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Illuminate Community Church Podcast - Pastor Jason Fritz - Scottsdale, AZ
Episodes
Monday Mar 14, 2022
Monday Mar 14, 2022
Last week we saw God's man Noah step off the boat with his family. This post flood world was different in many ways. The heart of man however would remain the same. Therefore, in God’s goodness he brought forth a series of commands that were meant to restrain what comes natural to us all; including revenge.
When I was a student at ASU, one of my professors read these verses from Leviticus 24:19-21. If anyone injures his neighbor, as he has done it shall be done to him, fracture for fracture, eye for eye, tooth for tooth; whatever injury he has given a person shall be given to him. Whoever kills an animal shall make it good, and whoever kills a person shall be put to death. In an effort to show how ridiculous this is, the teacher quoted Gandhi who said, “If everyone practices an eye for an eye then the whole world will be blind.” Sounds good, right? Like maybe Gandhi has a better understanding of morality than God.
Here’s what Gandhi and my professor missed... Back in the day, without rules and laws, the world operated from the standpoint of revenge. For example, a few chapters earlier we read about one of Cain’s descendants, a man named Lamech. He brags about how a young man slapped him and in return Lamech killed him. So God’s command exists to restrain man's desire for taking things too far. “You bust out my tooth, I’ll kill you!” No, that’s not how this is going to go. The consequence will be in proportion to the offense. Additionally, the New Testament adds this in Romans 13:1-5.
Let everyone be subject to the governing authorities, for there is no authority except that which God has established. The authorities that exist have been established by God. Consequently, whoever rebels against the authority is rebelling against what God has instituted, and those who do so will bring judgment on themselves. For rulers hold no terror for those who do right, but for those who do wrong. Do you want to be free from fear of the one in authority? Then do what is right and you will be commended. For the one in authority is God’s servant for your good. But if you do wrong, be afraid, for rulers do not bear the sword for no reason. They are God’s servants, agents of wrath to bring punishment on the wrongdoer. Therefore, it is necessary to submit to the authorities, not only because of possible punishment but also as a matter of conscience.
Human authority is established by God. This includes law enforcement. Another way of saying it is that the police officer is ordained by God. Does this mean every officer is noble? Of course not. Neither is every politician, plumber or pastor…or at times perhaps you. Additionally, all human authority should be held accountable. However, to remove what is ordained by God is a big mistake. As Jordan Peterson says, “Be careful what you deconstruct when you have nothing to take its place.”
God is doing something else with these early commands to Noah. He is establishing rules that when followed, lead to a well ordered and healthy society. Take the Ten Commandments for example. Don’t carelessly take another person’s life. That’s good for society. Don’t pursue your neighbor's wife. Another great practice for maintaining healthy relationships around the neighborhood. Don’t take what belongs to your neighbor. That’s his or her property and not yours. That seems reasonable. Pre-flood mankind was a theater of violence therefore proving the need for humane laws. In God’s goodness he begins to give them to Noah as soon as he steps off the boat. Because man is made in the image of God, his life is inherently precious and cannot be taken without giving account to God.
Noah was the first to see the majesty of the rainbow. The rainbow is God’s way of reminding himself that he will never flood the earth again. For us, it is a beautiful reminder of God’s promises and that ALL of his words are true and his commands are right.
Monday Mar 07, 2022
Monday Mar 07, 2022
Last week we were reminded that the flood is not primarily about Noah, a big boat, deep water or even judgment. The narrative is about what it takes to be saved. When God gave Noah the ark’s blueprints he specifically said to place a door on the side. This door would be the means through which salvation came. Can you hear the sound of that massive wooden structure closing, just as the final animals entered? Noah and his sons carefully covered the seams with pitch. When and where would that door be opened and to what kind of world? No indication that God spoke to Noah on this journey which lasted for over a year until finally God said, "Go out from the ark…". Go through that door! Until that day, Noah had to wait in faith. If Noah could wait upon the Lord, we who live under fuller revelation can as well.
Doors in the Bible are an interesting study. There was one door on the ark through which 8 people were rescued. Under Egyptian rule only those whose doors had blood over the post would be spared from death. Solomon’s temple had two doors through which the very presence of God was accessed by only one person, the high priest. These doors would provide the passage by which people would be saved. So it makes perfect sense for Jesus to declare of himself:
“Truly, truly, I say to you, I am the door of the sheep." John 10:7
This world offers you many doors to choose from but only one leads to eternal life!
Monday Feb 28, 2022
Monday Feb 28, 2022
Many are at least somewhat familiar with Noah. We can thank Russell Crow, Emma Watson and director Darren Aronofsky for bringing their version to the big screen in 2014. (Although not very accurate.) Most would remember there was a large boat and judgment along with a flood. But none of these things are the point of the narrative. This account is about how men and women are saved. Jesus compared his return by using the flood as an example. He said we should not be caught unaware like the people of Noah’s time.
For as were the days of Noah, so will be the coming of the Son of Man. For as in those days before the flood they were eating and drinking, marrying and giving in marriage, until the day when Noah entered the ark, and they were unaware until the flood came and swept them all away, so will be the coming of the Son of Man.
-Matthew 24:37-39
Noah lived by faith and walked with God. His decisions and actions pleased the one he served. He believed what God said was true.
Noah had more faith than you know.
God gave him specific building plans for the ark. But a couple of important things were missing. Where are the instructions for the rudder and helm? Noah had to trust God thinking, “God, you will have to take care of the sailing and the landing!” God would be the sponsor of this cruise and he is the captain of this boat. Think about this - Noah was not given the understanding as to how God was going to create this flood. There’s no indication that water had fallen from the sky before. While Noah built at day he preached at night..for 120 years! No doubt those around him mocked and attempted to make him feel very small. The culture labeled him a loser and religious fanatic. But with that first drop of rain Noah’s witness was proven right. Some of you feel like giving up. You are walking with God and there’s not one cloud in the sky...yet. There’s rejection and discouragement and at times you wonder if God is real. Do not give up and do not quit and you might have to wait for a long time but the time will come when God makes everything crystal clear. If you are walking with God make no mistake about it, there will be a specific day when it is made evident to everyone that God is walking with you!
Monday Feb 21, 2022
Monday Feb 21, 2022
Last week we looked into the lives of two brothers who lived long ago. Their names are Cain and Abel. Their relationship was cut short because one killed the other. Family dysfunction within the first family to walk the earth. Cain doesn’t show remorse and has no interest in doing the right thing or in doing what God desires. God gives him the opportunity to make things right but he doesn’t take it. As a consequence God tells Cain he will be a wanderer on the earth. In the last half of Genesis chapter 4 this is exactly what we see. Cain is a nomad but if you remember from last week it didn’t have to be this way. He could have turned things around. He could have changed but instead he remained defiant. He settles into a new life and has a family. But his descendants turn out to be just like him and worse. In fact, Cain has a great great great grandson named Lamech and he brags about how wicked he is by claiming to be ten times more violent than his ancestor. The world is filled with people who constantly think evil thoughts and always take evil action.
But it gets much worse…
In Genesis chapter 6 we learn that demons are inhabiting men and having sex with women. All of this paints a picture of the height of human depravity and the condition which God mercifully brings to an end by a flood. There is one righteous man (not perfect) whom God selects to do a new work: Noah. For over a hundred years he will preach a message of hope but none will listen. All the while he’s building a massive boat. Then one day begins just like any other. People are going about their lives and the sky opens, water falls and it doesn’t stop. People are caught unaware.
Jesus placed a high value on the flood story. (That’s how we know it’s true.)
For as were the days of Noah, so will be the coming of the Son of Man. For as in those days before the flood they were eating and drinking, marrying and giving in marriage, until the day when Noah entered the ark, and they were unaware until the flood came and swept them all away, so will be the coming of the Son of Man. Matthew 24:37-39
His point is simple. He said his return would be just like the flood. Some will not be ready. You see, one day God’s patience will come to an end. His justice will be brought to the earth by his son. The way of rescue is through him. We make ourselves ready by being obedient to God. Here’s the recipe: Love God + love others = prepared.
Monday Feb 14, 2022
Monday Feb 14, 2022
This Sunday we come to Genesis chapter 4. It contains a story of family dysfunction involving worship, pride and murder. This is the first killing of one human by another. It doesn’t take long to see more results of the fall. At the brith of Cain there was pain but there was also joy and wonder at what Adam and Eve created together. There is work and there is worship and there are little boys running around. As the boys get older, one begins working with animals and the other works with the ground. Both are good occupations. Both men know that God is to be worshiped and worship involves sacrifice so there is a giving of what they produce.
Cain brings something and Abel brings something. God accepts one and rejects the other. Why? Some say Abel gave an animal and that was better because it was a blood sacrifice. The text says that Abel brought the best of his flock and there’s no clear indication that Cain brought his best. Whatever the specifics, we do know exactly how God felt about it… "but for Cain and his offering he had no regard. So Cain was very angry, and his face fell." Cain’s response holds the clue to what’s really happening here. If his heart was in the right place he would have said, “God, somehow I missed it, how can I do this in a way that is pleasing to you?” But instead, his head is down, his lips are tightened and there’s no sense that he wants to please God. In fact, he’s flippant and obstinate. The problem was not the sacrifice itself, it was Cain’s heart. Worship is always about the heart.
In his most famous sermon, Jesus speaks directly to the heart of worship by saying we should not offer a sacrifice while we have not made things right with those we have offended. In other words, we should not be in church raising our hands if we are living a lie outside its walls. He’s telling us to make amends - especially with our church family. Once we’ve made it right, then come back because God wants a real connection with us, not one that is superficial or hypocritical.
I’ve been saying Genesis points forward to Jesus. Listen to the author of Hebrews as he describes the blood of Abel and the blood of Jesus…And to Jesus, the mediator of a new covenant, and to the sprinkled blood that speaks a better word than the blood of Abel. (Hebrews 12:24) Abel’s blood said, “Give me justice!” But Jesus’ blood said, “You are forgiven!” The blood that judges the unrepentant sinner also pardons the repentant saint. Let’s remember how good it is to know the gracious love of God. Meanwhile, when we are confronted with our wrongs let us be quick to repent rather than make excuses.
“One of the clearest marks of sin is our almost innate desire to excuse ourselves and complain if we are judged in any way.” James Boice
Monday Feb 07, 2022
Monday Feb 07, 2022
As you probably already know, nearly half of all marriages end in divorce. Satan loves to take what is sacred and turn it into something disastrous. He was present with the first married couple and that’s where his diabolic attacks began. His game however can be undone.
Marriage is a journey. In order to be successful on the journey we need God’s wisdom. Remember, marriage was an early creation act by God and it was good. Apart from God, human efforts to fix things always fail. Some couples say, “We’ll just live together first to see if we’re compatible and then get married.” Statistics show that cohabitation actually increases the likelihood of divorce.
In God’s goodness he has given us the blueprints for successful marriage. But be forewarned…for both the husband and the wife some of these roles will seem like sandpaper. It should be stated upfront: No one’s worth resides in his or her role. God regards us all as having ultimate worth as co heirs of Jesus Christ.
Roles bring order to where there would otherwise be chaos.
We are called to serve one another. Marriage is all about subordination for both the husband and the wife. Christ-like subordination over time builds Godly character. If you are in a marriage for no other reason than individual, personal self-fulfillment then your marriage will be doomed because that’s not always going to happen. That puts tremendous pressure on a marriage. What you’re saying is, “My marriage should always make me happy.” You don’t marry so you can be made happy, you marry so you can be made holy. When a husband and wife fulfill their Biblical roles each has a unique place in imitating the self sacrificing life of Jesus Christ.
A word about singleness. Singleness reminds married couples not to idolize marriage. Jesus was single and fulfilled. He is awaiting his bride, the church, with a big banquet that takes place in heaven. Society tells you in order to fit in you must be attached to someone. That’s a lie. A Christian’s first and highest attachment is to Jesus. By God’s grace, each believer is to reflect the glory of God in all circumstances.
Monday Jan 31, 2022
Monday Jan 31, 2022
There they are. Adam and Eve are crouching behind a tree, attempting to hide from God while wearing a scratchy fig leaf. They look ridiculous. The whole scene is sad. What went wrong?
Satan came with a one-two temptation punch for Eve (and us today).
1. Doubt God’s goodness.
2. Doubt sin’s badness.
Adam’s eyes were wide open the whole time when he and Eve responded to Satan’s offer of “take and eat." Immediately the air becomes different, things are no longer care free, there are new feelings of anxiety and fear. They run for cover. But God graciously pursues as a parent who loves his children. Of course there must be consequences. In an instant, the original couple passed from life to death, from sinlessness to sin, from harmony to alienation, from trust to distrust, from ease to dis-ease. It did not take a day. It took a millisecond! Adam and Eve as our genetic parents represent us all starring in the reality show, “Paradise Lost." The party is over and the blaming begins. But God has yet to reveal just how loving and gracious he is. Within God’s appointed consequences there is an astounding gospel promise of hope. One day, the works of Satan and death will be destroyed once and for all. From here the story takes an amazing plot twist that works its way through the rest of the Bible.
God will take the punishment deserved by humans and place that punishment on his son, Jesus Christ. This is grace.
Jesus, during the last supper, will take the bread and he will repeat some familiar words… “Take and eat”…but his words, unlike Satan’s, will lead to life. However, Jesus will have to die in order for man to live. That’s grace. Have you received this grace? We’re all under the same judgments as Adam and Eve you know. Those things haven’t changed. The question is: have you grasped God’s gracious way out through Jesus?
Monday Jan 24, 2022
Monday Jan 24, 2022
And the LORD God commanded him, “You may eat freely from every tree of the garden, but you must not eat from the tree of the knowledge of good and evil; for in the day that you eat of it, you will surely die.” Genesis 2:16-17
Originally, God created all things perfectly and he did not intend for any of his creatures to die, suffer, be in poverty, go hungry, get sick, or be in any kind of danger. God made it very clear that there would be an unwanted consequence to Adam’s rebellion. Now what’s interesting is that Adam did not drop dead on that day. However, the relationship between God and Adam was immediately broken. So the consequence of sin was both physical and spiritual. It’s interesting and I’m speculating a bit here…but it seems Adam was not fully aware of what death was until after this when God kills an animal to clothe Adam. Death became an immediate reality and for Adam in that moment it must have been shocking to see the life of the animal drained. Something he had never experienced before. He now understands better that his own physical existence would come to an end.
Note that Adam had an invitation to eat from the tree of life. But there was no temptation in that because he already had life. It seems we humans always want what we don't have even if it costs us. So the temptation for Adam was this: to seek wisdom apart from the word of God. Let me repeat that...
The temptation for Adam was to seek wisdom apart from the word of God.
Moral autonomy leads to death. Adam and Eve tried to sidestep God’s wisdom. They usurped God’s role in determining what was right and wrong. Whenever man does this it always leads to his or her pain and heartache.
In contrast to Adam we have Jesus, the second Adam. He too was tempted to live apart from God’s word and God’s wisdom. Satan came to Jesus in the wilderness. Consider this in Matthew chapter 4: Then Jesus was led up by the Spirit into the wilderness to be tempted by the devil. And after fasting forty days and forty nights, he was hungry. And the tempter came and said to him, “If you are the Son of God, command these stones to become loaves of bread.” But he answered, “It is written, “‘Man shall not live by bread alone, but by every word that comes from the mouth of God.’”
Do you see the game Satan plays? He’s been at it for a long time. This lie is his main source of destruction, “Don’t rely on God, rely on yourself!” Adam got his wisdom his way and it killed him. In contrast, Jesus would spend his entire life submitting to God’s word. The result? For those who believe in Jesus the curse of death that Adam brought has been undone and eternal life is given. What you do with the word of God is everything. The great temptation for both Adam and Jesus is still the great temptation for us today. Especially for us as we live in a postmodern context where truth is what you make it. Or truth is how you feel. And the choice remains - every day you are faced with eating from the tree of life or the tree of the knowledge of good and evil. We know how the story ends. The tree of life shows up again when the garden is recreated and at this point in time it will have been well established that God’s wisdom gives life!
Monday Jan 17, 2022
Monday Jan 17, 2022
Then God said, “Let Us make man in Our image, according to Our likeness; let them have dominion over the fish of the sea, over the birds of the air, and over the cattle, over all the earth and over every creeping thing that creeps on the earth.” So God created man in his own image, in the image of God he created him; male and female he created them. Genesis 1:26-27
So what does it mean that man is created in God’s image? It means that man is different from every other created being because He has God as his pattern. This means though we are biologically similar to certain animals, we are distinct in our moral, intellectual, and spiritual capabilities. This means we are also different from angels. Nowhere are we told that angels are made in the image of God, therefore angels cannot have the same kind of relationship that we have with God. This also means the incarnation was truly possible. It shows us that deity and humanity are not exactly the same, but they are compatible.
This also means all human life has intrinsic value unlike any other form of life.
We cannot determine the value of a human on any other quality than the simple fact that the human alone was created in the image of God. If you visit Iceland you’ll notice there are virtually no people living with Down Syndrome because those babies are terminated during pregnancy. Believe it - individuals with Down Syndrome reflect the image of God in their own unique way. Those with special needs have a special reflection of the image of God.
Now in the next verse (27), the concept of man being created in the image of God is repeated to give emphasis. Additionally, God’s creation of man in God’s image also includes a unique pairing: So God created man in his own image, in the image of God he created him; male and female he created them. This has implications for the time in which we live. The Bible is both straightforward and gracious in everything. So any conversation about sex and gender must also do the same. There are many asking sincere questions about how they feel and the experiences they’ve had. The church should be the one place where people can expect to engage with the truth in compassionate, authentic and life-giving conversations and that’s what we plan to begin this Sunday.
Monday Jan 10, 2022
Monday Jan 10, 2022
Last week we gave an overview of the book of Genesis and we said that it is much more than a narrative about creation. It is, as the title specifies, about beginnings. Most importantly, the beginning of God’s relationship with man. This Sunday we’re going to take a deeper dive into the opening lines. We’ll see the carefully crafted narrative starts with God’s introduction of himself. And what an amazing introduction it is. If you were in a room full of people and they asked you to introduce yourself, you would give your name and perhaps talk a bit about your family or what you do for a living. So consider how God introduces himself in the opening line of the Bible…
In the beginning, (that is the beginning of time) God (the Hebrew word is Elohim and it appears 35 times in chapter one catching the reader’s eye again and again) created the heavens and the earth. Genesis 1:1
In other words, it’s as if God says, “Let me introduce myself. Look around you. Do you see the beauty, order, design, complexity, power and purposefulness in nature and the universe? I did all of it.” This is helpful. Right from the start God wants to answer the most basic question any human can ask. Where did all this come from and where did I come from?
The philosopher Jean-Paul Sarte stated the essential problem of philosophy: there is something, instead of nothing. Why? Everything else in our life flows from the answer to this question. God wants us to understand that the world did not create itself nor did it come about by chance. Rather, God introduces himself as the creator in the fashion of someone who takes a lump of clay and begins to form it into something extraordinary.
If you believe God created the heavens and the earth and the universe then he can remake you as well. He can bring a Genesis into your life. One of his first creation acts was to bring light where there was darkness. He still performs this today. As we will see, Genesis is about God’s grace and mercy toward people who get themselves into all kinds of trouble. The solution is Jesus!