Welcome to the Potter's House Salmon Arm podcast. We are a Bible-Believing Church located
in beautiful British Columbia, Canada. We are proudly part of the Christian Fellowship
Ministries with 3,000 churches around the world. We are a church focused on world evangelism,
discipleship and church planting. Here we will share recent sermons from P.H.S.A. Church
and other sermons from throughout our fellowship. I am Pastor David Bigford and I will be your
host for this podcast. I thank you for listening today and we hope these messages are a blessing
to you and bring you closer to God.
Hello and welcome back to the P.H.S.A. podcast. Again, my name is David Bigford. I'm the
pastor here at the Potter's House Salmon Arm. Before we get started, I just wanted to let
you guys know that next weekend, June 8th, we will be starting in our new location. That's
going to be Unit 201, 231 Trans-Canada Highway in Salmon Arm, BC. That's directly above the
BMO or the Bank of Montreal Bank in downtown Salmon Arm. If you're in and around that area,
we'd love to have you come out and check out our new building. That will be starting next
Sunday, which will be June 8th.
The message I've got today for you guys is called Limitless and how to live a life of
limitless possibilities. When we're thinking about this, you've got to ask yourself a question.
Do you believe that a life in Christ is limitless? Why or why not? When we dive into this, we're
going to use Zephaniah 3, verse 17 as our jumping off point. I want you to think about
this in your own life. As we work through this, I want you to really contemplate living
a life with limitless possibilities in Christ Jesus. For Billy Graham's devotional, it says,
the world's millions could come down to the beach and reach out their hands to be filled
with seawater. They could each take as much as they wanted, as much as they needed, and
still the ocean would remain unchanged. Its might and power would be the same. The life
in its unfathomable depths would continue unaltered, although it had supplied the needs
of every single person standing with outstripped hands along its shores. So it is with God.
He can be everywhere at once, heeding the prayers of all who call out in the name of
Christ, performing the mighty miracles that keep the stars in their place and the plants
bursting up through the earth. The fish swimming in the sea, there is no limit to God. There
is no limit to his wisdom. There is no limit to his power. There is no limit to his love,
and there is no limit to his mercy. Let's go before God and pray real quick. Dear Lord,
I just pray that you bless this message. Help those that are out there that are sick, that
are unsaved, that are lost right now, that are hurting. We pray, Lord God, that your
word would draw them to you, that the words preached here, Lord God, would sink into their
heart, Lord God, that the spirit of conviction would help them to draw them closer to you.
In Jesus' name, amen. So oftentimes it can seem like being a Christ
follower, being a Christian, is full of rules and regulations. You should not lie, do not
steal, and the list can go on and on. The world can view being a Christian as a life
full of limits, but a life in Christ is actually the opposite. A life in Christ is full of
God's love, his forgiveness, his grace. He is a limitless God, and in him we can have
a limitless life. And that life can be more abundant than anything imagined. We can see
that in John 10, 10. The greatest of all adventures is living a life for Christ. The freedom
that we have in living for Christ allows us to live our lives to the fullest, but also
to live it with honor. For the one who saves, we live honorably unto our Lord Jesus Christ.
The world can become alive and more vivid than ever before. I remember when I got saved,
when I truly gave my life to Jesus Christ, everything was different. Even now I'm amazed
by the power of God and his limitless nature. You can look at every animal, every plant,
every rock, every star, and be in wonder at the power of a living God. One of the most
amazing things about God is his love and his willingness to forgive and the grace that
we can gain through Christ Jesus. So let's jump into our text in Zephaniah 317. This
comes from the New King James Version. The Lord your God in your midst, the mighty one,
will save. He will rejoice over you with gladness. He will quiet you with his love and he will
rejoice over you with singing. So when we're thinking about this and when I ponder about
the idea of a limitless God with his omniscience, his omnipresence, his omnipotent power, I
find myself in awe. One of the mysteries of God is his nature, but also the fact that
we know we are made in the image of God. This is something that can be very uncomfortable
with understanding. It's a mystery of God. More often than not, we judge ourselves as
being unable to measure up, unable to do the hard things, or just unworthy in general.
We limit ourselves in a way that was not intended by our creator. Our creator designed us in
such a way that is to be able to take dominion of this world, but instead we allow our fear
to cripple us and keep us from living fully for the Lord and allowing him to work within
us, to strengthen us, and to equip us for the work that he has called us to do. It can
very easily be looked at as a survival situation. We need to rely on God for understanding,
but we must also remain faithful that he will be there with us as we blaze the trail that
the Lord has laid out for us. So when I was putting this message together,
I came across an article that I think really gives an idea of what God has put into us.
This is not some New Age idea. I'm not saying that you have to look within yourself to find
all the power. New Age stuff is opposite of God. It's prideful in nature. But being created
in God's likeness, as we know from the Word of God, God does equip us as we lean on him,
as we give ourselves wholly over to him, he does help us.
So this article I came across is titled Kids Survive in the Amazon, the incredible survival
story in the Colombian Amazon jungle, and how did they do it? So this is back in June
2023, so not too terribly long ago. There was a tragic plane crash. Aboard the Cessna
206 aircraft, the children and three adults, including their mother, embarked on a journey
from Aracurara to San Jose del Javier to meet their father, but halfway to their destination,
a Mayday alert was issued due to engine failure. The plane was ditched into the dense jungle.
Remarkably, the children suffered no injuries from the plane crash, which is thought to
be due to their sitting at the back of the plane and avoiding the worst of the impact.
It is thought that the 11-month-old was cradled and protected in their mother's arms.
So in the gripping tale of courage and resilience, the four indigenous children, as young as
11 months old, defied the odds and survived a deadly plane crash in the heart of the Colombian
Amazon jungle. For 40 long days, these young survivors endured unimaginable challenges,
demonstrating the profound strength of the human spirit. Their ordeal tested the limits
of their endurance, but also illuminated the limitless power of their inherited survival
skills and unbeatable will to live.
Springs by a first point, which is the love of God. God's love is limitless. Romans 5,
1 through 2 says, Therefore, since we have been justified by faith, we have peace with
God through our Lord Jesus Christ. Through him, we also have obtained access by faith
into this grace in which we stand and we rejoice in hope of the glory of God. From the beginning,
God has been working out a way to save us from our own sins. God has been leading a
search party ever since the fall in the garden. God's love is a lighthouse for the world.
And if only we would take time to look for it. So the rescue operation is underway and
it's called a beacon of hope. After the plane crashes, significant operation, Operation
Hope ensued spearheaded by the Colombian Defense Ministry, supported by the armed forces and
not to mention a Belgian shepherd rescue dog named Wilson. Many indigenous communities
join the search for the children. Messages in the who I'm not going to pronounce this
right but it's who Oto or who Toto language from the children's grandmother telling them
to stay put or broadcast it on loudspeakers out into the dense jungle. While rescuers
recovered the bodies of the three adults of the crash, the crash site two weeks after
the plane crashed, the four children Leslie 13, Salini 9, TN, Norrell 4 and Kristen near
a month and 11 month old baby boy were not found. The rescue team discovered items left
behind by the four children, including a child's drinking bottle, a pair of scissors, a hair
tie and a makeshift lean to shelter, which gave hope that the kids had escaped the wreckage
and ventured into the dense jungle in search of aid. After 40 grueling days and arduous
efforts, the children were located in a remote part of the jungle. The weak and suffering
dehydration they were in oppressive physical shape, all things considered. Following their
rescue the children were promptly transported to a military hospital to receive medical
attention. And thanks to an exhaustive 40 day search and tireless efforts of the Colombian
soldiers, the invaluable assistance of the indigenous volunteers, the four children were
safely reunited with their families. An Air Force video captured the heartwarming scene
of the family members rejoicing upon hearing the news of the four missing children being
found alive. As we are looking at God's nature, we first want to look at the love that comes
from God. In John 3, 16 through 17, this is a well known verse and says, for God so loved
the world that he gave his only son, that whoever believes in him should not perish
but have eternal life. For God did not send his son into the world to condemn the world,
but in order that the world might be saved through him. This shows us that God's love
for us is without any limits. It's often said that there is nothing that we can do to make
God love us less. And we know this to be true because the scripture shows us that God loves
us enough to send his only son to take place for our sins. Because his love for us is so
limitless, he constantly pursues us and calls us into a life with him. This is God's nature
to want to have a relationship with us. Like a shepherd searching for his sheep, God sent
his son to bring us back to him. In Romans 5, 6 to 8, it says, for while we were still
weak at the right time, Christ died for the ungodly. For one will scarcely die for a righteous
person though perhaps for a good person one would dare even to die. But God shows his
love for us in that while we were still sinners, Christ died for us. Maybe you're there right
now and you're still a sinner. Maybe you're sitting there and you know you're not doing
right because there's a hole in your heart that's not filled and you know because of
this that you're not living clean, you're not living right, you're not living for God.
You know we have to allow that reality to sink in sometimes because that's how you understand
how deep the love is for God that he sent his son Jesus Christ to die for your sins
like he died for mine. In the midst of your sins he died for your sins so that you would
have an opportunity to repent, to turn away from your past life and to live a life limitless
in Christ. Loving others just in the same way that God's love for us is limitless. He wants
us to love others with that same limitless love. The Bible says that when we love one
another we show that we are Christ's followers. When we love people they will recognize God
in our actions and that will draw people to him. This is a differentiation with our current
society. Our current society wants you to think that love is only a chemical reaction
or an emotion or something ethereal that can't really be explained and accepted by the person.
But the reality is his love is action and God's love is action. He sent his son who
died for your sins so that you could accept him as your Lord and Savior and have relationship
with the Father again. That was an action. And similarly we're called to love our neighbor.
We're called to love others with the same love that God has shown us with action. That
doesn't mean that we accept sin. That doesn't mean that we accept wrongdoing. But despite
the wrongdoing and despite the sin we love because God has commanded us to love and that
means to do actions. John 21, 17 said, He said to him the third time, Simon son of John
do you love me? Peter was grieved because he said to him the third time, Do you love
me? And he said to him, Lord you know everything. You know that I love you. Jesus said to him,
feed my sheep. There's this call to move forward the kingdom of God because of the love that
Jesus showed us and he's commanding us to love others. What a tremendous idea. Even
if you're not saved yet, you haven't given your life to Christ yet, this morality, this
lesson here is so powerful that it should smack you in the face that even when someone
wrongs you, you're supposed to show them love. That doesn't mean that if someone's attacking
you you're not going to fight back. But what it does mean is that after that situation
has been rectified, you're going to forgive. You're going to love that person through action.
This is obviously easier said than done, but we see our Christ hung on a cross and as he's
dying he forgives those that are crucifying him. This brings me to my next point which
is forgiveness. Forgiveness from God. God's forgiveness for us is limitless while God's
limitless forgiveness does not give us a free pass to do whatever we like without consequences.
It does give us the opportunity for a do-over. When we're striving for him and for righteousness
but we miss the mark, God is faithful to forgive us every time that we come into him because
his love never fails us. 1 John chapter 1 verses 8 through 10 say, if we say that we
have no sin we deceive ourselves and the truth is not in us. If we confess our sin he is
faithful and just to forgive us of our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness.
If we say we have not sinned we make him a liar and his word is not in us. This is a
very important thing to understand. We all need to come to Christ for forgiveness and
as we move further down the road with Jesus we are working towards sanctification. We
strive to be more Christ-like every day, every week, every month, every year, every decade
and so on. So just like in the verse from John when Jesus was speaking to Peter we need
to be willing to forgive as Jesus does. We have to forgive others as Jesus forgave those
who were crucifying him while they were crucifying him. We are most like God when we forgive others.
Jesus came to forgive our sins and give us eternal life in him and with that in mind
we should extend limitless forgiveness to those who hurt us or act wrongly towards us.
We don't forgive others to justify their actions. We forgive others because God forgave us.
In Matthew 6 14 we can see that. And while it's often very difficult to forgive others
doing so is essential to living a limitless life for God.
In Matthew 18 21-22 says, Then Peter came and said to him, Lord, how often will my brother
sin against me and I forgive him? As many times as seven times or as many as seven times?
Jesus said to him, I do not say to you seven times but seventy-seven times. Seven times
seven. Basically what he was trying to say there to sum it up really easy is you just
got to keep forgiving.
Forgiveness is a skill that we all have to learn and cultivate. It is not something easily
done when we are hurt but is necessary to live a limitless life. Life skills and survival
skills need to be passed down from the father to the son and from the mother to the daughter.
We can learn to forgive because Christ forgave us but it is equally important for us to live
a life as an example for those around us so that they can learn to forgive us or from
us as well.
So let's look back at these stranded Colombian kids. How did they have the skills to survive
this inhospitable jungle that they were thrown into? The Hutoto tribe and the children's
heritage is an important part of this story. The most critical point to understand is that
the four survivors belong to this tribe, an indigenous community situated near the Kahunari
River in Kaketa. This tribe has a profound understanding of the flora and fauna of the
Amazon rainforest complex ecosystem, having thrived in the region for centuries. Some,
like Alex Rafino, a photographer, believe that the children were not lost in the wild
but they were in their natural environment. In many ways they were at home, the forest
took care of them, and they had the genuine wisdom of the tribal community who lived there
for centuries. The extensive array of survival skills exhibited by the children were acquired
through their daily lives, some practiced, some observed by their elders. These skills
were passed down to them by their families and tribe encompassing vital knowledge that
aided them. Let's be honest, it is not commonplace for an average child in the mainstream society
to possess the abilities to identify edible fruits and seeds in the wilderness setting.
For most children and adults for that matter, their hopes of survival would have been slim
to none. It's clear from this story that their upbringing provided them with the skills to
survive their ordeal. What would have happened if you were stranded in the Amazon? This is
why we must teach others on how to forgive so that they can survive in a world that has
fallen where they're going to be hurt, where they're going to fall, and where they're
going to have to get back up again and come to God's forgiveness in Christ. We have to
show them that it's important to forgive but it's also important to be able to turn back
to God if they fall. These are important life lessons on the journey of sanctification in
Christ. Not salvation but sanctification, moving closer to God over time. This brings
me to my third point which is grace, grace from God. God's grace is his favor and his
love given to us even though we've done nothing to earn it. Because we were born into sin
and separated from God, we often think that we have to work to earn his love and his attention.
The good news is that we don't. God already loved us from the moment he thought of us
and because of his love, he freely gives us limitless grace. In Ephesians 2, 8-10, it
says, for by grace you have been saved through faith and this is not of your own doing. It
is a gift of God, not a result of works so that no one may boast. For we are his workmanship
created in Christ Jesus for good works which God prepared beforehand that we should walk
in them. So let's look at a glimpse of these children's survival tactics. The children
encountered numerous challenges in the dense forest from venomous snakes and insect bites,
unpredictable weather conditions, treacherous terrain they had to navigate, and a variety
of other hazards. Drawing upon what they had learned from their family and the wisdom of
their ancestors, the children exhibited impressive survival skills. They demonstrated remarkable
ingenuity and utilized the resources provided by the Amazon jungle, relying on their knowledge
of edible plants, building shelters, improvised traps, finding clean water sources. Their
ability to adapt to the challenges of this hostile jungle showcased their unwavering
spirit. Their grandmother expressed immense gratitude, particularly for the older sibling's
leadership. Remember she was 13, who had often cared for the younger ones during their mother's
absence. Their primary sustenance was cassava bread and flour, showcased their knowledge
of local foods contributing significantly to their survival. Cassava flour is a staple
food in the Amazonian villages. This nutritious and versatile ingredient provided sustenance
during their days in the remote wilderness. They learned how to harvest and process the
cassava, transforming it into nourishing meals. The survival of the four kids in the Colombian
Amazon can be attributed to their exceptional resourcefulness and adaptability. Stranded
in a remote and unforgiving environment, they quickly assessed their situation and ingeniously
utilized the available resources to meet their basic needs. Their ability to adapt to the
demands of the Amazon and so many hazards, including the navigating treacherous terrain
and sourcing food and water, showcased their remarkable skills. God has shown us immense
grace and through his grace, we can venture through hostile territory of this fallen world.
We have a responsibility to share that grace with others. God's grace is something that
we have not earned. In the same way that God gives us what we don't or what we don't earn,
we should give grace to others. The scripture in Luke encourages us to do to others as you
would like them to do unto you in Luke 631. And not expect anything in return. So when
we offer grace to another person, we're showing them the love of God and we may even encourage
them to show grace to another person. So let's look at that scripture a little bit more,
Luke 631 through 38. And as you wish that others would do to you, do so to them. If
you love those who love you, what benefit is that to you? For even sinners love those
who love them. And if you do good to those who do good to you, what benefit is that to
you? For even sinners do the same. And if you lend to those from whom you expect to
receive, what credit is that to you? Even sinners lend to sinners to get back the same
amount. But love your enemies and do good. Lend and expect nothing in return. And your
reward will be great. And you will be sons of the most high. For he is kind to the ungrateful
and an evil. Be merciful, even as your father is merciful. Judge not and you will not be
judged. Condemn not and you will not be condemned. Forgive and you will be forgiven. Give and
it will be given to you in good measure. Press down, shaken together, running over, will
it be put into your lap? For with the measure you use it will be measured back to you. So
as we come to a close, it's important to reflect on the limitless love that God has shown us.
The limitless forgiveness and the limitless grace. We are not meant to hoard these things
for ourselves, but rather to share them with the world. We are called to live this in our
daily lives and connect with others for the furtherance of the gospel. These children,
we had local knowledge of the jungle. Growing up in the region, being intimately familiar
with the Amazonian ecosystem proved to be a significant advantage for them. Their deep
understanding of local flora and fauna combined with the traditional wisdom passed down through
generations enabled them to identify the edible plants they needed. They had the ability to
hunt for food, to navigate this treacherous jungle. The children initially ate food that
they salvaged from the cassava flower, then an array of fruits and seeds. They did have
a seasoned luck on their side. They had luck that the fact that the jungle was in a state
of harvest, it was bountiful amounts of ripe fruiting trees. In addition for hydration,
they primarily drank rainwater. Also playing into their favor as it was a rainy season
with their rainfall averaging an astonishing 16 hours a day, this profound connection to
their environment played a pivotal role in their ability to sustain themselves during
their time in the Amazon. So we are called to be an example to the world and to our children.
We are to raise them up in the knowledge of the Lord so that they can live in a Christ-like
manner so that when they are tested, they will find that they are indeed equipped for
the challenge. The unity and cooperation among these four kids was pivotal for their survival.
Their strong bond likely forged through this shared experience and a common goal of staying
alive allowed them to rely on one another for support, motivation, decision-making.
By working together harmoniously, they could pool their individual strengths and skills,
significantly increasing their chance of survival in the challenging environment. So we work
as one body in Christ and the purpose of the church is to build in us unity to the one
God and our Savior Jesus Christ. This way we can rely on others when we are weak and
others can rely on us in their weakness. As they were surviving in the Colombian Amazon,
this presented immense physical and emotional challenges, but these kids showcased an exceptional
resilience and mental fortitude throughout this ordeal. They had just lost their mother,
yet their ability to maintain a positive outlook, stay focused on their objectives and to adapt
to the unexpected setbacks played a crucial role in overcoming the psychological hurdles
that accompanied them on their survival. So in the end, we are built in the image of God
and we are immensely resilient because of the love, forgiveness and grace that we receive
from God and that we show to the world by living for Christ. God is limitless and in
Him we can live the grandest of lives and most exceptional adventures. The limitless
of God allows us to live a life with joy, with peace, with happiness, with those that
we come in contact with by tapping into God's love, God's forgiveness, God's grace. We
can show that and we can share that with the rest of the world if we will only just give
ourselves wholeheartedly to Him in Jesus name. So with that, if I could have every head bowed,
every eye closed, obviously if you're driving, keep your hands on the wheel, as I always
like to say, as dumb as it is. But I just want to take this opportunity that if this
message has impacted you, if this message has touched you in any way and you know that
you're not right with God, but you want to get right, then I would like you to signify
that with an uplifted hand. I can't see you, it's a podcast, but God sees everything and
He'll see that hand. So if you know that this is talking to you, if this is hitting buttons
with you, signify that uplifted hand. And if you did raise your hand, then I'd like
to lead you in a quick prayer before we close. And it's a simple prayer, just it's Dear
Lord God, I know that I'm a sinner, but I know that you sent your son Jesus Christ and
that He died for me. I repent of my sins and I accept Jesus as my Lord and Savior. And
I thank you for your grace in salvation in Jesus name. Amen. It's a simple prayer. It's
the recognition of the fallen nature of humanity. It's the turning away from your past life
and acceptance of Jesus as your Savior. It's very simple. Now, of course, with anything,
there's a process now. And I thank God for those that prayed that and they meant it.
But the next thing is, pray, read your Bible and find a Bible-believing church to connect
with so that you can have that unity with other brothers and sisters in Jesus name.
If you live in Samanar, we want you to come out. I gave the address at the beginning,
but again, our new address is Unit 201, 231 Trans-Canada Highway in Samanar, BC. So it's
right off the main road. It's right above the BMO or the Bank of Montreal Bank. So anybody
who lives here should know where that's at. You pass it almost every day, I'm sure. We'd
love to have you come out and help us grow in this town so that we can reach more people
for Jesus. And pray for us. And I'm constantly praying to the other churches in the fellowship.
So if you're from another fellowship church and you're praying, well, I'm praying for
you. So thanks again for listening and I can't wait for you to come back next time. God bless.