BibleScribbler

Dan Sullivan Sermon Podcast on Soundcloud

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Every Sunday for the past 5 years I’ve had the honor of preaching at Westminster Church in Evansville, Indiana. I record the sermons almost every week, but I haven’t been doing anything consistent with them. They are now being served up on Soundcloud as a podcast, so as I schedule them out, you can subscribe and listen.

Here are the links you’ll need, depending on how you want to listen.

On Soundcloud, you can see entire playlists here:

If you want to subscribe on your iPhone, visit the podcast on Apple here:

https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/podcast-biblescribbler/id776497884?mt=2

Or if you know what you are doing and you want to go directly to the feed, go here:

http://feeds.soundcloud.com/users/soundcloud:users:56816157/sounds.rss

Thanks a lot for listening. If you have any questions or comments about what you hear, email me or hit me up on twitter and we can discuss.

Nicene Creed Sermons Part 1 – God the Almighty

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We believe in one God, the Father, the Almighty, maker of heaven and earth, of all that is seen and unseen.

What is the Trinity?

Mormons: That God is a council. Father and Son have bodies and are humans just like us, Spirit is a spirit.

Jehovah’s Witnesses: Spirit is just a force, not equal, and that Jesus is the only created thing that Father made and Jesus made everything else.

Pop Culture: God is a being, and entity, some think he’s hateful, some think he’s apersonal, some think he’s an alien and some recognize there is a force of some sort that is greater but make up their own story about it. (That was me.)

Science, philosophy, study of theology and history aren’t evil, arrogance is evil.

God created everything

(Genesis 1:1-5 ESV)
[1] In the beginning, God created the heavens and the earth. [2] The earth was without form and void, and darkness was over the face of the deep. And the Spirit of God was hovering over the face of the waters.
[3] And God said, “Let there be light,” and there was light. [4] And God saw that the light was good. And God separated the light from the darkness. [5] God called the light Day, and the darkness he called Night. And there was evening and there was morning, the first day.

God is the only God, and there is only one of Him

(Deuteronomy 6:4-9 ESV)
[4] “Hear, O Israel: The LORD our God, the LORD is one. [5] You shall love the LORD your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your might. [6] And these words that I command you today shall be on your heart. [7] You shall teach them diligently to your children, and shall talk of them when you sit in your house, and when you walk by the way, and when you lie down, and when you rise. [8] You shall bind them as a sign on your hand, and they shall be as frontlets between your eyes. [9] You shall write them on the doorposts of your house and on your gates.

God is not a man

(Numbers 23:19 ESV)
[19] God is not man, that he should lie,
or a son of man, that he should change his mind.

God wants us to know Him

(Romans 1:20 ESV)
[20] For his invisible attributes, namely, his eternal power and divine nature, have been clearly perceived, ever since the creation of the world, in the things that have been made. So they are without excuse.

God sent Jesus, God has made Himself known through Jesus, God wants us to believe in Him

(John 14:1-11 ESV)
[1] “Let not your hearts be troubled. Believe in God; believe also in me. [2] In my Father’s house are many rooms. If it were not so, would I have told you that I go to prepare a place for you? [3] And if I go and prepare a place for you, I will come again and will take you to myself, that where I am you may be also. [4] And you know the way to where I am going.” [5] Thomas said to him, “Lord, we do not know where you are going. How can we know the way?” [6] Jesus said to him, “I am the way, and the truth, and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me. [7] If you had known me, you would have known my Father also. From now on you do know him and have seen him.”
[8] Philip said to him, “Lord, show us the Father, and it is enough for us.” [9] Jesus said to him, “Have I been with you so long, and you still do not know me, Philip? Whoever has seen me has seen the Father. How can you say, ‘Show us the Father’? [10] Do you not believe that I am in the Father and the Father is in me? The words that I say to you I do not speak on my own authority, but the Father who dwells in me does his works. [11] Believe me that I am in the Father and the Father is in me, or else believe on account of the works themselves.

God is invisible, Jesus created everything, all of God was in Jesus

(Colossians 1:15-20 ESV)
[15] He is the image of the invisible God, the firstborn of all creation. [16] For by him all things were created, in heaven and on earth, visible and invisible, whether thrones or dominions or rulers or authorities—all things were created through him and for him. [17] And he is before all things, and in him all things hold together. [18] And he is the head of the body, the church. He is the beginning, the firstborn from the dead, that in everything he might be preeminent. [19] For in him all the fullness of God was pleased to dwell, [20] and through him to reconcile to himself all things, whether on earth or in heaven, making peace by the blood of his cross.

God doesn’t share His glory

(Isaiah 42:8 ESV)
[8] I am the LORD; that is my name;
my glory I give to no other,
nor my praise to carved idols.

(John 1:1-5 ESV)
[1] In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. [2] He was in the beginning with God. [3] All things were made through him, and without him was not any thing made that was made. [4] In him was life, and the life was the light of men. [5] The light shines in the darkness, and the darkness has not overcome it.

God eagerly wants to know you and He wants to make Himself known to you

(1 John 1:1-4 ESV)
[1] That which was from the beginning, which we have heard, which we have seen with our eyes, which we looked upon and have touched with our hands, concerning the word of life—[2] the life was made manifest, and we have seen it, and testify to it and proclaim to you the eternal life, which was with the Father and was made manifest to us—[3] that which we have seen and heard we proclaim also to you, so that you too may have fellowship with us; and indeed our fellowship is with the Father and with his Son Jesus Christ. [4] And we are writing these things so that our joy may be complete.

Sermon for Newlife Church of the Nazarene in Princeton, Indiana

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(These are my notes for a sermon I was able to preach in October, 2013, at New Life Church of the Nazarene in Princeton, Indiana)

Inaugurations

Scripture

Matthew 16:24

Then Jesus said to his disciples, “If anyone wants to become my follower, he must deny himself, take up his cross, and follow me.
16:25 For whoever wants to save his life will lose it, but whoever loses his life for my sake will find it.
16:26 For what does it benefit a person if he gains the whole world but forfeits his life? Or what can a person give in exchange for his life?
16:27 For the Son of Man will come with his angels in the glory of his Father, and then he will reward each person according to what he has done.

Luke 9:23

Then he said to them all, “If anyone wants to become my follower, he must deny himself, take up his cross daily, and follow me.
9:24 For whoever wants to save his life will lose it, but whoever loses his life for my sake will save it.

Galatians 2

2:16 yet we know that no one is justified by the works of the law but by the faithfulness of Jesus Christ. And we have come to believe in Christ Jesus, so that we may be justified by the faithfulness of Christ and not by the works of the law, because by the works of the law no one will be justified.
2:17 But if while seeking to be justified in Christ we ourselves have also been found to be sinners, is Christ then one who encourages sin? Absolutely not!
2:18 But if I build up again those things I once destroyed, I demonstrate that I am one who breaks God’s law.
2:19 For through the law I died to the law so that I may live to God.
2:20 I have been crucified with Christ, and it is no longer I who live, but Christ lives in me. So the life I now live in the body, I live because of the faithfulness of the Son of God, who loved me and gave himself for me.
2:21 I do not set aside God’s grace, because if righteousness could come through the law, then Christ died for nothing!

Isaiah 1 – God Hates Religion!

1:9 If the Lord who commands armies27 had not left us a few survivors,
we would have quickly become like Sodom,
we would have become like Gomorrah.
1:10 Listen to the Lord’s word,
you leaders of Sodom!
Pay attention to our God’s rebuke,
people of Gomorrah!
1:11 “Of what importance to me are your many sacrifices?”
says the Lord.
“I am stuffed with32 burnt sacrifices
of rams and the fat from steers.
The blood of bulls, lambs, and goats
I do not want.
1:12 When you enter my presence,
do you actually think I want this –
animals trampling on my courtyards?
1:13 Do not bring any more meaningless offerings;
I consider your incense detestable!
You observe new moon festivals, Sabbaths, and convocations,
but I cannot tolerate sin-stained celebrations!
1:14 I hate your new moon festivals and assemblies;
they are a burden
that I am tired of carrying.
1:15 When you spread out your hands in prayer,
I look the other way;
when you offer your many prayers,
I do not listen,
because your hands are covered with blood.
1:16 Wash! Cleanse yourselves!
Remove your sinful deeds
from my sight.
Stop sinning!
1:17 Learn to do what is right!
Promote justice!
Give the oppressed reason to celebrate!
Take up the cause of the orphan!
Defend the rights of the widow!

John 6:28

So then they said to him, “What must we do to accomplish the deeds God requires?”
6:29 Jesus replied, “This is the deed God requires – to believe in the one whom He sent.”

Perseverance

  • James 1
  • 2 Peter 1:6
  • Romans 5:3
  • 2 Thessalonians 3:13
  • Hebrews 10:36
  • Revelation 3:11

Outline

Introduce Yourself

  • Married w/ 5 kids
  • Lived around the world
  • Live in urban Evansville
  • Spiritual Life & Program Director at the Evansville Rescue Mission

Talk about inaugural events

  • Birth
  • Graduation
  • Marriage
  • Salvation
  • Baptism
  • Ordination
  • Landing a great job

All of these are one time events that open up a new door to do something.

They are a significant event in and of themselves, but all of them require continuous action

Matthew 16 and Luke 9 – Denying Myself is a daily activity

Activity without the inaugural event is death – Isaiah and Hebrews 11

Inaugural event opens the door to a life correctly ordered and possible

Galatians 2:20

Understand the role, work, and purpose of the work God requires, and go do it.

optional

john 15:1

“I am the true vine, and my Father is the vinedresser.
2 Every branch in me that does not bear fruit he takes away, and every branch that does bear fruit he prunes, that it may bear more fruit.
3 Already you are clean because of the word that I have spoken to you.
4 Abide in me, and I in you. As the branch cannot bear fruit by itself, unless it abides in the vine, neither can you, unless you abide in me.
5 I am the vine; you are the branches. Whoever abides in me and I in him, he it is that bears much fruit, for apart from me you can do nothing.
6 If anyone does not abide in me he is thrown away like a branch and withers; and the branches are gathered, thrown into the fire, and burned.
7 If you abide in me, and my words abide in you, ask whatever you wish, and it will be done for you.
8 By this my Father is glorified, that you bear much fruit and so prove to be my disciples.
9 As the Father has loved me, so have I loved you. Abide in my love.
10 If you keep my commandments, you will abide in my love, just as I have kept my Father’s commandments and abide in his love.

Fall Retreat Opener

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One of the things I enjoy the most is teaching at a camp or retreat, and it looks like I’m going to get to do another one this fall. Mark Silen, the Jr. High Pastor at Crossroads Christian Church is taking his group through a series called “Road Trip” this fall and they are studying the book of Acts. I’ve seen his outline and schedule for the Fall and it looks really neat.

The retreat theme fits with the entire fall theme: Necessary Detours. We are going to talk about times when you need to turn off the main path and take a necessary detour. In our first conversation about the weekend, we already talked about two neat metaphors.

1. Stop to go pee

On every roadtrip, one of the only reasons why you *have* to stop is to take a bathroom break. This is a stop to get rid of the impurities, to dump off the yuck, and to come out clean and free. Sounds a lot like repentance, doesn’t it? Repentance is all about leaving behind the things that bring you down, the things that really set out to kill you if not dealt with.

2. Stop to fill up

Whether it is gas in the engine or coffee and slim jims in your belly, you need to pull over and fill up at some point or you’ll be forced to pull over where you won’t be able to get filled up very easily. These kinds of detours don’t happen on accident, but you have to think them through. I remember one rest stop on the way to Colorado that had so many services and so many options that we wrote it down and planned on stopping there as we drove back to Indiana. You have to make these stops part of your journey or you’ll be stuck hitching a ride with whoever will pull over to rescue you.

I’ll be posting more on this topic, of course, as I prepare for the weekend. Until then please pray for the Jr. High kids that I’ll be speaking to and their leaders.

WCAGLS Session 5: Chris Brown

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Session 5 Chris Brown

For one month, Saul was getting called out and it was obvious to everyone that he was chicken.

Saul was supposed to be the guy that would go out after Goliath.

After 40 days of leadership being questioned, and it's because of you, any neck is better than yours.

They sent out the boy because he was the only one that would go.

Saul immediately claimed that hire!

Everybody bragged about how awesome David was.

Saul should have high-fived David and said, "We're the 11,000 club!"

"What more can he get but the kingdom?" Saul was jealous of David, didn't want his spot to get taken.

Saul had room in the kingdom for young eagles, but no room in his chariot. Saul thought it was HIS kingdom. How did you make this one about you?

The same way pastors and CEOs make it about "my team" and "My church" with the idea "I built this"

There was a pagan leader 800 years earlier that knew how to do this differently. He put Joseph in the chariot next to him.

Joseph thought they were his dreams, but they were God's dreams. Joseph needed slavery to learn the difference.

Jesus picked 12 guys, and at the LAST FREAKING SUPPER THEY WERE ARGUING ABOUT WHO WAS THE BEST!

"God shows up, I have one Son, you listen to Him, no Moses, No Elijahs, ONE SON."

The disciples just didn't get it, they were always trying to jockey for spot 2-11 (they knew Peter would be number 1)

James and John take Jesus aside to ask to be #1 and #2.

Over and over the leaders are struggling with who is going to be in charge of their peeps.

Jesus brought them all together and said the world lords their authority over each other.

Mark 10:42-45

the Son of man did not come to be served but to serve, and to offer himself as a ransom for many

you had higher hopes for your position than for the company or your church, that's why when somebody on your staff becomes great, you send them off to plant their own church.

The Jesus leader washes the feet of the great people on his team and serves them!

"Are you asking me to give away my platform? My title? My position? No. Jesus is!"

We need to call sin sin. Pride and ego are bad and we need to see that and call it out.

Chris Brown's mentor (the one everyone that knew him thought should give this talk) said "It doesn't matter who preaches this, as long as the message gets out!"

So many people practicing what they are preaching.

"this is not for every leader, only the ones that want to be great"

We are killing ourselves and our families trying to build our own kingdoms.

"i'm afraid that in 10 years, our cities are going to have incredible civic centers, incredible youth activity buildings. They used to be churches, until the personality left."

With the title I've been given, not as senior pastor, but as servant of all, what do I need to do? Who do I need to pull into my chariot?

When I have the choice, do I expand His kingdom, or my reputation.
Will you cheer for the other guy that gets invited to preach at the Summit about what you've been doing for 20 years?

If a non-believer had my exact same skill set, would they do my job differently? Your answer better be upside down.

After Jesus rose from the dead, He picked those guys that always argued to be picked, and sent them out.

Whatever you think it will cost you to empower others, it cost Jesus more. Follow Him.

I think that was the best talk yet.

Courage: WCAGLA Session 1: Bill Hybels

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Session One – Bill Hybels

Courage relates to every single aspect of leadership.

Nelson Mandela said he would fight apartheid

Vision: a picture of the future that creates passion in people

That's kind of funny. I'm sensitive to the paradigm of worrying about what other people think. Trying to turn off my critic.

Leadership: Getting people from here to there.

It takes more courage than any onlooker can imagine. A lot goes on inside to make what you see on the outside.

Building a building to serve the poor, as the people that wanted to serve them were becoming the poor!

Be strong and courageous. Do not be afraid, I am with you and I will never forsake you. Josh 1:9

They put in a huge lobby so poor wouldn't have to wait outside in the cold.
They put in a choice grocery store instead of a food bank so people could have a choice of what they got for food.
T

Why any sensible pastor would keep fully capable women from full deployment is beyond me – Bill Hybels Dang!

A lot of leaders fear what failing would look like in the middle, so they don't make it to the start.

Many leaders secretly abort their vision out of fear.

Too many visions die inside somebody's head because of fear. The cost was too high or the potential for failure was too great.

Do we lay the blame for the state of the world at the feet of a loving GOd, or at the feet of gutless, fraidy-cat leaders that don't have the chutspa to make their vision happen?

You might have ideas, but you lack one thing: bravery. Basic courage.

BE STRONG AND Courageous! What if God wants to do the thing He is giving you to do!?

That is why God made us leaders, not to suck our thumbs in the status quo. Not to hold our blankey and go to our grave with hidden visions.

A lady came up to bill and said,

Thank you for this place, right now it is our family's only hope.

He drove home crying at the thought of killing off that vision in a moment of fear.

Have the courage to define the current reality

Down, flatline, or upturn, what is the current reality? If it's going down, get your team and act fast!

MRI and code red story. Entire MRI staff ran out and left him in the MRI machine. "Ok folks, I'll just wait here and grow a third eye!"

Flatline: Sometimes to get to code red, the leader needs to commit arson. Set status quo on fire so people will evacuate, if necessary.

Upward run, you behave differently, you store up, you take more risks, you give younger, unskilled players more gametime.

The hardest part of this exercise is identifying whether you are up, down, or flat. Nobody ever wants to admit and face 2 of those 3.

Admit your downturn and act on it! Don't let the org burn down!

Truth: your whole team knows the reality of the state of the team, they are waiting for you to step up and lead them in it.

Whatever you are the most responsible for leading, what is YOUR current reality? Up, flat, down? Where are you individually?

Requires ruthless honesty about your current reality.

Have the courage to build a great culture.

  • Moving our staff to a healthy culture took more bravery than anything else. Took him a year to make the decision to bring in an outside firm.

Best Christian Workplace Survey

under 3.75, people don't trust each other, it's toxic
4.00 range, people kind of like coming to work, like kissing your sister
4.75 flourish, that is the magical range! stuff is awesome!

in their first year, they were 3.82, in toxic range

He was devastated by the results, but there was so much hurt and disappointment on their team he didn't sleep for weeks.

He knew it was going to take hundreds of meetings to work the stuff out and rebuild, so they started fast.

they went from 3.82 to 3.95 in a year, still toxic and still working

It took them 3 years to get healthy. Recovering trust in your staff takes years.

people join organizations and leave managers

That applies in churches, in missions, etc. "I loved your organization but my manager was crazy!"

**If they were done learning to be managers, they were done on the staff. **

Flourishing organizations are few and far between. Very few organizations reach 4.0

Staff cultures will only be as healthy as the CEO or Senior Pastor wants them to be. Delegating or abdicating this to anyone else is the kiss of death.

I know you think your job is safe, but we are no longer going to pay people to bruise and bust our culture. Build a flourishing culture or we will fire you.

You will not believe the difference beteween a flourishing staff and a toxic staff!

Rowing a boat across a lake with 10 people with only 3 people rowing. 3 are checking their txt, 2 are willfully sinking the boat, and 2 are asleep.

I really hope the messed up churches and pastors in Evansville take this talk to heart. There are so many toxic cultures in ministries it makes me want to tear my shirt.

4th component of leadership

Establish and enforce values

OneLife has campus pastors, WillowCreek has section pastors.

His friend lost a 5yo grandbaby, went to a church and sobbed through the whole service and nobody came up to talk to him about it. That messed Bill up, he couldn't bear the thought of somebody coming to Willow, weeping through a service, and not getting a pat on the back.

There is a time to cast a vision, and there is a time to establish an invaluable value.

"This is now a part of our culture, and you can like it or leave it." I don't think I know any church that really has the balls to have that attitude. They talk it, but they don't act it.

We will no longer be a church that lets people leave here unwelcomed and unloved.

Seems like Bill is moving Willow to do in their sections what the Verge folks are doing in neighborhoods.

An Aside

I don't think willow would admit this, but it seems like they are still in the temple mentality. Putting money into section pastors systems builds up the pastoral care of the sections of the church, but it's still inside the church. Maybe this summit is focused on what happens inside doors because that's the audience.

Longevity

if you are going to lead an organization, you are going to have to re-invent the organization and re-invent yourself several times.

You are going to have to celebrate and bless your colleagues as they leave and go on to do bigger and better things without you!

Lawyer: people don't change
Bill H.: I'm betting my life that you are wrong

He felt an impression from the Holy Spirit to preach in the middle of a baptism service. He said that God loves you just as you are and God has always been reaching out to you.

Mobs of people came down to be baptized. Mobs, In suits, in skirts, baptized like crazy.

So many of God's rewards for leaders are reserved for late in the race.

Consider Caleb and finish strong. Courageous leaders need to endure, persevere, don't be gutless.

The High Priesthood at Exodus Church for Bloomington

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I got to speak this past weekend at Exodus Church For Bloomington and it was a lot of fun. Below you’ll see my slides if you want to click through them, and you can listen to the audio from their website here. Just click on “Royal Priesthood” by Dan Sullivan.

I do some background on the sons of Aaron, Nadab and Abihu, and then get into the rebellion of Korah and his pals. This is all leading us into some more great material that is coming up next. Check back next week for part 2!

View the slides full screen here.