Ferndale Church: Recent Episodes
Ferndale Church
We are a community of committed servants of Jesus who aim to know, grow, and show God’s love to Peterborough and the world.
MESSAGE SUMMARY
The freedom from the power of sin that we receive through our union with Jesus Christ is key to living a life of servanthood. Given the importance of our freedom, we should expect our freedom will come under attack. In Galatians 5, we are warned that it is possible to lose or misuse our freedom in Christ. All Christians are waiting for the future hope of righteousness where everything will be made good and right. But waiting can be challenging, especially as we continue to live with many things that are wrong in our lives. Waiting can make us vulnerable to attack, where we may be tempted to compromise our commitment to Jesus. Our calling in these moments is to stand firm by waiting in faith by the Holy Spirit for the hope of universal rightness (Galatians 5:5). Misusing our freedom happens where we give sin a place in our lives, which leads us to act selfishly, using and abusing others. In these situations, we should repent and renounce our sin and recommit ourselves to using our freedom to serve others in love.
Our guest speaker Dr. Wayne Baxter, Professor at Heritage Seminary, challenged us today from Philippians 2:6-11 to be like Christ:
In your relationships with one another, have the same mindset as Christ Jesus:
Who, being in very nature God, did not consider equality with God something to be used to his own advantage; rather, he made himself nothing by taking the very nature of a servant, being made in human likeness. And being found in appearance as a man, he humbled himself by becoming obedient to death— even death on a cross!
The gospel of Jesus teaches that we are saved by grace through faith in Jesus, apart from works (Ephesians 2:8-9). But if salvation isn’t based on the way a person lives, isn’t it possible it might lead a person to live any way they wanted? This is the question raised in Romans 6:1. How does faith in Jesus change us from thinking and living like consumers to thinking and living like servants? Romans 6 tells us why faith in Jesus will lead a person to live a righteous life. The answer is understanding the nature of salvation. Christian salvation is not simply a change in a person’s eternal destination, but a deep inner transformation that results from a person’s spiritual union with Jesus. All true Christians are united to Jesus in His death and resurrection, which means everything true of Jesus becomes true of a Christian. This union is not symbolic but is actual. Christians experience real inner change as a result of their union with Jesus. They receive a new nature and a new position before God. This is why Christians saved by grace through faith in Jesus will live a new kind of life. The key to change is to understand and know the realities of this spiritual union and to use it daily when facing trials and temptations. Using our spiritual union involves growing our conviction of it and confessing it in times of temptation.
Jesus modelled a servant lifestyle for His disciples and taught it extensively, yet His disciples seemed incapable of receiving and grasping it. On two occasions when Jesus revealed to His disciples He was going to die for them, they began to argue among themselves who was the greatest. How are we to understand their inability to receive and grasp the principle of servanthood? Jesus told His disciples that He was going to serve them by giving His life as a ransom. Their need to be ransomed implies bondage and slavery. The Bible reveals that humankind’s spiritual slavery is deep and comprehensive. It is this slavery that blinds us and prevents us from receiving and grasping Jesus’ teaching on servanthood. But once we are ransomed by Jesus and set free from spiritual slavery, we are given an incredible capacity for servanthood. The degree to which we understand the price Jesus paid to set us free is the degree to which we will be willing and able to serve others.
This morning Dr. David Barker, Old Testament professor at Heritage Seminary, taught from Psalm 131: Flying Right-Side-Up in an Upside-Down World.
The desire for greatness is a natural desire. Everyone wants to see something significant happen in their lives, and everyone wants to do something significant with their lives. The disciples of Jesus were discussing the subject of greatness as they approached Jerusalem (Mark 9:34). Jesus didn’t criticize their desire for greatness, but He did challenge their understanding of greatness. Jesus taught that in the kingdom of God, greatness is measured by the degree to which someone is willing to serve and sacrifice for others. Jesus provided a powerful illustration of this principle during the Last Supper when He took off His outer clothing and washed the disciples' feet. Through this act, Jesus modelled that serving love doesn’t focus on the receiving of dignity, but on giving dignity to others. Jesus also modelled that serving love doesn’t criticize people for their problems but helps them in their problems. When we understand that Jesus served us in our need in an ultimate way through the cross, this gives us the power to be willing to serve others in their need.
Dedicating ourselves to a life of serving others is more than a way of life for Christians. We are commissioned by the Lord Jesus Christ to serve others (John 20:21). This elevates the value and importance of servanthood. Knowing we are commissioned to serve provides clarity in service. Since we are sent the same way Jesus was sent, Jesus becomes the pattern and model of our sending. Jesus was sent into the world not to be served, but to serve and give His life as a ransom for many (Mark 10:45). In the same way, we are sent—not to be served but to serve others by dying to self-interests and living instead for the interests and needs of others. Knowing we are commissioned to serve also provides power for service. When Jesus was commissioned at His baptism (Matthew 3:13-17), He set aside His own divine powers and chose instead to live by the power of the Holy Spirit. This means we are capable of modelling Jesus’ servant life when we live by the power of the Holy Spirit. But to live in the power of the Holy Spirit requires submitting ourselves to God and emptying ourselves of all false fillings.
The ministry focus for 2020 is "Saved to Serve," based on Colossians 3:23: “Whatever you do, work at it with all your heart, as working for the Lord.” The New Testament reveals that the primary relational ethic for followers of Jesus is submission and servanthood. We are commanded in Ephesians 5:21 to submit to one another out of reverence for Christ. A life of servanthood is best described in Philippians 2:3-4 as doing nothing out of selfish ambition or vain conceit, but in humility considering others better than yourselves. But in order for servanthood to become part of our life, we need to experience freedom and deliverance from the power of Satan (Colossians 1:13-14) and the power of the sin nature (Colossians 2:11-12). Only through this freedom secured by the Lord Jesus Christ will we be able to serve others in everything for the Lord.
This is the final sermon in our Christmas series, The Birth of the True King, from Luke 2:8-20.
This Sunday Pastor Peter continued his Christmas series, The Birth of the True King, focusing on God's Work in Times of Darkness, from Matthew 2:13-23.
The Wonder of God's Work in Us, from Matthew 2:1-12. Second message in Pastor Peter's Christmas series, The Birth of the True King.
The significance of Jesus’ birth is becoming increasingly downplayed in our culture during the Christmas season, yet the Bible shows us that Jesus’ birth is the most significant event in the history of the world. The genealogical records in Matthew and Luke’s Gospels point to the central significance of Jesus’ birth in redemptive history. In many ways, Jesus’ birth is heaven’s invasion into the physical realm that is controlled by the spiritual realm of darkness. Jesus comes into the physical realm as the light of the world to deliver people out of the kingdom of darkness, into the kingdom of God’s Son (Colossians 1:13-14). While Jesus’ coming did not end all the evil, pain and suffering in our world, we do have hope in knowing that through the cross of Jesus, God uses pain and suffering to save and transform us, and that one day He will end it forever. But in order to connect with this truth, we must receive Jesus in our life as our Lord and surrender all control to Him.
How are we to engage in spiritual warfare? According to Ephesians 6:11, we engage in spiritual warfare by standing our ground. The word “stand” is mentioned 4 times in 5 verses in Ephesians 6:10-14. Standing firm is a major theme in the New Testament. But what exactly is the ground on which we are to stand firm? It is the ground of victory in Jesus Christ through the cross (1 Corinthians 15:55-57). Satan’s schemes are aimed at getting Christians to stand down or stand off their ground in Christ. Standing off your ground of victory in Christ is how you become vulnerable to Satanic control.
The reason why so many Christians are easily led to stand off their ground in Christ is because they don’t know how amazing it is. Standing our ground requires strength. We receive strength when we encourage our heart with the truth of the gospel of Jesus. This is done by putting on God’s armour—truths relating to the gospel of Jesus. By putting on these truths, you are making them part of your life and practice. The Holy Spirit is your primary ally in spiritual warfare, and His help is accessed through the Word of God and prayer. Through the Word of God and prayer, the Holy Spirit will help you to apply God’s armour (the truths of the gospel of Jesus) against the devil’s schemes, enabling you to stand your ground.
Instruction manuals for households were rather common to the ancient Greeks as husbands and fathers were primarily addressed and given principles on running their households. What is revolutionary about the Bible is that wives, children and slaves were included in these instructions. These groups were generally never addressed since they were understood to possess a subservient position to the husbands and fathers in the home. The fact that the Bible addresses them first shows the value and dignity they have before God. The instructions given to parents and children, slaves and masters are based on the general principle of mutual submission (Ephesians 5:21). Children serve their parents by obeying and honouring their parents. Parents serve their children by not provoking their children to anger and by instructing them in the ways of the Lord. Slaves and masters serve one another by understanding that all their work is to be done as unto the Lord, treating one another with dignity and respect.
MESSAGE SUMMARY
Ephesians 5 provides us with some of the greatest wisdom on marriage found anywhere in the Bible. Marriage is continually referenced and anchored to the Gospel of Jesus, and Jesus’ relationship to the church. This tells us that marriage, like the Gospel, is both glorious and hard. Jesus saves and transforms us which is a glorious thing, but He does it through suffering and sacrifice. Marriage is like this. Marriage will accomplish something beautiful in our lives, but it is accomplished through hard work and sacrifice. Ephesian 5 answers three foundational questions about marriage. It tells us the essence of marriage is covenant, the promise and assurance of future love regardless of changing feelings and circumstances. It tells us that the purpose of marriage is the same purpose Jesus has come into our life, which is to change and transform us into a godly Christ-like person. And finally it tells us the power for marriage which is the filling of the Holy Spirit. The challenges of marriage will never be overcome apart from the empowering of the Holy Spirit. Only with the Spirit’s empowering influence and help can marriage be the life-giving and life-changing relationship God intends it to be.
Thankfulness is an appropriate response to an act of kindness. We are repeatedly invited in Scripture to give thanks to God in response to His goodness and grace. God continually works in our lives providing us with good things in order to draw us to Himself so that He can do a deeper work in us. This truth is illustrated in the healing of the ten lepers in Luke 17:11-19. Through this story, we learn that God is helping us to see our deeper need for social and spiritual reconciliation, and how Jesus is the means to this reconciliation. This story invites us to examine the direction of our lives in response to God’s goodness to us through the cross of Jesus. In light of the cross, are we moving towards Jesus to a deeper relationship of trust, love and obedience, or are we moving away from Jesus?
Personal growth and change is a cultural obsession. You can see this focus in any book store with volumes of books dedicated to personal health (physical, mental, spiritual, emotional, relational). The Gospel of Jesus offers a revolutionary approach to growth and change. The Apostle Paul’s letter to the Ephesians tells us that we have been blessed in the heavenly realms with every spiritual blessing in Christ (Ephesians 1:3). These blessing focus on the inner transformation we have received through faith in Jesus. The good news message of Jesus is that through faith in Him, we have experienced an inner change that gives us an incredible capacity for external change. All modern models for change focus on changing from the outside to the inside. The biblical model for change is change from the inside to the outside. In Ephesians 4 we are told that we change in community through deep and unified relationships where we speak the truth in love. There is no change by working on yourself by yourself. Only through deep and unified relationships do we change. But deep and unified relationships result from righteousness. Biblical righteousness is relational rightness. As we grow in righteousness we grow and enlarge our capacity for deep and intimate relationships.
After Jesus raised Lazarus from the dead He commanded that his grave clothes be removed because his grave clothes were no longer appropriate to his living condition (John 11:44). As Christians, we have been raised up with Christ to new life (Ephesians 2:6). As a result of this new reality, we must put off our grave clothes, and put on clothing that corresponds to our new reality of being alive in Christ. This is the main idea in Ephesians 4:25-32. We are given 5 examples of things we should put off and things we should put on. These 5 examples are based on the reality that in Christ we have already put off the old self, and put on the new self (Ephesians 4:22-24). The reference to the Holy Spirit (Ephesians 4:30) and Satan (Ephesians 4:27) remind us of spiritual powers that are at work behind the scene. The Spirit leads us to live in accordance with the new self. Satan deceives and temps us to live in accordance with the old self. The key to putting on characteristics of the new self is knowing that in Christ we are a new creation. This means identifying the lies of Satan and replacing them with the truth of all that you are, and all that you have in Christ.
MESSAGE SUMMARY
Personal growth and change is a cultural obsession. You can see this focus in any book store with volumes of books dedicated to personal health (physical, mental, spiritual, emotional, relational). The Gospel of Jesus offers a revolutionary approach to growth and change. The Apostle Paul’s letter to the Ephesians tells us that we have been blessed in the heavenly realms with every spiritual blessing in Christ (Ephesians 1:3). These blessing focus on the inner transformation we have received through faith in Jesus. The good news message of Jesus is that through faith in Him, we have experienced an inner change that gives us an incredible capacity for external change. All modern models for change focus on changing from the outside to the inside. The biblical model for change is change from the inside to the outside. In Ephesians 4 we are told that we change in community through deep and unified relationships where we speak the truth in love. There is no change by working on yourself by yourself. Only through deep and unified relationships do we change. But deep and unified relationships result from righteousness. Biblical righteousness is relational rightness. As we grow in righteousness we grow and enlarge our capacity for deep and intimate relationships.
Living in a consumeristic culture makes it a challenge to live as selfless servants who see their time, talents as treasures to be used in service for others. In order to overcome this, we are encouraged in Romans 12:1-2 to offer our bodies as a living sacrifice to God. This means we must continually moment by moment die to self-rule and submit ourselves to God’s rule. Self-rule is based on the flawed belief that we know best, that we know what we need to be happy, fulfilled and significant. Christians must learn to daily walk with the conviction that God is good, and He knows exactly what we need to be happy and fulfilled. By continually dying to self-rule Romans 12:3-8 tells us that we will grow in humility and servanthood. But where do we get the inner power to do this? The degree to which we see Jesus offering Himself to God on our behalf is the degree to which we will be able to offer ourselves to God.