Avalon Church

Are you feeling distant from God? It does not have to be this way. God’s presence is experienced in community. But what does this even look like? Let’s find out together as we explore Jesus’ unexpected, diverse family described in Ephesians 2:11-22.

“Go and make disciples of all people” –Mt. 28:19-20.

11 Don’t forget that you Gentiles used to be outsiders. You were called “uncircumcised heathens” by the Jews... –Ephesians 2 (NLT)

12 In those days you were living apart from Christ. You were excluded from citizenship among the people of Israel, and you did not know the covenant promises God had made to them. You lived in this world without God and without hope. –Ephesians 2 (NLT)

13 But now you have been united with Christ Jesus. Once you were far away from God, but now you have been brought near to him through the blood of Christ. –Ephesians 2 (NLT)

14 For Christ himself has brought peace to us. He united Jews and Gentiles into one people when, in his own body on the cross, he broke down the wall of hostility that separated us. –Ephesians 2 (NLT)

15  ...He made peace between Jews and Gentiles by creating in himself one new people from the two groups. –Ephesians 2 (NLT)

16 Together as one body, Christ reconciled both groups to God by means of his death on the cross, and our hostility toward each other was put to death. –Ephesians 2 (NLT)

17 [Christ] brought this Good News of peace to you Gentiles who were far away from him, and peace to the Jews who were near. –Ephesians 2 (NLT)

19 So now you Gentiles are no longer strangers and foreigners. You are citizens along with all of God’s holy people. You are members of God’s family. –Ephesians 2 (NLT)

20 Together, we are his house, built on the foundation of the apostles and the prophets. And the cornerstone is Christ Jesus himself. 21 We are carefully joined together in him, becoming a holy temple for the Lord. –Ephesians 2 (NLT)

22 Through [Jesus] you Gentiles are also being made part of this dwelling where God lives by his Spirit. –Ephesians 2 (NLT)

This is the final story in 2 Chronicles. It’s one of Exile and Return where God works in the midst of the unthinkable to bring about the unimaginable.

I was seven years old, barely keeping pace as my father strode purposefully through the woods, the dry brush crackling under our feet. August was rarely pleasant in the deep South, but this year had been especially hot; especially dry. Walking the densely forested stand of timber that day, young as I was, I was acutely aware of my father’s mood. The month-long drought our area was experiencing had him worried. I watched in silence as he broke dry twigs from seemingly lifeless trees and examined the wilting, dull color of the new growth under them. We hiked through the dust of the parched creek bed, following it to the beaver pond where our family often came for picnics. The pond was nearly empty and the beaver lodge, usually a site of frantic activity, stood abandoned on dry land. Without warning, the wind shifted. And with the change in direction came a rapid increase in velocity and a perceptible drop in the temperature. It became cool within a matter of seconds, as the wind, whistling above, threatened to send branches crashing down around us. Lightning and thunder worked the atmosphere almost simultaneously, creating explosions of light and sound that terrified me. My father, his arms wrapped around me tightly, was also afraid...and grateful. He was grateful for this violent performance of nature and the hope of water that came with it. As the trees bent with the wind and the thunder covered my cries, my father sat down, pulled me into his lap and said, “Don’t worry. You’ll be all right. Something good is going to come out of this. Be still. Be patient.” While he was comforting me, the rain came. Not with the gentle drops I had seen in the past, but in wild, silver sheets bursting all around us. It wound through the limbs and leaves, over rocks and deep into the tangled thickets leaving nothing untouched. And then, as suddenly as it had begun - it was over. The thunder and lightning and wind and rain were gone, their energy exhausted. It was still again, but even at my young age, I noticed a difference. The forest wasn’t just still...it was calm. With his hand, my father wiped the drops of water from my face. Only my deep sobs betrayed the presence of tears, not raindrops, on my cheeks. Then he smiled, wrung out the front of his shirt, and motioned toward the pond. “It’ll fill back up now,” he said, “and those beavers will be able to spend the winter here like they’d planned.” We turned in time to see a doe and her fawn drinking from the already flowing creek. The frogs had started their own chorus as we headed for home. “Ahh,” my father breathed deeply, “everything just smells clean, doesn’t it?” And it did. The very air, which only a short time ago had been hot and dirty, now seemed almost sweet. “Let’s sit down by this big oak, Son,” he said quietly, “I have something to tell you.” I snuggled in beside him, and in very nearly a whisper, he began. “You know,” he said, watching me from the corner of his eye, “you weren’t the only one scared a little while ago. Those deer were afraid, too. The squirrels squirrels huddled together as close as they could get and what with all the crashes and booms, well, I’m pretty sure the rabbits were worried. But now, something important has happened. The very event that frightened everyone in the forest turned out to be exactly what they needed.” Do you hear the birds?” I nodded. “Remember how quiet they were before the rain? Now they’re hopping around, chirping, drinking from puddles, and feasting on the worms that come out only when the ground is wet. The fish in the pond have more oxygen to breathe and cooler water to swim in. The dust that was on all the plants has been washed away so they are much cleaner for the rabbits and deer to eat. Nobody likes dirty food.” “In fact, Son, all of us are better off now than we were an hour ago. Just because of the storm. What looked like the worst – turned out to be the best. It was a storm of perfection.”

We’re looking at the very last verses that were ever written

They are recalling what most Jews considered the worst event in their history.

It was truly awful.

This event was what made them never again be tempted by idols.

This event paved the way for that Messiah, Jesus,

In many ways,

God finally removed his protection

Look at 2 Chronicles 36, vs. 17.

17 So the Lord brought the king of Babylon against them. The Babylonians killed Judah’s young men, even chasing after them into the Temple. They had no pity on the people, killing both young men and young women, the old and the infirm. God handed all of them over to Nebuchadnezzar. –2 Chronicles 36:17 (NLT)

God was like,

I invited you and your ancestors to be my people.

I promised to protect you and sustain you.

But over and over, you rejected me.

And so now, you will face the consequences

And immediately Judah realized that on their own,

The nation of Babylon was on a mission of conquest.

But then, the Babylonian King Nebuchadnezzar,

Going where even Jews were forbidden to go,

18 The king took home to Babylon all the articles, large and small, used in the Temple of God, and the treasures from both the Lord’s Temple and from the palace of the king and his officials. –2 Chronicles 36:18 (NLT)

19 Then his army burned the Temple o...

Join us we look at the story of Josiah in 2 Chronicles, seeing how when they hear the truth about how far they have fallen, the entire nation repents. It's never too late!

As long as you have breath,

It’s never too late

Story – Palace pizza employee who said the walls would cave in.

This is a series looking at stories in the book of Chronicles

Where people’s lives turned around

Before jumping into today’s Scripture,

I always believed in God, but that didn’t translate to anything in my life. For me, God was just a higher being you prayed to, requesting his blessings. You tried to earn his favor by performing ceremonies and reciting prayers. The concept of a holy or personal God was not something that I understood.

I considered myself a good and moral person. I had my smoking habit and occasional drinking, but I thought I was a good guy. I lived life carefree and the way I wanted.

It was in my first year of college that I felt God’s sovereign hands working.

It was one of the top engineering schools in Manila, but my grades were bad. So, they kicked me out. I remember spending the entire semester break applying to different schools hoping they would accept me. For a long time, none of them did. It was only my first year of college and I was already desperate, feeling worthless and helpless.

The coming semester was about to start when I was finally accepted by a school. I barely made it in. I changed my major from Engineering to Architecture, and looking back now, I truly believe that God was orchestrating those events in my life.

It was in Architecture School where I met Ron, who became my best friend. Ron is a very friendly guy and there was something very different about him.

He invited me to attend a small group gathering called “student fellowship” where I met people who loved studying the Bible and worshipping Jesus. I met people who were full of love and joy, and who were very sincere and bold in their faith. They were different than anyone I had me before.

I liked hanging out with these people. Through them, God slowly started to work in my heart. I started to read the Bible and join in worship services. I had not yet fully committed my life to God, but there were changes happening in me and the way I thought about God.

Then, at a student summer camp in 1986, I put my faith in the Lord Jesus Christ. That’s also when I met Norma, my wife-to-be.

It was that week at camp where I recognized my sinfulness. I felt so broken. Romans 3:23 says – “For all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God.”

The Lord showed how holy he is, and how my sins were an offense to his holiness. I needed His forgiveness and His grace. I needed to humble myself and pray and ask for His forgiveness.

All these years later, I cannot imagine how my life would have been if I didn’t have God in my life. God’s love and forgiveness have given me purpose and direction.

God found me and saved me in His perfect time. He revealed His great love and forgiveness for me even when I wasn’t looking for Him.

He used one person to reach me just by being there as a friend. It wasn’t any deep theological revelations that touched me, it was that sincere and patient love of a friend.

I know that my story is not unique. God can touch a person no matter what stage or situation in life they are in. God immeasurable love can reach any person’s heart.

Now I live my life with my beautiful family under God’s amazing love and grace.

Ron Culibao

But we want to be in control.

We want to be God.

And we face the consequences of our brokenness.

But sometimes, our eyes are opened.

When we realize how selfish we can be,

It’s in those moments we are faced with a choice.

...Do we submit to a higher authority?

...Do we die to self,

What do we do when we’re shown who we really are?

It starts...

2 He did what was pleasing in the Lord’s sight and followed the example of his ancestor David. He did not turn away from doing what was right. – 2 Chron. 34:2 (NLT)

Remember, 2 Chronicles was one of the last books

The writers had perspective.

The days of Abraham and Moses were ancient history for them,

King David was <...

In this message, we continue our series learning together from the life of King Hezekiah and how it is never too late, especially when we pray for the lost.

Maresea Blackwell – The grace of Jesus Christ and Maresea’s compassionate concern, persistent prayer, obedient outreach

Today we continue our series, Never Too Late (changes of heart in the book of Chronicles) as we learn together from the life of King Hezekiah.

Please go ahead and find 2 Chronicles 29 in your Bible.

The division of the kingdom into Judah and Israel was an act of grace by God to all mankind – to you and me – to protect the dynasty of David -- the lineage from which Jesus would come – from the horrendous idolatry in Israel.

Hoshea was the last ruler of the northern kingdom of Israel, for in his day (722 BC), the Assyrians invaded the land, deported many of the citizens, and repopulated Israel with Gentile peoples, usually prisoners, from the lands Assyria had conquered.

The kingdom of Israel became Samaria, named after the capital city, and it was a nation whose citizens were not pure Jews but a comingling of many ethnic strains.

We hear about “the ten lost tribes of Israel,” but the Bible never uses that phrase.

But they definitely lost their identity as they were deported and dispersed or assimilated with the peoples brought into the land by the Assyrians to become the hated Samaritans of Jesus’ day.

Sadly, the manmade religion of Israel had infected Judah and it was only by the grace of God that a faithful remnant remained after their own exile to keep the bloodline to Jesus the Messiah intact. But that’s a different story.

Last Sunday, Don told us about Manasseh, whose gross sins likely led to the eventual invasion and exile of Judah.

Manasseh’s grandfather was Ahaz who imitated the wicked kings of Israel and the pagan practices of Assyria.

Sandwiched in between these two is Hezekiah, a man glad to have made it past the sacrifice of his brothers.

He was a teenager or young adult when the Assyrians invaded the northern kingdom in 722.

But Hezekiah was one of the good guys. When he became king, good and right things started happening right away.  29:1-5

The Levites consecrated themselves and set about to purify the temple. 29:16-17

Once done, they told King Hezekiah who gathers the city’s officials together and made some serious sin offering for the kingdom, the sanctuary and for Judah. 29:21

Who thinks of interceding for their rebellious, sinful, disrespectful “brother?”

Hezekiah values the sinful Israelites of the north because they are still part of the nation (family)

And then they humbly worshiped. 29:29

And then the assembly brought sacrifices and thank offerings – which almost overwhelmed them. 29:33-34

In the end “the service of the temple of the Lord was reestablished.”  29:35-36

Three times each year, the Jewish men were required to go to Jerusalem to celebrate the feasts of Passover, Pentecost and Tabernacles – and Hezekiah intended to celebrate Passover.

Unfortunately, the prescribed time for Passover had occurred while the temple – and the priests, for that matter -- were still being cleansed.

Passover commemorated the release of the Jewish people from Egyptian bondage, so it was a national celebration.

For this reason, Hezekiah invites the Jews from both Judah and Israel (now Samaria) to come to Jerusalem for the feast. He goes out of his way to extend the invitation to come get right with God. 30:1, 5

Here is the proclamation. Hear the heart of Hezekiah as he appeals to remnant of Israel to come repent with Judah.

He is obviously aware of their sin but tries to communicate that their sin is not bigger than God’s grace. Note the words about God’s grace. 30:6-9

Sadly, the remnant in bondage to Assyria were just as stiff-necked as their ancestors. 30:10

Here was an opportunity to make a new beginning and glorify the Lord by seeking and accepting his compassion, grace and mercy

But most of the people outside of Judah rejected the invitation.

However, there were some people who had the courage to disagree with their families and friends – and the courage to face their own rebellion and sin –  and go to Jerusalem for the feast. 30:11

Manasseh was the worst king the kingdom of Judah had ever seen. Yet, God was not done with him. Let’s dive into this truly “Never too late” story that gives hope to all of us!

Stories of the heart change that led to a huge impact

Intro Rian.

Elder

Rian’s story is intriguing

They were still oppressed by other nations.

It was like they were still in exile.

Though Chronicles ends the OT story looking for a conclusion,

...It is a story that was intended to offer hope.

...That he would send the Messiah,

...Who would be better than David!

So today we’re going to look at the story

Probably the worst king

The story takes place in 2 Chron.33.

There was no Congress to slow him down.

There were no protestors who could do anything about it.

Where he went, the country went.

The only one who could stop him,

3 He rebuilt the pagan shrines his father, Hezekiah, had broken down. He constructed altars for the images of Baal and set up Asherah poles. He also bowed before all the powers of the heavens and worshiped them. – 2 Chron. 33:3 (NLT)

These included the sex gods and temple prostitution.

There was some awful things people did

So for 55 years,

...just in case.

In doing so,

He forgot God’s promise to Abraham,

...Bringing a child to a couple that could not have kids,

He forgot the slavery in Egypt,

...And how God raised up Moses,

...And witnessing God’s power

16 ...these people will soon prostitute themselves to the foreign gods of the land they are entering. They will forsake me and break the covenant I made with them. 17 And in that day I will become angry with them and forsake them; I will hide my face from them, and they will be destroyed. –  Deut 31:16-17

Manasseh forgot how he got there,

That his great, great, great grandfather David,

...That YHWH God was the ultimate ruler,

Instead,

4 [Manasseh] built pagan altars in the Temple of the Lord, the place where the Lord had said, “My name will remain in Jerusalem forever.” 5 He built these altars for all the powers of the heavens in both courtyards of the Lord’s Temple. – 2 Chron. 33:4-5 (NLT)

6 Manasseh also sacrificed his own sons in the fire in the valley of Ben-Hinnom. He practiced sorcery, divination, and witchcraft, and he consulted with mediums and psychics. He did much that was evil in the Lord’s sight, arousing his anger. – 2 Chron. 33:6 (NLT)

Manasseh’s Father was Hezekiah

Manasseh completely rejected his family... his heritage.

...till eventually he sacrificed some of his own children

He practiced sorcery and witchcraft

Sometimes, we keep taking one bad step after another

The Old Testament is a story desperate for a conclusion. This introductory message to the book of Chronicles demonstrates that the story finds its fulfillment in Jesus.

Her and her husband Rich have done so much

Audrey’s story is powerful,

During this time, my dad also had a friend who claimed to have supernatural power. He called it a “third eye” on his forehead, and said he could see and do supernatural things. This man’s daughter and I played together and pretended to have “third eye” power.

When I was around 13, my mom began practicing a new cult religion emphasizing the supernatural. I was innocent and naïve and would join my mom and practice this for fun.

However, when I was around 15 years old, I began hearing a voice and had destructive, evil, even suicidal thoughts. I tried to resist, but the voice and the thoughts tortured me. I felt so helpless. I couldn’t sleep at night because my heart beat so fast. I read lots of psychology and philosophy books. I didn’t know what was wrong with me. I thought it was a battle of my will... and I was losing. It was much later I learned that this was a spiritual battle between good and evil.

When I went to college, I chose English as my major. Part of learning western culture was reading the Bible. I was even invited to a bible study, and that’s where I decided to become a Christian.

That summer I was invited to stay with an American friend, Hannah, who was living in China. One night I shared with her my experiences of hearing that voice and fighting against those evil thoughts; how I felt this spiritual oppression and was scared. She noted that “I couldn’t even look her in the eyes.” We prayed in Jesus name that God would free me.

Hannah called a friend of ours, Pauline, an American who was a Christian psychologist. Pauline invited me to kneel and confess my sins; to forgive those in my life who hurt me. I prayed and invited the Holy Spirit to come and occupy every area of my heart. We prayed for 2 hours. I was shaking and felt this battle inside me. Pauline asked for the demon’s name and I heard a voice inside say an English name that none of us recognized. We looked it up in the dictionary and the word meant “the third eye,” that supernatural power I practiced as a child. It was then when that power left me.

It was an immediate change. I looked at the mirror and saw the light in my eyes return. And I could look straight to my friends’ eyes. I felt so free. God set me free and broke the chains on me. I had been tortured by evil for 7 years. I had no hope, but now God had saved me. He had a great plan for me and I could now live for him and tell his story so others would know God could change their life, too.

For the next 5 weeks, we’re going to look at some stories

...where God unexpectedly got a hold of someone’s heart,

My hope is that some of your stories will be shared, too.

...We have some great stories in our church-family.

Whether you write them out or record a video,

I think it would be encouraging for all of us

...of how God has transformed,

We’ve set up a webpage for you to share your story.

Whatever you want.

...and I’d like to share a story each week

...Because every story leads to a singular purpose,

You may be aware that in our OT,

...and to the frustration of many readers,

...And after 9 chapters of genealogies,

So often, when people realize they’ve already read

...they just skip these books.

Because Chronicles is doing something very different than

Which is much more obvious to Jewish readers.

...Because the books in our OT

In our Bible, Chronicles is right in the middle of all the historical books.

But in the Hebrew Bible,

The reason is that Chronicles is one of the

The books of 1...

Sabbath is the key to understanding real joy and rest. But what does that actually mean for those who follow Jesus? Join us for the last message and most important message in our Staycation series.

He couldn’t wash his car.

Nothing.

Why?

Even today in Israel,

...of last minute shopping

Families come from wherever they are

...followed by a good meal, laughing, talking.

It’s a beautiful tradition.

The next morning, many wake and go to synagogue,

Sabbath often ends with a celebratory meal

...Welcoming the 8th day,

...not just “A” bible story,

...how things begin.

But I’m going to share the story through a very different lens,

...that may just reveal why

The story begins in Genesis 1.

In the beginning,

...For 6 days.

“And there was evening and morning.”

Finally, on the 7th day,

He Shabat, the Hebrew word for stop or cease.

2 By the seventh day God had finished the work he had been doing; so on the seventh day he rested [Shabbat] from all his work. – Gen 2 (NIV)

It never says there was evening and morning.

The work was done.

God’s presence now filled his creation.

As God appointed people to join him

God dwelling with humanity, forever.

This is God’s kingdom on earth as it is in heaven.

...When all is right between God and people,

In the Jewish mind, this is what the # 7 represented.

But human beings were deceived by a dark power

We call this the Fall.

...When Adam and Eve decided

They wanted to rule under their own authority

And this story is perpetuated every time we put ourselves first.

That’s what sin is.

And as a result of their sin,

...they were exiled into the wilderness.

Separated from God

That was never God’s design.

Yet, in the midst of their rebellion,

...And always intended to restore humanity

And you see, that’s the story from Genesis chapter 4

God chooses a people, the family of Israel,

...offering an opportunity to walk with God

...so they can share it with others.

God rescues them from the darkness of slavery in Egypt,

...And walks the long journey with them,

Every journey on this side of Eden

And like all of us,

And God never stopped inviting them

Pastor Jim Groves, in this final lesson on James, leads us in our midweek study of the Book of James. This week the study is on James 5:7-20, discussing patience and prayer. The study was held & recorded on Zoom.

Praising the Lord is not the default setting at birth. Once we have full awareness of our "default settings" we learn how to have joy in the everyday. Join us as we challenge ourselves to change our default settings.

1 Praise the Lord, my soul;

In 2005 the brilliant author and professor David Foster Wallace offered the commencement address at Kenyon College in Ohio in which he spoke about default settings:

“Here is just one example of the total wrongness of something I tend to be automatically sure of: everything in my own immediate experience supports my deep belief that I am the absolute center of the universe; the realist, most vivid and important person in existence. We rarely think about this sort of natural, basic self-centeredness because it's so socially repulsive. But it's pretty much the same for all of us.

"It is our default setting, hard-wired into our boards at birth. Think about it: there is no experience you have had that you are not the absolute center of. The world as you experience it is there in front of YOU or behind YOU, to the left or right of YOU, on YOUR TV or YOUR monitor. And so on. Other people's thoughts and feelings have to be communicated to you somehow, but your own are so immediate, urgent, real.”

He continued:

“[And so] petty, frustrating [stuff] like traffic jams and crowded aisles and long checkout lines in the grocery store give me time to think, and if I don't make a conscious decision about how to think and what to pay attention to, I'm gonna be [upset] and miserable every time I have to shop.

"Because my natural default setting is the certainty that situations like this are really all about me. About MY hungriness and MY fatigue and MY desire to just get home, and it's going to seem for all the world like everybody else is just in my way.”

Wallace followed that with a clear statement to the seniors gathered that it’s a matter of choice to do the hard work of somehow altering or getting free of the natural, hard-wired default setting which is to be deeply and literally self-centered and to see and interpret everything through this lens of self.

Wallace, who was raised by parents who were atheists, spoke of one more default setting:

“In the day-to-day trenches of adult life, there is actually no such thing as atheism. There is no such thing as not worshipping. Everybody worships. The only choice we get is what to worship. And the best reason for choosing a God to worship is that pretty much anything else you worship will eat you alive. If you worship money and things—if they are where you tap real meaning in life—then you will never have enough. Worship your own body and beauty and sexual allure and you will always feel ugly, and when time and age start showing, you will die a million deaths before they finally plant you. Worship power—you will feel weak and afraid, and you will need ever more power over others to keep the fear at bay. Worship your intellect, being seen as smart—you will end up feeling stupid, a fraud, always on the verge of being found out. And so on. The insidious thing about these forms of worship is that they are unconscious. They are default settings.”

Our message series, Staycation, is subtitled, “Chasing Joy in the Everyday.”

Three years after his commencement address, at the age of 46, David Foster Wallace committed suicide

King David pens Psalm 103 with a full awareness of default settings. Look at how he begins:

Praise the Lord, my soul; all my inmost being, praise his holy name.

“Bless the Lord” or “Praise the Lord” is not the default setting at birth

Praise should be but is not very often natural

The Hebrew word for bless is barak and has a distinct meaning of expressing joyful gratitude as an enrichment of God

That is, the praise (how...

Pastor Jim Groves leads us in our midweek study of the Book of James. This week the study is on James 4:11 - 5:6, discussing more about words, planning without God, and the ungodly rich. The study was held & recorded on Zoom.