#sermon recap

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Elijah Part 3: Trust

Sermon Recap

"God doesn't give us the full picture, He doesn't explain all; He just gives us the next step."

-Ric Garland

Epsom Bible Church | Elijah Part 3 - Trust

Weekly Service 10:30 AM

Scripture Focus 1 Kings 17:8-16

We are on week three in our series of Elijah, and this week Pastor Ric shares a message on what it means to trust the Lord, a few areas that tend to hold us back from doing so, and how and why we should push beyond them.

Trusting God means relying on and placing complete confidence in Him. Most Christians find this easy to do when things are going well. When you can see God actively working in your life, you can see people being positively affected by your influence, and you can see the big picture; it is easy to trust that God has your back. But what about when life isn't going so well, when you don't seem to be making an impact on others, and the big picture is a foggy mess? It's harder to be all in on trusting God when you don't understand.

But here's the thing.......

God wants the trust of our hearts, not the understanding of our emotions. God doesn't owe us an explanation! - Ric Garland

Three things that hold us back from fully trusting God.

Overthinking. When God's will doesn't make sense to us, we begin to overthink everything. Trust obeys the Word of the Lord, and His Word is clear. If you are unsure of God's will in a situation, then consider that it might be your will getting in the way of His.

"Trust follows the next step instead of demanding knowing the entire journey." RG.

Believing the situation to be impossible. God does not always provide the solution we would hope for in every case. But He always provides a solution. Sometimes our situations seem so impossible that we cycle back into anxiety, overthinking, and second-guessing. Our scripture in 1 Kings today gave such a vivid example of God providing solutions for Elijah every step of the way when he trusted that God had his back. He did not ask God to fill in every detail; He simply took the next step, and God always provided a solution.

Lacking faith. God's provisions and blessings always come through faith.

"When you follow the will of God, giving of your time, talents, or finances and in turn create a need for yourself, God will always fill that need." RG

Have you felt God moving in your heart but failed to act on it? Today our scripture shows how deeply Elijah trusted the Lord every step of the way, even though he could not see the outcome as he was going through it. Was he afraid at times? Confused? Wondering what the outcome would be? Probably but still, Elijah got up and went through as God directed.

When we fail to trust God, we let ourselves down. We go through life half alive, unwilling to be all in for fear of failure, forgetting that God shows us we need not be afraid when we have Him. Next time you feel God moving in your heart, will you trust Him?

Get up. Take the next step. Go through.

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Elijah Part II: Hide

Sermon Recap

We pick up our study of the prophet Elijah again this week. He has confronted the king- a dangerous feat- and survived, but now the Lord has told Elijah to go into hiding. Pastor Ric sets the scene for us and gives us some critical lessons that the Lord taught through Elijah during his time in hiding that we can apply to our own lives today.

Epsom Bible Church | Elijah - Part 2 - Hide

Weekly Service 10:30 AM

Scripture Focus 1 Kings 17:2-7

Listen up

God has a plan for your life. A plan He crafted thoughtfully and in great detail in eternity past. God wants us to live up to that plan! Listen to God; He wants to communicate His plan with you. Plain and simple right? Yet, so often, we choose to be stubborn and ignore the will of God rather than see where His prompting leads.

"If you are confused about the will of God today, it may be a result of not obeying the will of God yesterday." -Ric Garland.

Back up

Most people who are successful at something do not achieve their success by reaching goals and milestones in an uphill, problem-free, linear line. God uses us similarly. If we are listening, we will pursue His calling for us, but that doesn't mean butterflies, rainbows, and a solid track record of success lie ahead. If that were the case, our old nature would probably sabotage the whole thing by glorifying ourselves rather than hitting the intended target of glorifying God. Often, God will set us aside or back so that, if we are really paying attention, we will allow ourselves to be humbled and genuinely vulnerable in front of the Lord. A vulnerable person will walk with the Lord in authenticity, and compassion, lacking fear of the judgment of other men.

"Vulnerable people stop asking "why" and instead trust the "Who." -Ric Garland.

Change up

Change can be uncomfortable for us because of the unknowns. Unknown expenses, unexpected hiccups, additional tasks we hadn't previously considered.. all these unknowns mean we won't have firm control of the new situation. Lack of control is scary! Thankfully God is always in control. Nothing comes as a surprise to God. If we are listening and are vulnerable in the presence of God, then we can have confidence in the Lord's omnipotence.

Dried up

Throughout our scripture focus verses today, Elijah is learning that God would never lead him where the grace of God could not keep him. We can see that lesson repeating in our own lives. If we are following the prompting of the Holy Spirit vulnerably and without fear, then we find that the Lord truly does give us all that we need. However, we often fall short instead interpreting events and circumstances in our lives as a direct and personal attack on us, a judgment of our sins, and betrayal from God. When things aren't going well for us, we begin to feel bitter, and when bitterness takes over, it's off to the races. We allow that person who did us wrong to become a god in our lives by placing our value and worth in what that person says or believes about us- right or wrong. But that's not what God wants. God wants to be the only God in our lives. We can have peace and confidence knowing that what He says about us is far more important than anyone else could. God doesn't promise us easy, problem-free lives, but He is never surprised by our situation, and He never abandons us.

"Dried up brooks are a measure of His love to demonstrate His grace if we open our eyes to His glory and stop being so self-oriented." -Ric Garland.

Key message points:

Deal with your stubbornness.

Learn to be vulnerable

Let go of control and fear.

Remove bitterness and trust God.

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Elijah: Part 1, Who is He?

Sermon Recap

Today we begin a ten-week study on the prophet Elijah. In this sermon, Pastor Ric explains what exactly a prophet is, gives us some background history on the governmental system in Israel, and introduces the "players" in leadership in Israel. This week's sermon gives us a clear understanding of the events that led to meeting the prophet Elijah.

Epsom Bible Church | Elijah - 1

Weekly Service 10:30 AM

Scripture Focus 1 Kings 17:1

"God does not say, 'Oops, sorry, I have been busy and didn't notice what was going on.' I can tell you-by faith- nothing happens by chance. Whatever happens, God has providentially allowed for it to happen for His glory, and for your good." -RG.

What is a prophet?

A prophet is essentially a spokesperson between God and man who received direct revelation from God and revealed it clearly and succinctly to humanity. A true prophet was 100% accurate 100% of the time- something that is humanly statistically impossible. A true prophet will never contradict or steer you away from God. There are two types of prophets; foretellers, who predict what God will do, and those who forthtell, who declare the truth about God.

Are there still prophets today?

Since the Bible has been completed, prophets today forthtell the truth based on the authority of Scripture.

Who was Elijah?

Elijah was a prophet who came from a small, rugged town called Tishbeth in an area northeast of the Jordan River. His background is unknown, but based on his origins in Tishbeth, historians do not believe he would have been a very polished or sophisticated type of man. Yet, despite his "backwoods" roots, Elijah was one of the greatest prophets in the Old Testament.

The End of Theocracy

In the book of Samuel, the Israelites had decided they wanted a human king overseeing their nation, like the other nations around them, rather than God. God allowed this to happen, and Israel was divided into a northern and southern kingdom. Both northern and southern kingdoms would endure many years of evil rulers.

"Israel was born in rebellion and nursed in apostasy. Bloodshed and assassinations, murder, and malice, intrigue and immorality, conspiracy, deception, hatred, and idolatry prevailed for six uninterrupted, dark decades in Israel." -RG.

The eighth King of the Northern Kingdom is King Ahab. It built altars to Baal and Asherah poles. He was a wicked king. It is Ahab's wife, though- Jezebel, who really ran the show both in and out of their marriage. So, it is she who rules the people of Israel. She systematically begins to exterminate the worship of Yahweh, replacing it instead with the worship of pagan gods and idols.

"Yahweh is alive, active, and involved. Nothing happens that a sovereign God is not in control of." -RG.

A Prophecy is Shared

In today's verse, the prophet Elijah comes from out of the blue, a nobody from nowhere, to bring a foretelling prophecy to King Ahab. The prophecy says there will be no rain or dew unless on his command. Elijah had complete confidence in his prediction because God had promised to withhold rain from this land if his people turned from Him to other gods, and that's exactly what they had done. For an agricultural community, lack of rain would be devastating. Elijah's prophecy attacks Baalism at its theological core- if Baal, the god of rain, can't even make it rain, then who is really in charge? Will the people of Israel see their mistake? Elijah trusted God's presence more than he feared the possible consequences from the King for speaking the truth.

Three key points

God is always in change-even when we don't see it.

We have to actively practice the presence of God.

God doesn't want perfect people. He just wants yielded hearts.

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Everyday Christianity: The Disciple-Making Life

Sermon recap

"Rise up and be someone worth imitating." -Ric Garland

Epsom Bible Church | The Disciple-Making Life

Weekly Service 10:30 AM

Scripture Focus Philippians 3:17

Pastor Ric wraps up our series on everyday Christianity this week with a fifth and final message. This sermon highlights why the everyday Christian life is one of disciple-making and the weight and responsibility that it carries.

In our scripture this week, Paul shares that influence goes both ways, meaning we should surround ourselves with others who will positively impact our lives while being a positive example of God to others around us.

As humans, it is our natural inclination to wish to be a part of something, and the everyday Christian life is a life of fellowship. People who pour into us, and people we pour into. Fellowship, when done right, is an incredibly powerful thing. Fellowship brings joy, strength, security, and unity. Biblical fellowship is built on a foundation of trust. However, it can be easy for a group of people to fall into the trap of cynicism rather than trust. When there is a gap between our expectations and reality, we may find ourselves filling that gap with assumptions rather than asking questions and getting to the root of the problem. So many issues between people could be solved if we would ask questions and be direct rather than cynical of the person or situation.

“A critical element of everyday Christianity is allowing the fellowship of the church to impact and influence your life. If there is a barrier or hurdle there, that needs to be removed ASAP!” -Ric Garland.

Discipleship is allowing others to influence our lives. Being a disciple maker means that I am influencing others to be what I already am. Sounds simple enough, but consider for a moment the responsibility this holds. If others are looking to you as an example of what it means to be a Christian, what do they see? What do they feel? As John MacArthur said, “You might be the only Bible that a non-believer may ever read.” What are they reading?

“Allow God to use your life, to influence and impact the lives of others for His glory. God designed your life in every single minute detail to accomplish His goal, which is for your good and His glory! God designed you to reach someone for Him that no one else can!” -Ric Garland.

To impact others in the way God desires, our lives are to reflect the five elements of the everyday Christian life that we have been working through in this series. Click the links below for a refresher of each part, or rewatch the sermon!

Dynamic Life- A genuine desire to know God.

Dissatisfied Life- Always growing in my belief.

Devoted Life- Singularly focused on bringing glory to God.

Determined Life- Seeing my faith walk through to the finish.

Disciplined Life- Staying focused and committed to all the above.

When we live in this way, we can be true examples of God to everyone we encounter.

“Whether you like it or not, your life is impacting the lives of others. The question is, is it a positive influence towards God, or a negative one?” -Ric Garland.

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Everyday Christianity, The Disciplined Life

Sermon recap

“I discipline my life not so that God would love me more (because he cannot) but so that I learn how to love God more.” -Ric Garland.

Epsom Bible Church | The Disciplined Life

Weekly Service 10:30 AM

Scripture Focus Philippians 3:15,16

We are now five weeks into this incredible series, Everyday Christianity. This week, we look at what it means to live a disciplined life. The direction this sermon takes isn't what you might expect!

What do you think when you hear the word discipline? Rules? Codes? Punishments? Correction? Legalism? Me too. This sermon challenges us to change our beliefs on what living a disciplined Christian life means.

Discipline is wanting something bad enough.

If we do not desire the outcome of something badly enough, we will not put in the work required to see that thing through. We will work to have the time and energy for what we see as important, from the mundane to the supremely important. It is that simple. From improving our health to having a great marriage to maturing in our faith, the growth and success of these things and many more are directly related to how badly we desire the result—the things we want badly enough we will see through to the finish line.

How does that apply to our lives as Christians?

Thinking back over the last few weeks, we have been building the scaffolding to bring ourselves to a place where we can apply discipline to our Christian lives. Consider what we have learned about Christian life thus far;

The Dynamic Life, seeking a real relationship with the Lord. Ditch the checkboxes. Here is where we choose to deny ourselves and trust God.

The Dissatisfied Life is satisfied with what we cannot change and dissatisfied with what we can change. Take a knee. Every. Single. Day. Here is where we choose to die to ourselves and hand the reins over to Christ. He is our ultimate authority.

The Devoted Life looks like a singular focus on bringing glory to God. Here is where we choose to decide to walk by faith where ever God leads.

DENY => DIE => DECIDE

"It is the outworking of a passion-filled soul that desires to experientially know God so much that they become dissatisfied with their beliefs, devoted to one thing- to be complete in Christ, determined to finish. To do this takes discipline." -Ric Garland.

We need to develop the discipline, the determination, to see this race of life through to the finish so that when the day comes that we finally meet God, we come to Him fully mature. That comes from daily decisions, daily actions to be active in God's Word, and applying the principles of His Word to your day-to-day life.

Living a life truly disciplined in faith will not be boring, not in the least. It will be an adventure in freely desiring to know God deeply and learn how to love Him more. It won't always be easy, but If it feels like a punishment, you'll need to go back and reassess the first three steps we have discussed.

"Discipline is the fruit of someone who understands the Gospel and the grace of God in their lives." -Ric Garland.

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Everyday Christianity, The Devoted Life

Sermon recap

What is your one thing? The one thing that you can’t stop thinking about. The one thing that drives everything you do. It affects every decision you make, every opportunity you take, where you spend your time, money, and energy. The one that if you think deeply about, you might be overwhelmed by emotion. The one thing that everyone sees in you because you are so committed to it that they cant not see it. The thing you concentrate on, believe in, and never shift your focus from? So what is your one thing?

Epsom Bible Church | The Devoted Life

Weekly Service 10:30 AM January 30, 2022

Scripture Focus Philippians 3:13

After a brief, unexpected hiatus, Pastor Ric is back at it again with part three in our series on everyday Christianity. If you have not heard parts 1 and 2 in the series, I encourage you to do so. The lessons are building on one another, and it will be helpful to have a complete understanding of each. This week we examine what it means to live a devoted life, why we are called to do so, and how to apply what we have learned in real-time.

Our "one thing" is the one thing we are wholly devoted to. As Christians, when we choose Jesus to be our one thing, life is motivated by grace and the power of the Holy Spirit, as we-by faith-conform to the image of Christ for the glory of God.

When we instead choose something else to become our one thing, we become the center of our universe, the center of our devotion, and we, consciously or not, are choosing to turn away from God. There is no middle ground. You are ALWAYS either actively walking towards a closer relationship with God or away from it. So often we allow ourselves to live somewhere in between because it is easy there-comfortable. Doing "enough" so that we don't feel guilty- but also not allowing ourselves to fully dive in for fear of the discomfort or "inconvenience" it may cause.

We aren't preparing for a future in this world; instead, we are preparing for our future in heaven.

Realizing this should change our beliefs about what is most important. Living a life devoted to Jesus allows you to make decisions that align with His word, humbling us and bringing our focus towards glorifying Him to which we owe all rather than things of this world that someday will not matter.

4 Steps in Devotion

Be honest and answer the question, What are you devoted to? Remember, the Christian life is motivated by grace and the power of the Holy Spirit, as we-by faith-conform to the image of Christ for the glory of God.

Learn to say no to opportunities that do not fit your devotion.

Keep it simple. Choose one thing you need to work on to bring you closer to your goal and work on only that one goal at a time; complexity is the enemy of focus.

Learn the difference between failure and quitting. When you fail, own it. Then, confess it, make it right, refocus and keep going. Quitting is not an option.

Don't just start the race- Finish it!

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Everyday Christianity; The Dissatisfied Life

Sermon recap

“You don’t change behavior by changing behavior; you change behavior by changing your beliefs.” -RG.

Epsom Bible Church | The Dissatisfied Life

Weekly Service 10:30 AM

Scripture focus Phillpians 2:12

This week Pastor Ric gets into why Christians should live a dissatisfied life… Wait…What? A dissatisfied life?? Hold on…. Didn’t we JUST cover how Christians should live dynamic lives? That seems pretty much the opposite of dissatisfied…. And I KNOW I am supposed to be content with what I have… isn’t that also the opposite of dissatisfied? This week’s sermon gets to the heart of understanding the biblical difference between contentment and dissatisfaction.

We define biblical contentment as: The learned attitude of a Spirit-filled Christian that has been given all spiritual blessings. They are self-sufficient to accomplish God’s agenda and live above the events and others out of their control.

Biblical contentment is:

Learned- It doesn’t come naturally to our old nature.

Not Easy- You have to go through difficult experiences and situations to fully understand and know/desire contentment. God allows these situations so that we may grow in our faith.

Through the power and strength of Jesus. Our ability to overcome mental stress and be content is given to us through Christ.

Finding peace and confidence in difficult situations, being willing to submit, and accepting God’s will for the things we can not change.

Biblical contentment is not:

Running away from or ignoring hardships

Pushing down emotions when times are hard

Not grieving loss

We find ourselves discontent when we focus on inaccurate beliefs about who we are and what we are capable of based on judgments of others or our own inner critic without pausing to realize who we are in Christ. What does Christ say about you? Whose opinion of us means the most? The secret to contentment is knowing who you are in Christ. (Review Ephesians 1)

We define Biblical Dissatisfaction as: The attitude of not being satisfied with that which I CAN change/control. So what can we change? What can we control??? Ourselves and our beliefs. That is it! We cannot change anyone else. We can influence, pray for, love, encourage, rebuke, challenge, and praise others, but we can not change them.

Can we be both content and dissatisfied simultaneously?

We can be content with that which we can not change while at the same time being dissatisfied with that which we can change. When we know who we are in Christ, we can be dissatisfied with our current beliefs knowing we are called to strive for much higher standards. We should be dissatisfied enough to motivate us to challenge old beliefs and make change happen. There will never come a time when we have “made it” this side of heaven. Personal growth is a faith walk, one in which we are growing to be more like our Savior, who doesn’t just love us- but also likes us!

We can live dynamic Christian lives filled with peace, joy, love, and adventure. But first, we need to be discerning in knowing the difference between contentment and the motivation that stems from dissatisfaction. So let us not settle for okay lives but do the hard work of building dynamic lives. Growth can be uncomfortable. Old habits can be hard to break. But our loving God has given us all of the tools we need to succeed!

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Everyday Christianity: The Dynamic Life

Sermon recap

“We live by boxes. We all have boxes that we check off. We all have, in our minds somewhere, 'Spirituality looks like this, and if I check these boxes off, then I am going to be a spiritual person.' " -RG.

Epsom Bible Church | The Dynamic Life

Weekly Service 10:30 AM

Scripture focus Philippians 3:10,11

Pastor Ric starts the New Year off with a bang here at Epsom Bible Church with this sermon! This is week one of six in the series that will examine everyday Christianity. For the next six weeks, we will get into just what it can look like to live fulfilled Christian lives. And NO, that doesn’t mean a boring life! In fact, quite the opposite. We begin the series in Philippians with Paul, who knows all about living a dynamic Christian life.

In our world, in our reality as humans, we live performance-based lives. Our physical bodies, economic states, social interactions, and interpersonal relationships often flourish or fail in direct relation to our performance surrounding each. So it can be extremely tough to truly accept that our walk with God is not based on those same cause and effect performance markers. This is why, no matter how much we try to deny it, we all struggle with legalistic tendencies to one degree or another. Legalism puts works, actions, and religious checkboxes before our personal relationship with Christ. Legalism isn’t an act but rather an attitude, interpreting the events of the world by the measure of how it affects you. Nothing drains you of life and enthusiasm more than trying to earn acceptance and/or the fear of losing it.

What do you picture when you think of someone who is a good Christian? Do you think they will be judged by those same measures by God when the time comes that they meet Him?

“It is hardwired into our old nature for us to have to compare ourselves, or earn something, or for us to 'make it happen' on our own.” -RG.

Righteousness is not produced by our works, and it can not be earned. Ultimately our humanistic value system is worthless because it is not about us. It is about Jesus, His sacrifice, and the power of His resurrection. The righteousness of God is based on faith and is given as a free gift- no strings attached, to all who will humble themselves enough to accept it. God chose you while you were a sinner, and it is only by God’s endless grace that you have been saved.

“Once you realize that you are truly free from performance Christianity, that EVERYTHING has been accomplished for you. That God can NEVER change His mind. A relationship like you have never had before or will have again begins. God’s Grace moves you, motivates you, and changes you!” -RG.

In our scripture focus verses this week, Paul speaks of the goals of his faith walk:

To know God. Not to just know about him intellectually but to know Him experientially. To live a life where you are experiencing God daily.

To live in the power of his resurrection. To recognize and keep top of mind the sacrifice that Christ has made. Allowing our faith to humble us rather than concerning ourselves with what the world says we should do. The power of God is only limited when we are unwilling to yield to Him.

To have fellowship. To be willing to be misunderstood.

To conform. To be more like Jesus in everything we do!

Pastor Ric challenges us to pick one (only one!!!!) of the following statements that you would like to focus on this week.

As I am living life with all its pains and uncertainties, I want to deepen my knowledge of God as He carries me through.

I want to sense the power that resurrected Jesus from the dead surging through my life to overcome the resistance of sin.

When I choose to suffer for being misunderstood for my commitment, it will draw me closer to my Savoir, who understands.

I need to daily die to self to allow the Holy Spirit to overcome the power of sin in my life.