Singleness: Sanctification Without Sex

Ballard Campus 10-09-11 Pastor Phil & Jen Schmidt
Tags:

An Event at Mars Hill Ballard after the 7:15PM Sunday Service for all the single people.  Emphasis: look to Christ and trust in his plan for you.

Singleness: Sanctification Without Sex
God agres witn me or I agree with God
+Repentance looks like me releasing my own view of singleness in favor of God

You are not a couple unless you are married

Considerations for Singleness
(1) - Gift - a great gift from God
How do I view my singleness? I enjoy it and often look to my selfish desires of being self-centered.
Jesus engages the Samaratian in conversation trying to break her view of singleness as a broken gift, he
James says every good and perfect gift come from God, Singleness is that good gift
(2) - Stewardship
How am I stewarding my singleness? I fail daily to live a life that all about Jesus.  I get wrapped up in selfishness.
PMD says that Chirstians veer towards either dependence or independence
Growing in Godly Character
+Responsibility - How do I lead myself?
+Submissive - How do I recieve correction; am I in community
+trustworthiness - Am I a man of my word?
+Perseverance - What happens when life gets difficult
+Plans - How do I steward my day (time), money, and reputation?
+Committment - Do I follow through?
+Service - How am I loving ad serving other people?
+Purity - Does my life show a lve for Jesus or a love for Sex?
+Honor - How Do I treat God's Daghters?
+Humility - Can I admit when I am wrong?
Mrs Schmidt - For the Ladies...
(1) Who is She?
+Does She identify herself with her Job, her sexuality, her independence...
+What is revealed about how she handles her money and her time?
(2) What Does She Love?

(3)What Controls Her?
+Emotion, Circumstances, independence, chronic desire for a husband...

Ladies like labels (sources of identity)

A.W. Tozer "What you think about God is the most important thing about you"
1 Cor 1 - Identity is the most important thing about you

Mrs. Schmidt talks to the ladies in a way that really emphasizes the Love of the Father and the Love of Jesus...When Speaking to women, they respond and are compelled by this message...weird I respond to rebuke and seeing jesus not a love giver but as Lecrae says, "Thug Jesus" from Rev.
Developing Godly Character
+Is she Submissive to Jesus?
+Is she obsessed in getting to the next life stage, the next mission that God
+Prayer - How does she pray, what does this reveal about her view of God?
+Repent - Is this a lifestyle for her? Is is frequent and specific?
+Honest - Does she bear her heart and soul to trusted others?

Purity: The Pursuit of Sexual Purity is not a life-threatening condition?
+this is a worship issue NOT an abstinence issue
God's will is that I guard my heart, my sexuality, my treatment of my brothers and sisters.
Sex was made a a gift to enjoy in marriage
I am to treat women as my sisters and mothers
Men and women are image bearers NOT objects
Porn and fantasy - escape from facing reality objectifies men and women.
Jesus promises to cleanse us from sexual sin and deliver us from our idols.

Expectation
Anticipation of a spouse is not a sin - Have an open hand with her
Demanding a spouse is a sin
+Dating a non-Christian - Result of demanding
+Cohabitation - Result of demanding
++There is a higher rate of divorce among cohabitators than non
+Cultural dating - This will prepare me for divorce
+Sexual Sin
+Setting the bar too low / too high for a spouse
+Fear of Committment
+Destract myself with my job and my service
Submission for both men and women is the heart of Jesus - "you Will be done"
+Spurgeon said - The Father knows what to give and what to withhold

Questions and Answers
How can I practice self sacrifice while single?
+Look at my week, where does my time go?
+How is my sexuality being stewarded?
+How is my money being stewarded?
Is there a happy medium between "Cultural dating" and dating one person to get married?
+I want my kids to date and marry one person - Pastor Phil
+Knowing people in community is what you need to do, then there will be people to vouch for her character.
What are some legit reasons to postpone dating? When will you know it is time?
+Am I mature in jesus? - Not really. There is so much I freaking stuff I don't know.
+Is my idea of a good time playing video games?
+Ask mature people around me if I am ready to date

Will my past sexual sin affect my future marriage?
+Yes, there will be consequences
+PMD says 20 years to get to imtimacy if she was abused or was sexually active prior to marriage.
+Perfect live castes out fear.
+Sactification is learnign to trust the truth that I am fully forgiven and justified by Jesus' work.

Cohabitation without Sex?
+God calls men and women to become one in all of life
++Emotionally, Spiritually, Physically
++There is no committment at all in cohabitation
+Intimacy is built in many ways beyond sexuality

Man Security Team Training

Pastor Bubba                           Ballard Church                           9/18/2011

This Training was at Mars Hill Church Ballard for members of the security team.  I am still in Mars' backup security group so I get to attend. Thanks Steve for letting me know. Thanks Bubba for teaching

At this life stage I need to focus on building deep deep convictions that will stand all of life's violence
Bubba honored Bill and Julia Simmonds' amazing 40th wedding anniversary and dedication
Men are to speak in a way that brings life - the Very words of God
Image bearers - Genesis 2 - value comes from God - IDENTITY
This applies to CCRP
Job Description

1. Be fruitful and Multiply - Build Legacy
2. Subdue Creation - Build Culture - How does my gifting and "plate size" fit into where God puts me
3. Have Dominion - Steward all that God gives me well, rule in a way that speaks the character of God

My Goal in marriage, fatherhood, Job, and ministry needs to be to cultivate people and creation

Parenting

Cultivating the heart of kids, they need structure and to be under authority, Goal is to cultivate their heart toward God

The man was created first, he names the woman, and "the woman was made for the man, not the woman for the man"

+This all implies heirarchy

+He is responsible for her and must take good care of her other wise 1Peter 3:7b applies to him

+He is to steward his wife and his kids

+He is to be the humble leader of his family

The Goal is Marriage is oneness

Fall - How the Perfect system is Marred

Satan engages the woman, he disrespects the heirarchy

Eve is persuaded - sin looks good and she now "needs" it

Adam fails to to protect his wife by being passive

+Not embrace who God has called me to be is a horrible evil

Result of their sin is shame

Man Curse - all of your Job Description will suck because it is now toil

God says because you listened to eve and Satan you are cursed, you should have led

Bottom Line - Follow God and Love People

The Parable of the Fig Tree

Ballard Campus 8-21-11 Pastor Tim Smith
Tags: Grace
Luke 21:29-38
The Parable of the Fig Tree

Portland
8 groups up and running
20-30 groups by January
Need a new biblical families pastor

Sermon

This is it, Jesus is only a day or two away from his execution
Jesus' words are increasing in urgency and force - A strong challenge to live in light of these strong realities
+To live in light of the return of the King
+What is at the front of my mind day in and day out, what consumes my attention?
++My desire to control my little part of creation.  This is shown in my PP/OP/CC, my mental and physical protocols, my lists, my plans, my sleeplessness, my nails, my meals, my blogs
Jesus has already said that the kingdom is already here and yet still is to come fully in Jesus' second coming
The Father is so kind that he uses even us to expand his Kingdom in our own little spheres
A Tough Verse
Which generation? All of which things will be completed before a generation passes away?
Can my three pound (really it's only like 2.4 pounds, My Cranium is pretty small) brain really get the heavens into it
Possible interpretations
+There will be a future generation that will experience all of Rev's craziness and it all be accomplished in one generation
+The generation of sin, rebellion, and evil against God will not pass away (no utopia is possible) before Thug Jesus returns and ends it
+
Dissipation means that your might miss the coming because you are hungover
Don't let that day come on you
+It will come like a trap catcihing an animal who will certainly die - very strong image

Do I live a life focused on whatever is right in front of me? Is a potential relationship appearing soo much bigger than God's Kingdom? The project of the house? Are the details of my life dwarfing my Kingdom focus?  God Help me. I can't please you by planning and focusing on perfecting my little universe.  You already love me fully in your Grace. Help me glimpse you Kingdom, be caught in the image of it and live this life until the wheels fall off.
The danger is real, if I live for the pleasures of this life I will miss Jesus, I will not live in Joy, I will drown in the anxiety of this world which is passing away.
Don't get lost in the tyranny of life.
Jesus' Last Days
Jesus is razor focused on his mission
So with only a few days to live he goes out camping on the Mount of Olives to be alone with his Father, he didn't let the cares and details and demands of his life instead he focused on the Father's Kingdom and the Father's Will.
Observations from this text
Jesus' Work is all that is needed to live happily in his kingdom. I can't do anything to earn God's favor I already have it
1 - Pray so that my independence is broken down; with God's violence in my soul breaking down my walls my attempts to build my own kingdom are ruined gloriously
+Prayer is a declaration of war on my independence, a declaration of was on self-importance, a declaration of war on my focus on the details of this world, a declaration of war on my anxiety, a declaration of war on the frantic pace of life (which I love), A declaration of war on works based righteousness, a declaration of war on cynicism and unbelief
2 - Worship the giver rather than his gifts - Romans talk of worshiping the good things that become God-things making them bad things
3 - Steward everthing for the Kingdom - My stuff, talents, and time are all God's possesions, these things are not mine
+My identity is not based on my roles of gifts, I am image-bearing disciple maker who was created to worship God not to obsess over all the detail of life - Everything I have been given is to be used to make disciples and bringing glory to him
4 - Anticipate his return with a sense of urgency
+Do I believe the lies yelled at me by this world (Just wait to tell that guy about Jesus,
.....

Children Under Jesus

Ballard Campus 5-15-11 Pastor Mark Driscoll

Tags: Parenting, Children, Daddy

Luke 18:15-17

Children Under Jesus

Sheparding a Child's Heat by Tripp

Jesus Storybook Bible

Long Story Short - 10 min devotionals

Billy Graham comes to the Marriott Hotel and PM gets to meet him...and ruin his quiet breakfast

Jesus here is like Santa Claus at the Mall

Roman treatment of Children

Abortion

Abandonment

Exposure for baby Girls who were not seen as valuable as sons

These babies would be picked up as sex slaves or gladiators

Rome was just like US today - 1.5 million will be aborted

30-60% depending on community go to sleep without a father

every 10 seconds there is a report of Child abuse

Jesus' take on Kids

He bestows particular dignity on kids

He was a little boy himself after all

Kids can relate to Jesus because he was a kid

Jesus as a single man who is not a father and he likes kids and kids like him

Single men are the least likely demographic to hang out with kids

It is a masculine manly thing to enjoy little kids and to love and serve them

Gideon says they liked him and they wanted to be with him because he was Fun

One of Jesus' divine attributes is being FUN

Alexie I think they liked him because he was fun and wanted to be taught by him

Gideon said that the adults didn't think that Jesus should "waste" time on kids

Lie: spending quality time is more important that quantity of time.

You never know when the quality time will surface, so you need to be ready by spending a lot of time with the kids

Alexie said that the adults thoughts the children would be disruptive

Zack said that the adults didn't think that the kids were as important as the adults

Loving women well and loving and serving children in a noble way is the cause I must be about

Children at Mars Hill

The Parents are responsible before God to raise and train their kids in the fear of the lord

Institutions cannot replace the involvement of the parents

Community Groups are set up with families all together so that Mars is driven not by programming by rather as a family

Chrissie C. is Mars HIll's awesome teacher who will be writting and publishing Mars' Kid's Bible and content

There will be a series of age appropriate video lessons

We get to teach kids and we can learn from them

Entering the kingdom as a Child of God:

Kids implicitly believe they're dad's words

Kids approach their father for anything

Kids rely on their father for provision and protection

Kids live in their father's kingdom

Kids carry the name of their dad

Kids are objects of thefather's love

Kids are a glorious inconvenience

I tend to not see myself as a little kids who needs his dad to take care of him