FOUNDRYcast

I remember the first sermon I ever heard my Dad preach. In it, he referenced the 1988 hit song "Don't Worry, Be Happy". It is a fun song, and we all can think of the places where we typically hear it.

It is easy to talk about worries when you don't have a care in the world.

Jesus talks about worries. And in the conversation he lets us know that our worries are actually us worshiping our problems.

"That is why I tell you not to worry about everyday life—whether you have enough food and drink, or enough clothes to wear. Isn't life more than food, and your body more than clothing? Look at the birds. They don't plant or harvest or store food in barns, for your heavenly Father feeds them. And aren't you far more valuable to him than they are? Can all your worries add a single moment to your life?

"And why worry about your clothing? Look at the lilies of the field and how they grow. They don't work or make their clothing, yet Solomon in all his glory was not dressed as beautifully as they are. And if God cares so wonderfully for wildflowers that are here today and thrown into the fire tomorrow, he will certainly care for you. Why do you have so little faith?

"So don't worry about these things, saying, 'What will we eat? What will we drink? What will we wear?' These things dominate the thoughts of unbelievers, but your heavenly Father already knows all your needs. Seek the Kingdom of God above all else, and live righteously, and he will give you everything you need.

"So don't worry about tomorrow, for tomorrow will bring its own worries. Today's trouble is enough for today. Matthew 6:25-34

In these section of Jesus greatest teaching, He puts worries into their place. He dips his toe into how we might live our everyday life. He then tells us why we shouldn't worry and goes into the community and life changing command to follow his example of life by being a non-anxious presence.

But how do we do this? Our anxieties become blurred when we disappear into the person and work of Christ. Our worries turn into the action of prayer. We become fearful because we think we have to be on our own, and instead what Christ invites us to is clinging to our position in God and the truth of the Father's provision offered to us.

Space is an interesting thing. It can mean many different things to many different people. Space is all about possibilities...or space is all about chance. It can either be full of good things, or it can simply be space for bad things to happen.

In the beginning of time, we find God looking upon our world as formless and void, and then filling it with creation (Genesis 1). But as sin entered into this world, possibilities become 'what-if's", and what was once beautiful can become terrifying. The empty space in our life turns into anxiety. But this space and it's anxiety can be approached in multiple ways. That's what we find in the gospels. So over the next few weeks, we are going to look at the way Jesus speaks about empty space, how he handles His empty space, and how that helps us as Christians learn how to navigate our empty space.

To start off, we are looking at possibly the most intimate picture of Jesus we have in the gospels.

Then, accompanied by the disciples, Jesus left the upstairs room and went as usual to the Mount of Olives. There he told them, "Pray that you will not give in to temptation."

He walked away, about a stone's throw, and knelt down and prayed, "Father, if you are willing, please take this cup of suffering away from me. Yet I want your will to be done, not mine." Then an angel from heaven appeared and strengthened him. He prayed more fervently, and he was in such agony of spirit that his sweat fell to the ground like great drops of blood.

At last he stood up again and returned to the disciples, only to find them asleep, exhausted from grief. "Why are you sleeping?" he asked them. "Get up and pray, so that you will not give in to temptation."

Jesus met with several empty spaces in His life on this earth, but this was the largest. And in it we find a picture not only of how He dealt with it, but how we are called to deal with them as well.

Anything that might give you a significant better situation requires some risks. To not take risks means to live a dull life. When I think of the things I have done that have provided the most enjoyment, they never come without cost. It might be time, hardship, or something else...but it always takes something.

For many of these risks, there are inevitabilities that come with the rewards. I remember when I bought my first motorcycle I was told that I WILL go down, not if. It will happen sooner or later. And it did. And it almost happened several times again after that.

Many times when we think of the phrase "it's not if, but when" we think about negative things. Negative things that happen for a positive pay-off.

But what if we flip it around and realize that we sometimes have to hit some positive way-points on the way to a much more beneficial thing?

Jesus talks about two of these in Matthew 6.

And when you pray, do not be like the hypocrites, for they love to pray standing in the synagogues and on the street corners to be seen by others. Truly I tell you, they have received their reward in full. But when you pray, go into your room, close the door and pray to your Father, who is unseen. Then your Father, who sees what is done in secret, will reward you. And when you pray, do not keep on babbling like pagans, for they think they will be heard because of their many words. Do not be like them, for your Father knows what you need before you ask him.

"This, then, is how you should pray:

"'Our Father in heaven, hallowed be your name, your kingdom come, your will be done, on earth as it is in heaven. Give us today our daily bread. And forgive us our debts, as we also have forgiven our debtors. And lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from the evil one.' For if you forgive other people when they sin against you, your heavenly Father will also forgive you. But if you do not forgive others their sins, your Father will not forgive your sins.

"When you fast, do not look somber as the hypocrites do, for they disfigure their faces to show others they are fasting. Truly I tell you, they have received their reward in full. But when you fast, put oil on your head and wash your face, so that it will not be obvious to others that you are fasting, but only to your Father, who is unseen; and your Father, who sees what is done in secret, will reward you. Matthew 6:5-18

These words assume two things; disciples will be praying and fasting. (if this seems tough enough, Jesus also applies that prescription to giving in 6:1-4, but I'm giving you a break on that). And here is where I am coming to on this. If we want genuine spiritual breakthrough in our lives and in our communities, can we get to it without prayer and fasting? What if the things standing in our way could be conquered by prayer and fasting?

So let's jump into this conversation together. See you on Sunday

On this episode of FOUNDRYcast, Jack Lockeby, our director of discipleship, shares a message about the power of testimonies.

I think every kid goes through the "tell the truth" phase. It seems like understanding the difference between truth and lies is part of that early childhood learning phase. Sadly, we don't grow out of it all the way. It seems to be something that many of us feel the temptation for or either live in our entire lives. Jesus takes a moment to get into the gnarly bits of it during His teaching we call "The Sermon on the Mount". What he digs into is this Jewish fascination with oaths and vows, something we don't really live in, but it helps us have a conversation about what we do live in.

"You have also heard that our ancestors were told, 'You must not break your vows; you must carry out the vows you make to the Lord.' But I say, do not make any vows! Do not say, 'By heaven!' because heaven is God's throne. And do not say, 'By the earth!' because the earth is his footstool. And do not say, 'By Jerusalem!' for Jerusalem is the city of the great King. Do not even say, 'By my head!' for you can't turn one hair white or black. Just say a simple, 'Yes, I will,' or 'No, I won't.' Anything beyond this is from the evil one. Matthew 5:33-37

The issue Jesus has with this practice of oaths and vows (and they are different, but we won't go into that here) is that is presupposes a world where the truth is NOT told. How can we call ourselves followers of the Living God if we aren't telling the truth?

If this is such a big deal to Jesus, making it into the Sermon on the Mount, it must be something big. So what if we begin to realize how Jesus wants to heal all of the reasons we feel the need to not be truthful? Think about how many times you've been tempted to disguise the truth, or just reflect on how our world now is focused on what is fake or true?

So let's jump into a conversation about the truth, and how the truth has the ability to change things in our lives.

#Blessed.

It's a loaded word. And not just for the young, hip instagram crowd, trying to somewhat normalize their public displays of the ideal life.

We are in the deep south. How many times have we made jokes about knowing what "bless your heart" actually means?

I think we can all agree it is a loaded word. It probably became a loaded word because it is a complicated word. No place better shows and deals with the complexities of blessings like the classic section of scripture called "The Beatitudes" found in Matthew's gospel.

One day as he saw the crowds gathering, Jesus went up on the mountainside and sat down. His disciples gathered around him, and he began to teach them.

The Beatitudes "God blesses those who are poor and realize their need for him,[a] for the Kingdom of Heaven is theirs. God blesses those who mourn, for they will be comforted. God blesses those who are humble, for they will inherit the whole earth. God blesses those who hunger and thirst for justice,[b] for they will be satisfied. God blesses those who are merciful, for they will be shown mercy. God blesses those whose hearts are pure, for they will see God. God blesses those who work for peace, for they will be called the children of God. God blesses those who are persecuted for doing right, for the Kingdom of Heaven is theirs. "God blesses you when people mock you and persecute you and lie about you and say all sorts of evil things against you because you are my followers. Be happy about it! Be very glad! For a great reward awaits you in heaven. And remember, the ancient prophets were persecuted in the same way. Matthew 5:1-12

So we are going to take the time to talk about blessings. And here is the thing…blessings are supposed to be good, they aren't as restrictive as we might think they are, and they are something to desire and work towards. So let's have that conversation.

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Think of a few paradoxes. You might have a couple in your own life...I know I do.

Our expectations can sometimes get the best of us. We can try to be well meaning, but it sometimes escapes us, even with our best actions.

Jesus dealt with the paradox of the kingdom throughout His entire ministry. People expected different things. And sometimes, He even talked about those different expectations.

At that time Jesus prayed this prayer: "O Father, Lord of heaven and earth, thank you for hiding these things from those who think themselves wise and clever, and for revealing them to the childlike. Yes, Father, it pleased you to do it this way!

"My Father has entrusted everything to me. No one truly knows the Son except the Father, and no one truly knows the Father except the Son and those to whom the Son chooses to reveal him."

Then Jesus said, "Come to me, all of you who are weary and carry heavy burdens, and I will give you rest. Take my yoke upon you. Let me teach you, because I am humble and gentle at heart, and you will find rest for your souls. For my yoke is easy to bear, and the burden I give you is light." Matthew 11:25-30

You see, sometimes our own points of confusion not only get the best of us, but can convince us that we need to be part of something much harder or complicated than it actually is. Jesus goes face to face with our expectations in this passage, confronting what we think provides for us and what causes the best life. He is asking us to trade in our burdens for His blessings. And he doesn't ask us to do it by working harder or becoming more powerful, but by allowing Him to take His welcome position as friend and servant.

Every so often I run into a story in the Bible that leaves me speechless. It's one of the ones that is so odd we don't really know how to react to it. And in these stories we can take a few different paths. One of them is we simply call it allegory or metaphor and we can allow ourselves to learn from it without ever accepting the truth of it. Another pathway we can take is that it is 100% real we need to read it as real and interpret it as real and allow it to speak into our lives as real.

And I think this is one of them.

They came to the other side of the sea, to the country of the Gerasenes. And when Jesus had stepped out of the boat, immediately there met him out of the tombs a man with an unclean spirit. He lived among the tombs. And no one could bind him anymore, not even with a chain, for he had often been bound with shackles and chains, but he wrenched the chains apart, and he broke the shackles in pieces. No one had the strength to subdue him. Night and day among the tombs and on the mountains he was always crying out and cutting himself with stones. And when he saw Jesus from afar, he ran and fell down before him. And crying out with a loud voice, he said, "What have you to do with me, Jesus, Son of the Most High God? I adjure you by God, do not torment me." For he was saying to him, "Come out of the man, you unclean spirit!" And Jesus asked him, "What is your name?" He replied, "My name is Legion, for we are many." And he begged him earnestly not to send them out of the country. Now a great herd of pigs was feeding there on the hillside, and they begged him, saying, "Send us to the pigs; let us enter them." So he gave them permission. And the unclean spirits came out and entered the pigs; and the herd, numbering about two thousand, rushed down the steep bank into the sea and drowned in the sea.

The herdsmen fled and told it in the city and in the country. And people came to see what it was that had happened. And they came to Jesus and saw the demon-possessed man, the one who had had the legion, sitting there, clothed and in his right mind, and they were afraid. And those who had seen it described to them what had happened to the demon-possessed man and to the pigs. And they began to beg Jesus to depart from their region. As he was getting into the boat, the man who had been possessed with demons begged him that he might be with him. And he did not permit him but said to him, "Go home to your friends and tell them how much the Lord has done for you, and how he has had mercy on you." And he went away and began to proclaim in the Decapolis how much Jesus had done for him, and everyone marveled. Mark 5:1-20 ESV

Through the last few weeks we have talked about Jesus' struggles with the religious leaders about purity and behavior. And we don't need to think that Jesus doesn't care about our holiness. This story is one that jars our senses, but also makes us think about how clean or unclean we might be.

So lets talk about what we have hiding out in caves and running to Jesus