Preparing our hearts to receive the prodigals (Pt.3)

(Part 3)

“So he returned home to his father. And while he was still a long way off, his father saw him coming. Filled with love and compassion, he ran to his son, embraced him, and kissed him. His son said to him, ‘Father, I have sinned against both heaven and you, and I am no longer worthy of being called your son.[a]’ “But his father said to the servants, ‘Quick! Bring the finest robe in the house and put it on him. Get a ring for his finger and sandals for his feet. And kill the calf we have been fattening. We must celebrate with a feast, for this son of mine was dead and has now returned to life. He was lost, but now he is found.’”-Luke 15:20-24

Watch carefully the father’s response to simply seeing his son from along way off. There is no indication of repentance from the young man at this point, no possible way of knowing what the young man could be returning home for, perhaps more money, yet it says:  

“Filled with love and compassion, he ran to his son, embraced him, and kissed him.”

Here is a truth for you, regardless of whether or not you agree with their lifestyle or their decisions. Regardless of whether they have repented for the pain that they have caused you or have yet to get right with God, we must still show them the same love and compassion that Jesus showed us when we were still steeped in sin. Sometimes the greatest thing we can do for a prodigal is come off the porch to meet them. If they have to crawl their way back to you hand and foot to be reconciled to you, then you have created a distance that Jesus, Himself, came and died on the cross to overcome. 

More so, if we are continuing to carry so much unresolved hurt toward them that we won’t even come off the porch to meet them; how will we ever do the harder work of restoration. The son repented and immediately the father went to work restoring him:

“But his father said to the servants, ‘Quick! Bring the finest robe in the house and put it on him. Get a ring for his finger and sandals for his feet.”-Luke 15:22

Each of those items have a profound meaning. The robe represents right standing, the ring represents the seal of authority and sonship, the sandals represent dignity.

How quickly should we begin the work of restoration in a prodigal’s life? For most of us there would be a mandatory time of proving themselves, before we would release anything back to them. Yet, the Father called for it immediately. 

That could only be possible if he had been preparing himself for his son’s return. Only possible if he had done the work of getting his own heart and attitudes right to receive him, prior to seeing him coming. I think that is what I love most about this story. The father had no idea when the son would return, so he prepared himself to be ready at any moment. Perhaps the prodigals are failing to returning home, not because they haven’t hit rock bottom yet, but rather we haven’t. We haven’t reached the point that we are willing to do the hard work of forgiveness and overcoming bitterness to make way for them to return. 

Why would God send a prodigal back home to people who are not ready to receive him? So often, we have prayer meetings crying out to God for the prodigals to come home, we pray that God would do whatever it takes, we pray that they would “come to their senses” and get out of the pig pen of sin and carnal living and come back to Christ.  Yet, when is the last time we prayed that God would prepare our hearts to receive them. To search us and make sure that we haven’t created an obstacle in our own attitude and hearts to their return. Most of us fancy ourselves to be like the Father, but our attitudes and actions seem more like the older brother. 

Should we pray for the prodigals to come home? Absolutely, and while we wait for their return, we need to be preparing ourselves to receive them. 

Scott Burr

Dayspring Community Church 

Preparing our hearts to receive the prodigals (Pt.2)

(Part 2)

“I will go home to my father and say, “Father, I have sinned against both heaven and you, and I am no longer worthy of being called your son. Please take me on as a hired servant.”-Luke 15:18-19

Luke 15:11-19 gives us a pretty good overview of what the prodigal’s life was like upon leaving the Father’s house and his attitude when he finally comes to the end of himself.  

Listening to the younger brother reaffirms what we discussed last week: How the father loved his son as he left, paved the way for his coming home. If the father had been harsh with him as he left, the son may have never even considered the possibility of returning home. Even though most of the passage is dedicated to the younger brother we also get a glimpse into the older brother’s life after the exodus of his younger sibling:

“Now his older son was in the field, and as he came and drew near to the house, he heard music and dancing. And he called one of the servants and asked what these things meant. And he said to him, ‘Your brother has come, and your father has killed the fattened calf, because he has received him back safe and sound.’ But he was angry and refused to go in. His father came out and entreated him, but he answered his father, ‘Look, these many years I have served you, and I never disobeyed your command, yet you never gave me a young goat, that I might celebrate with my friends.”- Luke 15:25-29

After the younger brother abandons him, the older brother simply went back to working the fields and serving his father faithfully. He, obviously, gave little thought to reconciling with his brother and had never forgiven him or done anything to deal with his own hurt; this we can gather from his response to his brother’s return and to his father’s response. 

However, nothing is really told to us about the father’s feelings. Our only indication about the father’s heart and attitude toward his son and what the father had spent his time doing during his son’s absence; we must glean from his response to his son’s return: 

“So he returned home to his father. And while he was still a long way off, his father saw him coming. Filled with love and compassion, he ran to his son, embraced him, and kissed him. His son said to him, ‘Father, I have sinned against both heaven and you, and I am no longer worthy of being called your son.’ “But his father said to the servants, ‘Quick! Bring the finest robe in the house and put it on him. Get a ring for his finger and sandals for his feet. And kill the calf we have been fattening. We must celebrate with a feast, for this son of mine was dead and has now returned to life. He was lost, but now he is found.’”-Luke 15:20-24

It is obvious from the father’s response that he had prepared his heart for this moment. He had prepared himself for the prodigal’s return. We see no “I told you so’s”, no resentment in his voice, no guilt ridden speeches, no hoops to jump through. Whatever pain he may have felt at the son’s exit, he no longer carried. 

Scott Burr

Dayspring Community Church 

Preparing our hearts to receive the prodigals (Pt.1)

(Part 1)

“To illustrate the point further, Jesus told them this story: “A man had two sons. The younger son told his father, ‘I want my share of your estate now before you die.’ So his father agreed to divide his wealth between his sons. “A few days later this younger son packed all his belongings and moved to a distant land, and there he wasted all his money in wild living. About the time his money ran out, a great famine swept over the land, and he began to starve. He persuaded a local farmer to hire him, and the man sent him into his fields to feed the pigs. The young man became so hungry that even the pods he was feeding the pigs looked good to him. But no one gave him anything. “When he finally came to his senses, he said to himself, ‘At home even the hired servants have food enough to spare, and here I am dying of hunger! I will go home to my father and say, “Father, I have sinned against both heaven and you, and I am no longer worthy of being called your son. Please take me on as a hired servant.”-Luke 15:11-19 (ESV)

Probably most of us have either have been ourselves or are praying for a prodigal. Defining a prodigal can take on a variety of meanings. It can range from a person that behaves recklessly, one that squanders their life and livelihood in carnal living, or is simply a person who is pursuing their own self-interests apart from God. 

Often, when a prodigal leaves it is accompanied by some level of emotional aftermath. People are often left hurt, disillusioned and shocked by their exit. The lifestyle and choices that follow often cause tremendous angst and dismay. Parents, friends and family are left wondering what they may have done to push them away. 

No doubt, the prodigal son’s brother was still carrying some unresolved hurt. You can hear it in his tone of voice in Luke 15:30:

“But when this son of yours came, who has devoured your property with prostitutes, you killed the fattened calf for him!’”

And, although we don’t see it, it would be hard to believe that the father didn’t wrestle with some pain himself at his son’s exit. I was kind of surprised, as I read the passage again, that there was virtually no push back from the father regarding the younger son’s demands:

“The younger son told his father, ‘I want my share of your estate now before you die.’ So his father agreed to divide his wealth between his sons.”-Luke 15:12

That is not to say that there wasn’t more discussion than what we see recorded here, but I couldn’t help to think about this father and son’s relationship as the son was packing his bags to leave. Perhaps the father’s actions were intentional; knowing that how things ended in that moment could have a huge impact on their future relationship. Is it possible we are seeing a deeper truth here:

How you love a prodigal as they go, helps pave the road for their return. 

We don’t see the father demean, condemn, scold or mock the young man. The father did not create any unnecessary obstacles between he and his son. He didn’t shout… “You walk out that door, don’t bother ever coming back.” Mind you, he also didn’t chase the young man down and try to convince him otherwise or bail him out when things got tight. He did, however, keep the door for reconciliation open and he went about the work of preparing himself for his son’s return. 

Scott Burr

Dayspring Community Church 

Four months more (Pt.2)

(Part 2 of 2)

“Do you not say, ‘There are still four months and then comes the harvest’? Behold, I say to you, lift up your eyes and look at the fields, for they are already white for harvest!”-John 4:35 

Perhaps, it wasn’t a carnal need or a personal bias that caused the disciples to miss the harvest. What if instead they simply didn’t see the moment as being the right time share their new found faith. They had gone into town, mind you, to find lunch, not win souls. How often have we failed to share Christ with someone because we were waiting on the perfect conditions?

Do you not say, “There are still four months and “then” comes the harvest?” The reason we often fail to bring in the harvest is because we are waiting on the perfect conditions to reap. I wonder how much of the harvest is dying in the field, because we are waiting on the ideal conditions to reap? A lot can be lost in four months. According to the Kennedy Institute, 21,360,000 people will cross over into eternity during that time. Souls are passing into eternity in record numbers.

There is no lack of harvest. There is no lack of souls that need saved and lives that need transformed. The only lack is a lack of laborers to bring the harvest in. That’s the context of the passage. Can I tell you in farming that the guys who put the seed in the field are the ones who reap in the harvest at the end. When did we fall into this idea that some are solely responsible for planting, others are solely responsible for watering, and others solely responsible for reaping. If we have a generation of believers that see themselves as only planters or only waterers then we are going to have harvest dying in the fields because there is no one reaping.

“Then Jesus went about all the cities and villages, teaching in their synagogues, preaching the gospel of the kingdom, and healing every sickness and every disease among the people. But when He saw the multitudes, He was moved with compassion for them, because they were  weary and scattered, like sheep having no shepherd. Then He said to His disciples, “The harvest truly is plentiful, but the laborers are few. Therefore pray the Lord of the harvest to send out laborers into His harvest.”-Matthew 9:35-38

For years the church has been praying for God to send a harvest of souls. The problem is, God already sent it. Here we are waiting for a harvest that is already, according to Jesus, ripened and ready to be reaped. It’s not a harvest problem. It’s a laborer problem. 

It’s a problem with no one wanting to do the hard work of reaping souls. Jesus looked at the multitudes and basically said, “I can’t reach all these people by myself. I need your help to bring in the harvest.” 

The next big event on our Christian calendar is Easter (Resurrection Sunday). Interestingly, enough, it is four months from now. A lot of churches will begin preparing themselves for it soon, as it is the most attended church service of the year.  The question is how many souls are going to be lost over the next four months as we wait for it. Everyday that goes by, people are passing into eternity. What are we going to do about it? 

Scott Burr

Dayspring Community Church 

Four months more (Pt.1)

(Part 1 of 2) 

 “34 Jesus said to them, “My food is to do the will of Him who sent Me, and to finish His work. 35 Do you not say, ‘There are still four months and then comes the harvest’? Behold, I say to you, lift up your eyes and look at the fields, for they are already white for harvest! 36 And he who reaps receives wages, and gathers fruit for eternal life, that both he who sows and he who reaps may rejoice together. 37 For in this the saying is true: ‘One sows and another reaps.’ 38 I sent you to reap that for which you have not labored; others have labored, and you have entered into their labors.”-John 4:34-38 (NKJV)

According to the Kennedy Institute of Ethics: 65 million people die each year around the world. That is 178,000 people each day, 7,425 each hour and 120 each minute. As I think about those numbers, within the context of John 4, I have a little different take on them. If those numbers are accurate, 65 million people cross over into either eternal life with God or eternal separation from God each year. That is 178,000 each day, 7,425 each hour and 120 each minute. 

In John 4, Jesus has a life-altering encounter with a Samaritan woman at a well near Sychar. She left the well transformed by her encounter with Christ and went back to town to tell everyone about Him:

 “The woman then left her waterpot, went her way into the city, and said to the men, “Come, see a Man who told me all things that I ever did. Could this be the Christ?” Then they went out of the city and came to Him.”-John 4:28-30

The disciples had gone to town to find food to eat, while Jesus was busy about His Father’s will winning souls to the Kingdom. When the disciples returned, they urged Him to eat, but rather than dive into the sack lunch they provided, He turns to them and says: “My food is to do the will of Him who sent me, and to finish His work.” Jesus was hungry, but it was a hunger to see souls saved and lives transformed. 

Are we hungry for the same things that Jesus is hungry for? 

The disciples had gone into town to meet a physical need in their own life. When they returned no one from the community came with them to meet Jesus. Any of them could have invited the people to come out to meet Him. Yet, their mission into the community was not to bring people to Christ; but to fill their own bellies. 

Jesus, on the other hand, spent His time ministering to one woman, in which during that short exchange her life was transformed and shortly she would return from town with a host of people to meet Him. 

The disciples had literally been wandering among the harvest field that Jesus would speak of and yet none of them could see the harvest. Therein lies the struggle within the church today. We are wandering in the harvest field everyday, yet we are failing to see the harvest. Jesus tells His disciples to lift up their eyes. Why? Because we are living with are heads in the sand when it comes to souls. How is it that we can be standing in the midst of a harvest field and fail to see the harvest?  Are we, like the disciples, more concerned about seeing our carnal needs met than they are about doing the will of the Father and finishing His work?

Perhaps their lack of interest wasn’t from being distracted by their own carnal needs at all, but rather they were distracted by their own built in biases. Jews and Samaritans did not get along well. The Jews would often go out of their way to avoid Samaria. The disciples, perhaps, didn’t even see this group of people as being worthy to spend time with Jesus. They didn’t see the harvest because they didn’t see the people they were standing among as being harvest material. 

Scott Burr

Dayspring Community Church 

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