Every human being created by God since Adam has been given life and breath and varying amounts of time, energy, gifting, opportunities and so on. Each person is responsible to do something to honor their Creator with what they've been given. God calls all people to Himself and each person chooses to respond in different ways. That's the point of the parable of the talents. What we do with what we've been given determines our end. This is a challenging message that aims to stir hearts toward greater stewardship and aims to awaken the person who presently is not truly serving God.
Unmerciful Servant
We live in an unforgiving world. We all experience things like hurt, betrayal, injustice and wrongs against us. Some have even been abused or raped or have been violently attacked to the point of injury. Others have lost loved ones because of the careless actions of others. Forgiveness is hard but Jesus presses us in this parable (Matt 18:21-35) to not only forgive but to abundantly pardon. The whole point of the parable is that in light of us, as children of God, being so graciously forgiven by God of the enormous debt of sin we could not pay, we should readily forgive our brothers and sisters their debts against us, which are small in comparison. Pastor Scott also talks about the consequences of harboring resentments against people. It's the equivalent of practicing willful sin and results on falling under the disciplining hand of God. Everything in this sermon is a persuasive reasoning to let go of any sort of unmerciful attitudes we have toward anyone no matter how great the offense may be.
Pharisee and Tax Collector
Perhaps the greatest widespread deception in people everywhere is the idea that being good is enough to get you into Heaven. Jesus tells a parable to address this very error of self-righteous pride in Luke 18. It contrasts two different kinds of people: one is a moral religious praying man who congratulates himself for how good he is, and the other is a reputed sinner who is utterly broken before God. Jesus makes the statement that the humble man crying out for mercy will walk away justified, whereas the self-righteous man will walk away not justified. This message preached by Pastor Scott is applicable to all who long to be more humble. This is an important message because God opposes the proud but gives grace to the humble.
Lost Mission
Many of those who have grown up in the church have been encouraged to perform evangelism. But what does that mean? And where does that fall in the life of a follower of Christ? Drawing from the parables of the Lost Sheep and the Lost Coin, as well as the story of His interaction with Zacchaeus in the Gospel of Luke, it’s clear that Jesus' passion and greatest mission is "to seek and save the lost". In this message, Ren elder John Michaelson touches on the idea that evangelism is not just something some of us do, but a "normal" Christian discipline similar to prayer or bible study. More importantly, it is the ultimate mission of every follower of Jesus to share the Gospel message with those who have not believed in or heard it. In the second half of the message, John gives encouragement about being a living witness, as well as some practical ideas about how to share your faith.
The Wise and Foolish Builders
In this message, youth leader Chris Waugh preaches a message based around the parable of the wise and foolish builders. In this parable, the foolish man builds his house upon sand and it falls down during the storm. However, the wise man builds his house on a rock, and it remains strong against the winds and rain. Jesus uses these builders as a metaphor to show that a life that is not built upon the Word of God will not withstand the storms of life; only a life built upon the Word of God will last forever.
Great Banquet
What does it cost to be a disciple? We are told today that since salvation is a free gift, all we need to do is believe and receive - and we've made this as easy as possible with the creation of "sinner's prayers". The problem with this oversimplification is that the call of Jesus to be saved is synonymous with discipleship. Jesus has much to say about discipleship and it's clear that it's a renunciation of everything we have and all we are. It's costly. Pastor Scott expounds on the parable of the great banquet from Luke 14 to show what it means to be a true disciple. This is a heart searching message for all to assess whether or not we are truly ready to stand before God.
The Rich Fool
If this message was understood and put into practice by just the Ren community, it would unleash tens of millions of dollars into the causes of the kingdom of God over the years. Jesus talks much about our relationship with money and things, and the parable of the Rich Fool is all about the vision we have for how we will use what is given to us. What matters most is not how much we give but how much we give in light of what we have. In the latter part of the sermon, Pastor Scott addresses three questions: Why does God call the man in the parable a fool? What does it look like to be "rich toward God"? And how will God tell our story when it's all over?
Friend at Midnight
One of the greatest challenges in the life of any Christian is to develop a strong, vibrant, unceasing practice of prayer. The disciples who walked with Jesus quickly realized that they didn't pray the way Jesus did, so they asked him "Lord teach us to pray". Pastor Scott expounds on Luke 11:1-13 as Jesus teaches the disciples some important lessons on praying. Jesus gets at the very root of how we perceive God within because this determines whether we will be motivated or discouraged. The message is relevant to both the brand new believer desiring a prayer life and the old saint who has been walking with the Lord for several decades. Also, being Father's Day, there was also much threaded throughout the message about God as Father.
The Family That Runs
Is there an inherent purpose to our lives? Is there an intrinsic design in our relationships with the people around us? Ren youth director, Chris Waugh, led us into discussion about the parable of the Prodigal Son. In this parable, Jesus invites his audience into right standing with a Father who runs to his children and celebrates their existence. Jesus argues that the rightful meaning and design of human life is familial intimacy with the Creator of the Universe.
Treasure and Pearl
What do you value the most in this world? There are so many enticing things around us and it's very easy to become attached to this present world. Jesus teaches twin parables about how the person who discovers the value of the kingdom will joyfully give up anything in order to attain it. Pastor Scott discusses the paradox of how eternal life is a life gift, but costs us everything we have to obtain it. Are we truly surrendered?