Embracing God's Faithfulness: Our Call to Live Boldly

In my sermon, I emphasized the importance of acknowledging and honoring God's faithfulness in our lives and in the history of our church. I drew parallels between the Apostle Paul's unashamed commitment to spreading the gospel, despite facing cultural resistance and personal embarrassment, and our own call to live out the good news of Jesus in our daily lives. I highlighted the legacy of men and women in our church who have sacrificed their reputational significance for the sake of God's work, such as Jane Stanford, who invested in Menlo Church even before Stanford University existed. I also stressed that it is God's faithfulness, not our fruitfulness, that sustains us, and that our suffering is a part of our legacy because it connects us to the reality of life.

In the second part of the sermon, I marked the day as a new beginning, a day to thank God for His faithfulness over our fruitfulness. I reminded the congregation that Jesus has provided hope for us, and that the Holy Spirit resides in each one of us who chooses to follow Jesus. I emphasized that our only real enduring strength comes from God Himself. I shared my personal journey of aligning my life to a strength bigger than my own, and encouraged the congregation to consider setting their lives on a different trajectory with Jesus. I concluded by reminding everyone that our greatest calling is to pursue Jesus and allow Him to invade every space and place of our lives.

Key Takeaways:
1. We are called to live out the good news of Jesus in our daily lives, unashamed and undeterred by cultural resistance or personal embarrassment ([54:10]).
2. It is God's faithfulness, not our fruitfulness, that sustains us. Our suffering is a part of our legacy because it connects us to the reality of life ([55:23]).
3. Jesus has provided hope for us, and the Holy Spirit resides in each one of us who chooses to follow Jesus ([01:06:11]).
4. Our only real enduring strength comes from God Himself. Aligning our lives to a strength bigger than our own can set us on a different trajectory ([01:06:43]).
5. Our greatest calling is to pursue Jesus and allow Him to invade every space and place of our lives ([57:45]).

Bible Reading:
1) Hebrews 12:1 - [01:09:42 <3VPpBNzpDZc>]
2) 2 Timothy 1:8 - [56:28 <3VPpBNzpDZc>]

Observation Questions:
1) What does the "great cloud of witnesses" in Hebrews 12:1 refer to?
2) In 2 Timothy 1:8, what does it mean to "share in suffering for the gospel"?

Interpretation Questions:
1) How does the concept of a "great cloud of witnesses" relate to the legacy of faith in our church community?
2) How does the idea of sharing in suffering for the gospel apply to our lives today?

Application Questions:
1) Can you identify a time when you felt like you were part of the "great cloud of witnesses"? How did that experience impact your faith?
2) How can we, as a community, better support each other in times of suffering for the gospel?
3) What is one way you can contribute to the legacy of faith in our church community this week?
4) Can you think of a time when you experienced suffering because of your faith? How did you respond and what did you learn from that experience?
5) How can we use our experiences of suffering for the gospel to encourage and strengthen others in their faith journey?

Day 1: God's Faithfulness Over Our Fruitfulness

God's faithfulness is not dependent on our fruitfulness. It is not about what we can do for God, but what God has done for us. We are not called to defend the brand of Christianity, but to live in the freedom of God's grace, acknowledging our imperfections and our need for Jesus. This is the enduring strength that comes from aligning our lives with God's strength. [01:06:11 <3VPpBNzpDZc>]

2 Timothy 1:9 - "He has saved us and called us to a holy life—not because of anything we have done but because of his own purpose and grace. This grace was given us in Christ Jesus before the beginning of time."

Reflection: How can you shift your focus from your own fruitfulness to God's faithfulness in your life?

Day 2: The Legacy of God's Faithfulness

We are the recipients of the legacy of God's faithfulness. This legacy is not just about the past, but also about the future. We are called to carry on this legacy, to be instruments of God's grace, justice, mercy, and healing in a world that is still broken and hurting. [37:11 <3VPpBNzpDZc>]

Hebrews 6:10 - "God is not unjust; he will not forget your work and the love you have shown him as you have helped his people and continue to help them."

Reflection: How can you contribute to the legacy of God's faithfulness in your community?

Day 3: The Holy Calling of Daily Dependence on Jesus

We all have a holy calling to daily dependence on Jesus. This calling is not about avoiding suffering, but about faithfully living as ambassadors of Jesus in a world that will have trouble. The greatest thing we can do in our lives is to pursue Jesus, allowing our identity as followers of Him to invade every space and place of our lives. [57:07 <3VPpBNzpDZc>]

John 16:33 - "I have told you these things, so that in me you may have peace. In this world you will have trouble. But take heart! I have overcome the world."

Reflection: How can you cultivate a daily dependence on Jesus in your life?

Day 4: The Church as a Community of Imperfect People

The church is not a museum for saints, but a community of imperfect people who acknowledge their need for the loving grace of God. We are not called to be morally perfect, but to live in the freedom of God's grace, acknowledging our imperfections and our need for Jesus. This is the heart of who we are as a church. [58:19 <3VPpBNzpDZc>]

Romans 3:23-24 - "for all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God, and all are justified freely by his grace through the redemption that came by Christ Jesus."

Reflection: How can you embrace your imperfections and your need for Jesus in your life?

Day 5: The Impact of the Church in the Community

The church is called to make a difference in the community. This is not about what we can do for the community, but about what God can do through us. The question is not if our church stopped existing, but what difference our church is making in the community. This is the impact of God's faithfulness in our lives. [59:38 <3VPpBNzpDZc>]

Matthew 5:16 - "In the same way, let your light shine before others, that they may see your good deeds and glorify your Father in heaven."

Reflection: How can your church make a difference in your community?

As we reflect on the past 150 years of joy, pain, steadiness, and change, we look forward in excitement to the coming of the next 150 years here at Menlo Church.

[Applause]

Oh, 150 years is a lot to celebrate, and it's great we're all here in this space. We're going to get to practice the long-honored tradition of the Menlo scoot, where if you have space in the middle of your aisle or the middle of your bleacher, kind of scoot a little closer. I'm told we've got about 100 people still coming in that are going to be looking for seats. So if you can kind of just get to know your neighbors and make some new friends and make a little space on the edges, thank you so much.

Well, 150 years means thousands of stories. There are thousands of stories of people who have found hope for all eternity, people who have received help, who've found healing in their hearts and in relationships. And 150 years of stories of God at work.

And that also means there are 150 years of thousands of stories of people who helped, who gave sometimes sacrificially, who prayed, who served, who volunteered, who invested in the lives of others, all in the name of Jesus. And we're here because of all of those stories.

This event is not so much a celebration of an organization or an institution; this is a celebration of God's faithfulness year after year after year. And this is a celebration of you. This is a celebration of you who have given generously, who have prayed faithfully, who have served time and time again, and participated in the work of Christ in the peninsula, and that has stretched literally all around the world.

So first of all, give yourselves a big hand for being a part of God's work here. We get to be a part of what God is doing, and part of the way we do that is when we give. If you give online, which is how our family gives, if you write a check, whatever that is, we don't have the little offering boxes here at the school campus. You could throw money to the swimming pool and make it like a wishing well kind of thing, but that would be kind of hard and weird.

But if you can give online, great! Thank you, thank you, thank you for the ways that you have invested over the years, weeks, days, whatever it's been, and the way that you are participating in Christ's work here.

Will you pray with me?

Father, we thank you that we've been a part of this expression of your faithfulness, of your work in the world in this part of your creation. God, we thank you that there have been so many people whose names we don't even know who have prayed for this church, who have given, who have served, who've been elders and Sunday school teachers, and invested in youth and served in mission and outreach over many, many, many years.

And God, we are the recipients of what they have done, of their legacy. And God, now we get to carry that on and be part of it. And so God, in this world where we celebrate what you've done here, we know there is still more brokenness and hurt and injustice and war than we can even fathom, which tells us, God, that your work is not yet done.

But we know that you will be faithful to complete it in the day of Jesus Christ. And until that day, God, empower us to be instruments and vessels of your grace, of your justice, of your mercy, of your healing, of your presence in this world that brings hope to all people and to all nations.

God, thank you for this moment where we get to celebrate together and mark what you have done and God, what you will continue to do in our lives in this community for the sake of Jesus, our Savior.

And God's people said, "Amen."

Would you stand with me as we continue to respond in worship to God's goodness and his greatness this morning?

I love you, Lord. Oh, your mercy never fails me. All my days I've been held in your hands. From the moment that I wake up until I lay my head, oh, I will sing of the goodness of God.

Let's lift this up together.

And all my life you have been faithful. And all my life you have been so, so

1. "Anyone who is seeking the God of love should be given a warm and rousing welcome. His social status, his economic position, his color, his former creed should make no difference. If he comes hungry for the God of love, we should open our doors and our hearts and let him in. This has always been our legacy." - 01:08:21

2. "We all have a holy calling to this daily dependence to follow God. The greatest thing that you will do in your life is to pursue Jesus because of what he's doing in you. That every place you show up, every relationship that you're in, the greater and greater your daily dependency on Jesus is, the better you'll show up." - 56:31

3. "We are not a museum for saints. We know that life is messy. If you came in and you said I'm imperfect, good news, that's the prerequisite for the gospel. We all assume and acknowledge that we can't do this on our own, that we need help, that we need the loving grace of God in our life." - 56:31

4. "No matter where you believe your strength comes from today, the only real enduring strength is God himself. Maybe you can relate to a life that has a different trajectory because you set it on a different trajectory with Jesus. I hope that either that is a difference you've made or one you're thinking about making." - 01:05:41

5. "Today marks a new beginning. We say thank you to God for his faithfulness in this place. We are imperfect, flawed, and broken people. That's why we need Jesus. And that doesn't change the moment you become a Christian. You're not living morally perfect. The only real enduring strength is God himself." - 01:05:41