Stuck high up in a tree outside my house sits a branch … a big tree branch that snapped off under the weight of last October’s ice storm.  This branch sits precariously balanced on another branch and needs to be removed before it falls and does some serious damage.  How will this branch come down?

Well, you might think there are hundreds of ways for the branch to fall (and my house to be saved as the branch lands softly in the yard), but really, there are only two ways:

1. I bring the branch down through some kind of organized activity.

2.  God brings the branch down through His sovereign intervention.

Now just because there are only two basic ways the branch will fall, that does NOT mean that there are not variants inside that plan.  Under option #1, I can think of dozens of possibilities:

• I throw a football (like Uncle Rico from “Napoleon Dynamite”) and hit the branch JUST RIGHT to knock it down into the yard (missing the house and deck.)
• I climb the tree like an American Ninja Warrior and dislodge the branch and throw it down safely into the yard.
• I hire a professional tree trimming crew to use a bucket truck to lift and set the branch down in just the right spot.
• I get a long ladder and climb to an appropriate spot and use a chainsaw the remove the branch a section at a time (guiding it to the ground with a set of ropes and pulleys.)
• This list could go on and on, but you get the point.  

On the side of sovereign intervention:

• A bolt of lighting could strike that incinerates the branch where it hangs.
• A gust of wind could sweep through and blow the branch down
• Another ice storm could weigh the branch down so it falls just right.
• God could just speak to the branch and it floats to the ground.
• This list could go on and on, but you get the idea.

Really only two options exist. 

Which will I choose?  Well, the divine intervention options sure are attractive!  After all, my organized activity is dependent upon my ability to pay a cost, figure out a plan, and execute with skill … and my skills, budget, and mind are all limited!  God (on the other hand) has limitless energy, income, and ingenuity.  I would FAR prefer Him to intervene … but will He?  Does He even want to? Because I am not sure about that, I am probably going to hire the tree trimming company to help me out.

Now, I want to transition this conversation from my backyard to all of our spiritual lives.  Our lives all sag under the weight of sin, and are precariously hanging on a moment in this life ready to fall at any time and do some serious damage.  How will we be raised up and saved from this body of death?

Well, the religions of the world seemingly offer hundreds of options, but really there are only two ways:

1. We work our way TO salvation through some kind of organized religious activity.

2.  God steps in and saves us through His gracious work.

Now, there are just two categories, but nearly all religions offer some form of #1 … work your way to God by keeping some set of rules or commandments.  This is the plan in Islam, Hinduism … even humanism.  It also is the most common understanding of Jews … and even many people who grew up going to Christian churches.  

But Jesus actually offered a different way.  Only Biblical Christianity offers a “divine gracious work” kind of way.  Jesus offered to save us on the basis of His work, not ours … all we have to do is believe in Him, and He will give us new life.

So which will you choose?  The “my work” way (depending on our own finite strength, integrity, and devotion) or the “God’s work” way (depending on His infinite power, wisdom, and steadfastness)?  And is the God’s work way even a real option?  Can I count on it?  Does God really WANT to save us after all?

Well, this Sunday at Wildwood Community Church, in part 6 of the “New Normal” sermon series, we will be looking at Galatians 2:15-21 together, as we see that justification is only possible through faith in Jesus Christ (and His work on our behalf) … not in our “works of the law.”  Hope you make plans to be with us as we explore this most important truth together!  If we don’t understand the truth we will look at Sunday, we do not understand what it means to follow Jesus.  Make plans to be with us at our 9:00, 10:15, or 11:30 service (in person and with classes for children, students, and adults).  Or, join us online at wildwoodchurch.org/live at 10:15.

On Sunday, January 31, 2021 at Wildwood Community Church, I preached a sermon based on Galatians 2:11-14.  This message was part 5 in “The New Normal” series.  Below you will find questions related to the message for personal reflection or group discussion.  You will also find audio and video from the message to listen to/watch, download, or share.

Sermon Questions:

1. Pray
2. Read Galatians 2:11-14
3. In what ways do you think the Gospel tries to “straighten” our lives?
4. Peter’s timeline reminds us that there are certain things that we may be quick to learn in our heads, but slow to apply with our hands and feet.  Can  you think of any examples from your own life where you were “slow” to consistently apply a truth you believed early on?
5. How has the sin of others impacted your life?  How has your sin impacted the lives of others?  How does remembering the horizontal challenges our sin creates inspire us to deal with our sin and not ignore it?
6. This week’s passage reminds us that we need “straightening.”  What are 1-2 areas of your life that you sense God wanting to correct you in during this season of your life?
7. What stands out to you most from this passage?  Any particular takeaway?

To access these questions in pdf format, click here.

 

To listen offline, click the link to download:

The New Normal #5 1.31.21

 

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Do you have anything that needs straightening?  Where do you go?  Well, it depends on what needs to be ironed out.

• If your teeth are crooked, you go to an orthodontist.
• If your bones are broken, you go to an orthopedist.
• If your beliefs are twisted, you need to become more orthodox.

Do you see a pattern there?  The prefix “ortho” precedes many terms in our lexicon.  “Ortho” is a Greek prefix meaning “straight” or “correct.”  This prefix is used often and to great effect.  

In Galatians 2:14, Paul uses this prefix in a combination to point out a problem his friend Peter once had.  A problem of not “walking correctly” in light of the Gospel.  The message Paul proclaimed (the Gospel message that had come from Jesus Himself) was intended to be a brace to shape our lives into proper alignment.  More than just a religion or philosophy, the Christian life would be a supernatural life that would straighten out our lives … particularly the way we treat and relate to others.

However, this straightening process is painful.  Like a teenager going through their first few weeks with a retainer, or an athlete beginning rehab on a torn tendon, the early stages of being “ortho-ed” has its fair share of aches and pains.  Turns out, Peter’s problems are all too familiar to you and me … though the specifics of the story vary, Peter’s  growing pains in the New Testament are our growing pains as well.  We grasp the idea of the Gospel long before we apply it completely in our lives.

This Sunday, January 31, 2021 at Wildwood Community Church, we will be looking at Galatians 2:11-14 in part 5 of our “New Normal” series as we see our lives brought into alignment with the new Jesus has normalized.  It may be a bit painful … but the end result is a more beautiful community.  Join us as we take a look this weekend in our 9:00, 10:15, or 11:30 service (in person and with children, student, and adult classes) or online at 10:15 (wildwoodchurch.org/live.)  Hope to see you there!

On Sunday, January 24, 2021, at Wildwood Community Church, I preached a sermon based on Galatians 2:1-10.  This message is part 4 in the “New Normal” series.  Below you will find questions related to the sermon for group discussion or personal reflection.  You will also find the audio and video of the sermon to listen to/watch, download, or share.

Sermon Questions:

1. Pray
2. Read Galatians 2:1-10
3. When was the last time when someone tried to tell you you had to do something (or couldn’t do something) that you felt like you had a “right” to do?  How did you respond?  Why did you respond that way?
4. What is a relatively new conviction that you have developed?  Take some time and compare that conviction to biblical truth.  Read a commentary about it, talk with Christian friends about it.  How does your new conviction compare to those sources?
5. Paul circumcised Timothy (Acts 16:3) but did not circumcise Titus (Galatians 2:1-5).  Based on what we talked about in the message, why do you think Paul behaved differently in these situations?  How do you apply any principles you derive from that comparison to issues of Christian liberty today?
6. What are some examples you have seen of Christians (with different traditions and practices) coming together to proclaim the Gospel or to help the poor?
7. What would it look like for you to keep the Gospel central and your love for people evident in this season of your life?
8. What stands out to you most from this passage?  Any particular takeaway?

To access these questions in pdf format, click here.

 

To listen to the sermon offline, click the link:

The New Normal #4 1.24.21

 

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To watch video of service, use YouTube stream below:

 

Liberty.  Freedom.  The ability to do something.  The ability to refrain from doing something.  As Americans we like this thought.  Jefferson declared famously in 1776, “all men are created equal, that they are endowed by their creator with certain unalienable rights that among these are life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness.” (Declaration of Independence) The idea being that no one should come up with a plan that prevents people from these basic pursuits.

Liberty.  Freedom.  The ability to do something.  The ability to refrain from doing something.  As Christians we like this thought.  Paul famously said in 48, “For freedom Christ has set us free; stand firm therefore, and do not submit again to a yoke of slavery.” (Galatians 5:1)  The idea being that no one should come up with a plan that adds to the Gospel other criteria by which someone is saved.

That said …  we live out our American life in a country … a society where our liberties are sometimes curtailed for the sake of the common good.  Think speed limits on highways or occupancy limits for fire safety.

Also, we live out our Christian life in community … a congregation where our liberties are sometimes curtailed for the sake of the common good.  We only sing certain songs each weekend (which may not be your favorite song), we meet at certain times (which may not be your favorite time), etc.  

For the most part in our country and in our churches, people are used to a little give and take to form these social contracts.  However, for all of us there will come those moments where something happens that grabs our attention.  Something happens that makes us want to stand and fight.  Some liberty or preference is infringed on or forced on us, and we want to say “NO!”  When is it ok to stand and fight, and when should we sit and compromise?

Well, if I were to take a poll right now, my guess is that the threshold for civil disobedience in our country and our church is different for all of us.  I really don’t want to take that poll, as I think it would only lead to further disunity.  Instead, I want to turn to God’s Word to see what IT SAYS about where we should draw the line.  Specifically, where we should stand and fight and when we should sit and defer on matters INSIDE THE CHURCH.   Don’t you want to know the answer to that also?

Well, this Sunday, we will look at this very question as we explore Galatians 2:1-10 together in part 4 of our “New Normal” series at Wildwood Community Church.  I hope you plan to join us in our 9:00, 10:15, or 11:30 service as we see what we can learn from Paul (as he was directed by the Holy Spirit) about when we should stand and when we should sit on issues of truth and liberty.  

Hope to see you this Sunday in person or on the stream (wildwoodchurch.org/live at 10:15)!

On Sunday, January 17, 2021 at Wildwood Community Church, I preached a sermon based on Galatians 1:11-24.  This message was part 3 in the “New Normal” sermon series.  Below you will find a series of questions related to the message for personal reflection or group discussion.  You will also find the sermon audio and video to listen to.watch or share.

Sermon Questions:

1. Pray
2. Read Galatians 1:11-24
3. What is the biggest life change that you have ever seen (in your life or in the life of someone you know)?
4. Christianity is not a man-made religion, but was God’s idea from the start.  How does remembering this encourage you about God’s disposition toward you?
5. Knowing that the Gospel is God’s Work that we receive by faith, begs the question … have you placed your faith in what Jesus has done for you on the cross?  How has that made a difference in your life?
6. What is the hero of your story?  How can you share your story and more effectively remind all who hear it that Jesus is the One to receive the glory?
7. What stands out to you most from this passage?  Any particular takeaway?

To access these questions in pdf format, click here.

 

To listen offline, click the link to download:

The New Normal #3 1.17.21

 

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To watch, use YouTube stream online:

 

What is the biggest change you can imagine right now?  I don’t mean losing ten pounds to fit into pre-pandemic clothing … I mean REAL CHANGE.  Epic transformation.  What would it be?

I’m talking… 

• Colin Cowherd in a Baker Mayfield jersey
• Sean Hannity becoming a Democrat
• Kevin Durant as the next mayor of Oklahoma City
• Nancy Pelosi wearing a “Trump in ’24” button
• Michael Buble releasing a rap album

You know … BIG CHANGE.

What would you think if you opened the newspaper this morning and saw any of those items as stories?  After some expression of shock, you might say, “What happened?”  In other words, something WILD has taken place that defies natural or normal expectations.  Many of those items above, we might assume would require an act of God …

Well, let me take you back to the Damascus Daily News, front page article in 33 AD.  Some local Jewish woman was drinking her coffee and headed out to pick up the papyri and see what the day’s headline was.  Upon opening the paper, she shrieked, dropped her coffee and passed out cold … so surprised was she at the news that led that morning’s Daily.  Upon coming to, she looks again to make sure she read it right the first time.  Saul of Tarsus had converted to Christianity.

Now, while I don’t know HOW news was distributed in the first century, I do know that the revelation that Saul was now a Jesus follower was absolutely stunning.  10000x more stunning than any of the transformations I mention above.  Saul was a killer of Christians … someone dead set on destroying the new Jesus movement, and now he was proclaiming Jesus as GOD?  WHAT HAPPENED?

Well, this historical event is the backdrop of Paul’s ministry among the Galatians, including the message he was preaching and that we have been talking about on Sunday mornings at Wildwood in our “New Normal” series.  This Sunday, we will begin to listen as Paul tells the story of  WHAT HAPPENED that led to his transformation, and how that connects to the new that Jesus had normalized for all of us.

I hope to see you this Sunday, January 17, 2021 at Wildwood Community Church in our 9:00, 10:15, or 11:30 service (in person and with ministries running for children, students, and adults) or online at 10:15 in the stream – wildwoodchurch.org/live as we will look at Galatians 1:11-24 in part 3 of this series.  We will also be celebrating communion together at the end of this week’s services.  Hope you can join us!

NOTE:  In this week’s services, the sermon will be first in the order of worship, with singing and communion at the end.  Hope to see you this Sunday!

On Sunday, January 10, 2021 at Wildwood Community Church, I preached a sermon based on Galatians 1:6-10.  This message was part 2 of the “New Normal” sermon series.  Below you will find questions related to this message for personal reflection or group discussion.  You will also find the sermon audio and video to listen to/watch, download or share.

Sermon Questions:

1. Pray
2. Read Galatians 1:6-10
3. What kinds of things typically cause you to get “outraged” or upset enough to speak out on a topic?
4. When was the last time you saw the Gospel message twisted or changed in some way?
5. To the best of your understanding, what is the Gospel message?
6. In what ways do you hear people twisting the Gospel to a “Jesus +” message?  In what way does this take away from the true GOOD NEWS of Jesus?
7. Why do you think Paul reacts so strongly to people changing the Gospel message?
8. Who in your life are you praying for that they might trust Jesus as their Savior?  How can you invite them to follow Him this year?
9. What stands out to you most from this passage?  Any particular takeaway?

To access these questions in pdf format, click here.

 

To listen offline, click the link:

The New Normal #2 1.10.21

 

To listen online, use the media player below:

 

To watch the service stream, use YouTube online:

 

This has been a really difficult week, hasn’t it?  Like many of you, I watched yesterday afternoon as people stormed the United States Capital … leading to four deaths and damage to a place representing the rule of law.  Literally, my mouth was open and my heart heavy as I watched the events unfold. 

In 2021, everyone has a microphone and no one has an editor.  Anyone can say whatever they want to say and (through the amplification of social media) broadcast that perspective to the universe.  Those proclamations lead to a lot of things.  At times inspiring revival.  At other times inciting riots.  Words matter … and we should be careful how we use them.  

I was thinking about this today as I read Galatians 1:6-10 in preparation for Sunday.  What I saw in those verses is the Apostle Paul grabbing the “microphone” of his pen and writing a letter to the churches in Galatia to share with them what he was outraged about.  There was something that made his heart heavy and something that caused his mouth to fall open with surprise.  AND … Paul’s response was not just a late night reaction, but something that had passed through the ultimate editor-in-chief, the Holy Spirit of God, and still made its way to publication.  That means that the thing that Paul was so outraged about was something WORTH being outraged about.

What was it that got him so worked up?  An election?  A personal offense?  His favorite sports team?  These are the things that motivate us to post our unedited outrage.  What was Paul so worked up about?

Paul was worked up about the distortion of the Gospel of Jesus Christ.  The integrity of the Gospel of Jesus was more important than all else.  After all, it is through the Gospel of Grace that men and women are saved from eternal destruction.  It is through the Gospel of  Jesus Christ that men and women are rescued from “this present evil age.”  The rest of our lives show us our need for Jesus … His Gospel is the answer to the questions created in all other venues.  Any perversion of the Gospel message by adding to or subtracting from it has extremely dire consequences for humankind.

The Apostle Paul made this quite clear in the early stages of a letter he wrote to a collection of churches he planted in Galatia as he posted, “If anyone is preaching to you a gospel contrary to the one you received, let him be accursed. (Galatians 1:9)”  

In response to the news that there were people teaching a different Gospel in the Galatian churches, Paul was justifiably outraged and (under the inspiration of the Holy Spirit) called down judgment from God on all who were perpetrating these lies.

Why was he so outraged?  After all, Paul never got this worked up over another’s political leanings or leisure time activities.  Paul’s response here is even more aggressive than his response to some of the bizarre moral actions of the Corinthians.  Why does he come so unglued over perversions to the Gospel message in Galatia?

We will explore why this was so serious this Sunday, January 10, 2021 at Wildwood Community Church in part 2 of our series “The New Normal” as we look at Galatians 1:6-10.  It is my hope that God might use this message to clarify for us just how important the Gospel message is  FOR US, as we clarify it, cling to it, and share it with a lost and dying world. 

What we believe matters.  I am not saying that we should not have perspectives on politics, family, or football (or that we shouldn’t express our views on those items via social media or engage to bring about change where appropriate) … what I am saying is that we should care about the Gospel MORE … because through it the world has hope, peace, and grace — 3 things we all desperately need – and they are found in Jesus Christ.  See you Sunday at 9:00, 10:15, or 11:30 (in person and with children, student, and adult classes meeting) or 10:15 on the livestream (wildwoodchurch.org/live)

On Sunday, January 3, 2021 at Wildwood Community Church, I preached a sermon based on Galatians 1:1-5. This message was part 1 of “The New Normal” sermon series.  Below you will find questions related to this message for personal reflection or group discussion.  You will also find sermon audio and video to listen to/watch, download or share.

 

Sermon Questions:

1. Pray
2. Read Galatians 1:1-5
3. What kind of “new” things have you tended to resist in your life?
4. Paul talks about his credentials to proclaim the “new” that the Jews resisted.  He anchors that credential NOT to any earthly council, but to Divine appointment.  What earthly “councils” and groups have you seen try to change God’s ways over the years of your life.  What makes Paul’s “new” he proclaimed different from the changes that are trying to be effected in our day?
5. Jesus came to save us from our sin.  In your own words, what does this mean?  Have you trusted in Christ for the forgiveness of your sins?
6. Jesus also came to deliver us from this present evil age.  In what ways have you seen this present age as “evil”?  How does the “Jesus way” rescue us from the evil around us?
7. What stands out to you most from this passage?  Any particular takeaway?

To access these questions in pdf format, click here.

 

To listen offline, click the link to download:

The New Normal #1 1.3.21

 

To access audio online, use media player below:

 

To watch the service stream, use YouTube online: