A Look At Timothy, Part 1

Today we are going to look at Paul’s first letter to Timothy. Now I know that there are questions that have arisen in the last centuries as to whether or not Paul actually wrote this letter, but whether he did or did not is immaterial to this sermon and also to the Church as a whole.

 

So lets begin. If you would turn your Bibles to 1^st Timothy. We will skip over the greeting and start with verse 3:

 

As I besought thee to abide still at Ephesus, when I went into Macedonia, that thou mightest charge some that they teach no other doctrine,

At the time of this letter, Timothy is Pastoring the Church that Paul founded in Ephesus. From our verse above we can assume that some other Pastor or Church leaders were starting to teach another doctrine. Most likely, they are mixing the true Gospel of Grace with the law. This can be seen in the next verse:

Neither give heed to fables and endless genealogies, which minister questions, rather than godly edifying which is in faith: so do.

Think about that for a minute. Fables and endless genealogies. What is he talking about here? He is talking about people mixing things that have been destroyed, that no longer apply, things that are outside of the grace of Jesus Christ, and this includes (and here I am about to step on some toes, but it would not be the first time), the doctrine of LITERAL Apostolic succession. Ill let that sink in for a minute……….

Now, let me explain. When I say literal Apostolic succession, what do I mean. Simply this, those who claim that they can trace their “lineage” all the way back to the original Apostles AND that you are only a “valid” minister if you have this. I have a real problem with this for a couple reasons, the main one being that this type of thing, only being “valid” if you do certain things, say certain words and have a certain “pedigree” (succession) lends itself to corruption. Think about it. you are Ordained by a person, they decide one day that they don’t like you or you disagree with something that they taught (or the other way around), then all they have to do is pull your Ordination and in their eyes, you are no longer valid and anything you do as a Minister is no longer valid. It completely escapes me how people can think that in light of our Lord and Savior who endured THIS EXACT SAME THING. That’s right my friends, Jesus did not conform to what the religious leaders of His day thought that He should be, say or do. After all, He was just the son of a carpenter. What right did He have to preach when they had not “validated” Him?

They called Him a blasphemer, not knowing that it was they who were the blasphemers……….. If they had believed the truth, that this carpenters son was in reality the Son Of The Living God, they would have fallen on their knees and thrown their treasures at His feet. They would have been the first ones crying out Hosanna. But they did not, and why not? Because they believed in and loved their fables and their endless genealogies…

If look at the next few verses,  Paul addresses this in no uncertain terms:

 

5 Now the end of the commandment is charity out of a pure heart, and of a good conscience, and of faith unfeigned:

 

6 From which some having swerved have turned aside unto vain jangling;

 

7 Desiring to be teachers of the law; understanding neither what they say, nor whereof they affirm.

 

What these first few verses of this letter tell us are this. The new commandment that Jesus himself gave us is to love one another. We must then work hard and diligently to make sure that we follow this command and don’t get caught up in all this other stuff, stuff which may have had a kernel of truth but has been expanded by men not God, and has gotten so murky and convoluted that is not understandable. In this way, they keep an iron grip on just who can or can not be a Minister of the Gospel, and that my friends IS WRONG…….

 

God Bless and we will continue on with our study of Timothy and the other Pastoral epistles next week.

Looking Ahead To 2014…………

Another new year is upon us……………

In just a few days we will say goodbye to 2013 and hello to 2014. Time my friends seems to move faster and faster every year.

Right now, many people are thinking about and writing down their new years resolutions, things they want to do better in the coming year, things they want to leave behind and things they want to start or start again. My prayer is that should you be one of these people who participate in new years resolutions, that you will keep it simple, keep it real, and set obtainable goals for yourselves.

 

While we are looking forward to a new year, its good to glance back at the year that has just past. But it should be just that, a glance. We must be careful not to stare back and get hung up on what has happened in the past because the past is just that, it is past, and for good or for bad,  It can not be changed.

What we can do though is learn from our failures and mistakes, and build on our triumphs and successes. You must not let your past failures control your future, and on the other side, you must not let your triumphs define who you are going forward.  Each day is a new day, and each day will contain its own failures and triumphs. Too many people try and ride the “coattails” of what they have done right in the past, and beat themselves up over what they have done wrong. Each and every day is a new day, and is a chance to wipe the slate clean.

 

So please, take each day as it comes. Make each day count doing everything you can to serve the Lord.

So on those days you fall, try again the next. You are not the only one in the world (even if it may seem that way) who this happens to….

Romans 3:23

23 For all have sinned, and come short of the glory of God;

Don’t  wallow in it like a pig wallows in the mud. Get up, dust yourself off, turn to our Lord who by His blood, makes us all clean and new, and keep trying……

 

1 John 1:7

7 But if we walk in the light, as he is in the light, we have fellowship one with another, and the blood of Jesus Christ his Son cleanseth us from all sin

On the days you succeed, thank God for that success, savor the moment,and then put it on the shelf and look for the next triumph.

 

Philippians 3:14

I press toward the mark for the prize of the high calling of God in Christ Jesus

Above all else, live each and everyday to its fullest, in the service of our Lord.  We are not promised tomorrow. All we have is right here, right now.

 

So reflect and learn, but keep looking ahead. Give it to God and He will lead you where He wants you to be. Keep on moving, and keep the faith. Strive to be all things to all men, that by all means needed you might save some. (1 Corinthians 9:22)

 

Forgive those who have done you wrong, do good to those in need, obey the leading of The Holy Spirit.

No one can know what this new year holds, but we can know that with The Lord by our side, it will bring what He wants it to bring.

 

Strive to obtain 2 Timothy 4:7:

I have fought a good fight, I have finished my course, I have kept the faith:

 

There is no better goal than this……………

God Bless you all and Happy New Year. May the Lord of all creation bring you light and peace in 2013.

Pastor Brian

December 26th, the end or just the beginning?

Today is the day after Christmas…….

In some Countries this is also a Holiday (Boxing Day).  Here in the US it is a day not only of returning that sweater that doesnt fit (and that you really didnt like anyway), but it is a day of sales at the mall rivaled only by “black Friday”, complete with early openings, “doorbuster” sales, and 50% off decorations for next year.

People spend the 26th in many different ways.  Some have to work, some are eager to spend the money they may have received for Christmas on gifts that they really wanted. Some  get up and out early today,  hoping to expand their decorations for next year,  even as others are busy packing their decorations away relived that the season is over and they can get back to “normal”. There are also those who simply rest today knowing that there are plenty of leftovers to feed everyone for the day, and since they have been so very busy since Thanksgiving, they take the time to just be……

 

the ways that people will spend the day are as varied as the people spending them. And no matter how you choose to spend the day, I hope and pray that you enjoy doing it.

The topic that I would like to address today though is this;  is December 26th the end of Christmas for this year or the beginning?

 

Let me explain……

 

For many liturgical Churches/people, today is the 2nd day of the 12 days of Christmas which starts on Christmas day with the celebration of the birth of Jesus, and ends on January 6th (dates can vary though, depending on the Church) with the Feast of the Epiphany which celebrates the visit of the Magi or the Wise Men to Jesus and Jesus introduction to the Gentiles.

Even though I am not a Roman Catholic (or a member of any liturgical denomination), I have always liked this and have seen it as a reminder that we should keep Christmas in out hearts the year through.

Jesus is always there for us no matter if it is on Christmas or the Fourth Of July (or any summer day for those who are outside the US). Yes we celebrate His birth on Christmas, but that is not the end my friends…. In fact it is only the start.

 

So I exhort you all as we go through the next few days to keep the Christmas spirit alive. Even as we prepare to (and do) box up our decorations and store them for another year, and we get ready to ring in another year, let us keep the spirit of Christmas and its meaning alive and well and showing in our hearts and minds.

I would like to share with you an excerpt from a message I preached on Christmas Eve 2011 during a radio show I was doing at the time. I pray that it helps to remind you that even though Christmas Day may have come and gone, we can keep the light of Christmas shining through our lives all year through…..

 

God Bless you all!! Pastor Brian

Soon the tree that made our homes so beautiful and provided light where there was darkness will be taken down and if it was a real tree, it will have to be taken out of the house because it will become a fire danger. The festive decorations will be packed away and stored for another year. The stores will get back to normal and Christmas will be packed away like it was never there……

And yet if we live as Jesus told us to live, Christmas will never be packed away in your heart. You will keep the spirit of Christmas alive and well in your heart all the year through.

During the dark days of January, let it be your light.

Let the love that Christ gave be there in February when we celebrate love, and so many couples make the beautiful decision to take their separate lives and make them one.

In March, April & May, when Easter comes around and the world starts to awake from its winter sleep let us remember that the new life that was born in that manger is the reason for that season as well, and also for the celebration of life

In June, July & August, keep it with you as you have fun with your family. Let it be there on picnics, and vacations, see His beauty in the rolling surf of the Ocean or the majesty of the Mountains.

In September & October, as God colors the world, let it leap for joy inside you at the turning of the seasons, and rejoice in the beauty of His creation

In November, let it be what you are truly thankful for.

And when you get back to December, let it multiply and grow so that you can give some of it away to someone who needs it more than you.

(By Pastor Brian Linebarger, part of a sermon from Christmas Eve, 2011)

 

 

The meaning of Christmas………….

 

Most of you I am sure have seen the Charlie Brown Christmas special on television or on video. A stressed, depressed and over-burdened Charlie Brown, after seeing everyone around him obsessed with the commercial aspect of Christmas, (even his own dog Snoopy), and even after trying to get more involved in Christmas and being made fun of for buying a small but real Christmas tree instead of the “shiny aluminum one” that they told him to,  finally asks in frustration,  “Isn’t there anyone who knows what Christmas is all about?”

 

 

Linus tells Charlie Brown that he knows what Christmas is all about and responds by reading him the following verses:

 

Luke 2:8-14

8 And there were in the same country shepherds abiding in the field, keeping watch over their flock by night.

 

9 And, lo, the angel of the Lord came upon them, and the glory of the Lord shone round about them: and they were sore afraid.

 

10 And the angel said unto them, Fear not: for, behold, I bring you good tidings of great joy, which shall be to all people.

 

11 For unto you is born this day in the city of David a Saviour, which is Christ the Lord.

 

12 And this shall be a sign unto you; Ye shall find the babe wrapped in swaddling clothes, lying in a manger.

 

13 And suddenly there was with the angel a multitude of the heavenly host praising God, and saying,

 

14 Glory to God in the highest, and on earth peace, good will toward men.

 

 

 

Sometimes today, it is easy to feel like Charlie Brown….. We are now only 3 days away from Christmas, and yet Christmas decorations and merchandise started appearing on shelves since right next to the Halloween merchandise. We have also been bombarded by department store sales ads in our mailboxes, newspapers, TV screens and online since about that same time. “black Friday” stretched over an entire week this year……..

Stores now are in the final push with some of them reducing the Christmas aisles to only a couple and already starting to put Valentines day merchandise out.  For those of us who celebrate Christmas for what it is, the birth of our Lord and our Savior Jesus Christ, it can get depressing to see Christmas ushered in and out so fast….

 

Maybe we NEED a Charlie Brown Christmas…. A Christmas where even though there may be gifts, that is not our primary focus.  Our primary focus being instead the gift that was given by God Almighty to all of mankind, that gift that was not adorned with ribbons or bow, but instead was wrapped in swaddling clothes, and was born in a manger or stable…….

If we look at the rest of our verses for today, we will find out who the first people other than Joseph & Mary, were to receive this gift, and why we can learn a lot from them……

 

Luke 2:15-17

15 And it came to pass, as the angels were gone away from them into heaven, the shepherds said one to another, Let us now go even unto Bethlehem, and see this thing which is come to pass, which the Lord hath made known unto us.

 

16 And they came with haste, and found Mary, and Joseph, and the babe lying in a manger.

 

17 And when they had seen it, they made known abroad the saying which was told them concerning this child.

 

 

Now why is it significant that the angels appeared to these shepherds? Because it set the tone for the life and the Ministry of Jesus. These men were the lowest people on the social ladder. They would not have been educated, most likely they could not read or write. They worked weeks at a time camping out in the fields while tending the sheep existing on what they could gather or possibly hunt from the land. They were expected to lay down their lives if it came to that to protect the flocks that they were charged with guarding, and yet they were paid next to nothing. And yet it was to these men,  who lived on the fringe of society that God saw fit in His wisdom, to announce the birth of the Savior to.

And what did they do upon hearing the news? They went straight to Bethlehem and found Jesus and when they had seen Him, they told anyone and everyone who would listen what the angels had told them and that the Messiah was now born. These unlearned, rough men became the first evangelists of Jesus Christ!!

 

 

It has always been that way…. Even in the Old Testament, when God chose another shepherd who was just a boy to be King, it is those of low estate who will listen and be more receptive to the word of God. Kind of like Charlie Brown in the film, a person who is imperfect, who is not confident in himself understands and accepts the message of God. The message that Unto Us A Child Is Born…. And because of that willing acceptance and belief, people like that are often called to carry the message of Christ.

 

 

In Closing today, I just want to share a couple of things. When this TV special was released on December 9th, 1965, it was released right in the middle of the “God is dead” phase. When academics and “enlightened” people said that they needed no God. Even the TV network execs did not want Peanuts creator Charles Shultz to include the Christmas Story from Luke in the special. They assumed that the audience would not want to sit through a reading from the Bible. Mr. Shultz, a devout Christian steadfastly refused and the scene from Luke was left in. Much to the surprise of the TV execs, 50% of TV sets in the United States tuned in to watch that special, it won an Emmy and a Peabody award, and even the critics in “enlightened” New York wrote that Linus telling the Christmas Story from Luke was the highlight of the season.

 

So my friends, I ask you today, on this last Sunday before Christmas, as we know that the wait for our Savior and Lord is almost over, to take a break from the hustle and bustle. Put down the shopping bags, the TV remotes, whatever it is that is occupying your life at this time and pick up your Bible. Read the 2nd Chapter of Luke and really let its meaning get into your heart.

 

 

Maybe a Charlie Brown Christmas isn’t such a bad thing after all………..

 

God Bless you all & Merry Christmas!!

 

Pastor Brian

A Thanksgiving Message………

Pastor Brian and the staff here at Pacific Life Church will be on vacation from November 25th until December 3rd. We would like to wish everyone a happy Thanksgiving and encourage you to do something for someone who is in need. 

 

A Thanksgiving Message………..

The day before Thanksgiving an elderly man in Phoenix called his son in New York and said to him, “I hate to ruin your day, but I have to tell you that your mother and I are divorcing; 45 years of misery is enough. We’re sick of each other, and so can you call your sister in Chicago and tell her.”

Frantic, the son called his sister, who exploded on the phone. “Like heck

they’re getting divorced,” she shouted, “I’ll take care of this.”

She called Phoenix immediately, and said to her father. “You are NOT getting

divorced. Don’t do a single thing until I get there. I’m calling my brother

back, and we’ll both be there tomorrow. Until then, don’t do a thing, DO YOU HEAR ME?”

 The man hung up his phone and turned to his wife. “Okay, honey. The kids are coming for Thanksgiving and paying for their flights.”

 

Even though it does not seem possible, once again Thanksgiving and the Christmas season is upon us. Even as I am preparing this sermon, I can smell the wonderful aroma of candy, banana bread and pumpkin bread coming from the kitchen.

These smells take me back to my childhood when the whole family would gather at my Grandparents home for dinner. I always spent the night before thanksgiving with them, and to this day some 35 years later, I can still smell the wonderful aroma that filled the house hour by hour as the turnkey would slow cook overnight. I can smell the pies that Grandma would spend all evening baking and I can taste them as they came out of the oven and Grandpa and I would get into one of them. If we got caught getting into the pie my Grandpa’s excuse to Grandma would be “have to check and make sure its good. Wouldn’t want any of our guests getting sick”.  My Grandma knew this game though and I am sure that she always made and extra pie just for us. On Thanksgiving itself, a steady stream of family would begin to arrive bearing their contributions to our feast. Grandma would lovingly set the dining room table and her silver service (Thanksgiving and Christmas were the only time these items were used). Once the table was set, everyone was shooed out of the kitchen so that she could put the finishing touches on dinner. While she did this, my Grandfather, my Dad and my Uncles would discuss where the Christmas tree would go and what furniture would need to be moved the next day and where the Christmas lights would go this year. This however was THE ONLY mention of Christmas brought up. Thanksgiving itself was its own Holiday…….  Once Grandma & mom gave the signal, people were allowed back in  the kitchen and began carrying out what seemed like an endless stream of entrees that filled the house with delicious aromas….

Even though I was young, I was inquisitive. I wanted to know WHY……. I knew it was Thanksgiving, and I knew that A LOT of great food was going to be cooked that was not normally cooked the rest of the year, but I wanted to know the reason WHY….. SO I did what I always did, I asked my Grandma….

She  explained that Thanksgiving to me is a day set aside every year to give thanks to God for all of His blessings, and read me a verse that Paul wrote in his letter to the Church in Corinth:

1 Corinthians 1:4

I give thanks to my God always for you because of the grace of God that was given you in Christ Jesus.

 

Things have changed a lot since then………. Grandma has gone home to be with her Jesus,  Grandpa lives on the opposite side of the country from me and I now have my own family to look after, my Mom and my Dad live in different states,  but one of the many things that will stay with me, and will never change for the rest of my life, are the things that taught me about truly being a Christian, and many of those lessons can be traced back to those nights before Thanksgiving………

 

I learned patience –

I learned the value of being with family-

And most of all, I learned to be thankful for what I had/have, because no matter what I was going through there was/is someone who has it a lot worse than me….

 

Philippians 4:11

Not that I speak in respect of want: for I have learned, in whatsoever state I am, therewith to be content.

 

Happy Thanksgiving from Pastor Brian and all the Family here at Pacific Life Church

Dont Take Gods Word For Granted………..

A little over a week ago,  80 people were publicly executed in North Korea for minor “crimes”…. I did some research and found that the majority of these “crimes” were  that those who faced the firing squad were killed because they were found to have a Bible in their possession……………….

 

Sadly, this is not the only country where this happens (even those who proclaim to be “atheist’s” would have you believe otherwise. First though, we will look at North Korea.

 

It is punishable by death to own a Bible there, period. This is (from all accounts) the most strict country when it comes to possessing the Word Of God. Of course, North Korea is a very secretive dictatorship, and I believe that these public executions were a way for North Koreas new ruler to assert his authority and let the world know that he is in charge.

I want you to read this story and take a moment to let that soak in…… Being tied to a post and riddled with machine gun fire because you owned a Bible………….., and then compare that (for now) to the United States  where you can buy a Bible pretty much anywhere from the Dollar Store to a Christian Bookstore.

Did these precious Brothers & Sisters in Christ want to die? I would so the answer is no, BUT they were not willing to give up their faith, they were not willing to deny Jesus simply so they could live on this earth. How many of us Listening here today or reading or watching could saw the same?

The story referenced above was even reported in the main stream media (something that is becoming more and more rare because it involves Christians). But this is not the only country that does this.

Although the media is quick to point out that you can bring a Bible into Iran, Saudia Arabia, and other middle eastern countries, the fact is that although this may be true and you can bring your own bible in your own language for personal use while you are there, if you were to try and bring Bibles into the country in their own language with the intention of giving them away you would be deported at the least but more likely you would wind up in prison. And if you were to try and convert anyone there you would end up in jail or worse (see the story of Pastor Saeed Abedini for instance).

 

My point my friends ( and I know that this sermon is short as I am just getting back into the swing of things after a 2 week vacation, an additional week to deal with some family issues, and the kick off of our Thanksgiving and Christmas fundraisers.) is to NEVER take the Written Word of God for granted.

We enjoy many freedoms in the west and sometimes we do take them for granted, but Gods Word is too important to do this with…

God Bless You All!!

Pastor Brian

Dealing With Temptation? You Are Not Alone…….

As I continue my yearly vacation, please enjoy this Sermon from November of 2011 regarding temptation.  To be human and a Christian means that you will face temptation. Even Jesus when He walked this earth faced temptation. Just know that you are not alone. 

Dont forget to check out blogs, Sermons & Gospel readings from Pacific Life Church’s own Friar Jeff  and Pastor Mandy  and archived blogs and audio sermons from Pastor Brian (click on the names to be taken to the sites in a different window)

God Bless you all!!!

Pastor Brian 

 

Matthew 4:1-10

 

1Then was Jesus led up of the Spirit into the wilderness to be tempted of the devil.

2And when he had fasted forty days and forty nights, he was afterward an hungred.

3And when the tempter came to him, he said, If thou be the Son of God, command that these stones be made bread.

4But he answered and said, It is written, Man shall not live by bread alone, but by every word that proceedeth out of the mouth of God.

5Then the devil taketh him up into the holy city, and setteth him on a pinnacle of the temple,

6And saith unto him, If thou be the Son of God, cast thyself down: for it is written, He shall give his angels charge concerning thee: and in their hands they shall bear thee up, lest at any time thou dash thy foot against a stone.

7Jesus said unto him, It is written again, Thou shalt not tempt the Lord thy God.

8Again, the devil taketh him up into an exceeding high mountain, and sheweth him all the kingdoms of the world, and the glory of them;

9And saith unto him, All these things will I give thee, if thou wilt fall down and worship me.

10Then saith Jesus unto him, Get thee hence, Satan: for it is written, Thou shalt worship the Lord thy God, and him only shalt thou serve.

 

TEMPTATION…… This is a word that conjures up all types of images. It is a very serious word that can have very serious consequences, but is also used playfully. Playfully speaking, people say things like “I was so tempted by the dessert tray”, or when someone comes up with the idea to play golf instead of going to work you say “Don’t tempt me”….

Some of the more serious uses of the word are when you are tempted to do something that you know is wrong like the person who is tempted to cheat on their spouse, or the person who is tempted to drink alcohol or take drugs who knows that doing so will lead to big problems…….

Temptation is defined as “A desire to do something, esp. something wrong or unwise”. With this definition in mind, we are going to examine the above verses and paint a more complete picture of Jesus, and also even more reasons to believe in his Divinity……

 

The central ingredient in temptation is desire. Now desire can be created or accentuated by weakness. Jesus had fasted 40 days in the wilderness. We can safely assume that He had no tent or other means of shelter, pretty much just his cloak. Being fully human, it is also safe to say that he would be very weak and very hungry. But before He had a chance to get anything to eat, the devil came to tempt him. Notice how the devil starts out small and simple, telling Jesus to turn the stones into bread. Notice also how the devil tries to play on any insecurities that Jesus had (yes I said it and yes I believe it, He did have the same insecurities that we do). Of course the devil knew that he was the son of God, but he was trying to play on Jesus weakness, in his weakened state to put doubt in his mind. Of note here is that Jesus could have sent the devil packing at any time, and yet he doesn’t. This shows that Jesus was in a weakened state.

When the small things didn’t work, the devil escalates it. In the second temptation, the devil proves that he knows Jesus is the son of God by taking him up to the top of the temple and putting him on the pinnacle. Of course, this is physically impossible for a normal human, so they had to have went into the spirit realm to get there. Again, trying to play on Jesus’ insecurities, he tried to get Jesus to jump off the temple. This would have had one of two effects, Jesus would have died (basically committing suicide), or he would have been caught by Angels (what I think would have happened), but in doing so, He would have obeyed the devil. Either way the devil would have won. After this statement, Jesus is starting to get irritated, telling the devil that he can not tempt the lord his God.

Jesus goes with the devil one more time. In the third temptation, the devil takes Jesus to the peak of the highest mountain, and shows Jesus all the kingdoms of the world and offers it to Him (the devil, being the ruler of the earth had that right). The catch of course, is that Jesus had to bow down and worship the devil. Finally, Jesus had enough and told the devil to get out of there, for only God is to be worshipped. Once Jesus was fed up, even though he was still in a weakened state, he stood up to the devil and told him to get away, that he had finally gone to far.

Once he did this not only did the devil take off, but then Angels came to Jesus and brought him food and helped Him with anything else he may have needed. If we take these verses and apply them to our lives, we will be given a road map on how to deal with temptation. We can see that temptations will come in the form of something we desire or have need of. This is the trap that ensnares so many Christians. We don’t want to wait. I am sure that Jesus was tempted hard by the very first temptation. He had the power to make the rocks into bread, and after a 40 day fast, those rocks probably looked pretty good. But he resisted. The same goes for us. When we resist the small temptation, it will get bigger, and bigger, until we at last stand up to the tempter and say enough is enough. Get away from me. Then, and only then, will the blessings flow and we will get what it is we need……

A Message From Pastor Brian and a sermon on The 8 Step Program………..

Hello My friends, I hope and pray that everyone is well & blessed. 
Hard to believe that another year is almost over. Time really does seem to fly, and the older I get, the faster it seems to fly :). 

As we move rapidly into the Holiday Season, we will be celebrating many things. Kids will be dressing up in anticipation of the sugary delights given out by friends and neighbors. We will gather with family and friends to offer thanks for all of life's blessings and of course we will commemorate and celebrate the greatest event ever known to mankind, the birth of our Lord and our Savior Jesus Christ.

This coming season is for most people not only the most joyous time of the year but also the busiest, and the staff and I here at Pacific Life Church, are no exception. In fact, this is our busiest time of year as we prepare to not only celebrate with our own family & friends but to distribute food to those in need and as we kick off our yearly "Give Six" campaign......

As I do most years, I will be taking my yearly vacation with my family starting today 10/20/2013 until 11/3/2013. Because of this I will be re-posting sermons from the past for the next 2 Sundays. 

I hope you all enjoy these Sermons. Also know that you can read the archives here on WordPress, you can read and listen to audio sermons at http://www.pacificlifechurch.org and you can also read daily thoughts, prayers and Gospel Readings from PLC's own 

Pastor Mandy:  http://mandyspath.wordpress.com

and

Friar Jeff: http://warder5150.wordpress.com

Thank you all for your continuing support and God Bless!!!!!

 

Pastor Brian

2 Peter 1: 5-7(NKJV) 5 But also for this very reason, giving all diligence, add to your faith virtue, to virtue knowledge, 6 to knowledge self-control, to self-control perseverance, to perseverance godliness, 7 to godliness brotherly kindness, and to brotherly kindness love.

  These verses are a road map for Christian life. The are especially true for new Christians. If you follow these to the letter, you will be pleasing and acceptable to God…….

 These verses start out by telling us that The Lord has given us EVERYTHING we need to live a Godly life. It is a step by step manual, condensed to 37 words, and yet, these 37 words give us everything we need to live how Christian should live. 

Rehab programs have their 12 steps, here we have our 8 steps to a Godly life: 

Step 1- Give diligence to the promises of God. Check them out and see for yourself. Believe the promises of God. This is FAITH, and that is not only the first step, but is also the foundation.

 Step 2- To your Faith, and VIRTUE. Virtue is laying aside the things that you once did. The things that kept you from having a full and complete relationship with God.

 Step 3- To your virtue add KNOWLEDGE. You add knowledge by reading and studying The Bible. You need to do this for yourself. Listening to Preachers/Pastor/Teachers is a good thing, but it is no substitute for studying the Word Of God for yourself. Be like a sponge, soak up all the Bible that you possibly can.

 Step 4- To knowledge add SELF CONTROL (Temperance). By absorbing and applying to your life what is found in scripture, you will learn how to have self control. That still small voice that is The Holy Spirit will speak to you about things that need to be put aside, all you have to do is listen.

 Step 5- To self-control add PERSEVERANCE (Patience). A lot of people (especially early on in your walk with the lord) get stuck on step 5. Once you have self control, and you stop doing certain things, you will face some ridicule from those people you know. Even your family may not understand how you can be one person one day, and a totally new person the next, but by having patience with them (and yourself), they will come to accept that you are a different person and that what you have found is not just some passing phase.

 Step 6- To perseverance add GODLINESS. Some misguided Pastors expect you to have godliness as soon as you accept Jesus into your heart. They don’t mean any harm, but as we can see from the verses above, coming to live a full and complete Christian life is a process. Of course you are a changed person and a new creation the moment you accept Jesus, but just as a physical newborn goes through steps to come into being an adult, so must the spiritual newborn. Nobody would even think of handing a baby a steak and saying “here is your dinner”, so why then would we expect a newborn Christian to be able to eat (let alone digest) everything that is needed to be a mature Christian. 

Step 7- To Godliness add BROTHERLY KINDNESS. Ok, things are getting harder… Do you see why you cant skip from step 1 to step 7? Brotherly kindness is showing kindness and love to other Christians (yes, even those you may not agree with). Even within your own Church there will be people who we just “clash” with. This is a fact of life. But by following step 7 we can show them love and kindness because as Christians, we are all Children of the same God, and heirs to the same throne. You may not agree with me on everything, and I may not agree with you, but we are still family, and just like our earthly family, there may be those who we wouldnt want to live with, but that doesnt mean we don’t show them love and affection or give them help when they need it.

 Step 8- To Brotherly kindness add LOVE. That’s the biggie, and is one of the hardest to do. That is why it is the last step. You have to have a foundation of all the other steps to be able to effectively have this one. The love that is written here is a deep and profound love for all mankind. Even your enemies!! Anyone can love a person who loves us back, but it takes a firmly rooted Christian to love those who do not love us, those who disagree with us, those who mock us for our faith, even those who would do us physical harm for our faith. This is the type of love that Jesus had when he was hanging on the cross. Even after everything they had done to him, he prayed “Father forgive them, for the know not what they do”. Make no mistake, He had it in his power to stop the crucifixion at any time. With just one word to God, 12 Legions (in the neighborhood of 24 to 36 THOUSAND) of angels would have been sent to Him, but even though he had it in His power to kill them all, He chose the path of love.....

 To borrow a phrase from recovery programs, if you “work” these steps, you will come in to the fullness of God, and live your life victorious in Him.

 

Be Content………..

Today we are going to talk about people who do you wrong and how we should deal with this… This will get deep, so sit back, take out your Bibles, and get ready, because we will learn today how to forgive.

Touching on  this  subject may upset people. There are many people listening, reading and watching this that are in this situation, and there are those who are doing the bullying that will be offend and come up with the most elaborate and in some cases well thought out and even (what they think are) Biblical excuses for their behavior.. I have news for then though, there are no excuses (especially Biblical excuses), and not only do they hurt the targets of their  bullying, they will hurt their own soul.

 

So to get right down to it, I want you to imagine something (if this has happened to you wont have to imagine), but for those who have not we will do it this way:

 

Imagine that you have spent 3 months of our life working on a project. You have given your all, 100% to make sure that the project was done right and done on time. You expected a to be compensated for this project (financially or otherwise), and yet when the project is finished, or the work done, the person who had you do the project refuses to give you what you are owed.  Doesn’t feel very nice does it?

 

In Luke’s Gospel Jesus deals with this issue:

 

Luke 6:27-29

27 But I say unto you which hear, Love your enemies, do good to them which hate you,

 

28 Bless them that curse you, and pray for them which despitefully use you.

 

29 And unto him that smiteth thee on the one cheek offer also the other; and him that taketh away thy cloak forbid not to take thy coat also.

Our scenario above is the very definition of despitefully using you. And when the person who is doing this to you claims to be a fellow Christian or a Minister or especially a friend, it makes it doubly hard to forgive them. But forgive them we must.

 

Why? Well we need to look just a few verses down to find out:

Luke 6:38

38 Give, and it shall be given unto you; good measure, pressed down, and shaken together, and running over, shall men give into your bosom. For with the same measure that ye mete withal it shall be measured to you again.

This verse is used by many Preachers and others right before they pass the collection plate. It is also one of the theme verses of the prosperity Gospel movement. But my friends, the meaning of this verse goes much deeper than giving money (as they would have you believe).

Giving means to give your all. Your time, your energy your resources and on and on. In short though it means to give your ALL. To apply yourself with everything you have to whatever you are asked or told to do. If we use the example above this means to do like they did and give 100% of yourself to the task at hand. You may be promised something in return, but that can not be the primary focus. The primary focus must be the act of giving and applying yourself. When you work, when you are asked to perform a task, you need to do that task as if Jesus Christ Himself told you to do it because in the end, He is the one that did….. He is the one that brought you there, He is the one that gave you that opportunity, and He will make sure that you are taken care of when you apply yourself and do the task just as if He was the one who assigned it.

I have traveled through many countries in the world preaching when I was young in Ministry. Now days I do a lot of weddings and other Ministerial services closer to home. I have charged a set fee at times but I have found out over the years that I was blessed more when I accepted whatever was offered and had no expectations of compensation prior to the Ministry event. Sometimes it was money, sometimes it was a place to stay, sometimes it was food, sometimes it was just a hand shake. In closing today I urge you to try as well to live by these words written by The Apostle Paul:

Philippians 4:12

     I know both how to be abased, and I know how to abound: every where and in all things I am instructed both to be full and to be hungry, both to abound and to suffer need. 

 

And why should we do this?

 

Philippians 4:13

 I can do all things through Christ which strengtheneth me.

Fishers Of Men Part 2- Dont Rent Jesus……..

Today’s sermon expands on a sermon from last month.  Once again we will be looking at Peter and how he met Jesus. We will also touch on a topic that I am very passionate about, and that is those people who try to “rent” Jesus out for their own gain. Contrary to what you may have been taught in Sunday School or even taught all your life, “renting” Jesus out is what it means to take the Lords name in vain (Exodus 20:7). Some of todays sermon will be a duplicate of the one preached last month but I urge you to read it again because there are many new thoughts and insights today.

God Bless!!!!

Pastor Brian

 

 

Today we are going to talk a little bit about Peter……..

As most people know, Peter is revered by many denominations, and it is clear from Scripture that Peter was Jesus’ “right hand man”.  They often traveled together when the other Disciples were off preaching elsewhere. When the authorities came to arrest Jesus, Peter drew his sword and cut off the ear of a soldier, ready to die defending Jesus.  But what about before all this? How did Peter get there?

 

In Johns Gospel , we are told that Andrew introduced Peter to Jesus:

 

John 1:40-42

40 One of the two which heard John speak, and followed him, was Andrew, Simon Peter’s brother.

 

41 He first findeth his own brother Simon, and saith unto him, We have found the Messias, which is, being interpreted, the Christ.

 

42 And he brought him to Jesus. And when Jesus beheld him, he said, Thou art Simon the son of Jona: thou shalt be called Cephas, which is by interpretation, A stone.

 

So even though Peter knew Jesus, he had not committed to him yet. He may have spent some time with Him, he listened to Him preach, but Peter was not yet the dedicated Disciple that comes to mind. Peter was like a casual Church goer. Maybe he liked what Jesus was saying, but was not yet convinced of His divinity, that he was the Messiah……. This all changed due to an event that happened while Peter was at work.

 

 Luke 5: 1-6

And it came to pass, that, as the people pressed upon him to hear the word of God, he stood by the lake of Gennesaret,

 

2 And saw two ships standing by the lake: but the fishermen were gone out of them, and were washing their nets.

 

3 And he entered into one of the ships, which was Simon’s, and prayed him that he would thrust out a little from the land. And he sat down, and taught the people out of the ship.

 

4 Now when he had left speaking, he said unto Simon, Launch out into the deep, and let down your nets for a draught.

 

If we look at this exchange from Peter’s point of view, there are all kinds of reasons Peter could have told Jesus no, and all kinds of excuses that he could have come up with to justify his refusal to go out into the deep………

 

First – Jesus isn’t a fisherman. He’s a preacher/teacher. He’s a nice guy, He’s a good teacher, but fishing isn’t His thing……..

Second- it’s the wrong time of the day for fishing… it’s too hot, the sun is shining bright, and the fish would be hiding in their holes in the deep, cooler water…….

 

Third-  Peter and his friends are tired… they’ve been out all night, they haven’t caught anything, and Peter had already took Jesus out into the shallows so that He could preach to the people who had gathered to hear Him……….

So like I said, Peter had a lot of excuses, but what does he do?  Peter made the decision to lay all of the excuses aside, and do what Jesus asked of him, and was rewarded for that obedience beyond anything he had ever dreamed of.

 

Luke 5:5-7

5 And Simon answering said unto him, Master, we have toiled all the night, and have taken nothing: nevertheless at thy word I will let down the net.

 

6 And when they had this done, they inclosed a great multitude of fishes: and their net brake.

7 And they beckoned unto their partners, which were in the other ship, that they should come and help them. And they came, and filled both the ships, so that they began to sink.

Can you imagine what was going through Peter’s mind at this point? He had just witnessed a miracle first hand, he had just caught more fish at once than he had ever caught. Imagine the economic benefits that Peter could have reaped by keeping Jesus around. But Peter does not think that way, instead he realizes that he is not worthy of this honor. He tells Jesus in Verse 8:

 

  8 When Simon Peter saw it, he fell down at Jesus’ knees, saying, Depart from me; for I am a sinful man, O Lord.

In that moment,  Peter realizes that his life is empty. That he is just going through that motions, and he feels unworthy to be in the presence of The Messiah…..

The two main points that I want everyone hearing, reading or watching this today to take away are these:

1)      Jesus blessed Peter beyond his wildest dreams, and Jesus will do the same thing for us today. But we must be like Peter. We must be humble and can not let the blessings, the economic gain, the money become our primary motive. When the Lord comes into our lives and blesses us, we have to have that same spirit that Peter had, that spirit of humility that is in our hearts and our minds. We should be so humbled and thankful that we say “Lord I am not worthy to be in Your presence”, because I will tell you here and now, the Lord does not owe us ANYTHING. He will give us the things that we need, but it is not OWED to us….

 

In the Church today there are so many preachers/evangelists that preach what is called the prosperity “Gospel” or as I like to call it, “name it and claim it”.  When Jesus moves in their lives and provides a mighty blessing, the first thing they try to do is package it and sell it by fleecing the people. Peter could have attempted to use Jesus for his own gain. He could have tried to wheel and deal with the Creator Of The Universe. Peter could have been like “you know Jesus, this is a pretty good racket we got going on.  I’m thinking that I should keep rowing you out and you keep bringing those fish in and we can all make some money”.  “And then we can charge all those people who come to hear you preach, and we can even rent You out to other cities and towns, but we wont go unless they agree to our price. “ And hey how about we cut up some cloth and we can tell people that it is your old robe and that they will be blessed by it. Think of how much we could charge for those”……..

 

Of course what I have written above is an illustration to make a point, but the sad fact is in todays Church, many people are doing just that……..I could name off a whole list of preacher & evangelists who at this very moment are renting out Jesus, and He comes complete with a piece of cloth (also known as a prayer cloth)and  promises of healing and deliverance from anything under the sun. All packaged up in a beautiful package with full color photos (of themselves), all for the low, low price of a“gift” of $50.00 or more   They try and sell you pieces of cloth that they have sweat on saying it contains the “anointing” and for a you can have one too.   They promise that the Almighty Power of the Lord will flow from these items that they sell,  and sell it to you in pretty packaging like some kind of self help program.

 

2)      We a Christians and especially those who claim to be leaders, whether you call yourself Pastor, Bishop, Elder, Apostle, whatever need to lay aside our excuses and do what God tells us to do. We can always find an excuse for not doing what The Lord is telling us to do. But no matter what your excuse is, it will boil down to the bottom line and that bottom line is FEAR. Fear of rejection, fear of sacrifice, fear of upsetting a cushy lifestyle, fear of what your family and friends may think, fear of ANYTHING. Peter was afraid, but he got over it. The Lord tells Peter in Verse 10,   Fear not; from henceforth thou shalt catch men. or as Matthews Gospel puts it:

Matthew 4:19

And he saith unto them, Follow me, and I will make you fishers of men.

 

We know the rest of the story, Peter and his partners land their boats and they leave it all behind to follow Jesus.  Peter goes on to become one of the closest confidants of Jesus while he walked this earth, an influential leader in the early Church, and the only person besides Jesus to ever walk on water.

 

 

Today Jesus is still reaching out and calling people to be his Disciples. He is still telling us to FEAR NOT and we will be fishers of men.  But like Peter we have to be willing to leave our old life behind. We have to be willing to let go of everything and humble ourselves to the point of death so that we can live through Christ.

Galatians 2:20

I am crucified with Christ: nevertheless I live; yet not I, but Christ liveth in me: and the life which I now live in the flesh I live by the faith of the Son of God, who loved me, and gave himself for me.

I call on everyone who is hearing my voice today to humble yourself before the Lord, overcome your fear and launch out into the deep water and cast your nets.  Get out from behind those rose colored stained glass windows and out into the streets. As it says in the 14^th Chapter of Luke’s Gospel:

Luke 14:23
And the lord said unto the servant, Go out into the highways and hedges, and compel them to come in, that my house may be filled.

Go out and be fishers of men…….

God Bless You All!!!

Pastor Brian