Ablaze Church Sermon Podcast (Audio)

Who your God is, is not a trivial matter. It is the most significant factor in your character in this life and your location in the world to come. The alternatives to the Triune God are quite pitiful, whether it’s New Age spirituality, nature religions, neo-paganism, ancient Egyptian, Greek, or Canaanite cults. The truth about those gods is that they are vindictive, envious, lustful - just to name a few of their more common attributes. People tend to become like their gods. That’s why we are blessed to know the Holy Trinity. He is the One True God. He is the source of our existence and the only one who can save us from sin and death.

Red is the color of fire. We celebrate Pentecost, the coming of the Holy Spirit to create and empower the New Testament people of God, the Church. It’s the 50th day of Easter, and the resurrected Christ fulfills his promise, “You will receive power when the Holy Spirit has come upon you,, and you will be my witnesses in Jerusalem, and in all Judea and Samaria, and to the end of the earth.” He comes to make us ABLAZE with spiritual fire. We cannot be a robust or effective church without depending on the Holy Spirit. Let’s do more than wear red, let’s be filled with the Spirit and be active with love, joy and peace, the fruit of the Spirit. Let the gifts and actions of the Holy Spirit stream joyfully out of us and our beloved church, which is Ablaze.

Sometimes things go horribly wrong in a household. Conflict, envy, abuse, even violence can happen in a home, and the Bible is not a stranger to these dysfunctions. The household of Isaac and Rebekah had its share of these things. The result was that each parent favored a different child in the Esau and Jacob twin set. These brothers did not trust each other and Esau wanted to kill his brother. Our family dysfunctions may not be so dramatic, but unhealthy tensions can diminish the blessings and joys God wants for our households. He has answers in his Word that help us regain more stability and household health.

We get an occasional peek into a biblical household. One such household is the home of Mary, Martha and Lazarus Even though they experienced heartache and loss they were a strong and Godly household. Join us this weekend as we talk about imperfect households who experience healing of real life hurts thorough the Resurrection and the Life.

There was a couple that had such a godly household. Zechariah and Elizabeth, contemporaries of Jesus, had a well-run home and they were faithful to each other, to God and to the community. But they were unable to have children. The unfulfilled desire for children did not prevent them from living a full life and fulfilling the plan God had for them. There may have been an empty space in their hearts they were praying about, but there was no “God-gap.” God had a plan for them that took its proper time in unfolding. Their prayers about having a child were heard and God promised them a son who became one of the most important men of his time, John the Baptist, the promised forerunner and way-preparer for the Messiah. He was to call sinners to repentance and open their hearts to Jesus the Savior.

God had a great plan for families. It started off with two perfect people, Adam and Eve. They walked with God, they loved each other completely, their home was a place of harmony and filled with joy. Listening to the voice of temptation that offered them something better, they disobeyed God and then everything started to unravel. Ever since then, there has been no perfect household.

Households aren’t just people living under the same roof, mostly related. God has a household as well, called “Church.” There are brothers and sisters. There are brothers and sister who get along and who don’t. There is unity and disunity. There is harmony and there is drama. The Church is a bunch of real people who live in the real world. At the same time, the Church is holy, redeemed, indwelt by the Holy Spirit. Though frequently failing, it has the highest vision and accomplishes the impossible when under the control of the Head of the Church, Jesus Christ.

We hear that “Seeing is Believing.” That’s often true but not always. Many people saw miracles Jesus did and still refused to believe and put their trust in him. The gateway to faith is by the power of the Spirit through the Word, which can be heard and seen. We don’t have the privilege of physical sight of Jesus, but we get to encounter the Risen Christ just as certainly as the disciples, through the Word. The Holy Spirit enlightens our eyes and brings us into a living relationship with our Living Lord.

At the core of the Christian faith are the companion features the crucifixion and resurrection of Jesus Christ. If either of them is missing, there is no meaning in life and no purpose of our existence. That’s why we go flat out and wide open for Easter. Its not just the decorations, dressing our kids in their best, hiding the eggs and goodies, and having a grand family dinner. It is lifting our hearts in unrestrained joy. “Death is defeated, the King is Alive!” Nothing can top Easter and nothing can stop Easter. Its life-giving, life-changing power is as great in 2022 as it was way back then.

You personally have a Savior. You are not rejected Love took a hit! But in a week that love

takes a bow!