Real Life Community Church Sermons
Real Life Community Church, is a church located in Richmond, Kentucky. Our fellowship is comprised of authentic followers of Jesus Christ who aim to glorify God in all that we do. We have a desire to reach our community, meeting both the physical and spiritual needs of those who are hurting.What to Expect in a ServiceOur Sunday Morning services include a time of dynamic, contemporary worship. We have a full praise band, consisting of real Christ-followers who are committed to worshiping God, not just through song, but in every area of their lives. Each service will include a relevant, Bible-based message, that will inspire and challenge those who hear it, in their walk with the Lord. Come casually or formally dressed… however you are most comfortable. We hope to see you soon!
Real Life Community Church Sermons
Special Guest Jack Buskey
What happens when life's challenges are met with unwavering faith and a commitment to gratitude? This sermon promises a journey into resilience and appreciation with a veteran pastor who has been devoted to his spiritual path since 1952. Through his poignant stories, we're offered a window into a life balanced by the teachings of the Sermon on the Mount and the transformative choice of maintaining control over one's attitude amidst adversity. Explore how the principle of "turning the other cheek" has been a beacon for him, guiding his leadership and providing strength during personal loss and the challenges of pastoral life.
Mr. Buskey dives into the power of gratitude and the choice to not be victims of circumstance. Inspired by a story of a commuter's daily encounter with a grumpy vendor, we discuss how positivity can steer us away from negativities. Through the impactful lives of leaders like Martin Luther King Jr. we see how attitude shapes destiny. Anchored in Romans 8:28 and the inspiring life of hymn writer Fanny Crosby, this episode reveals how faith allows one to find gratitude in every situation, transforming life's lows into moments of profound growth and joy.
What I'd like to share with you tonight I've had the privilege of walking with the Lord for a long time.
Jack Buskey:I came to know the Lord on May 24th 1952. I was a call-in to the ministry and came into the baptism of the Holy Spirit in 1953. And came into the baptism of the Holy Spirit in 1953. I want to share with you two fundamental principles that have sustained me through my life. And, like I used to tell the boys and I don't know if Ronnie remembers this or not, pay attention because I'm only going to say it once. Ronnie remembers this or not, pay attention because I'm only going to say it once I was born in 1932, born again in 1952, and, as I mentioned, baptized with the Holy Spirit in 1953, called into the ministry, married my wife, who was from Lexington because I was a student in Asbury. We got married in 1954 and have three tremendous boys and I'm very proud of them and I'm very proud of Ronnie and Jerry.
Jack Buskey:I had my first pastorate appointment in 1953, retired from full-time ministry in 2022, and I two things have carried me not only through the mountaintop but through the valleys and we've gone through a number of valleys and any pastor will know, as Chris will say, you go through tremendous valleys. I heard about they shared about Luther's depression. There's times that pastors go through tremendous depression. Being a pastor in the Methodist Church, I didn't have a board of elders. I had to walk through that pretty much with the strength of my wife and a few people that I knew praying for me. But we had tremendous victories. One of them, of course, was being married, graduating from college and seminary, appointed to pastor a church, then having the opportunity of getting an advanced degree. We also went through the process of an 18-year-old grandson being hit by a train and killed, a son at his 48th birthday dying of a terminal disease and then, of course, my wife going to be with the Lord after 68 years of life together. So I've known both the tremendous valleys and tremendous mountaintops, but I want to share the two things, two things that have carried me through that. One of them is found in Matthew and you'll recognize this from the Sermon on the Mount, when Jesus said I tell you, do not resist the evil person. If anyone slaps you on the right cheek, turn to them the other cheek also. This sounds like a tremendous passive response. They were just a lay down and let the world run over us. They were just a lay dead. But I've discovered that that is the most proactive, one of the most proactive verses in the whole Bible.
Jack Buskey:Let me begin with an illustration and then elaborate on it. There were two guys that worked in New York City and they lived in New Jersey, and so they rode the same train, they worked in the same office building and so they rode the same train every morning. And every morning they got off the train and walked to the office and on the way to the office they stopped at a newsstand the same newsstand, same person every morning. And that guy at the newsstand was absolutely grumpy. I mean, he's just miserable. And one of the guys would always say good morning, have a good day, and would give him a tip. And he did that morning after morning, after morning, and the other guy said I don't get it. He said what? Morning after morning? And the other guy said I don't get it. I said what he said he's the most grumpy person.
Jack Buskey:Every single morning you say have a good day. Every single morning you give him a tip. Why do you do that? Are you ready for this? He said why should I let him control my life? He said Jesus never wants us to be a victim. He never wants us to be a victim of circumstances. He never wants us to be a victim of circumstances. He never wants us to be a victim of what we experience. He never wants us to be a victim when life slaps us on the cheek. See, the minute you respond, you become a victim. I don't care if it's someone who cuts you off in traffic. The minute you respond, you become a victim. I don't care if it's someone who cuts you off in traffic. The minute you respond, you become a victim. The minute you respond, it controls your attitude. It controls the joy of your life. It will control the agenda of your life. It will control the agenda of your life. It will control the purpose of your life. The minute we respond to any circumstance, we have become a victim. It will control who we are. It will control how we feel. It may even control the purpose of our life if it's to get even or have a revenge.
Jack Buskey:We see examples of this. Think about it. Black lives matter. You think they're not victims. Have you ever seen one happy? Have you ever seen one smile? They're angry, they're frustrated, they're mean, and it controls their life. It controls the agenda of their life and it controls who they are.
Jack Buskey:I'm going to get in trouble with a couple of other examples. I saw a clip on television the other night with Michelle Obama. She said I'm angry. She was born angry. I had never seen her, even when she was the first lady not be angry. She's a victim. It controls who she is, it controls her attitude, it controls her countenance, it controls the agenda of her life.
Jack Buskey:Let's look at some examples of those who have turned the other cheek. Martin Luther King Jr you remember when Bull Connor no, you kids don't remember that when Bull Connor was hosing and turned the dogs on to those that were protesting in Alabama and they did not respond at all. They did not react. They did not let them control them. They just remained who they were and because of that, that led to the country having sympathy for the civil rights movement and it became the foundation of the, the civil rights movement, and it became the foundation of the whole civil rights legislation. Gandhi Gandhi never turned the other cheek, but he brought the whole English Empire to its knees and led to the independence of India.
Jack Buskey:Jesus never wants you and I to ever be a victim. He wants us to always be in control. And if I turn the other cheek or you turn the other cheek, no matter what life and how it slaps us, it does not control how we feel, it does not control our attitude, it does not steal our joy, it does not define who we are and when I forget that and begin to respond, I talk to myself. Well, speak, good grief. You know better than that. Turning the other cheek is very proactive. It means that we will always be who we are.
Jack Buskey:Now, if I put these glasses on, I can go to the second point, the second principle I take from Ephesians 5.20 always giving thanks to God, the Father, for everything, in the name of our Lord, jesus Christ. I first had this principle kind of unpacked to me, revealed to me, when I read Merrill Carruthers' book on prison. To praise Anyone here ever heard of it. He shares in that book that he was seeking the baptism of the Holy Spirit and People were praying for him and he began to thank the Lord that Jesus died for him on the cross, ever thanked him for that. He began to thank the Lord and praise God that Jesus died for him on the cross. And all of a sudden they forget him.
Jack Buskey:That's sick, I mean. Think about it. Jesus is hanging on the cross right, Giving nails in his hands, in his feet. He's bleeding to death, he's suffering, he's in agony and we're around the base of the cross. Yay, that's sick, he said. I felt like a little boy who gave the wrong answer in school. He said, and I even felt worse than that, how could I be happy for that? And then he said the Holy Spirit spoke to me and said I want you to thank me for that.
Jack Buskey:This verse doesn't say thank him. This says thank him for everything. You see, that's the basis. Nothing that we experience, no circumstance, no loss, no problem, no situation is ever worse than Jesus dying on the cross. And you see, when we get that perspective, so that, no matter what comes to us, if we can thank God that Jesus died on the cross, we can thank God for everything, not in spite of, we can thank him for everything, him for everything. When that happens, nothing, nothing can take away our victory, always giving thanks to God, the Father, for everything in our Lord Jesus Christ, not in spite of or not to get me out of it, but, lord, I thank you for this. Do we really believe Romans 8, 28? For everything works together for good to those who love God. Where everything works together for good to those who love God.
Jack Buskey:I was amazed at the hymn Blessed Assurance, the second verse. The second verse says Visions of rapture now burst on my sight. Fanny Crosby was totally blind. Think about it Every time I sing that I think of this blind lady who had perfect vision. Oh Lord, I wish I could see. If I could just see once. Why have I been? Why do I have to go through life blind? No visions of rapture now burst on my sight. These two principles turning the other cheek, praising God in every situation of life has carried me these 72 years through mountaintop and grief, and I submit to you for your life. Thank you, applause, applause, applause, applause, applause, applause. Thank you brother. Thank you brother.