Church on The Rock Homer

I fell and hit my head last night. I took my two younger kids out to the homestead to do some evening dolly fishing. We parked the truck, grabbed a couple rods and a bottle of mosquito dope, and hiked up the trail to our favorite fishing spot.

As I was walking along the trail, three fishing rods in my hand, I tripped on a root and fell forward. My forehead made contact with another root jutting out of the ground in front of me. Typically when I fall, I try to slow down before my forehead makes contact with the ground. This time, I tried something new. It really hurt.

Once I was back on my feet and had regathered the many items in my hands, head spinning, we continued our walk. My five year old, who is the cutest ever, took it upon herself to point out and warn me about every subsequent root on the trail. “Daddy, look out, here is another root. Make sure you step over it.” Somehow I felt both cared for and condescended to.

In the midst of the evident work of God that is happening right now at Church on the Rock Homer, I want to warn you of the upcoming tripping hazard. In this message, we look at Acts 5, which you should check out in advance. It’s a pretty tough warning to the church.

Pastor Dr. Aaron Weisser

Let me paint the picture for you! It’s 97º and you’re sitting on a wrap around screened porch in a white rocking chair. The warm breeze rustles in the leaves of a 100 year old oak, squarely in the middle of the horseshoe driveway. Grandma’s crystal pitcher is full of iced lemonade with large lemon circles. You can hear the ice clinking the crystal glass as she pours the golden nectar. There are probably two cups of sugar in that pitcher, but no one cares, because it's so HOT, even in the shade of the porch! After a moment of silence the stories begin. There is no TV or screen to arrest your attention. The story captivates you and elicits your imagination of what was, and you begin to imagine yourself in the hero’s shoes. A good story has the power to move you, encourage you, strengthen you, and assure you that you CAN! 
Luke, the writer of Acts, is doing just that. The setting of Grandma’s porch is exchanged for the 70 AD Middle Easterner, Theophilus’ home. The story of Jesus Christ has flooded the world and Theophilus is hungry for the sequel. Luke is now recording in detail the acts of Jesus through His people so that they might be encouraged to continue telling the story!
For us, the objective is no different. Jesus, Luke, and myself all have the goal of spurring us onward to tell the story of Jesus, His death, resurrection, ascension, and His ongoing miraculous power to shape our lives and our world today! 

Pastor Matt McCarter

Jesus, the one for whom and by whom I was created, has good intentions for me and intends for me to secure a grand reward that will be enjoyed for all of eternity. The greatest threat to my ability to lay hold of the reward that he has reserved for me is my own flesh.

But Jesus, in His wisdom, decided not to rest my opportunities on the foundation of my abilities. He decided to intervene with a power that is His own. And it is available to you.

Pastor Dr. Aaron Weisser

“But, how?”  That is the question that I have been asked several times since teaching this past Sunday.  And it is a question I have asked many times myself.  I urge you some caution as you ask this.  Many ask this as a rhetorical thought experiment without any real intent to find the answer and to live the answer. 

Last Sunday I talked about the wide and narrow path and those of whom the Lord will say, “I never knew you.”  This week I want to answer the question “What, then, is a life lived for Jesus?”  What does it mean to live with Him, for Him, and by Him? 

In the midst of the mad-dash schedule that is your life, do you feel the weight of these eternal questions pressing in? 

The answer to this question has profoundly shaped nearly every aspect of my life.  And I want to share with you this Sunday in a way that you can hear, receive, and be moved toward Him. 

Pastor Dr. Aaron Weisser

In this message, we examine what I consider to be one of the most troubling passages in all of scripture. I say this fully understanding that ungodly fear has no place in the Christian life. I say this fully understanding that Christ does not intend for me to feel unstable and uncertain of His love for me.

With that said, here are the troubling words; “And I will declare to them, I never knew you.”

There are those who profess faith in Christ who do not know God.

This Sunday, with GODLY fear and trembling, we will examine the words of Christ and our own hearts and answer the question, do I know Him?

Pastor Dr. Aaron Weisser

Some PEOPLE! Some people’s KIDS! We say these phrases jokingly, but often behind the joking is a sentiment of criticism. Every man and woman has a sense of right and wrong, which becomes their moral compass. It is not quite clear to me why, but that compass becomes the standard to which we hold all others. We judge without thinking and it comes so naturally. We pettily discuss hair, speech, clothing, driving styles, diets, but most of all rearing children, often accompanied by the phrase, “I WOULD NEVER!” We judge the lowest members of our communities to the highest governing bodies without prejudice and do it to our own detriment.

In the Sermon on the Mount, Jesus addresses the dangers of judging others and this in message we will spend some time unpacking Matthew chapter 7:1-12. So, if you find yourself a judge over others, don’t worry. Our goal wont be to judge you, but to find freedom together!

Pastor Matt McCarter

God wants to set your heart free of everything that is contrary to love. This week we move into the end of Matthew 6 and examine the ways that fear wrecks our lives and drives us away from God.

Here is my confession: I have, for many years, been largely unaware of the way that fear rules in my own heart and drives my behavior. Honestly, I didn’t see it. If you were to meet me and engage in casual conversation you would not walk away thinking “that guy has anxiety.” And yet the Lord has been revealing and DELIVERING even me.

God wants your heart. He wants you free. He wants you to experience love without hinderance or interruption. He will do the work as you open yourself to Him. This Sunday, let’s stop denying our fears, let’s stop defending our fears, let’s stop giving into our fears as we look to Him together.

Pastor Dr. Aaron Weisser

As we continue in our Sermon on the Mount series and will examine the comparison between pride and love. Pride takes on a different shape in light of faith and trust in Christ and this weekend we look at what Jesus says about our efforts to be seen and acknowledged by men vs God. 

Pastor Matthew McCarter

I still remember the day when I realized I did not want to be married anymore. My relationship with Jenny had been so gratifying and satisfying up until that point. But a couple of years into marriage and our selfish tendencies were degrading our capacity for meaningful intimacy. We could no longer mask our issues. What had been a fun friendship was being overshadowed by failure.

There is a line I have heard often used in PR statements put out by celebrities when they announce the end of a marriage: “The relationship has run its course.” In our case, the relationship was just beginning to run its course. What I didn’t understand at that time is that my Father in heaven, committed to my ultimate good, had hand selected Jenny to facilitate the death of selfish nature.

You see, God created me for a good purpose that I was meant to enjoy now and for eternity. And my selfishness is one of the greatest threats standing in the way. When that part of me began to suffer, I felt like I wasn’t going to make it. The death of my pernicious, monstrous and relentless self-serving tendencies felt like…. dying.

But without a death, there can be no resurrection. My marriage was accomplishing exactly what it was meant to. God was setting me free. God was liberating me from my lower appetites so that I could learn the infinitely superior joy of being satisfied in him. And once satisfied in Him, I was free to love Jenny like never before. I could see her as the gift that she truly was.

In this message, we will continue in Matthew chapter 5 and look what Jesus has to say about marriage and divorce. Regardless of your past or where you are at today, remember, God has your good in mind.

Pastor Dr. Aaron Weisser

“God is working even when we don’t see it!!”

This week I posted that message on our Facebook page. God has been reminding me of His power and wisdom and control over the happenings in our lives. Remembering that powerful message can really help us in times of struggle and persecution.

In baseball my father always taught me to keep my eye on the ball. That same wisdom applies to our lives. Keeping our eye on our God can give us the victory we need and keep us from feeling like victims.

Guest Speaker: Bill Wilkinson