Illuminate Community Church

8/12/18 - Jesus Heals a Man Born Blind - John 9:1-41

What Jesus does in our passage this Sunday is awesome - and also pretty strange. If you’ve payed attention to the life of Jesus, He often times does things that no one expects. We’ve seen Him walk across water, tell a storm to be quiet, have dinner parties with the city’s worst enemy, on and on we could go. However untimely and unexpected, these moments in The Lord’s ministry have eternal purposes. We’ll look at John 9 this Sunday and take a front row seat at the scene of a miracle and conversation that will reveal our true “spiritual sight.” So excited to share this message with you Illuminate Family.

8/5/18 - Jesus is the Great I AM - John 8:44; 48-59

Last year Jill and I were invited to a small gathering with a celebrity chef. People stood in line to get a free, signed copy of one of his books. That's when it happened. A case of mistaken identity. When Jill approached the table he asked her name. "Jill" she replied. He responded, "Oh you're Jill, I've heard so much about you! It's so great to finally meet you!" Now believe me, I'll be the first to say that my wife is a fantastic cook. But to be known by a famous chef; not quite yet. The best part about it is that Jill just went with it. "It's nice to finally meet you as well." It's kind of an inside joke now between us. Come to our house and if Jill isn't busy creating something delicious, then you might get a chance to meet her too. Jesus never left a hint of mistaken identity. He could not have made it any clearer. In John 8 Jesus actually claimed the very name of God for himself. This message was not lost on the religious elite. They picked up stones to kill him for blasphemy. They couldn't come to accept Jesus as God because they did not know God. They had a different spiritual heritage and it was from the devil. You see, everyone is in one of two families under the authority of one of two fathers: God or Satan. The way in which you answer the question: Who is Jesus? will determine which family you're in.

7/29/18 - Jesus Sets You Free - John 8:31-47

In Dependence Day John 8:31-47 This week Americans will celebrate their independence. It’s the day when we declared our freedom. It’s been said that no other country values its freedom quite like Americans because against all odds, we gained it over one of the most powerful countries in the world at that time. Ever since then it seems that American's right to rule themselves has been extended to the individual. Not long ago a group of young Americans was asked to pick from a list of virtues the ones they identified with the most. I would have thought virtues like generosity and compassion would be at the top. But instead their top choice was autonomy. Autonomy is defined by freedom of external control or influence. It’s the idea that I will decide for myself what to believe. No one will tell me how to live. A little over two years ago an article appeared in the Atlantic and it simply stated that the desire for autonomy is really a desire for power. The author put it this way: “Power as autonomy is a form of power that allows one person to ignore and resist the influence of others and thus to shape one’s own destiny.” So if you think of the most powerful people the world has ever known, they are also the most autonomous. Napoleon, Caeser, Darth Vader. They act unilaterally. There’s no restraint, no outside influence that controls them or holds them accountable. So in the end, autonomy proves to be yet another expression of one’s drive for power. So what sounds virtuous is actually self-serving. In John chapter 8 Jesus says that true freedom comes in dependence upon him. You see freedom is found in a person and it's not you or me.

7/22/18 - Not Of This World - John 8:12-31

The phrase, "Not of this world" is perhaps best known for a clothing company. However, these are words spoken by Jesus about His kingdom. I think they sound pretty cool. Like something from a sci-fi movie. In truth, these words carry more practical implications than anything found in Star Wars. You see, Jesus is telling us that in the midst of the cracked, brokenness, and fractures of this planet, our ultimate home is with God. Meanwhile we wait and we hope and we do God's work of bringing a taste of His kingdom to earth. We are not alone in this. Jesus is our light in the darkness and our shade from the heat. There are people around you asking, “Is this all there is?” You say, "No, we were built for something different, for something greater. Outside the confines of this earth there is permanent love, laughter, a kingdom full of life and beauty and nobility. Join us by following Jesus there!"

7/15/18 - Tender Justice - John 8:2-11

In Old Testament times, attorneys didn't really exist in Israel. Defending the accused was such a sacred duty that the judge refused to delegate the work to anyone else. The judge himself served as the defender of the accused. The Jewish Encyclopedia gives insight: “attorneys at law are unknown in Jewish law.” Their legal code required judges to “lean always to the side of the defendant and give him the advantage of every possible doubt.” However, things had changed by the time of Jesus. The Pharisees were in power and they were not just. Instead of using the law appropriately, they manipulated it for their purposes and their primary purpose was to ensnare Jesus. To do this they entrap an adulterous woman and bring her before him. Outwardly Jesus is between a rock and hard place. But in reality this is never the case. Will he side with Moses and declare the death penalty, or will he prove to be the gentle man he says he is? Will he exercise justice or compassion? He does both because he is Jesus. In the middle of the text is the popular statement, "Let him who is without sin cast the first stone." These words are misunderstood and therefore misused. Jesus isn't saying that only perfect people can judge. That would have no affect on the Pharisees. Instead he says to them they have no right to judge because in this very moment they are guilty of breaking the law. In other words, hypocrites don't get to sit in the judge's seat.

7/8/18 - The Spirit and the Water - John 7:25-52

We've all felt the sting of rejection. Jesus knows the pain. In John chapter 5 we see the religious leaders reject him, in chapter 6 most of his disciples leave. In the beginning of chapter 7 we see his family refusing to believe in him. In 7:25-52 we see his own people question his credentials. Through all of the scorn Jesus stays on mission when in the middle of a massive gathering for a Jewish holiday, he raises his voice and shouts, "Come to me! Believe in me! Living water will flow from your heart!" This "living water" is a reference to the Spirit of God. God giving His people His Spirit. This is a radical distinctive of Christianity. Christianity is not just right doctrine or a social vision for the world, it is above all, a relationship. It's a direct experience with the love of God and the power of God found in the Son of God, Jesus Christ. Peter explains it this way. 2 Peter 1:3-4 His divine power has granted to us all things that pertain to life and Godliness, (we don't need to search for it anywhere else) (and here's how we get it) through the knowledge of him who called us to his own glory and excellence, by which he has granted to us his precious and very great promises, so that through them you may become partakers of the divine nature, having escaped from the corruption that is in the world because of sinful desire. Peter says Christians are partakers of the divine nature - WOW! That's not some humanistic New Age statement. It's referring to the Spirit of God residing within the hearts of his people. Notice the Spirit's impact – you are able to "escape the corruption that is in the world because of sinful desire." This gift of the Spirit is made possible by the death of Jesus. Do you have that gift? It's available to you and John explains how.

7/1/18 - The Will to do God's Will - John 7:1-24

The Cost of Discipleship - John 6:60-71 - Who is Jesus? - Pastor Jason Fritz

You've probably noticed that it's easy to get swept up in the crowd mentality. Mob psychology is very powerful and it causes us to act without thinking. Perhaps you've even seen this in yourself. It's not hard to get carried away by the tide of culture. You don't even have to put forth an effort. Simply step into the current and you're floating along. This is what Jesus experienced not long after feeding several thousand people. All but a few were following him for what they could get out of him. So when Jesus calls the people to something deeper, they begin to leave. In this moment you can sense the tender heart of Jesus as he turns to Peter and asks, "Do you want to leave also?" Peter's response is the bare minimum and yet it is profound. "Lord, to whom shall we go. You have words of eternal life." Dietrich Bonhoeffer said this: "Discipleship is not an offer that man makes to Christ." He's right. Discipleship is the high calling from Jesus to live a life of reckless abandon for the Kingdom of God!

"The Bread of Life (The Everlasting Life Diet)" John 6:25-59; Pastor Jason Fritz

Jesus Feeds the Multitudes - John 6:1-15 - Pastor Jason Fritz - Who is Jesus?

In John 6:1-15 we read John's account of Jesus feeding the 5000. In this story, we see how God can use what little we have and turn it into something beyond our imagination.