Pastor Jon Burgess
August 26, 2018 - W1834

Welcome to New Hope! It’s so good to see your beautiful faces! Welcome to our Island Style and Acoustic Cafe venues, and our online congregation! I hope that you and your loved ones were safe from the storm that we just experienced here in Hawaii!

Today, I’d like to talk about the Sabbath And The Generous Life, continuing the Divine Rhythm series, and how through God’s generosity we can live out that generosity towards those around us. Let’s see what Jesus said about the Sabbath …

Matthew 12:7-10 NLT says, “7 But you would not have condemned my innocent disciples if you knew the meaning of this Scripture: ‘I want you to show mercy, not offer sacrifices. ⁸ For the Son of Man is Lord, even over the Sabbath!’ ⁹ Then Jesus went over to their synagogue, ¹⁰ where he noticed a man with a deformed hand. The Pharisees asked Jesus, ‘Does the law permit a person to work by healing on the Sabbath?’ (They were hoping he would say yes, so they could bring charges against him.)”

While the Pharisees and the religious leaders were trying to condemn Jesus and trap Him, they didn't even notice the man with the deformed hand; they didn't care how hungry the disciples were. But the Sabbath reminds us to stop and get a perspective that God has provided all that we need—not to keep to ourselves—but to give to others!

Religion closes down things and causes us to be careful, calculated, and cold; but relationship opens up and causes us to notice (like Jesus did) those who are in need, hurting, and helpless. The Sabbath is at the beginning of the week to remind us of the generosity of God; that we can live out the same generosity with others the rest of the week.

[Video]

The Generous Life: Bringing Health, Home, And Help To Others.

PASTOR JON: We're at New Hope Hilo Church, under Pastor Sheldon Lacsina's leadership. They are living The Generous Life (being the hands and feet of Jesus), helping all that are hurting from the destruction of the volcano, and the aftermath that resulted in the displacement of thousands of people from their homes.

Pastor Makana Delovio of New Hope Legacy Church in Kona is also with us; they are living The Generous Life to those around them. This is exactly why God put us on this island—to show the people Jesus in practical and powerful waysSo much of what we've been learning in the Divine Rhythm series is exactly what God’s teaching us through this storm—that when we pause and rest on the Sabbath, it keeps us in His Divine Rhythm, despite the storms that are going on around us!

The Divine Rhythm is a spiritual peace dependent upon the person of Jesus Christ, who is with us in the middle of upheavals (storms, crises, terrors, and fearful things). I love that when we have no idea of what's coming, God does! And when we take time on the Sabbath to be with Him, He prepares us for what’s coming: We'll be ready come what may!

Some may think that as a Christian we will not to go through all that pain and suffering since we have a free pass to heaven, but Jesus says, “No, you will go through it, but I will be with you every step of the way…”

Isaiah 43:1-3 NIV says, “¹But now, this is what the Lord says—he who created you, Jacob, he who formed you, Israel: ‘Do not fear, for I have redeemed you; I have summoned you by name; you are mine. ² When you pass through the waters, I will be with you; and when you pass through the rivers, they will not sweep over you. When you walk through the fire, you will not be burned; the flames will not set you ablaze. ³ For I am the Lord your God, the Holy One of Israel, your Savior…’”

A month ago when I was preparing a message for this weekend, I didn't know that Hurricane Lane was coming to our islands, but God did! In fact, I was on the Big Island (the island that was hit the hardest during Hurricane Lane), and God put it on my heart to interview Pastor Makana of New Hope Legacy in Kona and Pastor Sheldon of New Hope Hilo (this is the first New Hope church in our movement).

As I'm interviewing them, I'm talking about how God's people can be Jesus' hands and feet in a time of crisis. How about that? A month ago, I was talking about what we need to be reminded of this very weekend!

The Generous Life is helping people know they're not alone when they're going through the fire and the flood—the point of what our own islands have just been going through! I've seen the quickest results of people stepping into their divine calling when they begin to give.

God may have torn Hurricane Lane apart, but our islands are still experiencing floods on the Big Island and fires and flood on Maui!

So much of what we've been learning in the Divine Rhythm series is exactly what God’s been teaching us through this storm—that when we pause on the Sabbath, it keeps us in His Divine Rhythm—despite the storms around us…

Luke 4:16-19 NIV says, “¹⁶ He went to Nazareth, where he had been brought up, and on the Sabbath day he went into the synagogue, as was his custom. He stood up to read, ¹⁷ and the scroll of the prophet Isaiah was handed to him. Unrolling it, he found the place where it is written: ¹⁸ “The Spirit of the Lord is on me, because he has anointed me to proclaim good news to the poor. He has sent me to proclaim freedom for the prisoners and recovery of sight for the blind, to set the oppressed free, ¹⁹ to proclaim the year of the Lord’s favor.”

In other words, this is the time when Jesus will use His hands and feet to show the marginalized (the hurting, the underdog, the outcasts, those that everyone ignores), that Jesus is focused on them! He is now passing that anointing to us to share The Generous Life—helping people know they're not alone!

PASTOR SHELDON: Because of the volcano, some of our people lost their homes physically, some still have their homes but they can't get to it, and some can’t get help from their insurance policy because it says, “Your house is still there.” So they're in a weird place!

We've been praying for the leadership base in our church to increase; and we’ve seen that happen within a few weeks because people are coming every week to serve! We see gifts being released: that person has a gift of helps, that one of leadership, of prophecy, etc. People are stepping into their divine calling when they begin to give. They're now involved in the church, when they never were before!

So I think the blessing for us is that we get to do this for people! This is the heartbeat of Christ! It's not something that you strive to do; it is something you are—the church! It's just figuring out how do we do this. What can we do to at least alleviate the pain, the temporary discomfort, and uncertainty of where do we go from here with our family?

PASTOR JON: So you're reaching the felt need to obviously get at the real need; so that when they're able to look back on this time, they’ll say, “Man, the only thing that got me through was New Hope Church—those Christians!”

By getting the Sabbath perspective that God has given us everything we need, we take our time, talent, and treasures and give it—not hoard it! We realize that God is not just the Lord of the Sabbath—He's Lord of my 24/7! So pray, “God, take my talent and anything that I'm good at. I want to use it to serve you and others, not for my own glory. I will not only tithe and support the building initiative, but I will give above and beyond because I want to be a conduit of blessing (not a cul?de?sac) so you can pour through me!” This is what we’ve been anointed, empowered, and equipped to do in these last days.

Thank you, Pastor Shelton, for being obedient. And on the Kona side of the island, you guys are doing all kinds of things to meet the needs of those that are trying to make ends meet.

PASTOR MAKANA: Yeah.

PASTOR JON: They're not drowning in floodwaters, but drowning in waters of poverty.

PASTOR MAKANA: Right! The elementary School is located next to a few low?income housing projects and the school has over 1200 students! I really wanted to meet the needs of the children who needed it the most; many churches do backpacks, back?to?school supplies, etc., but it's really difficult to get it into the hands of the kids who need it the most!

Since we have teachers at New Hope Legacy and my job is to equip the saints to do the work of the ministry, I thought, “Why not give the teachers the resources they need—to be the hands and feet of Jesus in the school?”+++++++++++++++ So we're planning to take donations from the people in our church and resource each of the teachers with a Visa gift card to use at their own discretion throughout the year. Some of these teachers are working in the capacity of school counselors and they're able to see the felt needs of the students! What's really cool is that it meets the needs of the child, and, also, reaches the family because the teachers can tell the parents away from school, “Jesus loves you. You got a new pair of shoes.” This is how we're strategically meeting the needs of individual students who need it the most!

That's what the body of Christ is supposed to do, right? Each member is a minister! So, if we can resource the teachers with the tools they need to be the hands and feet of Jesus where they are, we will reach our community! And it's easy to latch on to something like that, as a member says, “I'll give to that!” 

PASTOR JON: Again, in meeting the felt need, we can get at the real need!

[End Video]

By being Jesus’ hands and feet, we show Him to the world in a way that a church service never can! Your pulpit is wherever you work and serve—finding ways to serve your community!

When we set aside the Sabbath, we realize that God is not just the Lord of the Sabbath—He's Lord of my 24/7! So how do we make sure that we are doing our part and God is doing his part? Can any of you rip a hurricane in half? No. That's His part. What was our part in the Hurricane Lane process? We prayed, believed, prepared, and stood in faith!

Know that you have authority to walk in the very things that we see Jesus walking in; just as it says in James 5:17 NIV, “Elijah was as human as we are, and yet when he prayed earnestly that no rain would fall, none fell for three and a half years!” So we prayed; God stopped the hurricane!

However, there may be places in your lives where it seems that the physical storm is gone, but you still have a storm raging inside; that extra time with your family revealed some things that you really need prayer for; you realize that there are things that you really need God to take care of; you need God to rip your bill in half; or a situation with your health and strength.

Remember, if our God can tear a hurricane in half, He can take care of whatever we are facing right now!

STUDY QUESTIONS:

1. What is Sabbath?

2. Why is it important in a Christian life?

3. What are some of the storms that we go through in our life?

4. Why does God let us walk through these storms?