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Meaningful Relationships

Bible, Church, Message / By Pastor Dan Walker / January 10, 2010

To start off 2010, we are in a message series called “Five Foundations for Life.” In this series, we’re looking at the five foundations for the Christian life that the Bible teaches. These foundations are essential for a growing and successful life as a follower of Jesus. I know that I need to be reminded from time to time about these five foundations or purposes of my life. Each of these foundations for life has many aspects and in this series, I’m trusting that God will help me highlight the aspects that will be most helpful for our church family right now.

Last Sunday, the message was entitled “Powerful Prayer.” We looked at the foundation of prayer, which is really the foundation of a growing relationship with God. When you become a believer, your relationship with God begins. However, our relationship with God must grow and be nurtured. Prayer is one of the most important aspects of growing in your relationship with God. This vertical relationship with God is the most important relationship in your life.

Today, I want to talk about the horizontal relationships with our lives. The second foundation for life we’re going to talk about today is the foundation of “Meaningful Relationships.” Specifically, we’ll be talking about the relationships that God wants us to have with other believers in a church family. Of course, we have relationships with other people who are not believers, but they will be the topic of another foundation later in this series.

Quite frankly, this is a somewhat controversial topic these days. Quite a few people claim to be Christians, but yet believe that they don’t need to be part of a church family. They feel that they can do quite well by simply maintaining their relationship with God. As with any other opinion, we must test it by looking at God’s Word. Opinions or beliefs that are not based on the Bible have no validity.

Hebrews 10:25 (NIV) Let us not give up meeting together, as some are in the habit of doing, but let us encourage one another–and all the more as you see the Day approaching.

Here we have clear instruction from the Bible, that believers need to meet together. Meeting together with other believers is not a new invention, it has been part of God’s plan since the beginning. The purpose for meeting together is to encourage one another. It’s interesting that this verse teaches that meeting together is more important as the time of Jesus’ second coming gets closer. So it’s actually more important now than it was 2000 years ago to build meaningful relationships in the church family. To love other believers in the family of God should come naturally.

1 John 4:21 (NIV) And he has given us this command: Whoever loves God must also love his brother.

If you love God, you must love your brother and sister in God’s family. If you love your brother and sister in the Lord, then you’ll want to meet together with them on a regular basis. Today, we’re going to look at the experience of the early church in the book of Acts to learn more about building meaningful relationships.

Listen to my January 10, 2010 message “Meaningful Relationships” (message-notes).

Jesus Dispels Fear

Bible, Life, Message / By Pastor Dan Walker / December 27, 2009

Christmas is the time of year we remember when God came to this earth as a baby boy named Jesus. We send all those Christmas cards with pictures of Jesus in the manger. Underneath our Christmas trees are Nativity sets with baby Jesus next to the donkeys and sheep. There’s nothing wrong with that, as that’s what happened 2000 years ago. However, somehow, subtly, what gets etched into our minds is Jesus as a baby.

What thoughts come to your mind when you think of Jesus as a baby? Probably sentimental thoughts of a sweet cuddly baby. What can babies do for you? Not much, they need to be taken care of. So when you’re facing a big problem in your life, the thought of baby Jesus coming to your rescue doesn’t lead to much confidence. In fact, if our view of Jesus is too small, than our view of our problems will be too big. Your view of Jesus will determine the amount of fear and worry you have in your life. The smaller your view of Jesus, the more you will fear. The bigger your view of Jesus, the less you will fear.

How big is Jesus in your mind? The Jesus that was born on Christmas was God Himself, the God that created the universe. That’s pretty big. There’s no one bigger than that. Here’s what Jesus told His disciples about fear.

Matthew 10:28 (NLT) Don’t be afraid of those who want to kill your body; they cannot touch your soul. Fear only God, who can destroy both soul and body in hell.

A believer should not fear even if someone is out to kill you. Why? Because even if they kill you, your soul will be safe in heaven. However, there is one fear that every believer should have, the fear of God. Jesus gives the ultimate reason to fear God. We fear God because our lives and our eternal destiny are in His hands. In other words, when you fear God completely, you will fear nothing else.

The fear of God is mentioned throughout Scripture, yet is not talked about much today.

Proverbs 3:7 (NIV) Do not be wise in your own eyes; fear the LORD and shun evil.

The fear of the Lord will keep you humble and keep you from sinning.

Psalm 34:7 (NIV) The angel of the LORD encamps around those who fear him, and he delivers them.

God sends His angels to protect those who fear God.

Proverbs 14:26 (NIV) He who fears the LORD has a secure fortress, and for his children it will be a refuge.

Those who fear God will be secure and so will their children. We’re going to look at an incident in the life of Jesus to teach us more about the fear of God.

Listen to my December 27, 2009 message “Jesus Dispels Fear” (message notes).

Jesus Brings Hope

Bible, Life, Message / By Pastor Dan Walker / December 20, 2009

Christmas is a wonderful time of the year. It’s a time to take a break from work, at least for a few days and spend time with our families. Christmas is a time to think of giving to others. Christmas is a time to be thankful for the good things that God has brought into our lives in the past year. Yet, for some people, Christmas is a difficult time. Perhaps, someone dear to you is no longer around. Maybe this past year had more sorrows and hardships than joys. For many, finances are tight and the cost of gift-giving raises the stress level. Worry of what may happen in 2010 can also put a damper on the holidays.

If Christmas is just a holiday, than it will come and go with little change in our lives. The worries and fears that we carried into Christmas, we will carry right into the New Year of 2010. However, Christmas is more than just a happy holiday. Christmas is all about the birth of Jesus. Jesus, God Himself, came to this earth as a baby, ultimately to die for us.

Why did He do it? Jesus came to this earth on that first Christmas night because He loved you. Jesus came to save you from your sins, worries and fears. Jesus came to have an eternal relationship with you that would last forever. Jesus came to bring hope into our lives. On that first Christmas, hope was born into our world.

Matthew 12:21 (NLT) And his name [Jesus] will be the hope of all the world.”

What is hope? Hope is a confidence that something good is going to happen in the future. Hope is the opposite of worry. Worry is the concern that something bad is going to happen in the future. Jesus gives confidence that good will happen to those who put their trust in Him. This Christmas, 2010, God wants to give each person here hope, hope for the New Year. Here’s God’s purpose for you and your family.

Romans 15:13 (NIV) May the God of hope fill you with all joy and peace as you trust in him, so that you may overflow with hope by the power of the Holy Spirit.

God is a God of hope. What goes along with hope? We see in this verse that joy and peace will fill your life when you have hope. We’re going to look at how each person here can overflow with hope. You see, when you overflow with hope, you have so much hope that you can lead others into that same hope from Jesus Christ.

Listen to my December 20, 2009 message “Jesus Brings Hope” (message notes).

Fear of Disaster

Bible, Life, Message / By Pastor Dan Walker / December 13, 2009

What is the most fearless animal you can imagine? The animal that comes to my mind is the lion, the king of beasts. Are you as fearless as a lion? The Bible says that you should be.

Proverbs 28:1 (NIV) The wicked man flees though no one pursues, but the righteous are as bold as a lion.

Fear is a characteristic of wicked people, they are afraid even when there is nothing to be afraid of. The righteous person, the believer, on the other hand is as bold as a lion. Maybe you don’t feel as bold as a lion this morning. Begin to pray and ask the Lord to give you the boldness and courage of a lion. When you are tempted to fear or be worried, just say, “I am bold as a lion.”

We all need to be fearless today and will need that boldness even more in the days to come. I’m going to discuss “Overcoming the Fear of Disaster.” The top disaster story these days is the fear of economic or financial disaster. Whatever financial meltdown happened last year, the result has been a huge increase in the number of people unemployed in our country. A lot of people are afraid that the economy may get worse in the future.

Then we have the fear of pandemics, viruses or infections with the power to kill millions of people. 9/11 awakened us to the fear of terrorist attacks on our own soil and caused us to send soldiers to war in Iraq and Afghanistan. Natural disasters, such as tornados, hurricanes and earthquakes cause fear in different parts of the country. I wish I could stand up here today and tell you that there aren’t going to be anymore disasters, that everything is going to just get better and better. However, I wouldn’t be preaching the Word of God is I did.

We’re going to look at what Jesus told us was going to happen in the future. One day, Jesus’ disciples asked him the question

Matthew 24:3 (NIV) … What will be the sign of your coming and of the end of the age?”

Since Jesus hasn’t returned yet and world has not yet ended, Jesus’ answer applies to our time right now. We are 2000 years closer to the second coming of Jesus and the end of the age than Jesus’ disciples were. As you’ll see today, I believe the pace of events is picking up.

Listen to my December 13, 2009 message “Fear of Disaster” (message notes).

Fear of Death

Bible, Life, Message / By Pastor Dan Walker / December 6, 2009

God can help you overcome fear in your life. Fear takes many forms. Most people don’t say I’m afraid very much. We soften it. We say things like, I’m worried about … . Worry is just another form of fear. Worry is fear of what may happen in the future.

God’s Word tells us not to fear and not to worry. There is a fear that I believe is at the bottom of all fears. It is the big fear that many people don’t even want to talk about or think about. However, if you can overcome that big fear, then all other fears won’t bother you. This message is about “Overcoming the Fear of Death.”

What is it about death that scares us? First of all, death can cause fear because it’s irreversible. Once you’ve died, you’re not coming back. If you view death as the end of everything, that’s a fearful thought. People are afraid of death when they’re uncertain of which destination they’re going to end up in. Many people hope they go to heaven, but they’re not certain, so they’re fearful.

The fear of death keeps people in bondage, it negatively affects all of life. You’re not free to really live when you’re afraid of death. Jesus came to set people free from the fear of death.

Hebrews 2:14-15 (NIV) … so that by his death he might destroy him who holds the power of death–that is, the devil– and free those who all their lives were held in slavery by their fear of death.

By Jesus’ death and resurrection, He destroyed Satan, who held the power of death. Jesus set free from the fear of death all who believe in Him. So today, if you’re not a believer, if you’re not certain where you’ll go when you die, you’re still in bondage to the fear of death.

Some might say, I’m a believer, but I still worry and I’m still afraid of death. Think about it this way. When someone is an unbeliever, they live in a prison of fear. When a person becomes a believer, Jesus opens the lock to the prison. However, some people don’t walk out of the open prison door. They remain bound to fear and worry, even though Jesus has set them free.

Jesus wants to release every person from the prison of the fear of death. He wants you to walk free and not worry or fear again. You can do that by believing the promises of God’s Word.

Listen to my December 6, 2009 message “Fear of Death” (message notes).

Fear of Failing God

Bible, Life, Message / By Pastor Dan Walker / November 29, 2009

God wants His children to be free from all fear. That’s why Jesus told so many people to “Fear not.” Not only does God want you as a believer to be fearless, He wants to use you to help others who are bound up with fear and worry.

Psalm 27:1 (NLT) The Lord is my light and my salvation— so why should I be afraid? The Lord is my fortress, protecting me from danger, so why should I tremble?

There is no reason for a believer walking with God to be afraid or to tremble in the face of danger. We’re going to talk about a different kind of fear. It’s the fear of failing God. Some people are afraid to try anything new, because they’re afraid of failing. They’re afraid of what God or other people may think if they fail. Not all failure is sin, but all sin is failure. We’ve all failed at one time or another in lives. We’ve all dropped the ball when we should have caught it.

I’m reminded of a recent baseball game. The Cardinals were playing the Dodgers in the National League Division Series. The Cardinals were looking to tie the series with a win in the second game. It was the ninth inning, the Cardinals were up 2-1, two outs and James Loney of the Dodgers hit a ball right to Cardinal Matt Holiday in the outfield. An easy catch, right? Wrong, he dropped the ball. In baseball, a failure is called an error. That was a big error. The Dodgers went on the win the game and the series.

There’s times when we’ve dropped the ball for God in the past. I’m not talking about just a mistake, but a time when we’ve sinned. Those times can come back to haunt us, to discourage us, to keep us from doing the things God is calling us to. We fear that we may fail again. We fear that maybe God doesn’t love us anymore or care about us, now that we’ve failed him. Some people feel that their past sins are so great, maybe God won’t forgive them. Let’s see what the Bible has to say about failing God.

Listen to my November 29, 2009 message “Fear of Failing God” (message notes).