Sermon Reflections from God at the Movies "Kingdom of the Planet of Apes" | Damon Hopkins | June 9, 2024  

It was a pleasure to have Damon back with us sharing his heart about God’s Kingdom.  He had seen the movie, Kingdom of the Planet of Apes but did not spoil the ending for us.  He summarized the action by saying the main character Noah wanted revenge for wrongs done to him and wanted the person in charge to ‘pay’.  Revenge is a powerful motive in movies, novels and in real life.   The Bible gives us some examples of this as well as Jesus’ point of view so that we can think biblically and not act worldly.   We are to be more focused on heavenly principles and not seeking worldly answers to our problems.

Exodus 2 recounts the story of Moses, the young privileged son of Pharaoh’s daughter, who goes out to watch his people, the Israelites, at hard labor.  He saw an Egyptian beating a Hebrew slave. He killed the Egyptian and hid him in the sand.  Later, other Hebrews confronted Moses when he asked them why they were fighting.  They wanted to know if he was going to kill them too.  When Pharaoh heard of the killing, he tried to kill Moses, so Moses ran away to Midian.  Moses sought revenge for the brutal treatment the slaves were receiving and was forced to suffer himself.  Could Moses have sought another solution to the harsh treatment?  Could he have interceded for the Israelites with Pharaoh?    We don’t know, but we do know that revenge caused great suffering for both Moses and the Hebrews.

A New Testament story of revenge involves the Pharisees.  They were driven by jealousy, greed and power to seek the end of Jesus’ life.  John 11:46-48 gives us an example of their thinking, “but some of them went to the Pharisees and told them what Jesus had done. 47 So the chief priests and the Pharisees gathered the council and said, “What are we to do? For this man performs many signs. 48 If we let him go on like this, everyone will believe in him, and the Romans will come and take away both our place and our nation.”  They later went to Pilate, the Roman Governor, and sought the death penalty for Jesus.   John 19:15 “They cried out, “Away with him, away with him, crucify him!” Pilate said to them, “Shall I crucify your King?” The chief priests answered, “We have no king but Caesar.”   Jesus confronted them repeatedly with words of truth and justice not revenge during his three years of public ministry.

Damon pointed us to Matthew 5 to take a look at Jesus’ way of compassion.  The Beatitudes, Matthew 5:1-12, speak of blessing ready for those that believe and walk in His ways.   He went on to remind us of how we are to be salt and light not bearers of revenge and hate.  We are to be pointing others to Jesus with our lives of love and compassion.  Later in the Sermon on the Mount, Jesus reminds us of the ‘old ways’ an eye for an eye, verse 38.  He then leads us to a ‘new way’ that is based on love and compassion.  He encourages us to go the extra mile and even to pray for our enemies.  This was a new and radical way of thinking based on God’s love and forgiveness.

The Bible does tell us in both the Old and New Testaments that we are not to seek revenge and that revenge belongs to God!  Deuteronomy 32:43 “Rejoice with him, O heavens; bow down to him, all gods, for he avenges the blood of his children and takes vengeance on his adversaries. He repays those who hate him and cleanses his people's land.”   Hebrews 10:30-31 “For we know him who said, “Vengeance is mine; I will repay.” And again, “The Lord will judge his people.” 31 It is a fearful thing to fall into the hands of the living God.”   The Word of God is filled with stories of God defending and upholding the honor of His people.  I particularly like the promises in Isaiah 41:10 “Fear not, for I am with you;  be not dismayed, for I am your God; I will  strengthen you, I will help you, I will uphold you with my righteous right hand. “  Isaiah 49:15b-16 “yet I will not forget you. 16 Behold, I have engraved you on the palms of my hands; your walls are continually before me.”

I we are not to seek revenge like the character in the movie, Kingdom of the Planet of the Apes. But, we are to be about God’s business in the ways of His Kingdom.  Jesus wants us responding with compassion and love to thwart our enemies.  Leave the vengeance to God, He is more than able to fight any battle.  Paul reminds us that we are to be in a battle, a spiritual battle winning the world to Jesus.  Ephesians 6:10-13 “ Finally, be strong in the Lord and in the strength of his might. 11 Put on the whole armor of God, that you may be able to stand against the schemes of the devil. 12 For we do not wrestle against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the authorities, against the cosmic powers over this present darkness, against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly places. 13 Therefore take up the whole armor of God, that you may be able to withstand in the evil day, and having done all, to stand firm.”  

Remember that the ways of the world put us in opposition to God’s Kingdom ways.  It is a battle for sure and we can rely upon Jesus as He promised in John 16:33 “I have said these things to you, that in me you may have peace. In the world you will have tribulation. But take heart; I have overcome the world.”

Linda
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 Sermon Reflections from Commissioned for Transformation | Damon Hopkins & Alex Hardt | February 18,2024  

What a surprise and a privilege to see Damon via video and hear his words of encouragement.  The message this Sunday sought to help us see that we are all to be about telling others about Jesus, his name, his power, his transformation.  We are his ambassadors.  Here is a blog I wrote some years ago about being Christ’s ambassador.  I think it gets to the heart of what Damon and Pastor Alex want us to realize about our witness, our lives and the hope we can share.

Because I believe Christ died on the cross and rose from the dead, I am an ambassador for Christ.  2 Corinthians 5:20 "So we are Christ’s ambassadors; God is making his appeal through us. We speak for Christ when we plead, “Come back to God!”  What does being Christ's ambassador mean to you?  I looked up the word ambassador and it is the highest ranking diplomatic representative appointed by a government to represent them in another country, a special representative.  Paul is referring to us as ambassadors as we represent Christ and His kingdom to the world.  The indwelt believer is indeed God's mouthpiece, model and witness to a world that is desperately in need of a Savior.  As Christ's ambassador we proclaim Jesus to the world and implore them to become right with God by claiming faith in Jesus.  We are the highest ranking person in God's kingdom here on earth entrusted with this sacred duty.  When you consider your job or work in the kingdom, you can see that you, the believer, are the heart of His ministry to reach the lost world around us.  We are God's Plan A!  We are the ones that non-believers see and view Christ though.  It is sobering to know that they judge God by what they see in our words, deeds and actions.  The way we live is important to our witness for Him.  Hebrews 13:18 reminds us that we need prayer to stand firm in Him.  "Pray for us, for we are sure that we have a clear conscience, desiring to act honorably in all things."  We need to pray for one another that our lives would reflect Jesus in all we say and do.

As you go about today, thank Jesus for making you His ambassador.  It is a position of privilege and responsibility.  Know that He will provide you with everything you need to do His work in the world.

Privileged to be Christ's Ambassador,
Linda

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Sermon Reflections from Transform Through Others | Damon Hopkins | August 20, 2023
 
After hearing Damon’s impassioned sermon about sharing Christ with others, I asked myself what did I learn or experience that I want and need to share this week?   Damon’s premise was – if I love the Lord, then I should be compelled by my love for Him and excited to share it with anyone and everyone I meet.  Many of us are so worried about the circumstances, is it the right time?, will it be received? is it the right place to share?, that we decide the answer is No- it is not the right time, place or people and say nothing.  

As Damon pointed out saying nothing is not an option!  We are commanded by Christ to go and share.  Matthew 28:18-20 “Then Jesus came to them and said, “All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to me. 19 Therefore go and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, 20 and teaching them to obey everything I have commanded you. And surely I am with you always, to the very end of the age.”  Jesus did not say, do you want to?, He said, Go and do it!   He seeks to reassure us that He will be with us and empower us though His Holy Spirit all the way! 

So again, what did I learn that I can share?  I learned anew that it is my privilege to share God’s love with others.  I have His Spirit living inside me and I feel His love and care every day.  Why wouldn’t I want to share that with someone so they can feel loved and cared for by the Lord Almighty?  As I was reading in Psalms this morning Psalm 107:1-3 jumped out at me. 

Give thanks to the Lord, for he is good;
    his love endures forever.
2 Let the redeemed of the Lord tell their story--
    those he redeemed from the hand of the foe,
3 those he gathered from the lands,
    from east and west, from north and south.

Those of us who know Christ as our Savior are redeemed.  He bought us back from the pathway to death and gave us life through our faith in Jesus’ work on the cross.  We need to tell our story-how we came to faith, what God is doing in our lives, the benefits we see each day in walking with Jesus.  God is good and works in my life each and every day.  I need to look around, see Him and His work in my life, and talk about it to others. Say So!

Another thing I learned was from Ezekiel 33:1-6 “The word of the Lord came to me: 2 “Son of man, speak to your people and say to them: ‘When I bring the sword against a land, and the people of the land choose one of their men and make him their watchman, 3 and he sees the sword coming against the land and blows the trumpet to warn the people, 4 then if anyone hears the trumpet but does not heed the warning and the sword comes and takes their life, their blood will be on their own head. 5 Since they heard the sound of the trumpet but did not heed the warning, their blood will be on their own head. If they had heeded the warning, they would have saved themselves. 6 But if the watchman sees the sword coming and does not blow the trumpet to warn the people and the sword comes and takes someone’s life, that person’s life will be taken because of their sin, but I will hold the watchman accountable for their blood.’  Believers are put in this world as watchmen, like Ezekiel was.  We are to watch and warn others about the coming destruction.  God’s judgement on sin. 

​Romans 6:23 “For the wages of sin is death, but the gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord.”  If they listen and heed our warning, praise God!  If they do not, then the consequences are on them.  However, verse 6 says, it is our responsibility as God’s watchmen to warn others and if we do not we will be held accountable.  That is a sobering thought, Jesus asks us to tell others about His plan of Salvation and if we remain silent and do not speak of Him we will be held accountable.  Damon reminded us of this with his life verse: Matthew 10:32-33 “Whoever acknowledges me before others, I will also acknowledge before my Father in heaven. 33 But whoever disowns me before others, I will disown before my Father in heaven.  Sobering words.
I am convicted anew of the truth our memory verses hold for us. 

​Philippians 2:1-2.  Therefore if you have any encouragement from being united with Christ, if any comfort from his love, if any common sharing in the Spirit, if any tenderness and compassion, 2 then make my joy complete by being like-minded, having the same love, being one in spirit and of one mind.  If we experience Christ in our lives tell others, say so!

Thanks Damon for the challenge to speak up and speak out about our love for Christ.  It is a command and good to be reminded it is a privilege with benefits. 
Linda

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Sermon Reflections from The Bible is A Guide | Alex Hardt | May 14, 2023 
 
Pastor Alex started us out with Matthew 24:35 “Heaven and earth will pass away, but my words will never pass away.”   Why is it important to be reminded that God’s Word is eternal and unchanging?  First, I think it goes to the lastingness of the Bible’s Words of truth.  Second, it reminds us that God does not change, He is immutable, and so is His Word.  Why would we want to base our lives on truth that was not lasting and solid? God’s Word is just like God, the same yesterday, today and forever.  We can count on it as we seek to build our life on something solid.  If it changed from generation to generation, it would be like building our lives on sand which can shift or even be blown away.  I am thankful that God’s Word is constant and that the ancient words have truth and meaning for my life today just as it did for those who came before me. 

In addition to God’s Word being immutable, it is also alive.  Pastor Alex pointed us to 1 Peter 1:23 in addition to Hebrews 4:12 that speaks of the dynamic living Word of God. 1 Peter 1:23 “ For you have been born again, not of perishable seed, but of imperishable, through the living and enduring word of God.”  Something that is alive has the ability to interact with the living and effect change.  That is what the Word of God does in our lives.  God’s Words are alive. His Word changes us from the inside out.  Praise God for His Word that works within us!

God’s Words are sharp and may have to cut deep to expose our sins. They desire to bring into the light that which is dark and causing us grief or distress.  These are things that grieve God that we are allowing to have a place in our lives.  He desires to see us rid of them.  Hebrews 4:12-13 in the Message translation explains how piercing God’s Word can be “God means what he says. What he says goes. His powerful Word is sharp as a surgeon’s scalpel, cutting through everything, whether doubt or defense, laying us open to listen and obey. Nothing and no one can resist God’s Word. We can’t get away from it—no matter what.”  God wants to get our attention and often uses His Word to do just that!  He desires that we have a new heart and character that is responsive to Him. Ezekiel spoke of this transformation in Ezekiel 36:26 “I will give you a new heart and put a new spirit in you; I will remove from you your heart of stone and give you a heart of flesh.”   God’s Words are sharp and pierce the deepest most secret parts of our heart.  We cannot hide our true nature from God.  He know our heart and desires to give us a new heart and a new spirit! 

Lastly, Pastor Alex reminded us that God’s Word will be used to judge our actions, attitudes and thoughts.  Have you considered how you might be willfully going against God’s Word?  Do you tell small ‘harmless’ lies?  Do you treat others with callousness when you are having a bad day?  Do you think unwholesome thought towards your family, friends or enemies?  Hebrews 4:13 in the Message came with a warning, “. Nothing and no one can resist God’s Word. We can’t get away from it—no matter what.”   I like the analogy God used for Amos to show the people His standards.  

Amos 7:7-8 This is what he showed me: The Lord was standing by a wall that had been built true to plumb, with a plumb line in his hand. 8 And the Lord asked me, “What do you see, Amos?”
“A plumb line,” I replied.

Then the Lord said, “Look, I am setting a plumb line among my people Israel; I will spare them no longer.

The plumb line that God gave to Israel was his Word. That was their guiding line to measure all things against to see if they were true, uplifting and honoring to God.  We have that same plumb line today in the Bible.  It is God’s truth to which we can compare anything and everything.  I love our memory verse for this week from Psalm 119:105 “Your word is a lamp for my feet,  a light on my path.” Thank goodness we have God’s Word to light our pathway so that we will not stumble and fall into darkness.  God’s Word will hold us accountable, but also will give us direction and guidance through the power of the Holy Spirit.

Have a great week as you consider the power of God’s Word and what place you will give Him and His Word in your life. 
Linda

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