Flushing Community Church of the Nazarene
Located at 9500 W. Pierson Road, Flushing Michigan • Summer Worship services at 10am
"We desire to experience the transforming love of God and share it with others."
Use the hashtag #FCCsummerplaylist if you post on Facebook or Twitter. Using social media spreads the impact of what God is doing in our service this morning throughout your friendships!
MUSIC is influential...
:: Music sells stuff!
:: It helps us be more productive.
:: It helps children learn.
:: It helps us heal.
MUSIC affects our minds and our bodies.
MUSIC can isolate us... or bring us together.
MUSIC sets the stage for what we are experiencing
To help "set the stage" or reflect what we are feeling or experiencing, we have PLAYLISTS!
:: Workout
:: Study
:: Dancing
:: Parties
:: Romance
:: Motivation
:: Christmas
:: Worship
:: ...etc.
Do you have a playlist for your life?
What is on your playlist? Who is choosing the messaging?
A Mighty Fortress
By Christy Nockels, Nathan Nockels
Our God is a consuming fire,
A burning holy Flame with glory and freedom.
Our God is the only righteous judge,
Ruling over us with kindness and wisdom.
We will keep our eyes on You.
We will keep our eyes on You.
A mighty fortress is our God,
A sacred refuge is Your Name.
Your Kingdom is unshakable,
With You forever we will reign.
Our God is jealous for His own.
None could comprehend His love and His mercy.
Our God is exalted on His throne,
High above the heavens, forever He's worthy.
We will keep our eyes on You.
We will keep our eyes on You.
We will keep our eyes on You.
We will keep our eyes on You.
So we can set our hearts on You.
Lord we will set our hearts on You!
Our God is a Consuming Fire.
From Exodus 19(NIV)
The Lord said to Moses, “I am going to come to you in a dense cloud, so that the people will hear me speaking with you and will always put their trust in you.”
“Go to the people and consecrate them today and tomorrow. Have them wash their clothes and be ready by the third day, because on that day the Lord will come down on Mount Sinai in the sight of all the people. Put limits for the people around the mountain and tell them, ‘Be careful that you do not approach the mountain or touch the foot of it. Whoever touches the mountain is to be put to death. ... No person or animal shall be permitted to live.’ Only when the ram’s horn sounds a long blast may they approach the mountain.”
On the morning of the third day there was thunder and lightning, with a thick cloud over the mountain, and a very loud trumpet blast. Everyone in the camp trembled. Then Moses led the people out of the camp to meet with God, and they stood at the foot of the mountain. Mount Sinai was covered with smoke, because the Lord descended on it in fire. The smoke billowed up from it like smoke from a furnace, and the whole mountain trembled violently. As the sound of the trumpet grew louder and louder, Moses spoke and the voice of God answered him.
Ex. 24:17 (NIV)
To the Israelites the glory of the Lord looked like a consuming fire on top of the mountain.
Our God is jealous for his own.
We don't usually think of "jealousy" as a good thing.
Jealousy is usually associated with:
:: a petty form of envy
:: a clutching, anxious, domineering frame of mind
Orthodox Christianity, or that which the Church holds as normal Christian belief, believes that:
:: God is all-knowing
:: God is all-powerful
:: God is all-good.
Humanity is infected with:
:: Insecurity
:: Suspicion
:: Selfishness
These things poison our "human jealousy," but God is not susceptible to these things.
God is jealous for us, notof us.
God's jealousy is a pure, holy love born out of a desire for an exclusive, deep relationship with us... like a marriage.
God doesn't tolerate IDOLATRY - "dating around" with other gods.
Deuteronomy 4:22b-24 (The Message)
[Moses]... I am going to die here. I’m not crossing the Jordan. But you will cross; you’ll possess the good land. So stay alert. Don’t for a minute forget the covenant which God, your God, made with you. And don’t take up with any carved images, no forms of any kind—God, your God, issued clear commands on that. God, your God, is not to be trifled with—he’s a consuming fire, a jealous God.
The covenant God made with his people at Mt. Sinai was to be an exclusive relationship.
His “jealous” attribute reflects his desire to protect and preserve his relationship with his people.
It's about idolatry. IDOLS.
Worshipping something else other than God.... or even something else alongside God.
“You shall have no other gods before me”
Your kingdom is unshakable.
The context of Hebrews 12:
:: 100s of years have passed
:: Israel was conquered/exiled because of idolatry.
:: Ruled by the Babylonians, Assyrians... now the Romans.
:: Jesus has already been born, crucified, resurrected and ascended.
:: Pentecost has happened.
:: The New Testament church was growing.
:: They were also being persecuted for their faith.
These early Christians were:
:: Discouraged
:: Struggling
:: Wondering if it's worth it
:: If the Kingdom of God is really going to be victorious
Have you ever felt this way??
The writer of Hebrews takes them on a journey of remembrance...
:: where they've come from
:: what Jesus has accomplished
...and encourages them to stay faithful.
Because JESUS is COMING BACK!
Hebrews 12:18-19, 21-29 (NLT)
You have not come to a physical mountain, to a place of flaming fire, darkness, gloom, and whirlwind, as the Israelites did at Mount Sinai. For they heard an awesome trumpet blast and a voice so terrible that they begged God to stop speaking.
Moses himself was so frightened at the sight that he said, “I am terrified and trembling.”
No, you have come to Mount Zion, to the city of the living God, the heavenly Jerusalem, and to countless thousands of angels in a joyful gathering. You have come to the assembly of God’s firstborn children, whose names are written in heaven. You have come to God himself, who is the judge over all things. You have come to the spirits of the righteous ones in heaven who have now been made perfect. You have come to Jesus, the one who mediates the new covenant between God and people, and to the sprinkled blood, which speaks of forgiveness instead of crying out for vengeance like the blood of Abel.
Be careful that you do not refuse to listen to the One who is speaking. For if the people of Israel did not escape when they refused to listen to Moses, the earthly messenger, we will certainly not escape if we reject the One who speaks to us from heaven!
When God spoke from Mount Sinai his voice shook the earth, but now he makes another promise: “Once again I will shake not only the earth but the heavens also.”
This means that all of creation will be shaken and removed, so that only unshakable things will remain. Since we are receiving a Kingdom that is unshakable, let us be thankful and please God by worshiping him with holy fear and awe. For our God is a [consuming] fire.
Mt. Sinai – a physical mountain
Mt. Zion – an actual physical hill in Jerusalem, BUT here it represents:
:: a spiritual city
:: a spiritual kingdom
:: all that Christians hope for in the resurrection life
The writer of Hebrews lays the old covenant next to the new to help us see the startling difference between the two.
We see the fear of Sinai (Old Covenant) contrasted with the joy of Zion (New Covenant).
What about the "shaking?"
Haggai 2:6 NLT
Hebrews 12:27-29(The Message)
[This] means a thorough housecleaning, getting rid of all the historical and religious junk so that the unshakable essentials stand clear and uncluttered. Do you see what we’ve got? An unshakable kingdom! And do you see how thankful we must be? Not only thankful, but brimming with worship, deeply reverent before God. For God is not an indifferent bystander. He’s actively cleaning house, torching all that needs to burn, and he won’t quit until it’s all cleansed.
As disciples of Jesus, we are citizens of the Kingdom of God!
BUT, as his disciples, we live in the tension of the already/not yet.
:: We are already citizens...
:: But his Kingdom is not here yet!
I chose this song because it is HOPE-filled.
It points us to God.
It's encouraging and uplifting.
We are surrounded by people with NO HOPE.
WE have the message of HOPE!!
:: We are not left alone.
:: A day of reckoning IS coming.
:: Evil, injustice & oppression will be dealt with.
[Theology 101: God can't be "good" if He does not deal with evil.]
Our God is GOOD.
:: He is holy, righteous, powerful and awesome.
:: He loves us.
:: He longs for us.
SPOILER ALERT:
Being a Christian doesn’t mean your life is going to be perfect, that you’re going to be rich and that nothing bad is ever going to happen.
That's just bad theology.
The difference for Christians is ...
:: We are NOT ALONE.
:: We are not WITHOUT HOPE....
The difference is found in keeping our eyes on Jesus.
Hebrews 12:1-3 NLT
John 16:33 NIV
WHERE is your HOPE?
Today's Takeaway:
What CONSUMES your mind CONTROLS your life.
Jesus isn’t “a hope”.... Jesus is our only HOPE.
Consider this for personal reflection this week ...
> How influential is music in your life? What do you listen to the most?
> Do you have a "life playlist?" Who is choosing the messaging?
> Are you living with in a "playlist" of HOPE?
> Who do you need to share the message of HOPE with?