God with us 3 – In the Struggle

 

Welcome one & all to Redemption Church. Merry Christmas to everyone here in Plano Tx and warmest Christmas greetings to everyone watching & listening online.

What is Christmas about? We can answer that with three words. GOD WITH US.

GOD WITH US

The true message of this season is that you are not alone. God is with us. 

Matthew 1:23 (NIV2011) “The virgin will conceive and give birth to a son, and they will call him Immanuel” (which means “God with us”).

In week 1 we told you God is with us in the silence.

God is with us in the silence

The birth of Jesus Christ is proof that God and His promises were always with us.

Last week we told you that God is with us in the pain.

God is with us in the pain

We told you about a dead marriage, a dead reputation, and a dead baby that are all found within the Christmas story. It was in the middle of that pain that Jesus came to earth. God is still found in the middle of our pain.

Today I want you to know that God is with us in the struggle.

God is with us in the struggle

Redemption Church, do any of you know what a struggle is? Are there any of you that need the idea of struggle defined for you? In case there was anyone who came to Church today who has never had a problem in life.. I prepared a definition.

To struggle is to push, strive, and work to achieve or attain something in the face of difficulty or resistance

* When you are trying to do something, but it isn’t easy… it’s a struggle.

* When you are trying to help someone but they don’t understand your motives and it turns into a fight… it’s a struggle.

* When your dreams are on life support and you feel like you can’t do anything less that your best because it may all fall apart any moment… it’s a struggle.

* When you are trying to drag your family out of debt but it seems like everything you own is breaking… it’s a struggle.

* When what you are pushing to do starts to push back against you… it’s a struggle.

Money struggles. People struggles. Health struggles. Emotional struggles. Faith struggles.

The Struggle is Real

Can I just tell you for a moment that you aren’t crazy. The Struggle is real. You are NOT imagining this difficulty. It is real. You aren’t making up this issue. The struggle is real.

Sometimes we people are the worst at recognizing the struggles of others. Sometimes we belittle the struggle of others. There are times we open up about our struggle and people respond in flippant ways…

Ex. You tell someone about the struggle of parenting your child that is not doing well. And the person responds… it’s nothing a belt wouldn’t fix. And it is all you can do to not snap at them “Do tell me how many spankings does it take to whip the Autism out of my child!”

People don’t always understand your struggle. These people aren’t ready to talk about your struggle because often they haven’t owned their own struggle yet.

Christians aren’t always great at responding to someone in a struggle.

EX. You open up about something you are really struggling with. You feel like you are barely holding on… and they respond in Christian clichés…

“Well brother you just gotta have faith…” …Like confessing the struggle was a lack of faith.

“Well sister I’ll be praying…” …will you really ...

God with us 2 – In the Pain

 

Welcome back to Redemption Church. It’s a beautiful Christmas season here in Plano Tx.

Welcome everyone to Redemption Church. We are not a mega Church but we are a mighty Church. We are doing mighty things in Plano, Dallas Fort Worth, and throughout the world. #mightynotmega

Welcome. as always, to everyone watching and listening online.

We are excited about the Christmas season. Last week we started a brand new sermon series called God with Us.

GOD WITH US

The true message of this season is that God is with us.

Matthew 1:23 (NIV2011) “The virgin will conceive and give birth to a son, and they will call him Immanuel” (which means “God with us”).

You are not alone! Immanuel has come. God is with us.

Last week we told you that God is with us in the silence.

God is with us in the silence

Before God spoke through an angel, God had been silent for 400 years. There are times of silence in our life. There is the “in between space”… the space between the promise given and the promise performed. Even in the space where you are not seeing your prayers answered, not hearing God’s voice, or feeling His presence, God is still there. God is with us in the silence.

The birth of Jesus in the manger is proof that God was with us all along.

Today I want to tell you that God is with us in the pain.

God is with us in the pain

There are many songs that focus on the joy and happiness of Christmas..

* It’s the most wonderful time of the year

* We wish you a merry Christmas… or in Espanol, Feliz Navidad

* Jingle bells

* Santa Clause is coming to town

* All I want for Christmas is you

* Rockin’ around the Christmas tree

Let us never forget that some this Christmas season will be dealing with pain.

* The loss of a loved one becomes more evident than ever when there is an empty chair at the table where they used to sit.

* Christmas is a time for family… but we have to admit that some families are difficult.

* Those who have gone through a recent divorce feel out of place this time of year.

* There are some people who are will work overtime on Christmas to pay the bills.

* Imagine the single mother who can’t afford to put anything under the tree… or to even have a tree.

I remember the last Christmas with my Grandmother, Hazel Fluitt. She was on hospice care after a long fight with breast cancer and was in and out of consciousness. That experience marked that Christmas and every Christmas since.

The original Christmas story is filled with pain. I want to focus on 3 very painful parts of the Christmas story, a Dead Marriage, a Dead Reputation, & a Dead Baby

a Dead Marriage, a Dead Reputation, & a Dead Baby

I cannot think of any Christmas Carols that mention any of these points. The little children’s Christmas plays usually jump right past these plot points. However the writers of the New Testament put these painful moments within the Christmas story.

Matthew 1:18 (NIV2011) This is how the birth of Jesus the Messiah came about: His mother Mary was pledged to be married to Joseph, but before they came together, she was found to be pregnant through the Holy Spirit.

Matthew 1:19 (NIV2011) Because Joseph her husband was faithful to the law, and yet did not want to expose her to public disgrace, he had in mind to divorce her quietly.

Satan is after your faith

Fill in these blanks… #1 I might give up on God if I ever lost _______. #2 Satan is after my ______.

There is a possible disconnect between what Satan is after and what we are willing to give up on God over.

We need to realize that Satan is after our Faith! Jesus told Simon Peter that Satan desired to “sift him as wheat, but I have prayed for you that your FAITH doesn’t fail.” (Luke 22:31-32)

Do we understand this powerful illustration of sifting? Sifting is the act of separating the important from the less meaningful.. separating the valuable from the worthless. This is where we get the phrase “separating the wheat from the chaff.”

Consider this. Satan is focused on the important (Wheat), and we maybe focused on the less important (Chaff).

Welcome to Redemption Church! My name is Chris Fluitt and I am excited to share the Word of God with you today! Hello to everyone experiencing this online. One day we hope you can visit us in person in beautiful Plano Tx.

I want your help today. We are handing out notecards and pens. On one side of the notecard, I want you to write the word that you would use to fill in the blank.

“I might give up on God if I ever lost ________.”

Be as honest as possible. It is understandable that there would be some situation that would at least give you pause.

All our online viewers and listeners, please feel free to write down your own response.

Hurry because I have a second blank for you to fill.

“Satan is after my ________.”

If Satan is after something of yours it would be wise to take time to identify his plan.

If losing something would cause you to give up on God, then it is worth identifying what that something is.

There is something you could lose that would cause you to give up on God. Today I want us to focus on this thing… It is Faith.

Faith

If we lose our faith we have given up on God. In the words of the great song by the artist “Sting,” “If I ever lose my faith in you, there’d be nothing left for me to do.”

What is faith?

We use this word a lot, but do we understand it?

Here is a direct answer from scripture.

Hebrews 11:1 (NIV2011) Now faith is confidence in what we hope for and assurance about what we do not see.

This is a great verse, but today I want to give something a little simpler. Here is Faith in a way a child can understand.

Faith is believing what God says is true.

Faith is believing God when he says that he truly loves you.

If God says He will forgive and forget all your sins, then faith is believing that what He promised is true.

Faith is tied to Truth

You have FAITH in God if you believe what He says is TRUE. And your obedience to God flows from your faith in what he says.

In the Garden of Eden, the snake tried to cut the tie between Eve’s faith & God’s Truth.

Genesis 3:1 (NIV2011) Now the serpent was more crafty than any of the wild animals the Lord God had made. He said to the woman, “Did God really say, ‘You must not eat from any tree in the garden’?”

“Satan is after my ________.”

Earlier I asked you to fill in the blank… I want you to consider that Satan is after your faith.

People are all kinds of different. It is not always easy to relate to people in their variance.

In John chapter 3 & 4 Jesus speaks to entirely different individuals. He does not offer a

“one size fits all” dialogue – but speaks to the inner need of the individual.

Killers 4 – Jesus and the Serial Killer

Serial killers exist, and you do not want to be at the mercy of one.

How do you spot a serial killer? Look for these things..

#1 A growing body count.

#2 Aimless, unmotivated killing.

#3 A predictable pattern.

You probably have met a serial killer. Ever meet someone who keeps killing relationships? Aimlessly kills their finances and job? Destroys dreams and promises in a predictable pattern? Yeah.. that is a serial killer.

Do you know about Jesus and the Serial Killer? Let’s learn how Jesus confronts the deadly pattern of the serial killer in John 4.

You are at Redemption Church in Plano Texas. My name is Chris Fluitt and I welcome you today to the 4th week of our Killers sermon series.

Killers Title

Quick review – Jesus tells us about a thief who comes only to steal and kill and destroy. 

A killer is a person or thing that takes life. Somewhere in your life is a killer.

There are foolish killers that tempt us with a fun time, but these killer clowns have a hidden agenda.

Killing is bad, but it is always worse than you think. Homicide is also fratricide, the killing of a brother

or a sister. Homicide is also Deicide, the killing of God, because we were all made in God’s image.

Ultimately homicide is suicide. By killing others we are actually killing our self.

Today I want to warn you about serial killers.

Serial Killers

A serial killer is a person who commits a series of murders, often with no apparent motive, and typically following a predictable pattern of behavior.

If I were to ask you guys to name a famous serial killer, I bet you could all name at least one. Their names have become infamous.

Jack the Ripper was never caught on his killing spree in London in the late 1800s.

The term “boogeyman” originated with a serial killer named Albert Fish around the turn of the 20th century.

Ted Bundy, Jeffrey Dahmer, Zodiac killer, the D.C. Sniper attacks… all well-known serial killers.

It is interesting that serial killers are not just an American thing. Every nation has a list of serial killers.

The deadliest serial killer on record is Luis Garavito, who in the 1990’s killed at least 138 proven victims. It is possible that this serial killer had over 300 victims.

We don’t like to think about serial killers, but they do exist, and it would be terrible for you to be at the mercy of one.

 

A serial killers checklist

All serial killers have these 3 characteristics.

* A growing body count

* The killings are aimless – no motive

* Predictable Pattern

Some people are serial killers. You see the body count grow, the aimless deaths, and the pattern. You probably know some serial killers.

* Relationships : Marriages & Friendships

* Finances

* Jobs

* Health

* Broken dreams & promises

* Churches

 

Do you know the story about Jesus and the Serial killer?

Jesus and the Serial Killer

Turn to John 4.

John 4:7 (NIV2011) When a Samaritan woman came to draw water, Jesus said to her, “Will you give me a drink?”

John 4:9 (NIV2011) The Samaritan woman said to him, “You are a Jew and I am a Samaritan woman. How can you ask me for a drink?” (For Jews do not associate with Samaritans. )

Killers 3 – Homicide is Fratricide is Deicide is Suicide

Killing is bad! I am sure you can agree with this statement. But killing is worse than you think.

God created a world with no killing. Since the fall into sin, God allows killing in specific areas such as sacrifice for sin, self-defense, and punishment for killing. Although He allows these types of killings, He did not endorse them in His original creation. And God definitely does NOT allow murder. He says “Do not murder” in the 10 commandments. (Exodus 20:13)

Our modern word for murder is homicide, and this type of killing is worse than you think. Homicide is much more than randomly killing someone… and ultimately it murder is the destruction of your own self.

Not only is killing worse than you think, it is also easier that you think. We need to ask God to deliver our hearts from homicide.

Welcome to Redemption Church. My name is Chris Fluitt and I am glad you are here.

Killers Title

We are in the 3rd week of our Killers series.

In week 1 we invited you to find the killer. Jesus told us about a thief that comes only to steal, kill, and destroy. A killer is a person or thing that takes life. Somewhere in your life, there is a killer.

In week2, last week, we told you about Killer Clowns. Not every killer is an evil genius. We are often killed in foolish ways by foolish things. The Devil is a foolish killer clown .

Today I would like to make a statement that should be non-controversial: killing is bad.

Killing is bad

God created a world without killing. It would be amazing to live in a world without the need to kill… That world exists but it is not here and now. Heaven is a place with no death.

God actually allows killing… for example sacrifice for sin, self-defense, and the wages for taking someones life.

God allows killing, but it was not endorsed in His original creative plan.

However God’s Word does not allow for murder…

Exodus 20:13 (NIV2011) “You shall not murder.

The thief who steals, kills, and destroys is a murderer. In our modern world, we call a murder a homicide.

Homicide – the deliberate & unlawful killing of a person.

The 1st Homicide is recorded in Genesis 4.

Genesis 4:8 (NIV2011) Now Cain said to his brother Abel, “Let’s go out to the field.” While they were in the field, Cain attacked his brother Abel and killed him.

Cain lured Able out into a field with the deliberate plan to murder.

Now we know that killing is bad, but maybe it’s worse than you can even imagine.

Genesis 4:10 (NIV2011) The Lord said, “What have you done? Listen! Your brother’s blood cries out to me from the ground.

The blood of the murdered cries out to God from the ground.

This was the first homicide. Now we can’t go a day without hearing of a homicide. Every single murdered person’s blood still cries out to God from the ground where it was spilled.

In Genesis 4:9 God asked Cain, “Where is your brother?”

Now Cain & Able were brothers in the sense that they had the same parents. But consider today that God may be teaching us something deeper.

Homicide is Fratricide

Fratricide is the killing of a sibling.

Sharing a common parent (father or mother) makes you a brother or sister. ARE WE BROTHERS & SISTERS? Do we share a common parent.

Killers 2 – Killer Clowns Foolishness Kills

 

 

Foolishness Kills. A Killer is any person or thing that takes life. Jesus warns us of a thief who has come to do just that. (John 10:10)

Killers are seriously deadly, but not seriously wise.

There is a 1988 “B” movie named “Killer Klowns from Outer Space.” It features gigantic, creepy, gross clowns who descend upon a small town in order to kill people in ridiculous clownish ways. Clowns are foolish, and we sometimes dismiss foolish things as less than serious. But these clowns were also killers.

Satan is like a foolish killer clown who convinces us that he is worth a laugh before he swoops in for the kill. Foolishness is a killer. We need a higher wisdom if we are ever to be saved from this killer clown.

Welcome back to Redemption Church. I am Chris Fluitt and I welcome you. Hello to all of our online viewers. I hope to see you one day in Plano Tx.

Killers

We are in the 2nd week of our Killers sermon series.

Jesus told us about a thief who steals, kills, and destroys. The thief is anyone who does not enter through the gate… and Jesus says that He is the gate. The thief kills, but Jesus gives life and a full life.

There is a killer present. We need to find the killer.

A Killer is any person or thing that takes life.

Today I want you to consider this truth.

Killers are seriously deadly, but not seriously wise

We are used to movie killers such as Hannibal Lecter who was an evil genius cannibal in the flick “Silence of the Lambs.­” I would tell you that even genius killers with a large intelligence end up being foolish when they play the role of a killer.

Killers are seriously deadly, but not seriously wise. Which brings us to today’s subject.

We take sermon prep very seriously here at Redemption Church. I told our Care Pastor, Marshal Blessing, that I was preaching about Killer Clowns this week and He asked me if I had ever watched the 1998 classic “Killer Klowns from Outer Space.” I said no, so we gathered on Tuesday night to do some serious sermon prep.

What can you say about this movie? The title says it all. Killer Klowns from Outer Space. That is the title and the perfect description of this ridiculous plot.

One night a group of “killer klowns” terrorize a small town. They end up killing people in the dumbest clownish ways. They shoot them with popcorn guns, entomb the bodies in cotton candy cocoons, and put on killer puppet shows. Then, of course, it turns out they have a spaceship… because they are “killer klowns” from outer space. I don’t want to say anymore because “spoilers.”

Being killed is a tragedy, but being killed by a stupid clown is such a stupid tragedy.

In the summer of 2016 there was a cultural phenomenon when killer clowns started appearing across the US. There was a panic over people dressing up as killer clowns. It was scary, creepy, and also pretty dumb. Thank goodness that stopped.

Killer clowns present a unique challenge. Clowns are humorous, funny, & foolish and because of this easily dismissed, yet they are killers. We are often dismissive of the foolish, but maybe we should take it a little more seriously.

Foolishness Kills

Has a foolish decision ever stolen life from you?

*

Foolish decisions have destroyed marriages.

*

The decision to just stress yourself to death over a problem rather than spend a little time fixing the problem.

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Killers 1 – Find the Killer

Look out behind you! Sure there was nothing behind you… but what would you have done if there was a killer behind you? A killer is a person or thing that takes life. Jesus warns us about a thief that has come to steal, kill, and destroy. According to Jesus, the question is not “is there a killer?” the question is “Where is the Killer?” The great news is Jesus gave us a perfect way to find the killer, and at the same time protect us from their evil intention.

 

Welcome to Redemption Church in beautiful Plano Tx. My name is Chris Fluitt and I am the Lead Pastor here. I greet you all in the room and those watching online.

We are kicking off a new spooky sermon series today entitled “Killers.”

Killer – A person or thing that takes life

Killers exist. It is a fact of life that there are things and people who kill.

Think of a famous killer…

What would you do if a killer was after you?

Jesus alerts us of an enemy whose only aim is to steal, KILL, and destroy.

The scariest part of a scary movie is when the audience sees the killer, but the would-be victim is unaware of the danger. There is danger in this world we are unaware of… Like our intro video showed… That was a 1996 Super Bowl commercial that spoofs a very suspenseful movie scene from a movie called “when a stranger calls.” It is a silly commercial but a haunting thought of what would you do if the killer was already inside the house.

Right from the start, I want us to not ask “Is there a killer present?”, but instead, ask “Where is the killer.”

Where is the killer?

Somewhere in your life, there is a killer lurking.

Think of a famous killer. Who came to mind? You might have thought of a movie character… a mass murder, an assassin, or serial killer… Not all killers are people.

Here are the world’s greatest killers every year according to science.

*

Around 2 million are killed on the road in careless often avoidable accidents.

*

Another 2 million have their life taken by diabetes. A large percentage could have avoided this killer by better eating habits.

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2 million are killed each year from lung cancers brought on by cigarettes.

*

3 million are killed from COPD, Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease each year.

*

Nearly 6 million are killed by a stroke.

*

9 million die at the hands of a killer called heart disease.

Raise your hands if when I asked for you to think of a famous killer you thought of any of the killers I just mentioned.

We are the character in the scary movie that is unaware of the killer.

There are killers around us, and we are so unaware.

The question is not “is a killer present.” The question is “Where is the Killer?”

Where is the killer?

I invite you to this series to “Find the Killer.”

Find the Killer

We need to locate what is taking our life.

It wants to kill you, your marriage, your children, finances, health, spirit, and future.

John 10:10 (NIV2011) The thief comes only to steal and kill and destroy…

Who is the thief?

The thief comes to steal, kill, and destroy. Who is the thief?

Raise your hand if you are thinking of the devil, Satan. There have been many a sermon preached using this verse to talk about the devil.

­Limitless 7: Plateau Busting Overload Reload

 

What do you do when what used to work, no longer works? Success can seem easy to attain early on, but it rarely remains this way.

It is normal to find yourself in a plateau.

A plateau is a prolonged time with effort, but little to no success. How do we bust the plateau?

We change! We need to give #1 more effort and #2 different effort. Our physical body reveals how to grow.

We need to undergo an Overload & Reload

Welcome everyone to Redemption Church. My name is Chris Fluitt and I welcome everyone in the room as well as those watching and listening online.

We are in the final week of our Limitless series.

LIMITLESS

Our God is limitless, and you are made in His image. God has placed limitless potential within you.

However, over the past 2 weeks, we talked about behaviors and habits that can bring limits on our life.

 

We talked about the comparison trap. The best person to compare yourself to is who you were yesterday. You need to gain a slight edge over who you were yesterday. This will lead to limitless success.

Last week we talked about a double-minded trajectory. That is when we have our goals and dreams firmly in our mind but we have a double-minded behavior that takes us away from our goals.

One of those double-minded behaviors is procrastination. It eats our time… and time is one thing we have that is not limitless.

 

Today I want to talk to you about the dreaded Plateau.

PLATEAU

Everything starts off good. Making success!

Then there is a time where you put in the effort… yet no success.

And then when things go south, we give up because we have the mindset that we shouldn’t even bother if we won’t succeed. 

 

A plateau is a prolonged time with effort, but no success.

 

Raise your hand if you ever experienced a plateau?

You can experience a plateau in any area of your life. Health, finances, career, relationships…

 

The question is this… “What do you do when what used to work, no longer works?”

 

CHANGE BUSTS THE PLATEAU

When what you are doing isn’t working, it is time to change. How can you change?

#1 More Effort. #2 Different Effort.

I need to be open and transparent with you. I am an addict. I have a drinking problem… a coke problem… more exactly… a Diet Coke problem.

2 years ago I went back to the gym. I saw instant results. Lost some weight, gained some muscle and strength… but this year I looked in the mirror and realized I was in a plateau. So I looked at my workout routine… gave more effort. I looked at my diet and really cleaned up my eating… different effort. Yet I still wasn’t seeing the change I wanted to see… So I decided the one thing I have not changed is that I still drink A LOT OF DIET SODA.

If you have seen me at Connect Groups you know that I can drink a lot of diet soda. It really is an addiction. It was a hard decision but I decided 3 weeks ago to no longer drink diet soda and that artificial sweetener.

I said to myself… “I am working TOO HARD to not see PROGRESS. I NEED TO CHANGE.”

This was more effort. This was a different effort. But I can already feel the change for the better.

If you are in a plateau you need to say to yourself… I AM WORKING TOO HARD TO NOT SEE PROGRESS. I NEED TO CHANGE.

 

BE HONEST

Be honest about the plateau.

­Limitless 6: Limited Double Minded Trajectory

 

You ever make plans and not follow through? You aren’t alone. No judgments.

Plans are important. Goals and dreams are important! They aren’t just important to you… they are actually important to God!

We need to form a plan and then live out a trajectory that fulfills the plan. Too often we have a trajectory that takes us away from the plan or wastes time through procrastination.

Scripture tells us that a “double-minded man is unstable in all his ways.” When we have a mind for our goal but a daily trajectory that steps in other directions, it is a double minded mess.

Are you ready to repent of your double minded trajectory and see a fulfilled plan in your life?

My Name is Chris Fluitt! And this is Redemption Church of Plano Tx. Greetings to everyone in the room and all watching and listening online. I hope you are ready to receive the word of God.

LIMITLESS

I want you to remember that we serve a Limitless God. He has created you in His image. He has placed limitless potential within you.

Yet we can develop habits that will place limits upon our life.

LIMITED

The difference between a limitless or limited life can be as simple as a small decision.

COMPARISON TRAP

Last week we talked about the comparison trap. Do not compare yourself to the HOUSE or the MOUSE. Instead, compare yourself to who you were yesterday.

DOUBLE MINDED TRAJECTORY

Continuing with this thought I want to warn about limiting yourself with Double Minded Trajectory.

TRAJECTORY

A trajectory is a line of development towards an outcome.

If I was to throw an object, the space between it leaving my hand and landing would form a trajectory. The trajectory of the object as it flies through space actually decides where the object will end up. Trajectory decides the end result.

Last week we told you to compare yourself to who you were yesterday. These 2 points, yesterday & today, form a trajectory. It reveals a path. By paying attention to this trajectory we can better understand where our life will end up.

 

TRAJECTORY DECIDES THE END RESULT 

A successful life has goals. We have these “end result” goals we want to attain.

 

Some people make 5, 10, or 15-year plans. They decide they want to accomplish a number of goals. We make plans to…

* Have a successful marriage.

* Be healthy.

* Own a home.

* Complete our education.

* Start a business.

* Pay off our debt.

* Do meaningful things for God.

 

God cares about the plans you have for your life.

 

Psalm 37:4 (NIV2011) Take delight in the Lord, and he will give you the desires of your heart.

Psalm 37:5 (NIV2011) Commit your way to the Lord; trust in him and he will do this:

 

Proverbs 16:3 (NIV2011) Commit to the Lord whatever you do, and he will establish your plans.

 

You aren’t the only one who cares about your plans! God cares! He wants to give you the desires of your heart. He wants to establish your plans.

Sometimes we have plans but we are embarrassed about them and what other people will think.