GVCC sermon handout for July 1st 2012

Garden Valley Community Church Pastor Shane Moffitt              July 1^st 2012

“Who am I before God?” series

Study of the Book of Ephesians
"Remember that…. you were separate  
from Christ… without hope
and without God in the world” Ephesians 2:11a & 12b

2:11: “Therefore” teaches that their identity  

  is built on what Jesus Christ did 2:1-10

2:11b: “remember”  they were social outcasts

·        The religious Jews were snobs & considered the Gentile Believers inferior  (1 Samuel 17:26)

2:11c: “formerly” who they were before new birth

·        READ:  Galatians 3:26-29

2:11d:  “uncircumcised” religious outcast insult

·        Our sinful nature desires to build barriers that shut out other people & make us feel elite    READ: Romans 2:28-29; Galatians 5:6; 6:15

2:11e:  “by those who call themselves”

·        External religious marks do not signify a personal relationship with God  1 Samuel 16:7

2:12a: “remember”  they were spiritual outcasts

·        Nothing inspires more gratitude in a Believer than a look back to the old defeated sinful life that we were saved out of         Psalm 40:2

Gentiles were cut off from God in 5 ways:

(1)   2:12b “separate from Christ”  

·        They had no hope of a Savior ~ the Messiah
·        They had no purpose, no plan, no destiny

(2)   2:12c “excluded from citizenship”

·        God made Israel His “people” a theocracy              
~ God Himself was their King & Lord
·        God gave His covenants, His law, His priesthood, His sacrifices, His guidance

(3)   2:12d “foreigners to the covenant”

·        God’s covenants are a promise that God Himself pledges to carry out to His people
·        READ:  Genesis 12:2-3, 17:7, 26:3-5, 28:13-15
·        READ: Jeremiah 31:33-34 the New Covenant

(4)   2:12e “without hope”

·        No Messiah & No covenants with God
·        Hope is based on God’s Promises Psalm 146:5

(5)     2:12f “without God”

·        They had false gods but not the true God
READ:  1 Thessalonians 5:13; Acts 17:22-23

2:12g:  “without God in the world”

·        Simply because they did not WANT Him              
“Loved darkness rather than light” John 3:19  
·        They rejected God by suppressing God’s Truth READ:  Romans 1:19-21

NEXT WEEK:  Peace & Unity with God
Ephesians 2:13-22

The Master's Touch

‘twas battered and scarred and the auctioneer
thought it was scarcely worth the while
to waste much time on the old violin
but he held it up with a smile.

"What am I bidden, good folk?” he cried,

“Who’ll start the bidding for me?
a dollar – a dollar – then two – only two—
going for three” but NO.

Fom the room far back
a gray haired man
came forward and packed up the bow
then, wiping the dust from the old violin
and tightening the loosened strings
he played a melody pure and sweet
as a caroling angel sings.

The music ceased

and the auctioneer
with a voice that was quiet and low said,
“NOW what am I bid for the old violin?”
and he held it up with the bow.
“A thousand dollars – and who’ll make it two?
Two thousand – and who’ll make it three?
Three thousand once – three thousand twice –
and going – and gone,” he cried.

The people cheered, but some of them cried,

“We do not understand.  What changed it’s worth?”
quick came the reply,
“The touch of the Master’s hand.”

And many a man with life out of tune,
and battered and scarred with sin,
is auctioned cheap,
to a thoughtless crowd,
much like the old violin.

But when the Master comes
and the foolish crowd
never can understand
the worth of a soul
and the change that’s wrought
by the touch of the Master’s hand.
(author unknown)   

Still in the Battle

Last week I had an appointment to consult with a family on the Colville north hill.  The problem was, I arrived 30 minutes early.  So, I stopped by the cemetery and visited my grandparents grave.

When I was a teenager, my grandparents drove me all over the Pacific Northwest on Sunday mornings so I could preach at different churches. 

Of course, we would always begin our Sunday morning pilgrimage with a stop at the Golden Arches and have breakfast at McDonalds.  Which probably accounts for my strong emotional link to McD’s. 

As I stood over my grandparents grave, I found myself overwhelmed with memories. Some made me smile and others opened the floodgates of tears.  Such as, Grandma’s hankering for Vienna Sausages on Saltine Crackers and Diet Pepsi.                      

And as her time on earth was winding down, I remember promising her that I would honor the gift God gave me, and continue my work as a pastor. 

So as I stood over their grave, I could hear the good Lord whisper in my ear,   

 “After all these years, you are still in the battle.” 

Our spiritual take-away from this blog is how much I appreciate my parents (and aunts) decision to purchase a gravesite for my grandparents.  About 4 times a year I stop by the gravesite and spend time.  This visit encourages me to reflect on my values. It has become a touchstone for me.

Think about this, when I was a teenager, my grandparents did everything they knew to do, in an effort to encourage me to fulfill my calling as a pastor. 

My grandma passed away in 1992 and she is still encouraging me to fulfill my calling as a pastor. 

How cool is that?  I think they call that a “Legacy”. 

“Therefore, since we are surrounded

 by such a huge crowd of witnesses to the life of faith,
let us strip off every weight that slows us down,
especially the sin that so easily trips us up.
And let us run with endurance
the race God has set before us.
We do this by keeping our eyes on Jesus,
the Champion who initiates and perfects our faith.
Because of the joy awaiting Him,
He endured the cross, disregarding its shame.
Now He is seated in the place of honor
beside God’s throne.
Think of all the hostility He endured from sinful people;
then you won’t become weary and give up.
After all, you have not yet given
your lives in your struggle against sin.”
Hebrews 12:1-4 NLT

GVCC Sermon Handout ~ June 24 2012

Garden Valley Community Church
Pastor Shane Moffitt            June 24^th 2012

 “Who am I before God?” series

Study of the Book of Ephesians 2:10
“God’s Amazing Masterpiece”

“For we are God’s workmanship,
created in Christ Jesus
to do good works,
which God prepared in advance for us to do”

 #1.  God’s Role

1.     What does “workmanship” mean?                  
Greek literally means “that which has been made”              
we get the English word: POEM
a.     The Greek word for POET is “maker”
b.     In Greek “poem” was ANY work of art
c.     “God’s masterpiece work of art”
d.     READ: Psalm 19:1 & Genesis 1:27

2.     The ULTIMATE workmanship of God is….                 
“…anyone who belongs to Christ has become a new person.
The old life is gone; a new life has begun!”                            
2 Corinthians 5:17 NLT

3.     God’s TOOLs are: Jesus Christ ~ Holy Spirit  ~ God’s Word ~ solid Bible Preaching ~ Godly counsel from spiritually mature Believers

#2.  Man’s Responsibility to God

1.     God pleasing attitudes & God pleasing actions flow from an authentic transformed life

2.     The PURPOSE of John 3:16 was NOT to produce happiness in the sinner but rather the demonstration of God’s Grace for all eternity

3.     GREATEST PROOF of Salvation is the fruit of God’s GOOD WORKS flowing through that person ~  John 15:1-8

4.     “Then the way you live will always honor and please the Lord, and your lives will produce every kind of good fruit. All the while, you will grow as you learn to know God better and better.” Colossians 1:10-11 NLT

5.     “The Holy Spirit produces this kind of fruit in our lives: love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, and self- control….” Galatians 5:22-26 NLT

 6.   “When you produce much fruit, you are my true disciples.      

This brings great glory to my Father”            John 15:8 NLT

Bursting with Pride

Last weekend, my wife and I traveled to Oregon to attend my step-daughter’s college graduation.  To say that we are proud of her would be an understatement.  She even earned some sort of honor-cord that she wore with pride.  And just when it seems that we couldn’t be any more proud, she has been accepted into graduate school back in D.C. 

My observation is that she learned a great deal about perseverance from her mother.  My wife worked hard and never bought into the whole “entitlement mentality”. 

This is an important part of today’s blog because my step-daughter is deaf. 

For a person that is born with a disability to maintain work ethic and a single minded devotion to self-improvement – simply makes me proud.

“Like arrows in the hands of a warrior
are children born in one’s youth.
Blessed is the man
whose quiver is full of them”  Psalm 127:4-5

This passage is interesting because when it was written, “arrows” were the long range Patriot missiles.  They were long range weapons that would accurately “reach out and touch someone”.

So the promise here is that the greatest weapon you have against Satan and evil is your children. 

If you wage spiritual warfare using God’s might, Satan and evil will suffer some damage. 

BUT if you raise your children to love and serve God and your brood wage spiritual warfare using God’s might, Satan and evil will endure serious damage.

WHY?

Part of the answer I suspect is “math”.  The greater the number – the more God has to enable for battle. 

But I believe part of the answer is “generational”. 

You may declare war in THIS generation in which we live ~ but your children will be able to wage war against Satan and evil in the next generation ~ and their children in the next. 

So I am sending Elaine off to graduate school with the prayer that she will continue to serve God and be a force for right and good. 

“Direct your children onto the right path,
and when they are older, they will not leave it”
Proverbs 22:6   

Wedding or Marriage????

Pastor's Thoughts: Wedding verses Marriage I blame childhood fairy tales for creating unrealistic expectations for a young couple planning a wedding. In the fairy tales, the wedding is the climax of the story and the beautiful couple lives "happily ever after". No more problems -- that has not been my experience. For those of you that have been married for more than 10 minutes, how realistic is the "happily ever after" concept? As a pastor, I have officiated my share of weddings. Getting to know the bride and groom is part of the officiants responsibility. This requires that we spend some time together. One observation that I have learned to look for is, "Do they want a wedding or do they want to get married?" Before you pass judgment on me and start throwing stones, YES, I know there are many other things that need to be addressed and dealt with, but for this article, I want to stay on topic. Often a young couple will approach me with endless wedding plans that are very impressing (and expensive) and fail to realize that the wedding ends up in a scrap book and the marriage is "till death do we part". Throwing massive amounts of cash at a wedding will result in a magnificent 30 minute service that fills scrap books with breathtaking photos. However, throwing massive amounts of cash at a marriage in trouble may confuse the issues but the problems will still remain and threaten the "till death do we part" option. And before you think I have lost my mind, there is a reason that 1 out of 2 marriages end in divorce. OK, truth is, there are volumes of reasons that marriages don't survive but I simply want to focus on the overall perspective of a marriage. So what is the spiritual take-away? Before the wedding..... do the bride and groom ever stop to ask some basic questions: Can they argue and disagree about a hot button topic without verbally destroying their mate in an effort to always be right? How do you resolve conflicts? Who do you talk to when you have a major disagreement with your mate? Are you comfortable with how your mate expresses anger? Can they remain quiet and attentively listen to their mate voice a position that is controversial? Do you live by a budget? Who will balance the checkbook? Have you ever had a savings account? What are the current debt balances? Who will purchase the groceries? Who will do the cooking? Who will clean the kitchen? Are you going to have children? (how many?) What are your views of child discipline? Do you currently go to church? When you have children, where will they attend church? How will you spend your weekends? How many evenings a week will you be home? Describe "quality time" with your mate? What is your mate's "love language"? What is your role in raising step-children? Should you discipline step-children? But if you refuse to serve the Lord, then choose today whom you will serve. Would you prefer the gods your ancestors served beyond the Euphrates? Or will it be the gods of the Amorites in whose land you now live? But as for me and my family, we will serve the Lord.” Joshua 24:15

GVCC sermon Ephesians 2:1-7

Garden Valley Community Church
Pastor Shane Moffitt             June 3^rd 2012
“Who am I before God?” series
Study of the Book of Ephesians 2:1-7
~ FROM DEATH TO LIFE ~

Paul uses CONTRASTS to encourage our appreciation for what we received from Jesus Christ at salvation

2:1-3 The Deepest Valley of the Soul

verse 1: WITHOUT LIFE                       

·        “dead” separated from God     Romans 6:23
·        “trespasses” deliberately taking wrong steps
·        “sin” to miss the mark of God’s standard
·        “Gospel” means “good news” BUT the “Gospel” begins with “bad news”

verse 2:  WITHOUT FREEDOM

·        verse 2: “ways of this world”  (Galatians 1:4) captive to the value system of the “world”  
·        verse 2: “the ruler of the kingdom” Satan  (John 12:31; Matthew 9:34; 2 Corinthians 4:4) controls the spiritually dead

verse 3: WITHOUT HOPE

·        verse 3: “flesh” is our natural sinful nature                 
·        verse 3b: “we were by nature deserving of wrath” ~ (Romans 5:12-14; John 3:36)              sinners are deserving of God’s wrath

2:4-7 The Heights of Life  (Romans 5:20-21)

verse 4: GOD LOVES YOU

·        verse 4: “but God” God’s intervention  into your hopeless, sinful condition
·        verse 4: “mercy” the emotion aroused by seeing someone in need & the attempt to relieve the person & remove his trouble

     verse 5: GOD LIBERATED YOU
·        verse 5: “made us alive” is to “raise from the dead” ~ salvation gives spiritual life   (1:19-20 & Philippians 3:20)

verse 6: GOD LIFTED YOU

·        verse 6: “God raised us up” ~ Believers experience a resurrection and receive life
·        “heavenly realms” refers to the supernatural Kingdom where God rules (6:12)
·        In God’s Kingdom is where our blessings are & we have fellowship with our Lord & Savior

Verse 7:  WHY GOD DID IT   

·        verse 7: “in order that” He did it so that He could display US as trophies of his grace
·        BECAUSE for all eternity ~ God is DISPLAYING the riches of HIS GRACE
·        FASTINATING read Ephesians 3:10-11
·        verse 7b: “incomparable wealth” ~ limitless
·        GRACE: God’s undeserved unending kindness
·        READ Revelation 7:9-12
"For we are God's masterpiece. 
He has created us anew in Christ Jesus,
so we can do the good things
He planned for us long ago"
Ephesians 2:10 NLT

GVCC Sermon Ephesians 1:16-20

Garden Valley Community Church Pastor Shane Moffitt             June 3^rd 2012

“Who am I before God?” series
Study of the Book of Ephesians 1:16-20
“Prayer makes a Difference”

1:16  Faithful in praying for YOU

1:16  Faithful in giving thanks

1:17  Praying YOU have a better

         knowledge of Christ
·       “knowing Christ” is a NT way of describing “salvation” Galatians 4:8-9 
·       “Now this is eternal life: that they might KNOW You, the only true God, and Jesus Christ….”      John 17:3
·       The WORLD says to: know yourself
·       God WORD says to: “know God” Philippians 3:10

1:17b  The Holy Spirit helps us to “know God”

·       Luke 11:13 & 1 Corinthians 2:10-11
“The Spirit of the Lord will rest on Him.  
The Spirit of wisdom and understand.                
The Spirit of counsel and of power.                  
The Spirit of knowledge and the fear of the Lord.”        
Isaiah 11:2                       

1:18  “eyes of your heart” SPIRITUAL VISION

·        “eyes of heart” = will & intelligence
#1:  HOPE            Romans 5:1-5  
 “When Christ, who is your life, appears,  
 then you also will appear with Him in glory” 
                          Colossians 3:4, Romans 15:13

 “Dear friends, now we are children of God, and what we will be has not yet been known. 

But we know that when He appears, we shall be like Him, for we shall see Him as He is”                1 John 3:2

#2.  RICHES ~ Christians are His riches
·        1:14 God views YOU as His treasure

#3.  POWER ~ highest power possible           

    1:19 “His incomparably great power (dynamite)  
           for us who believe. That power (mighty)
           is like the working (energy)                   
           of His mighty strength (greatness)
·        WHY? To describe the POWER of the RESURRECTION (1:19b-20)
·        WHY? Because that indescribable POWER can impact your life today ~ NOW
·        HUH?  God’s POWER changes YOU from being a child of HELL to GOD’s Child & EMPOWERS YOU to have VICTORY over sin 
READ:  2 Kings 6:8-23