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John 1:1-3

Cross Creek Community Church — Fri, 25 Sep 2009 22:26:00 GMT

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Creation Chapter 1-2

Cross Creek Community Church — Mon, 27 Jul 2009 21:50:00 GMT

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Sermon Outline:

Covered Writing Styles

Genesis had introduction (1:1),details (1:2-2:4), even more detail (2:5-2:25).

The Creation Triads

First – Light; Fourth – Sun, moon,and stars

Second – Water/Air; Fifth – Birdsand fish

Third – Land and vegetation; Sixth– Man and animal

Man - The Image of God

God created man, both male andfemale on the sixth day before He rested on the seventh.

God’s Image – Dominion overcreation

We must remember that the authoritydoes not rest in who we are, but whose we are.

Sabbath Rest

He rested because His work increation was done.

Resting one day shows our relianceon Him, not ourselves.

Romans 10:1-13

Cross Creek Community Church — Sun, 21 Sep 2008 15:28:00 GMT

Special Guest: John Hill

Cross Creek Community Church — Sun, 14 Sep 2008 15:31:00 GMT

While Pastor Chris was fulfilling a previous ministry commitment, expert expositor John Hill came to Cross Creek Community Church to preach. John is available to come to your church for a Sunday Morning or a week long revival. You can read his blog at www.OutOfMyHat.blogspot.com. I think you will enjoy his sermon as much as the congregation did.

Romans 9 - The Called

Cross Creek Community Church — Mon, 01 Sep 2008 14:34:00 GMT

Romans 8:28-30

Cross Creek Community Church — Sun, 10 Aug 2008 18:57:00 GMT

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Romans 8:28-30

Romans 8:26-27

Cross Creek Community Church — Sun, 03 Aug 2008 15:32:00 GMT

We’ve Got To Pray

· Introduction

o What is the point of prayer?

§ Because God needs permission from us to act?

§ To get stuff?

§ Develop us in our relationship with God

"Likewise the Spirit also helps in our weaknesses. For we do not know what we should pray for as we ought, but the Spirit Himself makes intercession for us with groanings which cannot be uttered. Now He who searches the hearts knows what the mind of the Spirit is, because He makes intercession for the saints according to the will of God." (Romans 8:26-27, NKJV)

· God Needs Our Prayers or We are weak

o Is man weak or strong? Two views, which is right?

§ In myself, I am weak. I can do no thing on my own to please God.

§ I can please God if I try hard enough.

o Paul says that “The Spirit also helps in our weaknesses.”

o We are weak, but God is strong.

o Not view of everyone – Truth Or Tradition. Com

God needs our prayer in order to get involved in the affairs of men and bring to pass His will. According to the Bible, life is not a big puppet show with God pulling all the strings. Think about it—if God had carte blanche to intervene in the world and right every wrong, He would constantly be doing so, because by His very nature (“God is love”)

He is bound to do all He can to help people. But God gave Adam the legal dominion over Creation, and Adam “delivered” it to the Devil (Luke 4:6), and because God cannot act unrighteously, even toward Satan, He cannot intervene unless He is given the legal right to do so

…..Despite the popular ideas among many Christians that “God is in control” and that “everything that happens is God’s will,” Scripture says otherwise. Jesus himself debunked the latter of those two myths in “the Lord’s Prayer” when he instructed his followers to pray, “Thy will be done on earth...” If everything that happens is the will of God, why pray that?” (http://www.truthortradition.com/modules.php?name=News&file=article&sid=193)

o Excuse me? God needs me? God does not need anything.

§ He may enjoy me as His creation, but my whole purpose is to bring glory to Him.

§ How small is God to this guy?

· God can not get involved without permission.

· God is bound to do all He can to help people.

· God is not in control

· God has to be given legal right to intervene from man.

· He has turned this verse on its head, “We help the Spirit in His weaknesses.” As apposed to “The Spirit also helps in our weaknesses.”

§ How do we get to such a small view of God?

o Where does this bad theology come from?

§ Over the next few weeks we will be looking at the basis of bad theology.

§ It stems from our view of God.

· Many of us were taught the wrong view of God and you see it and hear it every day today.

· We have total ignored serious study of the scripture and allowed other men to interpreter the Bible for us instead of us studying it for ourselves.

· What is the root of this line of bad theology?

§ Monergism vs. Synergism

· Mono – single or alone (much like person who has mono)

· Erg – unit of work (energy)

· Syn – “together with”

· Salvation is by God alone or by our working with God to save ourselves.

§ The Scripture over and over affirms that God is the one who chooses His elect, whom He is going to save.

· We will look in depth at these scriptures over the next few weeks.

§ But once you move from the idea of Monergism to Synergism, you have in one swipe removed the sovereignty of God from your theology.

· Oh, you will say that God is sovereign, but you will contradict the statement with your own words.

· If you were to ask the guy who wrote article if God is sovereign he would say, “Yes, but…”

§ This idea that we work with God as equal partners in life has lead to many misconceptions about God.

§ We will look at more over the next few weeks.

· I Know What To Pray For VS. We don’t know what to pray for

o Which is the Biblical world view:

§ I know the will of God and what He wants for my life and that is what I am going to pray for.

§ I don’t know what to pray for, but I will do my best and the Holy Spirit will take my prayer before God and change it into a prayer that falls into God’s will.

o What does Paul say?

§ “For we do not know what we should pray for as we ought, but the Spirit Himself makes intercession for us with groanings which cannot be uttered.”

o Some people us prayer like a vending machine

§ If you know what buttons to push, you will get what you want.

§ If you want health, pray this prayer, if you want wealth, pray that prayer.

§ I was on Kenneth Copeland’s website and if you go and look, he gives you prayers to pray informing God what His will is.

o The Bible says we don’t know what we should pray for.

§ Paul said that he prayed three times for a “throne in his side” to be removed. He said, “Concerning this thing I pleaded with the Lord three times that it might depart from me. And He said to me, “My grace is sufficient for you, for My strength is made perfect in weakness.” Therefore most gladly I will rather boast in my infirmities, that the power of Christ may rest upon me." (2 Corinthians 12:8-9, NKJV)

§ Paul prayed three times and ever time God said, “No, that is not My will for your life. This is what is best for you even if you don’t understand.”

§ This is a far cry from the idea that we know that God wants us to be healthy every moment and if we are not it is because of our unbelief.

· I guess Paul, who was not only inflicted with this throne, but also beheaded for his faith in Jesus, didn’t have enough faith to believe his way out.

o When you read these men who want prayer to be avenue of stuff, they begin to personify prayer.

§ It is not longer our relationship with God; it is a means to get stuff.

§ It is much like the idea of faith.

· People have developed faith in their faith instead of faith in God.

· They believe in prayer instead of believing in God.

§ Phrase, “Prayer works.” No, “God works.”

· “According to the Will of God”

o This is a paramount statement.

o Paul not only tells us that we don’t always know what the will of God is, but that the Holy Spirit brings our wrong prayers into a prayer that is in accordance with the will of God.

o It is so important that when praying for something that we acknowledge our desires, but defer to God’s will not ours.

§ Some false teachers say that saying that is just unbelief.

§ Problem – that was Christ’s prayer in the Garden of Gethsemane. ““Father, if it is Your will, take this cup away from Me; nevertheless not My will, but Yours, be done.”" (Luke 22:42, NKJV)

· What is the point of Prayer

o If the point of prayer is not go give God permission or just to get stuff, what is the point of prayer?

o I think Philippians 4:6-7 says it well, "Be anxious for nothing, but in everything by prayer and supplication, with thanksgiving, let your requests be made known to God; and the peace of God, which surpasses all understanding, will guard your hearts and minds through Christ Jesus." (Philippians 4:6-7, NKJV)

o Prayer is talking with God.

o How do you develop relationships – talking about deep issues

o That is the point of prayer

§ We bring our deepest issues and not so deep to God

§ Then we receive the peace of God – Why?

§ Because we are not putting our trust in ourselves but in the God of the universe.

o “Well, if God knows what is going to happen, what is the point of prayer?”

§ You here the phrase, “Prayer changes things.” I would like to modify that slightly. “Prayer changes me.”

§ Before I pray, I am anxious and focused on the world

§ After I pray, I have peace and am focused on God.

§ What did prayer change?

· Did it change my strict boss?

o No but it changed the way I approach him.

· Did it change my old car?

o No, but I blessed that God has provided transportation for me

· Did it change my bank account?

o No, but stuff doesn’t make me happy, God does.

· Conclusion

o God is the one in control; I am not.

o He commands me to pray so that I can develop my relationship with Him.

o God does not need my permission, or anyone else’s permission, to get involved. He is God and He is sovereign.

o I don’t know the will of God in every situation, but I pray and then defer to His will and not mine

o Beware of false teachers who tell you that you can always know God’s will and the only one holding back blessings in your life is you because you have not given God permission.

· Salvation – relationship with God

Romans 8:16-18

Cross Creek Community Church — Sun, 27 Jul 2008 17:43:00 GMT

Suffering For Christ’s Sake

• Introduction
o Turn to Romans 8:16
o We are going to be looking at suffering for Christ’s sake
o How do I explain suffering for Christ when me, myself can not even comprehend the suffering of other believers.

Donald Cargill was a Scottish Presbyterian when such were outlawed. One listener said his sermons “came from his heart and went to the heart. He spake as never man spake, and his words went through us.” People often complained his messages were too short. But his life proved almost as short as his sermons. His arrest being imminent, he gathered his people and spoke from Isaiah 26. The final words of his last sermon were recorded thus: He exhorted us earnestly to dwell in the clefts of the rock, to hide ourselves in the wounds of Christ, to wrap ourselves in God’s promises, and to make our refuge under the shadow of his wings until these sad calamities pass over.
On July 10, 1681 Scottish troops burst into the house where Cargill, James Boig, and Walter Smith were sleeping. The men were rousted from bed, tied to barebacked horses, and taken to prison. Soon, two others joined them. All were condemned.
At the scaffold Cargill put his foot on the ladder, turned, blessed the Lord with uplifted hands, and said, “The Lord knows I go up this ladder with less fear, confusion or perturbation of mind than ever I entered a pulpit to preach.”
After watching Cargill die, Walter Smith ascended the executioner’s block. A hood was placed over his head, but he lifted it and said, “I have one more word to say, and that is that all who love God and his righteous cause would set time apart and sing a song of praise to the Lord for what he has done for my soul. To him be praise.” The hood was replaced, he was forced against the decapitated corpse of his friend, and his head, too, fell.
James Boig was next. He shouted praise to God, saying he was as calm at the scaffold as he would be at the marriage altar.
The next to die was William Cuthill, and finally William Thomson—five good men all martyred in Edinburgh on “that never-to-be-forgotten bloody day—327 years ago today, 27 July, 1681.
o Don’t have to look to history, we know men and women are being martyred today all over the world because of Jesus Christ
o With this mindset, let us read the word of Paul in Romans 8:16-18
"The Spirit Himself bears witness with our spirit that we are children of God, and if children, then heirs—heirs of God and joint heirs with Christ, if indeed we suffer with Him, that we may also be glorified together. For I consider that the sufferings of this present time are not worthy to be compared with the glory which shall be revealed in us." (Romans 8:16-18, NKJV)

• Must We Suffer
o Is Paul saying that we as believers must suffer or we are not heirs of God and joint heirs with Christ? - I believe so
o “heirs of God and joint heirs with Christ, if indeed we suffer with Him,”
o Is suffering a requirement for salvation? – No
o Just as works not requirement, faith without works is a dead faith
o Works and suffering are an outflow of our relationship with Christ.
o Paul and Timothy told the Philippians, "For to you it has been granted on behalf of Christ, not only to believe in Him, but also to suffer for His sake," (Philippians 1:29, NKJV)
• Apostles Suffered
o James - (Acts 12:2). King Herod had James put to death “with the sword” – likely a reference to beheading.
o Apostle Peter - was crucified, upside-down on an x-shaped cross, in Rome, in fulfillment of Jesus’ prophecy (John 21:18).
o Matthew - suffered martyrdom in Ethiopia, killed by a sword wound.
o John - boiled in a huge basin of boiling; miraculously delivered from death. John was then sentenced to the mines on the prison island of Patmos. He wrote Revelation on Patmos and was later freed and returned to what is now modern-day Turkey. He died as an old man, the only apostle to die peacefully.
 Tradition holds he was the only one not to die a martyers death because he was the only Apostle at the foot of the cross when Jesus was crucified
o James, the brother of Jesus
 (not officially an apostle), the leader of the church in Jerusalem,
 Thrown over a hundred feet down from the southeast pinnacle of the Temple when he refused to deny his faith in Christ.
 He survived the fall, his enemies beat James to death with a club.
 This was the same pinnacle where Satan had taken Jesus during the temptation.

o Bartholomew, also know as Nathanael, was a missionary to Asia, present-day Turkey, was martyred for his preaching in Armenia. He was flayed to death by a whip.
o Andrew was crucified on an x-shaped cross in Greece.
 After being whipped severely by seven soldiers,
 Andrew's body was tied to the cross with cords to prolong his agony.
 His followers reported that, when he was led toward the cross, Andrew saluted it in these words: "I have long desired and expected this happy hour. The cross has been consecrated by the body of Christ hanging on it."
 He continued to preach to his tormentors for two days until he died.
o The Apostle Thomas was stabbed with a spear in India during one of his missionary trips to establish the church there.
o Matthias, the apostle chosen to replace the traitor Judas Iscariot, was stoned and then beheaded.
o The Apostle Paul was tortured and then beheaded by the evil Emperor Nero at Rome in A.D. 67.
o There are traditions regarding the other apostles as well, but none with any reliable historical or traditional support.
o It is not so important how the apostles died.
 What is important is the fact that they were all willing to die for their faith.
 If Jesus had not been resurrected, the disciples would have known.
 No one will die for something he knows is a lie.
 The fact that all of the apostles were willing to die horrible deaths, refusing to renounce their faith in Christ – is tremendous evidence that they had truly witnessed the resurrection of Jesus Christ.
• What Is My Point
o Now, the point off all of this is not to depress you.
o All of us die and how wonderful to die for Christ
o Shake us out of our gumdrop little world – Paradigm shift.
 Many of our fellow believers have been lured into the lie that we should not suffer as believers
 And the answer to why they suffer is because they choose to not believe. If they only believed the promises of God, they would not suffer. (select promises)
o As believers we will suffer for Christ
 "“If the world hates you, you know that it hated Me before it hated you. If you were of the world, the world would love its own. Yet because you are not of the world, but I chose you out of the world, therefore the world hates you. Remember the word that I said to you, ‘A servant is not greater than his master.’ If they persecuted Me, they will also persecute you. If they kept My word, they will keep yours also." (John 15:18-20, NKJV)
• We as believers are not of this world, but have been chosen out of it
• We will suffer, maybe not as bad as some believers, but that is only because of God’s grace
• Some have been persuade into wanting to be friends with the world
 "Adulterers and adulteresses! Do you not know that friendship with the world is enmity with God? Whoever therefore wants to be a friend of the world makes himself an enemy of God." (James 4:4, NKJV)
• Some want to be Christians, but not suffer
• We can not be friends with the world and with God.
• We can only serve one master
o “For I consider that the sufferings of this present time are not worthy to be compared with the glory which shall be revealed in us."
o These men and women faced horrific times, yet not to be compared.
o "But as it is written: “Eye has not seen, nor ear heard, Nor have entered into the heart of man The things which God has prepared for those who love Him.”" (1 Corinthians 2:9, NKJV)
 We can’t even imagine how wonderful heaven will be
 Once we are there, we will realize how little all of us have suffered in our obedience to Christ
 We look forward to His return with hope.
• Why Do We Suffer
o Could be from discipline
o Romans 8:28
o "And we know that all things work together for good to those who love God, to those who are the called according to His purpose." (Romans 8:28, NKJV)
o "For whom He foreknew, He also predestined to be conformed to the image of His Son, that He might be the firstborn among many brethren." (Romans 8:29, NKJV)
o Example of Joseph
• The Most Important Suffering
o As believers we will face suffering,
 otherwise we are friends with the world
o Most important suffering was what Christ did on the cross over 2000 years ago.
 Expound
 Our suffering can not be compared to Christ
 He suffered so we would not suffer eternal death
 Salvation

Romans 8:1-17

Cross Creek Community Church — Sun, 20 Jul 2008 18:02:00 GMT

No Condemnation – Romans 8:1-17

• Introduction
o Look at What Goes Give to us as His Children
 No condemnation
 Liberty
 Christ’s Righteous Fulfillment of the Law on our behalf.
 Salvation from Death
 Indwelling Spirit of God
 Life and the Peace
 New Bodies
 Spirit of Adoption
o Going to look at the first 17 verse of Chapter 8
"There is therefore now no condemnation to those who are in Christ Jesus, who do not walk according to the flesh, but according to the Spirit. For the law of the Spirit of life in Christ Jesus has made me free from the law of sin and death. For what the law could not do in that it was weak through the flesh, God did by sending His own Son in the likeness of sinful flesh, on account of sin: He condemned sin in the flesh, that the righteous requirement of the law might be fulfilled in us who do not walk according to the flesh but according to the Spirit.

For those who live according to the flesh set their minds on the things of the flesh, but those who live according to the Spirit, the things of the Spirit. For to be carnally minded is death, but to be spiritually minded is life and peace. Because the carnal mind is enmity against God; for it is not subject to the law of God, nor indeed can be. So then, those who are in the flesh cannot please God. But you are not in the flesh but in the Spirit, if indeed the Spirit of God dwells in you. Now if anyone does not have the Spirit of Christ, he is not His. And if Christ is in you, the body is dead because of sin, but the Spirit is life because of righteousness.

But if the Spirit of Him who raised Jesus from the dead dwells in you, He who raised Christ from the dead will also give life to your mortal bodies through His Spirit who dwells in you. Therefore, brethren, we are debtors—not to the flesh, to live according to the flesh. For if you live according to the flesh you will die; but if by the Spirit you put to death the deeds of the body, you will live. For as many as are led by the Spirit of God, these are sons of God. For you did not receive the spirit of bondage again to fear, but you received the Spirit of adoption by whom we cry out, “Abba, Father.” The Spirit Himself bears witness with our spirit that we are children of God, and if children, then heirs—heirs of God and joint heirs with Christ, if indeed we suffer with Him, that we may also be glorified together." (Romans 8:1-17, NKJV)

o Read things in context
 without reading the last few chapters; might misread this
 Look at the first verse
• No Condemnation
o "There is therefore now no condemnation to those who are in Christ Jesus, who do not walk according to the flesh, but according to the Spirit." (Romans 8:1, NKJV)
o Most pastors that use this text this morning will preach a sermon that will sound something like this:
 “We have no condemnation in Christ if we don’t walk according to the flesh, but according to the Spirit.”
o What has the point of the last few chapters?
 We can not earn salvation – only through Christ; not our works or law
 Why would Paul concluded these chapters and then say we therefore have not condemnation as long as we do good stuff.
o Two things we should know about this verse
 First, the NU Text does not contain “who do not walk according to the flesh, but according to the Spirit.” So the NU Text only says, “There is therefore now no condemnation to those who are in Christ Jesus.”
• Even since that part could be part of the original text, it is only a clarifier, not a imperative part of the statement.
 Secondly, Christians in this context can not walk according to the flesh, but only according to the Spirit according to verse 9
• "But you are not in the flesh but in the Spirit, if indeed the Spirit of God dwells in you. Now if anyone does not have the Spirit of Christ, he is not His." (Romans 8:9, NKJV)
• So if you have the Holy Spirit, you walk according to the Spirit, but if you don’t have the Spirit, you are not God’s
 So the second part of verse 1 is a clarifier of those that receive no condemnation, not a requirement.
 "There is therefore now no condemnation to those who are in Christ Jesus, who do not walk according to the flesh, but according to the Spirit." (Romans 8:1, NKJV)
• There is no “because” or “and” there, it is just a statement of fact about those that are in Christ.
o “I don’t always walk according to the Spirit, am I really saved?”
 We are not the ones who save ourselves
 It wasn’t your good deeds that saved you to begin with; not your good deeds to make you persevere.
 Do all Christians stumble in there walk once and a while?
• Yes, even Paul said, "For what I am doing, I do not understand. For what I will to do, that I do not practice; but what I hate, that I do." (Romans 7:15, NKJV)
• If the mark of a Christian was never to do anything sinful again, there would have only been one, Christ Himself.
 We as Christians do walk according to the Spirit, even when we sin; we are convicted by the Holy Spirit living in us.
o What is condemnation?
 It is reserved for those that are apart from Christ and will receive the full judgment and wrath of God for their sins.
 We have been freed from law and death.
• "For the law of the Spirit of life in Christ Jesus has made me free from the law of sin and death." (Romans 8:2, NKJV)
o Why is there no condemnation for us?
 Because Christ has already paid the price for all of our sin, past, present, and future, on the cross bearing the full punishment that you and I deserved.
• "For what the law could not do in that it was weak through the flesh, God did by sending His own Son in the likeness of sinful flesh, on account of sin: He condemned sin in the flesh, that the righteous requirement of the law might be fulfilled in us who do not walk according to the flesh but according to the Spirit." (Romans 8:3-4, NKJV)
o Who wants to condemn us still?
 Anytime you as a believer hear condemnation, it is from our enemies, never from God
 Any time you hear, “I knew you would mess it up.” “You are an awful person.” “You are such a screw up and you always will.” Those are things from our enemies, the world, the flesh, and the devil.
o What does God do when we sin?
 He convicts us of our sin and points us back to righteousness
 He never condemns you as a child of His. He shows you the error, sometimes even through discipline, and brings you back to a right relationship with Him.
• Carnally Minded – led by flesh VS Spiritually Minded – lead by the Holy Spirit
"For to be carnally minded is death, but to be spiritually minded is life and peace. Because the carnal mind is enmity against God; for it is not subject to the law of God, nor indeed can be. So then, those who are in the flesh cannot please God. But you are not in the flesh but in the Spirit, if indeed the Spirit of God dwells in you. Now if anyone does not have the Spirit of Christ, he is not His. And if Christ is in you, the body is dead because of sin, but the Spirit is life because of righteousness. But if the Spirit of Him who raised Jesus from the dead dwells in you, He who raised Christ from the dead will also give life to your mortal bodies through His Spirit who dwells in you." (Romans 8:6-11, NKJV)
o Those that are carnally minded are:
 Dead – spiritually and eventually physically
 Enmity against God
 Cannot please God.
 Do not have the Spirit of Christ
 Are not God’s child.; they are God’s creation, not His Child
 Face eternal death

o Those that are spiritually minded:
 Have life and peace
 Have the Spirit of God dwelling in us.
 Will be resurrected physically
o Will those carnally minded by resurrected?
 Yes, but not into life, but into death, which is separation
• God as our Father
“For you did not receive the spirit of bondage again to fear, but you received the Spirit of adoption by whom we cry out, “Abba, Father.” The Spirit Himself bears witness with our spirit that we are children of God, and if children, then heirs—heirs of God and joint heirs with Christ, if indeed we suffer with Him, that we may also be glorified together." (Romans 8:15-17, NKJV)
o To many Christians walk around thinking God is out to get them
 Full of fear and worry
o We have been given the Spirit of adoption
o What does it mean to be adopted?
 We can call God, the maker of heaven and earth, daddy
 We are children of God
 We are heirs of God and joint heirs with Christ
 Even though we suffer with Him, that we may also be glorified together.
• Conclusion
o Important to understand scripture in context
o There is no condemnation for those in Christ
 If the Spirit of Christ lives in us we are not fleshly minded, but spiritually minded
 We may act in the flesh some times, but we are in this context spiritually minded if we have Christ
 We don’t face condemnation because Christ was condemned on our behalf.
 Those that are not in Christ will face condemnation which is the full wrath of God for theirs sins.
 When we as believers sin, we are convicted by the Holy Spirit and disciplined, but we are never condemned.
 If you are feeling condemned it is from one of your enemies, the world, the flesh, or the devil.
o Because of our relationship with Christ we call God our Abba Father or our daddy.
 We are children of God, heirs of God and joint heirs with Christ.
o Next week we will look at suffering as a believer.
• Salvation