Illuminate Community Church

10/8/23 - Salvation Leads To Exaltation - Romans 5:1-11 - Pastor Jason Fritz

Romans chapter five contains the famous passage commonly referred to as “the chain of salvation.” Imagine Paul linking together five amazing blessings that come into your life as a result of trusting in Jesus.

Therefore, since we have been justified by faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ. Through him we have also obtained access by faith into this grace in which we stand, and we rejoice in hope of the glory of God. Romans 5:1-2

First, we have peace with God. What does it mean to have peace with God? What is the opposite of peace? War. The believer was once an enemy of God and under his wrath. We can be thankful that one of the names of Jesus is, “Prince of Peace.” At the birth announcement of Jesus we read this in Luke 2:14

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

People are desperately searching for peace of mind today. Here are some current headlines: From the CDC, May, 2023: "One in four Americans has received mental health treatment in the last four months." Statista, July, 2023: "We now have the highest number of adults seeking mental health help ever recorded at almost 48 million." 

Let’s talk about our kids: American Psychological Association, January, 2022: "Children’s Mental Health Is In Crisis." Updated: June, 2023: "Child Psychologists are sounding the alarm bell saying they are overwhelmed  by the number of counseling needs for ages 8-15."  New York Times, May, 2022: "Anxiety is filling our kids."

What Paul highlights is what the world needs. We wrestle with what others think of us. Social media can be a platform feeding narcissistic tendencies. We struggle to live in a world filled with uncertainties. There is division caused by the many polarizing viewpoints which lead to family and friendship separation. There is very little civility in this world. Meanwhile Jesus says, “Come to me all who are weary and heavy laden and I will give you rest.” It’s a beautiful invitation. The peace Jesus brings doesn’t have to do with your feelings, rather it has to do with your relationship. 

Here is where your peaceful rest begins...

Your greatest problem has already been solved. You were at war with God but you didn’t know it. But Jesus has brought you peace with God. Once you have peace with God then you can be at peace with others even though they might continue to be hostile toward you.

Let’s not be naive. When you are no longer at war with God you do take on a couple of new wars. There is a war against your flesh and there is a war against the powers of darkness. God’s Spirit and His Word and His people are the weapons we use to fight against these new enemies.

10/1/23 - The Object of Our Faith - Romans 4:13-25 - Pastor Jason Fritz

"That is why it depends on faith, in order that the promise may rest on grace and be guaranteed to all his offspring—not only to the adherent of the law but also to the one who shares the faith of Abraham, who is the father of us all,” Romans 4:16

What exactly is the faith of Abraham? Paul explains…

In hope he believed against hope, (that’s another way of describing a seemingly impossible situation) that he should become the father of many nations, as he had been told, “So shall your offspring be.” He did not weaken in faith when he considered his own body, which was as good as dead (since he was about a hundred years old), or when he considered the barrenness of Sarah's womb. Romans 4:18-19

Paul is describing the strength of Abraham’s faith in light of the massive challenges to what God promised. Centenarians don’t have children. Abraham says to himself, “My body is as good as dead. Not capable of reproduction. And my wife, well her womb is also barren.” The Greek word for barren is nekro and literally means dead. It’s the same Greek root word used to describe Abraham’s body. They are way beyond child bearing years, but his faith in God is strong and he believed that God can bring dead things to life. Abraham weighed the impossibility of him and Sarah producing a child together and the impossibility of God breaking his promise and the result is that his faith grew. 


This is a massive concept: Our faith is only as good as the object in which we place it. 


Do you think Abraham really believe this was possible? Or was it just talk? He really did believe. Here’s how we know…Abraham would have a son named Isaac. Later, when the boy is about 13 years old God tells Abraham to sacrifice the boy. It’s a test of his faith, and a big one. There had been no recorded resurrection at this time in history. God promised a son and the son was delivered and now God says, “Take his life.” But if he takes Isaac’s life then what about the promise? Abraham has the knife in hand and what was going through his mind? The author of Hebrews tells you…

He considered that God was able even to raise him from the dead, from which, figuratively speaking, he did receive him back. Hebrews 11:19

In other words, in Abraham’s mind the death of his son was a foregone conclusion and yet he believed that God had the power to bring Isaac back from the dead in order to keep his promise. Just before the act, God stops Abraham and provides an alternative sacrifice. This is all a foreshadow of Jesus’ own sacrificial death. You see, in order to save the world God would do with his own son what he asked Abraham to do and yet God would follow through to the end.

But the words “it was counted to him” were not written for his sake alone, but for ours also. It will be counted to us who believe in him who raised from the dead Jesus our Lord, who was delivered up for our trespasses and raised for our justification Romans 4:23-25

It’s pretty cool because what Paul says is that we share the same faith Abraham had. We also believe God has the power to raise a man from the dead and that man is Jesus.

How do you perceive the object of your faith? The challenge is that we say we have faith and then we rely mostly on what we can do ourselves. A good measure of your faith in God is to ask yourself this question - How long is my list of anxieties and worries and where is my distrust in Him?

9/24/23 - Sola Fide - Faith Alone! - Romans 4:1-15 - Pastor Jason Fritz

There is one central theme to Romans chapter 4 and it is this: Salvation comes by faith and not works. This is a timely message for today because there are millions of people practicing some form of religion or self actualization that teaches one must earn his or her way to enlightenment or heaven. Most believe if your good outweighs your bad then God smiles on you and the gates of heaven will be thrown open. Paul shatters this idea by using just two examples from the Old Testament. He eagerly probes at the roots of this issue by asking the question...

 

What can be learned about salvation by looking at the relationship between God and Abraham?

 

If Abraham’s relationship with God was made acceptable by his good deeds then Abraham would have something to brag about. Why? Because there was a time when God asked him to do the work of sacrificing his son. This was a test of his faith and Abraham was willing to go there. You see, if God accepted us based on our good deeds then Abraham is our winner. He defeats everyone because he was willing to do the impossible. But it doesn’t work that way. Well then what saved him? Paul explains by qouting from the original text: For what does the Scripture say? “Abraham believed God, and it was counted to him as righteousness” (Genesis 15:3.) Paul’s point is that Abraham believed God before Isaac was born and therefore he was justified by faith before he did any of his great works for which he is so famous.

 

Paul uses King David as another example. David broke three of the Ten Commandments and according to the Old Testament sacrificial system the penalty was death. This is why David cried, "For you will not delight in sacrifice, or I would give it; you will not be pleased with a burnt offering. The sacrifices of God are a broken spirit; a broken and contrite heart, O God, you will not despise." Psalm 51:16-17 In other words, he says there is no work he can do in order to atone for his sins. Instead, David throws himself upon the mercy of God and receives grace and forgiveness. Paul uses Israel's greatest patriarch in Abraham and Israel's greatest king in David to show there is nothing you and I can do to pay for our wrongs. Our only hope is this…

But now the righteousness of God has been manifested apart from the law, although the Law and the Prophets bear witness to it—the righteousness of God through faith in Jesus Christ for all who believe. Romans 3:21

 

Countless millions firmly trust in some other form of religious ceremony or activity to make them right with God. What does all this mean to you and me? Take a deep breath and let it out Christian. That’s a sigh of relief. Paul could not be any clearer, your eternal destiny does not depend on you working your way toward God through acts or rituals in hope that it is enough; it’s about having faith in Jesus as the one who declares you justified because of his righteousness!

9/17/23 - Discipleshift - Matthew 28:19-20 - Pastor Jason Fritz

We’ve got something special for you church family!
 
This Sunday we will be stepping out of our study in Romans and bringing you something very important. For the last several months we have been planning a refocus of our priorities and purpose as a church. Our mission was made clear by Jesus when he said this in Matthew 28:19-20…

"Go therefore and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, teaching them to observe all that I have commanded you. And behold, I am with you always, to the end of the age.”

Jesus set forth several commands explaining exactly what it means to be his disciple. We’ll explore these together and then we’ll be challenged to answer the call - especially for those who are ready to become disciple makers.

Pastor Steve and his team have been leading the charge and I couldn’t be more enthusiastic to share this with you. 

Here are a few words from him…

We’re excited to unveil DISCIPLESHIFT this coming Sunday.  What is it? It’s our vision and plan to create a culture of discipleship at Illuminate – to see an environment developed where we can forge deep, authentic relationships in which we can be fully known and experience the grace and transforming power of Jesus Christ, and then follow Him in every area of our life.

Discipleshift is built around one simple truth: Jesus makes you a new person with a new family on a new mission.  It represents our vision of the kind of disciple that we want to be and to make as a church. Sunday morning, we will be unleashing Discipleshift in order to equip you to follow Jesus with passion and purpose in all of life. Discipleshift is a journey that starts with the Gospel, and leads us through 12 key biblical dynamics of discipleship. Discipleshift is designed to help you press into these dynamics to become more of who Jesus wants you to be – like Him. More to come on Sunday...

9/10/23 - Validated By God - Romans 3:21-31 - Pastor Jason Fritz

This is a rich sentence my friends...

For there is no distinction: for all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God, and are justified by his grace as a gift, through the redemption that is in Christ Jesus, whom God put forward as a propitiation by his blood, to be received by faith. Romans 3:22-24

All are sinners. You might be familiar with the scene of ancient archers drawing back their bows and letting the arrows fly toward the target. If they missed the bullseye the crowd yelled, “Sinner!” To sin is to miss the mark. God has a standard of conduct and none can live up to it with any kind of consistency. We miss the mark every day and the fact is, on our own, we will never hit it. 

Therefore, Paul tells us that our justification is by God’s grace offered as a gift. While the gift comes to you freely it is not without cost to the gift giver. God gave his Son in exchange for your guilt. God put forward Jesus to be the propitiation, which is a big word that simply means payment. Paul reminds us that the wages of sin is death. Your wage was received by Jesus. His blood was shed in place of yours. Why blood? Because the life of a creature is in its blood. Once a year the sins of the people were absolved by the blood of an animal. But no more. Jesus died once for all. 

This atoning work of Christ is received by faith, not by works.

Many religions make this critical error. Even those who claim to trust in Jesus. For example Mormon and Jehovah’s Witness doctrine teach that Jesus’ death was essential… in getting things started. Now you must finish. Far from you is the cross of Christ and in between there is a path down which you must drag yourself. Hopefully, through your own efforts, you can grab ahold of that cross and say, “I made it! God, will you validate my eternal life ticket? My knees are bloody but I have attained salvation!”

Paul shreds this in two words: “grace" and “gift." The nature of a gift is that it is to be freely received. Imagine getting a birthday present. You open it and inside is the gift you’ve always wanted. Along with it is the receipt. You laugh and say, “You left the receipt with the gift!” But then the person giving the gift says you owe them that amount. If you’re paying for it, it’s no longer a gift. How many different ways can Paul explain that salvation is free - but you must accept it. You can choose not to, but why would you turn it down?

9/3/23 - What Good Is the Bible? - Romans 3:1-22 - Pastor Jason Fritz

There’s a YouTuber who crashes fashion shows by dressing up unknown elderly people in the most ridiculous costumes. The funny part is that he is able to convince everyone in charge that he is a real designer and that these geriatrics are real fashion models. Sometimes he actually gets them on the runways. The crowd can be seen applauding, taking pictures, asking for interviews and writing reviews...until someone says, “That’s my grandpa who retired from the post office!” Suddenly the mask is taken off and everyone gets a good laugh at the expense of those who claim to set the standards.

It’s like the fable of the emperor who has no clothes. He commissioned the finest designers to fashion for himself the most beautiful outfit in the world. But the designers conned him. They said the clothes were made of a very special invisible fabric that only the pure in heart could see. After many delays and much money the emperor sent his advisor to check the work. The designers could be observed weaving the invisible fabric and the advisor himself, not wanting to be seen as having an impure heart, reports back, “The work is stunning!” 
 
Finally, the day arrives and the emperor is presented with his invisible wardrobe. He strips off his clothes and the designers come forward and place the imaginary cloak upon his bare shoulders. The emperor begins walking among his people, and everyone, for fear of being seen as having corrupted hearts, lifts up their praises. The truth is revealed when an innocent little child points, laughs and shouts, “The emperor has no clothes!” In this moment the hypocritical pretense of an entire nation is revealed.

Meanwhile, our world remains silent while falsehoods are being promoted and everyone is signing on, carrying the mantra of those in authority because we do not want to be seen as fools. And yet we are fools for ignoring what we know to be true and right. This is the challenge Paul brings to all humanity. God’s Word strips away our own self-deceit. However good some might appear to be, the Bible tells us the whole world has fallen short and our best human efforts won’t save us. We’ve all been made bare. Thankfully, God arranged someone who could clothe us in His perfect righteousness.

8/27/23 - The Failure of Religion and Moralism - Romans 2 - Pastor Jason Fritz

For the last couple of weeks we’ve been reading from Romans chapter one. The apostle Paul paints a bleak but realistic portrait of what happens when people reject God. There is a very predictable trajectory that leads to dark places and practices including idolatry and sexual perversion. However, in chapter two he makes an abrupt, unexpected, and shocking turn. It only makes sense if you understand what he’s written at the end of chapter one... 
 
And since they did not see fit to acknowledge God, God gave them up to a debased mind to do what ought not to be done. They were filled with all manner of unrighteousness, evil, covetousness, malice. They are full of envy, murder, strife, deceit, maliciousness. They are gossips, slanderers, haters of God, insolent, haughty, boastful, inventors of evil, disobedient to parents, foolish, faithless, heartless, ruthless. Though they know God's righteous decree that those who practice such things deserve to die, they not only do them but give approval to those who practice them. Romans 1:28-32

Paul understands his letter is going to be read in front of the entire congregation. So you can imagine many in the church shaking their heads saying, “Those pitiful, awful idolaters, sexual perverts and wicked sinners - May God have mercy on them!” Paul confronts these people in the very next verse by saying, “You who sit there and pass judgment on others, you are also guilty.”

Therefore you have no excuse, O man, every one of you who judges. For in passing judgment on another, you condemn yourself, because you, the judge, practice the very same things. Romans 2:1

Paul has everyone’s attention now. It is human nature to look down on others. This is a result of our own insecurities and deep desire to perceive ourselves as better than the people around us. Church-goers tend to be especially competent at this. It’s as if Paul says, “Hey, you religious people, you Bible-believing, Bible-obeying folks, looking at all these awful pagans out there rolling in the streets together in their drunkenness and their orgies, you’re feeling superior to them but guess what - You’re doing the same thing!”

Now you might ask, “How is this possible? Religious folks are not actually bowing down to man-made idols and indulging in orgies.” No, they may not be doing that, but you must understand that rebellion takes many different forms. Jesus tells a story about two prodigal sons. Both use their father, but in very different ways. The younger tells dad, “I want my inheritance now!” Which is another way of saying, “I wish you were dead.” Remarkably, the father does it. He gives the son his share. The boy goes off and spends it all, living wildly. Eventually, he is face down in the mud with pigs. Not where good Jewish boys ought to be. He comes to his senses and goes back to his father. Dad welcomes him and all is forgiven with a huge party to follow. Meanwhile, the older son is watching and growing angry. You think he would be happy but in fact, the nature of his heart is revealed. He says to dad, “You never gave me a party and I’ve been with you this whole time!” Both boys were using their father, one by being bad...the other by being good. Dad was gracious to these young men and yet both took advantage of his kindness. Paul comments on the kindness of God as a corrective influence in our own lives...
 
Or do you presume on the riches of his kindness and forbearance and patience, not knowing that God's kindness is meant to lead you to repentance? Romans 2:4
 
To presume on God’s kindness is the Christian who willfully and knowingly chooses to sin and in the back of his or her mind is thinking, “I can always come back to God.”  God’s kindness should not be leading you toward sin, it should be leading you away from it.

8/20/23 - The Progress of Unbelief - Romans 1:24-32 - Pastor Jason Fritz

Three times in this passage Paul uses the phrase, “God gave them up”. So what does this mean? Simply put: God will allow men and women to go as far down the path of destruction as they desire. If one continues to deny God then what follows is all kinds of perversion. For example, one of the most popular genres of porn today is incest. Paul tells us there are consequences to depravity. These reverberations reveal God’s truth. We reap what we sow. In 2022 the top five infectious diseases amongst teenagers were: Cold, flu, strep throat, mono, gonorrhea and syphilis. According to the CDC there are 20 million new cases of STDs diagnosed each year, and half of those are among teens and young adults between the ages of 15 and 24.

Now let me be quick to say that everything Paul has mentioned in the text is not a sickness but a sin. And sin can be overcome. In 1 Corinthians 6:9-11, the same author writes this: 
 
"Or do you not know that the unrighteous will not inherit the kingdom of God? Do not be deceived: neither the sexually immoral, nor idolaters, nor adulterers, nor men who practice homosexuality, nor thieves, nor the greedy, nor drunkards, nor revilers, nor swindlers will inherit the kingdom of God. And such were some of you. But you were washed, you were sanctified, you were justified in the name of the Lord Jesus Christ and by the Spirit of our God."
 
Paul speaks of what he knows. He calls himself, “the worst of sinners.” He sought to kill Christians before becoming one. God’s grace washed Paul clean.

There is one further dimension of decline that Paul speaks of in verse 32.
 
"Though they know God's righteous decree that those who practice such things deserve to die, they not only do them but give approval to those who practice them.” Romans 1:32

The final ending point of a culture that has ignored God is this: People give approval, encourage and even celebrate sin. 
 
These are perhaps even more degraded than the one doing the actual sin. I’ll give you an example from Paul’s own time. Which is worse? The Emperor who puts the slave in the Roman colosseum to be devoured by lions or the crowd who keeps cheering the emperor on by screaming, “More!” Those committing the depravity were supremely guilty but perhaps those who were watching, applauding and encouraging were even more wretched.

Does this not describe our own society? Celebrating and encouraging sin is, according to the Bible, the ultimate form of darkness within the human mind and heart.

Christians, we are not immune from this. What are you going along with? What are you laughing at? What are you viewing? What is it that you think you would never do? Your defenses are down. Be careful and remember you have an adversary who knows your temptations well. Keep your eyes on Jesus. He is the one who washes and sanctifies.

8/13/23 - Not Ashamed! - Romans 1:8-23 - Pastor Jason Fritz

The apostle Paul minces no words in proclaiming his attitude toward the work of Jesus on the cross…

For I am not ashamed of the gospel, because it is the power of God that brings salvation to everyone who believes: first to the Jew, then to the Gentile. Romans 1:16

Can you say the same?

There is power in the gospel because it brings salvation to all who believe. And yet, many don’t believe. In fact, some don’t believe there is a creator God. 
 
How does this happen? Paul explains...

For although they knew God, they neither glorified him as God nor gave thanks to him, but their thinking became futile and their foolish hearts were darkened. Romans 8:21

Rejecting God ends in idolatry. Notice the progression…"They knew God but they did not honor him as God…” One of the ways we stop honoring God is to withhold giving thanks to Him. When you stop acknowledging God you become futile in your thoughts. You begin to say things like, “We evolved from nothing!" You begin to act like there is no one there to hold you accountable for your self-centered and destructive actions; so you do whatever you feel. The light, that is the goodness potential of your heart, goes dark when you dismiss God. The sad thing is when you attempt to close the vast gap between you and God you fool no one but yourself. You think you’ve got it all figured out. 

Although they claimed to be wise, they became fools and exchanged the glory of the immortal God for images made to look like a mortal human being and birds and animals and reptiles. Romans 1:22-23

Rather than worship God, they worshiped something else. This is because we were made to worship. They began with idols that look like humans, but then things digress into birds and animals and then eventually they end up worshiping slithery things. The end result is that man places himself under the authority of lizards and snakes. (Interesting that Satan appears in the garden as a snake.) It will always be man’s tendency to close the vast space between God and himself. Any attempt to do this apart from Jesus leads to some form of foolish idolatry. Remember, idolatry is the elevation of anything or anyone to the place of ultimate worth above God. Even good things can become idols. So beware.

Have you been suppressing the truth about God because of your sinful actions? If so, you will be under God’s wrath. But his wrath (unlike human anger) is measured and controlled and balanced with love. This is why Paul is eager to preach the gospel of Jesus Christ because it has the power to save!

8/7/23 - Paul Reveals His Identity - Romans 1:1-7 - Pastor Jason Fritz

It is with great excitement that I write this update to you! Beginning this Sunday, we start a new verse by verse study in the book of Romans. This is one of the most life-changing letters in the entire Bible. We will be swimming in the deep end of the spiritual pool. If you come each week I promise you will understand God more and your faith will significantly increase. 

It was Romans that brought about the conversion of Augustine in 386 AD. Many years later in 1515 it was Romans that brought Martin Luther, an Augustinian monk, to a proper understanding of what it means to be in a right relationship with God. He stated, “This letter is the chief book of the New Testament, the purest Gospel. It deserves not only to be known word for word by every Christian, but to be the subject of his meditation day by day, the daily bread of his soul." Theologian John Calvin said, "When anyone understands this letter, he has a passage opened to him to the understandings of the whole scriptures.” More than any other book in the Bible, Romans is used to explain who man is, who God is and what a proper relationship between the two looks like. Biblical scholars are virtually unanimous on the towering significance and contribution of this writing.

One of the major themes is grace. We are going to hear the apostle Paul use this word a lot. Let’s understand what it means…grace is God’s unmerited favor toward you. In other words, God did not choose you to be on his team because he saw something special in you. He didn’t say, “Because you are so likable, I’ll assign you to be on my side." There was nothing in us that caused God to draw us to himself. Rather, just as God did with Paul, he chose to call us in the midst of our rebellion.

When a person works an eight-hour day and receives a fair pay for his or her time, that is a wage. When a person competes with an opponent and receives a trophy for the performance, that is a prize. When a person receives appropriate recognition for long service or high achievements, that is an award. But when a person is not capable of earning a wage, can win no prize, and deserves no award—yet receives such a gift anyway—that is a good picture of God’s unmerited favor. This is what we mean when we talk about the grace of God in Jesus Christ. 

Paul was a saint just like you. According to the Bible, a saint is one who has placed his or her faith in Christ. This has big implications because we function based on how we identify. Paul explains, in chapter 1 and verse 5 “...we have received grace and apostleship to bring about the obedience of faith.” Notice the identity of sainthood brings about the function of obedience to Jesus. This is our true identity brothers and sisters, so let’s walk accordingly!