Spring Valley Congregational Church Podcast

People worship is something that many Christians do and do very well. It’s a subtle thing and is for certain a recipe for disappointment. There is a reason why God does not share worship with anything or anyone because He is the only one who deserves our worship and will never disappoint.

After eighteen years of ministry I have found this true; if you really want to get a congregation (or Christians in general) upset with you then start messing with their unchecked traditions. Try moving the sacred cows in the sanctuary or even question why a church does what it does and the claws will come out. Unfortunately I learned this lesson the hard way.

Do you look to your possessions for our significance and security or can you find significance and security COMPLETELY in Christ and the work he has accomplished for you? Does your stuff define who you are? Are you so consumed with what you own, where you live, and what others think of you that you dedicate your whole life gathering, protecting and hoarding for yourself all you have acquired?

Morals and Performance: One of the pits many Christians fall into is the belief that since they are Bible believing Christians (and the Bible clearly prohibits idolatry) that they are immune to idolatry in their lives. This is in fact not true as many of us do in fact have idols of the heart and we just haven’t realized they are idols. Martin Luther wrote, “Whatever your heart truly clings to and confides in, that is really your god.”

What is Christian Idolatry? What do you think of when I mention idolatry? How do we modern humans view idolatry? I think we may respond in one of two ways… Many of us probably get a mental picture of ancient or primitive humanity carving graven images, statues or effigies and bowing down before them and offering sacrifices of humans, children or animals. Or maybe a less archaic may look at is as some object, possession or person (money, power, sex, and relationships) in one’s life that has completely consumed someone and has in fact become a slave to it/them.

The Purpose - John 30-31 - Everyone has a purpose in doing what they do. For the Apostle John writing this Gospel account has a purpose. Not only is it an account on the life of Jesus but it is a Holy Spirit inspired account of the life, death and resurrection of Jesus and its impact they had on the world.

The Appearances - John 20:10-29 - Jesus appears to the disciples and relieves Thomas' doubts.

The Resurrection - John 20:1 -10 - A dead Jesus in a tomb is not good news. A risen Jesus who has ascended to the Father is Good News. In these remaining chapters we see the disciples will finally get the purpose behind all that has happened up to this point. They will see that indeed this story does have a happy ending and it ultimately ends as any good and satisfying story does, “And they lived (or will live) happily ever after (in this life and in the life thereafter).”

The Crucifixion - John 19 - As we near the end of our series we rejoice in the fact that the story does not end here. This account is gruesome, brutal, and somewhat tragic but altogether necessary. The death of Jesus Christ establishes God’s new covenant of grace, atonement and redemption with humanity.

The King - John 18:19 - 40 - Jesus in this scenario is brought into the High Priest’s Court for questioning by the man himself. Note this is not a legal or official trial instead it is more like a police interrogation.

The Arrest - John 18:1-18 - . We find ourselves in the part of the Gospel account of John where this is the moment Jesus had been preparing for since he first came to this world. Here Jesus is confronted by the band of soldiers who has been brought to the garden by Judas, the captain and officers of the Chief Priests and the Pharisees. This is the moment Jesus has been moving towards in his ministry. What lies before him is the cup which the Father has given to him to drink and we see Jesus takes this cup and endures it because this is the moment he came for.

The Prayer - John 17 - We get a glimpse into the prayer life of Jesus. This is an intimate moment in which John was witness and he in turn shares with us this prayer where Jesus prays for himself, the disciples and for the Church (those who will believe).

The Overcomer: John 16 - Through sorrow and pain Jesus overcame the world. Since Jesus overcame the world we too may experience joy, peace and victory in our times of turmoil and suffering in our lives today.

The Hatred: John 15:18 - 14:4- It doesn’t take much convincing to see that Christianity is never really put in a positive light in the media and in a lot of social circles. You may have heard Christians referred to as narrow-minded, bigots, hate mongers, hypocrites, extremists, the moral police, judgmental, and a whole slew of other negative names. Why is this so? Well, unfortunately because there are so many professing Christians that actually are one or many of the above. But the root of the cause is and always will be because of who we represent and are associated with.

The True Vine - John 15:1 - 11- As followers of Jesus we must continually, daily, abide or remain in Him. As believers we have the great joy of being connected to the savior and as a result we must bear fruit. The fruit bearing love for others, obedience to Jesus’ commands, joy in Jesus, and faith in Christ.

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