Mark 2: Thankful Heart, Abundant Life

[This sermon was first preached at Folsom Community Church on 27 November, 2011]

Thankful Heart, Abundant Life
Mark 4:2-8

Introduction

In Budapest, a man goes to the rabbi and complains, "Life is unbearable. There are nine of us living in one room. What can I do?" The rabbi answers, "Take your goat into the room with you." The man in incredulous, but the rabbi insists. "Do as I say and come back in a week." A week later the man comes back looking more distraught than before. "We cannot stand it," he tells the rabbi. "The goat is filthy." The rabbi then tells him, "Go home and let the goat out. And come back in a week." A radiant man returns to the rabbi a week later, exclaiming, "Life is beautiful. We enjoy every minute of it now that there's no goat -- only the nine of us." [1]

Who are we thankful to at thanksgiving? Thanks-giving requires an object. Thankful requires someone to be thankful to. Some people try to celebrate this holiday by essentially thanking themselves or else thanking some non-specific grandfather-like power.

Thanksgiving is not a natural habit of ours. Complaining, yes. Worry, yes. But giving thanks? Benjamin Disraeli, former prime minister of England, said:

I feel a very unusual sensation - if it is not indigestion, I think it must be gratitude. - Benjamin Disraeli

Who are we giving thanks to? Thanks – giving. Thanks to God for the blessings over the past year. Thanks must have an object. Here's what the Bible says:

Every good and perfect gift is from above, coming down from the Father of heavenly lights… James 1:17a

What really produces a full life? Jesus said:

I came that they may have life and have it abundantly. - John 10:10 (ESV)

Not just a stingy life. Not just a starving life. Not just a getting-by life. An abundant life.

But what is the abundant life? The abundant life is not the stuff. The abundant life is not the great experiences. The abundant life is the love, the joy, the peace with which we deal with the stuff and the experiences.

But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, self-control; against such things there is no law. - Galatians 5:22-23

The abundant life is God’s character and power in us every day.

And the key to an abundant life is your heart attitude toward God.

Jesus tells a story that lists 4 heart attitudes toward God.

1. We Refuse to Listen To God.
2. We Restrict God’s Access in Our Life
3. We Reduce God’s Influence in Our Life, or …
4. We Receive God In Our Life.

Jesus told a little story about the abundant life:

“Listen! A farmer went out to sow his seed. As he was scattering the seed, some fell along the path, and the birds came and ate it up.  

Some fell on rocky places, where it did not have much soil. It sprang up quickly, because the soil was shallow. But when the sun came up, the plants were scorched, and they withered because they had no root.  

Other seed fell among thorns, which grew up and choked the plants, so that they did not bear grain.  

Still other seed fell on good soil. It came up, grew and produced a crop, some multiplying thirty, some sixty, some a hundred times.” – Mark 4:2-8

There are four keys to understanding what Jesus says in this story. You can find these a few versions down in the same chapter, because Jesus conveniently tells you what his whole story is about.

• The seed is God’s word—what he says to us.
• The soil is our heart. The condition of the soil reflects how we respond to God’s word.
• Our heart attitude toward God’s word reflects our heart attitude toward God.
• Our heart attitude towards God determines how abundant our life will be.

The story describes four completely different responses to what God has to say—but only one of those responses to what God has to say leads to the abundant life. Let’s look at each response.

We Refuse to Listen to God.

“Listen! A farmer went out to sow his seed. As he was scattering the seed, some fell along the path, and the birds came and ate it up.” – Mark 4:3-4

 “As soon as they hear it, Satan comes and takes away the word that was sown in them.” – Mark 4:15b

There are a lot of reasons we might refuse to listen to God. Maybe…

1. We don’t listen because we don’t even believe in God.
2. We don’t listen because we don’t believe that God speaks, in the Bible or in voices or via tea leaves or any other way.
3. We don’t listen because we know people who claim to listen to God and they are real jerks.
4. We don’t listen because, based on what we know about God, we don’t really like Him (or Her or It).

So even if God were speaking to you, the attitude of your heart would prevent you from ever hearing him. Jesus called that “ever seeing but never perceiving, and ever hearing but never understanding.” (Mark 4:12a) So those seeds are just spilt, like grains of rice to feed the chickens. So, even if God was speaking, if you refuse to listen, then God’s word is just bird food.

The Bible has a word for refusing to listen to what God says: Sin. Sin, in the Bible, is not tied to chocolate. It is tied to a heart attitude that will not listen to God’s word. But if we will not listen to what God has to say, then we can never have the abundant life that he promised.

You have to be honest about it. God is speaking. God is a communicator. Jesus is the “Word” made into flesh. God is speaking. Be honest, we are not listening. If we want the abundant life, though, we have to allow at least a little crack so that the seed (God’s word) can make it down to our heart and start to make a difference.

If we don’t listen to what God says, we can never have the abundant life.

We Restrict God’s Access in Our Life

“Some fell on rocky places, where it did not have much soil. It sprang up quickly, because the soil was shallow. But when the sun came up, the plants were scorched, and they withered because they had no root.” – Mark 4:5-6

“Others, like seed sown on rocky places, hear the word and at once receive it with joy. But since they have no root, they last only a short time. When trouble or persecution comes because of the word, they quickly fall away.” – Mark 4:16-17

In this story, the seed is not just God’s word, it is life. Show avocado seed. Each seed carries within it life, and around the seed there is just enough sustenance to get that seed rooted and established. The soil, our heart, is really dead until the seed gets there. But when it gets there, the natural processes take over, the first sprout and first leaves reach up toward the sun and the first roots begin to quest downward into the soil. It is a time of rapid growth. But then the sun gets hot, like it does here in the Sacramento area. Or the wind begins to blow. And, as quickly as it grew, it now fades because its roots are limited by a layer of rock just underneath the surface.

Sometimes we don’t enter into the abundant life, because our roots are too shallow. You see, we wanted just a little bit of God. We want God in our life, but we have decided we want to restrict God’s access; we give him the stuff that’s easy to give, but not really give him control. We want the abundant life that God offers, but we aren’t willing to give God the access to our life that is necessary to make it happen. Maybe it is a relationship. Maybe it is our job. We say, “God I really want you; change my life, rock my world, but don’t change the real me, I’d like to control that part.”

Listen to this:

I would like to buy $3 worth of God, please, not enough to explode my soul or disturb my sleep, but just enough to equal a cup of warm milk or a snooze in the sunshine. . . . I want ecstasy, not transformation; I want the warmth of the womb, not a new birth. I want about a pound of the Eternal in a paper sack. I would like to buy $3 worth of God, please. – Walter Rees, $3 Worth of God (Valley Forge, Penn: Judson Press, 1971)

With the “$3 worth of God”, when the tough times come (and notice that, in Jesus’ story, they will come), the seed has never really become established. The new life has never become viable, because it has not tapped into the life source directly. At some point, it must tap directly into God’s love and power—but, if the soil is rocky, it never can do that. If you want the abundant life, you must give God access to all of your life. Here’s what the Bible says: 

“And I pray that you, being rooted and established in love, may have the power to grasp how wide and long and high and deep is the love of Christ.” – Ephesians 4:17b-18 

If we don’t give God full access, we can never have the abundant life.

We Reduce God’s Influence in Our Life
So, one response we can have to God, is we can refuse to listen to him. Another response is that we can restrict God’s access to our life. The third response is we can reduce God’s influence in our life. Look at what Jesus said:

“Other seed fell among thorns, which grew up and choked the plants, so that they did not bear grain.” – Mark 4:7

Jesus explains this a little bit:

“Still others, like seed sown among thorns, hear the word; but the worries of this life, the deceitfulness of wealth and the desires for other things come in and choke the word, making it unfruitful.” – Mark 4:18-19 

God’s word needs enough space in your life to produce the big crop—the 30 times crop, the 60 times crop or the 100 times crop. God not only needs access to all of our life, he also needs you to not give access to other things that crowd out the abundant life. These other things, they are weeds! A weed is just a plant out of place. Sometimes, weeds look really beautiful when they are small, but soon they are taking up the space in your heart that should be reserved for God’s word.—taking up too much of our attention.

Recently I saw this article in the newspaper about Rishab Chatty in Folsom, CA, who was honored with a $1,000 savings bond for raising the largest cabbage, with a 30lb head. As you can see from the picture, it takes a lot of room. That cabbage is almost as large as he is! It takes a lot of room. Just like the work God wants to do in us. We need to make room.[2]

Jesus says there are three things—three weeds--that, if we let them in, can reduce God’s influence in our life:

• Worry. Rick Warren calls worry, “Stewing without doing.” Did you know worry is a form of meditation? It is meditation on what could go wrong. More and more of our mind is focused on a problem, and we stop thinking about God. “Love the Lord your God with all your heart, mind, soul and strength.”
• Wealth. We try to use money to get the abundant life without being changed people. One time I bought two dozen roses and brought them home to Helen. And she said, “What did you do?” I was just being loving, but she thought maybe I was trying to buy love. We think if we had enough money, we would be joyful. Or if our savings account were large enough, we would have peace. But the abundant life is not purchased, it is given by God.
• Wishes (or Desires). “If only…” If only I could do this-I would be fulfilled. If only I could have that car, or experience, or concert ticket or iPhone, life would be so much better. If only he would like me. When we put our abundant life under the control of something or somebody else other than God, we fall into the “if only trap.” Because it is really squeezing out the changes that God wants to make in you, convincing you that your good life is somewhere out there.

Every time we allow something to be planted in our garden; every time we allow something else to take root in our hearts’ desire, there is less room for the changes that God wants to make—his influence becomes less and less. Take out the bolo! Take out the machete, the weedwhacker. If I were to ask you, what is taking up all of your time or your checkbook, those would be the things that threaten to compete with God in your life.

If we don’t give room for God to work, we cannot have the abundant life.

We Receive God in Our Life
So far we have looked at three negative responses to God. We refuse to listen to God. We restrict God’s access in our lives. We reduce God’s influence in our lives. But in this 4th response, Jesus tells us what we should do. Jesus says that the best response is when we receive God in our life. We need to welcome God into our lives.

“Still other seed fell on good soil. It came up, grew and produced a crop, some multiplying thirty, some sixty, some a hundred times.” – Mark 4:8

“Others, like seed sown on good soil, hear the word, accept it, and produce a crop—some thirty, some sixty, some a hundred times what was sown.” – Mark 4:20

Conclusion
Let me ask you a question: what is the condition of your heart?

• Maybe your heart is hard, asphalt-big do-not-enter signs posted-not giving God any chance to speak? Maybe now is the time to give Jesus the chance to speak. It is time to let him in.

Here I am! I stand at the door and knock. If anyone hears my voice and opens the door, I will come in and eat with that person, and they with me. – Revelation 3:20

• Maybe your heart is like the shallow soil over rock. Just a little bit of God.
• Maybe your heart is so full of weeds and distractions that God doesn’t have room to work.
• Or maybe your heart is plowed and ready to grow. If you are ready to receive God’s word and act on it, he causes the growth.

You need to receive God-to welcome God. Jesus spent his life on the cross so that God would welcome you. Welcome you now and welcome you forever. Do you know why? Because when you receive God, he receives you as his children. Here is what the Bible says:

Yet to all who did receive him, to those who believed in his name, he gave the right to become children of God— children born not of natural descent, nor of human decision or a husband’s will, but born of God. – John 1:12-13 (NIV)

If we don’t receive God in our life, we cannot have the abundant life.

If you need to do that, you can pray a simple prayer to God: “Dear God. I have been refusing you. I have been restricting you-reducing your influence. But now, as best I know how, I want to receive you into my life. I know that Jesus paid for all of my sin and stubbornness up until now, so that I can be welcomed by you. I want the abundant life, and, with your help, I will follow your plan—your words-to get there.”

If you prayed that prayer, would you tell me or Pastor Tito today? We would like to pray with you about it and help you take the next steps in learning how to live the abundant life.

Jesus says we can have the abundant life, full of the grace and mercy of God, full of the 30 times love, the 60 times joy and 100 times peace that only God can provide. That is worth thanks-giving.

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[1] George Mike, How to be Decadent (Andre Deutsch: London) as cited on http://www.sermonillustrations.com/a-z/t/thanksgiving.htm, retrieved on 11/25/2011.

[2] Seeds: Serious cabbage and good causes raising some green, Debbie Arrington, Sacramento Bee (26 November 2011), Home and Garden, pg. 3.

Joshua 4: Miracles: God’s Power To Move Us

[This sermon was preached on 30 October 2011 at Folsom Community Church]

Miracles: God’s Power To Move Us

Joshua 4

Introduction: What Does It Mean? (vs. 20-21)

 [Helen's Valentine’s Day Prayer and Unexpected Answer] This ring is a reminder of the way that God brought Helen and I together. If we sat down and asked each of the couples in this room how God brought them together, I think we would have a lot of stories. Stories of how God could bring together two completely different people, from completely different backgrounds, countries and cultures in marriage. And many times, over the past 20 years, my mind has wandered back to those events, reminding me: Yes, this was God’s plan and this is God’s plan.

But you know, the ring is not the thing. As pretty as it is, as much as it is worth (especially with the price of gold today), I don’t say that this ring holds my affections—I don’t say this ring has my heart. No, instead it is a reminder of my relationship with Helen and how God was miraculously involved.


USMC War Memorial, Photo by Catie Drew, Public Domain

I’ve seen a lot of statues in my time. Big ones, little ones. When I look at the statues of great men, if I spend all my time wondering about how it was made, what materials they used, who the artist was, but I miss the story that the statue is supposed to tell, then I’m missing the point.

Graves at Arlington on Memorial Day, Photo by Remember, Public Domain

I’ve seen a lot of grave markers in my time. Do you spend your time oohing and ahhing over the mausoleums? Or do you remember the life story of the one who it commemorates?

When we come to Joshua, chapter 4, the monument on the bank of the Jordan River was a pile of 12 rocks piled up.  Not very impressive. But let me tell you, the story is amazing, because it is the story of ordinary people, an miracle and the God behind the miracle.

I’m going to spoil it for you by starting at the end of the story and then we’ll work back and fill in the details as we go along. If you have your Bibles, please turn to Joshua, chapter 4, starting in verse 19:

On the tenth day of the first month the people went up from the Jordan and camped at Gilgal on the eastern border of Jericho. And Joshua set up at Gilgal the twelve stones they had taken out of the Jordan.

He said to the Israelites, “In the future when your descendants ask their fathers, ‘What do these stones mean?’ tell them, ‘Israel crossed the Jordan on dry ground.’  For the LORD your God dried up the Jordan before you until you had crossed over.

The LORD your God did to the Jordan just what he had done to the Red Sea when he dried it up before us until we had crossed over. He did this so that all the peoples of the earth might know that the hand of the LORD is powerful and so that you might always fear the LORD your God.” – Joshua 4:19-24

Let me recap the big story. Some of you may know the story of how the nation of Israel was in Egypt for 400 years, oppressed by the Pharaohs. God sent Moses down to Egypt, hammers on the people and Pharaoh of Egypt until they let the Israelites go and then, after the Egyptian army chases them to the edge of the Red Sea, opens up a path through the middle of the sea so they can escape safely to the other side. On the other side is the desert.

They grab the 10 commandments from Mt. Sinai and then march through the desert until they arrive at the Jordan River. Now God has told them that, on the other side of the Jordan River, is the land he has promised long ago to Abraham, their ancestor and that it is a land so rich and fertile, they call it the land of “milk and honey”. So far, so good right?

So the Israeli nation sends out twelve spies to take a look at this Promised Land. They bring back a good news-bad news story. The good news is the land is incredibly rich, tons of grapes and olives. The bad news is: the Amorites already found it and moved into the neighborhood. And they are big (I mean really big, Goliath sized), mean, nasty people.

What do the people of Israel do when they hear the bad news? They do what we do. They forget the good news. They forget the promise of God. They whine and compliant and throw a tantrum. So God says, “Fine, you don’t want my promised land. Then don’t have it.” And sends them back into the desert and says that everyone over 20 years old will not see the “promised” land except for two people: Joshua and Caleb.

Fast forward 40 years. Moses just died after giving the longest sermon in the Bible (the book of Deuteronomy) and the people are ready to try again. There parents have all died in the desert. So they line up at the river, which is at flood stage, overflowing its banks. The priests walk to the edge of the river and step into the water. Except, as their feet come down, God does a miracle. He not only stops the water but dries up the ground underneath. The priests stand all day in the middle of what used to be a river while the people cross. Joshua tells 12 men, one from each of the 12 tribes of Israel, to grab a rock from the middle of the river. Then, after everyone is across, the priests come out, the river returns its normal floody self and they pile up the 12 rocks at the place they camp that night.

What Are Miracles For?

Now, let me stop right there and ask you a question: What are miracles for? [repeat] Does God do them for the entertainment value? What did they do before television and iPods? Oh, back then, son, they had miracles. Is that it? So that the Bible wouldn’t be boring?

To show off? Is that what miracles are for? Hey look at what I can do, a two headed albino alligator. 50,000 galaxies. Who does God show off to? That would be pretty pathetic if God was showing off, because there’s no one else whom God admires to show off to. There’s no audience capable of truly appreciating what God can do. I mean, look at his intended audience, the Israelites. Big river, flood stage, dry ground. And how did they applaud God? Great job, God, wanna rock?

God does miracles because he wants to motivate us. And God wants monuments because we tend to forget the miracles. Look at verse 21:

He said to the Israelites, “In the future when your descendants ask their fathers, ‘What do these stones mean?’….’ - Joshua 4:21

When God does a miracle, it is not a secret. If God does something amazing in your life, don’t keep it to yourself. Don’t let the story die with you. Instead, find opportunities to celebrate the miracles and tell the story. Those rocks next to the Jordan River were designed to be provocative. Those rocks were designed to generate questions. There was no way that you could stroll down the Gilgal promenade and miss these rocks.

If God has radically changed your life, if God has moved in a way that only God can, it should generate some comment—some questions-- from our friends, our families, our associates. Because if it doesn’t, it means that either it wasn’t a radical change or else you are really good at hiding it.

Sometimes you’ve got to pull the Ferrari out of the garage. You know, God has done amazing miracles around your life. He has changed you and is changing you. But you only bring the Ferrari out on Sundays and then you only show it to your Ferrari club friends. Then you tuck it back into the garage and the rest of the week you drive your lemon to work and school.

Jesus said:

You are the light of the world. A city on a hill cannot be hidden. Neither do people light a lamp and put it under a bowl. Instead they put it on a stand, and it gives light to everyone in the house. – Matthew 5:14-15

God’s miracles are meant to be shared. They are meant to be remembered. They are meant to move us and motivate us, in four specific ways mentioned in the next few verses.

Miracles Are God’s Power In Our Lives (vs. 22-23a)

First, miracles are God’s power in our lives. Look at verses 22 and the first part of verse 23:

“Tell them, ‘Israel cross the Jordan on dry ground.’ For the Lord your God dried up the Jordan before you until you had crossed over.” – Joshua 4:22-23a

A miracle is God’s power for God’s plan with God’s people. God does things for his reasons and he involves us. So you don’t try the impossible because you like doing impossible things. In fact, Satan tempted Jesus “to try the impossible”, telling him to jump off the top of the temple and he would be rescued. And Jesus said, “No!” But, on the other hand, when God has a plan and you are involved in the plan, many times you will see miracles happen because God will use his power to make it happen.

Miracles require God-sized power. Miracles require God-accurate timing. Miracles require God-focus attention to details.  

Let’s look at God-sized power. If you go back one chapter, to chapter 3, verses 15-16 it says:

Now the Jordan is at flood stage all during harvest. Yet as soon as the priests carried the priests … reached the Jordan and their feet touched the water’s edge, the water from upstream stopped flowing. It piled up in a heap a great distance away ... [and] was completely cut off. – Joshua 3:15, 16a

I have seen the Sacramento River overflowing into the Yolo Causeway over here on Highway 50. I have seen the Cagayan River, the longest river in the Philippines, at flood stage. If you have seen something like this, you know the tremendous amount of water involved. Now God just took his hand and stopped up the flow of the river, no leaks, and piled up the water, higher and higher. It took 5 years to build the Hoover Dam on the Colorado River, but it took God 5 seconds.

Then, notice the God-accurate timing. It says that when the feet of the priest touched the water’s edge, the water started piling up in Adam—18 miles away—at the same instance.

Finally, notice the God-focused details. There were as many as 2 million people who had to cross. With flood-stage rivers, it’s not just the water but the mud. But it says, in verse 17 it says that by the time the priests got to the middle of the now-empty river:

The priests … stood firm on dry ground in the middle of the Jordan while all Israel passed by until the whole nation had completed the crossing on dry ground. – Joshua 3:17

When God does a miracle, it is something so incredible, so audacious, so big that the only rational explanation is God. He doesn’t want anyone else getting credit. He doesn’t want anyone coming up with a scientific explanation for what happened. He doesn’t want us to wonder whether we imagine it. Instead he wants to confirm his power for us in an unmistakable way. And he gets to choose the miracle, not you.

A miracle is God’s power for God’s purpose with God’s people. A miracle, it is God’s motivation for you to move. A miracle is telling you God’s direction to move. A miracle is telling you who to move with.

First, miracles are God’s power in our lives.

Miracles Are God’s Power in Our Lifetime (vs. 23b)

Second, we move because God is active now. Look at what it says in the second part of verse 23:

The Lord your God did to the Jordan just what he had done to the Red Sea when he dried it up before us until we had cross over. – Joshua 4:23b

What is he talking about? Well, if you remember, this isn’t the first time that Israel has cross over a big body of water on dry ground. Back when Moses led them out of Egypt, they came to the edge of the Red Sea, with Pharaoh’s army charging behind them, and God opened up a passage and the people escaped. Now, Joshua is leading them out of the desert, they come to the edge of the Jordan, and now God opens up a passage and the people enter the promised land. Why a second time?  Was God running out of ideas, like a bad miracle sequel?

No. It was important that the people know that God was with them, in the same way, with the same power, with the same commitment, as he had been when they left Egypt. None of them had been adults and many were not even born back in the big plague-and-miracle days. So they didn’t know personally the power of God.

We all need to personally experience the power of God. It isn’t enough that our parents saw the power of God. It isn’t enough that our friends had their lives turned upside-down by God giving them a new life. We need to experience that power first hand.

This was especially true of Joshua. You see Moses, his predecessor had been leading Israel for nearly 40 years. But just before they got to the Jordan River, Moses dies. People wondered, “Does he have what it takes to be the leader?” “Does he have what it takes for the job?” People wondered. Joshua wondered. Back in Joshua 1, God has to tell him several times, “Be strong and courageous.” “Be strong and courageous.” Why did God have to say that? Because Joshua was shaking in his boots. But by crossing in the same way as Moses it gave everyone confidence that God was with Joshua just like he was with Moses. In fact, that’s what it says in chapter 4, verse 14:

“That day the Lord exalted Joshua in the sight of all Israel; and they revered him all the days of his life, just as they had revered Moses.” – Joshua 4:14

Does God still do amazing, out-of-the-box, off-the-hook sort of stuff? Or is that only in the Bible? Do people get healed, lives get changed, additions overcome, cities repent and rivers open up? Or is that like Cinderella-a fairy tale?

The prophet Habakkuk asked the same question:

LORD, I have heard of your fame; I stand in awe of your deeds, O LORD. Renew them in our day, in our time make them known; - Habakkuk 3:2

I am convinced that God is still in the business of working miracles in this generation. The miracles of God are not just the miracles of the Bible—they are the miracles also of this time and this place.  Folsom is not forgotten. Sacramento did not slip his mind. Natomas is not an afterthought. God has not finished demonstrating his power right here.

But, when he moves, will you move? First, miracles are God’s power in our lives. Second, Miracles are God’s power in our lifetime, in our generation.

Miracles Are God’s Power for His Plans (vs. 24a)

Third, miracles are God’s power for His plans (not ours!). God has big plans and wants us to join him. Every wonder what’s on God’s day planner—on his calendar? “7:02am, cause the sun to rise. 11:00am, go to the dentist” No, God’s calendar is full of a much bigger plan.

Back in verse 24, we find out that the pile of rocks next to the Jordan was God’s announcement that He has big plans.

He did this so that all the peoples of the earth might know that the hand of the Lord is powerful… - Joshua 4:24

Did you know that a miracle is not just for you? God is not just giving you a private showing; he is starting a world tour. Through the power he is displaying, his target audience is the world. The gospel is the message. The miracles are the marketing plan. The world is his target audience.

Crossing the Jordan River with a miracle was not just about keeping your feet dry. It was not just about taking the Promised Land. Those rocks were a reminder to the people of God: You are a part ofhte process, but you are not the end of the process.

Sometimes people of God get comfortable, they get satisfied, even smug. They found the answer, now we can rest. They get so concerned about God’s people inside the holy huddle that they ignore the future team members. But the goal of the gospel is not a group hug. The goal of the gpsel is global domination. 

Miracles are not about you. They are about God. Do you remember the beginning of the Lord’s Prayer? Do you remember what you were asking?

Your kingdom come. Your will be done, on earth, as it is in heaven. – Matthew 6:10

When we pray the Lord ’s Prayer, we are really praying that God will take over Folsom, California, starting with me.  God’s kingdom expands, not by geographical or political or economic or ethnic boundaries, but in the hearts of men and women whose hearts are fully devoted to him.

[Folsom Lake College, 9K students, Folsom, 60K people, Sacramento Area, 2.5M[1], California, 30M people, the World: 7B]

What would it look like if God did a miracle right here? Marriages restored, the desperate given hope, the poor being fed, relationships restored, addictions cast off, lives transformed. Starting a church in Folsom is not starting a Rotary club. Starting a church in Folsom is starting a revolution. You are not residents, you are revolutionaries.

Does God dream small? No God dreams big. He loves the people here enough to spend the life of his son, Jesus.  He loves the people here enough to send us. He will back up his dream with miracles that you and I cannot even imagine. These miracles are the signs that point towards the day when every knee will bow, every tongue confess that Jesus Christ is Lord.  We can’t sit still. We can’t leave the world in the way it is. We have to move because God has big plans.

First, miracles are God’s power in our lives. Second, miracles are God’s power in our lifetime. Third, miracles are God’s power for His plans.

Miracles Are God’s Power to Change Our Heart (vs. 24b)

And finally, when God performs a miracle, one of the reasons he does that miracle is to change our hearts to that we focus on God, not ourselves.

Look at the second part of verse 24:

He did this ... so that you might always fear the Lord your God. – Joshua 4:24b

Sometimes we see that phrase, “fear the Lord” in the Bible, we can get confused. Why should I be afraid of God? Think about it in terms of your family. Did you ever do something, and you knew that if your father ever found out about it, you would be in big trouble. That is a part of the “fear of the Lord.” How about this, did you ever work really hard on something, because you knew that your parents would approve? That is a part of the “fear of the Lord” Did you ever do something that was a little bit risky, it required courage, but you knew that your parents would like that. That is part of the “fear of the Lord.”

There is only one opinion that matters. There are lots of people willing to tell you their opinion. Every piece of junk mail; every ad on TV; every billboard-they all try to get my attention so that they can tell me their opinion.  My boss, my kids, my in-laws, my friends, they all have an opinion for me. Buy this. Do this. Achieve this. Live like this. They all have something to tell me. Twenty some-odd years after I left home, my Mom lives three-hundred miles away, but I can still hear her voice in my head. But whose voice overrides all the other voices: God's.

When God pulls out the miracles and lets us see it, he has wants to change our opinion about Him. Is He the VIP in our life, or do we try to maintain ourselves as the most-important person In our world, we think we are the center of the universe.  So one of the reasons God does miracles is to take our focus off of us and put the spotlight on God. 

What God is doing is the most important activity. What God thinks about something is the most important opinion. What God cares about should break our hearts. That’s what it means to fear the Lord. That’s what it means to “Love the Lord your God with all of your heart, soul, mind and strength.”

If God is going to change the world, he must first move you by changing your focus.

First, miracles are God’s power in our lives. Second, miracles are God’s power in our lifetime. Third, miracles are God’s power for His plans. Fourth, miracles are God’s power to change your heart.

Conclusion

Bertelsen Park, El Dorado Hill, Photo by Helen Lewis

Is that what life is about?

Go back to the River Jordan. It was just a pile of rocks. There was nothing special about the rocks themselves. If we saw one of those rocks today, we would not notice anything extraordinary about them. Their shape is normal. Their chemical composition is normal. Their flaws and coloration is normal. But their significance, their importance is amazing, because of what God did with them. They were ordinary, now they are extraordinary, not because of the “rock-ness” but because of God’s favor. They were just river rubble, but now they are the symbol of a miracle.

We are like those rocks. We are ordinary people.  We are look like ordinary people, we smell like ordinary people, we are flawed like ordinary people. But our significance is amazing because of what God did with us. He takes ordinary people and shapes us and forms us until, one day, we will be completely transformed into the person he has always wanted us to be.

And I am certain that God, who began the good work within you, will continue his work until it is finally finished on the day when Christ Jesus returns. – Philippians 1:6 (NLT)

We have substituted cheap dreams for the dreams of God. What do I want at the end of my life? A baseball field named after me. Are my passions so trivial that I am content with green grass and a baseball diamond?

My dream is that when people look back at my life, they will not see the pile of rocks, but will see the power and glory of God shining through because of his miracles. My dream is that each life I come into contact with will be transformed by the power of God. My dream is that Folsom Community Church is the start of a life-giving, life-changing movement of churches in the Sacramento area. My dream is that my heart breaks for what breaks his heart and that my heart celebrates when his heart rejoices.

But I can’t do that. My habits, my attitudes, my heart is too self-centered. I am too worried about my reputation and what people think about me. I am too comfortable with the way things are right now. I need a miracle. Am I the only one who needs a miracle? 

Maybe you’re here this morning, and you aren’t too sure about this whole God thing, or miracles. Maybe it sounds crazy to you. I agree, it certainly sounds a little bit weird. But what if it was true? What if God is real and still in the business of changing peoples’ lives? Work with me here. If God was real and good and powerful, what would it take for you to trust him? Maybe you need to offer up a prayer like this:

God, I am not sure whether you are real or not. And I’m not sure that if you are real, whether I would really like you. But I want to find out the truth, and if find out that you are real and good, I will follow you as best as I can. I will know if you are real and good if xxxx.

That’s a dangerous prayer. Don’t pray it if you aren’t serious, because it’s a dangerous thing to play with God.

Maybe God has spoken to you. You are convinced he is real. But you don’t know what to do next. Here’s a miracle: God sent Jesus, condemned him for what you did wrong, bought your life with his, and wants to re-launch your life. The Bible calls this being “made new” It is a miracle, like the miracle of creating the world. It is a miracle like Jesus coming back to life.

I also pray that you will understand the incredible greatness of God’s power for us who believe him. This is the same mighty power that raised Christ from the dead … - Ephesians 1:19-20a

It is a miracle that is offered to each one, if we are willing to follow Jesus with all of our heart. We can ignore God, we can dismiss God, we can claim we don’t need God, OR we can say, “God I don’t deserve it, but I need your miracle to change me.  Thank you for sending Jesus to pay for all of my faults and flaws, so I can have this new life. Today I want to follow you, as much as I know how. Amen.”

Many of you already know what I’m talking about. God has already re-launched your life spiritually. But you wish, just wish to see God move in a miraculous way during our life. My brothers and sisters, how I long to see God move like that. Like he did in the Bible. Like he did in the book of Acts. God doesn’t owe me or you a miracle. But I know the best place to find one: with the people of God, in his church. What does God do with rocks?

And you are living stones that God is building into his spiritual temple. - 1 Peter 2:5

He builds them into a holy place, a monument to his glory.

We are the miracle that God is using to change our world.

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[1] “Metropolitan and Micropolitan Statistical Area Estimated”, July 1, 2009, U.S. Censur Bureau, http://www.census.gov/popest/metro/tables/2009/CBSA-EST2009-01.csv, Retrieved October 26, 2011