The Rock Church

Tag Archive: Josh Whitney

  1. Impeccable Manners

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    “Do everything without grumbling or arguing, so that you may become blameless and pure, “children of God without fault in a warped and crooked generation.” Then you will shine among them like stars in the sky as you hold firmly to the word of life” — Philippians 2:14

    A few weeks ago, my wife had a great idea. As an end of the year “thank you” gift, she baked a plate of cookies for our older son’s school bus driver. She sent the cookies with Kael and Aiden in the morning. Later that afternoon, they came home with a note from their bus driver:

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  2. “You’re already dead.”

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    “You’re already dead.” – a word by Pastor Josh Whitney from The Rock Church in Draper, UT. "Christian, you’re already dead! We must embrace this fact. As a result, living this truth will allow us to live a life of faith,"

    “Truly, truly, I say to you, unless a grain of wheat falls into the earth and dies, it remains alone; but if it dies, it bears much fruit. Whoever loves his life loses it, and whoever hates his life in this world will keep it for eternal life. If anyone serves me, he must follow me; and where I am, there will my servant be also. If anyone serves me, the Father will honor him.” — John 12:24-26

    Recently, I watched a World War II movie which had the following dialogue between two characters:

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  3. Prepare for Suffering

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    Prepare for Suffering – a word by Pastor Josh Whitney from The Rock Church. "You might be suffering now or suffering might be in your future. Hiding God’s Word deep in your heart helps prepare you..."

    “Do not fear what you are about to suffer. Behold, the devil is about to throw some of you into prison, that you may be tested, and for ten days you will have tribulation. Be faithful unto death, and I will give you the crown of life.”Revelation 2:10

    Last year, at a pastor’s conference, we watched the Tortured for Christ movie. This powerful film told the story of pastor Richard Wurmbrand (1909-2001). He was a Romanian pastor who endured 14 years of Communist imprisonment and suffering for his faith. The torture scenes made the movie difficult to watch. However, his courage and example were astonishing.

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  4. Suddenly

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    Suddenly – a word by Pastor Josh Whitney from The Rock Church in Draper, UT. "Just as Aiden and I were suddenly shoved into a blizzard, so our Lord will return — dramatically and when we least expect it."

    “For you yourselves are fully aware that the day of the Lord will come like a thief in the night. While people are saying, “There is peace and security,” then sudden destruction will come upon them as labor pains come upon a pregnant woman, and they will not escape. But you are not in darkness, brothers, for that day to surprise you like a thief.” — 1 Thessalonians 5:2

    My son, Aiden, has his learner’s permit; we go driving most weekends to get his required 40 hours of experience. It rained at our house a couple weekends ago. I thought we could get some practice driving in “bad weather.” There was only light rain when we started out.  

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  5. Good News

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    Good News – a word by Pastor Josh Whitney from The Rock Church in Draper, UT. "This year was full of bad news and reasons to fear. But, the angel’s word to the shepherds and us is “Fear not! I have good news!”

    “And the angel said to them, “Fear not, for behold, I bring you good news of great joy that will be for all the people. For unto you is born this day in the city of David a Savior, who is Christ the Lord.” — Luke 2:10-11

    Merry Christmas, Rock Church! As your pastors, we sure love and appreciate you all so much! You know, this time of year is special for many reasons…family, decorations and gifts just to name a few. However, the most important reason of all is that our Savior came to the earth. In Luke 2 (when the angel appeared to the shepherds) he said (paraphrasing), “Don’t be afraid! I have good news; the Savior has arrived!” 

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  6. Church is Essential

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    Church is Critical – a word by Pastor Josh Whitney from The Rock Church in Draper, UT. "God’s Word clearly communicates it is essential for people to be in regular fellowship with others for their mental, emotional and spiritual health."

    There has been a suicide prevention campaign happening in our city recently. One billboard in particular caught my attention. It shows a group of people gathered in a circle, holding hands. The caption reads, “This is suicide prevention.” Our secular world knows something that God’s Word has been communicating for millennia. Over the last eight months, we have all seen the discouraging statistics on mental health, substance abuse, relational challenges, etc.   

    God’s Word clearly communicates it is essential for people to be in regular fellowship with others for their mental, emotional and spiritual health.

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  7. Restoration Projects

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    Restoration Projects – a word by Pastor Josh Whitney from The Rock Church in Draper, UT. "I realized that it was a picture of what God does with us! He takes broken people and mends and heals us. God is all about restoration projects."

    “And after you have suffered a little while, the God of all grace, who has called you to his eternal glory in Christ, will himself restore, confirm, strengthen, and establish you”— 1 Peter 5:10.

    During last month’s windstorm, my wheelbarrow blew over and the handle snapped off as it hit the ground. A wheelbarrow with a missing handle is not that useful. I was about to throw it away when it occurred to me that I could replace the broken handle. I went to the local hardware store and, low and behold, they sold replacement handles. So, I bought two and my son, Mclane, and I started on the project. We disassembled the entire wheelbarrow, replaced the handles and put it back together. It was a fun project. I enjoyed working with my son and I saved some money (two handles are cheaper than one new wheelbarrow).

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  8. Night Sky

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    Night Sky – a word by Pastor Josh Whitney from The Rock Church in Draper, UT. "The Bible tells us something amazing about the stars and night sky. “And God said, “Let there be lights in the expanse of the heavens..."

    Recently, my son and I had a chance to go camping with some friends for a few days. Anytime I get to go camping, looking up at the night sky is always a big highlight for me. Two of the nights we were there were no exception.

    In the city, there are a fair amount of street lights, etc., so it’s sometimes difficult to see the night sky in all of its glory. However, camping in the middle of nowhere, you see it all — the planets, Milky Way galaxy, constellations, satellites and a few shooting stars.

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  9. The Beast

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    The Beast – a word by Pastor Josh Whitney from The Rock Church in Draper, Ut. "Ten kings are bringing the beast to power to make war against Jesus. That sounds like a bad situation. However, God is in absolute control of that."

    “… for God has put it into their hearts to carry out his purpose by being of one mind and handing over their royal power to the beast, until the words of God are fulfilled.” — Revelation 17:17

    I have been reading The Revelation of Jesus Christ for the last three months and have thoroughly enjoyed it. So many encouraging and challenging passages. I was particularly encouraged by the verse above — let me explain.

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  10. A King of Their Own Creation + What’s Happening

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    Recently, during one of our weekend services, we looked at The Triumphant Entry in Mark 11. The Jewish people had their own timeline for when the Messiah should save them from the Romans. They tried making a King of their own creation.

    Likewise, we can do the same thing, right? We have our own timeline for how we want life to return to normal. It can be easy to get angry — even at the King — when things don’t go the way we want them to during this time. 

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