Illuminate Community Church

12/17/23 - Advent: Peace - Luke 2:14 - Pastor Jason Fritz

Advent - Peace

Luke 2:14

 

You may not speak Hebrew but you know the word shalom. The peace symbol is one of the most recognized in the world. Worldwide recognition is given every year to those who are considered great peacemakers. Meanwhile the 20th century has seen more bloodshed in war than all previous centuries combined. Currently there are two major ongoing conflicts. In reality; peace on earth is elusive.

 

Last Sunday we looked at the first part of the angel’s glorious birth announcement. Shepherds were the first to hear about the true source of joy arriving in the form of a baby. The second part of the angel’s announcement proclaims this virgin born baby is the ultimate peacemaker.

 

“Glory to God in the highest, and on earth peace among those with whom he is pleased!” Luke 2:14

 

There is no mistaking this - we please God by accepting his Son, Jesus. He is the only one that can remove the barrier of sin between us and the One who created and sustains all life. Once you have made peace with God, you can then have the peace of God in your life.

 

As Jesus prepares to leave his disciples, he says this, “Peace I leave with you; my peace I give to you. I do not give to you as the world gives. Do not let your hearts be troubled, and do not let them be afraid.” John 14:27

The world cannot offer inner peace. This is a deep security in knowing you are loved by God every moment of your life – in sickness and in health, in sorrow and in joy, in bad times and good. It’s a comfort the world cannot know apart from God and found only in Jesus.

12/10/23 - Advent: Joy - Luke 2:1-14 - Pastor Jason Fritz

Christian joy is not dependent upon circumstances, it is dependent upon a person.

And in the same region there were shepherds out in the field, keeping watch over their flock by night. And an angel of the Lord appeared to them, and the glory of the Lord shone around them, and they were filled with great fear.  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. And this will be a sign for you: you will find a baby wrapped in swaddling cloths and lying in a manger.” And suddenly there was with the angel a multitude of the heavenly host praising God and saying, “Glory to God in the highest, and on earth peace among those with whom he is pleased!” Luke 2:8-14


God comes to those who are attentive no matter what society thinks of them.


There is one glory of the sun, and another glory of the moon, and another glory of the stars; for star differs from star in glory. 1 Corinthians 15:41

In those days a decree went out from Caesar Augustus that all the world should be registered. This was the first registration when Quirinius was governor of Syria. Luke 2:1-2

And all went to be registered, each to his own town. And Joseph also went up from Galilee, from the town of Nazareth, to Judea, to the city of David, which is called Bethlehem, because he was of the house and lineage of David, to be registered with Mary, his betrothed, who was with child. Luke 2:3-5

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

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

Not only that, but we rejoice in our sufferings, knowing that suffering produces endurance, and endurance produces character, and character produces hope, and hope does not put us to shame, because God’s love has been poured into our hearts through the Holy Spirit who has been given to us. Romans 5:3-5


Christians have the ability to look beyond the suffering and look to a sovereign God who uses suffering to refine our character because He loves us. 

“As the Father has loved me, so have I loved you. Now remain in my love. If you obey my commands, you will remain in my love, just as I have obeyed my Father’s commands and remain in his love. I have told you this so that my joy may be in you and that your joy may be complete.” John 15:9-11

Jesus says if you want joy that transcends your circumstances then do two things: obey His word and remain in His love.

12/3/23 - Advent: Love - John 3:16 - Pastor Jason Fritz

“For God so loved the world, that he gave his only Son, that whoever believes in him should not perish but have eternal life." John 3:16

 

The Danish philosopher and theologian Soren Kierkegaard reflected on the reason for the incarnation and said this…

 

Imagine a prince desiring to get married. Each day his gold carriage traveled through the marketplace on its way to the castle. One day his eye caught the beauty of a peasant maiden. He fell in love with her. But how could he get her to marry him? As prince he could force the girl. Or he could have put on an incredible display of wealth and power. But he wanted a marriage of mutual love, not manipulation or force. So he exchanged his royal robes for peasant clothes and became a commoner. The prince lived as a poor man, worked as a laborer and ate scraps. Eventually, the girl took notice of him as a hard working and kind man. Soonafter, they wed.

 

You see, the prince became as she was so that she could understand his heart for her. 

 

That’s why God sent Jesus. So that we would understand God’s heart for us. This method is far better than any external voice shouting from heaven or some powerful ruler announcing a decree. God’s love can be a difficult thing for us to grasp. We tend to withhold love if we have been wronged. We tend to think of what is in our best interest first. Sometimes we harbor bitterness and grudges toward those we love the most. God however, withholds nothing from us.

 

Consider this: The greatest gifts are both useful and costly. The gift of Jesus is the most useful and costly thing you will ever receive.

 

For the wages of sin is death, but the free gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord. Romans 6:23

 

Through Jesus you recieve eternal life. I would say that is very useful! However, it will come at a sacrifice and not of your own. It will require the death of Jesus. That is costly. Useful and costly is this gift from God. A clear expression of his love for you!

11/26/23 - Advent: Hope - Romans 5:13 - Pastor Jason Fritz

This Sunday we start our Advent series in preparation for the most significant event in human history - the birth of Jesus. The word advent means “arrival” and beginning in the fourth century AD Christians have been preparing their hearts, minds and homes with the hope of Christmas. We use the word hope several different ways. We might say, “I hope next summer won’t be as hot as the last one!” There is an element of pessimism in this. That’s not the kind of hope we are talking about. Instead, Biblical hope is a confident assurance that what God promised, He will deliver. Read slowly this comforting truth from Paul... May the God of hope fill you with all joy and peace in believing, so that by the power of the Holy Spirit you may abound in hope. Romans 5:13 God is the source and supplier of hope. Certainly our world today needs a confident assurance that is rooted in the nature of the One who created and sustains all life. There are two major wars with no end in sight and more people are taking their lives than at any other time in recorded history. The number of those seeking professional mental health has never been higher. Why is this? It’s because we pour our hope into leaky containers only to realize they are soon empty. In God, we will never be depleted because our hope is in His son Jesus Christ born long ago and alive today. Johnathon Edwards said this about the Christian life… "Our good things can never be taken away from us, even our bad things turn out for good, and the best things are yet to come.” This is the hope of Christmas!

11/19/23 - Grief and Hope - Romans 8:18-27 - Pastor Jason Fritz

Romans 8:18-27

 

Friends, the Scritpures are honest in describing an inescapable reality: there is pain in human existence.

 

For I consider that the sufferings of this present time are not worth comparing with the glory that is to be revealed to us. Romans 8:18

 

Paul is honest in describing a life modeled after Jesus and guided by the Spirit includes suffering. He would know. This is his testimony…

 

Five times I received at the hands of the Jews the forty lashes less one. Three times I was beaten with rods. Once I was stoned. Three times I was shipwrecked; a night and a day I was adrift at sea; on frequent journeys, in danger from rivers, danger from robbers, danger from my own people, danger from Gentiles, danger in the city, danger in the wilderness, danger at sea, danger from false brothers; in toil and hardship, through many a sleepless night, in hunger and thirst, often without food, in cold and exposure. And, apart from other things, there is the daily pressure on me of my anxiety for all the churches. 2 Corinthians 11:24-28

 

Down through the ages some believers have had it worse than this. Notice he begins verse 18 by saying, “I consider,” which means he has taken time to think things through and develop a conclusion: 

 

Earthly hardships are temporary. The joy of heaven is eternal.

 

Paul suffered physically and emotionally, but one day he, like us, will have a mind and body immune to pain. He has been without food but in heaven he has a feast. He bears the scars of several beat downs but his unbreakable body awaits. Best of all, he is in the presence of the one who saved him. There’s no comparison between what our lives are like now and what they will be in eternity.

 

 C. S. Lewis said this…

“If we consider the unblushing promises of reward … promised in the Gospels, it would seem that our Lord finds our desires not too strong, but too weak. We are half-hearted creatures, fooling about with drink and sex and ambition when infinite joy is offered us, like an ignorant child who wants to go on making mud pies in a slum because he cannot imagine what is meant by the offer of a holiday at sea. We are far too easily pleased.” 

 

In other words, consider what your heart truly desires. The best of what this earth has to offer is a mere shadow of what is to come. Wash your hands of the mud and lift your eyes toward heaven. Whatever your earthly pain or pleasure it cannot be compared with what awaits you Christian. Through grief there is hope!

 

11/12/23 - Live and Let Die - Romans 8:1-17 - Pastor Jason Fritz

Romans 8:1-17

Last week we heard some brutally honest words from the apostle Paul. He reveals his own personal struggles in Romans chapter 7…

 

For we know that the law is spiritual, but I am of the flesh, sold under sin. For I do not understand my own actions. For I do not do what I want, but I do the very thing I hate. vs.24 Wretched man that I am! Who will deliver me from this body of death? Romans 7:14-15; 24.

I can relate to this and so can you. We want to do good but we end up doing the very thing we do not want to do. Our inner being wants to please God and recognizes the destructive patterns but yet we continue down the same road. Chapter 7 paints a bleak picture of the believer's ongoing struggle. At the same time there is something else present in the life of a Christian.  Something even more powerful. If chapter 7 reveals the battle, chapter 8 gives us the victory. It is the Spirit of God that has the power to set us free from sin’s bondage. In the first seven chapters Paul has spoken of God’s Spirit only twice, but in chapter 8 the Spirit is mentioned 20 times!

For the law of the Spirit of life has set you free in Christ Jesus from the law of sin and death.  Romans 8:2

The law shows us we are sinners and brings condemnation and death, but the law of the Spirit brings liberation and life. This was accomplished when Jesus took on human flesh and was without sin. He stood apart from it, therefore he could judge it. Through his resurrection Jesus conquered sin’s penalty. The same Spirit that raised Jesus from the dead dwells in you and now gives you the power to overcome life's daily temptations.

Paul explains how the Spirit of God works in cooperation with the Word of God and this gives you a new mindset, a new lifestyle, a new identity and new purpose. You are part of a new humanity and you are not in this alone. What a great comfort!

11/5/23 - The Struggle is Real! - Romans 7 - Pastor Jason Fritz

This is a very poignant description of somebody who cares deeply about people, the Word of God, and what God wants for him. This is the person who desires to obey God’s laws, but is disappointed with himself, because in spite of what he desires he is pulled and pushed away from what he wants to do into the very thing he hates. It is the personal conflict of a soul in turmoil. The struggle is real. It is so intense and so strong that it dominates the life of Paul, and it dominates our lives also.

 

You’re probably familiar with the classic story of Dr. Jekyll and Mr Hyde. Dr. Jekyll creates a potion in an attempt to separate himself from his dark and evil side which becomes Mr. Hyde. Dr Jeykll is kind and has many friends, but Mr. Hyde is evil and cruel. Two very different personas living inside one person. Have you ever said to yourself, “I can’t believe I did that! Why did I say that…again!” It’s like this little dark closet that exists within your heart and at times the beast inside reveals itself rather abruptly. Just as quickly it goes back into the darkness and closes the door…until next time.

 

Romans chapter 7 explains how that beast enters your life. 

 

It might surprise you to know that Paul makes this admission at least 20 years after being a Christian, sharing the gospel and planting churches. The more Paul studies his Bible the more he sees the contradiction in his life. The law brings recognition of the magnitude of sin. Sin has consequences far beyond what we first realize. As I get older I realize this truth more and more. Sins I committed in the past have their effect on me to this day. That’s the weight of it. Alternatively, I’m more aware of my need for God’s grace daily and am thankful for it.

 

Once you recognize what fuels the beast you can begin to defeat it. The end of chapter 7 makes you want to quickly turn the page to chapter 8 becasue it’s there we are told how to win the victory, but first comes the struggle.

10/29/23 - Choose The One You Serve - Romans 6:15-23 - Pastor Jason Fritz

Last week we heard from the apostle Paul as he explained the effects of God’s grace in our lives. Some erroneously believed that because God forgives, they can just go on wilfully sinning. In fact, some made the argument that if we sin more, then God has to give us more grace and when God gives grace that just makes him look better. So we should sin more, therefore revealing God to be good. Paul answers with a resounding, “No!" You don’t understand grace. 

A proper understanding of grace should lead you away from sin, not towards it.

Maybe you’ve heard this excuse before. It’s actually been used by prominent Pastors who have had moral failures and then say something like this, “I know it’s wrong. I am God’s child and I am under grace and He will forgive me.” The error here is in thinking that one’s freedom is unshackled and it minimizes the fact that sin is extremely powerful and will pull you deeper and enslave you further. 

This thinking is deadly.

To be enslaved is to be controlled. Now here’s the thing…we are all slaves to something or someone including ourselves. That is to say, we are slaves to our own flesh. The apostle Paul was keenly aware of this and that’s why he begins his letter to the Romans describing himself in this way…

"Paul, a servant of Christ Jesus, called to be an apostle, set apart for the gospel of God” Romans 1:1

The Greek word for servant is doulos and it literally means to be owned by someone for a lifetime. Paul understood that everybody serves someone. He also knew what it meant to live a life serving unrighteousness. It leads to death. 

Let’s understand how deceitful a master sin is. It will make you think you are free when in fact you are in the hands of a destroyer. Remember the story of Pinocchio, Geppetto’s wooden puppet who longs to be a “real boy”? One night, his wish was granted, but on his way to school, he was lured by the wily fox, Honest John, who promises Pinocchio stardom as a “live puppet without strings.” Sadly however, Pinocchio finds himself locked up and enslaved by the fox. He is freed by his friend but shortly thereafter he’s lured again to Pleasure Island where he can live as he wants. There he learns that his new life of freedom will quickly turn him into a donkey. In one very pointed scene you can see the terrified look on the little boy’s face as he’s trying to run away but it’s too late. Pinoccian is being transformed into an animal. It’s creepy, sad and profound.

The theme of the fairy tale is that we must be on guard for ways that look like freedom but actually lead to enslavement and death. This story isn’t just for children. It is a creative illustration of sin’s enticement leading to bondage and a diminishment of one's humanity. Obedience to Jesus is the key to our liberation and true freedom.

10/22/23 - Prevention Theology - Romans 6:1-14 - Pastor Jason Fritz

The message this Sunday is for all those who feel trapped in destructive habits. It is for those who have been living in a cycle of sin, confess, sin, confess, over and over again. It is for those who feel stuck and wonder if thier Christian life will ever move forward. It is also for those who ask, "What did Jesus ever do for me?"

The apostle Paul has been writing about the grace of God in Romans chapter 5. He’s been telling us that God’s grace covers every one of our sins. As often as we sin, there is grace to cover it. Like the waves of an ocean, one rolling in after another, God’s grace does not come to an end. He concludes chapter 5 in this way…

Now the law came in to increase the trespass, but where sin increased, grace abounded all the more, so that, as sin reigned in death, grace also might reign through righteousness leading to eternal life through Jesus Christ our Lord. Romans 5:20-21

In other words, the law, or God’s moral commands, shows us clearly that we are sinners because they are spelled out in black and white, there is no gray column. We have no excuse and cannot say, “Well, I don’t know what God expects from me!” So in this sense having the law increases sin. Paul goes on to say that where sin increases, grace abounds all the more. Why? The more we sin, the more grace is required to cover that sin.

Paul is a brilliant thinker. He anticipates a question in light of this and it’s found in the very next verse.

What shall we say then? Are we to continue in sin that grace may abound? Romans 6:1

If God has to supply more grace to cover our many sins then why not make God look more and more gracious by sinning more and more. His answer is a resounding NO!!

By no means! How can we who died to sin still live in it? Romans 6:2

What he says next is the cure for your sin cycle. It begins with a specific knowledge found in verses 3 and 4.

Do you not know that all of us who have been baptized into Christ Jesus were baptized into his death? We were buried therefore with him by baptism into death, in order that, just as Christ was raised from the dead by the glory of the Father, we too might walk in newness of life.

To be baptised is to identify with something or somoene. So if you want to live the victorious Christian life then what you understand about your salvation identity is terribly important. There’s a simple and profound truth here...

We function according to our identity. 

 

You see, Jesus was raised so that we can be given new life. Our old life was in Adam with his death and as a result we were stuck and buried in sin. However, our new life is in Jesus with his death and resurrection. The old life (identity) in Adam is gone, the new life (identity) in Christ has arrived. Therefore Paul concludes this section with a resounding conclusion…

 For sin will have no dominion over you, since you are not under law but under grace. Romans 6:14

 

This is prevention theology. Our identity in Christ prevents us from being under sin’s rule!

10/15/23 - The Two Most Influential Men - Romans 5:12-21 - Pastor Jason Fritz

Sunday’s passage in Romans is widely accepted as one of great significance and also one of the most challenging. Our task is to make it simple but not to simplify it. 

 

Sin came into the world through one man, says Paul. That man is Adam. Paul believed Adam was a real human (and so did Jesus.) Paul reaches back to the Garden of Eden when God said to the man, “Just one restriction, don’t eat the fruit from the tree of knowledge of good and evil.” And what happened? Adam ate. Then came the result: death was spread through sin.

 

Since death is the result of sin and because we are descended from Adam, death will get each one of us. Once the sin principle came to dwell in Adam, he would then pass it on to all of his procreation. In other words, if the source of the stream is polluted, everything downstream will be polluted also. I recently read about a man who owns a mortuary and he ends his communication with this,"Eventually yours,” 

 

In other words, one day you will need his services.

 

Paul explains how Adam is a type of Jesus not because they are similar but because they are dissimilar. Adam’s actions brought a degenerative power that leads to death, but Jesus’ actions brought a regenerative power that leads to eternal life. It’s like when you go to the store and the person adding up your items makes an error. In order to make it right they have to call a manager. Adam made a critical error and only Jesus has the power and authority to override it. Why did Jesus do so? It was God’s love on display. The only thing that is more powerful in the heart of God than his hatred of sin is his love of the sinner.