The Sycamore Message

The Sycamore Church

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God vs gods

Know your weapons, Know your enemy

2 Corinthians 10:1-4

The issue is never the issue. 

2 Corinthians 10:11 Those people should realize that our actions when we arrive in person will be as forceful as what we say in our letters from far away. 

They are trying to engage him in a fight to which he replies though we walk in the flesh we do not war after the flesh.  In other words the issue is not the issue. 

1.Know your enemy

A battle of strength and size but was actually between flesh and spirit. 

Goliath was a the champion of the Philistines. Champion means, a man that stands between two armies. 

David was a shepherd boy while Goliath was a trained warrior.  

David’s credentials were that he had fought lions and bears with his bare hands but he doesn’t intend to fight this same way with Goliath.  

It became spiritual when Goliath defied David’s God. 

David also had a weapon but he did not use like we would have used it.  

Paul says there is a way to fight and its not by what you see.  

The more it is exalted the more powerful it becomes.  But we have the ability to tear it down when we fight in the spirit. If you’ll find a place to pray God will destroy the machinery of the enemy that exalts itself.  

The way you conquer the flesh is through the Spirit. 

Ephesians 6:10-12

A final word from Paul.  Be strong in the Lord and in this mighty power. 

2. Know your weapons

It’s important to know we have spiritual weapons. NOTICE David may have come in the name of the Lord but he also carried a sling.  

The point of the story is that God uses what our enemy looks at as useless. 

Gideon had 300 men with jars and trumpets

If you will use what you have for God it will become mighty.  Your weapons will pull down strong holds.

“Spiritual resistance requires spiritual assistance”- John Arcovio

But we have a God that is the Lord of heaven’s armies!

The Sycamore Church

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1 Samuel 28:3-11, 15-17, 19 

Sermon series: God vs. gods.  

 There is a time to seek God.  There is a time when we can look to Him for help.  People play around and think God is always going to show mercy.  Once we die, it’s too late.  “The dead cannot praise you” (Psalm 115:17, Isaiah 38:18).

Key Verse: 1 John 4:1 Beloved, believe not every spirit, but try the spirits whether they are of God: because many false prophets are gone out into the world.

Samuel the prophet whose calling and anointing is to hear from God for the nation. He was a spiritual advisor to King Saul. 

Saul has had his chance to hear and obey the voice of God but chose to do things his own way time and time again. 

1 Samuel 28:3 says Samuel died.  When you lose the voice of God in your life, you begin reaching in desperation for answers.  Now King Saul is frantic and reaching for anything to give him answers.  Interestingly enough, Saul did this at the end of his reign as king.  Don’t mess up at the end.

Saul consults with a medium to reach a dead prophet to get answers from a living God.  

Mediums have been known to be fraudulent and deceptive.  This may be why the witch of Endor was frightened when she actually summoned the spirit of Samuel.  She was accustomed to deceiving people with fake encounters and was frightened when she summoned a real spirit.  

Just because you can doesn’t mean you should. 

The witch of Endor, the KJV says, had a familiar spirit. Someone say, “that sounds familiar.”  Her spirit was like that of those she summoned.

Leviticus 19:31 Regard not them that have familiar spirits, neither seek after wizards, to be defiled by them: I am the LORD your God.

Endor was in the territory of Issachar but was under the rule of Manasseh. The men of Issachar were a tribe of Israel known for discerning the times.  Manasseh was a king that allowed necromancy and familiar spirits.  Endor is referring to the eye in the context being right in your own eyes.  

Psalm 121:2 I look to the hills, where does my help come from? My help comes from the Lord who made heaven and earth. 

Luke 16:19-31 Jesus tells a parable about a man named Lazarus and a rich man.  The rich man asks Abraham to send Lazarus to warn his family.  

Abraham goes on to say your family can read the warnings of Moses and the prophets, but even if someone was raised from the dead, they wouldn’t believe.  

God has given us enough revelation right now, right here to know the way to eternal life.  If you don’t do it in this life, you won’t be able to in the next.  Listen to the voice of God in your life today.  Hear God’s word and warning today.  

Seers or Mediums (someone in between) would consult the spirits of the dead.  The spirits of the dead can’t come back because there is a chasm separating them.  

Matthew 22:32 I am the God of Abraham, and the God of Isaac, and the God of Jacob? God is not the God of the dead, but of the living.  

For, there is one God and one Mediator who can reconcile God and humanity—the man Christ Jesus. 1 Timothy 2:5 

Today we don't have a medium we have a mediator. Jesus is alive and give help in the time of need.

The Sycamore Church

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Leviticus 10:10, 16-17

God vs. gods  

The Apostle Paul says we should test the spirits, whether they be of God or not. (1 John 4:1) 

In order to test the spirits, you have to know about the spirits. 

Key vs. is Leviticus 10:10: you must distinguish between what is sacred and common, what is ceremonially clean and unclean. 

Main Question: The question asked in the early church was, is it wrong to eat meat offered to idols?  The question in the modern church might be, is it wrong to celebrate Halloween? Both have pagan connections. 

Today I want to be practical about how we walk out our faith when there are pagan and false rituals happening around us.  Do we abstain from festivals because they are connected to witchcraft or paganism? What if someone else thinks it’s wrong?

Reality has been defined as any existence that is not dependent on another.  The physical world we experience through the senses was created by the one we can’t see.  It’s important to know there is a REAL world controlling what we see. I’ve heard people say there is a spirit of fill in the blank.  But just think of a spirit as being any influence on the natural world.  

There is an invisible transfer that occurs when what we do in the natural becomes spiritual. There’s a point when prayer on Earth connects with Heaven.  There is a moment when your human efforts become spiritually beneficial.  

Sin offerings were physical sacrifices and transactions that had spiritual benefits. Somewhere between the sacrifice being chosen and the sacrifice being offered on the altar, it became something you could see to something that covered your sin. 

Halloween is coming up this Saturday.  It seems harmless enough to us church goers because we’re not involved in actual satanic practices, but you should know it is steeped in demonic overtones.  It’s traced back to the Celtic festival “Sow-in,” where fall was ending and winter began.  It was the night when the lines between the dead and the living; the spiritual and the earthly became blurred and reduced Many Celts were concerned about the access darker and evil spirits had to influence those in the real world. So they dressed their children as demons to confuse the evil spirits and marked their doors with animal blood to deter unwanted visitors.

Moses was told to teach the people to distinguish between sacred and common, and what is ceremonially clean and unclean.  You have to determine if the you are engaging in glorify God.  

We read in Leviticus that the priest was to eat the sacrifice. The policy for eating meat was that the animal couldn’t be strangled.  Meaning the blood couldn’t remain in it when it was killed.  

Leviticus 17:10-11 “And if any native Israelite or foreigner living among you eats or drinks blood in any form, I will turn against that person and cut him off from the community of your people, 11 for the life of the body is in its blood. I have given you the blood on the altar to purify you, making you right with the LORD.  It is the blood, given in exchange for a life, that makes purification possible.

Leviticus 10:17 says the sacrifice was a holy offering. The Lord has given it to you to remove the guilt of the community and to purify the people. 

The priest ATE a portion of the sacrifice in a sacred place to remove the guilt of the people. Moses asked the priest to partake of what represented their sin to remove their guilt. What began as a physical ceremony turned into spiritual purification. 

There is power in the blood! It was a shadow of the coming sacrifice of Jesus.  

2 Corinthians 5:21 For God made Christ, who never sinned, to be the offering for our sin, so that we could be made right with God through Christ.

Jesus became sin so we could be free from sin.    

This brings us to our text in Corinthians.  The church has a question that goes back to the Old Testament system of sacrifice and worship.  Paul helps reconcile this difference by addressing this sacred custom while dismissing the superstition.  He divides between weak and strong, culture and acceptance, and knowledge and love. 

1 Corinthians 10:6-8 was a warning to prevent what happened before

It ensures fellowship with your brothers and sisters.  The Jews wouldn’t eat meat offered to idols, but the Corinthians would.  So in order to be able to eat with Jews, they were asked to abstain from eating meat offered to idols.  Sometimes NOT doing something so you can include your brother or sister in fellowship is required.

2. So what does it mean?

But Paul says those idols aren’t really gods. We have one God who made everything.  The sacrifices to Him pointed toward Christ who is our ultimate sacrifice. 

Jesus said eat my body and drink my blood.

What we do may look silly, but we have a God that hears us and forgives our sins and heals all our diseases.  It looks silly in the natural, but as soon as it’s offered up to God, it becomes spiritual.

How Do I Become a Member?

Today in our sermon series we’re looking at giving as a form of our membership. 

2 Corinthians 9: 1-7

We are going to look at giving principally and practically.  Principally the Bible teaches God’s people should give by tithing and generosity generosity.  Tithing was a mandate but generosity is a condition of heart.  And generosity always outdoes tithing and heart always out gives mandate.  Tithing is to generosity what the Law is to Grace. Which do you want to live by. 

The context of our text today is the church in Jerusalem has a need and the church in Corinth has the provisions to meet their need. So they have prepared an offering to send them  

The Sycamore's principles of giving: 

Each month we set aside 10 percent of the total giving to the church and give it to ministries and charities outside this church. We actually plan to give closer to 25 percent for ministries and charities this year. 

Paul says I want you to BE READY.  If we go back we see Paul was teaching this for a while. 

The church was to be ready by putting a little aside at the beginning of each week.  It’s much easier to give when you have prepared to give.  So many come to church with no intention of giving but only receiving. 

When you’re ready to give it makes you a cheerful giver.  When we’re not ready to give we develop a grudge.  We may give but its grudgingly. A grudge steals the joy of giving.  A grudge harbors bitterness and mistrust.  But a cheerful giver motivates others to give.  

2 Corinthians 9:2 For I know how eager you are to help, and I have been boasting to the churches in Macedonia that you in Greece were ready to send an offering a year ago. In fact, it was your enthusiasm that stirred up many of the Macedonian believers to begin giving.

Prepared giving is spiritual giving.  I grew up thinking God couldn’t move if we planned it.  I thought spontaneity equaled spirituality.  But God can move an bless a plan as well as a  u-turn.  

Giving was a planned celebration.  

Exodus 23:15,16 No one may appear before me without an offering.

This celebration of giving was mandatory to commemorate the harvest.  They did it every year by bringing two loaves of bread from the first part of their harvest.  

Proverbs 3:9 says Honor the LORD with your wealth and with the best part of everything you produce. 

This is what God was asking them to do in Exodus during the Festival of Weeks or Pentecost. Come to Jerusalem to the Temple prepared. 

Jesus gets upset in Mark 11:15-17 “The Scriptures declare, ‘My Temple will be called a house of prayer for all nations,’ but you have turned it into a den of thieves.”

Jesus was angry because the sacrifices represented Him and when they didn’t come ready God’s house was reduced to market items instead of the Passover Lamb. When we give we are bringing gifts that represent His sacrifice. 

When  God’s people don't come ready to bring their gift they have to buy.  People are cheated by up selling what God already purchased. God never intended for us to purchase our sacrifice.   

Jesus gave so we could give.

The Beauty of Belonging

Ephesians 2:19–22 NLT

Through Jesus Christ, God brings us near and makes us members of His family. Knowing we belong changes how we respond to others, receive encouragement, and find our place to serve.

1. Belonging Begins with Christ

Ephesians 2:13; 1 John 3:1; Romans 8:15

Our place in God’s family begins with what Jesus has done for us. Through Him, we are received as God’s children and can call upon Him as our Father. Belonging influences our behavior. When we feel secure and loved, we become more willing to open up, receive help, and participate. But the desire to belong can also be manipulated. Our deepest security must rest in Christ. His love helps us receive correction, face disappointment, and do what is right even when it costs someone’s approval.

2. Belonging Makes Room for Others

Acts 4:36–37; Acts 9:26–28; Acts 11:23–26

Barnabas was known for encouragement. He gave generously, stood beside Saul when the disciples were afraid, and helped them recognize God’s work in Saul’s life. Later, he brought Saul to Antioch to help teach the believers. Barnabas helped Saul find fellowship and an opportunity to serve. We can help others move forward through a genuine welcome, a listening ear, or a personal invitation. Sometimes a little encouragement gives someone confidence to take their next step. And sometimes the person who needs it has been beside us for years.

3. Belonging Should Be Seen in Our Love

John 13:34–35; Galatians 5:22–23

Jesus said His disciples would be recognized by their love for one another. What we believe should shape how we treat people. The Holy Spirit develops patience, gentleness, faithfulness, and self-control in our everyday relationships. Knowing we are loved by God helps us apologize without feeling worthless, celebrate others without feeling threatened, and serve without needing recognition. As we grow in Christ, people should experience His love through us. What do people experience through me?

4. Belonging Gives Each of Us a Part to Play

Ephesians 4:15–16

The church grows as each member contributes. Some teach or lead; others pray, listen, encourage, or meet practical needs. Every member has something to offer.

Take It into Your Week

The Sycamore Church

How Do I Become a Member? Pt. 3

Pastor Eric Burton

Sunday, Oct. 4, 2026

How Do I Become a Member?

We’ve been talking the last few weeks about what it means to be a member of the church. We have come to discover it’s more than a roll call. It’s a spiritual buy-in to Jesus Christ.

We learned in week one of our series that the Lord added to the church daily such as should be saved. Acts 2:47. He added to an assembly that provided protection and community, but more importantly, this salvation:

You have to be saved. But what does that mean?

Sin is not just bad behavior; it’s a trespass against God, our neighbors, and ourselves. Sin is more than bad thoughts; it’s the position of being separated from God. Regretfully, people don’t know they are separated from God.

Astigmatism is when light coming into the eye is bent or fractured and blurs the vision. In the beginning, Adam and Eve’s eyes were opened when they ate of the tree of the knowledge of good AND evil. Their eyes were opened, or fractured, so they saw more than one thing. Before, their eye was singular, knowing only the love of God. But sin opened their eye, or fractured their vision, to see good and evil—multiple things. We need Jesus to fix our eyes.

Matthew 6:13: Pray like this… “And don’t let us yield to temptation, but rescue us from the evil one.”

In Matthew 4, Jesus is led by the Spirit into the wilderness to be tempted, but He overcomes Satan. Now He is saying, when you pray, pray that you overcome like I overcame: “Don’t yield to temptation, but rescue us from the evil one.”

Matthew 6:22: The eye is the light of the body. If the eye is healthy, the whole body is full of light. But if the eye is “evil” (meaning distracted, fractured, double-minded, worried, and anxious), the whole body is filled with darkness or is unhealthy. And if the light you think you have is actually darkness, how deep is that darkness? How deep does it go?

People don’t know what sin is until they know what is right. The apostle said it like this: “It was the law that showed me my sin. I would never have known that coveting is wrong if the law had not said, ‘You must not covet.’” (Romans 7:7)

God’s Word sheds light on my life and showed me I was wrong and there was a better way. It didn’t call for me to change my behavior; it called for me to change my thinking.

Romans 12:2: “Don’t copy the behavior and customs of this world, but let God transform you into a new person by changing the way you think.”

The best modification of behavior is not a change of action, but a change of thinking.

Nicodemus was a member of a religious group, and he believed Jesus was sent by God. Proximity and knowledge don’t save you. We need Jesus to change our thinking and our heart. You must be born again!

Romans 2:28–29: “For you are not a true Jew just because you were born of Jewish parents or because you have gone through the ceremony of circumcision. No, a true Jew is one whose heart is right with God. And true circumcision is not merely obeying the letter of the law; rather, it is a change of heart produced by the Spirit.”

Colossians 2:11: “When you came to Christ, you were circumcised, but not by a physical procedure. Christ performed a spiritual circumcision—the cutting of your sinful nature.”

Jesus isn’t coming back for a building full of people enjoying life together. He is coming back for a people that are saved—a bride that He will present as blameless and without spot because they have been washed by the Word of God.

The Sycamore Church

September 27, 2026

Pastor Eric Burton

Sunday, September 27, 2026

We believe church membership is important because:

We want to clarify and define what it means to become a member of the church. We are revising our Next Steps class—formerly known as Connect4—as Discover Syca(more).

Membership begins with discovering what our church is about and then making a clear decision about whether you want to be a member or an attender. We will love you either way and welcome you no less.

You may be asking, “Am I a member?” Your next step is to complete Discover Syca(more).

2 Timothy 3:16: “All Scripture is inspired by God and is useful to teach us what is true and to make us realize what is wrong in our lives. It corrects us when we are wrong and teaches us to do what is right.”

We have a code of conduct that allows us to carry out God’s plan for the church, as the church, and through the church. This code helps us:

“You can’t disciple an unconnected person.” —Who said that?

Proverbs 18:1 (NKJV): “A man who isolates himself seeks his own desire; he rages against all wise judgment.”

When we are not connected, we do not let people get close enough to teach us the truth about ourselves.

Membership is important because it lets us know whom we can trust with God’s people, ministry, and resources. We want you to go through Discover Syca(more) so that you understand our heart and our method of operation.

Membership lets us know whom we can pastor and disciple.

Paul gives instructions on how to correct those in the church and remove those who do not want to be corrected.

1 Corinthians 5:1–5: “Turn him over to Satan!” What does that mean? It means removing him from the protective fellowship of the congregation.

Proverbs 3:11–12: Jesus corrects those he loves. “My child, don’t reject the LORD’s discipline, and don’t be upset when he corrects you. For the LORD corrects those he loves, just as a father corrects a child in whom he delights.”

Malachi 1:2–3: “‘I have always loved you,’ says the LORD. But you retort, ‘Really? How have you loved us?’ And the LORD replies, ‘This is how I showed my love for you: I loved your ancestor Jacob, but I rejected his brother, Esau, and devastated his hill country. I turned Esau’s inheritance into a desert for jackals.’”

Why not Abraham, to whom God gave the promise? Or Isaac and Esau?

God chose to use Jacob and Esau to demonstrate his love. The first time God refers to Jacob and Esau, he refers to them as nations, not individuals.

Beware if we do not see or sense God’s correction in our lives. When was the last time we allowed the Scriptures to teach and correct us?

2 Timothy 3:16: “All Scripture is inspired by God and is useful to teach us what is true and to make us realize what is wrong in our lives. It corrects us when we are wrong and teaches us to do what is right.”

Correction never leaves us hobbled; it leaves us equipped.

How Do I Become a Member?

A biblical picture of belonging, baptism, purpose, and participation

Pastor Eric Burton

The Big Idea

Church membership is more than putting your name on a list. It is being joined to Christ, added to His body, and showing up to serve.

Acts 2:40–47

More Than Signing Up

Membership is not a “no commitment” subscription.

At a club, your attendance may affect only you. In the church, your presence matters because God has given you something to contribute to the body.

Being a member means being added, signing up, and showing up.

How Are We Added?

“Those who believed what Peter said were baptized and added to the church that day—about 3,000 in all.”

Acts 2:41

See also 1 Corinthians 12:13 and Acts 2:47.

The Church Gathers

The church is an assembly of believers in a common place. Assembly is not passive—it points to action.

Change does not happen because you signed up. Change happens when you get up and show up.

Who You Join Matters

Paul challenged the Corinthian belief that choices made with the body did not affect the spirit. His point is direct:

“Your bodies are actually parts of Christ.”

1 Corinthians 6:15–17

Who you connect to affects you. The person joined to the Lord is one spirit with Him.

Every Member Has a Function

“If the foot says, ‘I am not part of the body because I am not a hand,’ that does not make it any less a part of the body.”

1 Corinthians 12:15

Your Gift Helps the Body Grow

“As each part does its own special work, it helps the other parts grow, so that the whole body is healthy, growing, and full of love.”

Ephesians 4:16

Membership is an opportunity to use what God has entrusted to you.

Use your gifts well to serve one another. 1 Peter 4:10

What Did Peter Proclaim?

Your Next Step

Believe. Repent. Be baptized. Belong. Serve.

Jesus is still adding people to His church today.

Where is God calling you to show up and use your gift?

Pastor Nelson Hight

Key Verse: Philippians 2:1-11