FREE.CHURCH - FREE CHURCH OAK PARK
FREE.CHURCH - FREE CHURCH OAK PARK
The New Testament Genesis Pt. II // Pastor Chuck Colegrove // December 1st, 2024
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Well, hey, what's up, free Church man? You can do better than that. What's up, free Church man? It's great to see all of you. You look great, you sound great Trust. You had a wonderful Thanksgiving dinner and with family and friends. And once Thanksgiving's over, we just kind of blink and man, this year is going to be gone in a heartbeat. But before it does, god is up to something beautiful in this house, amen. And I want to encourage you invite your family and friends to family Christmas on the 15th we just talked about it in news and then Christmas Eve service 5 pm at Christmas Eve service is going to be so special Traditional sounds and songs of Christmas storytelling with the kids. It's going to be a powerful time and I cannot wait to be able to celebrate this season with you.
Speaker 1:And just before I dive into today's message, I do just want to pause and just reflect and just kind of honor the memory and the service of Detective Alan Reddins, who was killed in the line of duty this past Friday right here in Oak Park. And so we just extend our prayers for his family, for our police officers in this community and throughout the entire region. And I just wanna encourage you, church, that we need to be praying for those first responders. Put that at the top of your prayer list. When we pray for our leaders, when we pray for our pastors and we pray for our first responders amen, church. We need to just lift them up and pray for them and pray for their safety. And we have several officers that are members of our congregation, and so I want all of you to know we're praying for you, the church family's praying for you, for your safety and for your protection and God's peace in your life, to give you a sound mind, a strong approach, and to know that God's with you. He's not against you. Amen, church. Well, listen, I'm ready to preach God's word today. Are you ready to receive it?
Speaker 1:Last week, I started a message entitled Heaven on Earth and I told you a story. Anybody remember it? Me neither. That's the way it goes. That's the way it goes. I know I do remember it was about my basketball years and, for the sake of just diving right in, I'm not going to tell a story today. This will be the first Sunday in 12 years that I've not started with a story, and it's Come on. Revolt, straight out, revolt, all right. The year was. The year was 1995. I was living in Grand Rapids and you've heard this story before, but you made me tell a story so you're going to have to listen and laugh like you heard it never before the year was 1995.
Speaker 1:I was in Grand Rapids selling pagers. You asked for one. This is one of my best ones and in the territory that I oversaw in that city selling pagers to businesses, to sales teams, to technicians and service teams and first responders. I'll never forget there was a period of time where, with my dad driving around as a young kid, we would drive past certain areas of town and my dad he worked at the church full time and he also worked in a job full time early on in his ministry years and they worked as building houses and so we would drive by regions of the area in Grand Rapids and he would point over and he would say I built all those houses right there. I built all those houses, I put the roofs on all those houses over there. I did all those and he would like it would never fail as we were driving through the city and I remember driving through the city as a salesman thinking that's my client, that's my client.
Speaker 1:I would tell Lashana, that's one of my clients. That's one of my clients and one day I was driving past one of the largest corporate offices in our town, one of the corporate offices that has since gone regional in terms of stores. You might shop at Meijer. That was a Grand Rapids store and we loved that store. It was Walmart before there was Walmart.
Speaker 1:And so I was driving past there and I thought, man, how many pagers could I sell that company? It was about seven floors of office space and I thought, man, I could sell a lot of pagers in there. And I went and I would drive by and say that all the time and day I was driving by and the Holy Spirit just nudged me and said you'll never sell one if you don't go through the first, the front door. I thought, man, that's, that's true Holy Spirit. And so I made a left turn and I pulled straight in and I walked into the front and the normal person was not at the desk, so she didn't know the protocol, and I said I want to speak to the sales manager. She said, oh, she's right, and she was walking out the lunch and I met her that day and about three weeks later I'd closed the deal of my largest sale of pagers, and it's the year that I learned that sometimes the Holy Spirit has to get you to do a new thing in order for you to experience the real thing. So why don't you just turn to your neighbor and say it's about to be a new thing in here, and then turn to the other one and just say, hey, it feels like heaven?
Speaker 1:So last week I started this message and remember we talked about the book of Matthew, how Matthew talked and really focused that Jesus is the king. And then I told you how Mark focused that Jesus is the miracle worker. And then we talked about how Luke his main focus was that Jesus is the savior of the world. And then we get to John and John's like Jesus is the word and the word was with God and the word was God and is the word and the word was with God and the word was God and in the beginning was the word. And I told you how John wrote a New Testament, genesis in much of the same structure that the original Genesis was written. There were seven days of creation in the beginning. In the beginning in the book of Genesis and then in the book of John.
Speaker 1:In the beginning, in the beginning in the book of genesis and then in the book of john, in the beginning, to remember that and and we talked through the new order that john was showing jesus would establish. Because, how many know, in the beginning, in the original, in genesis, god planted man in the garden and gave him dominion and power and authority over everything in that garden. But because of the fall of man and it is a fall that has taken residence in all of us the Bible says we're born into iniquity, we're born into sin, that we're born into the state of the first Adam. Because of that fall, that man lost it all. We lost that dominion, we lost that authority, we lost that power. But we didn't lose it forever because God, from the beginning, the lamb slain from the foundation of the world, god had a plan.
Speaker 1:And I want to tell you, church, nothing ever just simply occurs to God. It's not like God walks in or shows up into our situation. He's like oh, I had no idea. I had no idea they would be in this state. I had no idea they would be this far lost. I had no idea they would be in this state. I had no idea they would be this far lost. I had no idea their mind would be turned so far away from me. No, he knew it from the beginning and he had a plan. And so we talked about this new established order. And remember, we went in reverse. We went in reverse and I'm going to just briefly look at my notes from the Bible app. If you have that app, it's good for you to have that app so you can get the notes. If you saw Renee's message this morning, she sent you those notes.
Speaker 1:But just for reference, remember Jesus, the first new order, new Testament, genesis, is that Jesus raises dead things to life. That even though we were dead in our sin, he would raise us to new life. Even though our dreams might be dead, he would raise those dreams within us. Even though our marriage looks like it might be dead, he would raise that marriage to life. Jesus raises dead things to life. The next one Jesus opens the blind eyes.
Speaker 1:I read it in my weekly, my daily Bible reading, this week in the book of Corinthians, and I shared it with you last week that the prince of this world, the God, little g of this world, blinds the eyes of people from seeing and understanding the good news, the gospel of Jesus and Paul tells us we should pray that God would open the eyes of enlightenment or understanding so people could see Jesus. And that's why you could talk to somebody about Jesus. And God would open the eyes of enlightenment or understanding so people could see Jesus. And that's why you could talk to somebody about Jesus and they say I don't get it. And then in the next moment, all of a sudden they had this man. I saw the light. Those who were living in darkness saw a great light.
Speaker 1:And then remember, we went on and we talked about that Jesus has the power over every element, over every spiritual element, every physical element. And Jesus doesn't just. He walks on water, not because the water can hold him up, but because he holds the water in his hands and so he can come into any situation in your life and be in charge of it and in control of it. Is there anything too hard for my God? It. Is there anything too hard for my God? And then we closed on number four, that Jesus broke the curse of not enough. Aren't you thankful that he broke the curse of not enough, that we don't have to live in lack, that we don't have to live underprivileged, that we can live in abundance and overflow and that when we give what we have, he can multiply it and bless it for overflow. So, man, we had a great week last week. It was good. If you weren't here, you should go back and listen to it or watch it youtube or facebook or find the podcast.
Speaker 1:But today I want to continue and close this out. And in the new testament, genesis, as we, that man has actually been at that pool of Bethesda for 38 years. 38 years he's been there and he's watched, because there's something amazing about this place. It's just. It seems like I don't know, but there's a pool of water and the Bible says that once it would come down, the angel would come down and touch the water and, as that water rippled, whoever got to the water first would be healed. I can't explain. I can't explain like the reasoning and the philosophy or the theology of all that, but it's just what the Bible says.
Speaker 1:And when Jesus shows up at the pool of Bethesda, jesus, the one who's establishing a new order, a New Testament, genesis, jesus asked the man would you like to be healed? That's like when Roshanna asked me would you like some banana pudding? There's some things you don't have to pray about, you don't have to think about, you don't have to consider much. When somebody asks you the right question, there is simply one answer yes. But you know what this man did? He answers Jesus this way. He says well, I don't have anyone that will carry me to the water. I have no man, I have no person, I have no community, I have no friend that, once the water is troubled, will get me to the water on time. And every time somebody beats me to the water. So I've never been healed for 38 years.
Speaker 1:And Jesus looks at him and he says well, you know what? Why don't you rise up? Why don't you take your bed and why don't you just walk on straight out of here? There doesn't need to be a troubling of the water because Jesus is here. And that man gets up and walks himself out of that area of the pool of Bethesda and I'm gonna tell you, in that moment Jesus breaks the victim mentality, walks himself out of that area of the pool of Bethesda and I'm gonna tell you, in that moment Jesus breaks the victim mentality.
Speaker 1:And it got me thinking about how often we project into our life what God wants to do and we limit him based on who's in our life or who's not in our life. I don't have a man, I don't have a man, I don't have a person, I don't have a community, I don't have a church, I don't have this, I don't have that. And there is the miracle worker standing in front of you asking do you want to be well? Do you want to be whole? Do you want to be free? Do you want to be well? Do you want to be whole? Do you want to be free? Do you want to be saved? There are some questions. The Savior asked that all you have to say is yes, listen, you're not a victim, you can be the victor. You don't have to live in the state of victim mentality. And I know whatever happened to you. I'm not discounting that it hurt. I'm not discounting that it put you on a path that was different than maybe you thought. But I'm just going to tell you you're going to have to let what's in the past go so that you can walk forward into your new, overcoming life. So he breaks the victim mentality.
Speaker 1:Then, then Jesus is walking down the road in John, chapter four, and he meets a man. And the man says Jesus. My son is sick and Jesus says he's gonna be okay. And in that moment Jesus prophesies the omnipresent power of the Holy Spirit. Because in most cases, jesus had to be in the situation. He had to be in front of the person he had to be in front of this the blind man. He had to be in front of Lazarus. He had to be in front of the person he had to be in front of this the blind man. He had to be in front of Lazarus. He had to be in front of all of these people in order to perform miracles when they believed.
Speaker 1:But in this moment he said listen, if you can just understand, I'm going to prophesy the omnipresent power of the Holy Spirit, that, even though I can't be there, it will be to your advantage that I go away, because I am sending a comforter. I am sending one who will come and direct you, who will guide you, who will comfort you, who will lift you up, who will raise a standard, and I will just say the word and the Holy Spirit will work it and accomplish it for your good man. I felt like that was better, preaching than I got responding. Listen, I, I just need you to know that wherever you are, the Holy Spirit is there. Come on, you can't go too far, that the Holy Spirit won't find you. David said I went high and you were there. I went low and you were there. I went low and you were there. I went to the far right or to the far left and you were there. You've been always there. So good, so good to me.
Speaker 1:Jesus prophesied the omnipresent power of the Holy Spirit, and that just one word there's healing, there's health, there's healing, there's health, there's power, there's strength. And then, finally, two weeks later, we finally get to the very first one. Jesus shows up to Cana. And if you read in the book of John, chapter 2, if you read the story perhaps you read it. This week I gave you that homework assignment, but you probably forgot about it or the dog ate it. And as I'm reading that, I want you to notice that John says that there was a wedding in Cana and the mother of Jesus was there, but he doesn't name her. So let me just spend a little bit of time and unpack this and then we'll get to the new order, the number one new order that Jesus has established.
Speaker 1:But first of all, let me tell you about Cana. Cana, well, let me just say this you know how, in the Bible, when we read about Jesus as he's working miracles and performing ministry and teaching and establishing his kingdom on earth, do you remember what they said about him? They said can anything good come from Nazareth? Well, cana is north of Nazareth and even less esteemed. It's like Cana's the wrong side of the wrong side of the tracks. And not only can nothing good come out of Nazareth, but nobody even talks about Cana. And somehow there's a wedding in Cana and John wants us to know that Mary, the mother of Jesus, is there, and he doesn't name her. But it's Cana.
Speaker 1:And I got to thinking about that and I started to think about how, in this new order that Jesus is establishing, he's setting up for us this idea that it doesn't matter where you're from or if you're named, but he is able, and sometimes who you are and where you're from is a setup for his glory to be performed. Can anything good come from Nazareth? Well, it did. And what about Cana? Oh, it's just going to be the pinpoint, ground zero for the very work of Jesus to begin on this earth, because Jesus will go to the low, forgotten places to establish heaven on earth. And I just want to say, jesus, come Lord, quickly into this place. Let this be the ground zero of a new order of miracles, a new order of testimony, a new order of revival, a new order of outpouring, a new order of rising up, saints rising up for the glory of the Lord. Let it come, lord Jesus, I want to tell you I don't normally preach with the mic in my hand.
Speaker 1:Usually it's here, so I'm a little less vocal and screamy. But I felt like, in my spirit, coming out of Thanksgiving, we needed to have some old church in this space. So Cana is not where you would imagine Jesus would start. I mean Bethlehem, the city of David, oh, jerusalem, the actual center of the known church at that time of religion. But no, no, no, jesus is like I'm going to go to a spot that nobody would have ever picked, because people need to know that I'll go and find them wherever they're at.
Speaker 1:So John says that the mother of Jesus is there and he doesn't name her. And it's for the same reason, it's for the same reason that John is trying to let us know. Yeah, I could tell you, I could tell you it's Mary, but you need to know it's the mother of Jesus, because the mother of Jesus has seen things that no one else has seen. I mean, from the beginning, when we start to tell the Christmas story, we remember Mary pondered all of these things in her heart and I gotta imagine through the years there were a few things she pondered thinking, oh, this is gonna be something. I can't wait to see this, this. I can't wait to see my son in action. I mean, do you think she had an inside glimpse of the power Jesus would walk in? I gotta think, maybe sometimes.
Speaker 1:When she said, jesus, why don't you go clean your room? And he said it's done. No, I said go clean your room. Yeah, go check it. Mom, jesus, why don't you sweep the walkway and the stairway out front? Yeah, it's done. Why don't you sweep the walkway and the stairway out front? Yeah, it's done. Hey, jesus, why don't you run up to the market and get some bread? It's done. Like there had to be something. Mary knew that nobody else knew, because when she came to him in the wedding and said, jesus, they've run out of wine, they've run out of wine. And he's like it's not time, mom. Now he said woman, which makes me know he wasn't standing that close to her, don't you ever? I bet he got a look. She had to have seen something, because she put a demand on him based off of something she had seen.
Speaker 1:I don't know why it's not written about, but I think if it were written about it we wouldn't accept it, because Jesus, even when he was young, and Mary and Joseph, found Jesus in the temple teaching. They were like what are you doing here? It's like I'm about my father's business. They're like no, no, no, your business is to grow in wisdom and stature you. This ain't your business yet. But it's almost like Mary was releasing Jesus into his business and when she looked at those servants they said do whatever he tells you, do whatever he tells you.
Speaker 1:And with that comes the first lineup, change of a new order, a New Testament, genesis. But before I tell you what it is, somebody's phone's ringing Might be important yes, lord, yes Lord, yeah, lord, yeah, lord. Here I am. But before I tell you, I gotta read this passage of scripture in John, chapter two, verse 11. It says this beginning of signs Jesus did in Cana, of Galilee and manifested his glory and his disciples believed in him. That word beginning. That word beginning the Greek word there, if you do a little word study, is arche. In King James version it would say the first of signs, the first of miracles. Arche you can probably it's A-R-C-H-E is how we would spell it, and you can probably see that it's not hard to miss out on the fact that that would be the root word for the word architect architecture.
Speaker 1:And so the reason why it's a New Testament genesis is because Jesus is establishing a first that will be foundational for the coming, that is, the kingdom of God, that he's building his kingdom on this first principle and the new order is this the new order is this that Jesus, in this miracle of turning water to wine, jesus reveals his transformational power and his transformational leadership. Well, that didn't hit very hard Because he turned remember the story, he turned water into wine. And I started to think about what he used and I have some water right here, lord, if you'd like but I started to think about what the water represents and I know, in this age and day of wanting to be healthy and fit and live a little longer, that we really should choose water before anything else. Filtered water, spring water, else filtered water, spring water. When we were, uh in arkansas for thanksgiving the first few years that we would go there to be with urshana's brothers. Uh, there's, there's the little village they live in. Uh, one of her oldest brother lives in what's called hot springs village, and it's hot springs village because they're literally like fresh hot springs that water comes out of, and they've managed to make spots throughout the town where you can go and fill buckets of water and gallons of water and it doesn't cost, you can, just it comes out of the spring and according to my brother, who brother-in-law, or Shauna's brother, who may very well be one of the best salesmen in the world it's the greatest water on the planet for drinking. And the first year that we went there, ethan tried some of it and loved it, and so for the next few years, every year we went, he would bring his own gallons of water so that he could go, get some water and bring it home and just let everybody know this is the best water on the planet to drink.
Speaker 1:But most people don't pick water first, like give me a Diet Coke, give me a Coke Zero, I'm going to hit something here that people appreciate. Give me a sweet tea, I'll have coffee. I knew it was out there. Why? Because water doesn't have a taste. It doesn't really I mean, yeah, it is, it doesn't really I mean, yeah it is. Yeah, it helps you, it hydrates you. But it's not like we pick water because of the taste. We pick water because we have to and the reality is water's kind of boring. Now, not when you drink water at our house, because Ursh has figured out, there's this little product that you can put in your water that makes it taste wonderful and it's no sugar, no calories and who knows what else. But and we love it and I used to make fun of her for using it. I'd be like I can't believe you're doing that to water. And then I tried it and now that's what we do. But I've told you all that to say.
Speaker 1:The thing about water is that water is the mundane, it's the boring part, and it's almost as if in this first New Testament, genesis, the architecture of the kingdom of God on earth, jesus walking into this miracle working power. It's almost as if Jesus is establishing such transformational power that he's willing to take the most mundane thing and make it the most desired thing, that he's taking what is boring and overlooked and turning it in to what is the very best ever served. And that's why I think that in the book of Hebrews I think it's Hebrews, maybe Romans that Paul writes and he says this bring your everyday, ordinary lives and present them as an offering which is your reasonable service, because Jesus has transformational power to take what is average and ordinary and normal and turn it into something beautiful and something good, and something that would be established in an earth, in a particular community. That people would have to step back and say I thought church was boring, but not there. I thought church was mundane, but not there. I thought the establishment of religion was just something I have to choose. I wouldn't choose it first, but no, in the house, where Jesus is represented, there is transformational power to take the mundane and make it masterful. And so I close by just asking you what is it? What is it that you're looking for in this new season? Because there is a New Testament, genesis, that is established for you to find that the end is going to be so much better than the beginning.
Speaker 1:Don't despise the small beginnings. Come on, can I just prophesy over your life? Don't despise those lonely moments when you didn't know what God was trying to tell you, but you knew something was stirring inside of you. Don't despise those moments when you felt like you were the only person standing for truth and for righteousness in your workplace, students, don't despise those moments when you think you're the only one standing up for the word of God in your schools. Don't despise, mom, those lonely moments when you're praying over that infant to sleep at night. Just keep on.
Speaker 1:Don't despise those moments, because God is about to establish something inside for the end days that he's raising up a church without spot or wrinkle. He's raising up a church that the gates of hell cannot prevail against. He is about to do something new in your life. Come on, let's worship him for a minute. Just lift your voice, lord. Let it be in my life. Let it be as your word says. Establish a new order in my life. Establish a new covenant in my life. Establish it, lord. Establish it in our church. Establish it in our families. Establish it in our community. Establish it in our church. Establish it in our families. Establish it in our community. Establish it in our workplaces. Establish it in our schools and our campuses. Establish it wherever anyone is watching and listening to this podcast. Establish your new order. Establish an outpouring. New order Establish an outpouring.