Monthly Archives: November 2013

Sunday – November 24, 2013 “Thanksgiving 2013”

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November 24, 2013 – Read the Word on Worship

Thanksgiving 2013 from Sunrise Community Church on Vimeo.

Word On Worship – November 24, 2013 Download / Print

Thessalonians 5:18
 “… in everything give thanks; for this is God’s will for you in Christ Jesus.”

Thanksgiving.  The word conjures memories of family gatherings to celebrate the day; gatherings in which a sense of joy permeated the whole day.  The smells of the Thanksgiving dinner: turkey, dressings, yams with marshmallows, mashed potatoes with gravy, hot rolls with lots of butter, fresh vegetables trays, olives, green and black, celery, carrots, radishes, pickles, onions, perhaps peppers, green beans with almandine sauce, special juices, flavored coffee and pies, pumpkin pies with whipped cream. The wonderful smells seemed to be enhanced by the variety of colors on the table, which added to the joyous atmosphere. And the thrill of seeing and the enjoyment of being with loved ones.  And the conversations that sprouted like new spring grass, colorful and plentiful.

This describes the wonderful events of a Thanksgiving celebration.  It may or may not describe an actual celebration or parts of an actual celebration from your past.  It remains, however, either a fond memory or a strong hope for a Thanksgiving celebration in the minds of many.

As wonderful as this type of celebration can be, it is not the full expression of Thanksgiving. The deeper purpose of the Thanksgiving celebration is to “give thanks” for all things, including the wonderful feelings brought on by the enjoyment of food, family and fellowship.

When you give thanks, it is the response you make because you have received something for which you are grateful; grateful for receiving something which has brought you gladness, ease, comfort or pleasure, etc. Now many in the country say they are thankful. They may be able to tell you what they are thankful for receiving, but do they know to whom to give the thanks?

Thanks can be given only to a living entity.  You can’t give thanks to a rock or the wind, or the air, for thanks cannot be given to things.  Why not? Two reasons:  First, inanimate objects have no will. Giving requires an act of will to decide to give something. Without a will, they can not will to give you something, let alone, give you something for which you would be grateful.   Second, since inanimate objects do not give, they have no reason to receive thanks for anything.

Since inanimate objects cannot receive thanks, to whom should thanks be given?  The best one to receive your thanks is the One who has given you the things you are grateful for.  So who is that?  Thanks can only be in response to receiving, and only beings have a will to give, therefore thanks can only be given to a Living Being.

The most appropriate Living Being to thank is the One who created you and knows beyond all others what is best to give to you.  1 Chronicles 29:12 says “ Both riches and honor come from You, and You rule over all, and in Your hand is power and might; and it lies in Your hand to make great and to strengthen everyone”.  Since God controls or rules “over all,” He is the most complete Giver, able to give any and all gifts.  In His giving, God demonstrates His great love for us. Romans 5:8 “But God demonstrates His own love toward us, in that while we were yet sinners, Christ died for us”. He gave all who will come to Jesus the gift of new life while we were unworthy.  And as a believer in Christ, giving thanks to God is also God’s will for you.    Thessalonians 5:18 says “in everything give thanks; for this is God’s will for you in Christ Jesus.”

This Thanksgiving, may the Father help you express thanksgiving to Him as He desires and may the celebration of thanksgiving with food and fellowship be pleasing to Him.

Sunday – November 17, 2013 Judges 5:1-31 “Sing a Song of Leadership”

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November 17, 2013 – Read the Word on Worship

Sing a Song of Leadership Judges 5 verses 1 to 31 from Sunrise Community Church on Vimeo.

It has been said there are three kinds of people in the world- those who watch, those who make things happen, and those who scratch their heads and ask what just happened. The ability to make things happen is the gift of leadership and it is needed in every area of our lives. Our nation needs leaders to guide us forward in an uncertain and ever changing world. The church needs leaders to move the church forward in the mission of proclaiming the gospel which transforms lives. Our homes need learns to pass the truth of the Scriptures to the next generation. Leadership is essential. Yet as important as leadership is, God’s leadership is what is most essential, for apart from Him we can do nothing.
Judges chapter 5 is all about leadership. The lessons of what happens when godly men lead and people follow are the key to seeing victory in the battles we face and God being glorified. Join us this week in our study of the Book of Judges as we “Sing a Song of Leadership:

Word On Worship – November 17, 2013 Download / Print

Judges 5:2-3
 “That the leaders led in Israel, that the people volunteered, bless the Lord! Hear, O kings; give ear, O rulers! I — to the Lord, I will sing, I will sing praise to the Lord, the God of Israel.”

It has been said there are three kinds of people in the world: those who watch, those who make things happen, and those who scratch their heads and ask what just happened. The ability to make things happen is the gift of leadership and it is needed in every area of our lives. Our nation needs leaders to guide us forward in an uncertain and ever-changing world. The church needs leaders to move the church forward in the mission of proclaiming the gospel that transforms lives. Our homes need leaders to pass the truth of the Scriptures to the next generation. Leadership is essential. Yet as important as leadership is, God’s leadership is what is most essential, for apart from Him we can do nothing.

Our text offers all three of these qualities for us to learn and to understand God intervenes when we act with courageous faith. Deborah turns our attention to four specific tribes who refused to join the fight. The tribe of Rueben lacked the will to join the fight. The people of Gilead thought they were exempt since they lived on the other side of the Jordan. The people of Dan were too busy conducting business to come to their neighbor’s aid. And the people of Asher were simply unwilling to leave their homes.

On the other hand we have Barak and the men of Zebulon and Naphtali who went to war and fought the battle. Deborah begins with the commendation for the people of God who did step up, both the leaders and the volunteers. The battle plans God had given them through the prophetess Deborah made little sense, militarily speaking. But they did not trust in their own strength or numbers, they trusted in the Lord and His promises. This entire chapter focuses our attention on God’s glorious power and the praise that should flow from His people. When leaders lead, it inspires people to follow them, to the glory of God.

We must choose whether we will serve the Lord and His people. It is so easy to be passive, lazy, busy or distracted, yet the honor goes to those churches and individuals who are faithful to the Lord. Although the gates of Hades will not prevail against the Church universal, thousands of American churches close their doors every year. There is no guarantee that any church will remain successful, just as it is with individuals. If you have placed your faith in Jesus Christ, you are good for heaven. But you must ask yourself, are you good for earth? Deborah’s song could have been sung in Barak’s honor, but instead the glory went to Jael who, when action was required, stepped forward to be counted. How will your song be sung? Will you answer the call or do you already have an excuse for why you could not enter the battle today?

Sunday – November 10, 2013 Judges 4:1-24 “What I Learned in Jael”

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November 10, 2013 – Read the Word on Worship

“What I Learned in Jael” Judges 4 verses 1 to 24 from Sunrise Community Church on Vimeo.

If you spend any time studying the Book of Judges you will find no end to the theological papers written on Judges 4, as if they have found the Holy Grail of texts regarding women in ministry. Everyone seems to have an opinion on Deborah and her role as a prophetess. The conservatives want to push Deborah to the background and the liberals make her the poster child of women’s ministry. Being a contrarian by nature, I think they have both missed the mark. The hero of this story is not Deborah, but Jael.
So why are we so squeamish about tent pegs and what does this mean about the ministry God has called you to perform? Take a listen and see what you can learn from Jael.

Word On Worship – November 10, 2013 Download / Print

Judges 4:8-9
“Then Barak said to her, “If you will go with me, then I will go; but if you will not go with me, I will not go.” She said, “I will surely go with you; nevertheless, the honor shall not be yours on the journey that you are about to take, for the Lord will sell Sisera into the hands of a woman.”

If you spend any time studying the Book of Judges you will find no end to the theological papers written on Judges 4, as if scholars have found the Holy Grail of texts regarding women in ministry. Everyone seems to have an opinion on Deborah and her role as a prophetess. The conservatives want to push Deborah to the background and the liberals make her the poster child of women’s ministry. Being a contrarian by nature, I think both have missed the mark. The hero of this story is not Deborah, but Jael.

Who would have thought Jael would be the hero of this story? I don’t think even Jael thought she would. Sisera had 900 iron chariots under his command and all the resources of Jaban at his command to make happen whatever he saw was in the Canaanites’ best interests. Jael was merely a wife of a Bedouin. How many times had she taken down the tent only to put it up again at the end of the next day? Have you ever wondered how unimportant she must have felt? She was the wife of a nomad who was not even a Jew, whose primary job was to set up the tent, arranging the blankets and offering hospitality. Well, all of that and drive home some tent pegs, too.

All her life this woman was doing the mundane tasks of life. In terms of the big things in life, as those who tell others what is significant, she must have felt as if she was extremely insignificant. And yet God had been preparing her this whole time to make a difference. Just as God prepared the Children of Israel for the rigors of life on the road by their service in Egypt, so God had prepared her by setting up all those tents for this moment in time. The Book of Judges has taught me over and over again that God uses unlikely people to accomplish His purposes. In His time, He lifts up the lowly (Jael) and humbles the mighty (Sisera).

I can’t tell you how many people have told me they want to be called to a “great” work for God, but have failed because they are not a successful teacher of many or made some great contribution to the church. And so they now believe they are living a relatively insignificant life without the power of God demonstrated in their lives. If the Book of Judges teaches us anything, may it be that God uses inconsequential people to achieve great things by His power. We need to be what we are. Deborah should be commended for being a prophetess. It was her job to tell Barack what God said to do. Jael’s job was to drive tent pegs —  and when the opportunity came up she did just that — for the glory of God. Our Lord Jesus accomplished great things with twelve unlikely disciples and He will do the same with us.

Sunday – November 3, 2013 Judges 3:5-31 “No Guts, No Gory”

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November 3, 2013 – Read the Word on Worship

“No Guts, No Gory” Judges 3 verse 5 to 31 from Sunrise Community Church on Vimeo.

God primarily moves in two ways. God can work in spectacular ways where His Spirit comes upon somebody, miraculous things happen and everybody knows it was God in action. As wonderful as these instances are, I do not think they occur as often as God’s providential work. When I read the story of Ehud leading the people against Eglon, I see many circumstances outside the realm of mere chance coming into play. I see the sovereignty of God in all the details of this story, even the small ones.
Join this week in our study of the Book of Judges and see why the stories of these judges have been included in the Scriptures for our encouragement, correction and training in righteousness. We pray you will learn from Othnoel, Ehud and Shamgar as we look at “No Guts, No Gory”.

Word On Worship – November 3, 2013 Download / Print

Judges 3:26-28
“Now Ehud escaped while they were delaying, and he passed by the idols and escaped to Seirah. It came about when he had arrived, that he blew the trumpet in the hill country of Ephraim; and the sons of Israel went down with him from the hill country, and he was in front of them. He said to them, “Pursue them, for the Lord has given your enemies the Moabites into your hands.”

God primarily moves in two ways. God can work in spectacular ways where His Spirit comes upon somebody, miraculous things happen and everybody knows it was God in action. As wonderful as these instances are, I do not think they occur as often as God’s providential work. When I read the story of Ehud leading the people against Eglon, I see many circumstances outside the realm of mere chance coming into play. I see the sovereignty of God in all the details of this story, even the small ones.

Consider all of the events that had to take place: The fact that all members of Eglon’s private security detail were out of the room for an extended period of time. Consider that Ehud was able to smuggle an 18-inch sword into the king’s chamber undetected. And then the delay of Eglon’s security as they waited to act thinking their boss was taking an extended bathroom break. The odds are simply impossible if you were only considering the human element of the story. The point is God is every bit in control of these behind-the-scenes issues with Ehud as He was with Othniel. Even though this story seems so bizarre to us, God has still orchestrated all the details to achieve His purpose — Eglon is killed, the Moabites are defeated and the Israelites have peace.

I think what God is telling us in the story of Ehud and Eglon is something that is critical for us to understand: God is in control, even when we don’t know it. God had strengthened the hand of Eglon and the Moabites. And if we lived in the land of Israel during this time we would have been wondering where is God in all of this? And our text tells us God is every single detail of this story. He is the One who is sovereignly in charge of everything; even the smallest details that we miss.

We are living in a time where circumstances seem to be out of control. We see the stock market going up and down, the economy seems so uncertain, and the constant threat of terrorism here or abroad. This text tells us God is in control. God is in control of who is running our nation and He is in charge when leadership will change next. He is in control of international politics and He will bring about what He has covenanted to do. And what God has covenanted to do is to save His people.