Living a gospel-centered life (Pt.2)

“I pray that your love will overflow more and more, and that you will keep on growing in knowledge and understanding. For I want you to understand what really matters, so that you may live pure and blameless lives until the day of Christ’s return. May you always be filled with the fruit of your salvation—the righteous character produced in your life by Jesus Christ—for this will bring much glory and praise to God.”-Philippians 1:9-11

What is God hoping to accomplish in your life? If we live gospel-centered lives, what is the end game? I think that Paul’s prayer for the church in Philippi really underscores God’s heart for every believer:

1.      Overflow with love.

2.      Grow in knowledge and understanding.

3.      Live pure and blameless lives.

4.      Be filled with the righteous character produced from knowing Christ.

All fo this is happening on the inside of us. When we are centered on the inside we are not caught off balance by our circumstances. Listen to Paul speak about his current situation in Philippians 1:12-19:

“And I want you to know, my dear brothers and sisters, that everything that has happened to me here has helped to spread the Good News. For everyone here, including the whole palace guard, knows that I am in chains because of Christ. And because of my imprisonment, most of the believers here have gained confidence and boldly speak God’s message without fear. It’s true that some are preaching out of jealousy and rivalry. But others preach about Christ with pure motives. They preach because they love me, for they know I have been appointed to defend the Good News. Those others do not have pure motives as they preach about Christ. They preach with selfish ambition, not sincerely, intending to make my chains more painful to me. But that doesn’t matter. Whether their motives are false or genuine, the message about Christ is being preached either way, so I rejoice. And I will continue to rejoice. For I know that as you pray for me and the Spirit of Jesus Christ helps me, this will lead to my deliverance.”

Anyone pick up on the fact that Paul is writing this from prison? Isn’t it amazing how he is able to find the good in his situation proclaiming that most of the believers around him have gained confidence and boldness to speak God’s message without fear because of his imprisonment. Anyone notice the there were people (in the church) trying to undermine Paul and make his life more difficult? Yet, he stayed focused on the gospel being preached and the people’s lives being changed by it. 

Living a gospel-centered life means keeping our hearts and minds fixed on accomplishing God’s work within our sphere of influence; whether that’s as a stay at home mom, on the line at work or at the grocery check out counter. Paul’s circumstances shifted dramatically  taking him from a nice little synagogue in Antioch to a dingy prison cell in Rome, but his mission remained the same. 

Scott Burr

Dayspring Community Church 

Living a gospel-centered life (Pt.1)

(Part 1)

“I thank my God upon every remembrance of you, always in every prayer of mine making request for you all with joy, for your fellowship in the gospel from the first day until now, being confident of this very thing, that He who has begun a good work in you will complete it until the day of Jesus Christ.”-Philippians 1:3-6

A couple of months ago we were battling some sinus & flue like symptoms at our house, which left my wife feeling disoriented. For two or three days she felt off balance and out of sorts. It took a couple of days for her to het her equilibrium back and find her footing. Anyone ever experience that? 

This experience cannot only happen to us physically, but it can happen to us spiritually as well. We can become disoriented, off balance and out of sorts trying to live for Christ. This often occurs because we are not focused on what will keep us centered on Christ. 

If we are being honest with ourselves, we would admit that most of us do not live gospel-centered lives. Rather we live our lives centered around our jobs, kids, health or even church. At times, we narrow that focus even more and become fixated on things like sports, sex, drugs, alcohol, or music. 

However, according to Hebrews 12:2 we are to “Fix our eyes on Jesus, the author and perfecter of faith, who for the joy set before Him endured the cross, despising the shame, and has sat down at the right hand of the throne of God.” 

God’s desire is for us to find our footing and to live our lives worthy of the gospel of Jesus Christ. That begins with understanding Philippians 1:6:

“Being confident of this very thing, that He who has begun a good work in you will complete it until the day of Jesus Christ.”

First, we must understand that the good work that God started is within you. He is working from the inside out. When we stop to consider Jesus’ mission, we conclude that He didn’t die on the cross to fix our circumstances, but rather to shape your disposition. He is always going to address the quality of your character before He focuses on your quality of life. 

Secondly, God always finishes what He starts. This more than an observation, but a promise. Have you ever started a project that you didn’t finish? How many projects do you have sitting at home that still need completed? 

We all have good intentions, but often suffer from poor follow through. However, unlike some of those projects sitting in your garage, God has promised to finish the work He started in us. 

Scott Burr

Dayspring Community Church 

Nevertheless (Pt.2)

(Part 2) 

“When He had come down from the mountain, great multitudes followed Him. And behold, a leper came and worshiped Him, saying, “Lord, if You are willing, You can make me clean.” Then Jesus put out His hand and touched him, saying, “I am willing; be cleansed.” Immediately his leprosy was cleansed.”-Matthew 8:1-3

Sometimes we struggle so much with believing that He is able that we leave no room to address His will. The leper that approached Jesus that day, was not wrestling with Jesus’ ability to heal. His question was focused on Jesus’ willingness to heal. Was it in keeping with God’s redemptive purpose? The man knew it was possible, but was it God’s will? Jesus, in answering the man, communicated the will of God to him.

At the Garden of Gethsemane, Jesus took His prayer a little further; from the realm of what is possible to the question of God’s will. “Nevertheless, not as I will, but as you will.”-Matthew 26:39

The word “Nevertheless” means: in spite of. Jesus was saying, “In spite of what I know God can do, I am going to pray for His will to be done.” Nevertheless prayers are prayers that go beyond what God is capable of doing to seeing the will of God accomplished. 

Nevertheless prayers recognize that God is capable of answering the prayer that you prayed, but in spite of how much you want it to turn our for your benefit, you understand that God knows the big picture and that His greater redemptive purpose for all of mankind is paramount. 

Because as much as we would like it, God’s will does not always line up with our will. That is where our disillusionment and disappointment come from and why our confidence has been shaken when it comes to prayer. We are not following the instruction of 1 John 5:14-15:

“Now this is the confidence that we have in Him, that if we ask anything according to His will, He hears us. And if we know that He hears us, whatever we ask, we know that we have the petitions that we have asked of Him.”

If you are lacking confidence in your prayer life, perhaps it is because you are praying possible prayers, but not going the extra distance. You’ve not gone as far as to pray nevertheless, not my will but yours be done. 

Can I let you in on a little secret? When you pray “nevertheless” that is not the magic word allowing God to move ahead with His plans. He doesn’t need our approval. His will is going to be done. The nevertheless is for you. It is your way of communicating to God that you are willing to set aside your will to see His greater will accomplished. 

Scott Burr

Dayspring Community Church 

Nevertheless (Pt.1)

(Part 1 of 2)

“He went a little farther and fell on His face, and prayed, saying, “O My Father, if it is possible, let this cup pass from Me; nevertheless, not as I will, but as You will.”-Matthew 26:39

Jesus’ prayer in Matthew 26 is really unique. The first thing that catches my attention is His questioning of the possibility that His death could be avoided. Was it possible? Was it possible that God could see to it that Jesus did not die on the cross? I mean, He is God. I would venture to say, yes; however, in doing so it would have aborted the entire plan of redemption that God had established since the dawn of creation. 

In His flesh, it is obvious that Jesus didn’t want to walk through a gruesome, violent death on a cross. If there were another way to accomplish God’s redemptive purposes without having to go through such trauma; I believe that He would have been receptive to it. So, Jesus prayed, “O My Father, if it is possible, let this cup pass from me.”

On multiple occasions Jesus acknowledged that nothing was impossible with God:

“But Jesus looked at them and said, “With men it is impossible, but not with God; for with God all things are possible.”-Mark 10:27

However, Jesus went on a little further with His prayer. He prayed, “Nevertheless, not as I will, but as You will.” This is where I have been challenged in my own prayer life. 

The reason so many people abandon prayer is because they don’t see their prayers answered as they had hoped and believed. It wasn’t because they had a lack of faith, in fact, they had all they faith needed to see a miracle happen. Yet, their prayers did not come to pass. Ever been there? Has your prayer life suffered because of it? 

How often, though, do we pray for what is possible, without praying God’s will be done? What if Jesus had stopped short in His prayer to the Father? 

Imagine for just a moment, what would have happened if God had answered Jesus’ possible prayer? You and I would still be in our sins. You and I would be still be lost and bound for hell. The prayer that would have benefited Him most in the moment, would have had far reaching effects on the rest of humanity. Yet, it was possible. Why? Because prayer is never a question of God’s ability. 

The reason so many people are disillusioned with prayer is that they pray what is possible, without praying God’s will be done. Praying “possible” prayers is believing that because God can do it, He will do it. We never take into consideration, how answering that prayer may influence God’s redemptive purposes for mankind. 

Scott Burr

Dayspring Community Church 

Do You Hear What I Hear? (Pt.2)

(Part 2)

 “A few days later Mary hurried to the hill country of Judea, to the town where Zechariah lived. She entered the house and greeted Elizabeth. At the sound of Mary’s greeting, Elizabeth’s child leaped within her, and Elizabeth was filled with the Holy Spirit. Elizabeth gave a glad cry and exclaimed to Mary, “God has blessed you above all women, and your child is blessed. Why am I so honored, that the mother of my Lord should visit me? When I heard your greeting, the baby in my womb jumped for joy. You are blessed because you believed that the Lord would do what he said.”-Luke 1:39-45

At the sound of Mary’s greeting, Elizabeth was filled with the Holy Spirit. She heard something! She didn’t hear Jesus with her ears or see Jesus with her eyes. Mary didn’t inform Elizabeth of her pregnancy, nor was she far enough along to be showing. Rather, Elizabeth recognized the presence of Christ informed her soul and spirit. She began to proclaim, “God has blessed you above all women, and your child is blessed. Why am I so honored that the mother of my Lord should visit me?” Elizebeth recognizing the spirit of Christ responded with joy and acclamation. 

The child that Elizabeth carried (who would grow up to be John the Baptist), neither saw Jesus nor heard Jesus, yet when Jesus came into the room, John leapt with joy inside of Elizabeth. He recognized his creator and responded with joy at the presence of God. 

It wasn’t until the shepherds had an angelic visitation and went and laid eyes on Jesus that they returned glorifying and praising God. It wasn’t unit the wisemen traveled to Bethlehem to see the newborn king that they presented their gifts and worshiped Him. However, Elizabeth at just the sound of Mary’s greeting was awakened to the spirit of Christ. You don’t need decorations, Christmas carols, or a powerful sermon to awaken the Christmas Spirit inside of you. 

Some of you just can’t seem to get into the Christmas spirit. Instead of awakening joy inside of you, this time of year awakens anxiety, depression, and stress. We have allowed the over-commercialized components of Christmas to deafen us to the sound of Christ’s presence. 

We’ve convinced ourselves that it would take an angelic vision to awaken our hearts to the spirit of Christ. Yet, it is my prayer that we would recognize the presence of Christ in the simplest of greetings. That we would experience eHim in the handshake of a stranger, the smile of a child, and the gentle encouragement of a friend. In those moments, I pray that we would recognize the presence of Jesus.

Honestly, I love the sights, sounds, and smells of Christmas, but all I have enjoyed is the exhilaration of festivity, if I don’t experience the presence of Jesus in it. I think God would be pleased if we all celebrated Jesus’  birth like Elizabeth. I realize that Elizabeth was not there when Jesus was actually born. She wasn’t there when He was born into this world, but she was fully present the moment that He was born in her. 

“At the sound of Mary’s greeting, Elizabeth’s child leaped within her, and Elizabeth was filled with the Holy Spirit.”-Luke 1:41 

Elizabeth was fully present the moment that Christ filled her soul. Christmas can come alive in you, too, if you will let Christ be fully present in you this Christmas! 

Scott Burr

Dayspring Community Church 

Do you hear what I hear? (Pt.1)

(Part 1 of 2)

“A few days later Mary hurried to the hill country of Judea, to the town where Zechariah lived. She entered the house and greeted Elizabeth. At the sound of Mary’s greeting, Elizabeth’s child leaped within her, and Elizabeth was filled with the Holy Spirit. Elizabeth gave a glad cry and exclaimed to Mary, “God has blessed you above all women, and your child is blessed. Why am I so honored, that the mother of my Lord should visit me? When I heard your greeting, the baby in my womb jumped for joy. You are blessed because you believed that the Lord would do what he said.”-Luke 1:39-45

How do you spread the news that the Savior of the world has been born? How do you inform mankind of such a magnificent event? Obviously, at the moment Jesus was born they didn’t have the luxury of sharing a selfie on Instagram, posting it on Facebook, having it printed in the local paper or announcing on the evening news. However, God does have a flare about Him and did announce Jesus’ birth in a couple of extraordinary ways:

We read in Luke 2:9-14: 

“Suddenly, an angel of the Lord appeared among them, and the radiance of the Lord’s glory surrounded them. They were terrified, but the angel reassured them. “Don’t be afraid!” he said. “I bring you good news that will bring great joy to all people. The Savior—yes, the Messiah, the Lord—has been born today in Bethlehem, the city of David! And you will recognize him by this sign: You will find a baby wrapped snugly in strips of cloth, lying in a manger.” Suddenly, the angel was joined by a vast host of others—the armies of heaven—praising God and saying,“Glory to God in highest heaven, and peace on earth to those with whom God is pleased.”-Luke 2:9-14

God announced the birth of Christ in magnificent fashion to a group of shepherds near Bethlehem using a mighty angel chorus. Then, later, we read in Matthew 2:1-2:

“Jesus was born in Bethlehem in Judea, during the reign of King Herod. About that time some wise men from eastern lands arrived in Jerusalem, asking, “Where is the newborn king of the Jews? We saw his star as it rose, and we have come to worship him.”

God in another extraordinary display of wonder announced to a group of wise men the birth of Christ using a sign from heaven to point the way. 

However, before angels appeared to the shepherds and the star appeared to the wise men, before any of them laid eyes on Jesus; Elizabeth was the first to hear the news of Christ’s coming. No angels announced His coming to her. No celestial anomalies caused her to take notice. The passage tells us that simply at the sound of Mary’s greeting something happened to Elizabeth that informed her soul. It was more than the sound of her cousin’s voice that she heard that day, rather at that moment she recognized the spirit of Christ. Truth is, you don’t hear Christmas with your ears, you hear it with your heart!

Pastor Scott Burr

Dayspring Community Church 

Make Room

“And it came to pass in those days that a decree went out from Caesar Augustus that all the world should be registered. This census first took place while Quirinius was governing Syria. So all went to be registered, everyone to his own city. Joseph also went up from Galilee, out of the city of Nazareth, into Judea, to the city of David, which is called Bethlehem, because he was of the house and lineage of David, to be registered with Mary, his betrothed wife, who was with child. So it was, that while they were there, the days were completed for her to be delivered. And she brought forth her firstborn Son, and wrapped Him in swaddling cloths, and laid Him in a manger, because there was no room for them in the inn.”-Luke 2:1-7 

In preparation for our Christmas series of messages at church, I have been carefully reading through Matthew 1 & 2 and Luke 1 & 2.  These chapters are packed with people whose lives were forever changed by the birth of Christ. 

We read about Mary’s cousin Elizabeth, who while pregnant with John, had an encounter with Jesus while He was still in Mary’s womb. We read of the three wise men who traveled from the east, following a star, that led them to the newborn king. Of course, we read about a carpenter (Joseph) and a young woman by the name of Mary who would give birth the our Savior. We read about the shepherds who were among the first to hear of Christ’s birth through an angelic visitation and discover two precious saints of God, Anna & Simeon, who had waited their whole lives to see the Messiah and finally get their chance. 

However, the Christmas story didn’t end with the birth of Christ. His birth is still changing lives today. His birth is still giving hope and healing broken hearts. The Christmas story is ongoing and the cast of characters is growing day by day as people find hope in our Savior. 

The challenge today, is not whether we have room in our hearts for Christ, but rather will we make room. Let’s be honest, our lives are filled to the brim with commitments, obligations, passions, interests, and personal ambitions. Much like the innkeeper in the story of Christ, it wasn’t that he had room to spare and turned Mary and Joseph away because he was cold and mean. No, he had no room because the inn was fully occupied. There was no vacancy.

To make room for Mary and Joseph, he would have had to remove somebody else from a room they were occupying and give it to them. Sometimes I think the innkeeper has been given a bad reputation. Seriously, he didn’t know that Mary and Joseph were coming, so he wasn’t prepared for their arrival. He didn’t know who they were and neither did he know that Mary was carrying the Messiah inside of her. Perhaps, if he had, the story would have been different. 

So many of us today are like that innkeeper. We have occupied our lives with so much that we have left no room for Jesus. What I love about the story is that Mary and Joseph didn’t try to force their way into a place where there was no room, instead they found a place with plenty of space to accommodate Jesus. 

Jesus is never going to force Himself into a place where there is no room for Him. So, if you want Jesus to come into your heart and life, you are going to have to make room for Him. You are going to have to give up some things in your life, that have kept your heart, mind, and life occupied for so long. As you turn from those things, your heart will open to receive Him. 

Scott Burr

Dayspring Community Church