Stop the funeral (Pt. 1)

Part 1

 

“11 Soon afterward Jesus went with his disciples to the village of Nain, and a large crowd followed him. 12 A funeral procession was coming out as he approached the village gate. The young man who had died was a widow’s only son, and a large crowd from the village was with her. 13 When the Lord saw her, his heart overflowed with compassion. “Don’t cry!” he said. 14 Then he walked over to the coffin and touched it, and the bearers stopped. “Young man,” he said, “I tell you, get up.” 15 Then the dead boy sat up and began to talk! And Jesus gave him back to his mother. 16 Great fear swept the crowd, and they praised God, saying, “A mighty prophet has risen among us,” and “God has visited his people today.” 17 And the news about Jesus spread throughout Judea and the surrounding countryside.”-Luke 7:11-17

 

After miraculously healing a Roman Officer’s servant, Jesus traveled to a village called Nain. As he is approaching the town the first thing he encounters is funeral procession carrying a widow’s only son. Interestingly enough, the word Nain: means pleasantness. A name which seems completely contrary to what Jesus was walking into. He was walking into grief, mourning, despair and death. There was nothing pleasant about that at all. 

 

As I thought about this passage, the Lord rehearsed in my mind the hopes, plans, and dreams that we had for 2020. We looked at 2020 with great anticipation and expectation. However, like Nain, our encounter with 2020 hasn’t been as pleasant as we had thought it would be. We were introduced to Covid-19, an economic recession, a government shut-down, social unrest, followed by deep political division. How many would agree that this wasn’t at all what we thought 2020 would be like?

 

Along with everything else, the events of 2020 have created a mental health crisis in our country and around the world. Like the widow of Nain we are grieving a loss. Not just the tragic loss of loved ones, but job losses, health setbacks, vacations canceled, savings accounts depleted, weddings postponed, and graduations and proms rescinded. Couple that with the regular tragedies that we’ve been accustomed to all our lives: like drug overdoses, heart disease, wildfires, hurricanes, cancer, and automobile accidents and you can see why it has caused so many to want to escape 2020. 

 

 It has caused many of us to declare things like this: “I am so done with 2020!”, “I will be so glad when 2020 is over.”, “Can we just fast forward to Christmas! In many of our hearts and minds we do not see anything redeeming ahead for this year and have already moved it over into the loss column.

Just like the widow of Nain, she counted her son as dead and was moving towards burying him along with her hope, provision, and future. In like manner, many of you have declared this year officially dead and are moving towards burying it, but I want to declare to you today “It ain’t over yet!!” 

 

Scott Burr

Dayspring Community Church 

The calm inside the storm (Pt.3)

(Part 3 of 3) 

“Then He arose and rebuked the wind, and said to the sea, “Peace, be still!” And the wind ceased and there was a great calm. But He said to them, “Why are you so fearful? How is it that you have no faith?””-Mark 4:39-40

I hate to be the bearer of bad news, but Jesus isn’t going to deliver you out of every storm. He isn’t going to step in and rebuke the wind and waves each time you face difficult conditions. Instead, he showed us that we don’t have to let the storm on the outside create a storm on the inside of us.

What if that is the real miracle of the passage. It wouldn’t be the first time that Jesus used a powerful external miracle to convey a deeper spiritual one. Take some time to read the story of the paralytic brought in on a mat by his friends in Luke 5:17-26. Jesus used his healing to confirm His ability to forgive sins. 

When Jesus got up and rebuked the wind and the waves, he turned to His disciples and asked them “Why are you afraid? Do you still have no faith?” I don’t think he was questioning why they didn’t just believe for him to stand up and rebuke the wind. Let’s be honest, we serve a shallow God if we believe that He is only interested in improving our external conditions. No, I think he was questioning why they allowed the storm around them to become the storm inside of them, instead of allowing the calm in Him to become the calm in them. 

They missed it because they were amazed that the wind and waves obeyed him but not amazed that Jesus was able to remain calm when it seemed the whole world was crashing around them. The problem that most of us face is that we are more moved by our conditions than we want to admit. 

The disciples had Jesus with them in the boat, but their response for awhile was to act like he wasn’t even there, which led them into believing that He wasn’t even concerned about them. They misread Him (not the situation). Truth is, He was there with them the whole time. He promised to never leave us nor forsake us. He is our ever-present help in times of trouble. He’s in the boat. 

Hebrews 12:2 instructs us to keep our eyes fixed on Jesus, not our conditions. The atmosphere inside of you is created by what you fix your eyes on. Peter walked on water when he had his eyes fixed on Jesus, but sank at the sight of the wind and waves. 

We’ve misread miracles because we have believed that the way to be more like Jesus is to rebuke the wind and waves around us. Sometimes that is the answer. However, if the wind doesn’t die down. Sometimes being like Jesus is resting in who He is and trusting that if He isn’t panicked neither will I be. 

Scott Burr

Dayspring Community Church

The calm inside the storm (Pt. 2)

Part 2

 Mark 4:38:“The disciples woke him and said to him, ‘Teacher, don’t you care if we drown?’”

There were two types of calm displayed in this passage.  Jesus calmed the wind and waves, but additionally Jesus himself was demonstrating a whole new level of calm when he fell asleep in the midst of the storm. The disciples, however, interpreted these two calming moments very differently. When he rebuked the wind and waves. They were terrified, perplexed and amazed that even the wind and waves obeyed Him. However, they interpreted his sleeping in the stern much differently. They mistook his calm for a lack of concern. 

Why do we associate being calm with a lack of concern? Jesus was the only one in the boat not panicking. He wasn’t bailing water and he wasn’t wringing his hands and fretting. He wasn’t reacting the way they were reacting, so they misread him. They confused his calm with a lack of concern. 

Have you ever felt that. Felt as though Jesus didn’t respond to your situation with the urgency you expected. Ever wonder why it’s so pressing to you, yet seems so unimportant to Jesus. Ever think, if there was ever a time for a miracle it’s now:

“When Jesus woke up, he rebuked the wind and said to the waves, “Silence! Be still!” Suddenly the wind stopped, and there was a great calm. Then he asked them, “Why are you afraid? Do you still have no faith?”-Mark 4:39-40

When we talk about the miracles Jesus performed, this miracle certainly ranks in the top ten. He commanded the winds and waves to stop and they did. His power over natural elements was just one way that Jesus confirmed that He was who he claimed to be. 

However, is it possible that we’ve misread the real miracle in this story. Is it possible that like the disciples we are waiting on him to change the conditions swirling around us. We are waiting on Jesus to stand up and rebuke the wind and waves in our lives. 

Jesus was experiencing the same external influences as the disciples, but he wasn’t experiencing them on the inside. The physical storm surrounding the disciples created a storm inside of them. So that the storm on the inside was a reflection of the storm on the outside. What if we misread the miracle and the miracle wasn’t Jesus showing us that he had the power to command the wind and waves to stop, but rather it was showing us how to remain calm when the the storm around us seems overwhelming. What if the miracle was showing us how to keep the storm surrounding us from becoming the storm within us. 

Scott Burr

Dayspring Community Church 

The calm inside the storm (Pt.1)

(Part 1)

“35 That day when evening came, he said to his disciples, ‘Let us go over to the other side.’ 36 Leaving the crowd behind, they took him along, just as he was, in the boat. There were also other boats with him. 37 A furious squall came up, and the waves broke over the boat, so that it was nearly swamped. 38 Jesus was in the stern, sleeping on a cushion. The disciples woke him and said to him, ‘Teacher, don’t you care if we drown?’ 39 He got up, rebuked the wind and said to the waves, ‘Quiet! Be still!’ Then the wind died down and it was completely calm. 40 He said to his disciples, ‘Why are you so afraid? Do you still have no faith?’41 They were terrified and asked each other, ‘Who is this? Even the wind and the waves obey him!’-Mark 4:35-41

All of us are familiar with storms. Live long enough and you may experience the fiercest of what mother nature has to offer. From the 140 tornadoes that touched down Easter weekend spanning the south to the devastating Hurricane Laura that blasted Texas and Louisiana; we are all susceptible to experiencing storms of various sizes and intensities. 

A storm is defined as a violent disturbance in the atmosphere usually accompanied by strong winds. Mark 4:37 provides us a description of the storm that the disciples found themselves in:

“A furious squall came up, and the waves broke over the boat, so that it was nearly swamped.”

There are three significant variables that characterized this storm: 

First, a furious squall came up- meaning it came up quickly and unexpectedly. 

Secondly, waves broke over the boat- meaning it breached what made them feel safe.  

Finally, it nearly swamped them- meaning it was so overwhelming that they couldn’t seem to bail themselves out of it, no matter how hard they tried.  

However, not all the storms that we face are on the outside. Some are on the inside. Many people battle depression, anxiety, the inability to forgive, low self-worth, and fear on a daily basis. Those internal storms carry the very same variables as an external storm: they often come on us quickly and unexpectedly, they breach what makes us feel safe, and overwhelms us so that we can’t seem to bail ourselves out. Our internal atmosphere gets disrupted. 

Just as there is an external atmosphere that can become disrupted, there is an internal one that can be disrupted as well. It is in the midst of this disruption that we are challenged to look for the calm inside the storm. 

Pastor Scott Burr

Dayspring Community Church 

 

 

 

 

The Narrow Door (Pt. 3)

Part 3 of 3

Salvation isn’t just about choosing the right door but staying on the right road. The highway to hell is broad, but he road to life is narrow. Receiving Jesus as our Lord and Savior gets us on the right path, but the journey doesn’t end there. Even the question we asked at the beginning of this series is flawed: “Is there more than one way to get to heaven?” The goal of salvation isn’t to make heaven, but to be reconciled with the Father. It isn’t about escaping the wickedness of this fallen world or reuniting with our loved ones.

“But your iniquities have separated you from your God; And your sins have hidden His face from you, So that He will not hear.-Isaiah 59:2. 

Our sins had separated us from God. Our relationship with him was broken. Christ coming and dying on the cross was to reconcile us to God, not just secure us a reservation in heaven: 

 “18 Now all things are of God, who has reconciled us to Himself through Jesus Christ, and has given us the ministry of reconciliation.”-2 Corinthians 5:18 (NKJV) 

We’ve made salvation about reaching a desired destination, rather than the work of reconciliation. Although, I believe that heaven and hell are real places, we’ve somehow disassociated Heaven with being reconciled to God and Hell as being eternally separated from Him because of sin. That is why so many no longer see the need for repentance. They no longer see the need to live righteous and holy lives. It’s because they no longer see reconciling with God as necessary to make heaven: 

“12 Dear friends, you always followed my instructions when I was with you. And now that I am away, it is even more important. Work hard to show the results of your salvation, obeying God with deep reverence and fear.”-Philippians 2:12. 

The Apostle Paul understood it. He declared that we need to work out our salvation with fear and trembling. He understood that the result of our salvation is more than securing a spot in heaven, but it’s demonstrated by our obedience to God. Living in obedience to God is not easy, that is why Jesus said that the road is difficult. We can’t claim a place in heaven while living in disobedience to Christ and His word here on earth. We must live out our reconciliation daily by living according to God’s Word.  Salvation is a daily decision to follow Christ. 

The question is not…Are you confident that if Christ came today that you’d make heaven?  No, the real question is…Are you confident that you are reconciled to God? Have you received Christ as your Lord and Savior. He is the Door! He is the only access to the Father. Some of you keep hanging around the door, but have never made that step of faith. I want to caution you that if you are banking on Jesus recognizing you and letting you in, you are going to miss your salvation. Remember Luke 13:25-28:

25 When the master of the house has locked the door, it will be too late. You will stand outside knocking and pleading, ‘Lord, open the door for us!’ But he will reply, ‘I don’t know you or where you come from.’ 26 Then you will say, ‘But we ate and drank with you, and you taught in our streets.’ 27 And he will reply, ‘I tell you, I don’t know you or where you come from. Get away from me, all you who do evil.’ 28 “There will be weeping and gnashing of teeth, for you will see Abraham, Isaac, Jacob, and all the prophets in the Kingdom of God, but you will be thrown out.-Luke 13:25-28

Some of you think Jesus is going to just let you in because you hung around church some, or you flirted with reading your Bible a little, or you posted a few memes about faith on your Facebook page. The scriptures say that they ate and drank with him. They confused their proximity to Jesus for intimacy with Jesus. In essence they were crying out, Jesus, don’t you recognize us? However, it isn’t about him recognizing you, it’s about Him knowing you. That only happens when we step though the door and commit to living a life of faith and obedience. 

Scott Burr

Dayspring Community Church 

The Narrow Door (Pt.2)

One of the best ways to learn what a scripture means is to let scripture interpret scripture. In John 10:1-9, Jesus clearly defines what/or in this case who the door is that leads to the Kingdom of God:

 “Most assuredly, I say to you, he who does not enter the sheepfold by the door, but climbs up some other way, the same is a thief and a robber. But he who enters by the door is the shepherd of the sheep. To him the doorkeeper opens, and the sheep hear his voice; and he calls his own sheep by name and leads them out. And when he brings out his own sheep, he goes before them; and the sheep follow him, for they know his voice. Yet they will by no means follow a stranger, but will flee from him, for they do not know the voice of strangers.” Jesus used this illustration, but they did not understand the things which He spoke to them. Then Jesus said to them again, “Most assuredly, I say to you, I am the door of the sheep. All who ever came before Me are thieves and robbers, but the sheep did not hear them. I am the door. If anyone enters by Me, he will be saved, and will go in and out and find pasture.”

Again, Jesus declares in John 14:6- “I am the way, the truth, and the life. No one comes to the Father except through Me. I am not sure why nearly 60% of Christians believe that there is more than one way to heaven. When, Jesus clearly taught that access to God was through Him alone. 

Perhaps, only few find it, because they fail to recognize that Christ alone is our only hope of salvation. Jesus calls those who try access the Kingdom of God, some other way, thieves and robbers. The door is narrow (not in size) but in scope. Jesus is the only door. There is only one way to enter and that is through Christ. 

We pride ourselves in this country as being inclusive, that is why the exclusiveness of salvation through Christ is so hard for us to embrace sometimes. We can’t fathom the idea of people we know and love spending eternity in hell, so we try and convince ourselves that perhaps God is more inclusive than He says He is. Or perhaps, He makes exceptions for good people or people who are truly genuine about their faith, although they reject Jesus as their savior. We do this because we cannot reconcile in our hearts and minds people’s choosing to reject Christ, knowing that the alternative is hell. 

The reason the door is narrow is because only one man laid down his life, took the penalty of our sin upon himself, taking our place on the cross. There is no accommodations for those who reject Jesus in the Kingdom of God. We do our friends and family an injustice when we even allude that there is possibly another way to heaven, apart from Jesus. 

“There is salvation in no one else! God has given no other name under heaven by which we must be saved.”-Acts 4:12 

Scott Burr

Dayspring Community Church 

The Narrow Door (Pt.1)

(Part 1)

“13 “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. 14 But the gateway to life is very narrow and the road is difficult, and only a few ever find it.”-Matthew 7:13-14

I am a huge fan of the Sermon on the Mount. This collection of mini-sermons by Jesus, also known as the Beatitudes, are all amazing and life-changing. However, one of them is designed to settle a question that is still imposing itself on the minds of men still today. 

Is there more than one way to get to heaven? 

Surprisingly, nearly sixty percent of evangelical Christians have grown to believe that there is. Listen to this statement taken from a Time Magazine article from 2008 entitled: No one Path to Salvation:

“The Pew Forum on Religion and Public Life last year surveyed 35,000 Americans, and found that 70% of respondents agreed with the statement "Many religions can lead to eternal life." Even more remarkable was the fact that 57% of Evangelical Christians were willing to accept that theirs might not be the only path to salvation, since most Christians historically have embraced the words of Jesus, in the Gospel of John, that "no one comes to the Father except through me.”

However, Jesus could not have made himself any clearer here in Matthew 7:13-14. 

First, Jesus affirmed the existence of two eternal destinations: heaven and hell. Everyone reading this column is going to end up in one of those two places.

Second, He affirmed that each of us choose the road we wish to travel. God doesn’t assign anyone to heaven or to hell. We each choose which path we will take. 

Lastly, Jesus describes each of these paths for us: The one that leads to the Kingdom of God has a narrow gate, is difficult to travel, and few find it. The one that leads to hell has a wide gate, a broad road, and is chosen by many. 

Let’s talk about the narrow gate. Jesus, while teaching another large crowd of people, doubled down on this point:

22 Jesus went through the towns and villages, teaching as he went, always pressing on toward Jerusalem. 23 Someone asked him, “Lord, will only a few be saved?” He replied, 24 “Work hard to enter the narrow door to God’s Kingdom, for many will try to enter but will fail.”-Luke 13:22-24

What is this narrow door that Jesus is talking about and why will only a few enter it? 

Scott Burr 

Dayspring Community Church