead, Judah offers himself as replacement in order to spare his father the grief of another loss. Judah’s heartfelt expression melts the heart of Joseph.
Then Joseph could not control himself before all those who stood by him. He cried, “Make everyone go out from me.” So no one stayed with him when Joseph made himself known to his brothers. And he wept aloud, so that the Egyptians heard it, and the household of Pharaoh heard it. -Genesis 45:1-2
Some wounds heal only because of the grace that comes directly from God. Even with the brother’s repentance, it still required Joseph to forgive. Without forgiveness there can be no reconciliation. On this side of the cross we can be reconciled to others because God reconciled us to himself through Jesus.
All this is from God, who through Christ reconciled us to himself and gave us the ministry of reconciliation; that is, in Christ God was reconciling the world to himself, not counting their trespasses against them, and entrusting to us the message of reconciliation. Therefore, we are ambassadors for Christ, God making his appeal through us. We implore you on behalf of Christ, be reconciled to God. For our sake he made him to be sin who knew no sin, so that in him we might become the righteousness of God. -2 Corinthians 5:18-21
Could there be any greater ministry for our world today? To my fellow ambassadors…let us share the ministry of God’s reconciliation through Jesus Christ. Let us represent the foundation of our kingdom home as we forgive others.
Monday Nov 14, 2022
Monday Nov 14, 2022
When Jacob sent his sons to Egypt to buy more food, he had no idea what was in store for the family. He did, however, ask God for a special measure of mercy upon them…and they needed it. The oldest son tried to make a power grab over his dad, the next two sons murdered an entire tribe out of hateful revenge and all of the boys were guilty of abusing their little brother Joseph. This family needs mercy.
Mercy is not getting what you rightly deserve.
So you can understand the wisdom in dad’s prayer for his fractured family. Do you believe God answers prayer? Jacob's prayer was many years in the making and an untold number of family heartaches and pains were along the way. There’s no pain like family pain. God responds and the unity that will come about is unrivaled. Because of his faith in God, Joseph is said to have, "warm compassion” for the brothers who severely mistreated him. “Warm compassion” literally means “hot mercy.”
Friends, don’t give up on your prayers for family restoration. You might feel that things are out of your control. They probably are. But one thing is within your power - God’s power to change anything and everything for his glory. It begins by recognizing the mercy you have received. From beginning to end, this chapter is drenched in kindness, compassion and forgiveness. I love how it points us to Jesus. He was the ultimate example of mercy. In Luke 23:34, He cries out from the cross, “Father, forgive them, for they do not know what they are doing.”
Who needs mercy from you? Maybe it’s someone that others find difficult. Maybe you need to value the relationship over that person’s false and unbiblical ideologies. There’s every possibility that mercy needs to flow from you toward someone who has wronged or offended you. This is exactly what flowed from Jesus to you.
Monday Nov 07, 2022
Monday Nov 07, 2022
What a crazy plot twist!!! After 13 years, Joseph will see his estranged brothers (and they will bow), yet they do not recognize him.
A lot has happened. God has placed Joseph in a position of tremendous power. He could easily have his brothers killed for their abuse. What stops him? Joseph understands where his power comes from. When he interpreted Pharaoh's dream, he was quick to say, “Hey! Don’t give me credit, God is the one who gave me the ability to do this.” When dealing with his brothers, he comes right out and says it, “I fear God!” He doesn’t want to do God wrong by taking revenge. The first step toward the misuse of power is to forget the source from which your power comes and to overlook the responsibility it brings upon you.
He puts the brothers to the test...
Is Joseph toying with his brothers now? Is he the cat to their mouse? I don’t think so. I think he wants to find out if they have changed, so he turns up the heat. Additionally - who is not with them? Benjamin, the youngest. Joseph wants to know if they mistreated him too. They respond in fear saying they are eleven brothers and the youngest is at home with dad. Joseph replies, “If it is true, bring the youngest to me.” This conversation is happening through a translator. The brothers speak Hebrew and Joseph is speaking Egyptian as part of his disguise.
On the third day Joseph said to them, “Do this and you will live, for I fear God: if you are honest men, let one of your brothers remain confined where you are in custody, and let the rest go and carry grain for the famine of your households, and bring your youngest brother to me. So your words will be verified, and you shall not die.” And they did so. Then they said to one another, “In truth we are guilty concerning our brother, in that we saw the distress of his soul, when he begged us and we did not listen. That is why this distress has come upon us.” And Reuben answered them, “Did I not tell you not to sin against the boy? But you did not listen. So now there comes a reckoning for his blood.” They did not know that Joseph understood them, for there was an interpreter between them. Then he turned away from them and wept. And he returned to them and spoke to them. And he took Simeon from them and bound him before their eyes. And Joseph gave orders to fill their bags with grain, and to replace every man's money in his sack, and to give them provisions for the journey. This was done for them.
-Genesis 42:18-25
Remember, these brothers are hardened men. They know murder and adultery. But now something is happening in their hearts. You can’t bury your sins forever. The brothers make a confession that is tinged with sorrow. Joseph, understanding every word of it, is moved to emotion that he cannot control. This is a cry that remembers the pain.
He is hearing an apology.
They no longer call him “the dreamer.” They call him their brother and say, “We shouldn’t have done that to our brother. He was begging us to stop, and yet we continued to abuse him. We were wrong.” Joseph turns away and uncontrollably weeps.
The admission that you have wronged another person is a crucial step in helping that person heal. It will also help you heal from the guilt you carry. Joseph will cry three more times in the next three chapters. His brothers display Godly fear and Godly sorrow. How do we know? Because it brings about Godly restoration.
I’m reminded of the two thieves on either side of Jesus. One orders Jesus to act and prove himself by screaming, “Save us!” Jesus actually was saving them, but not in the way he expected. The other thief confesses his wrongdoing and says to Jesus, “Wherever you are going, take me with you.” Which one is saved? The one who is repentant. There is a healthy form of guilt that invites God’s grace. This text is a great reminder of how our own guilt is covered by the grace of God through Jesus. Do you need to own a Godly sorrow that leads you to the discovery of God’s grace and mercy? If so, give in.