Deleted Scenes From Sunday
Dec/090
My message on Sunday clocked in at close to 40 minutes. It's the longest message I've ever preached at ACC. But it could have been far longer. I cut a lot of stuff out in the editing process. Some of it is so good that, even though it was cut from the message, it's worth discussing here on my blog.
If you missed the message on Sunday, it was week #2 of our Taking Back Christmas series. We went deep as we explored how Jesus fulfilled very extensive and very specific prophecies from the Old Testament.
Here are a few very impressive prophecies and fulfillments that I wanted to include Sunday, but didn't for the sake of time. If this was a DVD, then these Scriptures would be the deleted scenes.
1. Prophecy - Psalm 41:9
Fulfillment - John 13:18-30
2. Prophecy - Psalm 69:21
Fulfillment - Matthew 27:33-34
3. Prophecy - Isaiah 50:6
Fulfillment -Matthew 27:24-31
There are many, many more examples of prophecy and fulfillment. The mountain of evidence for Jesus is huge. He is the perfect fulfillment of very specific prophecies that were written hundreds (sometimes thousands) of years before He was born.
I said it Sunday…I'll say it again. Wow. This stuff blows my mind.
SuperStart
Dec/090
If you're the parent of a 4-6th grader, then you need to get all the details on SuperStart. We've got a whale of a deal for you. It's going to be an amazing weekend for your kids.
Melanie's got all the details on her blog.
Busyness and The Church
Dec/090
I'm so glad that I get to have lunch with Joel Young today. I love spending time with that guy! He challenges and encourages me like crazy.
Joel has a hard-hitting post on his blog today. Something every follower of Christ needs to consider.
Cosmic Christmas
Dec/090
I have a personal Christmas tradition that I thought was worth sharing. At some point during the Christmas season every year, I sit down and read Cosmic Christmas by Max Lucado.
This story is about what might have happened behind the scenes that led up to the birth of Jesus Christ. It's not Scriptural truth, but it is based on Scriptural principles. In other words…it COULD HAVE happened this way.
It's an awesome read. I highly recommend that you pick it up and make it part of your Christmas celebration.
Tiger Woods
Dec/093
I've got a few thoughts about Tiger Woods. But before I share them, let me say this: if you are searching for celebrity gossip, you're in the wrong place. Do not pass "Go." Do not collect $200. Go back to Google and keep searching. You'll find the garbage you're looking for pretty easily.
If you're still with me, here are a few thoughts about the Tiger Woods drama.
1. It sickens me to watch the American media swarm around someone like hungry hyenas around a wounded gazelle. The fact that they almost joyfully report about a celebrity's moral failures is repugnant. Even more repugnant are people who profess to follow Jesus and yet lap up everything that our tabloid media dishes out. If you claim the name of Christ and yet you have found some sick, twisted joy in the Tiger Woods scandal, you need to repent. Now.
2. Tiger Woods is not a Christ-follower (as far as I know). He has made some mild claims of possessing a faith that is an amalgamation of Christianity and Buddhism. It's safe to say that he is not seriously committed to following Christ. And if a person is not a Christian, it shouldn't shock us that they don't live like a Christian. Without Jesus, we wreck our lives. (Some of us who claim Christ ignore Him and still wreck our lives…but that's a topic for another post.)
3. Tiger Woods has sinned sexually. At least nine women have come forward, claiming that they had sex with him. Given the sensationalism of our media, there is no way of knowing if they are all telling the truth or not. But it seems very obvious that Tiger has committed sexual sin, regardless of how many times it happened or with whom it happened.
Before we, as Christians, get on our holy high horse, we'd better examine our own lives. Are you looking at pornography? Are you lusting after someone to whom you're not married? Is your sex life completely beyond reproach? If not, then drop the stones and walk away (John 8:1-11).
4. Tiger Woods is human. This is contrary to what his father believes. Earl Woods once said, "Tiger will do more than any other man in history to change the course of humanity…. He is the Chosen One. He'll have the power to impact nations. Not people. Nations."
Tiger Woods is a very talented athlete. He may be the very best person to ever hit a little white ball. But he is human. He is flawed. He is not perfect. The current saga that is unfolding has shined a glaring light on this reality…celebrity worship is stupid. Whether a person is famous or not is irrelevant…the person is still a person, which means that they are flawed, imperfect, and sinful.
5. Tiger's secret is not secret anymore. Given his fame, he should have realized that this would eventually happen. But he arrogantly (and wrongly) believed he could keep his secret. However, this doesn't just apply to celebrities. Jesus said, “There is nothing concealed that will not be disclosed, or hidden that will not be made known.” (Matthew 10:26b, NIV)
Jesus said that we can't keep a secret. The truth has a way of finding us out…and you don't have to be a celebrity for that to happen. What secret are you carrying around? What secret would destroy you, your family, and your reputation if it got out? You'd better take some swift action to deal with it, because it's going to get out.
6. Tiger Woods can be forgiven. Jesus died for the sin of Tiger Woods. He also died for your sin. And for mine. Instead of reveling in the cesspool of media hype about Tiger, use it as an opportunity to examine your own life. How is your marriage? Are there any warning signs you've been ignoring? Do you have sin that you have not repented of? Are you living in the forgiven freedom that only Christ can provide? Take some time for a little personal inventory of how things are going in your own life. I hope Tiger will do the same.
Matt Chandler
Dec/091
Block 5 minutes out of your day and watch this video of Matt Chandler speaking to his church family.
I'm in awe. This is how a godly person deals with suffering.
Obscurity
Dec/090
The first week of our Taking Back Christmas series blew my mind. It's amazing what happens when you ignore cultural traditions and simply focus on the truth. That's what we did with the Christmas story on Sunday. We cut through all the traditional clutter that surrounds the story and simply explored the truth.
One truth that we talked about was the truth about Joseph and Mary. They were young teenagers when God told them that they would raise His Son. God chose Jr. High kids to raise Jesus! And these kids were dirt poor peasants from the nowhere town of Nazareth. Nazareth was a town of dozens, not thousands, of people.
God chose two kids living in complete obscurity to raise His Son. Which leads us to this realization…
You are never obscure to God.
You may feel like you are stuck in a dead-end job, slaving away in complete obscurity. God sees what you do. He sees the extra time you put in. He knows that you are giving your best, and He will reward you for it.
You may feel unappreciated in your service or ministry. You consistently serve God and His church, and are rarely, if ever, thanked for it. Your Father sees your service. He knows what you are doing for His Kingdom. You will be richly rewarded.
You might wonder if what you are doing really matters. Your hard work as a stay-at-home mom…your volunteer hours…your service behind the scenes…does it make any difference at all? Yes it does.
Even if God is the only one who ever sees what you are doing, that is enough. That is all the reason you need to keep going. His approval…His divine applause for a job well done…that is all you need.
You are not obscure to God. You never have been. You never will be.
16 Daddy Christmas Tips
Dec/090
Christmas is a prime time for dads to step up and make the holidays special for their families. Mark Driscoll has a great post outlining what men need to be doing in their families this time of year.
Christmas '09 at ACC
Dec/090
Some preachers approach Christmas as a time to take their foot off the gas a little bit. Christmas seems like a good time to walk onstage, talk about the cuddly little baby Jesus, sing a few carols, light a candle, and then go home and have a Merry Christmas.
I'm going in the polar opposite direction.
We starting a new series called Taking Back Christmas this Sunday at ACC. This series is really stretching me. I have done more studying for this series than any in recent memory. I've visited libraries, read countless books, listened to a lot of other preachers, spent a lot of time Googling, etc. It's the most intense preparation for a sermon series that I can ever remember.
And that's how I know that God is going to rock our socks off in this series. I am being stretched and challenged. You will be too.
Christmas '09 at ACC won't be Christmas as usual.
It will be so much better than that.
It's not too late to invite your friends. Send them an evite today.
Joel Young
Dec/091
I just listened to the podcast from Sunday at ACC. It was awesome!
I was on vacation this past Sunday and we invited Joel Young to preach. Joel is the lead pastor of a new church plant called Horizon Christian Church.
Joel is one of the sharpest, most talented young communicators that I've ever heard. His preaching is passionate, in-your-face, and solidly Biblical.
I knew that ACC would be blessed by Joel's message. I didn't know that he would rock my world…but that's what happened as I listened to the podcast.
If you were traveling over the holiday weekend (or if you just want to experience the message again), you need to listen to Joel's message.
After hearing it, I'm ready to charge the gates of hell with a water pistol!
Check it out here.
