The Rock of KC

Pastor Phillip's message during the Rock of KC's Christmas Eve service.

- Luke 2:1-20 - divine providence - that Jesus would be born in Bethlehem (Micah 5:2) - are we doing any better? 1. Secularization - removing Jesus and christianity from the world 2. No solicitation - indifference "The core problem is not that we are too passionate about bad things, but that we are not passionate enouch about good things." Larry Crabb 3. No thank you - rejection (John 1:11, 3:19) - John 1:11-13, Rev 3:20-22

- Isa. 1:18 (NLT) - God wants to make our hearts white as snow - specifically in the area of forgiveness - offended - Matt 24:10 (NKJV) - an offense is meant to trap you, not the other person. Satan uses offenses as the bait for the trap. - you can't avoid offenses (Luke 17:1, Prov. 18:19) - we get offended when we feel: 1. betrayed (1 Tim. 2:13) 2. falsely accused - gossiped against, trapped, etc. 3. rejected - "The sick and poor suffer even more from rejection than material want. Loneliness and the feeling of being unwanted is the most terrible poverty." Mother Teresa 4. abused - emotional abuse can be even more painful than physical abuse 5. humiliated - to cause (a person) a painful loss of pride, self-respect, or dignity; mortify, debase - Jesus experienced all five of these offenses (Heb. 2:17-18 MSG) but didn't take the bait. - we need to see offenses through Jesus' eyes (1 Peter 4:1 NCV) - what was Jesus' way of thinking? (Luke 23:24, Phil. 2:5) - three things to be on the road to a white Christmas: 1. remember, I need forgiveness too (Rom. 3:23) - you will never have to forgive people any more than what God had to forgive you (Matt. 10:8) - if you are going to be on the receiving end, then you need to be on the giving end. Choices lead, feelings follow. 3. refocus on the real enemy (Eph. 6:12) 4. receive God's love (1 John 4:19-21) - receiving love gives you the capacity to love

- first things are important - Seek first the kingdom of God (Matt. 6:33) - Mark 7:1-16 - what the Bible teaches about worship? - man needs to realize that God is the object of man's worship (John 4:24) - worship which God rejects - ignorant worship (Acts 17:23) - vain worship (Matt. 15:9) - acceptable worship - public (Acts 4:23, Heb. 10:25, John 4:24) - private (Phil.2:16, Rom. 13:1-7) - seeming "good" deeds can have bad motives. It's possible to do the "right" thing for the wrong reason. Jesus warned of it. (Mark 7:7) - they didn't murder; but they did hate (Matt. 5:21-22, 43:44) - they didn't commit adultery, but they did lust (Matt. 5:27-28) - they gave to the poor, but they did so to look good (Matt. 6:1-2) - the God who looks at the heart (1 Sam. 16:7, Matt. 22:37-40) - the greatest treason is "to do the right thing for the wrong reason," wrote T.S. Elliot - according to Jesus, love is the remedy - the case of Cain and Abel: - the record of Cain's rejected sacrifice reads: Gen. 4:3-7 - the differences between their offerings: - one was of produce, the other was a blood-bearing sacrifice (Heb.11:4) - the opposite of faith is by sight (2 Cor. 5:7) - Cain worshipped according to "sight" - according to what his own senses and wisdom dictated would be an honorable gift unto the Lord. - faith is the result of hearing God's word, submitting the mind and body to its dominion, and acting in accordance to what the Lord has instructed. - "To believe God, and not obey him, is to not believe him." Or as James wrote, "faith apart from works is dead" (James 2:26) - Paul defines the source of faith that is well-pleasing to God (Rom. 10:17) - Abel offered his sacrifice by faith (Heb. 11:4) - but faith comes by hearing the word of God (Rom. 10:17) - the way of Cain is the way of presumption (Ps. 19:13)

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- Shabach - to shout, to address in a loud tone, to command, to triumph - a testimony of what God has done, a joyful to overflowing attitude (Ps. 47:1, 145:4,Isa 12:6, Ps. 63:3, 5:11, 32:11, 17:1, 132:13-16) - Barak - to kneel down, to bless God as an act of adoration (James 4:6-7, 1 Peter 5:5-7, Ps. 95:6, 1 Chron. 29:20, Ps. 34:1) - we are instructed to bless (barak) the Father at all times (Ps. 34:1), as long as we live (Ps. 63:4), from day to day (Ps. 96:2), from this time forth and forever (Ps. 145:1-2), at night in the house of the Lord (Ps. 134:1), forever and ever, every day (Ps. 115:18) - Zamar - to pluck the strings of an instrument, to sing to praise (Ps. 21:13, 1 Chron. 16:9, Ps. 57:8-9) - Tehillah - derived from the word halal and means "the singing of halals, to sing or to laud" (Ps. 100:4, 22:3, 33:1, Isa. 61:3) - Other expressions of worship: - silence (Ps. 62:1, 62:5) - dance (Ps. 149:3, 150:4) - psalms, hymns, and spiritual songs (Eph. 5:19) - psalm - to strike a chord with a musical instrument (Ps. 150:1-6) - hymn - a sacred song - spiritual songs - from your spirit sing songs (1 Cor. 14:14-15)

- Ps. 34:1-8 - v3 solo Christianity is not in the Bible, corporate worship is God's will - v4 you can change yourr outlook with worhsip - v5 you don't fear the face of man when you've seen the face of God - it's not about where you worship, it's about how you worship (John 4:19-24) - Towdah - an extension o fthe hand in adoration or acceptance (2 Cor. 5:17,21, Col. 1:13, Rom. 8:37, Phil. 4:19, 1 Peter 2:24, Ps. 50:14,23,100:4) - worship re-orients you, it re-aligns your focus, attitude, and direction - Biblical worship is spiritual in nature - don't let your past keep you from worshipping now.

- worship changes our focus - our focus determines our reality - "The mind is it's own place, and in itself, can make a Heaven out of a Hell, a Hell of Heaven" John Milton - two types of people: whiners-complainers and worshippers - we see what we are looking for - Acts 16:16-22 MSG - How do we stop and get a bigger perspective? Worship. - worship is taking our eyes off of our external circumstances and focusing on God - what worship does: it restores spiritual equilibrium, helps us regain a proper perspective, and protects us from getting discouraged. - worship is: - focusing on the big picture - focusing on the fundamentals of our faith - reframing our circumstances (worship sets the stage for miracles and causes spiritual earthquakes that can change our lives) - the way we stay positive in a negative world (Phil. 4:8) - the way out - He is worthy of our worship - it was worship that set Paul and Silas free physically and it's worship that will set us free emotionally and spiritually. - our internal attitudes or beliefs are much more important than our external circumstances. What we believe is how we'll act. - worship is taking our eyes off our circumstances and focusing on God. - we let what's wrong with us keep from worshipping what's right about God

- Ps. 34:1-8 - Biblical expressions of worship - your participation and presence in church and corporate worship matters - God is seeking a certain type of worshipper (John 4:19-24) - Biblical worship is spiritual in nature (1 Cor. 2:1-16) - we filter everything we do through one of 3 lenses: the natural man, the carnal man, or the spiritual man (Matt. 16:13-15) - God is not an "a la carte menu" - Hebrew words for praise: - Halal - a primary Hebreww root word for praise. Our word "hallelujah" comes from this base word. It means "to be clear, to shine, to boast, show, to rave, celebrate, to be clamorously foolish." (Ps. 113:1, 150:1, 149:3) - Yadah - a verb with a root meaning, "the extended hand, to throw out the hand, therefore to worship with extended hands." According to the Lexicon, the opposite meaning is "to bemoan, the wringing of the hands." Yadah comes from two root words: "YAD" which means the open hand, direction, power, and "AH" which has reference to Jehovah. Together they are rendered "Hands to God." (Gen. 29:31-35, Ps. 7:17, 2 Chron. 20:21, Ps. 63:1, 107:15)

- Ex. 34:14, Deut.4:19,8:19,26:10, 1 Chron. 16:29, Ps. 5:7,22:27,29:2,66:4,95:6,99:5,John4:23-24,Rev.15:4 - corporate worship is a big deal because: 1. God is worthy if it - it's the protocol of the throne room of heaven (Ps. 100:4) 2. we are commanded to (Eph. 5:15-21, Heb.10:22-25) 3. it's a weekly, visible testimony to the resurrection 4. it's a statement that God is first, supreme and most important 5. it's an outward expression of an inward revelation 6. God uses it to save the lost (Ps. 40:3) - "I tell you this personal story as a way to illustrate just how important a church's corporate worship is - God used a worship service to save my life." William Graham Tullian Tchividjian - Isa. 6:1-5 - a worship service isn't the place to showcase human talent but the place for God to showcase His divine treasure - we come to sing of who He is and what He's done - "How much larger your life would be if your self could become smaller in it" G.K. Chesterton - corporate worship services in the church today desperately need to recover a sense of God's size 7. corporate sorwhip helps us realize our supreme need - "A God-centered, gospel-fueled owrship service is a service that leads people to conclude that Jesus plus nothing equals everything and everything minus Jesus equals nothing" Tullian Tchividjian - Isaiah's varied response: 1. he responds intellectually to God's presence - "My eyes have seen the King, the LORD of hosts" (v.5) 2. he responds emotionally - "I'm undone" (v.5) 3. he responds volitionally - "Here am I, send me" (v.8) - "The same dynamic explains the primary purpose of corporate worship: to rediscover the mighty acts of God in Christ coming to do for us what we could never do for ourselves. We gather in worship to celebrate God's grip on us, not our grip on God." - Tullian Tchividjian

- Ex. 34:14, Deut.4:19,8:19,26:10, 1 Chron. 16:29, Ps. 5:7,22:27,29:2,66:4,95:6,99:5,John4:23-24,Rev.15:4 - corporate worship is a big deal because: 1. God is worthy if it - it's the protocol of the throne room of heaven (Ps. 100:4) 2. we are commanded to (Eph. 5:15-21, Heb.10:22-25) 3. it's a weekly, visible testimony to the resurrection 4. it's a statement that God is first, supreme and most important 5. it's an outward expression of an inward revelation 6. God uses it to save the lost (Ps. 40:3) - "I tell you this personal story as a way to illustrate just how important a church's corporate worship is - God used a worship service to save my life." William Graham Tullian Tchividjian - Isa. 6:1-5 - a worship service isn't the place to showcase human talent but the place for God to showcase His divine treasure - we come to sing of who He is and what He's done - "How much larger your life would be if your self could become smaller in it" G.K. Chesterton - corporate worship services in the church today desperately need to recover a sense of God's size 7. corporate sorwhip helps us realize our supreme need - "A God-centered, gospel-fueled owrship service is a service that leads people to conclude that Jesus plus nothing equals everything and everything minus Jesus equals nothing" Tullian Tchividjian - Isaiah's varied response: 1. he responds intellectually to God's presence - "My eyes have seen the King, the LORD of hosts" (v.5) 2. he responds emotionally - "I'm undone" (v.5) 3. he responds volitionally - "Here am I, send me" (v.8) - "The same dynamic explains the primary purpose of corporate worship: to rediscover the mighty acts of God in Christ coming to do for us what we could never do for ourselves. We gather in worship to celebrate God's grip on us, not our grip on God." - Tullian Tchividjian

- How do you raise a Christian without going to church? - Top 4 reasons for leaving the church: 1. Change in life situations (moving, work, divorce) 59% 2. Became disenchnaged with the pastor/church 37% 3. Church not fulfilling needs 26% 4. Change in beliefs/interests/attitudes toward church 22% - Jesus is pretty serious about the church. We are on this earth to be the church. (Eph. 1:20-23,2:19-22) - What's the big deal? 1. we get to play our part in God's plan - we are citizens of heaven (Rom. 12:1-2) 2. we get to be apart of a new family - God is building a home (1 John 3:1, Eph. 2:18, Prov. 27:17) - the church is a place where we can develop deep, intimate relationships that are stronger than any we might have otherwise. Our common bond is the Lord Jesus. He is the cause that we live for. - God doesn't create spiritual orphans. It is never His intent that His children be estranged from family. 3. We get to be salt and light (Matt. 5:13-16) - wherever we go, the church goes (Heb. 10:24-25 NIV) - the church is a very big deal - it's God's plan A...there's no plan B - this is not an event we attend, it's a life that we live (Ps. 92:13)

- what makes Jesus so different from other religous leaders? He claimed to be God (Lev. 26:12, Ezek.37:27, John 1:1-2,14, Col.1:15) - what evidence is available that points to Jesus' claims of diety? (John 6:51,8:23,17:5,24,8:56-59) - Gen. 1:26 - God did not say "me" and "my" but "us" and "our". Who is "us"? God the Father, God the Son Jesus, and God the Holy Spirit. - John 10:30-33,Mark 2:5-12, Matt. 8:28-31,Luke 10:17-18,20,Matt. 3:16-17,John 5:18, Matt. 26:62-64, Mark 8:31, Matt. 8:24-27, John 8:45-46, Mark 15:37-39 - is Jesus who He claims to be? Has He always existed? Is He really God? Is He a liar, a luniatic, or Lord? (Matt. 16:13-18) - consider also His unique address & the probability of Jesus being the Messiah (John 5:39,Matt. 21:5,Zech.9:9,Ps.22:16,Ezek.36:26,2Cor.5:17) - the most important question you will ever have to answer is "Who is Jesus?" - only Jesus lived a perfect, sinless life, only Jesus claims to be able to forgive your sins, only Jesus promises you the gift of the Holy Spirit, only Jesus performed verifiable miracles, only Jesus claims to give you eternal life - only Jesus' life was prophesied before his birth, only Jesus died for your sins, only Jesus was resurrected from the dead, only Jesus says He will return one day - Jesus says "I am the bread of life" (John 6:48), "I am the gate" (John 10:9), "I am the good shepherd" (John 10:11), "I am the way, the truth and the life" (John 14:6), "I am the light of the world" (John 8:12), "I am the true vine" (John 15:1), "I am the resurrection and the life" (John 11:25), "I am the Alpha and the Omega" (Rev. 22:13) - Acts 4:12 "Salvation is found in no one else, for there is no other name under heaven given to men by which we must be saved."

- Is the Bible inspired? (2 Tim. 3:16-17 NIV, Ps. 119:86 NCV) - I can trust the Bible because... 1. it's historically accurate 2. it's scientifically accurate (science constantly changes) (Isa. 40:22, Lev. 17:11,13:4 NLT, Prov. 30:5, Ps. 12:6) 3. it's prophetically accurate (2 Peter 1:21 GW, Matt. 26:51 NLT, Rev. 22:6) - there's no room for error: - the fall of Babylon, written two hundred years before it occurred (Isa. 13:17-22) - the fall of Egypt, that it would be destroyed more by civil war than by outside forces (Isa. 19:1-4) - the fall of Nineveh, with its utter desolation (Zeph. 2:13-15) - the fall of Tyre, with its becoming a place for the spreading of nests (Ezek. 26:1-5) 4. it's thematically unified - the Bible is a collection of 66 books, yet there is harmony and continuity (Luke 24:27, John 5:39) 5. it's confirmed by Jesus (Matt. 5:18) 6. it has survived all attacks (Matt. 24:35) Complete sermon notes are available at: http://bit.ly/VBt9AT For further reading and research: "Has God Spoken?: Proof of the Bible’s Divine Inspiration" by Hank Hanegraaff http://amzn.to/Ta475I "The Case for Christ: A Journalist's Personal Investigation of the Evidence for Jesus" by Lee Strobel http://amzn.to/Ta42Py "The New Testament Documents: Are They Reliable?" by F. F. Bruce http://amzn.to/SGfmqt "The Canon of Scripture" by F. F. Bruce http://amzn.to/VNCpQT