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Hear current audio messages by Pastor Scott Burr at:
http://sermon.net/dayspringchurchag

Wednesday, January 31, 2018

Over-Inflated Faith (Pt.2)

(Part 2 of 2)

“Then Jesus left them again and prayed the same prayer as before. When he returned to them again, he found them sleeping, for they couldn’t keep their eyes open. And they didn’t know what to say.”-Mark 14:39-40

Where did all their proud boasting go? These die hard believers that were, hours before, willing to lay down their lives for Jesus; couldn’t keep their eyes open for one hour to pray with Him. The sad reality is that a man will never die for Jesus if they aren’t first committed to pray with Him. Gethsemane always comes before Calvary. The truest test of our faith is not our willingness to die, but our willingness to pray.

The problem for many is that prayer is not as colorful as martyrdom. There are no books like Foxes Book of Martyrs geared towards those, who rather, lived a life of consistent prayer. We’ve romanticized martyrdom and marginalized prayer.

However, Jesus said in Luke 9:23:

Then he said to the crowd, “If any of you wants to be my follower, you must give up your own way, take up your cross daily, and follow me.”

Usually when quoting this passage we recite it like this: “Jesus said take up your cross and follow me.” We leave out the “give up your own way” part of the passage. Nonetheless, that is precisely what Jesus did at Gethsemane:

He went on a little farther and fell to the ground. He prayed that, if it were possible, the awful hour awaiting him might pass him by. “Abba, Father,” he cried out, “everything is possible for you. Please take this cup of suffering away from me. Yet I want your will to be done, not mine.”

In prayer, Jesus laid down His will for the Father’s will. Why? Because Gethsemane always comes before calvary. Living a crucified life is rooted in prayer. You can tell God all day long how much you love Him and how you would do anything for Him; but if you fail to prioritize prayer you are offering Him hollow words. Peter’s unwillingness to pray ultimately resulted in his denial of Christ. This after, Jesus had graciously tried repeatedly to wake Peter up from his slumber, knowing that his prayerlessness was going to lead him into sin.

These Scripture should give us pause and cause to to stop and consider if our prayer life is reflective of a person who would truly die for Christ. The Apostle Paul wrote in Philippians 3:10:

“That I may know Him and the power of His resurrection, and the fellowship of His sufferings, being conformed to His death.”

Our fellowship in Jesus’ suffering doesn’t begin at the cross, it begins at the rock where He shed tears like drops of blood in prayer. So before we boast of the great faith that we carry, let us first stop and ask ourselves if our prayer time truly reflects our testimony.

Pastor Scott Burr
Dayspring Community Church


Monday, January 29, 2018

Over-Inflated Faith (Pt.1)

(Part 1 of 2)

“On the way, Jesus told them, “All of you will desert me. For the Scriptures say,
‘God will strike the Shepherd, and the sheep will be scattered.’ But after I am raised from the dead, I will go ahead of you to Galilee and meet you there.” Peter said to him, “Even if everyone else deserts you, I never will.” Jesus replied, “I tell you the truth, Peter—this very night, before the rooster crows twice, you will deny three times that you even know me.” “No!” Peter declared emphatically. “Even if I have to die with you, I will never deny you!” And all the others vowed the same.”-Mark 14:27-31

I love Peter’s passion in this passage as he declares his undying loyalty to Jesus;  professing that he would never desert Jesus and would ultimately die with Him if it would come to that. This didn’t come from a man who had recently began following the Lord, Peter had walked with Jesus day in and day out for 3 years. He had sit at Jesus’ feet and been discipled by Him. He had heard Jesus teachings to the multitudes  and witnessed first hand the miracles that we only read about. He had hosted Jesus in His home and watched Him heal His mother-in-law. Jesus included him in His inner circle of three and declared before all the other disciples that he would be intricately involved in establishing the church. Peter had an intimate knowledge of Christ based on an intimate relationship with Him. So Peter’s proclamation of faith was not necessarily misguided. However, it was certainly over-inflated.

Let’s be honest, probably everyone of us, if we had been there that day would have responded and vowed the same as each of the others. But are we as committed to Christ as we think we are or have convinced ourselves that we are? Or have we over-inflated our faith? The funny thing is, Jesus tried to caution Peter not to “over-inflate” his faith:

“Jesus replied, “I tell you the truth, Peter-this very night, before the rooster crows twice, you will deny three times that you even know me.”-Mark 14:30

Jesus’ response to Peter’s proclamation was basically this: “Die with me? Before the night’s out you will have denied simply knowing me!”

Jesus then proceeds to the Mt. Olives with His disciples.

“They went to the olive grove called Gethsemane, and Jesus said, “Sit here while I go and pray.” He took Peter, James, and John with him, and he became deeply troubled and distressed. He told them, “My soul is crushed with grief to the point of death. Stay here and keep watch with me.”-Mark 14:32-34
           
Jesus goes off to pray and in verse 37 returns to His disciples- “Then he returned and found the disciples asleep. He said to Peter, “Simon, are you asleep? Couldn’t you watch with me even one hour? Keep watch and pray, so that you will not give in to temptation. For the spirit is willing, but the body is weak.”-Mark 14:37-38

Those words that Peter professed earlier must have seemed pretty hollow at this moment. Peter had emphatically declared that He would follow Jesus anywhere…even to death. Yet, he was unable or unwilling to stay awake and pray for even an hour!

Pastor Scott Burr

Dayspring Community Church     

Wednesday, January 10, 2018

Choices (Pt. 2)

“Today I have given you the choice between life and death, between blessings and curses. Now I call on heaven and earth to witness the choice you make. Oh, that you would choose life, so that you and your descendants might live!”-Deuteronomy 30:19

God has given us the ability to choose a path that leads to life or choose a path that leads to death. Today, I want to focus in on six areas in which you’ve been given the ability to choose. Choices that can impact your life everyday: love, joy, peace, forgiveness, serving God and salvation.

Believe it or not, love is a choice!  Infatuation is certainly an emotion, but love is a choice. Romans 5:8 declares that God showed his great love for us by sending Christ to die for us. His love for us was demonstrated through His sacrificial death and not through an emotional expression. In fact, in Luke 10:27, we are commanded to love the Lord with all of our heart, soul, strength, and mind. You cannot command someone to be infatuated with someone else, but yet the Lord commands us love Him and to love our neighbors. He even goes as far in Matthew 5:43-44 to tell us to love our enemies; something most of us would have a difficult time doing, if love were merely an emotion. Love isn’t a feeling it is a demonstration of Christ’s goodness, service, and sacrifice towards others.

Joy is a choice! Don’t confuse happiness and joy. Happiness is tied to our circumstances, joy is tied to our relationship with Christ. James 1:2 states: “Dear brothers and sisters, when troubles of any kind come your way, consider it an opportunity for great joy.” You can either choose to be miserable and play the victim or you can rejoice in your relationship with God. Joy reminds us that we are not moved by our circumstances, but by our faith in God.

Peace is a choice! Romans 12;18 declares:  “If it is possible, as much as depends on you, live peaceably with all men.” A wise man once told me: “Just because someone calls for a war, doesn’t mean you have to show up to fight.” The passage is clear. I cannot control everyone, but I can certainly control how I respond. As far as it depends on you, live at peace.

Forgiveness is a choice! Matthew 6:14-15 states: “For if you forgive men their trespasses, your heavenly Father will also forgive you. But if you do not forgive men their trespasses, neither will your Father forgive your trespasses.” Each one of us has the power and the prerogative to forgive. Forgiveness isn’t just something God hopes for us but it is something He expects from those who have received His forgiveness.

Serving God is a choice! Joshua declared it best in Joshua 24:15: “And if it seems evil to you to serve the Lord, choose for yourselves this day whom you will serve, whether the gods which your fathers served that were on the other side of the River, or the gods of the Amorites, in whose land you dwell. But as for me and my house, we will serve the Lord.” Choosing to serve God is a daily decision!

However, the greatest choice you will ever make is choosing Jesus! Salvation is a gift secured for us by Jesus that we must choose to receive. It should not be a decision we make once you’ve eliminated every other option, but a willful distinct life-altering choice that will direct your life.

Romans 10:9-“If you confess with your mouth the Lord Jesus and believe in your heart that God has raised Him from the dead, you will be saved.” You can choose to sin and live for self, or you can choose to repent and live for Christ! The choice is yours!


Pastor Scott Burr
Dayspring Community Church