Appleton Gospel Church

Encounters with God is a sermon series about the theophanies or divine appearances and how they reveal the stunning character of God and his heart for a world that is lost without him. The Apostle Paul (known as Saul) had a life-changing encounter with Jesus on the Road to Damascus. Paul began his trip on a mission to arrest followers of Jesus and ended his trip proclaiming him as the Son of God. What happened to bring about this dramatic reversal? He saw Jesus, high and lifted up. Recorded on Jan 2, 2022, on Acts 9, by Pastor David Parks.

Sermon Transcript

All year, we’re talking about The Greatness of God. And today, we’re continuing a sermon series called Encounters with God. After this week, we only have one more week in this series before starting a new series called The Making of Heaven and Earth from Genesis 1-3. The greatness of God is evident in the work of creation. But as we approach the end of this series, as we’ve said all along the way: in the Bible, when God appears to someone it’s known as a theophany or divine appearing. And these encounters are wild stories; God never seems to act how we would expect. But these encounters, reveal the stunning character of God, and his heart to save a world that is lost without him. Today, we’re making the big jump from the OT to the NT, but we’re jumping over the gospel accounts of the NT. Christians believe that Jesus wasn’t just a great man, but that he was the only one who is fully God and fully man. So the whole life of Jesus in one sense is very much an encounter with God. But given the fact that we spent all of last year focusing on the person and work of Jesus, today and next week, we’ll look at a few divine appearings of Jesus that took place after his resurrection and ascension back into heaven. These appearances are not the Jesus meek and mild of his first coming, but the Jesus high and lifted up of today, the Jesus who is seated at the right hand of the Almighty, the King of heaven and earth. So today, we get to unpack the famous encounter with God and the Apostle Paul, who was also known as Saul, on the road to Damascus. In this encounter, we’ll see that God is the great Redeemer, even of his enemies. If you have a Bible/app, please open to Acts 9:1.

Acts 9:1-9 (NIV), “Meanwhile, Saul was still breathing out murderous threats against the Lord’s disciples. He went to the high priest 2 and asked him for letters to the synagogues in Damascus, so that if he found any there who belonged to the Way, whether men or women, he might take them as prisoners to Jerusalem. 3 As he neared Damascus on his journey, suddenly a light from heaven flashed around him. 4 He fell to the ground and heard a voice say to him, “Saul, Saul, why do you persecute me?” 5 “Who are you, Lord?” Saul asked. “I am Jesus, whom you are persecuting,” he replied. 6 “Now get up and go into the city, and you will be told what you must do.” 7 The men traveling with Saul stood there speechless; they heard the sound but did not see anyone. 8 Saul got up from the ground, but when he opened his eyes he could see nothing. So they led him by the hand into Damascus. 9 For three days he was blind, and did not eat or drink anything.”

Let’s pause here. Back on Christmas Eve, I said that Luke was a physician who became a Christian through the ministry of the Apostle Paul, likely in the city of Ephesus in Turkey. After becoming a Christian, Luke did a careful investigation into the life/ministry of Jesus by interviewing eyewitnesses who were there. This investigation resulted in the book of Luke in the Bible on the life/ministry of Jesus and the book of Acts in the Bible, which is all about what happened next. What happened after the resurrection and ascension of Jesus back into heaven, so much of which had to do with the man who is...

Encounters with God is a sermon series about the theophanies or divine appearances and how they reveal the stunning character of God and his heart for a world that is lost without him. Ezekiel had an awesome encounter with God as an exile in a foreign land. Ezekiel was transformed from priest to prophet, delivering a message of the power of God and God's word to a people in exile. Recorded on Dec 26, 2021, on Ezekiel 1-3, by Pastor David Parks.

Sermon Transcript

All year, we’re talking about The Greatness of God. And today, we’re continuing a sermon series called Encounters with God. After this week, we only have two more weeks in this series before we start a new series called The Making of Heaven and Earth from Genesis 1-3. But in the Bible, when God appears to someone it’s known as a theophany or divine appearing. And these encounters are wild stories; God never seems to act how we would expect. But these encounters, including our encounter today between God and the prophet Ezekiel, reveal the stunning character of God, and his heart to save a world that is lost without him. If you have a Bible/app, please open to Ezekiel 1:1. We’ll unpack this as we go. v. 1.

Ezekiel 1:1-3 (NIV), “In my thirtieth year, in the fourth month on the fifth day, while I was among the exiles by the Kebar River, the heavens were opened and I saw visions of God. On the fifth of the month—it was the fifth year of the exile of King Jehoiachin—the word of the Lord came to Ezekiel the priest, the son of Buzi, by the Kebar River in the land of the Babylonians. There the hand of the Lord was on him.”

Let’s pause here. So this is the brief introduction to the book of Ezekiel; the rest of the book is written in the first person. According to the events listed here, we know that Ezekiel’s encounter with God happened on July 31, 593 BC, and if we understand the opening line as referring to his age at the time, Ezekiel was 30 years old when God called him to be a prophet. This took place about 30 years after Jeremiah’s encounter with God that we looked at last week. It was also about 5 years after Ezekiel, who was a priest from Jerusalem in Judah, had been carried into exile after the fall of Jerusalem to the Babylonians. [map slide] Here, Ezekiel found himself over 800 miles from home; in the middle of modern Iraq. As an exile, he was a man without a country, a priest without a temple. Daniel was another prophet in Babylon with Ezekiel at this time. As I said last week, it’s hard to overstate just how heartbreakingly traumatic the exile was for the people of Israel. The northern kingdom of Israel had fallen several generations earlier to the Assyrian Empire. Now the southern kingdom of Judah had fallen to the Babylonian Empire. And roughly 90% of the people had either been killed or carried off to a foreign land as a conquered people. It was in this terrible circumstance, it was during these dark days, it was during this calamity that Ezekiel had his theophany, his encounter with God, by the Kebar River in Babylon. v. 4.

Ezekiel 1:4-28 (NIV), “I looked, and I saw a windstorm coming out of the north—an immense cloud with flashing lightning and surrounded by brilliant light. The center of the fire looked like glowing metal, and in the fire was what looked like four living creatures. In appearance their form was human, but each of them had four faces and four wings. Their legs were straight; their feet were like those of a calf and gleamed like burnished bronze. Under their wings on their four sides they had human hands. All four of them had faces and wings, and the wings of one touched the wings of another. Each one went straight ahead; they did not turn as they moved. Their faces looked like this: Each of the four had the face of a human being,

Encounters with God is a sermon series about the theophanies or divine appearances and how they reveal the stunning character of God and his heart for a world that is lost without him.

Isaiah has a vision of God, high and lifted up, and is confronted by the holiness of God. A supremely holy God can seem like a threat to people who struggle with sin. But surprisingly, holiness is both the reason God is able to save us and is the future for all people in Christ. Recorded on Dec 12, 2021, on Isaiah 6, by Pastor David Parks.

Sermon Transcript

All year, we’re talking about The Greatness of God. And today, we’re continuing a sermon series called Encounters with God. In the Bible, when God appears to someone it’s known as a theophany or divine appearing. And these encounters are wild stories, God never seems to act how we would expect. But these appearances reveal the stunning character of God, and his heart to save a world that is lost without him. Well today, we’ll consider the surprising encounter with God and the prophet Isaiah. In this theophany, at first, the vision of God as high and lifted up is quite terrifying because of the holiness of God. But then we realize, with Isaiah, that the holiness of God is not only wonderful but is also tied directly to the very purpose of the church, to our purpose/mission today. It’s a story of surprisingly good news. If you have a Bible/app, please open to Isaiah 6:1.

Isaiah 6:1-5 (NIV), “In the year that King Uzziah died, I saw the Lord, high and exalted, seated on a throne; and the train of his robe filled the temple. 2 Above him were seraphim, each with six wings: With two wings they covered their faces, with two they covered their feet, and with two they were flying. 3 And they were calling to one another: “Holy, holy, holy is the Lord Almighty; the whole earth is full of his glory.” 4 At the sound of their voices the doorposts and thresholds shook and the temple was filled with smoke. 5 “Woe to me!” I cried. “I am ruined! For I am a man of unclean lips, and I live among a people of unclean lips, and my eyes have seen the King, the Lord Almighty.””

Let’s pause here. So Isaiah goes into the temple and who should he find there, but the Almighty God himself, the Creator of the heavens and the earth, the Lord of hosts. Have you ever been surprised at church by the presence of God? Sometimes during worship, I just get this sense of awe and power at the presence of God. But probably not exactly to this degree. Isaiah finds himself transported into the throne room of heaven where the Lord is seated on a throne like a king, high and lifted up. Now, sometimes dates are difficult to determine in the Bible, but we actually know that it was the year 742 BC when King Uzziah died. Isaiah lived during a time of extreme uncertainty with the threat of war/violence all around the nation of Judah. [Map slide] During this time, the northern kingdom of Israel had fallen to the Assyrian Empire, so the most powerful empire in the world was literally on its doorstep. This would’ve been terrifying because the Assyrians were the first civilization in history to have a professional army, not just a collection of local militia’s. As a result, for about 300 years, the Assyrians conquered everybody. Because this was a time of exile for the people of ancient Israel and Judah, there were many prophets at work during this time. Similar to the time of the Exodus, God was speaking a lot during the time of the exile so that his people wouldn’t miss why all this was happening. Other prophets who were active at this time include Jonah and Hosea in the northern kingdom of Israel and Micah and Isaiah in the southern kingdom of Judah. One more history nerd fact: the ancient Greek poet, Homer,

Encounters with God is a sermon series about the theophanies or divine appearances and how they reveal the stunning character of God and his heart for a world that is lost without him. Is there any hope for the exhausted? Any grace for when you're feeling burned out? Absolutely. In the encounter with God and Elijah, we discover God's care for the whole person and our physical, emotional, and spiritual needs. Recorded on Dec 5, 2021, on 1 Kings 19, by Pastor David Parks.

Sermon Transcript

All year, we’re talking about The Greatness of God. And today, we’re continuing a sermon series called Encounters with God. In the Bible, when God appears to someone it’s known as a theophany or divine appearing. And these encounters are wild stories, God never seems to act how we would expect. Well today, we’ll consider the fascinating encounter with God and the prophet Elijah. And to me, this encounter is one of the most comforting and practically helpful stories if you ever get to the point where you’re feeling exhausted or burned out. The holiday season can be a tiring season under normal circumstances. But after the last 2 years of chaos and loss, I think we’re all feeling a little fatigued. Exhaustion shows up differently for different people. Some of us get more down/depressed, others get more angry/irritable, some of us feel all of these things. As followers of Jesus, what can we do when we’re exhausted? Is there any hope, any grace for the burned out? Absolutely. In our text for the day, we’ll see God care for Elijah in his exhaustion as a whole person, ministering to him physically, emotionally, and spiritually. If you have a Bible/app, please open to 1 Kings 19:1. We’ll unpack this story as we go:

1 Kings 19:1-5a (NIV), “1 Now Ahab told Jezebel everything Elijah had done and how he had killed all the prophets with the sword. 2 So Jezebel sent a messenger to Elijah to say, “May the gods deal with me, be it ever so severely, if by this time tomorrow I do not make your life like that of one of them.” 3 Elijah was afraid[a] and ran for his life. When he came to Beersheba in Judah, he left his servant there, 4 while he himself went a day’s journey into the wilderness. He came to a broom bush, sat down under it and prayed that he might die. “I have had enough, Lord,” he said. “Take my life; I am no better than my ancestors.” 5 Then he lay down under the bush and fell asleep.” 

Ok, let’s pause here. What is going on here? Well, first, when is this taking place? So Ahab and Jezebel were the king and queen over the northern kingdom of Israel about 850 years before the birth of Jesus. This is about 100 years or so after the time of King David and Solomon. Under David, the northern kingdom of Israel and the southern kingdom of Judah were unified. But after the time of Solomon, the unified kingdom started to fall apart. So it was right in the middle of this tumultuous time that God had called Elijah to be a prophet in Israel. This was a tough assignment. There was no peace at this time, and it wasn’t just that war was coming. There was vast corruption in the house of Israel. There was widespread idolatry/violence/injustice under the leadership of King Ahab and Queen Jezebel. But immediately before this, Elijah’s ministry career had really reached a pinnacle. 1 Kings 18 describes an epic showdown between hundreds of prophets of the false Canaanite god, Baal, and Elijah. And Yahweh had shown up in a very public way, that he was the one true God, not Baal. Though hundreds of prophets cried out for hours and hours and cut themselves, Baal never answered them. In contrast, Elijah simply prayed and Yahweh rained down fire, completely consuming his offering. Now, you might think that after such a mighty victory, Elijah would be feeling good!

Encounters with God is a sermon series about the theophanies or divine appearances and how they reveal the stunning character of God and his heart for a world that is lost without him. People have always wrestled with the nature and meaning of suffering. The ancient story of Job presents five perspectives that help us better understand suffering, even today. Recorded on Nov 28, 2021, on the book of Job, by Pastor David Parks.

Sermon Transcript

All year, we’re talking about The Greatness of God. And today, we’re continuing a sermon series called Encounters with God. In the Bible, when God appears to someone it’s known as a theophany or divine appearing. And these encounters are wild stories, full of surprises. God never seems to act how we would expect. However, these stories reveal the stunning character of God and his heart for a world that is lost without him. Today, we’ll consider the fascinating encounter with God in the book of Job. Job is famous in the Bible for what he suffered because the book of Job is a series of dialogues dealing with the nature/purpose of suffering. This is a topic that human beings have always wrestled with — and whether you have yet or not, you will one day, too. So many of the answers to suffering have to do with what you believe about who God is and what God does in this world. Now, this morning we’re going to do something that I don’t think I’ve ever done before. I’m going to preach through the whole book of Job. We won’t read through the whole thing (although I’d encourage you to do so). But it’s necessary to have at least a working understanding of the flow of the whole book to understand the theophany at the end. So if you have a Bible/app, please open to Job 1:1. We’ll unpack this as we go. First, the prologue:

Job 1:1-5 (NIV), “1 In the land of Uz there lived a man whose name was Job. This man was blameless and upright; he feared God and shunned evil. 2 He had seven sons and three daughters, 3 and he owned seven thousand sheep, three thousand camels, five hundred yoke of oxen and five hundred donkeys, and had a large number of servants. He was the greatest man among all the people of the East. 4 His sons used to hold feasts in their homes on their birthdays, and they would invite their three sisters to eat and drink with them. 5 When a period of feasting had run its course, Job would make arrangements for them to be purified. Early in the morning he would sacrifice a burnt offering for each of them, thinking, “Perhaps my children have sinned and cursed God in their hearts.” This was Job’s regular custom.” Let’s pause here. So first, what kind of man is Job? Job is a very wealthy man, he was also a family man, and he was a devoutly religious man. Job is presented here as being exemplary in every way. V. 6

Job 1:6-12 (NIV), “6 One day the angels came to present themselves before the Lord, and Satan [Hebrew word meaning the Accuser or the Adversary] also came with them. 7 The Lord said to Satan, “Where have you come from?” Satan answered the Lord, “From roaming throughout the earth, going back and forth on it.” 8 Then the Lord said to Satan, “Have you considered my servant Job? There is no one on earth like him; he is blameless and upright, a man who fears God and shuns evil.” 9 “Does Job fear God for nothing?” Satan replied. 10 “Have you not put a hedge around him and his household and everything he has? You have blessed the work of his hands, so that his flocks and herds are spread throughout the land. 11 But now stretch out your hand and strike everything he has, and he will surely curse you to your face.” 12 The Lord said to Satan, “Very well, then, everything he has is in your power, but on the man himself do not lay a finger.” Then Satan went out from the presence of the Lord.

Encounters with God is a sermon series about the theophanies or divine appearances and how they reveal the stunning character of God and his heart for a world that is lost without him. At Mount Sinai, Moses asks God to teach him His ways and show him His glory so he might know God better. God responds with an incredible display of His glory and with the stunning revelation of His character. Do you want to know what God is like? Recorded on Nov 14, 2021, on Exodus 33-34, by Pastor David Parks.

Sermon Transcript

All year, we’re talking about The Greatness of God. And today, we’re continuing a sermon series called Encounters with God. In the Bible, when God appears to someone it’s known as a theophany or divine appearing. And these encounters are wild stories, full of surprises. God never seems to act how we would expect. However, these stories reveal the stunning character of God and his heart for a world that is lost without him. Today, we’ll consider another encounter of Moses with God in Exodus 33. Last week in part 1, we saw the famous story of Moses and the burning bush, and we saw God’s faithfulness to save. Today, we’ll get just a little view of the glory of God. If you have a Bible/app, please open to Exodus 33:12. We’ll read through this story together and unpack it as we go. 

Exodus 33:12-17 (NIV), “12 Moses said to the Lord, “You have been telling me, ‘Lead these people,’ but you have not let me know whom you will send with me. You have said, ‘I know you by name and you have found favor with me.’ 13 If you are pleased with me, teach me your ways so I may know you and continue to find favor with you. Remember that this nation is your people.”14 The Lord replied, “My Presence will go with you, and I will give you rest. 15 Then Moses said to him, “If your Presence does not go with us, do not send us up from here. 16 How will anyone know that you are pleased with me and with your people unless you go with us? What else will distinguish me and your people from all the other people on the face of the earth?” 17 And the Lord said to Moses, “I will do the very thing you have asked, because I am pleased with you and I know you by name.”

Ok, let’s pause here. So last week, we saw God appear to Moses in the burning bush and send him to lead the people of Israel out of captivity in Egypt and into the land that God had promised to Abraham and Sarah and their descendants. Moses was understandably a little hesitant given both his qualifications and the immensity of this task. But eventually, he went and did what God called him to do. Now here, the people of ancient Israel are free and are camped at Mount Sinai. This is the same place where God called to Moses from the burning bush back in Exodus 3. Moses is back with a whole nation of people. Now, God had miraculously freed his people from the hand of Pharaoh, with signs and wonders and the parting of the Red Sea, but it wasn’t all smooth sailing. While Moses met with God on Mount Sinai earlier in Exodus and was receiving the Law which would govern the people in the promised land, the people fell back into idol worship in making the golden calf. After dealing with that disaster, Moses is back on the mountain talking with God.

In the passage we just read, Moses says to God, “You have said, ‘I know you by name and you have found favor with me.’ If you are pleased with me, teach me your ways so I may know you and continue to find favor with you.” Now, maybe the incident with the golden calf revealed to Moses just how difficult this leadership task would be. So he makes this request, and this is such a great prayer request for us today. “Lord, teach me your ways. Teach me what you value. Teach me what you care about. Teach me what you despise. Teach me what to avoid.

Encounters with God is a sermon series about the theophanies or divine appearances and how they reveal the stunning character of God and his heart for a world that is lost without him. Encounters with God: Moses, pt 1 — In Moses' classic encounter with God in the burning bush, we clearly see that God is faithful to save. But will we trust in God's plan AND his timing? Recorded on Nov 7, 2021, on Exodus 3:1-15, by Pastor David Parks.

Sermon Transcript

All year, we’re focusing on The Greatness of God. And today, we’re continuing a sermon series we started last week called Encounters with God. In the Bible, when God appears to someone it’s known as a theophany or divine appearing. And these encounters are wild stories, full of surprises. God never seems to act how we would expect. However, again and again, these stories reveal the stunning character of God and his heart for a world that is lost without him. Today, we’ll consider Moses’ encounter with God in Exodus 3. Last week we saw God’s heart to do whatever it takes to have a relationship with people, starting with the family of Abraham and Sarah. Today, we’ll see God’s faithfulness to keep his promises to Abraham in his commitment to rescue and redeem his people from Egypt. God is faithful to save. If you have a Bible/app, please open to Exodus 3:1.

Exodus 3:1-6 (NIV), “Now Moses was tending the flock of Jethro his father-in-law, the priest of Midian, and he led the flock to the far side of the wilderness and came to Horeb, the mountain of God. 2 There the angel of the Lord appeared to him in flames of fire from within a bush. Moses saw that though the bush was on fire it did not burn up. 3 So Moses thought, “I will go over and see this strange sight—why the bush does not burn up.” 4 When the Lord saw that he had gone over to look, God called to him from within the bush, “Moses! Moses!” And Moses said, “Here I am.” 5 “Do not come any closer,” God said. “Take off your sandals, for the place where you are standing is holy ground.” 6 Then he said, “I am the God of your father,[a] the God of Abraham, the God of Isaac and the God of Jacob.” At this, Moses hid his face, because he was afraid to look at God.”

Let’s pause here. So first, a little context. Last week, we looked at the passage where God promised to give a people and a place to Abraham and Sarah. But God had promised that it would be long after Abraham had passed away. Now here, Moses was an Israelite, a member of Abraham and Sarah’s family, who was born in Egypt when the Israelites were slaves there. And in Moses’ day, they were being harshly oppressed and abused. But in the providence of God, Moses wasn’t raised as a slave, but by Pharaoh’s daughter, in Pharaoh’s household, with all the wealth and prosperity that would bring. So if there was anyone who had the education and the political relationships to lead God’s people out of captivity in Egypt, it would’ve been Moses. But it didn’t seem to work out initially. When Moses was 40 years old, he was pulled into a dispute between an Israelite and an Egyptian and wound up killing the Egyptian. So afterward, Moses was forced to flee from Egypt to Midian (Saudi Arabia). And Moses was accepted as a refugee there. He got married, started a family, and worked as a shepherd for his father-in-law. Now here, some 40 years later, at what Moses was likely believing to be the end of his career as a shepherd, he was on a journey several weeks from his home in Midian. And he found himself on Mount Horeb, the mountain of God, which was also known as Mount Sinai, when all of a sudden, he has this theophany, this encounter with God. 

So first observation: God’s appearance is different. Last week, we saw that God’s word appeared to Abraham in a vision and then as a smoking fire...

Encounters with God is a sermon series about the theophanies or divine appearances and how they reveal the stunning character of God and his heart for a world that is lost without him. In Abraham's encounter with God, we discover both God's desire to have a relationship with people and how we might respond to him today. Recorded on Oct 31, 2021, on Genesis 15, by Pastor David Parks.

Sermon Transcript

All year, we’re focusing on The Greatness of God. And today, we get to start a brand new sermon series called Encounters with God. In the Bible, when God appears to someone it’s known as a theophany or divine appearing. These encounters are wild stories, full of surprises. God never seems to act how we would expect. However, again and again, these stories reveal the stunning character of God and his heart for a world that is lost without him. This series will go all the way into the new year (with a little break for Christmas). So today, we’ll start our series with Abraham’s encounter with God in Genesis 15. And we’ll see God’s heart for a relationship with people and we’ll see how we might have a relationship with him, even today. If you have a Bible/app, please open to Genesis 15:1.

Genesis 15:1-6 (NIV), “After this, the word of the Lord came to Abram in a vision: “Do not be afraid, Abram. I am your shield,[a] your very great reward.[b]” 2 But Abram said, “Sovereign Lord, what can you give me since I remain childless and the one who will inherit[c] my estate is Eliezer of Damascus?” 3 And Abram said, “You have given me no children; so a servant in my household will be my heir.” 4 Then the word of the Lord came to him: “This man will not be your heir, but a son who is your own flesh and blood will be your heir.” 5 He took him outside and said, “Look up at the sky and count the stars—if indeed you can count them.” Then he said to him, “So shall your offspring[d] be.” 6 Abram believed the Lord, and he credited it to him as righteousness.”

Let’s pause here. So first, a little context. Genesis is a book of beginnings written by the prophet, Moses. The first 11 chapters describe a number of prehistoric creation stories and then chapter 12 seems to fall down into history with the family of Abraham and Sarah (or Abram and Sarai as they were known at this time). Now, Abram’s story is a very important story to understand anything about the work of God in the world, because it sets up and helps explain everything that comes after this. So first, this chapter is structured around two “I am” statements of God. “I am your shield, your very great reward.” in v. 1 and then “I am Yahweh (the LORD), who brought you out of Ur of the Chaldeans.” These statements are followed by a ceremony to ratify a covenant relationship between God and Abram. However, after the first “I am” statement, Abram has a problem. You see, back in Ge 12, God made a promise to Abram saying, “I will make you into a great nation, and I will bless you; I will make your name great, and you will be a blessing.” But here, Abram says to God, “You promised to make me into a great nation, but I don’t even have a child of my own.” From previous chapters, we know that Abram had great wealth and he had many people working for him, but he and Sarai have no children of their own. God responds right away saying, “Come outside, Abram, and look up. Look up at the sky and count the stars—if indeed you can count them.” Then he said to him, “So shall your offspring be.” In other words, God says, “I’m not just going to give you a child, Abram, I’m going to give you a people. I’m not just going to give you a little, I’m going to lavish my grace on you.” Now, would this be hard for you to believe? At this time, Abram was an old man, and his wife, Sarai, was an old woman. No doubt,

When God is Big... is a sermon series examining what happens when you have a bigger vision of God. When God is Big...Chains are Broken: This world can be really tough. And it can be so tempting to turn to certain substances or behaviors to try and escape from reality. Whether it's binge drinking or endless social media scrolling, our tendency toward compulsive overconsumption is unhelpful and frankly destructive. However, there is hope in Jesus for freedom and healing. Recorded on Oct 24, 2021, on Acts 16:16-34, by Pastor David Parks.

Sermon Transcript

All year, we’re focusing on The Greatness of God. And today, we’re finishing a sermon series called When God is Big… In this series, we’ve considered how a bigger view of God changes everything, including how we live out our values and how we might deal with our various struggles. Well, today, we get to address one of the main issues that people in our culture struggle with today, which is the struggle of addiction. And the first question is, is this really a problem for us? Undoubtedly, you’ve probably heard of the opioid crisis, but for many of us, that issue might feel far away. Is this something we need to be paying attention to as followers of Jesus today, well, I think the answer is yes. According to the CDC, Wisconsin has the second-highest rate of binge drinking in the country and is almost tied for first place. A CDC study from 2015 showed that almost 25% of adults in WI (that is, 1 out of 4) had engaged in binge drinking in the past 30 days. And I believe the trauma of the Covid-19 pandemic and all the other social and political turmoil of the past few years have only accelerated this trend. It might be more like 1 out of 3 adults or even higher today. Now I get it. In this world, there seems to be stress and various threats coming from all directions. So it’s no wonder to me that more and more, people are falling into addictive patterns of behavior or turning to substances to try and escape reality for a time. That’s understandable. But it’s not just alcohol that’s a problem for us, is it? In her book, Dopamine Nation, Dr. Anna Lembke repeatedly refers to addictive behavior as ‘compulsive overconsumption,’ and that phrase was helpful to me to better understand what’s going on here. However, by that definition, almost everyone may wrestle with a certain degree of addictive behavior. Just think about the phrase ‘compulsive overconsumption’ and think about your relationship with your phone or your social media feed or with gaming or even your TV. We don’t even watch TV anymore, we binge-watch. Think of the struggle that so many people have with pornography or merely of watching the news. We know these things aren’t really helpful or healthy for us, and some are downright destructive patterns of behavior — but we just can’t stop. So given the difficulty and trauma of this broken world, are we hopelessly bound by these substances/behaviors, or is it possible to find freedom from compulsive overconsumption? The answer is yes, freedom is possible, healing is possible in Christ. In fact, one of the great benefits of the gospel of Jesus is its power to break the various chains that bind us in life. But how does this work? Well, if you have a Bible/app, please open to Acts 16, starting with v.16. My goal today is to show you that when God is big, chains are broken. Let’s start with v.16.

Acts 16:16-18 (NIV), “Once when we were going to the place of prayer, we were met by a female slave who had a spirit by which she predicted the future. She earned a great deal of money for her owners by fortune-telling. 17 She followed Paul and the rest of us, shouting, “These men are servants of the Most High God, who are telling you the way to be saved.” 18 She kept this up for many days. Finally Paul became so annoyed that he turned ...

When God is Big... is a sermon series examining what happens when you have a bigger vision of who God is. When God is Big...Identity is a Gift — Who are you? Who or what defines you? What does it mean to be true to yourself? These are questions of identity. When God is small, you are responsible for creating and maintaining your own identity. This is stressful and exhausting. But when God is big, identity is received as a gift of grace in Christ. This brings security and peace, no matter what happens in life. Recorded on Oct 17, 2021, on Ephesians 1:3-10, by Pastor David Parks.

Sermon Transcript

All year, we’re focusing on The Greatness of God. And today, we’re continuing a sermon series called When God is Big… In this series, we’re considering how a bigger view of God changes everything, including how we live out our values and deal with our struggles. Last week, we looked at how a bigger view of God helps us deal with our struggle with fear. If you missed any of the messages from this series, you can always go back and watch on YouTube or listen to the audio podcast if you’d like. Well, today, we get to address one of the main issues that people in our culture struggle with today, which is understanding/establishing your identity. Now, I am a Christian, husband, father, pastor, friend. I’m a Packer fan, I’m an extrovert, I’m an ENTJ, I have 1.25 dogs. But who am I? What among these details defines me? How do I know if I’m being authentic to my true self? These are questions of identity. And these are huge questions because they tap into how we see/define/present ourselves in this world. Who are you? What is at the core of who you are? Well, if you have a Bible/app, please open to Eph 1, starting with v.3. This morning, we get to look at a very famous passage, which every Christian needs to understand, because it reveals so much about our true identity, our authentic self, who we truly are, in Christ. Let’s start with v. 3.

Ephesians 1:3–10 (NIV), “3 Praise be to the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who has blessed us in the heavenly realms with every spiritual blessing in Christ. 4 For he chose us in him before the creation of the world to be holy and blameless in his sight. In love 5 he predestined us for adoption to sonship  through Jesus Christ, in accordance with his pleasure and will—6 to the praise of his glorious grace, which he has freely given us in the One he loves. 7 In him we have redemption through his blood, the forgiveness of sins, in accordance with the riches of God’s grace 8 that he lavished on us. With all wisdom and understanding, 9 he made known to us the mystery of his will according to his good pleasure, which he purposed in Christ, 10 to be put into effect when the times reach their fulfillment—to bring unity to all things in heaven and on earth under Christ.”

Now, Ephesians was a letter from the Apostle Paul to the Christians in and around the city of Ephesus in modern Turkey. Now, Ephesians was written broadly, meaning, it was meant to be shared with other churches in other communities. So it’s a great letter to study if you’re coming into Christianity. However, the passage we just read is dense and somewhat difficult to follow. In fact, it’s one long sentence in Greek. I think the reason that Paul did this was once he started describing who we are “in Christ” (as he says), he can’t help but add one detail after another, brick by brick, until he has built up a towering description of what God has accomplished for us through the person and work of Jesus. Let’s work through this once again starting with v. 3.

Ephesians 1:3, “Praise be to the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who has blessed us in the heavenly realms with every spiritual blessing in Christ.