This Weekend's Message: Bragging Rights

A strong young man at a construction site was bragging that he could outdo anyone in a feat of strength. He made a special case of making fun of one of the older workmen.

After several minutes, the older worker had had enough.

"Why don't you put your money where your mouth is?" he said. "I'll bet a week's wages that I can haul something in a wheelbarrow over to that building that you won't be able to wheel back."

"You're on, old man," the young worker replied.

The old man reached out and grabbed the wheelbarrow by the handles. Then he turned to the young man and said, "All right. Get in."

It seems like people will brag about everything and anything. There is nothing off limits once we start trying to make a good impression. The truth is that the question isn’t whether or not we will choose to brag, but what will we choose to brag about?

Hope to see you this Sunday!
Matt Sasso

This Weekend's Message: Delayed Gratification

When college graduates land their first career-oriented job, they are encouraged to begin saving for retirement. The reason, of course, is that the sooner a person starts saving for retirement, the further the money goes. A small sacrifice early on compounds interest and yields a significant pay-out. Even significant contributions later in life cannot catch up to what is accumulated if a person begins saving for retirement at a young age.

If, then, this is a proven fact, why don’t more people start saving for retirement in their twenties? The answer is that it is a hard sell for a young person to sacrifice some of their income in the short-term in order to provide for themselves in the long-run. Why give up money that could be used for nice clothes, nice restaurants, nice cars, or nice furnishings? In order to experience the benefits of retirement later on, a person has to have a perspective that allows them to practice delayed gratification.

On Sunday, we will talk about our desperate need--and our struggle to--embrace delayed gratification. We will look at a passage in which the Apostle Paul urges us to keep the future in mind so that we do not miss out on the live that Jesus brings.

Dan

This Weekend's Message: Pull Yourselves Together

When we think about being spiritual, we usually think about being alone. We think of someone in the dessert meditating, in total silence and isolation. And so we think of our own "spirituality" being dependent on us being alone, away from the distractions of other people.

While there is certainly a value on reflection and solitude in the Bible (Jesus Himself practiced it), Christian spirituality is not something that is primarily practiced in private. Instead, the Holy Spirit is always leading us toward one another, in renewed and transformed relationships.

This Sunday we will walk through a passage in Galatians in which the Apostle Paul paints of picture of what it looks like when we keep in step with the Holy Spirit as He leads us into transformed relationships with one another.

Dan

This Weekend's Message: Undesired Outcomes

We live in a culture that baits us to do things we have no business doing and then sometimes even punishes when we do them. It’s crazy. There are times when we experience an undesired outcome in our life because we get caught up in this crazy culture. So the question must be asked, “How do I avoid this craziness?"

On a highway, guardrails keep a car from straying into dangerous or off-limit areas. They are an important part of keeping people safe on the highway. Without guardrails, many more people would die in car accidents. But did you know there are guardrails in our life with Jesus – personal guardrails that keep us from straying into living a life with those undesired outcomes? These guard rails are not designed to take something away from us but to keep us from harm. This week as we continue our study in Galatians, we explore Paul’s list of the things to be careful of so that we don’t end up with those undesired outcomes.

See you Sunday and don’t forget about the Second Annual LBF Car Show happening right after church!

Gary

This Weekend's Message: The Battle Within

The scene is the White House. One adviser stands on each side of the President. Intelligence sources are reporting that a hostile nation is preparing a domestic attack against the United States. One adviser pleads with the President to order a pre-emptive strike. He passionately gives strong reasons why this is what the U.S. must do to protect itself. Meanwhile the other adviser passionately pleads with the President to hold off. A pre-emptive strike, he says, will lead to a massive conflict, while waiting may reveal that this intelligence is unfounded. The President attentively listens to both arguments. Ultimately, however, he knows that the decision is his. He must choose a course of action, and siding with one adviser will necessarily mean that he sides against the other. He cannot follow both courses at once; he must choose a side.

On Sunday, we will look at a passage in which Paul talks about two options each Christian must choose between: the Spirit and the flesh. The Spirit has one agenda for our lives, while the flesh invites us to something completely different. Because of these two agendas, we can only follow the lead of one of them at any given time.

Both the Spirit and the flesh invite us to freedom. According to Paul, however, only one can deliver on that promise.

Dan

Freedom Fighters Secure & Protect

By Dan Franklin, Pastor of Teaching 

As is often said, freedom is not free. It is expensive. It has to be fought for. And, once freedom is secured, there is often a struggle to protect and preserve that freedom.

Freedom is costly, and this is why it can only be obtained and protected if it is greatly valued. If freedom is not treasured, then it will be sacrificed.

Throughout Galatians 1-4, the Apostle Paul labored to make the point that Jesus paid the ultimate price to secure freedom for His people. If we value freedom, then we will value what Jesus has done for us. In Galatians 5-6, Paul calls the Galatians – and us – to be freedom fighters. This is not because we need to work hard to purchase our freedom; Jesus has already done that. Rather, he calls us to fight in order to secure and protect the freedom that Jesus bought for us. Paul gets very practical in Galatians 5-6, and he calls us to protect our freedom from two distinct threats.

Threat #1: Legalism. Paul warns us that we will be tempted to sacrifice our freedom in favor of trying to appeal to God on the basis of our good behavior and observance of rules. While this may seem silly to us, this temptation is deceptively appealing. It can feel good to come to God, saying, “I’ve been good this week. I haven’t yelled at anyone in my family, or slacked off at work, or broken any laws. And, to top it all off, I’ve given some of my money to people who are in need. Now, all I want to ask of you is that you keep me financially stable and healthy.” Legalism (following rules for the purpose of securing God’s blessing) is appealing because it makes us feel that we have done something to obligate God to do our will. It seems noble and commendable because we are following religious rules, but legalism is not godly. It is certainly not humble. When we practice legalism we put ourselves in the driver’s seat instead of yielding to God’s leading in our lives. Far from securing freedom, legalism only leads to a relationship with God marked by distance and slavish obedience. It does not reflect the sonship for which Christ set us free. This is why Paul begins Galatians 5 with the stirring call to “stand firm, then, and do not let yourselves be burdened again by a yoke of slavery.”

Threat #2: Indulgence. We might think that the opposite of legalism is simply to follow every whim and do whatever we please. After all, if Christ has set us free, shouldn’t we just do whatever we want all the time? Isn’t this what freedom is?

Paul’s answer is no. He says in Galatians 5:13, “You, my brothers and sisters, were called to be free. But do not use your freedom to indulge the flesh; rather serve one another.”

Freedom has a purpose. It has a proper use. And freedom will be undermined if we abuse it and make it an excuse for selfish and self-indulgent behavior. According to Paul, freedom comes not through indulging the flesh, but rather by following the lead of the Spirit. The flesh will lead us into all kinds of destructive and enslaving habits and attitudes (5:19-21), while the Spirit will lead us to life-giving ways of interacting with God and other people (5:22-26).

Now that you are free, Paul tells us, don’t waste your freedom by using it as an excuse to be enslaved to your whims and momentary desires. Instead, treasure your freedom enough to trust God and follow His lead.

If you are a believer in Jesus, then you have been given freedom. But remember that this freedom was not free. While you are not called to purchase your own freedom, you are invited to fight against any threats to the proper expression and enjoyment of that freedom.

This Weekend's Message: Free-for-All

What would happen if all laws were removed? Would this bring us freedom? In some ways we might want to say yes. After all, we would be free from speed limits and taxes and a number of other things that bother us. The removal of all laws sounds pretty good in some ways. In other ways, though, we would be terrified if all laws were removed. There would be no protection from theft and assault and even murder. It would seem inevitable that certain people would abuse their freedom and bring danger and pain to others.

Throughout Galatians Paul has been saying the Christians are free. We are free from fear and free from condemnation and also free from the Old Testament laws that directed the lives of God’s people for so many years. In some ways this freedom must have sounded wonderful. But in other ways, they might have wondered how it would all work. Wouldn’t people naturally abuse the freedom they were given? 

Some of us probably have this same fear. If God doesn’t give us a bunch of rules, won’t we just do whatever we want? How do we live in light of this freedom without making selfish and destructive decisions? This Sunday we will address this very question. Come prepared to be challenged and empowered by God’s Word.

Dan

This Weekend's Message: Broken Stride

I love to read and I will often leave any book that I am reading on the side table next to my bed. Many times I will have two books going at a time. But due to the fact that I am easily distracted, I will often find the books piling up. Rather than making my way through a book, I come to find that there are 5 or 6 on, under, and near that side table. This happens because I continue to start a book, get distracted, and then start new one before I have finished the previous one. After a while, all of those books appear to become a monument to things that I have started, but left unfinished.

Many of us struggle to finish well. We start a book or a project or a relationship, but then we get sidetracked and go off course. Throughout Galatians, Paul has been speaking to a group of Christians who started their relationship with God by faith in the grace of God. But now they are off course and are living a distant, rules-based relationship with God. This Sunday, we will all be called to finish well. And as we are called to this, we will learn some of the enemies and some of the keys to finishing well. 

Dan