Loving our Cities to Life - April 17, 2016

TITLE: “Loving our cities to Life”

TEXT: Acts 1-2

THEME: God is excited about Bloomington-Normal.

MY JOURNEY

Did you know that God is excited about Bloomington-Normal?

Growing up in Lincoln IL, most people commuted to either Springfield or Bloomington for work. I remember for years my mom went to night school in Springfield… which meant that we went to dinner, the mall and did fun stuff in Springfield… but one day she got a job at Sate Farm so where we went for “fun” shifted to B-N (there’s nothing to do in Lincoln) …and I actually got excited about BN. I liked the malls better, the Barnes and Noble better… and the shear number of restaurants all on one strip made it easier for me to find stuff.

That continued into my college years as ISU became one of my potential destinations (undergraduate teaching degree) after I finished a year or two of Bible School. In fact, Corrie and I’s very first “official date” was at the Bone Center… and the Chili’s here was our “go to spot” all through our college years… so for years, when someone said Bloomington, it held in our hearts a piece of excitement.

But God was more excited about Bloomington-Normal than us.

Time drew on. The Waters’ clan moved to Ohio… started a church and a young family… and our excitement went to new places and things. Then in 2008, our Sr. Pastor Happy Leman sent me a lengthy 10-page email about his VISION for the future of the Vineyard in Illinois. It involved sending out 10 missionaries, 10 church planters and 10 multi-site campuses over the next 10 years (2010-2020) …and we got excited again about central Illinois… and after 10 years in Ohio, we decided to come home. In fact, we initially got pretty excited about coming back to BN in 2010. But God was still WAY more excited than we were.

Over the next 4 years, God built within us a desire to see His Kingdom come alive powerfully in everything that we did… He built His excitement for impacting not just a few people, but entire cities with His love, His grace, His power and more within us. And in 2014, the same month we saw the birth of our twin girls 

(Emberly Pippa - beautiful fire and Eleora Merry -joyful light)… Happy (Sr.), Jim (exec) and the Waters’ hearts all came together to say “YES” to partnering with God’s excitement for B-N.

God’s Journey with Us

Do you realize God is excited about Bloomington-Normal?

…Holy Spirit has been moving and working in these cities for a long time… now, we’ve been invited, as the Vineyard church, to join in God’s excitement for this place… God’s heart is on fire and filled with great joy for the roughly 175,000 people in our metro area.

If God is excited about B-N, we need to ask a few questions:

   1)    How do we shape the society around us?

   2)    What does our city need?

Before we can answer those questions, we need to understand TWO THINGS…

…that God is always thinking bigger than just one person. He is excited about entire families, communities, and even nations. He wants to co-create with us to change the world… He wants to share in the journey… He wants to empower us to shape the nations.

Listen to how Jesus talks to his disciples after his resurrection in Acts 1:4

Once when Jesus was eating with them, he commanded them, “Do not leave Jerusalem until the Father sends you the gift he promised, as I told you before. 5 John baptized with water, but in just a few days you will be baptized with the Holy Spirit.”

6 So when the apostles were with Jesus, they kept asking him, “Lord, has the time come for you to free Israel and restore our kingdom?”

            7 He replied, “The Father alone has the authority to set those dates and times, and they are not for you to know. 8 But you will receive power when the Holy Spirit comes upon you. And you will be my witnesses, telling people about me everywhere—in Jerusalem, throughout Judea, in Samaria, and to the ends of the earth.”

Before we can answer those questions, we need to understand…

            …the four stages of God transforming a city.

Stage 1:  Renewal

   ·      Helping believers be what they should have been/who God created them to be

   ·      Identity

   ·      Love

   ·      Community

   ·      Not just about living better lives, but actually being changed people…

   ·      Leading changed lives

   ·      When the Holy Spirit births renewal in a church, it’s exciting!

Acts 2 On the day of Pentecost all the believers were meeting together in one place.² Suddenly, there was a sound from heaven like the roaring of a mighty windstorm, and it filled the house where they were sitting. ³ Then, what looked like flames or tongues of fire appeared and settled on each of them. ⁴ And everyone present was filled with the Holy Spirit and began speaking in other languages, as the Holy Spirit gave them this ability.

When the HS births renewal it leads to Stage 2:  Revival—

   Ø  Must break out into the community.

   Ø  True life change can’t be contained in a building.

   Ø  People will naturally share what they have!

   Ø  People coming to know Jesus for the first time… or returning to greater faith in Him.

   Ø  In Acts 2, Peter stands up in the street during a festival and preaches the truth of the gospel…

   Ø  ³⁷ Peter’s words pierced their hearts, and they said to him and to the other apostles, “Brothers, what should we do?”

   Ø  ³⁸ Peter replied, “Each of you must repent of your sins and turn to God, and be baptized in the name of Jesus Christ for the forgiveness of your sins. Then you will receive the gift of the Holy Spirit. ³⁹ This promise is to you, to your children, and to those far away—all who have been called by the Lord our God.” ⁴⁰ Then Peter continued preaching for a long time, strongly urging all his listeners, “Save yourselves from this crooked generation!”

  Ø  ⁴¹ Those who believed what Peter said were baptized and added to the church that day—about 3,000 in all.

   Ø  Imagine the impact of 1,000s of new believers.

That kind of social ramification can only lead to…

Stage 3:  Reformation

   §  When reformation happens, social structures can shift, so that society reflects Christian principles

   §  Our cities will actually begin to look more and more like Jesus.

   §  Acts 2:42-46 All the believers devoted themselves to the apostles’ teaching, and to fellowship, and to sharing in meals (including the Lord’s Supper), and to prayer.

   §  A deep sense of awe came over them all, and the apostles performed many miraculous signs and wonders. And all the believers met together in one place and shared everything they had.

   §  They sold their property and possessions and shared the money with those in need. They worshiped together at the Temple each day, met in homes for the Lord’s Supper, and shared their meals with great joy and generosity.

   §  Imagine if God empowered us so much, and so many came to find faith in Jesus that…

^o       Our social interaction would change.

^o       Miracles would become the norm.

^o       Generosity would be commonplace.

^o       That Holy Spirit’s impact on our city would be felt daily.

Reformation of our society leads to…

Stage 4:  Restoration

   ·      Humanity wasn’t designed to know shame, sin, feel pain.

   ·      If you know these, they were not from the Father… these are the thoughts of the enemy.

   ·      We were designed to live in paradise.

   ·      Acts 3:17-26.  We are waiting for the restoration of all things.

   ·      The gospel message is not “join our club.”

   ·      The gospel message is to come back to what you were designed to be.  This is a great game changer.

   ·      ⁴⁷ all the while praising God and enjoying the goodwill of all the people. And each day the Lord added to their fellowship those who were being saved.

Our Journey Together…

God is excited about Bloomington-Normal… and way more excited than we are…

If God is excited about B-N

   1)    How do we begin shape the society around us?

   2)    How do we begin to meet our city’s needs?

   3)    How do we go on God’s journey of Renewal, Restoration, Reformation & Restoration?

Our churches exist to serve and provide a Kingdom destiny for all who live in a community.

We do this by forming a unique church environment that…

   ·      creates a COMMUNITY OF HOPE (Renewal)

   ·      cultivates has a COMMITMENT to EXCELLENCE (Renewal)

   ·      challenges us to have a CULTURE of INVITATION (Revival)

   ·      considers themselves CARRIERS of the GOSPEL (Reformation)

   ·      charges us with CONTINUING JESUS’ MINISTRY (Restoration)

The greatest power of the church is not just the gathered saints but also the scattered servants!

To close, let’s take a minute and listen to the founder of the Vineyard, John Wimber talk about partnering with Jesus to “do this stuff.”

- VIDEO – https://vimeo.com/96681615

We want to change the world with Jesus…

    ·      It starts with capturing God’s excitement for our cities.

    ·      It starts with that excitement creating a unique church culture.

    ·      It starts with the Holy Spirit empowering us.

    ·      It starts with us “Loving our Cities to Life!” through continuing Jesus’ ministry.

Let’s pray.

Easter Sermon - March 20, 2016

Series: Change the World with Jesus

   ·      Main Idea: I was crucified, buried and raised with Jesus Christ—making it possible for me to have brand new life in Him

   ·      Main Dilemma:  Many think being a Christian is believing in Jesus’ work on Cross and then trying hard to live differently

   ·      Main Action: Believe and receive this new life in Christ

   ·      Main Texts:  John 3:1-17; Galatians 2:20;

Adam’s sermon

Introduction (you may be seated)

This song is asking a very important, but somewhat strange question:

   ·      Were you there—when they crucified Jesus Christ?

   ·      Were you there when they laid him in the tomb and when he rose up from the dead?

Many do believe these were historically true events and many have been taught if I believe that Jesus died and rose again, I will avoid hell and go to heaven someday.

But…Were you there?

I think most of us would legitimately answer--No.  We were not there.

   ·      That was over 2,000 years ago! – Virtual Reality Goggles

   ·      So unless you have mastered time travel, you, like me, were not there on that hill called Golgotha outside the city walls of Jerusalem where Jesus was crucified nor were we at the Garden Tomb where he was laid only to gloriously rise again 3 days later.

   ·      Raffle for a car? Hillsboro STORY – we had to be there to win the car.

   ·      Did we have to be at the Cross to win our crown?

   ·      Were weren’t there right!

Or…were we?

   ·      Yes, one of the most life changing truths that many do not know is that –Yes, we were there.  We were there when Jesus was crucified, buried and raised from the dead.

   ·      We were crucified with Christ.  Buried with Him.  And, raised up to live a new life.

   ·      This truth can change your life now and forever.

   ·      We were there and we participated in The Great Exchange.

   ·      Jesus didn’t just die FOR US but AS US!

   ·      2 Corinthians 5:14-15

   ·      ¹⁴ Either way, Christ’s love controls us.^[c] Since we believe that Christ died for all, we also believe that we have all died to our old life.^[d] 15 He died for everyone so that those who receive his new life will no longer live for themselves. Instead, they will live for Christ, who died and was raised for them.

It was there on that Cross that Jesus took all our sadness, sickness, sin, stupidity, sorrow, shame, lack, and gave us His joy, healing, wisdom, delight, forgiveness, acceptance

   ·      Our struggle with depression exchanged for Jesus’ light and joy

   ·      Our broken bodies & sicknesses exchanged for Jesus’ healing

   ·      Our anger and frustrations exchanged for Jesus’ forgiveness and love for enemies

   ·      Our heart break over crushed dreams for Jesus’ much better dreams

   ·      Our failures exchanged for Jesus’ wisdom and strength

This was the Great Exchange.Do we always understand this?  Does it make sense without God’s wisdom?

   ·      Not entirely!

   ·      It is quite supernatural and miraculous –or as your kids might say à Jesus has magic!

   ·      And so life-changing when we believe and receive it.

It is quite mysterious!! But it changes everything.

Becoming a Christian means I actually get a brand new life—not a makeover or a renovation (HGTV style) – no this means it’s got the new car smell – the new carpet feel – no dings in the pain – no rust in the floorboards.

   ·      Not one where I have to try hard everyday to imitate Jesus and try to be like Him.

   ·      Not one where I daily bear my own cross—

   ·      No my OLD SELF, the old Adam died, was buried and rose again a brand new person in Jesus!

What did Jesus take for you and as you? What does Jesus offer you in exchange?

   ·      Have you suffered painful loss? 

   ·      Jesus took that on the Cross and offers you His comfort in exchange

   ·      Do you struggle with anger, bitterness or jealously? 

   ·      Jesus took that on the Cross and offers you His freedom and contentment

   ·      Is your body wracked with sickness, disease?

   ·      Jesus took that on the Cross and offers you his healing and wholeness

   ·      Are you haunted by rejection, guilt and condemnation?

   ·      Jesus took that on the Cross and offers you acceptance, forgiveness and blamelessness as the Father’s son or daughter

Jesus did not just die FOR us, He died AS us

Story of Nicodemus—Add background & Set stage

There was a very brilliant, prominent scholar (ISU professor) in Jesus day who was very intrigued by this Jesus—heard him speak radical things and saw some pretty amazing things he did—turned water into wine, opened blind eyes.

   ·      Very chancy for him to talk with Jesus.

   ·      Dangerous--- so came at night to talk with him.

   ·      Side Note: Jesus wants to have these conversations.

John 3:1  There was a man named Nicodemus, a Jewish religious leader who was a Pharisee.² After dark one evening, he came to speak with Jesus. “Rabbi,” he said, “we all know that God has sent you to teach us. Your miraculous signs are evidence that God is with you.”

Jesus responds unexpectedly!

  

³ Jesus replied, “I tell you the truth, unless you are born again,^[a] you cannot see the Kingdom of God.”

⁴ “What do you mean?” exclaimed Nicodemus. “How can an old man go back into his mother’s womb and be born again?”

***I’m sure Corrie doesn’t want any of my five children to go back in and start over!

⁵ Jesus replied, “I assure you, no one can enter the Kingdom of God without being born of water and the Spirit.^[b] 6 Humans can reproduce only human life, but the Holy Spirit gives birth to spiritual life.^[c] 7 So don’t be surprised when I say, ‘You^[d] must be born again.’ ⁸ The wind blows wherever it wants. Just as you can hear the wind but can’t tell where it comes from or where it is going, so you can’t explain how people are born of the Spirit.”

Nic would have understood the symbolism

·      As an OT scholar, he new that all atonement must be purified with fire (Spirit) and with water. All men must be born of God’s purification not their own.

   ·      We cannot enter the womb… We must enter the tomb!

   ·      We die in Christ… We are buried… we rise again—A new person—Born again

   ·      We were there at the first Easter!

This sounds really weird right?!? Its absolutely strange, mysterious!

   ·      Yes, like the Spirit—who blows where He wants and we cannot control or understand

   ·      So much more than just receiving a ticket to Heaven

⁹ “How are these things possible?” Nicodemus asked.

Jesus goes to Nic’s history and knowledge of the OT (numbers 21)

¹⁴ And as Moses lifted up the bronze snake on a pole in the wilderness, so the Son of Man must be lifted up, ¹⁵ so that everyone who believes in him will have eternal life.

·      In the Numbers 21 story, all the people had to do was LOOK upon the serpent and they were completely made WHOLE.

   ·      The snake represented a The Curse… the Cure came only through belief.

   ·      The Serpent—Us, our sin, our sickness, our pain, our sorrow…

   ·      Exchanged for Jesus’ righteousness, healing, joy, peace—eternal life now!

   ·      Jesus Himself coming to live in us

   ·      Water Baptism shows this beautiful picture  -People who have died, been buried and raised up to new life in Jesus

o   SHARED PART of my history/testimony here

Response

  ·      Believe—See yourself upon the tree

  ·      You may not understand everything at first… that’s totally ok!

  ·      It is true whether you believe or not.

  ·      Begin to see yourself Alive in Jesus – that Jesus took your death and gave you HIS LIFE forever… starting NOW

¹⁶ “For this is how God loved the world: He gave^[g] his one and only Son, so that everyone who believes in him will not perish but have eternal life. ¹⁷ God sent his Son into the world not to judge the world, but to save the world through him.

Changed people can Change the World --with Jesus--Who lives in us

Example

One of the first century’s most brilliant and powerful men—a former merciless terrorist whose life was radically changed by this risen from the dead Jesus—a man known the world over as

The apostle Paul wrote this:

Galatians 2: ²⁰ My old self has been crucified with Christ.^[a] It is no longer I who live, but Christ lives in me. So I live in this earthly body by trusting in the Son of God, who loved me and gave himself for me.

The truth of all of it is this: Jesus did not die FOR US… He died AS US.

Let that sink in…. that is the great exchange…

   ·      It’s not just a substitution

   ·      It’s not just that my penalty is paid

   ·      It’s not just that we will get new life “someday” in the future

No… Jesus died our death – and we now live His life – we are now BORN into a new life not just with Him but as Him because His Spirit lives within us… our old sinful self was Crucified.

   ·      That means all of our sin (past, present, future) has been dealt with.

   ·      That means that the only thing standing in our way is our own thought process.

   ·      That means that we have power to live so much freer and differently than we do right now…

   ·      We have access to the Father unparalleled as His kids

   ·      We have a share in the family business

   ·      When we live what we believe (Junk food Example), we can actually fulfill Jesus’ promise in John 14:12  “I tell you the truth, anyone who believes in me will do the same works I have done, and even greater works, because I am going to be with the Father.”

We are now going to pray together as a group.

For those of us who are believers, we are affirming the truth that is already taken root in our lives…

For those new to the church… or perhaps new to the idea of re-birth in Jesus… JOIN WITH US and say “YES” to a loving God who has over and over already said “Yes” to you.

Let’s pray together…

We believe in one God, the Father… maker of all things in heaven and on earth.

We believe in Jesus… the only Son of God… light of the world… perfect picture of our loving Father… creator and sustainer of all things.

We believe through Him is our salvation… born of man and born of God… tortured and crucified and buried as He took on our sin on the cross.

We believe Jesus rose 3 days later… conquering sin, death, pain and hopelessness… and through that resurrection giving us life abundantly!

We believe He is now in heaven… ruling in glory.

We believe He will one day come again and His kingdom will never end.

We believe in the Holy Spirit… giver of life… presence of our mighty god… empowerer of all good gifts… bearer of all good fruits.

We believe…

and because we believe we are free to be sons and daughters of this amazing Father…

brothers and sisters of this amazing Savior Jesus…

and fit vessels for this amazing Holy Spirit that lives in us and through us.

Amen!