Approaching God with Reverence and Sincerity

Good morning, Santa Barbara Community Church!

Would you stand as we begin to sing together? Come, let us worship before the Lord. Salvation comes, and let us pray to hear our songs, a shout to the rock of our salvation today.

Amen! It's good to be singing together. Hear these words from Psalm 84:

"How lovely is your dwelling place, Lord Almighty! My soul yearns, even faints, for the courts of the Lord. My heart and my flesh cry out for the living God. Blessed are those who dwell in your house; they are ever praising you. Blessed are those whose strength is in you, whose hearts are set on pilgrimage. As they pass through the valley of Baka, they make it a place of springs. The autumn rains also cover it with pools. They go from strength to strength, till each appears before God in Zion.

Hear my prayer, Lord God Almighty; listen to me, God of Jacob. Look on our shield, O God; look with favor on your anointed one. Better is one day in your courts than a thousand elsewhere. I would rather be a doorkeeper in the house of my God than dwell in the tents of the wicked. For the Lord God is a sun and a shield; the Lord bestows favor and honor. No good thing does he withhold from those whose walk is blameless. Lord Almighty, blessed is the one who trusts in you."

We've come this morning to turn our eyes again to a God who loves us, who is for us, who made us. Who we've sung is our Shepherd, as we are the sheep of his pasture.

But I know if you're like me this week, your levels of trust in the Lord have wavered and had their ups and downs. The beauty is that He does not change, though we do.

We've come here this morning, and what we're going to do is take some time now to just be silent, to be quiet, to still our hearts, to know that He is God. So let's do that now.

Holy God, we've come this morning to hear from you. How firm a foundation, Saints of the Lord, played for your faith in His excellent work. What more can He say than to you He has said?

In my weakness and my trouble, I am secure. Please, comfort; your word speaks grace. Amen.

It's good to sing with you. First through fourth graders, you can head over here with Kim and go to your classrooms. The rest of you can take a seat.

Amen. Good morning, everyone! Thank you, James; it's great to see you all here today as we worship our Lord together. My name is Ken, one of the pastors here at the church.

Today we have a wonderful organization with our mission partners, Royal Family Kids Club, to give us an update in terms of some exciting things that happened most recently. Let's give a warm welcome to Lauren Baker.

Hi, how you doing? Thank you. Royal Family Kids Club is a ministry that our church supports. It's been supporting for a while and serves kids in the foster care system. They usually have a social worker, and these kids have been through some kind of trauma—lots of things from abuse to maybe a parent in jail or something has gone on in their lives where they have a missing piece, and they're just kids.

But there's something really special and different about them. So we get together with them, and we give them one week of camp that's like epic. This is not just your Forest Home kind of camp; this is like camp on steroids. We do all the fun little camp things—all the activities, the swimming, the rope walk, the wall that they climb up, the zip line, crafts, and woodworking, and all those great things.

But the difference is we do this with intentionality of the adults that come with them. We had 52 adults to 29 children, so everything that's done during the week with them is done intentionally. We don't just send them off to go play; we play with them, and we're always speaking the word of God with them and walking with them and eating with them, and all of that is just super special.

I do want to mention too, I've never seen such unity in a ministry because we have so many people doing all these kinds of jobs so happily. It is the coolest thing to watch.

Can you tell us some of the highlights, some of the exciting ways and things that God was moving?

Last week, Royal Family Camp had a special thank you dinner for the adults. Two former campers, now staff members, shared how the camp had changed their lives and how it had taught them to trust adults. During the week, a counselor pulled out a camper who was having a rough time, and they had one-on-one time on the deck. The camper talked about wanting to forgive his brothers, just like Joseph in the Bible story he had heard.

At the end of the week, there was a graduation ceremony for the kids who wouldn't be coming back. Two boy campers, knowing this was their last time at camp, were crying about how wonderful the experience had been and how much they loved each other.

As a church family, there are many ways to get involved and support the ministry of Royal Family Camp. We can serve and pray for the campers, especially now that they have gone back to their foster families, and some are in really bad situations.

We can take the wristbands we got last week and tape them on our mirrors as a reminder to keep praying for the kids.

Lord, we pray for our Camp and the kids who are coming this summer. We pray for the foster families and the children who are in transition, and we pray for the adults who are processing and trying to make sense of it all.

Lord, we pray for our mentoring program and for the volunteers who serve with us. Lord, we thank you for the cool weather and for the people who serve faithfully, and we pray for next year's Camp.

Lord, we thank you for the freedoms and rights that we have in this nation, and we pray for our leaders and those who protect us.

Lord, we pray for our church family and those who are going through struggles and challenges right now. Lord, we pray for your strength, comfort, and love to be with them.

Lord, we pray for complete healing and strength for those who are ill. Lord, we thank you for all that you have done and all that you will do. In Jesus' name, Amen.

We come to you today with gratefulness as we celebrate our Independence Day this week. We thank you for our nation, for the freedoms and the rights that we can enjoy.

Lord, we pray for our leaders, President Biden and Vice President Harris, and all those who lead us. We pray for those who protect us as well.

Lord, please help our nation, especially in light of the Supreme Court's decision this past week, as people are confused and angry, and there seems to be a brokenness there.

Lord, where there's confusion, would you bring clarity; where there's division, would you bring unity; and where there is anger, bitterness, and hate, would you bring healing, justice, and revival, especially through your people.

We, as the church, may we rise up and be your faithful representatives in this world, and would you forgive us for the many ways in which we have fallen short by what we have committed, omitted, or been too lethargic to care.

Father, we pray for our church family, for those who are going through struggles and challenges right now. We pray for your strength and your comfort and love to be with our brother Scott Anderson and his entire family as Scott's father passed away yesterday. May they find you close in this difficult and challenging season.

We pray for Michelle Hughes as her father Steve recovers from cancer surgery. We pray for his complete healing and strength for him and his family.

Lord, we pray for our Camp and the kids who are coming this summer. We pray for the foster families and the children who are in transition, and we pray for the adults who are processing and trying to make sense of it all.

Lord, we pray for our mentoring program and for the volunteers who serve with us. We thank you for the cool weather and for the people who serve faithfully, and we pray for next year's Camp.

Lord, we thank you for all that you have done and all that you will do. In Jesus' name, Amen.

We thank God for the family, especially as they travel back and forth apart from each other.

Lord, may we as a church family do all that we can to support, care for, and love those in our church family who are struggling with disease, depression, illness, and loss.

We want the world to see that we follow You, that You are the true source of life, purpose, and love.

We also thank You for the amazing leaders and volunteers who made Royal Family Kids Camp happen this past week.

Lord, many of these children have been through so much already, so bless them and watch over them, protect them, and may they all feel the love and ministry that was poured out upon them.

May these children know how special and loved they are by us and, more importantly, by You.

We also want to thank You for the team that is heading out this week to bless and support our mission partners Brent and Jody Ristow, Rob Knight, Dan Shank, and Mike and Lara Wilbanks as they head out to the Yukon in Canada.

Guide their travels, grant them safety, and use them to be a light to the unreached people in that region. Send them out with our love and prayers so that we can hear an amazing report of what You did in a couple of weeks.

Lastly, we want to thank You for the precious gift of Your Word. As we sang about, it is indeed our firm foundation.

As Your faithful servant, our dear sister Joanne comes to speak and teach us, use her to teach us the mysteries of the Gospel and the mysteries of Your scriptures.

May our hearts be like the fertile soil ready to receive Your Word so that You may produce a great and glorious harvest in us and through us.

For Thine is the kingdom, the power, and the glory, forever. All God's people said, Amen.

It's time to get together and explore our local parks! Join us at Gersh Park, Oak Park, and Alameda Park at 6:00 PM. Bring your picnic dinner and get ready to meet some new people in your area.

We'll be going on walks throughout the neighborhood and praying that God's kingdom would come and His will would be done. As part of this initiative, I encourage you to bring your kids and involve them in the work of prayer.

Additionally, I will be leading a Practice Group throughout the summer on Fridays in July. We'll be starting at 6:30 PM, but come early at 6:15 for coffee and snacks.

We'll be going through the book "Live No Lies" by John Mark Comer. If you don't have the book, that's okay, as we'll be watching a video series. This book is about recognizing and resisting the three enemies that sabotage our peace, but it's really about spiritual warfare.

Finally, Aaron Patterson will be leading a Sunday school at the 9:00 AM service called "Practicing the Way." This will be a four-week series in July exploring the Sabbath practice. If you're here at the surf, this is perfect for you! Come early and learn how to practice this ancient practice that Jesus lived in the world.

We are in Chapter Five of Ecclesiastes this morning, and the author, Koheleth, has been taking us through some honest observations that are so relevant to this cultural moment. He has been showing us exactly where not to look for the meaning of life—roads that lead nowhere.

He has a Hebrew word for that—hevel, which literally means smoke or vapor. It's real, but you just can't grab onto it. You can build your dream house and fill it with stuff, but when it burns to the ground, that's hevel.

The author helps us to see that the problems for looking for the meaning of life in places like work, relationships, and even in religion can be hevel.

There is a saying that many go to church, but few go to worship. Let that not be true of us this morning. We are going somewhere good—we are going to the meaning of life. We are going to get to fear God and see who He is.

The Bible tells us that we can know Him, but we have to stop and listen.

Life under the sun without God is hevel, so how can we find meaning that lasts? The answer is simple—look up. Prepare yourself to meet the meaning of life and get yourself ready to hear from God.

When you go to the house of God, go near to listen rather than to offer the sacrifice of fools who do not know that they do wrong. Do not be quick with your mouth or hasty in your heart to utter anything before God. A dream comes when there are many cares and many words. Mark the speech of a fool.

When you make a vow to God, do not delay to fulfill it. He has no pleasure in fools. It is better not to make a vow than to make one and not fulfill it. Do not let your mouth lead you into trouble.

We have a problem: how do we, with all of our faults and all the sin on our shoes, approach a holy God? This passage gives us some warnings for when we come to worship.

The first warning is to come prepared. Verse 1 says, "Guard your steps when you go to the house of God." We should be deliberate and thoughtful, knowing that God is here and show Him the reverence that He deserves.

Jeremiah 10 says, "No one is like you, Lord; you are great and your name is mighty in power. Who should not fear you, King of Nations?"

The Chronicler in 1 Chronicles 29 says, "Yours, Lord, is the greatness and the power and the glory and the majesty and the splendor, for everything in heaven and on earth is yours. Yours, Lord, is the kingdom; you are exalted as head over all."

We won't impress Him just by showing up, so come prepared and think about who we're here to worship.

The second warning is to come to listen. There is nothing we can say or do that is more impressive than what our holy God has to say to us.

Verse 1-3 says, "Go near to listen rather than to offer the sacrifice of fools who do not know that they do wrong. Do not be quick with your mouth; do not be hasty in your heart to utter anything before God. For God is in heaven and you are on earth; therefore let your words be few."

A dream comes when there are many cares and many words. Mark the speech of a fool.

We should fear God, take off our shoes in reverence and humility, and not protest to the temple messenger. My vow was a mistake, and why should God be angry at what we say and destroy the work of our hands? Much dreaming and many words are meaningless. Therefore, fear God and the word of the Lord.

We can have a seat. All right, big stuff today, simple but really important. Koheleth invites us to look to God for our meaning, but He warns us to tread carefully.

Even Moses had to take his shoes off when he came to stand before a holy God. God has allowed me to come and say something before you because there's a warning here that needs to be understood.

There's a warning that needs to be unpacked from an ancient language that we don't speak—a Hebrew word that we need translated. So sometimes God uses the teacher, so here goes—let's unpack the word for listen.

The word here is Shema—go near to listen, go near to Shema when you come to the Lord, and it means so much more than the English word for listen.

So how many of you here have a driver's license? Okay, how many of you here are raring to go to get your driver's license as soon as you're 16? A few of you, right?

Okay, so in order to get your driver's license, you're gonna have to pass a test. You're going to have to know the rules, and one of the rules is what to do when you hear a couple of notes [Music].

Do you know what to do? I hope you guys know what to do. So if you drive an ambulance, anybody drive an ambulance in the room? Yeah.

I know we don't always do what we're supposed to do, but when you hear those notes, you're not just supposed to listen like, "Oh, isn't that nice? I'll just keep going." You're supposed to listen and do something. You're supposed to listen and pull over. You're supposed to not just hear it but do it.

The scripture says we might have ears, but we don't Shema—we don't listen. Or to explain this more, turn in your Bible to Mark 12:29-31.

Mark 12:29-31 records a time when the Pharisees tried to trap Jesus. They tried to ask him which one of God's laws is most important, like he would pick one, and then they would get on him for not picking a different one.

So instead of just picking one, he summed them all up by quoting Deuteronomy 6:4. And this is a passage called the Shema—the hear, the listen. And it begins like this: "Hear, O Israel: The Lord our God, the Lord is one. Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind and with all your strength."

Then Jesus adds from Leviticus 19:18, "The second is this: 'Love your neighbor as yourself.' There is no command greater than these."

So listen to what Jesus told the people to do. He told them, "Hear, O Israel. Shema, O Israel. Listen. Show what you heard by doing—by loving God and loving your neighbor as yourself."

Shema means listen, and it goes hand in hand with action. Listen obediently. Listen and do what you heard, just like that ambulance. Listen and do it.

Or hear it again from James: "Don't just trust me, trust scripture." James, the brother of Jesus, says in James 1:22-26, "But don't just listen to God's word—you must do what it says. Otherwise, you're only fooling yourselves. For if you listen to the word and don't obey it, it's like glancing at your face in a mirror. You see yourself, walk away, and forget what you look like. But if you look carefully into the perfect law that sets you free, and if you do what it says and don't forget what you heard, then God will bless you for doing it. If you claim to be religious but don't keep a tight rein on your tongue, you're fooling yourself, and your religion is worthless."

Now how to keep, and then they talk about the danger of making promises to God that we don't know how to keep. So the point here is that when we come to God, let's come with a humble heart, and let's come with a humble tongue, and let's come with a humble spirit, and let's come with a humble mind, and let's come with a humble attitude, and let's come with a humble posture.

When we come to worship God, we should come with a humble heart, spirit, mind, attitude, and posture. We should listen more and talk less.

Jesus said in Matthew 6:7-8, "When you pray, do not keep on babbling like pagans, for they think they will be heard because of their many words. Do not be like them, for your Father knows what you need before you ask him."

We should not make vows or promises to God that we do not know how to keep.

The passage in Ecclesiastes 5:1-7 warns us against foolish sacrifices and over-talking. It says that a pure and genuine religion in the sight of God the Father means caring for orphans and widows in their distress and refusing to let the world corrupt us.

It also says that when we come to God, we should talk less and offer less of what verse 1 calls the sacrifice of fools who do not know that they do wrong.

Koheleth talks about our over-talking and how it can lead to us living over-busy lives. He talks about how dreams come when there are many cares and many words. He also says that much dreaming and many words are meaningless.

We should remember who we are talking to and cast all our cares on Him, but we should not talk over Him while He is trying to talk to us.

Vows are promises that we make to God. For example, if you help me pass this test, I will go to church every week. If you give me enough money from my job to pay rent in Santa Barbara, then I will tithe.

Vows can go wrong when they are selfish or when we don't follow through on them. There is a terrifying story in scripture that we should all take great fear from.

In Acts 5:1-11, a man named Ananias and his wife Sapphira sold a piece of property. Ananias kept back part of the money for himself and brought the rest and put it at the apostles' feet. Peter asked Ananias why he had lied to the Holy Spirit and kept some of the money for himself. Ananias fell over, struck dead by God, and his wife Sapphira came in and recanted the same lie. She fell over dead, and the whole Christian community was struck with fear of the Lord.

This couple had no obligation to give all the real estate profits to the church, but they tried to make a show of looking super religious. We cannot con God, who is omniscient, so they just fell dead right there at Peter's feet.

The warning from this story is in verse 4: when you make a vow to God, don't delay to fulfill it. He has no pleasure in fools.

When you come to worship God, come prepared, listen more, talk less, and mean what you say because He is holy and we are not.

The good news comes from the author of Hebrews: "Let us draw near with a true heart in full assurance of faith, having our hearts sprinkled from an evil conscience and our bodies washed with pure water." (Hebrews 10:22).

We can draw near to God with a true heart and full assurance of faith.

We have a great high priest, Jesus the Son of God, who has ascended into heaven. He is able to empathize with our weaknesses, as He was tempted in every way just as we are, yet He did not sin.

Therefore, we can approach God's throne of grace with confidence, so that we may receive mercy and find grace to help us in our time of need.

God loves us so much that He gave His Son, the only person who never sinned, as an offering for our guilt. Jesus willingly died on the cross so that we could stand before our holy God too.

When we look around and wonder if our worship is tainted, we can remember that if we put our trust in Jesus and what He did for us, we are completely covered by His righteousness.

He not only accepts our worship, but it pleases Him. We can come to God unworthy in worship, and He will still transform us to be more like Jesus.

We can worship God in a couple of different ways. One way is to participate in communion and remember that we are in Christ and are able to come and worship a holy God even in our sinful state.

We can also worship in silence and ponder God's magnificence.

Colossians 3:15-17 says, "Let the peace of Christ rule in your hearts, since as members of one body you were called to peace. And be thankful. Let the message of Christ dwell among you richly as you teach and admonish one another with all wisdom through psalms, hymns, and songs from the Spirit, singing to God with gratitude in your hearts. And whatever you do, whether in word or deed, do it all in the name of the Lord Jesus, giving thanks to God the Father through him."

In the name of the Lord Jesus, giving thanks to God the Father through him, we will continue to do in worship.

There will be prayer teams for you whenever you're ready on the left, right, and in the back. Take a moment of silence and let that moment extend.

When you're ready, come up for communion and then continue with more silence. We'll do that together in our worship.

Amen.

We have hope and evidence that the Lord Almighty is with us, in the form of Emmanuel, Jesus Christ, God With Us. That's what our hope is built on—nothing less than His righteousness alone.

So let's sing of our hope, our Cornerstone, Jesus. When darkness comes, trust in His righteousness.

Let's go in that hope that the weak are made strong in the Savior's love.

Amen.

People of Peace, people of love, people of the Gospel, this week in your homes, workplaces, and parks on Wednesday night at 6 PM, we'd love to see you there. Have a blessed week.