Illuminate Community Church

2/28/2021 - Now I See It - Hebrews 11

Growing up I took pride in the fact that I did not need glasses. My three siblings, as well as my mom and dad, all wore glasses, and I viewed them as inferior. I didn’t realize any problem with my vision until I started driving. I wondered why it was so difficult to read street signs, but I just assumed that everyone had the same problem. It wasn’t until someone pointed out how timid of a driver I was at night, that I realized other people did not have the same issues I did. Turns out I was more like my family than I thought, I needed glasses. However, once I got glasses the whole world opened up to me. I could drive at night with so much more confidence. Being able to see clearly what was in front of me made all the difference in my driving.

In Hebrews 11, we are given the testimonies of men and women from the Old Testament, who were commended by God because of their faith. What the author of Hebrews points out, is that all of these great people of faith, died having greeted the promise of God from afar (Hebrews 11:13). Though they could not see it at the time, the promise they were waiting for, was Jesus. If they could have faith in God while not being able to see the promise, how much more confidence can we have while we are living on this side of the cross? This confidence in God’s faithfulness works itself out through our daily obedience to God.   

God is constantly calling us to and from things. These could be big things, like career moves, or family decisions, or these may be smaller everyday practices and habits. To mature in Jesus is to respond in obedience with faith to God’s Word.

2/21/2021 - Feeling Better Things to Come - Hebrews 6:1-12

I was spending time the other day with friends who have toddlers. Little kids can be so darn funny and cute. I think it's because of their immaturity. They say and do whatever comes to mind with little regard for the consequences. There are parallels in our spiritual lives. We start our journey with Jesus as spiritual babies. We may not know much, and we may ask simple questions, but we are drinking the milk of foundational things. This is really good. Soon we are ready for a wider diet leading to healthy growth. But what if we decide to stop growing? What's the big deal? Does it really matter?

Yes.

Immature faith will make you unsure of your salvation. It will make you sluggish and as we read last week, lazy. Those who turn away from the basics of the faith, in response to doubts or disobedience, are beyond any rational arguments. Those who do not move beyond the basics of the faith risk straying from the truth, which is disastrous. The ancient Israelites are an example of what happens when disobedience and doubt replace obedience and trust. The author of Hebrews refers to this as unproductive land that must be burnt in order to be restored.

Here's the thing - you have something amazing awaiting you! The promises of God. A future that is unlike what you can imagine. The creator of the universe has prepared a place for you and it is amazing. The best part is not the environment, the best part is being in the presence of the one who died for you to make it all possible. So let's hold fast to Jesus who is described as the "anchor of our souls." Isn't that the perfect description? It tells you that life will have storms and the ship that is your life will be tossed around without a stable hold. So hold on my brothers and sisters, your glorious final destination awaits!

2/14/2021 - How's Your Diet? - Hebrews 5

You need milk, not solid food, for everyone who lives on milk is unskilled in the word of righteousness, since he is a child. But solid food is for the mature, for those who have their powers of discernment trained by constant practice to distinguish good from evil. Hebrews 5:13-14
 
I grew up drinking a lot of milk. The good stuff. Whole. Milk is necessary and good - especially for babies. But a constant diet of milk will inhibit growth. The author of Hebrews tells us mature Christians put the word of God into practice constantly and therefore they discern between what is right and wrong. Immature believers have the words go in one ear and out the other. There’s no stopping in the heart and mind. 
 
Most of your daily decisions are not spoken to explicitly in the Bible. Should you have chicken or tuna for lunch? Should you wear a jacket or a sweater? There are however many moments in your day when you will be faced with moral decisions. What programming should I watch? What should I say about this person? How should I spend my money? Sometimes people don't understand weightier things because they have a hard time discerning right from wrong. No need to discuss how the sovereignty of God and the free will of man interact until we discuss how your anger is tearing your family apart. We need some self-evaluation. Has your hearing become dull? If we were to put spiritual lenses on, what would be revealed as your spiritual age, your maturity? Once again, the author of Hebrews refuses to leave us where we are.

2/7/2021 - Life is a Journey from Weariness to Rest - Hebrews 4

I feel so much better if I get eight hours of sleep. The thing is, it just doesn't happen. We can forsake our rest because of packed schedules or worries about our families, jobs, finances, ministries and just about everything else. These are areas in which God desires to lead us to rest, rather than leave us to trust in futile works of the flesh. You see, God's rest is more than physical.

It gives rest to the soul.

The promise that still stands is the promise of salvation through God’s provision—Jesus Christ. He alone can provide the eternal rest of salvation through His blood shed on the cross for the remission of sins. God’s rest is special. It is in the spiritual realm, the rest of salvation. Faith, the author of Hebrews goes on to assert, is the key to entering God’s rest. The Hebrews had the gospel preached to them. However, just as the Israelites knew the truth about God the messages were of “no value to them, because those who heard did not combine it with faith” (Hebrews 4:2). Some had heard the good news of Christ, but they rejected it for lack of faith.

So let us learn from their error. Let us rest in Him, who has done all the work for our salvation and sanctification, and who promises to lead us to eternal rest!

1/31/2021 - Look To Jesus - Hebrews 2

"Look to Jesus," "fix your eyes on Jesus," "see Jesus." The author of Hebrews is attempting to emphasize something. The only way to thrive in this life is to focus on Jesus. The second chapter of his sermon contains a vision that will change the way you live - See Jesus as your "merciful and sympathetic high priest."

Back in the day, a Jewish priest was someone you went to for help. So let me explain this to you by virtue of what Jesus experienced as the Son of God - He faced temptation directly from Satan. Therefore no one can say to him, “Jesus you just don’t understand what it’s like to live in a fallen world and to be tempted by sin.” Jesus' response: “No, actually I do know what it’s like to be tempted by Satan himself.” Jesus got hungry, tired, fatigued and wearied. This is why the gospel writers tell us that Jesus would often go to a solitary place and pray. He knows what it’s like to lose a loved one. He wept at the death of his friend Lazarus. When most Jewish men his age were married with a family a home and a career; Jesus knew what it was to be single, a virgin and homeless. He experienced betrayal and rejection by his closest friends. He knows what it’s like to be stabbed in the back by someone he loved. He had close personal relationships disrupted and left unresolved. He knew discouragement in ministry when the disciples just wouldn’t get it. When you go through pain and you want to talk to someone who went through it all, talk to Jesus. He understands.

1/24/2021 - Jesus Explains God - Hebrews 1:1-4

The book of Hebrews is a Christological masterpiece. There might be no higher view of Jesus found in the Bible. And that's exactly what early Christians needed. You see, like us at times, they were asking the question – If God loves us why is our life so hard? The answer – the Christian life is a journey from weariness to rest, it’s a journey that started with being alienated from God to being in the presence of God. And here’s how you make it; you’ve got to fix your eyes on Jesus. Through Jesus’ words and actions we hear and see what matters most to every human being—that God the Father loves us unconditionally. 

"God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life." John 3:16
 
Even at our worst, God loves us...

John continues, “For God did not send his Son into the world to condemn the world, but in order that the world might be saved through him” (verse 17). The Father sent Jesus out of his love and his commitment to save us. And when Jesus completed this act of love, he sat down in a place of prominence, at the right hand of God.

There's another big question in the world today. What is God like? The author of Hebrews tells us the answer: Jesus reveals who God is because he is the exact imprint and reflection of the character of God. The reason why Jesus is the exact reflection of God is because they share the exact same nature. I hope you see how personal God has become. By taking on flesh and blood he's telling you this, "I really want to be in your life."

1/17/2021 - Some Things Never Change - God's Word!

The grass withers, the flower fades, but the word of our God will stand forever. Isaiah 40:8

The Bible is unique. No other book has been attacked like it, scrutinized like it or criticized like it. Neither has there ever been another book that has stood its ground like the Bible. The critics have passed on through the centuries, but the Bible stands as strong today as ever. It is an amazing book.

When we say the Bible is authoritative what we're really saying is that God is authoritative because it contains His words. So why is there so much hatred against the Bible? Perhaps we can see part of the reason in a statement Jesus made: "And this is the judgment, that the light has come into the world, and men loved the darkness rather than the light; for their deeds were evil" (John 3:19). Jesus was referring to Himself as the light coming into the world. The Bible represents the words of Christ. If people hated Him, they also hate His words. This is because His word exposes evil and shines light upon the sinful activities of mankind. People who love their sin will despise the Bible.

The Bible still stands. 

Regardless of all the hatred manifested toward it through the ages, it is still here to be reckoned with. This fact alone ought to make us think about the importance of the Bible. Have you ever thought about the Bible in this way: If a book were to be given to us by God, then we should expect that it endures. And this is exactly what God promises. 700 years later Peter preached the same words...for “All flesh is like grass and all its glory like the flower of grass. The grass withers, and the flower falls, but the word of the Lord remains forever.” And this word is the good news that was preached to you!

1/10/2021 - Some Things Never Change - God Himself!

Last Sunday we talked about the massive changes that have occurred as a result of 2020. One thing is for sure, things will continue to change and that change is going to come faster and faster and some of these changes are going to shock us and some will encourage us but if you know the unchanging God you are ready for whatever happens.
 
The story is told of Lloyd Douglas, author of, "The Robe". When he was a university student, he lived in a boarding house. Downstairs on the first floor of that boarding house was an elderly retired music teacher. He was very infirm and could not leave his apartment. Douglas took a liking to this man and every morning they had a ritual they would go through together. Lloyd Douglas would come downstairs and he would open the man's door and ask him, "Well, sir, what's the good news today"?
 
And the old man would pick up his tuning fork and tap it on the side of his wheelchair and hold it up and say, "That's middle C. It was middle C yesterday, it will be middle C tomorrow, and it will be middle C 1000 years from now. The tenor upstairs sings flat, the piano across the hall is out of tune but, my friend, this is middle C and that's the good news for today". Christian, Jesus Christ is your middle C. He is the same yesterday, today, and forever. The world in which we live is out of tune. The prognosticators got it all wrong. Everything we look at seems messed up but we take our tuning fork and we thrust it against a hard surface and we remind ourselves, "God is our middle C". We serve and love an unchanging God.

1/3/2021 - Some Things Never Change - God's Love For You!

2020 has taken a lot from us. Suddenly, we realized how quickly things can change. Some have lost freedoms, jobs, family interaction and even personal relationships. You need to be reminded that some things never change. For example, God's love for you never comes to an end. And yet, many don't live in this love. Instead they continue loving that which can so easily be taken away and are therefore discouraged. 

So why would we anyone ignore God's love? I’ll tell you why. Because we are very adept and misplacing our affections in this world. The pursuit of “hook ups” has become normative. For many, social media is little more than a love affair with attention. What’s fueling this? People trying desperately to have these questions answered: Am I lovable? Will someone find me attractive? What will cure my loneliness? "If I can just find the answer to that then I’ll be ok."

There’s a story in the Old Testament that illustrates this well. It has as much drama as any "reality show" today. A man named Jacob falls in love with a beautiful woman named Rachel. The Bible describes her as being beautiful in both form and face. In other words, she was very attractive. Jacob falls hard for her. He asks her father Laban for her hand in marriage. He agrees but only after working for him for seven years. But Jacob is so smitten he says, "No problem, she’s worth every minute of the wait." Finally, the day comes and Jacob ends up getting a taste of his own medicine. This plot twist is one for the ages. You see Rachel's father duped Jacob' in the exact same way Jacob cheated his own father Isaac. Jacob loved the place of prominence. He loved a woman for her attractiveness. Misplaced love caused Jacob a lot of heartache in life. It also disrupted the lives of those around him. His life is a testimony to the difference between misplaced love lost and true love found.

12/27/2020 - The DNA of Your Destiny - Pastor Steve Johnson