Why You Want A Church That If Necessary Will Kick You Out

Pastor Vermon Pierre - Sept. 30, 2012 from Roosevelt Church on Vimeo.

How Much Do You Care? video

Pastor Vermon Pierre - Sept. 23, 2012 from Roosevelt Church on Vimeo.

"The Bold Church" video

Pastor Vermon Pierre - Sept. 9, 2012 from Roosevelt Church on Vimeo.

Thoughts from the Sermon, “The God Who Gives Generously”

Thoughts from the Sermon, “The God Who Gives Generously”

by Vermon Pierre, Lead Pastor

1. Americans increasingly spend more on themselves. This is noted especially well in the book, Passing the Plate, by Christian Smith and Michael Emerson:

“Generally, between 1959 and 2000, while the financial giving by American Christians was declining (today it’s around 1-3%), the personal consumption expenditures of Americans increased for eating out in restaurants, toys, sports supplies, live entertainments, foreign and domestic travel by U.S. residents, lottery tickets, casino gambling, photography, sports and recreation camps, and other entertainment expenses.”

2. Our culture teaches an ethic of” mine.” We believe we are better off holding on tight to whatever we can get. God wants to lead us to a better ethic, an ethic marked by generous giving.

3. Becoming a generous giver begins with understanding that God owns everything (Ps 24:1-2, Ps 89:11-12, Rom 11:36). To say that God owns everything is to also say that God owns us. The human race comes from God, owes its existence to God, and as such belongs to God.

4. Amazingly, while we human beings came into this world with nothing, everything was given to us (Gen 1:28-30). God graciously appointed us stewards over the whole world inviting us to live in it and enjoy it under his authority and care.

5. Unfortunately we rejected God’s gracious gift. We believed the lie that God was somehow not generous enough and so we reached out and grabbed for ourselves. The result was spiritual bondage. The things of life that we could have enjoyed as God’s gracious gift to us have now been perverted and become our masters. We have become enslaved to things like money, sex, power, fame, relationship.

6. God however continued to show gracious generosity towards us. He gave to us yet again by giving the ultimate gift, the gift of his only Son Jesus (John 3:16). There is not greater gift than this. Our rejection of God’s gifts have brought ruin and frustration to human existence. But God giving us the gift of his Son Jesus has turned around our ruin and frustration and brought us life (Rom 5:15, 17).

7. By trusting in God and receiving in humble faith the gift of his Son, we end up gaining everything again (Rom 8:32). This is remarkably freeing, since if God has promised to give everything to us, we can generously give of our time, talents, resources, and money knowing that whatever we give we never actually lose. It will come back to us, and it will come back to us in a way far more satisfying than if we had kept it for ourselves. Thus, we can give money away knowing it will come back to us in kids being educated and healthy. We can give talents and time away knowing it come back to us in lives being saved and people being built up in our their faith. What will you give up so that it can come back to you better and bless you more and give you more joy than if you had kept it the whole time for yourself?

Ancient Quotes on Crucifxion

Ancient Quotes on Crucifixion

by Vermon Pierre, Lead Pastor

One of the best books I read as part of my study for “The Cross! The Cross!” sermon series in 1 Corinthians was Crucifixion by Martin Hengel. Hengel gives a number of quotes from ancient times that help convey how people viewed the crucifixion and in particular what they thought about the idea of a crucified God (hint: they didn’t think too highly of it!). Here are some of those quotes:

"They say that our madness consists in the fact that we put a crucified man in second place after the unchangeable and eternal God, the Creator of the world.”

- Justin Martyr describing the offense caused by the Christian message.

“To say that their ceremonies centre on a man put to death for his crime and on the fatal wood of the cross is to assign to these abandoned wretches sanctuaries which are appropriate to them and the kind of worship they deserve.”

- from Minucius Felix’s dialogue Octavius

"Let her continue as she pleases, persisting in her vain delusions, and lamenting in song a god who died in delusions, who was condemned by judges whose verdict was just, and executed in the prime of life by the worst of deaths, a death bound with iron."

- an oracle of Apollo recorded by Porphyry, given in answer to a man’s question about what he could do to dissuade his wife from Christian belief.

"To say ‘pleasure’ is gentle on the ears, but to say ‘cross’ is harsh. The harshness of the latter word matches the pain brought on by the cross."

- Varro, a contemporary of Cicero, on the offensive word crux

"Can anyone be found who would prefer wasting away in pain dying limb by limb, or letting out his life drop by drop, rather than expiring once for all? Can any man be found willing to be fastened to the accursed tree, long sickly, already deformed, swelling with ugly weals on shoulders and chest, and drawing the breath of life amid long-drawn-out agony? He would have many excuses for dying even before mounting the cross."

- ancient description of the gradual death of victims of crucifixion 

Reddit Andrews sermon about the Christian artist

Below is a link from the Roots conference. Really good stuff! Enjoy!

If the link doesn't work, try copying it.

http://soundandpound.org/files/Reddit_Andrews_III-The_Citizenship_of_the_Christian_Artist.mp3

Pass it on...

Psalm 91: Safe and Secure [sermon audio]

Safe and Secure [sermon audio]

• Date: Sunday, August 14, 2011
• Speaker: Vermon Pierre
• Series: Worship the Lord: A Series in the Psalms
• Scripture: Psalms 91
• LINK HERE
• DOWNLOAD HERE
  

Thoughts from the Sermon, “Death Beats Money (Every Single Time)” Psalm 49

Thoughts from the Sermon, “Death Beats Money (Every Single Time)” Psalm 49

by Vermon Pierre, Lead Pastor

1. Life is uncertain and difficult, full of occasions where you might be manipulated or taken advantage of in some way. Given this reality many look to wealth as the way to ensure that they will be safe and secure. Indeed, having “an abundance of…riches” (Ps 49:5) is for many the key to life.

2. Psalm 49 however tells us that wealth is not the key to life because wealth can’t even guarantee the perpetuity of even your own life much less anyone else’s life. It doesn’t matter how much money or power or fame you have, no one can ensure that their life will go on forever. Eventually we face death and death beats money every single time. This is true for every single person on earth, no matter who they are.

3. It is utter folly then to put your confidence in wealth. Or, for that matter, any of the things that our world identifies as being most significant and important for establishing yourself in this life. Death ultimately swallows up all our best efforts to build up our name and our bank accounts. Death is a powerful guardian to the next life; the glory and power and wealth of this world cannot get by death no matter your best attempts.

4. The only people who won’t be swallowed up by death are the upright, or the righteous. Rather than be conquered by death they will rule even in the midst of death (Psalm 49:14). How do we become part of the righteous? Our only hope is to look to the only one who can beat death – the Lord God. Only he can ransom a soul from the power of death (Psalm 49:15). Indeed God secured souls from the power of death definitively through his one and only Son Jesus. Jesus lived the one perfect righteous life and made the one perfect righteous sacrifice that was good enough to secure eternal life for any who would trust no longer in their own power and wealth but solely in Jesus. Through Jesus we are made righteous so that rather than lose our lives to the power of death we gain them forever. By faith we must believe that Jesus died for us and then was raised for us so that he might give eternal life to us.

5. Believers must reject the false reality of this world. We should not live in fear and anxiety about what we have or don’t have. Those are the false standards of this world, and living by them will only give us false security and false confidence. We will be no better than the common animal (Ps 49:20). Instead we must understand rightly. We must embrace the deeper true reality that is eternal life gained by faith in Jesus Christ. This means that rather than be ruled by fear or anxiety over money we are content whether or not we have money. This means that rather than be obsessed with being successful we live in joy whether or not we have success in this life. This means having boundless confidence and hope, because we understand fully that we have the eternal inheritance that will never perish, spoil, or fade. 

How to Listen to a Sermon [Backpack Radio]

How to Listen to a Sermon [07/03/2011]:

The Backpack pastors discuss an issue internal to the church - how to listen to a sermon. Reference: Listen Up - A Practical Guide to Listening to Sermons by Christopher Ash.

Run Time: 42:55
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Thoughts from the Sermon, “The First Temptation” Genesis 3:1-7

Thoughts from the Sermon, “The First Temptation” Genesis 3:1-7

by Vermon Pierre, Lead Pastor

1. The original origin of every temptation is spiritual attack.

There are spiritual forces opposed to God all around us, the chief of them being Satan. He was the one behind the first attack against mankind and he and his demonic forces continue to use the powerful weapon of temptation to attack mankind.

2. The beginning of every temptation is a lie.

What makes temptation so insidiously powerful is that it almost always comes to us as a lie with a few truths mixed in. The demonic forces want us to accept a reality apart from God and downplay the consequences for us accepting this reality.

3. The hook behind every temptation is desire

Temptation encourages us to let our desires go out of control. We let them become obsessions that we must satisfy, even if they go against God’s word. These obsessive desires can never be fully satisfied; they demand more and more from us all the while slowly emaciating our souls.

With Eve we see her crave to have a certain experience of pleasure (Gen 3:6 “the tree was good for food…it was a delight to the eyes”) and to achieve a better status in life than the one she currently had (Gen 3:6 “the tree was to be desired to make one wise”). Unfortunately she gave in to her cravings. Adam soon followed her in her sin. And the consequences for this were devastating for them and indeed for all humanity.

4. The only one who beat every temptation is Jesus

Jesus is the new man, the second Adam, who faced every temptation but defeated them all so that through him we also can defeat temptation. We can now with confidence come to God and receive all the grace we need to beat back and even overcome every temptation we face (Hebrews 4:14-16).

The fundamental key to this is building a life that is characterized by a simple, no reservation commitment to Christ (2 Corinthians 11:3). We must strip away all our excuses and dedicate ourselves to following Jesus and obeying his commands above all things, knowing that real joy and peace can only be found through him.

Thoughts from the Sermon, “The Glory of God Through the Severity of Judgment” Habakkuk 2:5-20

Thoughts from the Sermon, “The Glory of God Through the Severity of Judgment” Habakkuk 2:5-20

by Vermon Pierre, Lead Pastor

1. God shows his full awareness of Babylon’s sin in this passage and his intention to judge them accordingly. God’s judgment will be severe but fair. God is a righteous judge will always judge unrighteousness. He does this so that he alone, and not anyone else, will be glorified throughout the earth (Hab 2:14).

2. Babylon will be judged for the following categories of sin. Eventually all who are guilty of these kinds of sins will be judged by God. For the most part all of these sins involve Babylon taking advantage of others for their own benefit.

            1. Extortion and theft (Hab 2:6-8)

            2. Exploitation and pride (Hab 2:9-11)

            3. Oppression and violence (Hab 2:12-14)

            4. Humiliation and destruction (Hab 2:15-17)

            5. Idolatry (Hab 2:18-20)

3. No person will be able to stand guiltless before God when judgment comes, for ultimately all people have sinned against him and fallen short of this glory (Rom 3:23). Thankfully this righteous God was also willing to show grace and mercy. We see this grace and mercy in the person of Jesus. In Jesus God himself comes down into rebellious sinful humanity. And in Jesus we see God stolen from, exploited, oppressed by others, violated, abused, humiliated, and eventually destroyed on a cross. Jesus was victimized in all these ways so that he might be in position to drink the cup of judgment that we should have had to drink. Jesus is killed so that he could be the divine Savior to all those who leave behind their own selfishness and pride and idolatry and place their faith and trust in him.

4. We should be judged. But instead we are saved through faith in God’s work for us at the cross. In response we now live our lives for God’s glory. Indeed, we were saved out of judgment for his glory. 1 Thessalonians 2:12 – “We exhorted each one of you and encouraged you and charged you to walk in a manner worthy of God, who calls you into his own kingdom and glory.”

Thoughts from the Sermon, “The Promise of Joy and Peace in Christ” John 16:16-33

Thoughts from the Sermon, “The Promise of Joy and Peace in Christ” John 16:16-33

by Vermon Pierre, Lead Pastor

1. We all will face and have faced difficult times in our lives. No one is immune from dealing with trial, suffering, and pain. Many times our response to trouble is one of sorrow, fear, despair and even cowardice. We retreat into ourselves. We either fail to do what we should do or we do the things we shouldn’t do, things which aren’t ultimately helpful for us but that we do nonetheless in order to somehow deal with our situation.

2. There can be a different response to our trials. Rather than running away from difficulties we can lean into them, meeting them with joy and peace and confidence.

3. How do we make this transition? By the resurrection of Jesus. Jesus promises his disciples that because they will see him, their sadness will turn to joy. Indeed, because Jesus has conquered sin and death in his resurrection, we who believe him can find peace in him.

4. What believers gain because of the risen Jesus is a transformed life. It means having a joy that no one can take away (John 16:22). It means never being alone because we have a permanent relationship with God as our Father. We can speak to him and know that he will hear us and answer.

5. Being a Christian does not mean life gets easier. Believing in and following Jesus will mean some unique difficulties and hardships. Jesus never promises that we will be saved out of trouble (“In the world you will have tribulation” John 16:33). What he does promise is that in the midst of trouble we will be able to act differently. We can rest in his peace, respond to trouble with joy, and know that ultimately we will overcome all our troubles through him and the victory he has already secured by virtue of his resurrection.

6. “This is the great departure of Christianity from every other religious faith. It does not simply set out an ideal or a moral code; it offers a means of achieving it. Christianity is the offer of God to live in his followers and achieve in them the victory demonstrated in his Son Jesus Christ. And in that indwelling, an indescribable peace will be ours despite the fury and foment of the world around us.” Gary Burge, John: The NIV Application Commentary

7. “For everyone who has been born of God overcomes the world. And this is the victory that has overcome the world—our faith. ⁵ Who is it that overcomes the world except the one who believes that Jesus is the Son of God?” 1 John 5:4

Thoughts from the Sermon, “Love through Obedience” John 14:15-31

Thoughts from the Sermon, “Love through Obedience” John 14:15-31

by Vermon Pierre, Lead Pastor

1. God is not pursuing a casual friendship with us. He’s not looking to date us and then try things about by living together. God is pursuing a committed relationship with us.

2. A committed relationship with God brings with it certain obligations. Central to these obligations is obedience to Jesus (John 14:14, 21, 23). Jesus makes it clear – we can’t truly love him, and thus can’t truly love God, apart from keeping his commandments. As Leslie Newbigin put it, “Obedience is the test of love, love is the content of obedience.”

3. Jesus promises that we will receive two tremendous gifts as part of our committed relationship with God.

  

    a. The gift of the Holy Spirit (John 14:16-20, 26) 

    The Holy Spirit is the person of God resides within us. He ensures that God is always with
    us, ready to encourage us, strengthen us, and guide us in all situations. He is “the Spirit
    of truth” who reveals God’s truthto us and helps us remain faithful to God’s truth.

   b. The gift of peace (John 14:27) 

   Jesus will give us a peace that gives us a sense of composure and confidence even in
   the midst of trouble and conflict. His peace helps us to maintain unity with other believers.

   

4. And so, our committed relationship begins ultimately with God, since he must move towards us through Jesus Christ in order that we might be in relationship with him. Our relationship will develop and grow by the grace of God as he gifts us with his Spirit and peace and as we obey him in love.  

Thoughts on the Sermon, “God is Gracious - So We Do Not Have to Prove Ourselves” Ephesians 2:1-10

Thoughts on the Sermon, “God is Gracious - So We Do Not Have to Prove Ourselves” Ephesians 2:1-10    

by Vermon Pierre, Lead Pastor

1. People try to prove their lives matter in all sorts of ways. Some try to do it through family. Others through their achievements. Others through their relationships. Still others through religion or doing lots of “good things.” In all these cases what we are trying to do is show that our lives have significance and worth. Unfortunately our efforts tend to lead to stress, anxiousness, guilt, shame, and bitterness as we try to hold on to the things we think will show our lives have meaning or try to attain the things we think will give our lives meaning.

2. The fact that God is gracious frees us from the lifelong campaign to prove ourselves. God’s grace means we can have God’s approval, which means having eternal significance and worth.

3. To fully receive the grace of God in your life you must first accept that you have no power on your own to prove yourself to anyone. The reality of sin means that our lives are shackled to emptiness and meaningless. This sinful reality is shown in how we deny the greatness of God, try to be glorious over against God, and seek to replace the goodness of God with ugliness and evil. We are given to self-proving, self-seeking, and self-glorifying – all of which puts us in opposition to God and facing a rightful judgment from God.

4. The answer to our sinful situation is the grace of God. God shows great love and mercy towards us through the death of his Son, not because of anything we’ve done or could have done but because God was pleased to be abundantly loving and kind to an underserving people. God’s grace totally transforms us. By his grace we were who dead in sin are now made alive in Jesus. By his grace we are placed in Jesus forever, where we found ourselves remade, restored, and raised up to his level. This new position lifts us out of our sins and frees us to know, enjoy, and live for God.

5. God’s grace is demonstrated by God’s saving us out of our sinful deadness and also giving us the faith to receive this very salvation. Truly then, everything about who the Christian is now is a function of the grace of God.

6. Having been saved by the grace of God through Jesus we now are to live out the grace of God through Jesus. This means the following:

  

a. All boasting is eliminated

There is no need to prove ourselves to anyone. There is no need to perform or feel we need to earn approval in order to justify our existence. We have been forever justified and approved by God.

b. Self-esteem is firmly established

We have been given an identity in Jesus Christ. Since Jesus is perfect and unchanging and is ruling in heaven, we who have been placed in Christ are established and secure. We have been "created in Christ”(v.10) which means that when the cosmos looks upon us all it sees is Christ.

c. Good deeds can be done

God’s grace prepares us and releases us to act in good ways and to do good things in this world. This good comes out of being created anew in Christ, which gives the good things we do a divine quality and meaning. It means we that the good we do now is God’s good, done in Christ, not for our glory (which is transient and blesses us primarily) but for God’s glory is eternal and blesses everyone who experiences it).

And so we have experienced the grace of God can now be abundantly gracious to the people who’ve hurt us and who we’ve hurt. We can be abundantly gracious to the people who’ve neglected us and who we’ve neglected. We can be abundantly gracious to the people we have trouble getting along with or who frustrate us. We can do all these things and more, because of the grace of God in our lives through Jesus.