23 Seconds of Horror

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Have you seen the new Volvo auto brake system? It is probably one of the greatest practical inventions of mankind since the invention of the internal combustion engine. Who hasn't driven when there is a sudden stop ahead of you that you don't notice instantly? You hit the brakes and hope for the best. This new system is supposed to take the guesswork out of braking...well, most of the time. The video I've included is the result of asking the automobile magazine writers to watch the test of the system before it was actually ready. It was 23 seconds of horror for the Volvo designers.
Let's think about our lives, we often place ourselves on "auto-pilot" and think everything is going along fine and then...BLAM! We hit a stopped semi trailer that we should have seen coming. It hurts...really bad. As God's people who have been re-created for His plan and purpose, He has helped us avoid these collisions in life. The problem is, we must choose to live life engaged and not on auto-pilot. When we are feeling unwanted by those around us, we can start to feel sorry for ourselves, but we have nothing to be sorry for. We have actually missed terrible collisions in life that have only one purpose, destruction.

1 Peter 1:18-22 lets us in on these destroyers (which is one of the names for satan himself, apollyon. I refuse to capitalize his name).

1. Emptiness (1 Peter 1:18a)
Having been redeemed, we are filled with God. No longer is there a God shaped vacuum in us. We have Him. "Realize the fulness of Christ, and the emptiness of the universe without Him." (Colossians 2:9)

2. Greediness (1 Peter 1:18b-19)

Our lives are no longer built on stuff; it's "not with perishable things like silver or gold." A life built on that which perishes, "silver and gold" is wasted. There is nothing fun about greed. It is never satisfied. Always hungering for more and never giving back anything in this life. Ever seen American Pickers? Those people they go to see build barns to hold stuff that they could never use. It sits, rots, and collects dust. They even have a hard time selling it to the guys who know people that can use it. Rick Warren recently said this "All my possessions are just tools for fulfilling God's purposes. I either given them away or use them on that sole basis." Can you say that? If not your auto-pilot is set on greed.

3. Hopelessness (1 Peter 1:20-21)
We are so tied up in our stuff and our way of doing things that we confuse who and what to place our hope in. Jeremiah understood this when He wrote, "It's hopeless. We will continue to follow our plans" (Jeremiah 18:12).
Our hope is in a God who loves us so much that He was willing to give His Son to sacrifice His life for us. Doesn't that give you hope? There is a future with Him. He does have a plan for you. That is why we can run to Him for refuge when feeling unwanted and like life is without hope...God is our future.

Finally, we avoid a collision with...
4. Lovelessness (1 Peter 1:22)
We get what is called "sincere love". Love is not love when it is not sincere. When there is real truth, there will be true love. So much of what passes for love today is little more than "like" at best and "lust" at its worst. Love can can only be based on what God says about love. That is true love. It is the kind of love, as MacArthur tells us, "responds to a command." He goes on to say, "Only those who have been purified (saved) have this capacity to love like this. Exhibited by meeting others at the point of their need." (MacArthur New Testament Commentary, 1 Peter 1:22). Sincere love for others will develop a sincere love for you. It's never about what you can get out of a relationship that matters, it's what you put into it that makes it sincere.

I am so glad God has clearly designed you and me to avoid these kinds of collisions in life. It's time we fill ourselves with God, give ourselves to others, and love as only God can. Then maybe being unwanted won't matter as much any more.

Thinking 'Bout Oceanside

• Wasn't it a wonderful thing to hear the air conditioning running and feel the cool air when you walked in Sunday morning? The air might have been cool, but God's presence was warm. Thank you Charlotte for your testimony about God's goodness in your life. Thanks to you who were open and receptive to God's Spirit as you responded to Him. Oceanside is the best place for Sunday morning...hands down! Let's keep inviting people to join us..every single week.

• Be sure to lend us a hand this Sunday night at Seagull Apartments as we have a block party to demonstrate sincere love for the people in our neighborhood. No matter what you can do, you are needed. Be there at 5:00 p.m. this Sunday night, August 28th. Let's show them Jesus!

• A new night of worship for the next generation. Beginning in September, Oceanside will begin offering an alternative worship service on Saturday night to open our doors to new people who might not be able to make it on Sunday morning or could even be looking for a different style of worship. The message will be the same, but we will provide a new atmosphere to welcome new people who need to hear the truth and hear the Gospel. Be in prayer as we develop this time of worship for the next generation.

Collision avoidance on,

Pastor Trey Rhodes

It's All about What You Have

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Possessions are a good thing. Most of us like to have stuff. The problem comes in when we like stuff more than people and our Lord. Note that Jesus never said that money is the root of all evil. He said the love of money is the root of all evil. So, there is to be a balance in most of our lives. I think one philosopher once said, we are to love people and use things; we should never love things and use people. Whether we are keeping up with the Jones's or keeping up with our mortgage payments, we can all fall into the trap of working to get, so we can work, so we can get, so we can work...and the vicious cycle goes on. I have to ask...is that what life is all about?

Yet, there are some incredible things that every Christ-follower possesses. Not because we deserve it or worked for it, but because our God gave each of these wonderful, luxurious items that help us make it in a world where we can feel unwanted. What are these incredible gifts? Let's go to 1 Peter 1:8-12.

The first luxury item
1. We Are Given the Opportunity to Worship Jesus, 1 Peter 1:8-9
You love Him, though you have not seen Him. And though not seeing Him now, you believe in Him and rejoice with inexpressible and glorious joy, because you are receiving the goal of your faith, the salvation of your souls
To us, we think of worship as a time and place we go to church. But it is so much more. It is experiencing God. When we worship God, there is a connect that creates in us a passion and pleasure found only in God. It is true love and pure joy.
We should relish every moment we can spend time worshipping our Lord and God. When you truly worship Him, you will never be the same.

The second luxury item
2. We Are Given the Full Understanding of Christ, 1 Peter 1:10-12a
Concerning this salvation, the prophets who prophesied about the grace that would come to you searched and carefully investigated. They inquired into what time or what circumstances the Spirit of Christ within them was indicating when He testified in advance to the messianic sufferings and the glories that would follow. It was revealed to them that they were not serving themselves but you.
The prophets longed to know what you can be fully aware of. What they saw in their prophecies were the mountain peaks. We see all of Jesus and know who He is and what He did. That is a gift that so many longed for for so many years. Now that is available to you. We know all that God wanted us to know about His Son, Jesus. We know it because it is in that wonderful, supernatural book, the Bible.

Are you getting to know the God of the Bible? Take time to study this week. Use a pen or pencil. Jot down what you are learning or what God is saying to you. Some of you use the margins of your Bible. Some of you use a journal. Whatever you use, write it down. Another simple way to study is to use the cross references your Bible has built into it. Study is how we can begin to understand what God is up to. That is something the prophets tried to do, but we never successful at. That kind of knowledge is yours for the reaping.

The third luxury item
3. We are Given More Access than the Angels, 1 Peter 1:12a
These things have now been announced to you through those who preached the gospel to you by the Holy Spirit sent from heaven. Angels desire to look into these things.
Doesn't say that the angels will look into these things...but that they want to. We have access directly to the Father because the Son lives in us. The angels cannot boast that kind of privilege, therefore they cannot have that kind of access. The Psalmist wrote that were created a little lower than the angels. However, that was 1000 years before the resurrection of Jesus. We have more than even the angels have. They long to know and experience what we have been freely given. 1 Corinthians 4:9 tells us, "We have become a spectacle to the world and to angels." They can only experience redemption through what they see in us.

Our access to God is made possible through the Son living in us. Avail yourself of that kind of incredible access to God as you boldly approach His throne. Pray this week to your heavenly Father. He so wants you to access Him. He is available to you.

You see, through Jesus Christ, we are not only aware of these things. We possess and are possessed by these things. That's what you as a Christ-follower have. Lay hold of all that God has given you.


Thinkin' 'Bout Oceanside

-I am excited about the upcoming block party at Seagull. How can you best be involved? We need greeters, people that will head up games, people that can sign up our guests, chefs, and anyone who has a servant's heart. We want those people to see Jesus flowing through us. That will be Sunday, August 28th at 6:30 p.m.

-How is your child doing? How are you doing with your child? John Rosemond can help you with "Parenting by the Book". That book is the Bible, and it works. Our child rearing seminar will be Saturday, September 24th. You need this if you have children, toddlers, babies, teens, or grandchildren. Registration is now open. See Kelly Rhodes for more information.

-Your giving continues to be wonderful. This Sunday, we are making a card reader available for your convenience. Because so many of you use debit cards rather than checks, you have asked about the possibility. All you need do is swipe your card, type in the amount of money you would like to give, and sign your name. No registration necessary. In moments, you will have given to your Lord and His church all using this wonderful technology.

Living in His luxury,

Pastor Trey Rhodes

Unmoving

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Our perception of God drives the way we respond to God. For instance, if we think of God as a God of wrath that is ready to slam us, we will avoid him and try and undermine Him and His work in our life. But if we see God as our God of love and care and grace, then we will want to be with Him and hear from him and trust him. The good news is, we now know what God is like and He is like Jesus. God never changes. The Bible tells us "Jesus Christ is the same yesterday, today, and forever." Hebrews 13:8. He is the author of our belief and the sustainer of our belief. It is in Him that our faith is completed. He is the One whom we can boldly approach, the forgiver of our sins, the healer of our ills, and the One who saves us from eternal judgment that we so deserve. THIS IS OUR GOD!

Here's what we do (and I say we, because I mean me). We rely on:
1) Things - usually, this is money. Big mistake! Have you noticed what our money and investments are doing right now?

2) a Person - like a spouse or a good friend. What happens when they find someone else or move away or have other interests?

3) a Plan - like getting married, or getting a great job, or finishing our education. Have those plans ever changed for you?

The problem is that I truly expect these things to prop up my life, but they can't. Good plans are just not enough. It's not that our friend doesn't want to be there for us or that good things aren't, well, good. It's just that they can't do what we are asking of them. They change and falter and often disappoint. 

So, what do we do? We trust in the One who never changes. That means we:

• Trust God that your past is forgiven.

That's why the Bible assures us: "If we confess our sins, He is faithful and righteous to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness." 1 John 1:9 (HCSB) You might be saying right now, but pastor, you have no idea what I've done in my life. I can't forget what I did. I committed adultery, disappointed my family, worshipped at the throne of the almighty dollar, and hurt the people I loved the most. Today, let's draw a line in the sand and say, with God's help I'm going to get past it. God has forgiven me and I have to accept His forgiveness.

• Trust God with your current difficulty

God wants to give you rest from the pounding you've been taking. Jesus reminds us, "Come to Me, all of you who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest." Matthew 11:28 (HCSB). Whatever is going on in your life right now, you need to give it to God. Honestly, you might not even see Him at work in your life, but He is there. Remember this: God is most powerfully PRESENT even when He seems to be most apparently ABSENT.


So here's what it comes down to, are you going to trust in God's identity or in God's activity. Trusting God's identity gives us stability. Trusting God's activity causes us anxiety. Today, decide to trust who God is, not what He does for you.

• Trust God with your future plans.

What would I do if I was absolutely confident that God was with me? With your life? Your marriage? Your dating life? Your finances? What would you do?

One of the greatest distractions for God's purpose in our life is for Satan to begin to to make us believe that God is not with us. Think about it, what could we do for God if we really understood that God is with us.

Why would that make such a difference in how we live and exist? Because our faith would not be molded and shaped by our circumstances, but by our identity that God is with us and He is faithful and trustworthy.

This understanding alone makes for great power when we choose to believe God is with us and we choose to be with Him. Over and over again the Bible communicates this though and to God's people. I am with you, will you choose to be with me? Will you?

Thinkin' 'bout Oceanside

Did you sense the presence of God this Sunday in church? Wow, I just didn't want that feeling to stop. The music, especially the invitation was overwhelming. I wish I could bottle the experience and save it for you. But I can't. Please don't miss what God has for you this Sunday. Oceanside is the best place to be any and every Sunday.

God has been faithful this summer. He has provided what we need in so many ways. I want to publicly thank you Lord for being there for us, for supplying our needs, and for sustaining us through what has been a tough time of the year. I trust You!

Lots of good things coming up for you to be involved in:

• Block party on Sunday night, August 28th. We are so good at this ministry that can't wait to see how God uses you! We'll have hot dogs, soft drinks, popcorn, and funnel cakes to eat. We want to have games and give-aways and a super slide for the kids. Any ideas you have would be greatly welcomed.
• Parenting by the book with John Rosemond teaching. We all could use help or a refresher in rearing our children and grandchildren. He's one of the best. Start planning now for this wonderful seminar on Saturday September 24th. Seating is limited. Scholarships are available.

See you this Sunday at Oceanside Church!

Because He is Faithful,
Pastor Trey Rhodes