• 01-24-2010-AM-Sermon
• 01-24-2010-PM Sermon
• 01-25-2010-PM Sermon
• 1-26-2010-PM Sermon
• 01-27-2010-PM Sermon

Will be accepting donations for Haiti

At the Church, 2632 Michigan Rd (Behind Taco Bell)

This Saturday, January 23^rd, 2010

9:00am – 3:00pm

Items we will be accepting for their immediate needs are:

NEW: Blankets, Towels, Large Tents (5 person or larger), Ready-to-Eat Food (ie: snacks, MRE’s, foil-packaged food is preferred rather than canned items, etc).

NEW: Personal Hygiene Items (ie: diapers, feminine products, soap, tooth brushes, tooth paste, combs, hair brushes, etc).

Also…

Monetary donations are always welcome and will be received through the church for shipping costs and to purchase items such as water purification systems, etc.

We will NOT be able to accept any CLOTHING or WATER at this time due to extremely high shipping costs for these items.

Psalm 134

Introduction: A couple of years ago the movie The Golden Compass made a big splash.  According to reviews and columns, the movie was very well made, with intriguing characters, an interesting plot, and over the top special effects.   Many Christians, however, were repulsed by the movie because author, Phillip Pullman, an avowed atheist, openly stated that he wrote his books for the express purpose of opposing the Bible’s message about God, sin, and salvation.  He wanted to write a counter narrative to the narrative of Scripture.

Indeed, Pullman, expressed his disappointment that people weren’t more outraged about his books.  He wondered aloud why the Harry Potter books and movies received more antagonism that his own, when, in fact, the goal of his books was far more sinister that that of J.K. Rowling’s Harry Potter series.  “My books are about killing God” Pullman stated quite frankly.[1]

The Golden Compass is part of a trilogy in which the main characters slay whatever, which Pullman intends to the portray the murder of the Christian God.

While relatively few people would express their disdain for the God of the Bible quite so overtly, the truth is that we live in a world that is ever seeking to displace God, to reinvent God, to ignore God, to dethrone God from His rightful place as sovereign Lord of all.  Though you may shudder to think of trying to “kill” God, what place does God have in your life?  What place does God hold in your heart, in your daily routine, in your goals and dreams, in your relationships, in your interests?

Psalm 134, though brief, is a Psalm that helps us to see the rightful place God should and must have in our souls.  This Psalm is the last of the songs of ascents.  The songs of ascent were songs that the Israelites sung as they traveled up to Jerusalem to worship God during their annual feasts.

The final song of ascent reminds the worshippers of God’s rightful place in their souls, in their lives. The Psalm is a reminder to us this morning also; a reminder that God’s rightful place is to be worshipped as we come to church and as we leave the church.  As we come and as we go, God should ever and always be at the center of our lives as the ultimate reason for our existence.

God should be life’s highest value and our ultimate priority, for God Himself has made us.  God made you, and your life finds its meaning, purpose, and sanity when you become a worshipper of God.

I. Worship God when you come to church (1).

Explanation: Notice the first phrase of this Psalm in verse 1.  “Come,” or “Lo,” “Behold,” can literally mean “stand” and is meant to call our attention to what follows, which is “bless the Lord, all you servants of the Lord.”   The word bless means to  “kneel down.”  So the idea may be a picture of humbling ourselves before the Lord God Almighty, recognizing that we are but dust and He is the Most High, and worshipping Him with humility, and devotion is the only proper response to Who He is.

In the Old Testament, it was the Levites who were chiefly to be “servants of the Lord, who stand by night in the house of the Lord.”  The house of the Lord referred to the temple or to the place designated specifically to the worship of God and some would remain overnight, kindling the lamps or attending to the sacrifices.

Further, we read in the gospel of Luke of a lady named Anna.  Anna was an 84 year-old widow who “did not depart from the temple, worshiping with fasting and prayer night and day” (Luke 2:37).  Now let’s suppose we planned an all night worship service here at Calvary Baptist, and we put a sign up sheet in the back; what kind of attendance could we expect do you think?

Illustration: This might sound absurd, but all night celebrations are actually quite common.  Some voters celebrated all night long when Barak Obama won on election almost one year ago.  Some fans celebrated through the night when the Yankees won the World Series a couple of weeks ago.  Some partygoers celebrate through the night on New Year’s Eve.  Some students will celebrate all night long when, and if, they graduate from high school.

Why is it that political victories, sports victories, holidays, or major accomplishments can be reasonably celebrated with an all night bash, but the suggestion of worshipping God in such a way sounds ludicrous?

Application: Baseball, politics, educational achievements, just rank partying, are these things more important, more exciting, more worthy of our passionate celebration than God Himself?   Could it be that our lack of zeal for God, when compared to our celebration of these kinds of things with such passion, reveals something about our hearts?  Could it be that while our hearts are alive to politics, sports, and achievements, our hearts are actually dead to God Himself?

Brothers and Sisters, something is wrong when the thought of gathering to worship the living God brings about as much excitement to us as gathering to watch paint dry on the walls.  Something is wrong when we conceive of God as boring, stale, dead, or dry.  And I suggest that the problem is with our hearts rather than with God.

The Psalmist is more than excited to call his friends to the Lord’s house for worship.  “Come” he say’s, “let’s go worship the Lord.” Worshiping the Lord cannot be dull because it is the Lord we are worshiping.   Notice His name; “Yahweh,” the Existing One, the One Who Is.

Yahweh is the name by which God referred to Himself when He met Moses at the burning bush.  I dare say that if we had a tree on our church grounds that was set on fire, but rather than being burned up it simply continued to burn indefinitely; I dare say, we could attract some interest to that.

People might even stop by and take pictures to be passed around on Facebook.  Someone might write a story and put it in the Madison Courier.  A video of it might go viral on YouTube.   We might have more traffic backed up than Taco Bell on opening night.

God merely used a burning bush as an elementary example of Who He really is; the One who exists forever and is never consumed; the One Who really is, has always been, and always will be.  God- the flaming center of the cosmos brighter and more powerful than a billion suns combined.  Worship God when you come to church!

II. Worship God when you leave the church (2-3).

Explanation: God deserves, yea, He demands to be worshiped in the church, that’s what we’ve gathered to do, but worshiping God should be our full time occupation no matter where we go or what we do.  The final verse of this Psalm, verse 3, is actually a part of the priestly benediction.  “May the Lord bless you from Zion” might have been the final words expressed to worshippers.  So, the idea is…may the God whom you have come to worship in the sanctuary go with you and bless you wherever you go.

God was not confined, then, in the Old Testament to the tabernacle or Temple, no building could contain Him.   And neither can a church building contain God today.  When you leave this place and go to your home or to your place of work, God will be just as present and just as worthy and deserving of your worship.

He is after all, the One “who made heaven and earth!”  And He is present in all of it; so that no matter where you go, you can never escape God.  And neither can you escape the fact that your soul was made for worshipping God and can never be satisfied in anything other than worship God.

Human beings are worshippers, and we will worship something.  The sad reality is that we are duped worshipping something, anything, other than God.  O we don’t usually think of what we’re doing as worship, but that’s what it is.  Whatever we give our attention to, our devotion to, our emotional energy to; whatever we long for in our hearts and dwell on in our minds.  That is what we worship.

We get excited or passionate about all kinds of things in life, some of which I’ve already mentioned, all kinds of things matter to us, but does God matter?  While you might never imagine saying something like “I would like to kill God,” does God Himself have any real bearing on your life?  Does God’s existence matter to you?  When you leave this church, will God’s presence in the cosmos have any impact on your day to day existence?

.

Illustration: It is possible that while you are not consciously opposed to God, neither are you consciously aware of Him?  One of the great tragedies of life is not to desire the murder of God, but to be indifferent to Him.  Let’s look at the color of the walls in this room.  Did you notice that they are white?  Had you been sitting there prior to the worship service hating these white walls and scheming a grand coup to paint them pink in the night?

Probably not, but your indifference to the color of these walls simply highlights the fact that it doesn’t matter.  As a matter of fact, we probably want a neutral color because we don’t want your attention on the walls, we want your attention on what is being said, sung, and prayed in this place.

But, just as it is of little significance to you that these walls are white, you wouldn’t give it a second thought, so the fact that you do not meditate on God reveals that He is simply inconsequential to you.  You wouldn’t say that you hate Him and wish Him dead, but neither would you spend more than a fleeting moment even thinking about Him.  God is completely off your radar screen; He simply doesn’t matter.

God simply doesn’t compare to your social life, your career goals, your retirement fund, or your hobbies.  This is more frightening than an atheistic author with an agenda to make money.  Our souls may very well be indifferent to God this morning…indifferent to the only source of joy, purpose, and meaning in the universe.  The One who fashioned us and gave us life; it’s a scandal to be indifferent to Him.

Application: Are you indifferent to God?  Would you beg to differ with me?  Will you worship God privately as you leave this place today?  Will you make everyday activities an act of worship to God?  God is not far off; He will be there in your home, in your car, in front of your computer screen.  Will you worship Him?  I hope so, because if you do become a worshipper you will be blessed.

Worshipping God is the escape from meaninglessness that grips so many lives today.  May the Lord bless you as you leave this place today by making you a worshipper of Himself, wherever you go; whatever you do.

Conclusion: Philip Pullman makes his most direct attack upon the Christian God in the final book of his trilogy, The Amber Spyglass. In that last scene, Lyra and Will (the two main characters and teenagers by the way) eventually succeed and kill God, who turns out to be a decrepit and feeble old imposter who was hardly worth the killing in the first place.

Philip Pullman would have us believe that the God of the Bible is just an imposter, a feeble invention of our religious minds, a fictional thought hardly worth considering, but prevalent that we ought to destroy any thought of him.  And, we might very well be repulsed by the idea of a man writing children’s books to convert children away from believing in the Christian God, in an attempt to murder the very idea of God.  Nevertheless, we might actually be doing something even far worse.

Long ago, Jesus expressed His displeasure at those who were indifferent to Him.  “You are neither cold nor hot” He said.  “Would that you were either cold or hot!  So, because you are lukewarm, and neither hot nor cold, I will spit you out of my mouth” (Rev 3:15-16).

Indifference, lukewarmness, is not a fitting response to God.  How can we be indifferent to a God so great?  How can we be indifferent to the One who shed His own blood on a cold cross in order that we might be forgiven of sin and granted eternal life?   Our God, revealed in Jesus Christ, filled with so much love, demands our life, our soul, our all.  Will you give it to Him?  Will you give the Lord Jesus Christ your worship when you come to church and when you leave?

Luke 16:19-31

I.  Beware, lest you walk the path to hell (19-22).

Explanation: The first section of this parable establishes a dynamic contrast between an unnamed rich man and the very poor Lazarus.  The two men contrast each other’s in every conceivable way.  The rich is clothed in “purple and fine linen” the finest of royal clothing; Lazarus is clothed in festering “sores”.  The rich man “feasted sumptuously every day”; Lazarus longed to eat simply the crumbs that “fell” from his table.  The rich man lived in a palace replete with “a gate”; Lazarus could only lay outside that gate homeless.

Even in death this contrast could be seen.  The rich man “died and was buried” no doubt with great pomp and circumstance; Lazarus “died” and there is no indication he was even given a proper burial.

But the greatest contrast between the two men is found in what happens after their deaths.  Lazarus “was carried by the angels to Abraham’s bosom” a picture of intimate fellowship with the father of Israel, a place of comfort and feasting, heaven.  The rich man, on the other hand “lifted up his eyes, in Hades, being in torment.”

We must deal with the torments of hell a little bit later; but at this point it’s this contrast that stands out in the parable.  Do you think this man realized that he was headed for a place of torment?  Do you think he was prepared to die and go to hell?  I tell you one of the awful realities today is that most people who are on the path to hell don’t even know it.  Life is good; nice home, nice clothes, plenty of food on the table.  What could possibly go wrong?

Illustration: This past week three college girls, softball players decided to go out stargazing in North Dakota.  Inexplicably they drove their Jeep head long into a pond.  Their frantic cell phone calls to friends only adds to the sense of horror attached to their deaths.  How sad for their family and friends.  Their life was so full and rich, their futures so bright; they never saw their deaths coming so tragically.

Application: But even more heart wrenching, even more tragic is the fact that countless millions are on the path hell itself for eternity and they don’t even know it.  And please notice that this man is not condemned simply because he is rich anymore than Lazarus saved simply because he is poor.

But the story reminds that Jesus did warn us about how difficult it is for the rich person to enter the kingdom of heaven.  It is easier, in fact, for a camel to go through the eye of a needle than for a rich person to enter heaven.” (Mark 10:25).  You see the poverty of Lazarus did not save him, but his poverty proved to be a good providence pointing him to his need God and causing him to hope in God during his life on earth.

The rich man’s riches did not condemn him to hell but they proved a hindrance to his own attention to his soul.  He came to build his life on riches rather than God and that was the problem.  If he had built his life on God rather than riches he would have been concerned enough to give of his riches in compassion for the destitute man lying at his gate.

Be careful, my friend, on what you build your life on.  Be warned. You need not be a corrupt CEO, or a sex offender, or a terrorist, to wind up in hell.  You need only build your life on something, anything, other than God himself.  That will do it.  And, many, many Americans will be shocked to discover that building their life on the ease and pleasure of a middle class lifestyle was their path to the gates of hell.

Nothing is more important than forsaking anything that you might be building your life on instead of God himself.  Whether its possessions, or pleasures, or a particular cause, or friends, or a career; stop now and build your life on God.  Do this now, is infinitely important.  The path to hell becomes increasingly more difficult to get off of as you get older.

Beware lest you walk the path to hell.

II. Beware, lest you know the horrors of hell (23-26).

Explanation: But now we turn to the description of hell Jesus provides in this parable.  This parable indicates that as soon as you die you will have a conscious awareness of your eternal state, whether it’s heaven or hell.  In heaven their will be a reuniting with the saints of old; Lazarus is “at the side” of Abraham (verse 23) and there will be “comfort” from the pains of life on earth (verse 25).  But the contrast between heaven and hell could not be greater.

Verse 23 says that in hell the rich man was in “torment.”  Verse 24 says that he was in “anguish in this flame.”  Again, verse 25 says that hell is a place of “anguish.” And further, verse 26 speaks of a “great chasm.”  The great chasm is not some literally gulf but a  way of expressing the eternality of hell.  The soul in hell will not be annihilated, and cease to exist, as some have thought, but will be place of eternal torment.  Once you are there, you are there for the rest of eternity.

Hell is thus a place of eternal conscious torment and it is one of the most difficult doctrines for us.  Would a loving God actually punish people in a place of torment for eternity because of their sin?  It is difficult.  But notice one important reality of hell.  Notice what the rich man does not ask for.  Nowhere in this parable does the rich man ask to get out.

Oh he asks for some “mercy” from Abraham, but he doesn’t ask to get out, rather he asks for some water, just a little more of that feasting he had done while on earth.  And he fully expects Lazarus to be his water boy, just as he might have commanded someone to do in his former life.

I think Tim Keller’s explanation of this parable and the reality of hell in The Reason for God is helpful.  Keller notes that the rich man is never given a name, like Lazarus indicated that his identity was wrapped up in being rich.  Thus hell, Keller says, is “one’s freely chosen identity apart from God one a trajectory into infinity.”

He suggest that addictions to drugs, alcohol, gambling, and pornography gives us glimpse of the soul’s experience in hell.  First, there is disintegration, because as time goes on you need more and more of the addictive substance to get an equal kick which leads to less and less satisfaction. Second, there is isolation as increasingly you blame others and circumstances to justify your behavior.

Building your life on anything other God becomes an enslaving passion or addiction, something that you have to have in order to be happy and ultimately it will cost you your soul.  Hell will be an experience of eternally increasing disintegration, isolation, denial, delusion, and self-absorption.  That’s why souls in hell don’t want out.

Illustration: In C.S. Lewis’ fantasy The Great Divorce, Lewis describes a busload of people from hell who come to the outskirts of heaven.  There they are urged to leave behind the sins that have trapped them in hell – but they refuse.  They don’t want to give up their sins.  And he describes the grip of sin on the soul in hell “going on forever like a machine.  It is not a question of God “sending” us to hell.  Lewis says, “In each of us there is something growing, which will BE HELL unless it is nipped in the bud.”[1]

Brothers and sisters, I do not mean to diminish the descriptions of hell found in the Bible.  Hell is called a place of “unquenchable fire”, “torment”, and “anguish.”  Those fires may be absolutely literal.  But as I observe the souls of those around me who have no interest in anything other than their own sin, I have no doubt that to continue in such enslavement to sins and lusts forever will nothing short of the most awful torments.

Application: I say to you today, whatever your age or season in life.  Do not walk the path to hell.  Do not follow the sinful pleasures of your own flesh.  Avoid it for it will end in horrors you can’t imagine.  Your soul will be miserable forever if you build your life on anything but God.

III. Beware, lest you miss the remedy for hell (27-31).

Explanation: But how can you escape this place called hell?  Read verse 27-30. Notice again, the delusion of the rich man as he requests that Lazarus be sent back from the dead to warn his brothers not to come to hell.  Notwithstanding this sinful audacity, Abraham simply says they have their Bible’s let them read and follow them.  But the rich man exclaims that if only someone could “go to them from the dead, they will repent.”

Notice verse 31.  Like their dead brother, these men will  not go to hell for being rich, but they will go to hell for their neglect of Holy Scripture.  The Bible has the answer for how to deliver your soul from sin, and death, and hell.  In the Bible you will find the only remedy for your soul both now and for eternity.

You do not need horoscopes, or visions, or self-realization techniques, or to see someone rise from the dead.  All you need, for your eternal soul, is the word of God.  One writer describes these brothers by saying, “If a man cannot be humane with the Old Testament in his hand and Lazarus on his doorstep, nothing – neither a visitor from the other world nor a revelation of the horrors of hell – will teach him otherwise.”[2]

Illustration: Like many of you we had to make a decision about giving our children the H1N1 flu vaccination.  There were questions about even the availability of the vaccine.  And even when it came would it actually work?  But most of all would there negative side affects later in life for the children?  The remedy for the H1N1 virus came with uncertainties and unknowns.

Application: Friend I want to tell you today, that there are no uncertainties about the remedy for hell found in the Bible.  In the pages of the Bible we learn about a Savior; the very Son of God who came in flesh like our own.  Jesus Christ whose righteous life and sacrificial death on the cross became the remedy for souls bound in sin, bound for death, bound for hell.

Friends, it is only through the cross of the Redeemer that we can avoid the horrors of hell.  And God has made provision through the cross precisely for our deliverance from hell, from his wrath.  God himself is patient “not willing that any should perish but that all should come to repentance” 2 Peter 3:9.  The death of Christ is the means of escape from the torments of hell and you may certainly draw upon it today.

But if you wait too long, if you wake up to find yourself in hell, it will be too late.  So I simply plead with you not to wait.  I plead with you not go to this awful place, this place of torment, this eternal place, this place called hell.

Do not wait for a visitor from the realm of the dead to come and warn you.  Do not wait for a miraculous sign.  Do not wait for an overwhelming feeling.  Do not wait for a better season life, when things settle down.  Do not wait until you’re older; death might sneak up on you sooner than you think.  Do not wait on anything for any reason whatsoever, but listen and take heed today to the remedy for hell that the Bible holds out to you; the cross of Jesus Christ.

Conclusion: It’s almost ironic that the rich man requested that someone rise from the dead to warn his brothers not to come to hell.  For if they would simply have read the Bible, Old Testament and New, they would have discovered that their salvation lay in the one who would rise from the dead.

Friends, the truth is today that someone has already risen from the dead to deliver you from this awful place called hell.  There has already been a resurrection; even the resurrection of the Son of God, Jesus Christ.  He has returned from the dead.  Hundreds of people saw him with their own eyes, touched him with their hands, and heard him with their own ears.  And they passionately gave their testimony to thousands of others, many of them willing to lay down their lives to testify to the truth that Jesus Christ the Son of God died for sin and rose for eternal life.

And so for 2,000 years, from generation to generation, the gospel message has come to you and me today.  And this gospel, this good news, rests on the foundational truth that after the Son of God had given his life as a sacrifice for sin, he rose up again from the dead in order to save all who will believer in him.

You know the name of the poor man in our parable is Lazarus and

the name Lazarus literally means “One whom God has helped.” Jesus presumable could have given this man any name, but he gave him this name; Lazarus, “one whom God has helped.”  Friends, we can not escape our sin, our death, our hell, on our own.  We all need the help of God and God has given us that help in the person of his own Son, through his death and resurrection.

Will you receive this help from God today?  Will you believe on Jesus Christ as your own Savior, your own Redeemer, your own Lord?

[2] Leon Morris, Tyndale NT Commentary, page 278.

• We will leave the church at 5:30pm
• Andy will be taking the students ages 6th grade and up
• Parents that come may bring children of all ages
• Parents may want to drive their own vehicles, since the Youth will be staying till nearly 10pm.

(Please plan to eat before you come, or bring money for concessions)

Featuring:

• corn-maze
• playground
• corn-cob cannon
• gift shop
• Barn loft and swing
• Private bonfire for our church group.
• Concessions with hot-dogs, nachos, hot chocolate, and other snacks,
• “haunted” Hay-rides starting at 8pm;
• (The Corn-maze will begin to be “haunted” starting at 8pm, but open for non-scary roaming until then)

Cost:

• Hayride alone – $6 (per ride)
• Corn-maze alone – $9 (for unlimited, repeated wandering)
• Unlimited corn-maze and hayride – $12
• (Bring extra money if you want to take advantage of the concessions or the Corn-cob cannon.)

Remember to dress warmly!

I’d like to speak for a few minutes about 2 passages of Scripture, and show: 1) how they fit together, and 2) why something that might make us sad, is actually really good news.

This message arose out of 3 factors:

1. Mike’s sermon series on marriage, and his emphasis, which I believe is the correct emphasis, that Marriage is a picture of Christ and the Church.
2. Thinking about a conversion I had with my father 8 years ago soon after my mother passed away from cancer.
3. Knowing that as Mike was preaching on marriage, many of you were sitting in the pew alone, having lost your husband or wife.

My hope and prayer is that this message will be a comfort and encouragement to those of you who 1) have either lost a spouse, or 2) who may lose a spouse in the near future, or 3) who like me, hopes to have many more years with their spouse, but knows that one day, one of us will have to bury the other one.

I Believe that Theology, when we understand it, is a great comfort to us, because it tells us how the world really is.  And the times we don’t feel comforted are often the times when we either don’t understand, or simply don’t believe the Good News that God has given to us.  There is a saying that some people are too heavenly minded to be any earthly good. I don’t believe there is anyone that fits that description.  It seems from the Bible that the more our minds are on things above, the more good we will be here on earth.

So what I’m going to do is briefly look at 2 passages of Scripture that speak on marriage, and hopefully show how something that seems like bad news is actually great news.

Mark 12:18-27, and Ephesians 5:31-32

Biblical Passages

Mk 12:18-27 -

23) In the resurrection, when they rise again, whose wife will she be?

25) …when they rise from the dead, they neither marry nor are given in marriage, but are like angels in heaven.

Jesus also said in Matthew 19:6 “What therefore God has joined together, let not man separate.”

-Marriage is a work of God.

-Only God has the right to end marriage…in death.

So… Since my mother passed away 8 years ago, After 20+ years of marriage.  If My Father remarries, He will not be a bigamist in heaven, nor will he be married to My Mother in heaven.   God formed the Marriage, and God within his rights, chose to end it.

The Other Passage, which we looked at with Pastor Mike:

Ephesians 5:31-32 ”Therefore a man shall leave his father and mother and hold fast to his wife, and the two shall become one flesh. – This mystery is profound, and I am saying that it refers to Christ and the church.

Now you can’t say this too often.  You cannot say too often that marriage is a model of Christ and the church.”

-I’m Glad that Pastor Mike emphasized this, because saying that lifts marriage out of the sitcom, soap-opera sewer and elevates it into the bright, clear sky of God’s glory, where it was meant to be.

Now Paul is not using Christ and the Church as an illustration of Marriage. He is not Saying, “Marriage is a great truth, and I need to find some metaphor or picture I can use to show how important Marriage is…  I know, it’s kind of like Christ and the church.

(As if he could have used anything…2 peas in a pod…PB & J… Christ and the Church)

That’s exactly Backwards!  He is saying, The great reality is Christ and the church, and Marriage points to that greater reality.

Putting the Verses Together:

Jesus and Paul are letting us in on something here…The purpose of human marriage is temporary. But it points to something eternal: Christ and the church. And when this age is over, it will vanish into the superior reality to which it points. Marriage exists most importantly to display the covenant-keeping love of Christ for his Bride, the Church.

This means that those Christians who remain single, or who become

single through divorce, or through the death of a spouse, are not missing

out on the most ultimate blessing in life.  They are part of Christ’s

eternal covenant with his Church.

When we are single, we can display:

1. That relationships in Christ are more permanent, and more precious, than  relationships in families (and, of course, it is wonderful when relationships in families are also relationships in Christ; but we know that is often not the case); I am first and foremost the Bride of Christ; and secondarily the Husband of Mandy.

2. That marriage is temporary, and finally gives way to the relationship to which it was pointing all along: Christ and the church-the way a picture is no longer needed when you see face to face.

So… Marriage, on earth, is Temporary.  Is that good news or Bad news?

It was 8 years ago in June that my mother passed away from cancer, at the age of 45.  And seeing my Father’s devotion and love and care for her during that time taught me a lot about how to love my wife.

Soon after she passed away, my dad was talking to me and said something that he may not have wanted to think about, but knew was true:  He knew what Jesus had said in Mark 12, and he knew that in heaven, He would not be married to my mom.  That part of his life was over.  And he realized that many people who lose a spouse don’t want to think about that.

I mean, this is not the first bit of wisdom and comfort you give to someone whose wife has just died… “You know you won’t be married in heaven, right?”

I think the reason we don’t want to think about that, is that many people don’t realize or don’t really believe that our eternal union with Christ will be infinitely more satisfying than even the best Marriage here on earth.

If my greatest comfort in the death of my spouse is the hope that “I’ll get to see her in heaven one day,” I’m missing the point.  Jesus says there will not be marriage in heaven.  We may well recognize our friends and family in the new creation, but (1) we will know them primarily as other members of the body of Christ, who have been ransomed by the blood of Christ; and (2) the focus will not be on our human relationships, but on Christ, who is himself the great reward of heaven.

It is similar to those who ask questions like: “will there be golf in heaven, or football, or chocolate.”  The answer is it won’t matter, because Jesus will be there.

In a time of deepest loss, my dad’s comfort was, and had to be, that God had something better.  God takes our loved ones from us, but He gives us an eternity in which hour after hour, year after year with HIM will be filled with joy and satisfaction greater than the best moments of marriage.

Conclusion:

So…The truth that Marriage is temporary and points to something greater and more real gives us true comfort in times of grief.   So that “We do not grieve as those who have no hope” Those who have lost the best thing they ever had… we haven’t.  We haven’t lost Jesus.

But the Truth tests us too… I recently attended a wedding in which part of the vows was that the Bride and Groom promised to Love God more than their spouse, and put Him First.  That’s a really hard promise to keep, especially if we think our earthly happiness is all that matters.

I Cor. 13:12 For now we see in a mirror dimly, but then face to face. Now I know in part; then I shall know fully…

Now we can experience joy in marriage, but in the resurrection, the imperfect shadow gives way to perfection. Marriage is a pointer toward the glory of Christ and the church. And in the resurrection the picture vanishes into the true reality.

So I’ve been married a little over one year, and I know that I have a ton to learn about marriage.  But I also know that neither of us are going to live forever…and I’ve told Mandy that I hope she goes first.  (and you understand what I mean when I say that…I don’t want her to have to bury me.)   I know that if God takes her from me, It will be a short time until I will be with Christ, and that God can make Mandy much more happy and satisfied than I could ever make her.

When this life is gone and it’s our time,

And we go where there’s no tears;

We will thank God for the years,

And then we’ll see…

That We were just a picture

Of the glory that’s to be,

When Jesus takes his perfect bride

For all eternity…

…It’s quite a pretty picture,  in my opinion, but its still a picture.  The best is yet to come.

Prayer:

II Cor. 4:16-18 “So we do not lose heart. Though our outer self is wasting away, our inner self is being renewed day by day. For this light momentary affliction is preparing for us an eternal weight of glory beyond all comparison, as we look not to the things that are seen but to the things that are unseen. For the things that are seen are transient, but the things that are unseen are eternal.”

Adults to Creation Museum – April 23rd

Gideon’s Speaker – April 27^th

Blood Drive – April 29^th

Women’s Conference – May 3rd

Widow’s Luncheon – May 10^th

Final Recess – May 14th

Senior Adult Cook-out – May 22^nd

FUTURE EVENTS

Family Bible School – June 23rd-27th

Youth to Highland Lakes – Week of
July 28^th – August 1st

Mission Week –August 3^rd – 6th

Family Bible School crafts dept. is in need of baby food jars with lids for a fun, exciting craft for one of the nights during the June 23-27 sessions! Please see Donna Carl if you have questions and if you can donate these items!! We always appreciate your support of VBS–now FBS!!!!

The Membership Matters class will begin again Wednesday, April 2nd. We will meet weekly at 5:15pm on Wednesday evenings in the choir room. If you are interested in learning more about becoming a member of Calvary Baptist please join us as we study Membership Matters together.

ANNIE ARMSTRONG

We Have Reached Our Goal!!!! Thank you to everyone who gave.

MARK YOUR CALENDARS for Family Bible School 2008–June 23-27 6:00pm

Fellowship of the Rings will be having Dinner & Bowling on April 12th at 6:00pm. We will meet at Bello’s Pizza for dinner and then go to Ten Pin Alley. Get a sitter and leave the kids at home! Sign up at the Welcome Center.

2008 Calvary Baptist Church Women’s Conference is May 3rd. If you would like to host a table please see Christy Stewart or sign up at the Welcome Center.

Practical Outreach will be having a Breakfast Blitz on April 20th at 9:00am during Sunday school. We will be delivering breakfast goodies, a smile and good word along with a CBC contact card with “no strings attached”. Practical Outreach will provide all the donuts, muffins & drinks-just meet us in the fellowship hall at 9:00am! It is such a great time & great way to…spread God’s love in a practical way!

There will be a Lasagna Dinner on Sunday, April 20th immediately following the morning service. All proceeds, minus the cost of expenses, will go to Relay For Life. The menu is lasagna, salad, bread & dessert (there will be hot dogs & chips for the kids).

BLOOD DRIVE

The blood drive has been rescheduled for Tuesday, April 29th from 3-7pm. If you are able to donate please make plans to come. Also, if you would like to sign up for a specific time please call the church office at 273-2289.

We need 45 dozen cookies for the “End of the Month” meal on February 23rd. If you are able to donate cookies please sign up at the Welcome Center and make sure to have them to the church no later than noon on Friday, Feb. 22nd.

Ryker’s Ridge Baptist in combination with Choices for Women is offering babysitting on Valentines day for any couple that would like to make a donation to the Choices for Women Resource Center. If you are interested please pick up a pink paper with all the information at the Welcome Center.

2008 Relay for Life is June 20th & 21st. If you would like to be part of the team this year please sign up at the Welcome Center or let Jerry or Sharon know.

SENIOR ADULTS: We are planning a trip to the Creation Museum on Feb. 20th leaving at 9:00am. We will receive 50% off the ticket price to get in so if you are interested please be here promptly at 9am. The cost for the ticket will be $7.49/each.

CPR CLASS: Please sign up at the Welcome Center if you are interested in taking the CPR class that will be on Saturday, March 8th in the morning. More info will be provided depending on how many sign up for the class.

Join us on Mondays &/or Thursdays at 7:00 for an hour of exercise here at the church. We workout, laugh and have a great time. Call Kathy Fory, Sharon Meier or Michelle Stewart for more info.

The basketball team will play this Monday night at 8:50 pm.

We received a total of $1,540.36 for Lottie Moon last Sunday at the chili cook-off and dessert auction. Great Job!!

We will be having Nurses Appreciation Baskets. Please bring in healthy food to encourage the wellness program they are participating in. If you are able to please sign up on the poster at the Welcome Center. We will assemble the baskets and deliver them on Feb. 26th. Please wait until Feb. 24th to bring in the food so it will be fresh when they receive it.

Senior Trip to the Creation Museum – Feb. 20th 9:00am

Senior Adults to Jewel House – Feb. 21st

Blood Drive – Feb. 21st from 3-7pm

Women’s Study – Feb. 21st at 7pm

New Member Presentation (tentative) – Feb. 24th in evening worship service

Men’s Prayer Breakfast – Mar. 1st at 7:30am

Game Night (tentative) – Mar. 1st

Annie Armstrong “Week of Prayer” – Mar. 2nd through the 8th

The “Day of Prayer for Spiritual Awakening” is on Mar. 5th

CPR Class (tentative) – Mar 8th

Baptist Association Meeting – New Date!! Mar. 17th at 7pm

Holy Week Celebration – Mar 16th through 22nd