|
3/28/2016 Promise, Trial, Fulfillment (Easter Sunday) ~ Is. 52:13-15, 53:10-12 ~ Carl CrouseRead Now God has ordained a universal pattern for His people to be drawn to Him: Promise, Trial, and Fulfillment. The last three verses of Is. 52 demonstrate the pattern.
First the promise: READ Is. 52:13. He will be raised up. He will be resurrected. He will be exalted. This is the Easter message! A promise is a vision of an amazing future. I love the quote in the bulletin: “If you're a Christian you're just a shadow of your future self.” (N.T. Wright). God has given a promise of a glorious future. Promises are the substance of hope, expectation. God’s promise is resurrection ~ the best is yet to come. The power of a promise changes lives because of optimistic expectations. The greatest promise of all is resurrection: new life, new hope. God is the ultimate promise keeper, which is why there are so many stories of his character, his sovereignty, his power, his love, his consistency… He makes promises that he binds himself to keep and bring to fulfillment/completion. Without promises we have no expectation…. I live today in great hope because of the transformational promises of God and the Resurrection life that is ours through Jesus Christ. First comes the promise.
0 Comments
 Young people at some point start dreaming of owning their own car, the freedom, the mobility, how a car would be a status symbol, and open up a new world. When at last the long awaited day comes, what else is thrust upon the new car owner? ~ bills, upkeep, expensive insurance ~ REALITY. Full responsibility that comes with owning a car is part of the price of the freedom that car ownership brings. If you don’t have a full understanding of what owning a car means, the car will become your enemy ~ it will break down, you will be nothing but frustrated and irresponsible…
Is. 53 is reality check of faith in Jesus Christ. Isaiah is like the realist father laying out all the details of what car ownership means/laying out the fullness of accepting Jesus Christ, the surprising Savior. Isaiah 53 presents challenges for those who are considering Christ. The prophet Isaiah is saying to the people: A messiah/Christ (hero!) is coming to redeem you ~ let me tell you about him because he is surprising ~ He is misunderstood, He will suffer, He will not defend himself, He will be silent, He will die. Is that the description of a hero? YES, but a hero of a different kind. Robert Lewis Stevenson, author of Treasure Island, Dr. Jekyl and Mr. Hyde, and many more works, was in poor health during much of his childhood and youth. One night his nurse found him with his nose pressed against the frosty pane of his bedroom window. "Child, come away from there. You'll catch your death of cold," she fussed. But Robert wouldn't budge. He sat, mesmerized, as he watched an old lamplighter slowly working his way through the black night, lighting each street lamp along his route. Pointing, Robert exclaimed, "See; look there; there's a man poking holes in the darkness." Our calling as Christians is to be Lamplighters, poking holes in the darkness.  There is an amazingly beautiful beach in Fort Bragg, CA, near San Diego. The beach is a story of transformation. Decades ago the townspeople used the beach as a dump. All the refuse was tossed down the cliff to the beach below. It became a terrible eyesore. Long after they quit using it as a dump, the beach was a huge mess. Nobody did a thing. There it sat. Slowly the beach changed. Over the decades, waves washed away the garbage. All that was left were bottles, thousands of colored bottles. Today the Fort Bragg beach is known as Glass Beach. The miracle of God: He takes the "garbage" and turns it into a beautiful creation. He gives us new life. Wave after wave of blessings. Wake up and accept the promise of God to redeem you, change you, with no cost. God does not give up on you. He promises a new lease on life, turning the garbage of your life into a beautiful glass beach.  |
 
Carl Crouse, Pastor
At SACC we believe the Bible is the inspired Word of God. Every Sunday the worship service includes a message from the Bible. My words are an attempt to understand and apply the Bible to our daily living. I post weekly sermons and other biblical messages on this page. May you find meaning and hope as you read through each message and seek to hear God's voice. Leave a comment to ask questions or inspire others with your insights. Categories
All
Archives
June 2021
|
RSS Feed