Friday, January 28, 2011

What I said on Sunday: Second Adam

What I said on Sunday: Second Adam

Second Adam

First Adam
We choose Leonaro's Vitruvian Man as our image for our "Fully Alive" series. We like the idea of adding an image of what we consider the perfect man in relation to nature. I studied art history in college so for me it was very difficult to censor one of our most recognized classical works. But, this is church, the guy is gonna need a fig leaf. The perfection in proportion with Vitruvian Man could not of compared to Adams perfection.



Adam and Eve were perfect and created to:
  1. Commune like God, God created them to be in communion (as he was with him self), create, and rule. Genesis 1: 27 So God created mankind in his own image in the image of God he created them; male and female he created them. 
  2. To Work  We were made to work.   Genesis 2:15 The LORD God took the man and put him in the Garden of Eden to work it and take care of it. Work is not a result of the fall, yet it's not quite right because the after the fall it it toil by the sweat of our brow. We are dealing with the spirit of entitlement (poor think they deserve something for nothing, rich think that they are entitle to break the rules and religious think that they are entitled to Gods blessings because they have been good)
  3. Made for relationship Genesis 2:18 The LORD God said, “It is not good for the man to be alone... 
This is our purpose (now there is more).

Second Adam
Jesus is referred to as the second Adam and He too was perfection, perfection in every way. The image below is a mosaic in the Church of the Holy Sepulcher depicting the feet of Jesus on the cross and Adams skull.
Jesus was created to (made incarnate) to:
  1. Reconcile us to the big God, to a loving father, to our creator, to the creator of everything. Romans 5:10 For if, while we were God’s enemies, we were reconciled to him through the death of his Son, how much more, having been reconciled, shall we be saved through his life!
  2. Atone Paid the price for our sins, took our place and took the punishment. It was free gift, a true sacrifice. This is the definition and means of righteousness. Romans 3:25 God presented Christ as a sacrifice of atonement,[i] through the shedding of his blood—to be received by faith. He did this to demonstrate his righteousness, because in his forbearance he had left the sins committed beforehand unpunished—
  3. Justify Just as if it (the fall) had never happened. Romans 5:1 Therefore, since we have been justified through faith, we[a] have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ, 2 through whom we have gained access by faith into this grace in which we now stand.
US
We have to get back to pre fall Adam and we can do it because Jesus made it possible. But it is our choice. If we truly choose to believe in faith then there are some things we must take care of.
  1. Mind Because of the Atonement and His righteousness which is now our righteousness we should desire to have the mind of Christ. To think what he thinks, to begin to feel how he feels. To think of the things of His Kingdom and not of this world (you have to give to get, the first will be last, you have to die to live, compassion for the poor). Romans 12:2 Do not conform to the pattern of this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind. Then you will be able to test and approve what God’s will is—his good, pleasing and perfect will.
  2. Body We can't ignore our bodies as if they are not a part of our spiritual life. The body is not bad, but the desires of the flesh is what keeps us from getting close to God. We embarrassed the Prism class just not because we want you to be a skinny happy Christians, we want you to grow closer to God
  3. Soul Feed your soul. I Prayer that Sunday's will be your day of rest with God, you can come into this house, into his presence and rejuvenate our soul.
We need to strive to live how we were originally designed. First of all to communicate with God and do what he does, act how he acts. Second we have to work.

This idea of Fully Alive isn't some cute slogan that we thought up in a brain storming session. It is Prophetic, it is God's word to you, and I believe that it is specifically for this family. A specific vision where Creekers are known to be "different" "Alive". While everyone else is drifting through life like a ghosts Creekers are taped into something all together different. There is a zest and love for life that is palpable, there is a love for people that is authentic and there is a love for God that is real.

Saturday, January 22, 2011

David's song of Praise: 2 Samuel 22

How did you do this week?  Were ya "signing the Blues"? or were you signing praises to God?
Were you "praising god...or where you "thinking evil"?
Did you make a home for praise? Or did you forget that God inhabits the Praises of his people?
Could you tune out the noise this week (neighbors, work, politics, self) and could you "tune in" God? (Could you do it during worship just now?) Praise gives God a chance to speak.
Has your spiritual health increased this week? Praise in spiritual health made audible.
Have you seen the kingdom of God made manifest his week? Praise is the bridge from this kingdom to His.
Praise is honest. Praise unites. True praise make all worshipers equal. Praise gets us closer to God, feeling distant?  Have you praised God this week?, have you praised other, have you praised your self???
Praise the reaches the inside of the Temple releases God's awesome power.

Every revival, every outporing of the Spirit, every massive move of God that has transformed people, communities, sociteis and cultures has started with praise in song. Early Christians would sign praise songs in the colosum as they were about to be devored by wild animals.
During the Reformation, Martin Luther to bar song and changed the lyrics to praise. The Great Awaking used music to teach the people right theoplogy and most receltly the Charismaci movement of the 60's and our own tradiont of the Vineyard worship style. Small little house churches sing Vineyard songs. We are instucted by God to "sing a new song"psalms 149. It is our secret weapon.



Open your Bibles to 2 Samuel 22,  (Also see Psalms 18) we are going to camp out here. This is David's a song of praise for deliverance.

I want to look at three areas of praise:
  • Praise that reaches the temple: Read vs 1-22 The power of God through praise. How do we get that power? David is our model. The Power that we have available to us is unthinkable. So why wouldn't we want to praise him.


  • Praise People?
 Ran an estate sale last week were a crusty old WWII Vet bugged me and told me that Christianity was "God damn *#it and that I was an idiot for believing it. So how do I one of the "greatest generation" to come to the Lord? I celebrated his service to me. He warmed up a little. David had the ability to praise and celbrate his enemeys from Saul to Saul slain son. He prasied those whom God annointed even though they had fallen from Grace.

  • Praise Yourself? Beat yourself up this week?

Read v 21-25.
David was not a good guy. He lusted and sined with Bathsheba and when he could not cover up his sin he had her husband murdered. He had a nice little harem. He got angry at god when god smoked his friend. He was a terrible father whose own son rebelled against him. He would be disqualified from ministry if he lived by our standards, yet he is celbrated in THIS BOOK as a man after God's own heart.
 He lead a tragic life, yet it was still victorious.

Either David is lying, delusional or he sees himself as God sees him and has excepted that the Lord is is Rock and Savior.

David's heart for praise, his ability to SING a new song puts him into a depper relationship with God, praise puts him into the realized PRESENCE of God, it moved him from that dark mean world to an understanding of his glory. Chapter 23 David says " The Spirit of the Lord Spoke through me: and Is not my House right with God"? His songs of praise where eternal tapping into God so deep that they were also prophetic. Turn to Luke chapter 1:68 (give history) v 19 " I am Gabriel. I stand in the presence of God. Jesus was all over this, He was inside of David's praise, He was the center of David's praise and David didn't know it on a a conscious level.

And David never stopped praising, at the end of his life when the pain of failure where numb and he was filthy rich, with honor and power He had this unending desire to build God a house. So he wrote His "Thanksgiving Prayer" 1 Chronicles 29:v9. He could have been a mean  bitter crotchety old man, but he choose to be a man of Thankfulness and Praise. Call the band and ushers and welcome the habit of worship and giving (give in faith expecting a return) Holy Spirit in this House...Who are we praising now? Jesus...


2 Sam: 24. If you have trouble with this verse lets talk. I had issues with it, it's one of those that make you go,"hmmm?'
http://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=2%20samuel%2024&version=MSG