Dear Church: Where We’ve Been & Where We’re Going

Introduction

Well, good morning! Again, Merry Christmas…Happy New Year! I hope you guys all had an amazing Christmas season. I hope you’re excited about the new year.

Listen, if you have a Bible, and I hope that you do, open ‘em up with me to Deuteronomy chapter 6…Deuteronomy chapter 6. We’re gonna look at our memory verse for this coming year…we’re gonna dig into it…but we’re also gonna use it to kind of reflect on where we’ve been as a church and where God’s taking FBC as we move forward. I always like to do this at the end or the beginning of the year. I think it’s important to constantly reflect and to constantly look ahead at what God intends for us.

But real quickly before we do that…I just a wanna take a moment and just remind us of some of the things we’ve said we wanna be…some of the things we said we hope to accomplish (of course, through the power of God).

If you remember a couple of years ago…we set a mission statement “to become a church without walls.:” Meaning, we’re not gonna be confined to this building…we’re not gonna define the church as this building…we’re gonna work together to be the church in all the places God calls us to and we’re gonna work together to push out into the community and into the rest of the world to advance the kingdom of God, right? A church without walls…that’s who we wanna be. We want people, on the outside, to see us as a people who care about the mission of God. That’s why two years ago, when we started this…our first church memory verse, it was Matthew 28:19-20:

Matthew 28:19–20 (ESV)

Go therefore and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, teaching them to observe all that I have commanded you. And behold, I am with you always, to the end of the age.”

A church without walls, right?

And so, that’s our mission statement (who we wanna be)…but we also set a vision statement (how we’re gonna get there)…And what we said, we’re gonna deliver the message of the gospel to those that need to hear it…we said we’re gonna disciple those God brings to FBC…and we said we’re gonna deploy each other out, right? Deliver, Disciple, Deploy. We’re gonna become a church without walls by delivering the message of the gospel, discipling born-again believers, and deploying them out, all for the glory of God!

And that’s why we choose our church memory verse for 2024. Acts 2:42-47:

Acts 2:42–47 (ESV)

And they devoted themselves to the apostles’ teaching and the fellowship, to the breaking of bread and the prayers. And awe came upon every soul, and many wonders and signs were being done through the apostles. And all who believed were together and had all things in common. And they were selling their possessions and belongings and distributing the proceeds to all, as any had need. And day by day, attending the temple together and breaking bread in their homes, they received their food with glad and generous hearts, praising God and having favor with all the people. And the Lord added to their number day by day those who were being saved.

Which brings us to this year…the mission hasn’t changed…the vision (how we’re gonna accomplish the mission), it hasn’t changed. And so, what are we called to do?

We’re called to love God…and listen, we’re called to trust God.

It’s pretty simple…the Bible actually lays out what it looks like to do that…And over the course of this next year, if you grabbed a bulletin, you’ll see a preaching plan in there…over the course of this next year, we’re gonna talk about some things the Bible calls us to when it comes to loving God and trusting God…all for the purposes of becoming a church without walls by delivering, discipling, deploying.

You’ll see in that plan, we’re gonna talk about the importance of God’s Word…which is also emphasized in our memory verse. You’ll see we’re gonna talk about spiritual disciplines (things healthy for us as Christians)…we’re gonna talk about the family and what we’re called to when it concerns marriage, and family worship, educating our children, the legacies we leave behind. We’re gonna look at mental health, what the Bible says about that. We’re gonna do a study in Ecclesiastes (looking at a lot of these same things)…and then to finish up 2025, we’re gonna come back to our study in Genesis, looking at the life of Jacob.

But listen, the whole theme this year…its loving God, trusting God. That’s what it’s gonna take for us at FBC to become a church without walls.

And so, if you’re there with me in Deuteronomy, would you stand with as we read our passage together? It says this, starting in verse 5:

Deuteronomy 6:5–6 (ESV)

You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your might. And these words that I command you today shall be on your heart.

Thank you, you can be seated.

[Prayer]

If you’re taking notes, I have two points for us this morning…number 1, we’re to love God…which we do by looking back and looking ahead…and number 2, we’re to trust God, which we do by digging in and digging out.

And so, if you have your Bible’s open with me, let’s look at this first point together.

I. We’re to Love God (v. 5)

We’re to love God…look at verse 5 with me again…it says this:

Deuteronomy 6:5–6 (ESV)

You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your might.

And so listen, we’ve looked at this passage before in the past. Moses, he’s the author here. He wrote this book just before the Israelites entered into the Promised Land. Deuteronomy, it was written to kind of remind the Israelites of what’s important before they took possession of what’s God’s given them. If you know the story, God delivered them from slavery at the hands of the Egyptians and immediately, these Israelites, became a very rebellious people…and as a result, they wandered around in the wilderness for 40 years…and this book, it’s meant to remind them, don’t be those people…follow the Lord…remember what He did for you…remember what He promised and what He expects. And this passage here in Deuteronomy 6, it’s actually called the Shema…it’s of the most notable verses in the Jewish culture, it’s one of the most important because it defines who they are and what they’re supposed to do…what’s expected of them.

This passage, it’s most often used in the context of the family…but like we saw as we went through the first and second parts of Genesis together, it’s that what God prescribed physically in the Old Testament, it applies to us, spiritually, in the New Testament…and so, while this is speaking towards physical parents in the text here, it applies to each of us because as we’ll discuss, we’re all called to be spiritual parents to someone else at some point.

Moses says, “You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your might.” He says, “You shall love Yahweh (our very personal God) your plural God…with every piece of you. That’s what it means to love anything with all your heart, soul, and might…it’s with every piece of you.

If you were to go back just one verse here, that phrase…the Lord our God, the Lord is one…he’s saying, “Yahweh (our personal God)…Elohim (our plural God) He’s one.” We’re to love that God with all our heart and with all our soul and with all our might!

If you’re familiar with your Bible, Jesus actually quotes this verse when someone asked him what the greatest commandment of the Law was.

Jesus said in Matthew 22:

Matthew 22:37–40 (ESV)

“You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind. This is the great and first commandment. And a second is like it: You shall love your neighbor as yourself. On these two commandments depend all the Law and the Prophets.”

And so listen, we read these things and we’re like, “Alright…that’s easier said than done,” right? “How are we supposed to love the Lord with all our heart…and soul…our might? How’s that even possible?”

Listen, we can exegete this passage all day long…but here’s what each of these authors are saying when it comes to loving God in this way…We it do by reflecting (looking back)…and we do it by looking ahead.

Looking Back

I mean again, put yourself in the Israelites’ shoes for just a minute…one of the purposes of Deuteronomy, it was to remind the Israelites of where they’ve been, right? Of what God’s done. That’s why we see a lot of it repeat some things we’ve already saw…things Moses has already said in other places. He’s trying to get them to reflect on the work of God in their life.

Listen, if you’re taking notes, part of loving God…it’s looking back. It’s hard to appreciate the things God’s done in your life if you never reflect…if you never look back and just remind yourself. This is one of the reasons I believe God commands the Sabbath…it’s not just about your rest…I mean sure, we benefit from the Sabbath by getting rest…but the main point of the Sabbath it’s God’s glory…it’s God receiving glory as His people look back…remembering the work He’s accomplished in their lives…and listen, it causes us to praise Him…to worship Him. That’s the point of the Sabbath.

I mean just take the very first Sabbath rest we see in the Bible…what’s it say? What was the purpose?

Genesis 2:1–3 (ESV)

Thus the heavens and the earth were finished, and all the host of them. And on the seventh day God finished his work that he had done, and he rested on the seventh day from all his work that he had done. So God blessed the seventh day and made it holy, because on it God rested from all his work that he had done in creation.

And so, if you know anything about what the Bibles says about God…God doesn’t stop…God doesn’t rest in the way that we rest…If that were the case, our world would literally fall into chaos. God sustains all things, at all times. That word “rest” there in the Hebrew…it doesn’t have the same kind of meaning we give it today in the English…it simply means to cease…to stop…all with the purposes of reflecting on something. Well, if that’s the case…what’s God reflecting on?…His creation, right? That’s why it says in the previous chapter, He stops, He reflects, and He says “It’s all good.” God’s demonstrating to us…from the very beginning, what it looks for us to reflect on His work.

I mean think about it like this…I was talking to someone just this week about the holidays and how they always liked to bake during this time because it reminded them of someone they had lost years before. A memory of someone they loved, caused them to act out in the present, right? And of course, I’m sure it filled their heart with good memories maybe they shared together…good times…they were able to reflect on the blessings they had through that relationship with that person…Their love for that other person drove them to reflect.

And so, how to do we love God in the way that Moses is commanding us here? We reflect…we reflect personally…we reflect corporately. I mean, I know I can certainly look back and see all the things God’s done in my life over the last 20 years in my walk with Him…I can see how He’s grown me…I can see how He’s used me…I can see things He allowed me to overcome…I can see the trials and the ways He led me through ‘em. And listen, as I reflect on those things…it rekindles my spirit…it reignites my love for Him…because here’s the deal, I don’t deserve any of that…But guys, if I never reflect…if I don’t constantly remember where God’s taken me…my sin nature, it starts to build up in me…it starts to make me cold toward God…it starts to make me think I got this life thing under control, on my own…And what happens, I start to love myself more than I love God. I start to care about my glory more than God’s. Guys, see the Israelites’ example…that’s what happened with them, right?

But listen, not only should we do that personally…we should do that corporately. That’s the point of our 2030 goals that we set a couple years ago. It certainly wasn’t to bring us glory…it’s purpose was to remind us of God’s faithfulness…and as we’ll talk about in just a moment, it’s purpose was to drive us toward the mission of God.

If you remember, our goals…the first one, we said we wanted to reach 100 people with the gospel of Jesus Christ. As of this past week, we know of at least 30 people who’ve turned to Jesus and placed their trust and faith in Him. Two of ‘em were just this past week. As we look back over the past two years, can you see God’s faithfulness in that? Doesn’t it cause your love to grow for Him?

We said we wanted to see 150 people in Knot groups and 250 people in Home groups, right? We wanna see people discipled…we wanna see people grow in their walk…Well, as of right now, we’ve had 57 people in Knot groups…57 people intentionally being discipled on a weekly basis…These are things outside of Sunday morning worship…As of right now, we’ve had 90 people in Home groups…90 people.

We also said, we wanted to make the Great Commission a priority…we set the goal of sending 150 people on mission…As of today, we’ve sent 52 people (from our church) on mission either somewhere domestically or somewhere internationally.

We said we wanted to be $0 in debt…Of course, our trustees have been working very hard in this area. They came up with a 7 year plan, which allows us to be debt free by 2030. But listen, so far, we’re already under $100,000.

And then lastly, we said we wanted to plant a church somewhere domestically, somewhere that needed a local church. In just the last two years, God’s raised up a man who feels called to this kind of ministry.

Guys, when we look back, when we reflect on where we’ve been…what’s happened in the life of our church…we start to realize, the only way we’ve seen fruits in these areas, its by the grace of God…its through His faithfulness. Listen, when I sit back and just look at these metrics…it doesn’t cause me to boost in us…it causes me to boost in what the Lord’s done. That’s the purpose of reflecting…that’s the purpose of Moses writing this book to the Israelites…as we reflect, it grows our love for God because we can’t help but see what He’s done.

Looking Ahead

But listen, our love for God, it also causes us to look ahead.

Moses didn’t only write this for them to look back, he also wrote it for them to look forward. Again, these Israelites, they were on the verge of entering into the promised land and Moses was charging them to think about what that would look like, how they were gonna live when they got there, when they took possession of this land.

Very much like the church is today, Israel was meant to be a light in the world…they were meant to be a testimony of the Lord…a testimony of His great work in their lives…a testimony of His love.

This passage, Moses says, “Love the Lord…do it by remembering what’s He’s done for you…and do it by looking forward to what’s in store for you…How you’re gonna live…How you’re gonna respond…What you should expect…Live today, as if you know the future tomorrow’s sure!”

How do we do that here at FBC? It’s great for us to look back and remember…it’s great for us to remember what the Lord’s done…but it’s not okay for us to stay there. It’s not okay for us to just accept the past as sufficient and become complacent with God. You see, we’ve been called…we’ve been elected. We talked a lot about this over the past many months as we walked through the story of Abraham. And with God’s call, comes His purpose…His plan. You see, we’re simply vessels…vessels chosen to do God’s work. And listen, the day that God’s work stops with us (the church), its the day Jesus returns and sets all things right.

We should constantly set our eyes on what’s next…what God’s calling us to…what would advance His kingdom and bring Him glory. When we stop doing that…when we get comfortable, it negatively reflects the love we have for God.

Listen, because we care about His glory, we care about what He intends to accomplish next…and we find it a great privilege to be used by God in this way.

Paul says in Philippians 2:17:

Philippians 2:17 (ESV)

Even if I am to be poured out as a drink offering upon the sacrificial offering of your faith, I am glad and rejoice with you all.

Paul saw his life as simply a vessel…a vessel God used to advance His purposes within His kingdom. And listen, he rejoiced at the fact that God was using him.

Do you look forward to how God’ll use you? Do you look forward to how God’s gonna use this church? Listen, you’re called to be an active member of His body…not because you necessarily love every body else here, but because you love God with all your heart, and all your soul, with all your might. And you see your service as a joy…as a privilege.

And so, dear friend…what are you doing to help FBC become a kingdom focused church? What are doing to help us become a church without walls? Of those 30 salvations that we saw, how did God use in those people’s lives…Of those 60 people in knot groups, how’s God using you? What about home groups or on mission? How about paying our debt off or planting a church? How were used and how are you gonna be used?

Listen, if you belong to God…if you’ve been called, if you’ve been set apart…you’ve apart of His body…and as a apart of His body, you’re called to look ahead and you’re called to be an active vessel in the work He’s doing.

Guys, if you’re not finding joy in the things God’s doing here at FBC…if don’t see your involvement as necessarily…pay attention to Moses words here…I’d encourage you to go back and read all of this book…You might not be finding joy in those things because you might not actually love the Lord. You might like the idea of salvation…but you certainly don’t care what’s happened and you don’t really care where God’s taking us because you don’t love Him with all your heart, or soul, or might.

II. We’re to Trust God (v. 6)

Moses says, “You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your might…And these words that I command you today shall be on your heart.”

The second point we see in our memory verse…not only should we love the Lord…but we’re called to trust the Lord.

Jesus says in John 14:15:

John 14:15 (ESV)

“If you love me, you will keep my commandments.

Or in other words, “If you love me, keep my commandments…or trust my commandments.”

Now, in the context of this passage…Moses goes on and he gives instructions to the family, “Teach what you know to be true…what you know to be good…teach it all to your children; ultimately, because you love God!”

But notice what he says here first, “These words, they should first be on your heart.” Meaning, you can’t do what the Lord’s commanded you unless you’ve put His word or His instructions on your heart first. And notice this, Moses doesn’t say, “Put these things in your mind,” right? He says, “Put it on your heart.” Moses isn’t writing about knowledge here…He’s writing about trust. We know with our minds…but we trust with our hearts. Knowledge is important because it leads to trust…but trust, it demonstrates to who or to what we belong to. It really demonstrates who we are, right? That’s why, if you remember, in looking at Romans chapter 1 last week, how did Paul open up his letter? How did Paul introduce himself? He did it by showing you what he trusted in.

And so, how do we do trust God? We do it in two ways…we do it by digging in…and we do it by digging out.

Digging In

Moses says, “These words, they should be on your heart.”

And so, how do we begin trusting the Lord? We do it, by digging into the very thing He’s given to us…the thing He’s given that reveals Himself…The Word of God!

Listen, starting next week…we’re gonna spend three weeks just looking at His Word…what it means to be inspired, what it means to be authoritative, what it means to be powerful?

You see, this isn’t just any book…these are the very words of God…and as we see throughout Scripture, God’s words, they’re powerful. I mean, in the very first chapter of the Bible, it was God’s words that created everything…it was God that said, “Let there be…,” right? In the very first chapter of John, Jesus is called what? He’s called the Word!” “In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God.”

God’s Word should be central to our lives. And I know…we spend a lot of time every year talking about this…but guys, that’s because it’s important…knowing God’s Word to us, it helps us trust God’s Word to us. And listen, the more we know it…the more we know God. The more we know God, hopefully the more you love God.

Listen, I’ll never forget when my wife and I started dating in high school. We’d write each other letters just about everyday. And listen, when I received one of her letters…I read them over and over…I even had this little box I kept them all in and from time to time I’d take them back out and I’d read ‘em all over again. And even years later, after we got married and had kids, I’d take those letters out and read ‘em again. I paid attention to the words she used…I paid attention to how she phrased things…I wanted to know her…I wanted to know everything about her. You see, we do that for the things we love. We invest ourselves into those things.

Listen, you can’t have love without trust…and you can’t trust without knowledge. How do we grow in our knowledge of God? Guys, its through His Word!

If you’re struggling with trust…if you find yourself in these difficult situations, and if these situations are causing you to question God’s faithfulness to you…its not God…its actually the other way around. I’d question how much you’ve poured yourself into His Word…Because to know Him, its to trust Him.

And so, how do we do what Moses is saying here? To put God’s Word on our hearts? We have to diligently be in it. We have to have plan…we have to have accountability. We’re still sinful people…we’re still gonna do things that please us and bring glory to ourselves. If we don’t have a plan…and if we don’t have people surrounding us, pushing us…we’re not gonna be in it. And as a result, we’re not gonna know God…we’re not gonna love God…we’re not gonna grow closer to God. You might just constantly feel that void or that emptiness in your life because you’re not using the church in your life the way that God intended the church to be used. As a church, we’re called to preach His Word…and we’re called to edify each other through His Word. But listen, if all you do is Sunday mornings…then this memory verse, its not gonna apply to you. You’re not gonna love the Lord…and you’re gonna see, when times get hard, you don’t really trust the Lord.

Get a plan to start going through the Scriptures methodically (we have several plans you can use at the info table…we have books to help you in your Bible study…we have all kinds of stuff on our website you can use, under our resource tab). Get in the Bible. Start reading it for yourself.

And listen, when I say get in the Bible, I don’t mean get into devotional books…those are great but its not God’s Word…Get into His Word…on your own.

And guys, get an accountability partner. You might be motivated to read right now…but very soon, you’re not gonna feel like it. Life gets busy and before you know it, it gets easier and easier to skip reading…spending time with God. That’s what our knot groups are all about. Its men and women, meeting with same sex believers, holding each other accountable to God’s Word.

You know what…I might not feel like reading this week, but I’ve got about 10 men that are expecting me to talk about what I’ve read. And I know if I don’t read, not only am I letting these men down…but I know I’m also being an awful example to them. I hold them accountable…and they hold me accountable. And together we push each other to know God greater.

Dig IN…to God’s Word…that’s where your love for Him grows…and that’s where your trust for Him grows.

Digging Out

“These words that I command you today shall be on your heart.”

Listen, as we dig in God’s Word…God’s Word, it’s naturally gonna flow out of us.

Again, this isn’t just a book…its not just a bunch of meaningless words. The author of Hebrews says:

Hebrews 4:12 (ESV)

For the word of God is living and active, sharper than any two-edged sword, piercing to the division of soul and of spirit, of joints and of marrow, and discerning the thoughts and intentions of the heart.

God’s Word grows us…God’s Word motivates us…God’s Word encourages us…it corrects us…it shapes us…it changes us…God’s Word, its powerful.

Listen, the week before last…as I was preparing for our Christmas sermon…I really beat myself up. I thought, “Why in the world did I chose the introduction to Romans to preach a Christmas sermon.” Listen, if you know me…I typically have our preaching schedule planned out a year in advance. And so, I picked that passage sometime in 2023. But listen, I was studying…and I thought, “There’s no way I’m reaching anyone with the first seven verses of Romans.”

You know what God showed me last week? He can take the first seven verses of a letter He’s inspired…He can take the introduction to that letter…and He can use to give someone new life. Guys, I took the podium last week, thinking there’s no way God was gonna use my message. And I exited the podium, seeing God work. He used His Word…because it’s powerful…He used it to bring about salvation in someone’s life. My words don’t matter…my opinions certainly don’t matter…But guys, God’s words, they do! They’re powerful! They’re transformative.

As we dig into His Word, as we place His words on our heart…those words, they begin to transform us…we begin to act out in ways that demonstrate God’s great love for us.

Listen, I might not always feel like reading God’s Word…I might not always feel like I have the time or whatever…but the reasons I push myself to do it…it’s because I’ve witnessed time and time again throughout my walk, I’ve witnessed the power of God’s Word. I’ve witnessed it in my life…I’ve witnessed it in other people’s lives. I’m not even kidding when I say, I’ve seen the power of God’s Word twice this week in two of our services. I go to it because it’s powerful. I go to it because the very Spirit of God…the very Spirit that indwells me now, inspired it.

How do I love God greater…how do I trust God more? I do it by listening to the inspired words of Moses…by placing the very words of God on my heart…by allowing those words to change me from the inside out.

Closing

Would you bow your head and close your eyes with me?

Dear Christian…how would you define your love for God? Do you love Him with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your might? Are you constantly reflecting on what the Lord’s done in your life…where He’s leading you to? Are you involved in the work God’s doing here at FBC?

Do you trust Him? Are you placing His words on your heart? Are those words, are they transforming you? Are they growing you?

Listen, would you respond to that this morning? Maybe you just need to reflect…maybe you need to look ahead at what the Lord’s calling you to and not to what you necessarily hope to accomplish. Maybe you need to set in your mind, a plan to begin reading God’s Word…maybe it’s an accountability partner you know you need.

But guys, my challenge to you this morning…as we work to memorize this new verse together…love God, trust God!

But listen, if you’re here…you don’t love God because you don’t know God…understand the Bible’s message to us. God created us in the beginning…and according to His Word, it was good…we were good. It shows us that we rebelled against God…we did what was right in our own heart. We did what pleased us. And according to the Bible, all of us, we’re all sinners…we all fall short of God’s glory. This is true in nature and by choice. And listen, because of that sin…and because God’s good and righteous…because He’s just…He gives us what we deserve…He gives us the appropriate punishment…which according to the Bible is death and separation from Him. And again, this was our decision.

But in God’s love…in God’s grace…in His mercy…the Bible, it shows us that God devised a plan at the foundations of the world, to redeem us…to save us. Of course, we know, that plan, it was made possible through His Son, Jesus…Jesus who the Bible says is God Himself…He stepped into the very world He created, He took on flesh…He was born to man…He lived as man…And listen, He went to the cross where He wore the weight of our sin…where He died our death. But it also says that after dying the death we deserve, He rose, three days later. Showing us that He is indeed God Himself. And listen, the Bible says, to receive salvation, to receive this same resurrected life…all we have to do is repent and believe…Turn to Jesus and believe in His name. You do that…and according to the apostle Paul, you’re saved.

And so listen, as we approach this new year together…how do you need to respond? What’s the Lord putting on your heart right now? You take this time…and I’ll close us in just a moment.

[Prayer]