http://beta.lemontcalvarychurch.org/index.php/site/index/ en pastorjnichols@lemontcalvarychurch.org Copyright 2010 2010-02-03T19:47:35+00:00 http://lemontcalvarychurch.org/site/corinthians_and_calvary_church/ http://lemontcalvarychurch.org/site/corinthians_and_calvary_church/#When:18:47:35Z Over the next several months we are going to teach through the two letters that Paul wrote to the church in the city of Corinth. We will go through these letters like you would read a letter from a loved one or friend, straight through paragraph by paragraph. We will not only learn the story of these Christians, but, even more, what their story has to speak to us now. These were people very much like us who lived in a culture similar to ours and with many of the same issues we face in our marriages, families, relationships, trials and temptations. One historian says Corinth was like the New York, Los Vegas, and New Orleans of the ancient world all rolled into one, and we could probably add Chicago in there. Like our own society, Corinth was a city built out of immigrants from Rome who had come looking for opportunity to improve their lives. And many had succeeded in building good lives for themselves. It was one of the few cities of the ancient world with a large middle-class. The population was 500,000. It was a seaport city thriving economically. The city was big into philosophy, arts, sports, entertainment, and bargain-shopping. It was very political. And, it had a reputation in the ancient world for indulging the senses, especially in sexual immorality. At the same time, it was a highly religious city with at least 26 different shrines to different gods that have been dug up from the ruins. This was the city the Apostle Paul entered in 50/51 AD bringing the gospel and planting a brand new church.  These letters that Paul later wrote back to the church are full of wisdom for followers of Jesus on how to live their personal lives as well as on how to be a congregation staying on mission for Christ. The letters show how Christians are to live together working through differences of opinion while keeping unity, how to grow from spiritual infancy to spiritual maturity, how to encourage someone who has a sexual addiction to conquer it, how married couples are to balance their spiritual lives and their sex life, dealing with divorce, living as a single adult, being careful that our actions don’t discourage younger Christians, how a church is to worship, the function of miraculous spiritual gifts, how to be a Christian at work, being generous, how to handle abuse, going through suffering, how deep change really happens, on getting a second chance in life no matter what your past has been, on false religions, what happens when we die, what happens when Jesus comes again, what will our resurrected bodies be like, and above all, living a life of love. In the first letter, Paul answers the question, “What does it really mean to be spiritual, a mature Christian?” In the second letter, he answers the question, “What is a life of true integrity?” I encourage you to read and re-read these two letters. Jot down notes, insights, and questions. And above all, allow the Holy Spirit to speak deeply to your heart in these two letters He inspired not only for the “church of God in Corinth”, but also for “the church of God in Lemont.” Sunday Gatherings 2010-02-03T18:47:35+00:00 http://lemontcalvarychurch.org/site/mission_check-up/ http://lemontcalvarychurch.org/site/mission_check-up/#When:16:14:42Z Check-ups are important for our health. January is “Mission Check-up” time at Calvary Church.  Check-ups are done for a very positive reason: to make sure that good health continues. Calvary is a healthy congregation. For this I am so thankful. These past weeks of participation in Advent Conspiracy have shown great health. Over 160 on a very wintery day showed up at Feed My Starving Children to package 47,000 meals, over 100 huge bags of groceries were delivered to our local food pantry, 74 care packages went to servicemen and women, 20 Christmas dinners were delivered to families in need, and this doesn’t mention the many random acts of kindness carried our behind the scenes. Healthy churches are churches that are “On Mission”.  This will be our theme for 2010. We will start out in January with a check-up in which we revisit our mission statement and our core values. Beginning in February we will learn from the story of the church in ancient Corinth. The church in Corinth was not a healthy church. It had drifted “off mission” and was struggling with many issues that are common in our own day. The Apostle Paul wrote two letters to this church brimming with depth and relevance for us. In his letters he deals one by one with the “spiritual viruses” that had infected the congregation. These are deadly viruses that are still a threat to churches today.  Learning the story of the people and struggles of that unhealthy church will help us stay healthy, and become even healthier.  I am encouraging the Calvary family to begin reading and rereading these two letters. You can read each one in 30 minutes or less. Immerse yourselves in them. You will find you are drawn into the story of that congregation. You will see how Paul identifies the viruses and prescribes healthy solutions. You will be moved by the emotion the great Apostle Paul puts into these letters. And so, as we get started in January, I am encouraging the Calvary family to come each week ready for a Mission Check-up.  With a clean bill of spiritual health we will continue to do the Lord’s work in 2010. Sunday Gatherings 2010-01-01T16:14:42+00:00 http://lemontcalvarychurch.org/site/simplicity/ http://lemontcalvarychurch.org/site/simplicity/#When:20:26:12Z Simplicity is our sermon focus during November. Simplicity became a major concern for Moses. Few people have lived a more complex life than Moses as he led 3,000,000 people through the Sinai wilderness. Strangely, it was the very complexity pressing in on him that led him to seek simplicity, and pray like this: “Seventy years are given to us! Some may even reach eighty. But even the best of these years are filled with pain and trouble; soon they disappear and we are gone… Teach us to number our days aright, that we may gain a heart of wisdom.” (Psalm 90: 10,12). Moses hits on two things in this prayer. First, life is short. Therefore, he prays for wisdom to “number each day”; to live with a plan. This is a prayer that he would live keeping his core values in view. God had given Moses at least six “core values”: 1) stay close to Me, 2) lead my people out of Egypt, 3) teach them to trust God, 4) form them into a new nation, 5) lead them to the Promised Land, and 6) instruct them in developing a strong family life for passing on the faith. Second, life never goes smooth which makes living according to core values really tough. Moses came up against obstacles every day that threatened to distract and discourage him, and to draw his energy and time away from his calling and core values. His life, like ours, was filled with unpredictable crises and problems that could easily crowd out the things that were most important in his life. Moses discovered one of the most important truths: the busier life is, the greater the need for simplicity! The more hectic and fast-paced, the more focus is a necessity! The only alternative to simplicity and focus is descent into a life of chaos dictated by the demands of others and circumstances. God calls us to live with a mission in view. A sense of mission comes from clarifying your core values. These are the really important things that when you come down to the end of your life you will want to look back and say, “I made time for the things that really count”; things like your relationship with God, your family, your calling, personal growth, health and exercise. Many of us live our lives with unclear, unarticulated core values and risk the danger of being tyrannized and controlled by the urgent pressures of life. I was 42 years old when I read a book, “The Seven Habits of Highly Effective People”  by Stephen Covey, which challenged me to clarify the things really central in my life. That was 18 years ago. Since then I have used my core values as the ruler by which I measure my calendar. This has made a profound difference in helping me stay focused in the midst of the crushing pressure of demands. Simplicity does not mean there is a magic way to prevent complexity and demands. Simplicity is facing the onslaught proactively with your core values which gives you the ability to say “yes” or “no” to demands, or “yes, but not today”, or “no, not now”. In this series, we will work together in clarifying core values and writing out a personal mission statement. You are invited to jump in and learn to “number your days”.  Sunday Gatherings 2009-11-10T20:26:12+00:00 http://lemontcalvarychurch.org/site/four_stories_from_the_quarry/ http://lemontcalvarychurch.org/site/four_stories_from_the_quarry/#When:00:41:11Z I am excited about the new sermon series for October. As I prepare, I am learning a lot about the history of our area, especially as it relates to the historic limestone quarry Lemont is so famous for. The quarry has a great tie-in to the sermons I will be bringing. Rock from the quarry has been used to build many well-known structures such as the Chicago Water Tower and the State Capitol. In the same way, Jesus spoke of ‘building our lives on the rock’ which He said was His Word. Each Sunday in October I will share the true story of a building constructed of rock from the Lemont quarry to illustrate one of the foundational truths of the doctrine of Salvation. 10/04 Regeneration: All Things New 10/11 Justification: Things Made Right 10/18 Sanctification: Not Done Yet 10/25 Glorification: One Great Day If you want to get a head start on the sermons, study the following scriptures: Titus 3: 3-8 on the topic of Regeneration Romans 5: 1-11 on the topic of Justification Philippians 1: 3-11 on the topic of Sanctification I Peter 1: 3-12 on the topic of Glorification See you on Sunday, Pastor Jim Sunday Gatherings 2009-09-29T00:41:11+00:00 http://lemontcalvarychurch.org/site/summer_into_fall_already/ http://lemontcalvarychurch.org/site/summer_into_fall_already/#When:00:30:11Z Wow! What a fast summer. Kids are going back to school. The leaves will soon be changing, and (not trying to depress anyone) the snow will come soon. God has blessed us this summer. Last week at the Baptism & BBQ over 160 of us witnessed nine people share their testimony of faith in Christ by water baptism. It doesn’t get more exciting than that in the kingdom of God. And, with it being about 95 degrees, it was a great day to be in the pool, even if you weren’t being baptized. Looking ahead a week or two, this is what is coming sermon-wise. On 8/23, from David’s great song, Psalm 139, the focus will be on the incredible value God places on each person. One of the most popular shows on TV is “Antique Road Show”. People come in with high hopes that the “treasure” they have found in an old attic or barn will turn out to be really valuable. Every piece that is brought to the experts is judged to have risen in value if it is an original and still in good condition, or to have decreased in value, especially if it has been scarred or is beyond any hope of restoring.  The scripture teach that the value of a human being never goes up or down in God’s eyes. Every person is always priceless to God. And, no one is scarred so bad that they are beyond restoring. Invite friends to come and find hope, On 8/30, one of our missionary couples, Josh and Lindy Johnson will be here to tell us the amazing things God is doing in people’s lives in Nepal. Josh and Lindy have quite a story to share with us about some difficult tests of faith they have walked through over the past couple of years. They are inspiring, young missionaries who are great communicators, who will really encourage you. Beginning in September is a focus on Prayer as interaction with God. How do I pray? The intense power for change through prayer! Prayer as a major spiritual weapon in the battle with satanic and dark spiritual forces! Living in a conversational relationship with God! To pray effectively is something we learn. Jesus’ disciples came to Him asking, “Lord, teach us to pray…” (Luke 11: 1). And, there is nothing in this world so important to learn as how to pray because God’s will is worked out in those who “depend on Him”. Dependence on the Lord is most communicated and expressed in prayer. A life of prayer is essential to living in God’s will. This will be a series of messages that could change the course of the rest of your life. News, Sunday Gatherings 2009-08-21T00:30:11+00:00 http://lemontcalvarychurch.org/site/rehab_the_power_of_gods_word_for_change/ http://lemontcalvarychurch.org/site/rehab_the_power_of_gods_word_for_change/#When:21:30:48Z I am excited about the two week sermon series (7/29 & 8/5) called “Rehab: The Power of God’s Word for Change”. In a rehab, the new owner sees potential and buys an old broken-down house, then goes from room to room tearing out all of the old décor and furniture, and replacing it with brand new. This is what Jesus Christ does. He sees the potential in every broken person. When a person comes to Him, He enters in as the new owner, and begins the process of moving from room to room in our lives, tearing out all of the old patterns, attitudes, habits, old wounds, so that He can begin bringing in new patterns and attitudes. In fact, the most wonderful thing about the new furnishings of our minds and hearts is that they are His very own. He rehabs our lives with His own way of thinking, attitudes, evaluating, responding, managing emotions, and acting. This is what is so powerful about the change Christ makes: it is actually that we begin to live out of the attitudes of Christ who is alive and present inside of us. Galatians 2:20, Ephesians 4:22-24. And, the major tool the Lord uses in the rehab of our lives is His Word. From the moment of creation, the Word of God has always been the source of all change. When God speaks, things happen, good things! And, God has spoken about you in His Word. He has spoken that your life has priceless value, unbelievable potential, and that He has the power to save, heal and change your life. Hebrews 4:12. Sunday Gatherings 2009-07-20T21:30:48+00:00 http://lemontcalvarychurch.org/site/faith_is_being_sure_hebrews_11_1/ http://lemontcalvarychurch.org/site/faith_is_being_sure_hebrews_11_1/#When:18:25:28Z Faith is often understood as believing without evidence what you really want to be true. Skeptics consider that there is no difference between believing that there is a herd of pink elephants living somewhere on Earth and religious faith. Faith of any label is nothing more than blind, mindless faith, a grasping of hope out of thin air, a blind leap into the dark. Ask: “What evidence do you have for your belief in pink elephants?” The answer: “None. I just believe.” But, the faith spoken of in the Scriptures is different. It is a testable faith. The distinguishing mark of Christianity is this: placing faith in Jesus results in a response from Jesus. Other religions rest upon belief in the ancient teachings of the founder or prophet who has been long dead. Faith in Jesus is based not only on His teaching, but upon a person to Person encounter with Him. All relationships are based upon mutual self-disclosure; each person revealing and expressing themselves to the other. This is exactly what happens the moment a person places trust in Jesus. He reveals Himself to that person. The evidence that Jesus is real rests upon the experience of His Presence. If God is the one who created us to be so relational, then certainly He is more than able to relationally respond and reveal Himself to you. Sunday Gatherings 2009-06-20T18:25:28+00:00 http://lemontcalvarychurch.org/site/the_family/ http://lemontcalvarychurch.org/site/the_family/#When:03:50:01Z As I have been preparing for the sermon series we are doing during May called “Family of Faith”, I have been struck again with the fact that of all the responsibilities we are given on earth, there is none as important as raising children. I say this now as a Grandparent looking back at the years of parenting our three kids. Parenting each of our kids was such a privilege, but, “wow” it was also hard work. Each of our children had their own personality, temperament, interests and abilities, and our parenting had to recognize these differences and make the adjustments to each one. I read everything Dr. Dobson ever wrote. There were many times when I felt like I was fumbling the ball. I know I did not pass on to the kids a model of “perfect parenting” – far from it. But, looking back, I do believe the most valuable thing I was able to pass on to the kids, next to faith in Christ, was a personal relationship built with each of them that carried us through the times of testing, and remains strong to this day. One of the supreme joys of my life is spending one on one times with my kids, though now those times are not able to be as frequent as I or they would like them to be. As we go into this series, we will be emphasizing such things as building a personal relationship with your child, laying the foundation for passing faith on to your child, surrounding your child with positive influences outside the home, passing on the blessing of God by affirming your child, setting boundaries, creating a nurturing environment in your home, and working through the struggles of healthy discipline when the boundaries are tested. We are so blessed as a congregation with wonderful families. It is our goal that the Lord will enable us to empower parents for most important responsibility of raising their children. Family 2009-05-06T03:50:01+00:00 http://lemontcalvarychurch.org/site/the_real_jesus/ http://lemontcalvarychurch.org/site/the_real_jesus/#When:03:39:00Z One of the most popular questions being discussed now in an endless stream of books, magazines, documentaries and movies is, “Who is the real Jesus?” Jesus is a very confusing topic right now. Among all of the different revisions and portraits of Jesus, who is right? Is anyone really right? Does it really matter that much? Is there a “real” Jesus, or is he always a matter of interpretation? Strange as it may seem, swirling opinions about Jesus is not new. It was this way during His lifetime too! He once asked this very question to His disciples, “Who do people say that I am?” And they responded by giving several of the popular opinions and interpretations making the rounds about Him (Mt. 16: 13). Then Jesus turned the same question to them, “But, who do you say that I am?” Peter, who usually stuck his foot in his mouth, blurted out immediately, “You are the Christ (Promised Messiah-Savior), the Son of the living God.” (Mt. 16: 16). Even Peter must have wondered how such a profound answer came from his lips. He didn’t even have to think about it. It was just there, boldly stated, and to the point! In the following verses, Jesus congratulated Peter for getting it right. He also told Peter that this conviction about who He really was had been revealed to him by God. According to Jesus, it is very important to sort out all of the opinions and historical revisions and discover who He really is. If Jesus is who He constantly said He was — God come into our world, our Savior from sin, the only way to eternal life — then the most important thing in life is to discover who He really is. How do we discover the real Jesus? There is great value in doing research into the reliability of the New Testament records about Him which are very strong. Historical references to Jesus outside of the New Testament substantiate that He lived, was a teacher and miracle worker, died and was claimed by his followers to have risen again (See Josephus, 1st century historian). The evidence from history and the impact of His influence through the centuries is overwhelming evidence that the real Jesus is the one He identified Himself to be — the Son of God!  But, Peter was totally sure of the real Jesus. How? How can we be totally sure of the real Jesus? He made an amazing promise that following His death for our sins and His subsequent resurrection that He would personally reveal Himself to any person who placed their faith in Him. Jesus is a Person. As a Person, He is able to reveal Himself to other persons. He does this by actually entering into the deepest part of a person’s being, the heart, whenever a person confesses their sin and invites Him to become their Savior. Dead historical figures are subject to interpretation. We can never really get to know the real person because we can’t go back to the time when they lived. But, Jesus is not locked in past history. The real Jesus is alive now, and He wants to know you! And, if you will place your faith in Him, you, like Peter, will know for sure who He really is! Sunday Gatherings 2009-04-19T03:39:00+00:00 http://lemontcalvarychurch.org/site/abandoned/ http://lemontcalvarychurch.org/site/abandoned/#When:00:31:00Z I remember once when I was just a preschooler being at the store with mom. She went around an aisle and for just a few seconds I got separated from her, and I got really scared. Then, thinking I saw her, I ran up and with great relief hugged her around her legs. But then, I looked up, and to my horror it wasn’t my mom, but a stranger. I remember the awful feeling at that moment which I can only describe as abandonment! I felt all alone! It’s one thing to be a preschooler abandoned for a few seconds, but what about when you are older and feel all alone in what you are facing. Perhaps you are facing a situation that others just don’t understand. Maybe you are holding the broken pieces of a relationship you thought was solid. Or, perhaps you have a life threatening illness, or have lost your job, or the death of a loved one has left you alone. When we look at the last hours of Jesus leading up to the Cross on that final night when more than ever He needed the support of friends, instead He went through a blow by blow series of abandonment until He was left all alone to face the Cross. Jesus progressed through four stages of abandonment. First, Mt 26: 37-39. Jesus, in the garden of Gethsemane with his disciples, took the three of them that he was closest to, Peter, James and John, further into the garden, and … “he began to be filled with anguish and deep distress. He told them, “My soul is crushed with grief to the point of death. Stay here and watch with me”.  What a picture this is! Jesus, the Son of God, pouring out His agony to these three fishermen. What an honor for them! What an expression of friendship and trust Jesus placed in these three who had been close to Him for 3 years. The next verse says Jesus’ anguish became so heavy that “He went on a little farther and fell face down on the ground, praying, ‘My Father, if is possible, let this cup of suffering be taken away from me. Yet, I want your will, not mine.” Then he returned to Peter, James and John and the other disciples, and instead of finding them in fervent prayer for Him, they were asleep, snoring. Have you had friends you trusted and really expected more from, who dropped the ball? Jesus must have felt like that. There was no one praying for Him in His darkest hour. This was the first stage of abandonment for Jesus. The second stage begins to unfold in v. 46. Judas and the soldiers burst into the garden. None of Jesus friends was standing guard, watching. Instead, it was Jesus who had to wake them up or they might have slept through His arrest. They wake up. There was a flash of courage from one of the disciples (John 18: 10 tells us it was Peter) who grabbed a sword and cut off the ear of the high priest’s servant. He was ready to fight, but Jesus said, “Put the sword away”. When the disciples saw that Jesus wasn’t going to fight with weapons, when they heard Jesus say to the soldiers “Don’t you know I could call 12 legions (45-50,000) of angels to come and rescue me,” but that he wasn’t even going to do that, and when they saw that Jesus really meant to go to the Cross, “At that point all the disciples fled” (V. 56). His friends deserted him. This was the second stage of abandonment. V. 58 says that Peter, though he ran away too, must have regained some of his courage, at least enough to follow Jesus and the soldiers from a safe distance, being sure to stay out of sight. V. 69 says Peter took a seat in the yard outside the courtroom, blending into the crowd, because he wanted to see what would happen. My guess is that Peter still thought if Jesus got pushed enough, mistreated enough, He would get angry and change His mind and still call that army of angels, put an end to this Cross idea and set up His kingdom! Peter watched as v. 67 says, “they spit in Jesus’ face and hit him with their fists. And some slapped him, saying “Prophesy to us you Messiah, Who hit you that time?” Peter must have thought, “Surely, Now Jesus won’t just stand there and take it.” But, He did! And, the third stage of abandoning Jesus, the worst yet begins to unfold. V. 69 “As Peter was sitting in the courtyard, a servant girl, came over and said to him, “You were one of those with Jesus…” 70 But Peter denied it in front of everyone, “I don’t know what you are talking about!” he said. Two more times on that night Peter denied knowing Jesus. On the third time Peter began to curse, swearing that He didn’t know Jesus. And at that very moment, Luke 22: 61 says, “Jesus turned and looked straight at Peter.” Jesus heard Peter abandon Him. Peter went away bitterly weeping at his lack of courage to stand up for his Lord. Being denied and cursed by His foremost student was the third stage of abandonment. Jesus faced the rest of the horrible night alone: the unjust trial, the beatings, the flogging, the crown of thorns, the mocking; and, then in the morning the march to the Cross. At 9:00 AM He was nailed to the Cross and as Jesus hung on the Cross those 6 hours, there was only One Person left who hadn’t deserted Him – His Father with whom He had been close, heart to heart for all eternity, and I would imagine that as Jesus hung on the Cross during those hours, He prayed to His Father pouring out His pain and all that He was feeling, and drew strength from the nearness of the Father’s Presence. But, there is still one stage of abandonment to come! All of a sudden the scripture says in 27:46 at about 3:00 PM the unthinkable abandonment happened to Jesus. “Jesus called out with a loud voice “Eloi, Eloi, lama sabachthani?’ which means, ‘My God, My God, why have you forsaken me?’” These are the words of the most abandoned person in the history of the world, the fourth and final abandonment. Abandoned by God! In some way beyond our ability to understand at the 3:00 hour when the full weight of all the sins of the world, including yours and mine, was assigned to Jesus, the Father abandoned His Son. The Father turned His back on His sin-bearing Son! We don’t comprehend it, but it was loneliness beyond what we can imagine. Shortly after this v. 50 says “Jesus shouted, ‘It is finished!’” The price Jesus paid for your salvation was an ‘indescribable moment’ of abandonment and rejection by His Father. In this world, you will face the first three stages of abandonment as people drop the ball, break your trust, as friends at times desert you, don’t understand you, may not be there for you, or the person you most trusted and looked up to may fail you, may even turn against you. But there is one guarantee you have from the Cross. Because Jesus faced abandonment by God, you will never have to experience that. He faced the abandonment and separation from God caused by your sins so that you can be assured of God’s Presence no matter what you face. This promise is stated powerfully by Isaiah the prophet in Isaiah 43: 1-3… 1 The Lord who created you says, “Do not be afraid, for I have ransomed you. I have called you by name; you are mine. 2 When you go through deep waters and great trouble, I will be with you. When you go through rivers of difficulty, you will not drown! When you walk through the fire of oppression, you will not be burned up; the flames will not consume you. 3 For I am the Lord, your God, the Holy One of Israel, your Savior. As you enter Holy Week, be confident that the Lord knows your life. He knows what you are facing down to every fear, every feeling of insecurity, every doubt and discouragement. He knows all about your family, your career, your past and your future. He knows every impossible, overwhelming situation that tries to keep you from sleeping at night. He knows the deep waters, the river of difficulty, and the flames of oppression you face. You are not abandoned! Jesus is with you! Easter 2009-04-01T00:31:00+00:00