Oasis Madrid

Oasis Madrid provides a number of sermons in manuscript form. Following is a list of manuscripts you can find on this site. Click on the links below to read them.

* Heaven (a sermon by Troy Cady)
* Gentleness (a sermon by Troy Cady)
* Hearts (a sermon by Troy Cady)
* Prayer (a sermon by Troy Cady)
* Feet (a sermon by Troy Cady)
* Left Brain (a sermon by Troy Cady)
* Trust (a sermon by Troy Cady)
* Joy (a sermon by Troy Cady)
* We Are Sent (a sermon by Troy Cady)
* Our Father in Heaven (a sermon by Troy Cady)
* Lead Us Not Into Temptation (a sermon by Troy Cady)
*The Lord’s Prayer Part 2 (a sermon by Kelly Wills)
*The Incarnation (a sermon by Kelly Wills)
*Right Brain (a sermon by Kelly Wills)
*Touching the Untouchable (a sermon by Kelly Wills)
*Peace (a sermon by Kelly Wills)
Starting in April 2007, we also began uploading audio files of our teachings. Click here to go to our section containing Podcasts.

The shepherds were in the fields, tending their sheep, when a messenger from heaven gave them this birth announcement: “Do not be afraid. I bring you good news of great joy that will be for all the people. Today in the town of David a Savior has been born to you; he is Christ the Lord.” (Luke 2:10-11).

“I bring you good news of great joy.”

Christmas means joy. Sounds good, but what is joy and what is its importance? I’d like to spend some time now thinking about that, so we have a better understanding of it.

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Colossians 4:2 says, “Devote yourselves to prayer, being watchful and thankful.”

That’s a short but powerful text of Scripture, but if we are to genuinely attempt to follow this admonition, we need to answer two big questions first:

1. What is prayer? and
2. What does it mean to “devote” oneself to prayer?

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Oasis Madrid is a church based on certain core convictions.

For example, we are a church that believes the good news Jesus came to preach was that the kingdom of God is available to us now. In other words, as we choose to live in the present under God’s rule and reign, we believe liberation from sin, death and decay will result in the present. This theological truth has implications. Specifically, this tells us that being a Christian is more than just saying a prayer asking Jesus to forgive us our sin so that, when we die, we will go to heaven. No, this truth tells us that we need to trust Jesus with everything in the present, to allow Jesus to be our Lord, our ruler, right here and now. That’s one of our convictions.

Now, you may not be aware, but Oasis Madrid has a whole series of convictions concerning six different things of this nature. In addition to what I just mentioned, we have explicitly stated convictions about grace, the Bible, postmodernism, discipleship and disciple-making. This teaching begins a three part series looking more intently at one of our six conviction topics. This topic will deal specifically with the concept of God becoming Man in the person of Jesus Christ. Believe it or not, this theological truth and historical fact has profound implications. To look more deeply into how this truth affects us, we need to lay some groundwork.

First of all, you should know that this is what theologians call the Incarnation. The word “incarnation” comes from a Latin root. You know the Spanish word “carne” can mean “meat” or “flesh”. Well, the Incarnation talks about how God took on human flesh and became a man in the person of Jesus Christ. Think about that for a second: God took on human flesh. God sent his one and only Son to become a man. This has profound implications for Christians.

Here’s why: Just as God was embodied in the person of Jesus Christ, so Jesus is to be embodied by the church. There’s a pattern established in Jesus’ incarnation that continues in the life of the family of God.

In fact, the Scriptures call the people of God (those who have chosen to follow Jesus Christ) the Body of Christ for this very reason. We are the Body of Christ. We are the Body of Christ. Let that truth sink in: We are the Body of Christ.

So what? Why does this even matter?

Well…this means that what Christ did and what Christ wants done, we now do. Just as God the Father lived his life through the Son who became man, so Jesus lives his life through us by the work of the Spirit of Christ in our hearts. In other words, the Spirit of God enables us to be Jesus with skin on. This is why in the ancient church the Christian leader Athanasius said that Christians are “little christs”.

Now, this sounds like an outrageous claim: what Christ did and what Christ wants done, we now do. But there is indeed a pattern established in the Bible about this.

For example, Jesus tells us his purpose in coming when he says in Matthew 20:28, “…the Son of Man did not come to be served, but to serve…” This tells us the incarnation (that is, Jesus’ coming) was for the purpose of serving.

Following that pattern, then, Jesus calls us to do the same: “Now that I, your Lord and Teacher, have washed your feet, you also should wash one another’s feet. I have set you an example that you should do as I have done for you.” John 13:14-15

See: there’s a pattern here. What God did in the person of Jesus Christ, so Jesus wants to do now through the church by the work of his Spirit.

Right now, I’d like to look more specifically into one other pattern that we see in the incarnation of Christ and in our calling as the family of God.

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Last Wednesday marked the beginning of the season of Lent.

For the Christian there are two events that stand out above all other events in history: the birth of Christ, and the death and resurrection of Christ. Christmas is about the birth of Christ. Easter is about the death and resurrection of Christ.

Both of these are so significant that Christians everywhere in all times have seen it necessary to observe a time of readying the heart to enter into the mystery of each event. So, before Christmas day, Christians observe a period of four weeks called Advent. During those four weeks, Christians set aside time to contemplate the meaning of God coming to earth in the person of Jesus Christ. In this way, we ready ourselves to enter into the mystery of Christmas.

And, in like fashion, before Easter, Christians set aside time to prepare themselves spiritually, to enter into the meaning of Christ’s death and resurrection. This is what the season of Lent is all about. It is a time of preparation.

And since Lent is a time of preparing to enter into the mystery of Christ’s death and resurrection, it is a time of thinking more deeply about the meaning of the cross. As such, it is a time to confess sin and a time of repentance and renewal. It is a time to re-align ourselves with the way of Jesus.

Because of that, we thought it would be appropriate to re-align ourselves with the way of Jesus through taking this season to learn again how to pray as Jesus taught us to pray. As such, today we commence a series on The Lord’s Prayer.

The other day I was having breakfast with someone and as he thought about our plans to do a series on the Lord’s Prayer, he asked why.

I thought that was a good question. Why, indeed, do a series on the Lord’s Prayer?

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Everything wrong with the world is the result of evil. Marriages break up because of lust, self-centeredness, anger and apathy. The environment is destroyed due to greed. Friends become enemies because they are unable to forgive. Children live in fear because of competition, which exists because of pride, lust for power and control. Everything wrong with the world is the result of evil. This is why Jesus taught us to pray: “Deliver us from evil.”

Do we wish that things would stop being this way? That some day, all would be put right? Well, then, let us pray “deliver us from evil”, for when that prayer is answered the paradise that was lost (when sin entered the world) will be found again.

That’s why we can say this is what it all comes down to. It’s not rocket science, people! To be delivered from evil, is to be rescued from darkness. To be rescued from darkness is to walk in the light. To walk in the light is to walk with God. And to walk with God is to live. This part of the Lord’s Prayer is truly a matter of life and death.

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Look deep into your heart and ask yourself: “What do I really want? If I could have anything, what would it be? What are my heart’s desires?”

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Seven years from now my daughter will be sixteen. Some time that year, she’s going to have a baby. Then, shortly after the baby is born, she and her boyfriend are going to move to Iraq. It’s likely I won’t get to see my grandson until he’s two or three years old but I’m not worried, because it’s all part of God’s plan.

And I know that it’s God’s plan, because an angel appeared to me a couple weeks ago and told me it would happen that way. (The angel’s name is Nacho, by the way.)

At first, I didn’t believe him and so he told me he was going to strike me dumb, but then I pled with him, told him I had to preach this Sunday “and what would I do if I couldn’t talk” and he said, “Okay, I won’t put a brace on your tongue; but you better believe me next time.”

I assured him I would. And, he left. And that’s what I want to tell you today. That’s my story.

Now, question: how many of you believe my story? (None?! Oh, come on!)

So, don’t you find it amazing–and a little bit strange—that, in the Bible’s version of this story, Mary concludes her brief dialogue with the angel Gabriel in an unruffled state? Listen to what she says: “I am the Lord’s servant. May it be to me as you have said.”

Look slowly at those words again: “I am the Lord’s servant.” Those are words of belief, words of faith, words of trust.

Trust: We are in the midst of a season called Advent. It’s an important time because it marks the beginning of the Christian calendar and it is a time of preparation. During this time, we ready our hearts to receive Christ’s ongoing work in our lives through reflecting intentionally on various themes that touch on the birth of Jesus. Last week, we took a look at the theme of hope as it was expressed through the prophets who anticipated the birth of Messiah hundreds of years prior to that event. We saw how hope proved to be an anchor for them, and it can serve as an anchor for us, too.

This Sunday commences another theme of Advent: Trust. Just as the prophets served as an example of hope for us, so Joseph and Mary serve as an example of trust.

In this teaching, I’d like to make a few observations on the nature of trust.

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Ephesians 4:2 says, “Be completely humble and gentle; be patient, bearing with one another in love.” Let’s take a deeper look at gentleness. We’re going to ask two questions: 1. Why is gentleness important? and 2. How can I practice gentleness?

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Imagine a world in which everyone was more like Jesus. What a wonderful world that would be.

The series we are in deals with that very issue. It’s based on four primary convictions:
1. The world needs more of Jesus.
2. The world will get more of Jesus when we become more like Jesus.
3. To become more like Jesus we need to offer ourselves to God.
4. It is better to offer yourself to God specifically, rather than generally.

Romans 6:13, our theme verse for our series, highlights this last principle by telling us to: “…offer the parts of your body to God as instruments of righteousness.”

So, with each session, we have been looking at a separate part of our body that we can and should offer to God. This month, we’re looking at the specifics of offering to God our feet.

I mentioned in our opening message that offering to God our heart is the most important thing. Well, offering our feet comes in a very close second, if not tied for first.

I say that because there’s a connection between the volitional decisions of our heart and the physical manifestations of those decisions in our body. True faith results in truthful actions. When you decide to give your heart to God, that decision does not merely lay dormant, couched under the cloak of comfortable covers. The decision to give your heart to God is like deciding to marry God. It requires you to get out of bed, walk down the aisle and fulfill your vow to him as long as you shall live. Spiritual union with God results in a lifetime of commitment, a continuous lifestyle of walking in close companionship with the lover of our souls.

Being a Christian starts with a decision to give one’s heart to God, but it continues with a lifetime of following Jesus. That’s why I say offering to God our feet comes in a close second, if not a tie for first place, when compared to offering God our heart. Being a Christian means following Jesus.

Author Brian McLaren describes the process of following Jesus this way:

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