2010-09 – September Worship

September 5

Preacher: Kristin Leucht

Scripture: Colossians 4:7-18 — Tychicus will tell you all the news about me; he is a beloved brother, a faithful minister, and a fellow servant in the Lord. 8 I have sent him to you for this very purpose, so that you may know how we are and that he may encourage your hearts; 9 he is coming with Onesimus, the faithful and beloved brother, who is one of you. They will tell you about everything here.

10 Aristarchus my fellow prisoner greets you, as does Mark the cousin of Barnabas, concerning whom you have received instructions—if he comes to you, welcome him. 11 And Jesus who is called Justus greets you. These are the only ones of the circumcision among my co-workers for the kingdom of God, and they have been a comfort to me. 12 Epaphras, who is one of you, a servant of Christ Jesus, greets you. He is always wrestling in his prayers on your behalf, so that you may stand mature and fully assured in everything that God wills. 13 For I testify for him that he has worked hard for you and for those in Laodicea and in Hierapolis. 14 Luke, the beloved physician, and Demas greet you. 15 Give my greetings to the brothers and sisters in Laodicea, and to Nympha and the church in her house. 16 And when this letter has been read among you, have it read also in the church of the Laodiceans; and see that you read also the letter from Laodicea. 17 And say to Archippus, “See that you complete the task that you have received in the Lord.”

18 I, Paul, write this greeting with my own hand. Remember my chains. Grace be with you.

New preaching series:

Why do I follow Jesus? Between now and the beginning of Advent, the pastors will answer that question eleven times. Having heard these different reasons for following Jesus, the hope is that you will identify one or two reasons that you follow him.

As we attempt weekly to be Christ’s people in the world, we do it in a myriad of ways. We embrace the values of Jesus and the kingdom of God, so we can express those values between Sundays in both our actions and words. We want to do right. We want to encourage justice. We want to be difference makers in Christ’s name.

Yet, if we do those things on a consistent basis, sooner or later it will happen. Someone will ask why you do the things that you do. They will want to know why you are different. What would you say? Why do you follow Jesus?

It is an important question to be able to answer with both integrity and authenticity. You can’t repeat someone else’s answer. Your answer has to genuinely describe why you follow Jesus.

We hope that by the end of this preaching series, after you have heard eleven different reasons for following our Lord and Savior, you will be able to identify one or two of those reasons that resonates with you. “Yes! That’s why I follow him.” Then, we hope you will work and rework that reason until it really reflects why you believe. We want you to make the answer your own.

Why do I follow Jesus? It is a crucial question for all of us to answer well.

September 12

Preacher: Gary Dennis

Special Event: ONWARD Sunday

Scripture: John 3:25-30 — Now a discussion about purification arose between John’s disciples and a Jew. 26 They came to John and said to him, “Rabbi, the one who was with you across the Jordan, to whom you testified, here he is baptizing, and all are going to him.” 27 John answered, “No one can receive anything except what has been given from heaven. 28 You yourselves are my witnesses that I said, ‘I am not the Messiah, but I have been sent ahead of him.’ 29 He who has the bride is the bridegroom. The friend of the bridegroom, who stands and hears him, rejoices greatly at the bridegroom’s voice. For this reason my joy has been fulfilled. 30 He must increase, but I must decrease.”

Sermon theme: Why do I follow Jesus? It deals with my tendency to think that life is all about me. The perfect words to address this universal tendency come from the lips of John the Baptist. About Jesus he said, “He must increase, but I must decrease” (John 3:30).

Unfortunately, a lot of people today approach life in the opposite way: I must increase and you, including God, must decrease. We call it narcissism. It may be cute in our children or grandchildren but it becomes something less than that as they grow up. It is certainly something less than that once these little narcissists reach the workplace. It becomes downright terrifying if they begin to lead in the workplace or, worse yet, in the political arena. Narcissism is an insurmountable problem in relationship with God.

In his New York Times column, David Brooks writes about Mitch Albom, the guy who wrote Tuesdays with Morey and The Five People You Meet in Heaven. Brooks thinks we should fear Albom’s “soft-core spirituality” and “easygoing narcissism.” The eternal reward pictured in Albom’s book is different than the biblical one. Brooks writes,

“In this heaven, God and his glory are not the center of attention. In Albom’s heaven, everything is all about you. In his heaven, sins are not washed away. Instead, hurt is washed away. The language of good and evil is replaced by the language of trauma and recovery” (David Brooks, “Hooked on Heaven Lite,” www.NYTimes.com).

Narcissism is a huge problem with God. The narcissist insists that she or he be the center of everything. They have a place for God but only as God is willing to solidify their place at the center of everything. Unfortunately, this God whom we know in Jesus Christ insists that we have another center – God, no more, no less.

The narcissist cannot develop genuine relationships with anyone, including God, because they are always using all the relationships in their life to feather their own nest. For the narcissist, everything is about me. There is no place for a relationship with Jesus built on “he must increase; and I must decrease.” For the narcissist, there is only thing they want to increase, and it ain’t Jesus.

Sermon title: Why I Follow Jesus: Reason #1

September 19

Preacher: Gary Dennis

Special Event: Small Group Sunday; Growing Families

Scripture: John 10:22-39 — At that time the festival of the Dedication took place in Jerusalem. It was winter, 23 and Jesus was walking in the temple, in the portico of Solomon. 24 So the Jews gathered around him and said to him, “How long will you keep us in suspense? If you are the Messiah, tell us plainly.” 25 Jesus answered, “I have told you, and you do not believe. The works that I do in my Father’s name testify to me; 26 but you do not believe, because you do not belong to my sheep. 27 My sheep hear my voice. I know them, and they follow me. 28 I give them eternal life, and they will never perish. No one will snatch them out of my hand. 29 What my Father has given me is greater than all else, and no one can snatch it out of the Father’s hand. 30 The Father and I are one.”

31 The Jews took up stones again to stone him. 32 Jesus replied, “I have shown you many good works from the Father. For which of these are you going to stone me?” 33 The Jews answered, “It is not for a good work that we are going to stone you, but for blasphemy, because you, though only a human being, are making yourself God.” 34 Jesus answered, “Is it not written in your law, ‘I said, you are gods’? 35 If those to whom the word of God came were called ‘gods’—and the scripture cannot be annulled— 36 can you say that the one whom the Father has sanctified and sent into the world is blaspheming because I said, ‘I am God’s Son’? 37 If I am not doing the works of my Father, then do not believe me. 38 But if I do them, even though you do not believe me, believe the works, so that you may know and understand that the Father is in me and I am in the Father.” 39 Then they tried to arrest him again, but he escaped from their hands.

Sermon Theme: “Why do I follow Jesus? I follow him because it allows me to be in relationship with God.” Relationship with Jesus is relationship with God. Listen to Jesus,

“If I don’t do the things my Father does, well and good; don’t believe me. But if I am doing them, put aside for a moment what you hear me say about myself and just take the evidence of the actions that are right before your eyes. Then perhaps things will come together for you, and you’ll see that not only are we doing the same thing, we are the same—Father and Son. He is in me; I am in him” (John 10:37-38).

You can’t be any clearer about your relationship with God than that. Listen again,

“… we are the same—Father and Son. He is in me; I am in him.”

This is the second reason that I follow Jesus as my Savior and Lord. The more I get to know Jesus, the more I get to know God.

The relationship between God and Jesus is like the relationship between the macrocosm and microcosm. A microcosm is defined as “a community or other unity that is an epitome of a larger unity.” Everything you see in the microcosm points to a truth in the larger reality, the macrocosm. In Jesus, we see what God is like.

It is impossible to define God apart from Jesus. Is God for us or against us? Is God more about love or judgment? Is God engaged with creation or separated from it? Is God more concerned about perfection or relationship? Can God deal with our brokenness or only condemn it?

In Jesus those questions are answered. This is another reason why I follow him.

Sermon Title: Why Do I Follow Jesus? Reason #2

September 26

Preacher: Gary Dennis

Special Event: Small Group Sunday

Scripture: Luke 18:18-25 — A certain ruler asked him, “Good Teacher, what must I do to inherit eternal life?” 19 Jesus said to him, “Why do you call me good? No one is good but God alone. 20 You know the commandments: ‘You shall not commit adultery; You shall not murder; You shall not steal; You shall not bear false witness; Honor your father and mother.’” 21 He replied, “I have kept all these since my youth.” 22 When Jesus heard this, he said to him, “There is still one thing lacking. Sell all that you own and distribute the money to the poor, and you will have treasure in heaven; then come, follow me.” 23 But when he heard this, he became sad; for he was very rich. 24 Jesus looked at him and said, “How hard it is for those who have wealth to enter the kingdom of God! 25 Indeed, it is easier for a camel to go through the eye of a needle than for someone who is rich to enter the kingdom of God.”

Luke 19:1-10 – [Jesus] entered Jericho and was passing through it. 2 A man was there named Zacchaeus; he was a chief tax collector and was rich. 3 He was trying to see who Jesus was, but on account of the crowd he could not, because he was short in stature. 4 So he ran ahead and climbed a sycamore tree to see him, because he was going to pass that way. 5 When Jesus came to the place, he looked up and said to him, “Zacchaeus, hurry and come down; for I must stay at your house today.” 6 So he hurried down and was happy to welcome him. 7 All who saw it began to grumble and said, “He has gone to be the guest of one who is a sinner.” 8 Zacchaeus stood there and said to the Lord, “Look, half of my possessions, Lord, I will give to the poor; and if I have defrauded anyone of anything, I will pay back four times as much.” 9 Then Jesus said to him, “Today salvation has come to this house, because he too is a son of Abraham. 10 For the Son of Man came to seek out and to save the lost.”

Sermon Theme: “Why do I follow Jesus? It encourages me to be in relationship with others.” You see this in the Zacchaeus story. This tax collector’s first response to Jesus was to follow him and to invite him into his home. The second was to deal with his relationships with others, the poor and those he had cheated. Relationship with God always calls us into deeper relationship with others, especially the poor.

Relationship with Jesus always motivates us to help the poor just as it motivated Zacchaeus. Yet, the challenge, just the challenge here in Los Angeles County, is huge.

Imagine that you are an eight year-old growing up in one of the poor urban areas of Los Angeles. You will have the worst schools, the vilest hospitals, and the filthiest surroundings in our county. Then, people will come and do studies on you to find out why you don’t have good values. This is the situation that we must address.

I love the words of Jesus’ parable when the king says to those gathered before him on Judgment Day,

“Truly I tell you, just as you did it to one of the least of these who are members of my family, you did it to me” (Matthew 25:40).

Jesus wants us to express God’s concern for the poor. This is one of the things that I love about following him.

Sermon Title: “Why Do I Follow Jesus? Reason #3”