The Cross, the Blood, and You! (Pt.6)

(Pt.6)

10 “And if any native Israelite or foreigner living among you eats or drinks blood in any form, I will turn against that person and cut him off from the community of your people, 11 for the life of the body is in its blood. I have given you the blood on the altar to purify you, making you right with the Lord. It is the blood, given in exchange for a life, that makes purification possible. 12 That is why I have said to the people of Israel, ‘You must never eat or drink blood—neither you nor the foreigners living among you.’-Leviticus 17:10-12 

In these last days, God is not looking for an embalmed church, He is coming back for a blood-bought, blood washed church that has embraced the crimson stained cross of Christ. The blood has been a central theme to our salvation since creation when God sacrificed an animal to provide coverings for Adam and Eve’s nakedness. 

God would later declare through Moses the significance of the blood when he recorded in vs. 11 that the life of the body is in the blood. Every covenant God made with mankind He did using blood. The covenant with Abraham (Genesis 15) required a blood sacrifice. He required the blood of a Passover lamb when He established a covenant with Israel. Later, Jesus would inform His disciples at a Passover celebration that His blood would initiate a new, better, lasting covenant with His people: 

“After supper he took another cup of wine and said, “This cup is the new covenant between God and his people—an agreement confirmed with my blood, which is poured out as a sacrifice for you.”-Luke 22:20 

Blood has long been at the center of God’s salvation message. You can sanitize the aesthetics of your church from the blood, you can sanitize your worship set of the blood, and you can even sanitize your sermon from it; but you cannot sanitize the gospel of it. The gospel of Jesus Christ is clear that we are blood washed and blood bought:

18 For you know that God paid a ransom to save you from the empty life you inherited from your ancestors. And it was not paid with mere gold or silver, which lose their value. 19 It was the precious blood of Christ, the sinless, spotless Lamb of God.”- 1 Peter 1:18-19

“You were bought with a price [you were actually purchased with the precious blood of Jesus and made His own]. So then, honor and glorify God with your body.”-1 Corinthians 6:20 (AMP) 

He purchased our redemption with His blood, because only His blood could wipe out the debt you and I owed. Only His blood could wash us clean!

“Then one of the twenty-four elders asked me, “Who are these who are clothed in white? Where did they come from?” 14 And I said to him, “Sir, you are the one who knows.” Then he said to me, “These are the ones who died in the great tribulation. They have washed their robes in the blood of the Lamb and made them white.”-Revelation 7:13-14

“Just think how much more the blood of Christ will purify our consciences from sinful deeds  so that we can worship the living God. For by the power of the eternal Spirit, Christ offered himself to God as a perfect sacrifice for our sins.”-Hebrews 9:14 

Truth is, some of us need to revisit Golgatha again and to stop looking at Calvary as a tourist destination, but be reminded that it was a crime scene. The cross that stood high on that hill bore your sins and the blood that pooled around the foot of the cross was shed for your redemption. You were blood bought and blood washed! Never forget.

Scott Burr

Dayspring Community Church 

The Cross, the Blood, and You! (Pt.5)

(Pt.5)

“Write this letter to the angel of the church in Sardis. This is the message from the one who has the sevenfold Spirit of God and the seven stars: “I know all the things you do, and that you have a reputation for being alive—but you are dead.”-Revelation 3:1 

I have often thought that if I had not been a pastor I may have been a funeral home director. Caring for the deceased and their families is a noble profession. One aspect of the job, however, that is not very glamorous is preparing the body for burial. A body goes through the process of embalming. 

A very simplified explanation of the embalming process is that the blood is removed from the body and chemicals are injected to slow decomposition. In essence, we are trying to make something dead look as alive as possible. This process allows for family and friends to pay their respects and properly grieve the loss of their loved one. 

This caused me to think about a dilemma facing many churches today. Jesus recognized that there are churches that have a reputation of being alive, but are dead. How does a church look alive, but be dead inside. They embalm themselves. I found in my studies that there are three reasons for embalming:

Sanitation 

Presentation 

Preservation 

An embalmed church has determined to sanitize its message. They do this by removing virtually every semblance of the blood and brutality of the cross and replace it with programs, activities and acts of compassion. Their goal is to be more presentable to the community, to become a place where people never feel uncomfortable, where they can come and experience the love of Christ without any conviction. A place where they are not subjected to seeing the bloody price that was paid because of their own sinful choices. It is an attempt to make the church more palatable for generations to come by preserving their way of life and their place in the culture. 

You ask, can a church survive very long like that? The answer to that question should be obvious. However, in my research I found that a person who is embalmed correctly will still be recognizable 50, 60, to 70 years later. They are simply a shell, but they are recognizable. Jesus said that Sardis looked alive, but was really dead inside. An embalmed church that is emptied of the blood can be dead inside, but still resemble a church for many years. 

However, in these last days, God is not looking for an embalmed church. He is coming back for a blood-bought, blood washed church that has embraced the blood stained cross of Christ.

Scott Burr

Dayspring Community Church 

The Cross, the Blood, and You! (Pt.4)

(Pt.4)

“12 In those days you were living apart from Christ. You were excluded from citizenship among the people of Israel, and you did not know the covenant promises God had made to them. You lived in this world without God and without hope. 13 But now you have been united with Christ Jesus. Once you were far away from God, but now you have been brought near to him through the blood of Christ.”-Ephesians 2:12-13

We started talking a few weeks ago about two emblems that point to the very crux of our faith that have slowly been sanitized from the western church as well as the lives of many Christians: the cross of Christ and the blood of Jesus. Last week we finished focusing on the cross, this week we want to focus on the blood. 

I find the timing of these messages uncanny, just coming off the heels of Halloween. The celebration of Halloween has its origins in the Celtic festival Samhain. It was one of the most important festivals on the Celtic calendar. According to scholars, it was believed that during this time of year the world of the gods was made visible to humankind.  Ghosts of the dead and spirits from the underworld were thought to return to the earth to wreak havoc on their mortal worshippers. It was a festival aligned with danger and charged with fear. Sacrifices of every kind were thought to be vital, for without them the Celts believed they could not prevail over these dark forces. Why the history lesson? Halloween, back in those days, wasn’t the celebration that we see today. It wasn’t a holiday built around candy, games, and costumes. It was a time of real fear, blood and sacrifice. 

You see if you take the blood and gore out Halloween it looks fundamentally different from what it had been. In large part, our culture has successfully sanitized Halloween. Celtics would look at today’s Halloween celebrations and still see some aspects of its traditions in play like jack-o-lanterns and scary costumes. However, overall, it has been so watered down that it gives off only a faint impression of the original.

Same could be said about the church today. You take the blood out and it fundamentally changes the message, the mission and the eternal destinations of millions of souls. Many are trying to preach a sanitized message that is devoid of the blood and because of this we are beginning to see a watered down Christianity emerge that looks nothing like the original. 

We sing a lot about Jesus, but sing little about the blood of Christ. We talk about His love for us, but avoid discussions regarding the brutality of the cross. We have sanitized our faith, by removing the blood from our message. 

But here is an important truth: Humans can't live without blood. Without blood, the body's organs couldn't get the oxygen and nutrients they need to survive, we couldn't fight infections, or get rid of our own waste products. Without blood we die. Both physically and spiritually. 

Scott Burr

Dayspring Community Church 

The Cross, the Blood, and You! (Pt.3)

(Pt.3)

“24 Then Jesus said to his disciples, “If any of you wants to be my follower, you must give up your own way, take up your cross, and follow me. 25 If you try to hang on to your life, you will lose it. But if you give up your life for my sake, you will save it. 26 And what do you benefit if you gain the whole world but lose your own soul? Is anything worth more than your soul?”-Matthew 16:24-26 

Jesus said, “Take up your cross and follow me.” The problem is we’ve made the cross we carry look more like artwork rather than an instrument of death. We’ve bought into the lie that Jesus did all the dying that needed to be done. We’ve so sanitized the cross that we don’t even see dying to ourselves as being necessary. 

We thought Christianity was about finding a place to sit at the foot of the cross, but can I remind you it was the soldier’s that sat at the foot of the cross playing games, while Jesus died:

“35 After they had nailed him to the cross, the soldiers gambled for his clothes by throwing dice. 36 Then they sat around and kept guard as he hung there.”

Truth is, we are not truly following Christ until we pick our cross and follow Him.”-Matthew 27:35-36

Jesus warned us that following Him meant we’d have to carry our cross daily. It’s an honor, not an obligation. Simon carried the cross out of obligation, but we get the honor of carrying it. 

How important is the message of the cross? The Apostle Paul wrote in 1 Corinthians 2:2: 

“For I decided to know nothing among you except Jesus Christ and him crucified.” 

The Apostle Paul embraced the cross. He didn’t shy away from it. Why? Because when people encounter the brutality of the cross they recognize the true love of God. Remember Simon’s two sons? Ever wonder how the events that unfolded that day affected them? They not only witnessed their father being forced to carry another man’s cross to Calvary, they likely witnessed Jesus’ death. 

 It is interesting that Mark Ch. 15 mentions Simon’s two sons, Rufus and Alexander, by name. Why? The most obvious answer is that they were both eyewitnesses to the event. Each of them could validate the authenticity of Mark’s story. 

However, historians and scholars also believe that he mentions them, as well, because they were known to the early church. It is believed that these young men’s encounter with Jesus that day transformed their lives. Historical evidence points to Rufus and Simon’s wife as being very involved in the early church’s development. All because of an encounter with a blood stained cross. 

Scott Burr

Dayspring Community Church 

The Cross, the Blood, and You! (Pt.2)

 (Pt.2)

“Along the way, they came across a man named Simon, who was from Cyrene, and the soldiers forced him to carry Jesus’ cross.”-Matthew 27:32 

According to Mark 15, Simon had come to Jerusalem with two sons, Rufus and Alexander, we’ll talk more about them later. Jerusalem, at that time, was filled with people who had made their way to the city to celebrate the Passover. Most likely, that is why Simon and his family were there as well. 

The crowds were gathering as Jesus made His way through the cobblestone streets. I am sure, out of curiosity, Simon and his sons moved in closer to see what the commotion was all about. When suddenly a man beaten beyond recognition drops to the ground in front of Simon. At this point Jesus had been beaten with whip so severely He was unrecognizable, had parts of his beard ripped out and and a crown of thorns seated on his brow. It was a gruesome scene. Suddenly the soldiers grabbed Simon and forced him to pick up that blood stained cross, follow Jesus, and carry it the rest of the way to Golgatha. Simon hadn’t signed up for this. It was thrust on him. He had come to celebrate Passover with his family. He was not anticipating a messy crucifixion, nor expecting to bear the weight of a bloody stained cross on his shoulder.

What if your first introduction to Jesus was when you took up the blood stained cross He was carrying and followed Him to His crucifixion?  

We all have origin stories. Stories of when we first met Christ. But, none of us have an origin story like Simon. Could you imagine sitting around with other believers having that discussion. One might say, “I first met Jesus on a hillside in Capernaum and heard him teach about loving our enemies.”, or  “I was in Gadera when I first met Him and saw him restore sanity to a man filled with a thousand demons,” or “I first met Jesus on the road to Jericho and saw him restore sight to a blind man.” What about you Simon? “I met Jesus on the road to Golgatha when I was forced to pick up his blood stained cross and carry it to his death.”

I can only imagine what it felt must have felt like to kneel down next to Christ and take up the cross that He had been carrying. Talk about being forced out of your comfort zone. I am sure Simon was shocked and more than a little caught off guard. He had no idea that he would have to carry the cross that day. Nor did he realize how the man who he knelt beside would transform his life. 

Here is the problem, some Christians today are just as shocked as Simon by the cross they’ve been asked to pick up and carry. 

“24 Then Jesus said to his disciples, “If any of you wants to be my follower, you must give up your own way, take up your cross, and follow me. 25 If you try to hang on to your life, you will lose it. But if you give up your life for my sake, you will save it. 26 And what do you benefit if you gain the whole world but lose your own soul? Is anything worth more than your soul?”-Matthew 16:24-26 

Simon was the physical embodiment of these words Jesus spoke: “Take up your cross and follow me”. In the same way, Jesus has called us to take up our cross and follow Him. However, the cross we bear is not carried out of obligation, but rather out of honor. 

Scott Burr

Dayspring Community Church 

The Cross, the Blood, and You! (Pt.1)

 (Pt.1)

32 Along the way, they came across a man named Simon, who was from Cyrene, and the soldiers forced him to carry Jesus’ cross. 33 And they went out to a place called Golgotha (which means “Place of the Skull”). 34 The soldiers gave Jesus wine mixed with bitter gall, but when he had tasted it, he refused to drink it.35 After they had nailed him to the cross, the soldiers gambled for his clothes by throwing dice. 36 Then they sat around and kept guard as he hung there.”-Matthew 27:32-35

I want to spend the next few weeks speaking about a couple facets of our faith that seem to be disappearing from the Christian landscape. I am talking about the cross of Christ and the blood of Jesus. 

Recently my wife and I went on vacation and on each of the planes we boarded was a little sign that read “Sanitized for your protection”. The goal, I assume, was to ease the conscience of those entering the plane that they would not be subjected to anything harmful. Regrettably, it seems like some in the church have tried to do the very same thing when it comes to the cross of Christ. They’ve tried to sanitize it for the protection of others. They have buffed out the bloodiness of the cross to ease the conscience of those being seated in the worship service. 

Let’s be honest, the crosses we have hanging in our churches today are cleaned up versions of a bloody original. They have been scrubbed clean of the blood to make them more attractive and tragically, in many churches, their preaching of the cross has been too. I would contend with you, that if the cross we preach resembles the one hanging behind our pulpits more than the one Jesus died on; then we are not preaching Christ and Him crucified. We are preaching a dignified Christianity devoid of the power to save and transform the souls of mankind! 

Are we trying to make the cross more attractive? Do we really believe that a sanitized cross will be more appealing to unbelievers? Are we truly convinced that the imagery of a blood stained cross bothers that many people? It’s funny that we try so hard to scrub the brutality of the cross from our symbols and sermons in an effort to protect the delicate egos of others, when in reality we live in a society that spends hundreds of millions of dollars on scary films that glorify blood, gore, and murder. Think about this, the movie Halloween Kills, that was just recently released, earned over 50 million dollars in its opening weekend. 

Obviously, the world isn’t unsettled by the imagery of Christ’s death. They are not disturbed by the blood, gore and brutality of the cross. They are, however, put off by a church that is unwilling to embrace the savagery of the cross. A church that is trying to soft pedal the gospel in a time where people need a Savior that was willing to face the brutality of crucifixion to save their souls. 

When we sanitize the message of the cross, the lost don’t get found. Humanity is remains destined to die in their sins. People need to have a life altering encounter with Jesus and the cross. That brings us to this man in Matthew Ch. 27. His name was Simon of Cyrene. 

Scott Burr

Dayspring Community Church 

The Narrow Way (Pt.2)

(Pt. 2)

“You can enter God’s Kingdom only through the narrow gate. The highway to hell is broad, and its gate is wide for the many who choose that way. But the gateway to life is very narrow and the road is difficult, and only a few ever find it.”-Matthew 7:13-14

As we learned last week, the gate is narrow in the sense that there is a particular requirement for entrance and that is faith in Christ. In comparison: “The highway to hell is broad, and its gate is wide for the many who choose that way.”-Matthew 7:13

One commentator explained it this way: “The wide gate is non-exclusive; it allows for human effort and all other world religions to travel on it.” 

There is a push in our culture to accept all forms of belief and religion as being equal in all ways. This inclusiveness is being passed off as being morally transcendent and enlightened beyond that of scripture. To oppose the idea makes you narrow minded and bigoted. What could be more enlightened than a road that is non-exclusive and includes everyone? Seems like utopia, except for the lack of honesty regarding the destination. Those who promote this approach tend to romanticize the journey and emphasize what it is like to be on that road together, but fail to fully express what is at the end of that road. One version of this passage reads “and broad is the gate that leads to destruction.” Hell is the clear destination. 

Scripture is clear that there are but two eternal destinations for mankind: Heaven or Hell. Eternally with Jesus or eternally separated from Him. Satan has worked tirelessly to try and convince mankind that a life without Jesus is far better than a life with Him. Simply put, Satan doesn’t need you to embrace Hell, he simply needs you to reject Jesus. Rejecting Jesus keeps you off the narrow path that leads to God. It keeps you on the default road to hell. All lanes on the broad road have the same eternal destination. Satan doesn’t care what lane you occupy on the broad road. You can practice Atheism, Islam, Buddhism, New Age, Scientology; it doesn’t matter. According to God’s Holy Word any road that does not lead us to faith in Christ leads to destruction. 

You can switch lanes, find enlightenment, abandon religion, worship Satan, or live completely secular and Satan will not fight you. It is only when you realize that Jesus is the only way and move off the highway that leads to destruction to the narrow road that the battle begins. 

Jesus says that the narrow gate leads to a hard road, one that will take us through hardships and difficult decisions. A road on which we must learn to crucify our flesh, endure trials, and live a lifestyle separate from the world (Galatians 2:20, James 1:2-3, Romans 12:1-2). 

When faced with the choice between a narrow, difficult road and a wide, paved highway, most people choose the easier path. Human nature gravitates toward comfort and pleasure. When faced with the reality of denying themselves to follow Jesus, most people turn away 

Jesus, though, never romanticized the journey. He counseled us to count the cost. He told us to pick up our cross and follow Him. He said that to follow Him would be to fellowship in His suffering. That is why only a few find it. Jesus never promised that the road would not be difficult, He promised that the destination would be worth it. 

Scott Burr

Dayspring Community Church 

The Narrow Way (Pt.1)

 (Pt.1)

“You can enter God’s Kingdom only through the narrow gate. The highway to hell is broad, and its gate is wide for the many who choose that way. But the gateway to life is very narrow and the road is difficult, and only a few ever find it.”-Matthew 7:13-14

Somewhere along the way, it seems this passage was set aside and rather than hell being the default destination of all mankind (that is without some kind of divine intervention); society, however, has attempted to replace hell with heaven as the default destination for everyone, unless of course they are especially wicked and only then are they reserved a place in hell. 

Christians, who disagree, are often accused of being narrow minded because of their unwillingness to bend on the idea that there are no other way of obtaining heaven beyond accepting Jesus as Lord and Savior. We are bombarded with arguments designed to cast doubt on the idea that God would choose a single or narrow access point for entering His kingdom. These arguments are designed to make us think that God’s loving nature would never allow such a narrow approach. 

Arguments like, how could a loving God send people to a place of such anguish and suffering? Or how could God send someone to hell when they had done so much good while here on earth? Or how about the question regarding muslims, atheists and buddhist that are all kind individuals, many who do good works in our society, are they condemned to hell simply because they have not received Jesus as their Savior? 

Jesus, however, made it very clear that access to the Kingdom of God is restricted to a single gate. “You can enter God’s Kingdom only through the narrow gate.”-Matthew 7:13

Jesus validated this statement on other occasions like in John 14:5-6: “No, we don’t know, Lord,” Thomas said. “We have no idea where you are going, so how can we know the way? Jesus told him, “I am the way, the truth, and the life. No one can come to the Father except through me.

He elaborates even more in John 10:1-9: “I tell you the truth, anyone who sneaks over the wall of a sheepfold, rather than going through the gate, must surely be a thief and a robber! But the one who enters through the gate is the shepherd of the sheep. The gatekeeper opens the gate for him, and the sheep recognize his voice and come to him. He calls his own sheep by name and leads them out.  After he has gathered his own flock, he walks ahead of them, and they follow him because they know his voice. They won’t follow a stranger; they will run from him because they don’t know his voice.” Those who heard Jesus use this illustration didn’t understand what he meant, so he explained it to them: “I tell you the truth, I am the gate for the sheep. All who came before me were thieves and robbers. But the true sheep did not listen to them. Yes, I am the gate. Those who come in through me will be saved.They will come and go freely and will find good pastures.”

It was a truth that the early disciples understood plainly. Peter and John declared before the religious leaders of their day:

For Jesus is the one referred to in the Scriptures, where it says, ‘The stone that you builders rejected has now become the cornerstone.’ There is salvation in no one else! God has given no other name under heaven by which we must be saved.”-Acts 4:11-12

Later the Apostle Paul when writing to the believers in Rome the way to be saved wrote: “If you openly declare that Jesus is Lord and believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead, you will be saved.”-Romans 10:9

Jesus nor the early disciples ever alluded to another way to make heaven apart from placing our faith in Jesus Christ. The gate is narrow in the sense that there is a particular requirement for entrance and that is faith in Christ. 

Scott Burr

Dayspring Community Church 

The other side of suffering (Pt.2)

(Pt.2)

 "Not only that, but we rejoice in our sufferings, knowing that suffering produces endurance, and endurance produces character, and character produces hope,  and hope does not put us to shame, because God's love has been poured into our hearts through the Holy Spirit who has been given to us."-Romans 5:3-5

Unfortunately, some people come through suffering with nothing more than a testimony: a traumatic story of how they persevered through the pain. For most, that story isn’t even about persevering, but more of a memorial to the pain they experienced. I find it hard to believe that the only purpose for our suffering is to memorialize our pain. Yet for many that is the long and short of it. Suffering is nothing more than pain in the moment with a memorial at the end. 

However, Romans 5:3-5 teaches us that suffering is producing much more than just pain in your life. Suffering also produces greater endurance, the character of God, and real lasting hope. 

With that said, I want to put a little caveat in here to say; that I am not advocating that God causes us to suffer in order to teach us things. I do feel that God works to redeem the trials we experience, by making sure we can glean more than just pain from it and that we walk away with more than just a great testimony, but greater endurance, deeper godly character and unshakable hope. 

The Apostle Paul told the Corinthians, in the midst of their trials, to expect more than just a great testimony: 

“ Therefore we do not lose heart. Though outwardly we are wasting away, yet inwardly we are being renewed day by day. For our light and momentary troubles are achieving for us an eternal glory that far outweighs them all. So we fix our eyes not on what is seen, but on what is unseen, since what is seen is temporary, but what is unseen is eternal.”-2 Corinthians 4:16-18

The Apostle Peter declared to the early church:  “ And after you have suffered a little while, the God of all grace, who has called you to his eternal glory in Christ, will himself restore, confirm, strengthen, and establish you.”-1 Peter 5:10

They wanted the early church to understand what suffering was achieving for them now!  Even Jesus understood that the goal of suffering went far beyond a stellar resurrection story. His suffering was going to achieve something far greater. 

“For Christ also suffered once for sins, the righteous for the unrighteous, to bring you to God. He was put to death in the body but made alive in the Spirit.”-1 Peter 3:18

Suffering wasn’t contrary to Christ’s nature, it was a part of it:

“He was despised and rejected by men, a man of sorrows and acquainted with grief; and as one from whom men hide their faces, he was despised, and we esteemed him not. Surely he has borne our grief and carried our sorrows; yet we esteemed him stricken, smitten by God, and afflicted.”- Isaiah 53:3-4

Suffering is part of a spiritual process that is producing greater endurance within us. Endurance that we need to hold onto God’s promises over a long difficult stretch of time. It is during this stretch of time that God begins to build His nature in us. Developing the fruit of long-suffering within us, so that when the pain of our current suffering is gone we are left with more than a story to tell, but we ourselves are a reflection of the character of God. His character then produces hope in us, but not a fleeting hope that withers when things don’t happen immediately. A hope rooted not in, God’s timing, but in God’s character. When we walk through trials, God is building his character in us and in turn achieving an unshakeable lasting hope. 

Are you able to see past the pain? I am not saying that we should ignore the pain, but rather are we able to look beyond it to see that God is doing so much more than building a testimony in your life. He’s building endurance, developing His character in you, and establishing a lasting hope in your heart. 

Scott Burr

Dayspring Community Church 

The other side of suffering (Pt.1)

(Pt.1)

“Not only that, but we rejoice in our sufferings, knowing that suffering produces endurance, and endurance produces character, and character produces hope, and hope does not put us to shame, because God's love has been poured into our hearts through the Holy Spirit who has been given to us.”-Romans 5:3-5 (ESV)

It is interesting how many times I have heard over the years, in the midst of a traumatic event or long season of suffering, someone say to a hurting person: “After you get through this, you will have a powerful testimony to share with others.” I am not sure how much real consolation that brings to a person and to be brutally honest I have likely been guilty of saying it myself. 

Many times I’ve heard individuals and couples walking through difficult situations say similar things as a way of comforting themselves in the midst of their pain. Sometimes it hurts so much in the moment we try and look forward to a day where we hope things are better. There is an elephant in the room, however, that no one wants to talk about. Suffering involves pain. None of us truly know what to say when someone is enduring a massive amount of pain and distress. So we try and look forward to a day where, perhaps, they will be beyond the pain and then can use that experience to help others. Nevertheless, those well-meaning words bring little solace to the pain we are walking through in the present. 

Let’s be honest, suffering is confusing. Well at least how we are suppose to view it. I don’t think that anyone, including Jesus, would deny the real pain and distress that accompany suffering. We have all suffered in some some degree either physically, emotionally, or mentally. In every instance, there is pain associated with that event. 

Luke 22:44 tells us that in the Garden of Gethsemane, Jesus facing death on the cross experienced the pain of suffering:  “And being in agony he prayed more earnestly; and his sweat became like great drops of blood falling down to the ground.”-Luke 22:44

Suffering means to endure death, pain or distress. None of us are confused by that. We all expect to experience pain when we suffer. However, when you throw in passages like these below,  suffering becomes not something to be avoided, but rather something to be expected and embraced: 

 “Count it all joy, my brothers, when you meet trials of various kinds, for you know that the testing of your faith produces steadfastness. And let steadfastness have its full effect, that you may be perfect and complete, lacking in nothing.”-James 1:2-4

“That I may know him and the power of his resurrection, and may share his sufferings, becoming like him in his death,”-Philippians 3:10

“Dear friends, do not be surprised at the fiery ordeal that has come on you to test you, as though something strange were happening to you. But rejoice inasmuch as you participate in the sufferings of Christ, so that you may be overjoyed when his glory is revealed.”-1 Peter 4:12-14 

The greatest problem we have in regards to suffering is that we, often, fail to see past what we are experiencing to discover what suffering is accomplishing. Our flesh wants to hurry and get through the pain. We want to be able to quickly move beyond the anguish to the “I survived” stage of suffering; where we celebrate the perseverance it took to make it through and share our testimony with others. 

Scott Burr 

Dayspring Community Church 

Racing toward the return of Christ (Pt.5)

Part 5

“Then the sixth angel blew his trumpet, and I heard a voice speaking from the four horns of the gold altar that stands in the presence of God. And the voice said to the sixth angel who held the trumpet, “Release the four angels who are bound at the great Euphrates River.” Then the four angels who had been prepared for this hour and day and month and year were turned loose to kill one-third of all the people on earth. I heard the size of their army, which was 200 million mounted troops.”-Revelation 9:13-16. 

As we race towards the return of Christ, we want to take a look at just a few more events signaling that the framework for Christ’s return is firmly in place. Revelation 9 describes an army comprised of 200 million mounted troops that cause the destruction 1/3 of the earth’s population. As overwhelming as that may seem, is it possible that any nation or conglomeration of nations could boast such an army. 

Many have conjectured that China could comprise such an army. However, conservative numbers show that, even though they wield the world’s largest military, it numbers only about 2.8 million. No, single nation has a force of 200 million, but on April 24th, 2017 a security alliance of Asian nations, known as the Shanghai Cooperation Organization (SCO) held its 15th annual defense ministers’ meeting in Beijing. It is believed that the cooperation of the member nations of the SCO, which include Russian and China, could boast such an army. Is this the army mentioned in Revelation? No one knows. Nevertheless, the real takeaway is that the framework for an army that size is possible today. 

Technology today is also creating the possibility for passages of scripture like Revelation 11:7-9 to be understood and deemed possible when in times past it seemed like science fiction. In Revelation 11, the two witnesses that emerge during the last days are killed by the Anti-Christ. What happens upon their death is the interesting development that has become possible, which once would have been hard to fathom: 

“When they complete their testimony, the beast that comes up out of the bottomless pit will declare war against them, and he will conquer them and kill them. 8 And their bodies will lie in the main street of Jerusalem, the city that is figuratively called “Sodom” and “Egypt,” the city where their Lord was crucified. 9 And for three and a half days, all peoples, tribes, languages, and nations will stare at their bodies. No one will be allowed to bury them.”- Revelation 11:7-9

How is it possible that “all peoples, tribes, languages, and nations” could stare at their dead bodies? Yet, with the invention of the television in 1927 and growth of the internet and social media since 1983 this has become a present reality. The framework for this passage to take place is now firmly established and possible in the 21st century. 

One final thing that is signaling that the return of Christ is racing towards us is found in Daniel 12:4: 

“But you, Daniel, shut up the words and seal the book, until the time of the end. Many shall run to and fro, and knowledge shall increase.” 

The angel, Michael, instructs Daniel to seal up the book of prophecy that he was given, until the time of the end. Michael goes on to describe the end times in a unique way. He says that in those last days many shall run to and from, and knowledge shall increase. The exponential increase of knowledge in the last few decades has never been seen before. 

In 1982, Buckminster Fuller coined what is known the: Knowledge Doubling Curve. He noticed that until 1900 human knowledge doubled approximately every century. By the end of World War II knowledge was doubling every 25 years. Today things are not as simple as different types of knowledge have different rates of growth. For example, nanotechnology knowledge is doubling every two years and clinical knowledge every 18 months. But on average human knowledge is doubling every 13 months.  

I say all this and have not even talked about the military upheavals, earthquakes, famines, and pestilences happening around the planet. Jesus said: 

“Watch out! Don’t let your hearts be dulled by carousing and drunkenness, and by the worries of this life. Don’t let that day catch you unaware, 35 like a trap. For that day will come upon everyone living on the earth. 36 Keep alert at all times. And pray that you might be strong enough to escape these coming horrors and stand before the Son of Man.”.”-Luke 21:34-36 

Jesus didn’t tell us these things to scare us, but rather to prepare us. How much more do you need to see happen before you start looking for your redemption? The early church lived as though Jesus Christ was coming back at any moment, even though the conditions in which Jesus spake, surrounding His return, had not yet come to fruition. How much more should the church today be living in anticipation of His coming now seeing all these things aligning, speeding up and heating up right before our eyes. 

Scott Burr

Dayspring Community Church 

Racing toward the return of Christ (Pt.4)

Part 4

“It exercises all the authority of the first beast in its presence, and makes the earth and its inhabitants worship the first beast, whose mortal wound was healed.”-Revelation 13:12

Perhaps the greatest threats to a one world government and currency are the numerous and diverse religious communities that exist around the world; each religion armed with its own doctrine, beliefs and objections. It is hard to fathom, but in the last days, there will be a false prophet that will appear that will lead the entire world to worship the Anti-christ. 

How is it possible that such a variety of religions that seem so opposed to one another would ever come together in a solitary religion? It will begin by bringing all the world religions together under the guise unity. However, the ultimate goal will be singular worship of the Anti-christ. The Ecumenical movement we see today promotes unity among churches and denominations, but also a variety of religions. It stresses religious inclusiveness and denies the possibility that there is only one way to heaven, as is confessed by Christianity. It believes that all religions are equal and can coexist, however, those who refute this concept are marginalized and excluded. 

So, is there a push for this type of united religious organization? On June 26, 1995, an Ecumenical service was held in San Francisco to celebrate the 50th anniversary of the signing of the UN Charter. After this ecumenical meeting, exactly five years later, the United Religions Initiative (URI) was founded. Their stated goal is to bridge differences between people of all beliefs, to create community, and to solve local and global challenges. Is there much support globally for such a movement? According to the URI website there are 1078 cooperation circles working in over 111 countries. I am no way saying that the URI is the emerging one world religion, but the framework is firmly in place. 

In 2019, another development signaled a continued pursuit towards these ends, when plans were unveiled for a new massive interfaith complex in Abu Dhabi which would include a mosque, a church and a synagogue.The facility, to be known as the Abrahamic Family House, will be located in the United Arab Emirates (UAE). This happening at the same time as the Abraham Accords and normalization agreements (peace deals) between Israel and UAE were being established. It is easy to see that the framework for a one world religion has already been set in place. 

However, these are not the only events signally the return of Christ. Ezekiel 38 records a prophesy regarding a future war that Israel will be thrust into:

“Now the word of the Lord came to me, saying, 2 “Son of man, set your face against Gog, of the land of Magog, the prince of Rosh, Meshech, and Tubal, and prophesy against him, 3 and say, ‘Thus says the Lord God: “Behold, I am against you, O Gog, the prince of Rosh, Meshech, and Tubal. 4 I will turn you around, put hooks into your jaws, and lead you out, with all your army, horses, and horsemen, all splendidly clothed, a great company with bucklers and shields, all of them handling swords. 5 Persia, Ethiopia, and Libya are with them, all of them with shield and helmet; 6 Gomer and all its troops; the house of Togarmah from the far north and all its troops—many people are with you. 7 “Prepare yourself and be ready, you and all your companies that are gathered about you; and be a guard for them. 8 After many days you will be visited. In the latter years you will come into the land of those brought back from the sword and gathered from many people on the mountains of Israel, which had long been desolate; they were brought out of the nations, and now all of them dwell safely. 9 You will ascend, coming like a storm, covering the land like a cloud, you and all your troops and many peoples with you.”-Ezekiel 38:1-9

As you read the biblical account several countries are said to come from the north in opposition to Israel. Bible scholars have proposed that some of those nations mentioned include: Rosh-Russia, Beth-Togarmah-Turkey, and  Persia-Iran. As we speak, just north of Israel is a country that is in complete upheaval- Syria. Since 2015 Russian, Iranian, and Turkish troops have occupied various parts of that nation.  Russia established a military presence in 2015. Turkey in northern Syria inserted a military force in 2016 and Iran in 2015. Does this mean that the Ezekiel 38 war is imminent? Perhaps, but at the very least the framework for such a war is in place. 

Next week we will conclude our study looking at just a couple additional things that are unfolding before us that are signaling the soon return of Christ. 

Pastor Scott Burr

Dayspring Community Church 

Racing toward the return of Christ (Pt.3)

Part 3

“And I saw a beast rising out of the sea, with ten horns and seven heads, with ten diadems on its horns and blasphemous names on its heads.”—Revelation 13:1 

When discussing the last days, you hear a lot of talk about a New World Order: a global realignment of governments, economics and religion. The hallmarks of a New World Order include three things: a one-world government, one-world religion, and one-world currency. Although we are not there yet, we have watched the framework for these things being slowly developed for many years. 

Both Daniel 7 and Revelation 13 use very similar imagery to describe for us a configuration of nations and governments that will exist when Jesus Christ returns. It will consist of 10 nations or a regional conglomeration of nations. It is out of this union of nations that the Antichrist will emerge. According to Daniel 7, he will pluck up or usurp three nations and the remaining nations will hand their power and authority over to him (Rev. 17:12–13): 

“And the ten horns that you saw are ten kings who have not yet received royal power, but they are to receive authority as kings for one hour, together with the beast. These are of one mind, and they hand over their power and authority to the beast.”

Although we have not yet seen the complete fruition of this global realignment of nations, we have certainly seen the framework coming together as early as 1920. Immediately following World War I, the League of Nations was established. Its primary mission was to maintain world peace following the Great War. At the conclusion of World War II (1945), a new intergovernmental organization was established that we know today as the United Nations. Its primary mission, like the League of Nations, is to maintain international peace and security. This was followed by the introduction of the European Union (EU) in 1993. The EU is a political and economic union of many nations. This obvious trend toward nations uniting together to govern has now laid the groundwork for the introduction of the one-world government we see in Revelation 13. 

This one-world government will then look to establish a global form of currency. 

“Also it causes all, both small and great, both rich and poor, both free and slave, to be marked on the right hand or the forehead, 17 so that no one can buy or sell unless he has the mark, that is, the name of the beast or the number of its name.”—Revelation 13:16–17 

There was a time that this may have seemed out of reach. The possibility of a global digital currency was pure science fiction. The invention of the microchip in 1986, however, opened the door to what we see today. Access to your personal information, financial resources and medical data is capable of being housed on a small chip that can be inserted onto a credit card, in a cellphone or even under the skin. 

Some organizations have started giving employees the option to be chipped, including Three Square Market, a Wisconsin-based technology company, that made national headlines after microchipping nearly 100 employees in 2017, and Epicenter, a Swedish start-up that has microchipped an estimated 150 employees since 2015. The technology is here. 

A common question that I have been frequently asked recently is: Are the COVID-19 vaccines the mark of the beast? My answer to that is a simple no. It is clear from scripture that everyone who receives the mark of the beast will understand why they are taking the mark. It is more than just to buy and sell, but it is a sign of worship. We will not be fooled or duped into taking it. Those who receive it will do so willingly. 

However, what the current pandemic has shown us is how quickly and under what conditions a governmental authority can cause a nation of people to quickly abandon their freedoms for the convenience of commodities. We saw for the first time churches shut down, entire states on lockdowns, and commodities shortages that were not war related. We have seen the polarization of our nation as everything has been politicized and personal opinion has trumped the desire for truth. Talk of vaccine passports without which you can’t travel, go to school, or enter federal buildings are moving from the realm of innuendo to stark realities in many regions. The framework for such a global currency and the imposition of economic restrictions is firmly within grasp. 

Scott Burr

Dayspring Community Church 

Racing toward the return of Christ! (Pt.2)

Part 2

“From the fig tree learn its lesson: as soon as its branch becomes tender and puts out its leaves, you know that summer is near. 33 So also, when you see all these things, you know that he is near, at the very gates. 34 Truly, I say to you, this generation will not pass away until all these things take place. 35 Heaven and earth will pass away, but my words will not pass away.”—Matthew 24:32–35

Several years ago, I ran a grueling half marathon in Indianapolis. Along the 13.1 mile course, you would encounter pockets of people cheering you on. Among them were some very well-meaning people who would try to encourage you by telling you that “You were almost there!” or shout to you “It’s just a little farther!” Then you would pass mile marker six and know they lied. LOL! It was obvious that although you were getting closer, you were not almost there. 

I think that is what has happened in the church when it comes to the return of Christ. We have given off the impression for 2,000 years that He is coming soon, and yet soon doesn’t seem to happen. A marathon run is grinding. Mile after mile, you press on knowing that you will eventually reach the end, but it never seems to come fast enough. After what seems like an eternity through endurance, tears and pain, you come around the corner to a massive crowd of people; they are cheering, a sign hangs above that reads Miracle Mile, and you can see in the distance the gabled finish line. All of a sudden, it is as if the finish is racing toward you. 

However, what if I had rejected the evidences before me? The crowds confirming the end was near. The signs declaring it was the last mile. What if I had rejected those things and given up? What if I kept believing that I was only on mile 4 when in reality I was closer to the finish than ever before? 

When it comes to Christ’s return, that is precisely what many of us have done. We have turned the corner and the return of Christ is racing toward us, but we are ignoring the signs. Have we turned the corner? Although Jesus Himself said that no man knows the day or hour of His return, I believe we can place a date on the moment that we turned the corner toward the finish line: May 14, 1948. That is the day that Israel became a nation. 

Prior to this, Israel had not been a sovereign nation since 586 B.C. Yet, all the prophecies regarding the last days show Israel to be a nation at the return of Christ and Jerusalem the center of end time events. The miracle of Israel becoming a nation happens on the heals of WWII. Many biblical scholars and theologians believe that several biblical passages foreshadow that moment in history. Passages like Ezekiel 37:1–6: 

“The hand of the Lord was upon me, and he brought me out in the Spirit of the Lord and set me down in the middle of the valley; it was full of bones. 2 And he led me around among them, and behold, there were very many on the surface of the valley, and behold, they were very dry. 3 And he said to me, “Son of man, can these bones live?” And I answered, “O Lord God, you know.” 4 Then he said to me, “Prophesy over these bones, and say to them, O dry bones, hear the word of the Lord. 5 Thus says the Lord God to these bones: Behold, I will cause breath to enter you, and you shall live. 6 And I will lay sinews upon you, and will cause flesh to come upon you, and cover you with skin, and put breath in you, and you shall live, and you shall know that I am the Lord.”

Many believe that this passage points the restoration of Israel after the Holocaust in which some 6 millions Jews were killed and out of the ashes God raised up a nation in a day. Isaiah the prophet wrote: 

“Who has ever seen anything as strange as this? Who ever heard of such a thing? Has a nation ever been born in a single day? Has a country ever come forth in a mere moment? But by the time Jerusalem’s birth pains begin, her children will be born.”—Isaiah 66:8

Jesus, Himself, eluded to it in Luke 21:29–33 (NLT): “29 Then he gave them this illustration: ‘Notice the fig tree, or any other tree. 30 When the leaves come out, you know without being told that summer is near. 31 In the same way, when you see all these things taking place, you can know that the Kingdom of God is near. 32 I tell you the truth, this generation will not pass from the scene until all these things have taken place. 33 Heaven and earth will disappear, but my words will never disappear.’”

On May 14, 1948, we turned the corner, and we have been racing toward the return of Christ ever since. 

Scott Burr

Dayspring Community Church 

Racing towards the return of Christ! (Pt.1)

Part 1

“7 And they asked him, “Teacher, when will these things be, and what will be the sign when these things are about to take place?” 8 And he said, “See that you are not led astray. For many will come in my name, saying, ‘I am he!’ and, ‘The time is at hand!’ Do not go after them. 9 And when you hear of wars and tumults, do not be terrified, for these things must first take place, but the end will not be at once.”10 Then he said to them, “Nation will rise against nation, and kingdom against kingdom. 11 There will be great earthquakes, and in various places famines and pestilences. And there will be terrors and great signs from heaven. 12 But before all this they will lay their hands on you and persecute you, delivering you up to the synagogues and prisons, and you will be brought before kings and governors for my name's sake. 13 This will be your opportunity to bear witness. 14 Settle it therefore in your minds not to meditate beforehand how to answer, 15 for I will give you a mouth and wisdom, which none of your adversaries will be able to withstand or contradict. 16 You will be delivered up even by parents and brothers and relatives and friends, and some of you they will put to death. 17 You will be hated by all for my name's sake. 18 But not a hair of your head will perish. 19 By your endurance you will gain your lives. 20 “But when you see Jerusalem surrounded by armies, then know that its desolation has come near. 21 Then let those who are in Judea flee to the mountains, and let those who are inside the city depart, and let not those who are out in the country enter it, 22 for these are days of vengeance, to fulfill all that is written. 23 Alas for women who are pregnant and for those who are nursing infants in those days! For there will be great distress upon the earth and wrath against this people. 24 They will fall by the edge of the sword and be led captive among all nations, and Jerusalem will be trampled underfoot by the Gentiles, until the times of the Gentiles are fulfilled. 25 “And there will be signs in sun and moon and stars, and on the earth distress of nations in perplexity because of the roaring of the sea and the waves, 26 people fainting with fear and with foreboding of what is coming on the world. For the powers of the heavens will be shaken. 27 And then they will see the Son of Man coming in a cloud with power and great glory. 28 Now when these things begin to take place, straighten up and raise your heads, because your redemption is drawing near.” Luke 21:7-28 (ESV)

For nearly 2,000 years we have been proclaiming the return of Jesus Christ. From the moment in Acts 1:11 when the angels proclaimed: “Men of Galilee, why do you stand looking into heaven? This Jesus, who was taken up from you into heaven, will come in the same way as you saw him go into heaven” up to this very day, we have publicly and boldly proclaimed that Jesus will return. 

However, as the years have passed since His ascension into Heaven, the Body of Christ has become lackadaisical regarding His return. Each successive generation losing more and more of the urgency of His soon return as is witnessed by each generation’s lack of commitment to evangelizing the lost. 

It has become in the minds of many a spiritual fairytale or conspiracy theory. I was recently watching a History Channel program about Doomsday Scenarios. On this particular program they discussed multiple scenarios: asteroids, plague, solar flare, and nuclear destruction; curiously, however, the return of Christ was not among their possibilities of how things might play out at the end of the age. I worry that is the case, as well, with many people who claim to believe the Word of God.

As a body of believers we have become disengaged regarding His coming and while we are limping towards towards Christ’s return, it is racing towards us. 

Perhaps you have thought, if we just knew when He was coming then we would know when to start living for Him. If we just knew when He was coming we could get serious about evangelism. His disciples, too, wanted to know when it was all going to take place. They wanted to know what specific sign to look for that would point to His soon return. Yet, rather than give a date and time or point to a specific sign, Jesus describe the conditions to be watching for that would accompany His coming. He told them in Luke 21:28: 

“Now when these things begin to take place, straighten up and raise your heads, because your redemption is drawing near.”

This would be the turning point. When those things we see here in Luke 21 begin to take place we will be racing towards the return of Christ. 

Pastor Scott Burr

Dayspring Community Church 

Get up, again! (Pt.2)

“The godly may trip seven times, but they will get up again. But one disaster is enough to overthrow the wicked.”-Proverbs 24:16

The biggest mistake that we will ever make in life is not “whatever” sin has tripped us up this week. It is failing to get up when we’ve been knocked down. There are a myriad of things that can knock you down including the world, Satan, sickness, and sin. However, none of these are listed as disqualifications in this race we are running. Yes, sin does separate us from our God (Isaiah 59:2), but if we confess our sins He is faithful and just to forgive us of our sins and cleanse us from all unrighteousness (1 John 1:9). 

What I have found, however, that keeps most people down is not sin. It is shame. Sin will trip you up, but it’s shame that holds you down. It’s shame that keeps people from getting up and trying again. 

 If you were to take a snapshot of Rocky Balboa after a fight, you would assume he did not win. You would conclude that he got pummeled and lost, but actually everything he experienced in that ring is what allowed him to stand and declare, “Adrian, we did it!”  When did winning mean coming out unscathed? For the sake of the church and those running the race, we need to redefine what winning looks like. Some of my favorite scenes in the Rocky movies are when Rocky is down for the count and Mickey is screaming at him to get up (cue the theme music) and he slowly lifts himself up off the mat. Rocky was winning, you just couldn’t tell it at the moment. The greatest power move you can make in your walk with Jesus is to get up again after a fall.

The Apostle Paul told his protege Timothy:

6 As for me, my life has already been poured out as an offering to God. The time of my death is near. 7 I have fought the good fight, I have finished the race, and I have remained faithful. 8 And now the prize awaits me—the crown of righteousness, which the Lord, the righteous Judge, will give me on the day of his return. And the prize is not just for me but for all who eagerly look forward to his appearing.”-2 Timothy 4:6-8

We live in a culture that values winning over finishing. Winning is equated with defeating the other competitors to get the prize. Where second place is just the first loser. Doesn’t sound very biblical, because it’s not. 

 David Wigington in his book “God of the Long View” wrote: “The Kingdom of God values finishing over winning. Paul doesn’t indicate if he was first, second or second to las in the race, he just says, “I have finished the race.” 

We have associated winning with being first, when God sees winning as finishing the race. That is why we are encouraged to get up, again. Don’t stop. Get up, brush yourself off and keep going. Paul balances his thoughts about running the race with this verse in 1 Corinthians 9:24-27: 

"24 Don’t you realize that in a race everyone runs, but only one person gets the prize? So run to win! 25 All athletes are disciplined in their training. They do it to win a prize that will fade away, but we do it for an eternal prize. 26 So I run with purpose in every step. I am not just shadowboxing. 27 I discipline my body like an athlete, training it to do what it should. Otherwise, I fear that after preaching to others I myself might be disqualified.”

We are not all competing for a single ticket to heaven, but we should all run like we are, train like we are, and discipline ourselves like we are. There is no excuse for not trying to live for Jesus with all our heart, soul, mind and strength, because the reality is Jesus already won! 

“14 He canceled the record of the charges against us and took it away by nailing it to the cross. 15 In this way, he disarmed[d] the spiritual rulers and authorities. He shamed them publicly by his victory over them on the cross.”-Colossians 2:14-15

Jesus has already won and because Jesus wins, we win. We are not called to be the leading scorer in the church, we are called to finish. Christians are too busy competing among themselves for a trophy that Jesus already won. Our skewed view of winning has us passing people who have fallen and wishing them well rather than taking the time to help them up and help them along. We live as if somehow stopping to help others is going to keep us from winning. That we might miss heaven because we spent too much time helping people recover from their fall. We jog around them encouraging them, but never stopping long enough to help them up. We are compounding the shame they are experiencing. Truth be told, the greatest victory we can celebrate is helping others cross the finish line. 

I am certain that as Jesus died on the cross, it didn’t like He was winning. Being wrapped in grave cloths and having a stone rolled in front of the tomb didn’t seem like a victory lap. Yet, we would have never appreciated what was accomplished through the blood, sweat and tears Jesus shed if He had not showed us how to get up. Jesus got up! He didn’t allow even death to keep Him down. Some of you need to get up! Get up out of your despair, out of your shame, and out of your failure. If you want to win, you got to finish.

Scott Burr

Dayspring Community Church 

Get up, again! (Pt.1)

“The godly may trip seven times, but they will get up again. But one disaster is enough to overthrow the wicked.”-Proverbs 24:16

We have most likely heard a quote that sounds very similar to that passage: “Life is not about how many times you fall, but how many times you get back up." 

The quote is attributed to several people online, but none go back as far as King David. Amazingly, the truth has remained mostly intact even though it has been secularized to remove its spiritual overtones. Nevertheless, it’s the spiritual overtone that creates the context for this passage that I want to speak about today. 

When King David wrote this verse, I can’t help but think the he was rehearsing the times that he had failed. King David knew a thing or two about failing? How many of you know a thing or two about failing?

David’s list was long but included some major infractions like committing adultery with Bathsheba, murdering Uriah (Bathsheba’s husband), took a census, in disobedience, that led to people’s death and repeatedly failed to discipline his sons.Yet, in the midst of that he writes: “The godly may trip seven times, but they will get up again.” 

Remember that spiritual overtone that I told you was so important? Although the truth is impactful for everyone, it is directed in this passage toward the godly. Those people that profess to follow God and live according to His Word. Somewhere we have convinced ourselves that failing means failure and that as a Christian the mistakes we make somehow disqualify us from the race. 

The godly, however, are just as prone to fall and make mistakes as anyone else. What I have noticed in over 20 years of ministry is that the people hardest hit by the consequences of making mistakes are new believers and seasoned saints: 

New believers feel as if they will never make it, because of their failings. They get some traction and fall, get some traction and fall, causing them to feel like they will never cross the finish line. 

Seasoned saints, those who have walked with God for a long time, will often have a good run before stumbling and making huge mistake. This failure causes them to feel like they will never recover from their bad decision. 

Can I let you in on a little secret: Failing has no favorites! Truth is, you are likely going to fail more than you anticipate. Do you think that David chose the number seven because that is how many times he could remember failing? Was he limiting the number of times we can fail as believers and still make heaven? Not likely. 

Seven is the number of completion in the Bible. To have fallen “7” times could mean that you have failed God as much as someone can fail God. Ever felt like that? 

None of us start out our walk with Christ anticipating that we are going to make wrong choices and bad decisions. The whole concept of repentance is to turn from our wicked ways to follow Christ. Yet, here we are covered in the aftermath of poor choices and some still living with the consequences. 

As believers we can’t be naive enough to think that we will never fail. We should anticipate failing. Anticipating failure in no way excuses making poor decisions, but rather it keeps us humble so that we don’t get tripped up by our own pride. 

Scott Burr 

Dayspring Community Church 

Sermons that shape us: Where your treasure is! (Pt.3)

(Part 3)

“Sell your possessions and give to those in need. This will store up treasure for you in heaven! And the purses of heaven never get old or develop holes. Your treasure will be safe; no thief can steal it and no moth can destroy it. Wherever your treasure is, there the desires of your heart will also be.”-Luke 12:33-34

We are all familiar with the variety of earthly accounts into which we can make deposits and are well versed on how to place things into those accounts, but how do we make deposits into our heavenly account? 

Jesus instructs us here in Luke 12 that we lay up treasure in heaven by helping meet the needs of others. That means using your earthly possessions to see the needs of others met. All throughout scripture we see God point out that it is in our eternal interest to help others in need:

 “Whoever has a bountiful (good) eye will be blessed, for he shares his bread with the poor.”-Proverbs 22:9 (ESV)

“Feed the hungry, and help those in trouble. Then your light will shine out from the darkness, and the darkness around you will be as bright as noon.”-Isaiah 58:10 (NLT)

“And don’t forget to do good and to share with those in need. These are the sacrifices that please God.”-Hebrews 13:16 (NLT)

"No other story in the Bible illustrates better the eternal impact of ignoring this truth than Matthew 19:16-21 (ESV):

“Someone came to Jesus with this question: “Teacher, what good deed must I do to have eternal life?” “Why ask me about what is good?” Jesus replied. “There is only One who is good. But to answer your question—if you want to receive eternal life, keep the commandments.” “Which ones?” the man asked. And Jesus replied: “‘You must not murder. You must not commit adultery. You must not steal. You must not testify falsely. Honor your father and mother. Love your neighbor as yourself.’” “I’ve obeyed all these commandments,” the young man replied. “What else must I do?” Jesus told him, “If you want to be perfect, go and sell all your possessions and give the money to the poor, and you will have treasure in heaven. Then come, follow me.” But when the young man heard this, he went away sad, for he had many possessions.

This is the sad testament of a man who had the means to help those in need, but was unwilling to use it to bless others. Wealth had become his god. His possessions had become his identity. He could not see that using his wealth on earth could build an eternal foundation in heaven. 

People, primarily, store their earthly finances in one of two places: a checking/savings account and a retirement account. One we have access to daily, the other is laid up for the future. Because I have a retirement account, I can look forward to retirement. Why? Because, that which I laid up in that account will be there waiting on me. Pastor Randy Alcorn made a similar statement regarding heaven: 

“He who lays up treasures in heaven looks forward to eternity.”

Why? Because we have treasure laid up there. Many people don’t look forward to retirement because they have nothing laid up for it. In much the same way, many don’t look forward to eternity because they have nothing laid up for it. 

If we truly want our lives to be filled with light, purpose and meaning then we need to develop an eye for what is eternal. Every act of kindness, good deed, and sacrificial effort is accumulating interest in the heart of our heavenly Father. By helping those in need, we are laying up treasure in heaven.

Scott Burr

Dayspring Community Church 

Sermons that shape us: Where your treasure is! (Pt.2)

(Part 2)

“Then he told them a story: “A rich man had a fertile farm that produced fine crops. He said to himself, ‘What should I do? I don’t have room for all my crops.’ Then he said, ‘I know! I’ll tear down my barns and build bigger ones. Then I’ll have room enough to store all my wheat and other goods. And I’ll sit back and say to myself, “My friend, you have enough stored away for years to come. Now take it easy! Eat, drink, and be merry!”’-Luke 12:16-19

In the story of the rich farmer, the story begins with the farmer taking inventory of the massive harvest that he had accumulated.  It appears that, prior to planting, the farmer did not adequately evaluate his ability to house such a harvest. He did not address his storage issue until he had more possessions than he could manage. Only then did he turn his attention on where he would store it. 

His answer was to increase his capacity to hold more earthly possessions. It appears as if it never crossed his mind to use his excess to lay up treasures in heaven, that is to be rich towards God. Rather he chose to increase his earthly capacity to receive possessions. In a very stern rebuke, God address the farmer because of this in Luke 12:20-21:

“But God said to him, ‘You fool! You will die this very night. Then who will get everything you worked for?’“Yes, a person is a fool to store up earthly wealth but not have a rich relationship with God.”

Although, the old adage is true, regarding earthly wealth-“You can’t take it with you.” We can use our earthly possessions to lay up treasures in our eternal account. Jesus made this profound statement in Matthew 6:21: 

“Wherever your treasure is, there the desires of your heart will also be.”

Jesus tells us that where we store our treasure is where our heart is. If we store all our treasure on earth. That is where are hearts will be. If we store all our treasure in heaven, that is where our hearts will be. Having predetermined where are treasure will go, says more about our spiritual maturity than what we actually possess. It changes the way that we look at possessions. 

One of my favorite television shows to watch is American Pickers. One of the things I hear on the show that Mike Wolf often says when rummaging through the mounds of relics in people’s barns and garages is this “He/She really had an eye for what would be valuable one day.” Meaning they could look at something and see value in it, when others did not.

It’s interesting that when talking about possessions Jesus said this:

 “Your eye is like a lamp that provides light for your body. When your eye is healthy, your whole body is filled with light. 23 But when your eye is unhealthy, your whole body is filled with darkness. And if the light you think you have is actually darkness, how deep that darkness is! 24 “No one can serve two masters. For you will hate one and love the other; you will be devoted to one and despise the other. You cannot serve God and be enslaved to money.”-Matthew 6:22-24

My New Spirit Filled Life Bible had a great commentary on this passage: “The person with a good (healthy) eye is one whose intent is to serve God and not money (Mammon-god of materialism). The person with the bad eye is selfish, covetous, and miserly. The one who looks at possessions properly, their life is full of light, life, meaning and purpose. The other’s life is plunged into darkness devoid of meaning. 

It is interesting how two people can look at the same thing, but depending on “where their treasure is” will see the item differently. Example: Someone has a car they are looking to give away and asks if you know anyone that could use it.

1. Person #1 may look at it and say, “I’ll take it.” They already have a car and a one car garage. But upon receiving it they decide to build another garage to house their newly received blessing. 

2. Person #2 recognizing they already have a car, begin looking for someone else to give the car to that could truly use it. 

One person is padding their earthly account the other is investing in their heavenly account. That person has an eye for that which is going to bless God and bless others. They understand what true heavenly treasure looks like and see the value in it, even when others don’t. We need to develop an eye for what is eternally valuable. 

Pastor Scott Burr

Dayspring Community Church 

Sermons that shape us: Where your treasure is! (Pt.1)

(Part 1)

“Don’t store up treasures here on earth, where moths eat them and rust destroys them, and where thieves break in and steal. Store your treasures in heaven, where moths and rust cannot destroy, and thieves do not break in and steal. Wherever your treasure is, there the desires of your heart will also be. “Your eye is like a lamp that provides light for your body. When your eye is healthy, your whole body is filled with light. But when your eye is unhealthy, your whole body is filled with darkness. And if the light you think you have is actually darkness, how deep that darkness is! “No one can serve two masters. For you will hate one and love the other; you will be devoted to one and despise the other. You cannot serve God and be enslaved to money.”-Matthew 6:19-24

One of the things that I love about the Sermon on the Mount is how it shifts the way we look at everything around us. Jesus was revolutionary in the way that he approached religion, social issues, and morality. He was able to look at culture and see dangerous trends and address them by showing us the value of investing in that which is eternal versus that which is temporal.

That is what we see happening here in Matthew 6. Jesus is unveiling a new way to look at money and possessions. Jesus never condemns having money and possessions, but rather uses this moment to shift our perspectives on the purpose of our possessions. 

I think it’s interesting that when Jesus begins the discussion about money and possessions, he doesn’t begin the discussion talking about what kind of things we should be storing up. I would think that would be the natural place to start. What are we to be storing? Jesus, however, starts with the “where” before the “what.” 

“Don’t store up treasures here on earth, where moths eat them and rust destroys them, and where thieves break in and steal. Store your treasures in heaven, where moths and rust cannot destroy, and thieves do not break in and steal.”-Matthew 6:19-20

Before defining for us what he considers to be treasures, He carefully defines the benefit of choosing the right storage conditions. In vs. 19, Jesus begins by pointing out how that treasures stored on earth are susceptible to being eaten and destroyed by moth and rust or stolen by thieves. In vs. 20, He contends that treasures stored in heaven are immune to moths and rust and are unable to be stolen by thieves. 

We call storage facilities that house our treasures-banks. Think about this for just a moment. There are a variety of banks. You have financial institutions that we call banks, but there are also blood banks and food banks. When it comes to storing our possessions, typically, we look at our possessions and decide (based on what we have) where we are going to store it. We choose where to store based on what we have accumulated. That’s how things typically work.

However, what if we decided beforehand where we were going to store things. What if we decided the where before we decided the what. Wouldn’t that cause us to only pursue those things that could be deposited there. If we decided that we are only going to pursue those things that we can store in our heavenly account, wouldn’t that dramatically change the way we look at our possessions, but more so challenge us to evaluate what we are pursuing? 

Pastor Scott Burr

Sermons that shape us: Secrets (Pt.2)

 “And when you pray, you must not be like the hypocrites. For they love to stand and pray in the synagogues and at the street corners, that they may be seen by others. Truly, I say to you, they have received their reward. 6 But when you pray, go into your room and shut the door and pray to your Father who is in secret. And your Father who sees in secret will reward you.”-Matthew 6:5-6

Are we more concerned about attracting God or a crowd? In this section of scripture Jesus is comparing two types of people: those who pray to draw a crowd and those who pray to draw God. 

Prayer, for the Pharisees, had become a marketing strategy. It was all about attracting attention. When they prayed they prayed publicly on street corners and synagogues. Their goal was to attract a crowd, but to what end? To build a reputation and a following. 

This is where Jesus makes the distinction. We can either choose to use prayer to build a reputation among men or to build a reputation with God:

“And when you pray, do not heap up empty phrases as the Gentiles do, for they think that they will be heard for their many words. Do not be like them, for your Father knows what you need before you ask him.”-Matthew 6:7-8

When God is not the focal point of our prayer life, then our prayers are nothing but babel, vain repetitions that are not rooted in any type of relationship. Prayer, however, that is God-centric is rooted in knowing the Father and knowing that He knows our needs before we ask. 

Nestled among these verses is some great teaching on giving, prayer, and fasting; but the common denominator/the pressing need connecting each of them was the superficial spirituality that was replacing true worship. Think about how social media has influenced friendships, communication, dating, and self-image replacing the genuine with the superficial. 

“And when you fast, do not look gloomy like the hypocrites, for they disfigure their faces that their fasting may be seen by others. Truly, I say to you, they have received their reward. But when you fast, anoint your head and wash your face, that your fasting may not be seen by others but by your Father who is in secret. And your Father who sees in secret will reward you.”- Matthew 6:16-18

They tried to look miserable and disheveled so people would admire their spirituality. They were trying to pawn off superficial spirituality as genuine worship. Superficial means: appearing to be true or real only until examined more closely.

Jesus was combating the tendency of men to make their giving, prayer and fasting about themselves, rather than taking those things into the secret place with God where He would be glorified. In fact, the only way that our giving, prayer, and fasting can be adequately gauged is by the amount of glory God receives because of them. We give in secret, so that God is seen, not you and I. We pray in secret, so God is seen, not you and I. We fast in secret, so God is seen, not you and I. 

Giving, prayer, and fasting is most sincere when it is done in secret, where we hide ourselves in Him, so that He receives all the glory. 

Scott Burr

Dayspring Community Church