Redemption Olds: Recent Episodes
Redemption Olds
Jude 17 - 25, The Narrow Road Kept For Christ, Kept By Christ, September 3 2023 by Redemption Olds
Genesis 21 - 1-21, Laughing At The Faithfulness Of The Lord, August 6 2023 by Redemption Olds
Genesis 12: 10-20, The Man of Folly (God's Unwavering Faithfulness) May 14, 2023 by Redemption Olds
April 23, 2023 - Humanity Divided (And Restored) - Genesis 10:1-11:1-9 by Redemption Olds
1) Know Your Enemy (v. 1) 2) Know Yourself (v. 2-3) 3) Know His Strategies (v. 4-5) 4) Turn Away from Sin (v. 6) 5) Turn to Christ (v.6)
...the same principle applies in our spiritual battle. We have an adversary. We have an enemy who is bent on our destruction. He is tirelessly and relentlessly making moves against you, moving pieces into place to corner us. To trap us. To deceive us. To draw us in to sin. And if we are going to have any chance in this battle, in this spiritual chess game that we are in, we have to understand the tactics and the strategies of our adversary.
1) Man's Problem (v.18) 2) God's Provision (v.18-23) 3)The Gospel Promise (v.24-25)
In providing Adam with Eve, God wasn’t just giving Adam a wife. He was beginning the whole human race. We need community. Even married couples need more than just marriage. We display the image of God most fully as we connect with other people, as we share life together.
To the single and the married... Do you have those intimate relationships? Do you value the connection of other people in your life?
And that’s universally true for us as humans but it is specifically true for us as Christians. This is so core to what it means to be the church. That when we are saved we become part of this new creation, this new humanity. A renewed display of the glory of God on earth.
1) The Word of God a)The Word of God is Powerful b) The Word of God is Effective c) The Word of God is Good d) The Word is an extension of Himself e) Jesus is the Living Word of God f)The Living word is in the Written Word 2) The Light of God
There is no condemnation from God for those who are "in Christ Jesus." Romans 8:1-4 by Redemption Olds
- Reject Asceticism because you died with Christ (v. 20-21)
- Reject Asceticism because it is wordy wisdom (v. 22-23)
- Reject Asceticism because it is ineffective (v.23)
1) New Life in His Death (v.11-12a) 2) New Life in His Resurrection (v.12) 3) New Life in His Forgiveness (v.13-14) 4) New Life in His Victory (v.15)
1) Remain in Christ (v. 6-7) 2) Reject the World (v.8) 3) Reckon Christ as Sufficient (v.9-10)
1) The Signs of Maturity (v. 1-2) 2) The Source of Maturity (v. 3-4) 3) The Strength of Maturity (v. 5)
1) Suffering with Joy (v.24) 2)As Stewards of Grace (v.25-27) 3) With Singular Focus (v. 28) 4) In the Spirits Power (v.29)
Christ in Relation to God - Jesus is the image of the invisible God Christ in Relation to the whole of Creation - Jesus as the First-born over all creation.
The Growth of the Gospel in Us (v.3-5) The Gospel Grows in the World (v.6) The Gospel Grows through Faithful Servants (v. 7-8)
I. We HAVE BEEN Raised
- Without Christ We Were DEAD Romans 8:5–8 1 Corinthians 2:14
2.Raising a sinner from spiritual death is a miracle that only GOD can do
2 Corinthians 4:6
II. We ARE Raised (3:1-3)
If you have been raised with Christ, you have eternal life TODAY
1.The COMMAND to live the risen life
a. Seek after HEAVENLY things
b. This resurrection life should look radically different from the WORLD
- The CONFIDENCE to live the risen life
a. Your new life is HIDDEN with Christ in God
b.To be hidden is to be kept SAFE
Psalm 27:5
c. God finishes what He STARTS
John 6:39
Jude 24
III. We WILL BE Raised
1.When Jesus returns we will finally have FULL life
2.We will get new BODIES and renewed minds
1 John 3:2 1 Corinthians 15:51–53
We welcomed Joel Bactad from Redemption Calgary North this morning to come speak Gods word to us.
- The Problem of the Oath Matthew 5:33–37 Deuteronomy 6:13 Leviticus 19:12 Hebrews 6:13
2.The Principle of Integrity
- The Penalty of Judgement Revelation 21:8 Matthew 5:17
1) Be Patient: Rest in the Future Judgement (v7-8) 2) Be Patient: Resist Present Sin (v.9) 3) Be Patient: Remember the Past Examples (v.10-11)
4 Marks of the Wicked Wealthy 1) The wicked hoard money (v.2-3) 2)The wicked steal money (v.4) 3) The wicked waste money (v.5) 4) The wicked oppress the weak (v.6)
1) Posture in Prayer (v.14-15) 2) Power Through Prayer (v.16-19) a) Source (v.16) b) Seed (v.17) c) Tree (v.18) d) Fruit (v.19) 3) Praise to God (v.20-21)
1) The Folly of Prideful Planning (v.13,16) 2) The Frailty of Humility (v.14) 3) The Fruit of Humility (v.15-17) a) Recognize God's Hidden Will (v.15) b) Submit to God's Revealed Will (v.17)
What is Behind Evil Talk? 1) You put Yourself Above Your Brother (v.11) 2) You put yourself above the law (v.11) 3) You put yourself above God (v.12)
1) The Road to Destruction (4:1-5) 2) The Reality of Grace (4:6) 3) The Road to Life (v. 7-10)
1) Love for the World Destroys Relationships (v.1-2) 2) Love for the World Disfigures Prayer (v. 2-3) 3) Love for the World Displays a Counterfeit Faith (v. 4-6)
1) The Test of Wisdom (v.13) 2) Worldly Wisdom (v.14-16) a) the heart of worldly wisdom (v.14) b) the source worldly wisdom (v.15) c) the fruit of worldly wisdom (v.16) 3) Wisdom from Above (v. 17-18) a) the source of true wisdom (v.17) b) the heart of true wisdom (v.17) c) the fruit of true wisdom (v.18)
1) The Power of the Tongue (v.1-5) 2) Fear the Poison of the Tongue (v.5b-8) 3) Pursue the Purpose of the Tongue (v.9-12)
1) Prayer is Dependance on the LORD (v.16-19) 2) Prayer is Worship of the LORD (v. 20-22) 3) Prayer is Asking from the LORD (v. 23-27)
We welcomed Pastor Quentin Whitford from Redemption Calgary South! 1)Unwrap: Discover your new heart of compassion 2)Switch On: Unleash the power of whole heart forgiveness 3)Setup: Govern your heart with harmonious love 4)Charge Up: Fuel your heart with word driven worship
1) The Proof of the King 2) The Promise of the King 3) The King Has Come 4) The King is Coming
1) God is the Ruler (v 21-24) 2) God is Holy (v 25-26) 3) God is Intimate with His Creation (v 27-28) 4) Hope in Our God (v 29-31)
1) The Futility of an empty faith (v 14-19) a) Empty Words (v 15-17) b) Empty Doctrine (v 18-19) 2) The Fullness of Authentic Faith (v 20-26) a) Full Surrender (v 21-24) b) Full Allegiance (v 25-26)
1) The Example of Partiality (v 1-4) 2) The Folly of Partiality (v 5-7) 3) The Sin of Partiality (v 8-11) 4) The Remedy for Partiality (v 12-13)
Guest Pastor Mike 1) The Voice of Rage (v. 1-3) 2) The Voice of the Father (v.4-6) 3) The Voice of the Son (v.7-9) 4) The Voice of Reason (v. 10-12)
1) Proof of Obedience (v.22) Obedience to Gods word is evidence of an authentic faith. Paul says Salvation does not depend on works. James says true salvation produces works. James isn't talking so much about what you do but what you are. 2) The Peril of Apathy (v. 22-24) The trap is we lied to ourselves and we believe it. The goal of Gods word in the believer is transformation. 3) The Promise of Obedience (v. 25) Jesus saves us from the curse of the law so that we can live in the blessing of the law. In Christ we are free from sin and death.
1) How to get spiritually depressed (v. 1-3) 2) Get back up physically (v. 4-8) 3) Get back up seeking God (v. 9-12) 4) Get back up hearing from God (v.13-18)
Tested By the Word Hear the Word
1) Refrain From Response (v. 19-20)
2) Repent of the Repulsive (v. 21)
3) Receive the Rescue
1) Fight Sin- own it (v.13-15) understand it (v.14-15) 2) Feast on the Saviour (v. 16-18)
The Blessing of Steadfastness 1) The Great Reversal (v.9-10) 2) The Good Reason (v.10-11) 3) The Glorious Reward (v.12)
Wisdom is the understanding needed to live in the fear of the Lord. 1) What do we need? (v.5a) 2) How do we get it? (v.5b) 3) How do we not get it? (v6-8)
What does Habakkuk do to turn his fear into faith? Remain in Prayer. Remember the Past. Rest in the Promise.
Thank you to Pastor Trevor from Redemption Church Calgary North for coming to preach here in Olds this week! Was so great to have the reminder of why it is important to continue gathering together. Please listen!!!
This is the renewing of the decimated wedding vows. The restoration of their broken relationship . This is God, responding to His unfaithful bride. And the first thing we see, in verses 1-9 is God fulfilling this promise to show Himself to Moses. We don’t know what Moses saw… if anything, but what he heard was amazing. Rather than coming in anger and wrath the Lord came in gentleness and kindness. Rather than emphasizing His power His sovereignty His holiness His justice or His rightful wrath against sin
as the LORD shows Himself to Moses, what we see is His Grace.
Every word that he (Paul) has written, from his opening greeting onward, drives to this final summary. It all culminates right here in this statement: To God be the glory! And there is kind of a threefold meaning and purpose behind this statement First, it’s just Paul’s genuine overflow of worship!... second ...it’s His expression of worship, but it’s also a call to us to worship!... And then finally, it is an affirmation, a statement of confidence that this will, in fact be true.
Proverbs 3:9–10 Honor the LORD with your wealth and with the firstfruits of all your produce; then your barns will be filled with plenty, and your vats will be bursting with wine.
If you are stingy and miserly towards those in need the Lord will be stingy toward you. But if you open your hands, if you let what you have flow freely to others, not as a guarantee or some financial transaction but as a general principle, the Lord will return that with blessing. To those who are generous, the Lord will show Himself generous.
The Secret of Contentment...now, you might read this and think, “he says that he has learned the secret… but he doesn’t tell us what it is!” And it’s true he doesn’t say “Hey, here it is, this is the secret!” Rather, what he is doing is showing himself as the living breathing example of the secret in action. And so we just need to look at that example.
There is also a kind of anxiety that though it would appear as if it has attacked us and we feel as though we are helpless and innocent victims of its marauding of our peace, the reality is, it stems out of a heart that is subtly and even unknowingly doubting God . A heart that is not firmly anchored in His greatness and His goodness and that is leaning upon self to provide what only God can ultimately give.
As we move into chapter 4 this morning we see that Paul gets downright pointed in his words. He directly and specifically confronts two ladies who were not getting along! He calls them out openly in this letter to the whole church!
It’s really quite shocking when you think about it. You would expect this to be listed among the things that no pastor should ever do!
But here he is, going for it! And the temptation might be just to pull out the pop-corn, to sit back and just watch how this goes. But let me encourage you, there is a lot we can learn from this as a church. This is for us as we seek to strive together in unity.
What is your greatest desire? What do you long for?
What are you thinking right now: "Oh, if I could just have more of THAT then I would be happy." Does it fit in the category of the “belly” ? The desires of the body, Comfort Wealth Physical pleasure Health and fitness Or food and drink
These people, who are running down the path to their own eternal destruction, the desires of the body have become their god. And because their god is their belly, their highest good is to satisfy their cravings and desires.
What does it mean to be a true believer? What does that look like? We are so prone to look at the outward appearance, to see those who are the strictest and most rigid, those who are legalistic, but Paul says, no it’s those who worship by the spirit of God and exalt in Christ. Do you see that in your own heart? Is there a JOY in Him, a celebration of Christ,a nd a worship and service of God that flows out of an internal motivation?
There are things that threaten to shake us physically, financially, spiritually, And all we can think is “Jesus get me OUT of this!” I want the fear relieved! I want the threat to go away!
But so often, as it was for the disciples the Lord’s plan is not to remove us from the fear… but to meet us in it. To come into the dark locked room of our fearful hearts and stand among us and offer peace, in the middle of the trial.
Psalm 62:8 Trust in him at all times, O people; pour out your heart before him; God is a refuge for us.
Stop and pour out your heart to God! Really talk with Him, like you would to a close friend. Tell Him how you are feeling, what you are thinking. Let Him know your fears, your hopes your needs.
We were not created for darkness. We don’t like it! We don’t do well in it. We were created for LIGHT. Without light we are lost. Without light we are helpless. Without light… we’re dead. And the LORD is very much drawing on those realities of light and darkness and the imagery wrapped up in that when in the Tabernacle, in this tent where He has promised His presence would dwell, He instructed Israel to build a lampstand. The Tabernacle was a place where there would be LIGHT.
He instructed them to put out 12 loaves of bread in the tabernacle. One loaf for each tribe of Israel. And He was saying, Part of my being with you, Part of what it means for you to be my people, Is that I will provide. I will care for you. Now, this wasn’t new. In Exodus 16 they had been in the desert for two months. Somewhere between 2 and 3 million people. The food they had brought with them out of Egypt had begun to run out and they began to fear and to grumble against the LORD. And the Lord provided for them. Every morning like dew on the grass they found… what? Mana...Bread Their basic needs provided for. The difference here is that God is specifically connecting that provision to His presence. He was saying I will be with you. I will provide for you.
God almighty, would humble himself and come down and dwell in a tent. But the tabernacle isn’t the end of that story...It’s just the beginning.
Do you know the fear of the LORD? Do you understand Him rightly?Do you respect Him and revere Him as you should? Uzzah, whom the LORD put to death for touching the ark, his sin was not small and inconsequential. It wasn’t just that he touched the Ark, but that He lacked the fear of the LORD. He lacked the understanding of the holiness of God. He presumed that he could approach God. He took God lightly, to think that he, a sinful man, could reach out and touch the Ark of God. So we have this conundrum, wrapped up in the imagery of the ark. The beauty of the LORD and the fear of the LORD side by side. He is what our hearts long for, He is the peace and joy and hope and everything we desire. But He is also a consuming fire. Absolutely unapproachable, untouchable for sinners.
The Lord is giving them instructions on how to build the tabernacle. The tabernacle is the sanctuary where God’s presence will dwell among them and through the tabernacle they will be able to approach God. This is God with them and where does He start? He starts by calling them to Generous giving. Now, don’t freak out. We’re not starting into a building campaign We’re not going to take a special collection after the service. But guess what, as we work through God’s Word generous giving comes up….
And as God lays out for His people "Here is how you will have me among you, my presence with you" and He starts with generous giving.
Prayer is the opposite of anxiety. Psalm 37 tell us to fret not, trust in the Lord, and delight in the Lord. Prayer is an expression of trust and prayer is the enjoyment of God.
Paul, encouraged the Corinthian church, "Be imitators of me as I am of Christ". It’s helpful and good for us to have examples, role models, whose lives we can look at as we pursue Christ together. The challenge then becomes who do we look up to? What kind of person do we emulate? What characteristics are we looking for? And as we turn to the last passage in this section of Philippians I think that’s what lies behind these words.
He (Paul) is telling the church in Philippi "I want to see that heart level obedience. Obedience, Not only when I’m present with you, but even more when I’m gone", and as he strives after that, in them, for them, he gives three basic commands followed by three motivators. Three reasons why they should do what he has been commanding. With the hope that they wouldn’t just be doing it while he’s watching, but that they would live this way out of a deep heart-level motivation.
As we ask “what is the greatest hindrance to unity in the church” we immediately begin to think, it must be something out there. And we see the sins of others and how that affects unity.
But as Paul addresses unity in the church, in Philippi it becomes immediately clear that the biggest hinderance to unity in the church isn’t something out there… The biggest hinderance to unity in the church is in here.
It’s my sin. And specifically, the sin of pride. And so as Paul urges the Philippian church to live in unity together he is urging them to live with one another, in radical humility.
So, the gospel worthy life, isn’t just Stand firm… it’s “stand firm in one Spirit", and it isn’t just strive forward, it’s with ONE mind, striving side by side.
This Gospel Worthy Life is About unity. You can’t say “I’m over here, living the Gospel Worthy Life” without unity. "I don’t need you" "I don’t need the church" Because you can’t say “I’m over here, in one spirit, by myself”, “I’m over here, united in one mind, and striving Side by side with myself”. And you also can’t say “I am in one mind, striving side by side with him… I just don’t like him” or “I am of one mind with her, we’re just not talking to each other” It doesn’t work!
So here is the point as we round the corner into chapter 2,
The Gospel Worthy Life means a gospel worthy unity.
These verses lay the foundation of the next section. The main thrust is this command to live a life worthy of the gospel, but the underlying tone that will become the main theme, all the way though Chapter 2 is unity. The outcome of this gospel focus is a deep, radical unity in the church. A unity as we strive together. A unity rooted in what Christ accomplished in the cross. A unity that makes us shine like stars in a wicked world. And a unity that is put on display through the lives and service of Timothy and Epaphroditus, these great humble servants of the church. But first he starts with the most basic foundation of all of it; who are we? What are we about What is important in this life?
Relationships move and shift, sometimes without warning and I am so glad that it is NOT like that with the LORD. And yet how often are we guilty of taking that sense of insecurity, of wondering and second guessing, and wrongly direct it to our relationship with God?
"Are we ok LORD?" "Did I offend you LORD?" "Did you unexpectedly withdraw, LORD?" "Are we still friends?"
But God is not like us fickle humans. He never leaves us to question where we stand with Him. What He thinks of us or our relationship to Him.
No, in His kindness to us, He makes Himself so clear. He doesn’t come and go based on fickle emotions or changing situations.
As we look at these verses they are in some ways the epilogue to the law. The final words. The closing statement. The LORD takes this opportunity to point them toward the blessing of being His people and the blessing of walking in obedience to His law.
We’ll look at it under four headings: The person of the blessing The path of the blessing The power of the blessing And the promise of the blessing!
Are you weary? Are you working hard to impress God and fearful that it might not be enough? I can tell you, anything you do on your own strength is so stained by sin and faulty at the core. It won’t be enough.
Rest in Him. Just trust in Jesus, and stop the striving and working and worrying. Put your faith in Him. He is the true and full Sabbath. The substance of this shadow and heaven will be full and perfect rest in Jesus. Oh every long and tiresome week, every drawn out battle with sickness, every futile struggle against the sin in your heart, every pain and tear and sorrow… Finished. And we will have rest. Rest in JESUS!
Sure, it’s good to recognize and be thankful for the blessings we do have. Even in dark times. But therapeutic as it might feel can I just call a spade a spade? Can we just admit that we’re lying to ourselves if we think that makes it better? Like what does it come down to? Where does it end? “I’m just thankful that I got this extra nice piece of cardboard to sleep under”. Is that enough to give you joy? Does that really make up for the loss of everything you held dear? But there is another way! There is a secret to UNASSAILABLE joy! A thanksgiving, a rejoicing, a happiness, that is not fragile. In fact… it’s untouchable and the answer isn’t to lower your standards, to find joy in smaller, lesser things, but to raise your standards. To set your hope and hang your joy on something that cannot be shaken. No matter what!
How important is the gospel to you? When everything is going ‘your way’, money is plentiful, free time is always available, your body doesn’t hurt, and your whole family loves you, your marriage is ‘perfect’, how important is the gospel? Is it what motivates you each day? To ensure that the gospel is a part of your life, and shared with those around you? Or because life is good, you put it to the wayside and have no reason to think about it since you have no cause for concern? What about when everything is NOT going your way, how important is the gospel to you? What about finding yourself in a hospital bed with mere days to live, or finding out one day that you’ve lost a child, or a spouse in an accident, when your entire income is now influenced because of a physical injury that has left you bed ridden for months, or an economy that isn’t doing well so there is now no money in the bank, maybe you are going through a divorce, friends have left you when you need them the most, and you have finally hit rock bottom. How important is the gospel to you?
If you remember, verses 1-2 were Paul’s greeting and then Paul moves into a prayer for them. Verses 3-8 were the first part of Paul’s prayer and we saw him giving thanks for them, we saw through Paul’s thanks to God. That Paul’s understanding of relationships in the church is that they are spiritual, they are hopeful, and they are missional.
Now, here in verse 9 Paul moves into the meat of His prayer. He has given thanks to God for them. Now He begins to ask of for them. And His prayer for them is for Gospel maturity. That they would grow and be mature spiritually. So let’s turn our attention to this prayer that Paul prays for the Church in Philippi and how He defines Gospel Maturity.
Following the introduction Paul opens his letter with a prayer for the church And this is such a precious portion of scripture. What a gift, to be able to peek into the prayer closet of Paul. To see the heart of the apostle, in intimate, passionate prayer and in this behind the scenes look into Paul’s heart there are actually two portions to this prayer.
The first part, verses 3-8, that we will look at today, is simply His prayer of thanksgiving to the Lord, for the Philippians. In that we see exactly what it is to have relationships with Gospel Focus. How the gospel informs and completely transforms relationships for Paul and what it ought to do for us.
The main thrust of this letter that runs from greeting to farewell is that a true Christian and a true church lives with a gospel focus. When you are asked, "What is important to you?" what guides your decisions, dictates how you use your time and your money? What occupies your thought life? And that is to ask “what defines who you are” . The answer ought to be, the gospel of Jesus Christ.
Following Jesus is not a hobby. It’s not a weekend event. It’s not even a once a day thing. It’s an all encompassing, life permeating focus on the gospel. And when it comes to church who we are and what we do as a church gathered, the gospel isn’t just the door we enter through. It isn’t just our message we have for those outside. It’s the air we breath and the food we eat. It’s our lifeblood. It is our strength and our song. It’s what unites us, defines us, mobilizes us and empowers us.
isn’t unity among the church of more value than a $1,500 car repair? Wouldn’t you rather be abundantly loving, than be right and cause division in the church? Would you willingly sacrifice your pride, and your ‘right’ to justice, and even your hard-earned money in order to have peace in the church? In order to not bring the church, and therefore Jesus, into disgrace in the eyes of the world?
Everybody want’s to save the world, but no one want’s to do the dishes. Everyone want’s church unity. Are we willing to actually tangibly sacrifice to get it? We ought to be eagerly seeking and going well above and beyond justice in order to keep the peace among the church.
Join Pastor Matthew as he goes through Ephesians 2:1-10. Who we were. What HE has done. Why He did it.
The reason murder is so serious, the reason it gets the death penalty, is rooted in the fact that God made mankind in his own image. Human value comes from the image of God in us. So to destroy a human life it has nothing to do with their place in society, their status in this world, their wealth or influence, free man, slave owner or slave... If you kill someone you have destroyed an image bearer of the Creator God. There is an equality here that is significant.
Right from the beginning, when the LORD sent Moses and Aaron in to speak with Pharaoh He said Exodus 7:16 “And you shall say to him, ‘The LORD, the God of the Hebrews, sent me to you, saying, “Let my people go, that they may serve me in the wilderness.” Literally that could be read “that they may be my slaves” They don’t go free… they get a new master.
They are not, now, their OWN people, they are the people of God and as such, He makes these demands of them.
We often get confused into thinking that because Salvation is by Grace alone, through faith alone that, therefore God makes no demands of His people. It IS gloriously true that God saved Israel, and God saves us, completely based on GRACE. It’s not because of anything in us, or anything we do but that doesn’t mean that God doesn’t make demands of us. God saved Israel, so that they might serve Him. That they might be His unique and holy people who live according to His law.
It’s all relative… It all depends on what the standard is! And you know, as we come to this second half of the Ten Commandments it strikes me that you might be able to look at these and say “hey, I’m not perfect, but I’m doing ok….” Do not murder, Check Do not commit adultery… check Honour your mother and father… yeah… sure… And though we don’t keep them perfectly, what do we do? We compare ourselves to the people around us, I’ve done better than this person or that person, and of course the nightly news is always helpful if you need a bit of a bailout.There is always someone to look down on. So we can feel pretty good about ourselves so long as we control the standard, but we can only really do that, because we have totally misunderstood the law of God, and like any tool what we don’t understand, we misuse.
What is the purpose of the law? Now, it’s really easy, as a good student of the Bible. To think of Romans 3:20 right? "For by works of the law no human being will be justified in his sight, since through the law comes knowledge of sin. " So the wrong use of the law is trying to use it to prove ourselves to God. To show how good we are BECAUSE the right use of the law is to show us our sin,
YES… But that’s not ALL
That’s a right IMPLICATION of the right understanding of the law but that’s not, in itself, the right use of the law. If it were how could David spend so much time saying “I LOVE the law of the LORD?” There must be something MORE to the law then condemnation. In fact, Paul himself gives it away, just three verses later, Romans 3:23 "for all have sinned and fall short of the… what? Law? Isn’t that what it should say? Through the law comes knowledge of sin all have sinned and fall short of the LAW! But what does he say? Fall short of what? --the glory of God---
You see, God’s law is not separate from who He is. He Himself IS the very definition of what is right and true. God as so as He reveals His law, He reveals Himself
There is far more to the 10 commandments than meets the eye! Listen here to learn more about the first 4 commandments!
This morning, by God’s Grace, we are going to witness and celebrate 5 baptisms. Baptisms ought to have a similar quality to them. As we listen to each of these individuals sharing their story of how God saved them we get to reflect on our own experience of God’s grace. And as we watch and listen to them declare through baptism what Christ has done in their lives we have an opportunity to participate in a sense... as we reflect on what Christ has done in our own lives and remember and reaffirm that statement what we made. Some of us recently, Some of us many years ago.
But we can only do that to the extent that we understand what baptism is all about. The richer our understanding of our salvation and the meaning behind baptism and the transformation that it symbolizes the richer our experience and our worship will be as we reflect and celebrate.
And let me just say, the reality that lies behind baptism is so so much richer, than it is often portrayed and understood to be in our day and age.
So there are some key principles of how the law works and how we rightly relate to the law of God, and now they(Israelites) find themselves at the foot of Mount Sinai and the LORD has one lesson left for them. In some ways this is the most practical lesson yet. The most nuts and bolts, rubber meets the road lesson. And it’s this: the LORD is the giver of Life, through relationships. That’s where these things work themselves out. In our various relationships. The law of God, works, for our good, for our thriving, in and through our relationships with other people. God is the giver of life through us, to the world. God is the giver of life to us, in the church. God is the giver of life to us, through godly leadership.
Now for those who may be joining us for the first time and jumping into Exodus with us, let me just give you a quick summary of the context leading up to this point. God has decisively redeemed his people out of Egypt. And is now progressively refining his people in the wilderness – transforming them into a covenant community of true worshippers. As part of this process, God has led them through a succession of trials. Severe crisis moments – purposed to reveal what is in the hearts of the people (unbelief and ungratefulness), while at the same time revealing what is in the heart of God for His people (covenant kindness and perfect provision). At Marah, the Israelites are disappointed by the empty promise of bitter waters, and they cry out and complaint – and God graciously draws near to them – and reveals himself as their healer - the one who transforms their suffering with His Torah – the bitter made sweet – as they diligently listen to His voice and keep his commands. Then, in the desert of sin, provoked by the intense pains of hunger, again the people again cry out and complain – and again God draws near - revealing himself as their faithful sustainer - the one who sends mana from heaven - the bread of life – to nourish and feed them – every day. At Rephidim, cursing the heat of the desert sun - the people quarrel – and God graciously reveals himself as the source of their salvation. Instead of giving them the wrath they deserved, God instructs Moses to strike the rock – and it opens streams of living water to abundantly quench their thirst. And now – in the heat of battle, God reveals himself as their banner of victory! The one who empowers them to FIGHT and to PREVAIL against their enemies – when He is lifted up and exalted on their midst!
Proverbs 17:15 "He who justifies the wick and he who condemn the righteous are both alike an abomination to the LORD." Can God just ignore our offense? No. Not without compromising his glory. The LORD gives leadership into suffering. The LORD gives life through sacrifice. The LORD gives us a lesson through the stories of the past. Rather than testing God... trust him!
With their hopes dashed they began to grumble against Moses saying, “what shall we drink?!” And on one hand we understand their fear, their disappointment, their desperation...And yet, how is it that they have so quickly forgotten all that the LORD had done for them? They don’t come to the LORD with a prayer of faith. They don’t even go to God at all! They cry out to Moses!
And again, they are not asking for help. They are just grumbling. They are miserable. Why? They didn’t turn to God because they never had their hope in Him to begin with. Yes, it was the LORD who had saved them but now they expected that it would be the wilderness that would sustain them. That they would find their provision, their sustenance, their life, in the wilderness and the LORD is testing them!
So we ought to sing. Our singing should be congregational and personal. It should be God-centered. It should be rooted in what He has done and expectant of what is to come. Then finally, this last great example of Miriam and all the women showing that our worship, should be a passionate celebration!
It’s hard to watch sin rule in this world. To see the power that it has to destroy lives. It’s hard, when we come to that place in our own lives to see the devastation that sin can cause in our own souls and we cry out, HOW LONG, oh LORD? Is evil going to win? Why do you let these things continue?
But trust Him: He is leading He does have a plan. A plan for our greatest good and His greatest glory trough it all.
Now, culturally, you have to understand something here. The firstborn is everything. The Israelite culture wasn’t about you as an individual, you didn’t set off on your own and make a name for yourself, it was all about the surviving and thriving of the family. And the first born in the family was the future of the family. As a father you were building your business, your farm, your life, to hand down to your firstborn and the Lord is saying “set aside” consecrate to me all the firstborn. They are mine. As A.W. Pink puts it, a redeemed people become the property of the redeemer. It’s pretty simple really, I have bought you, now you are mine.
Israel didn’t sneak out of Egypt. They didn’t slink out the back door. They walked proudly and victoriously out the front door with their heads held high and their arms filled with gold. That’s the kind of victory that God will have over His enemies. That’s the kind of victory that God gives to His people.
In the Passover God is teaching His people, He is teaching US not only the meaning of what happened on the cross of Jesus Christ as we talked about Friday. We see that relatively clearly in the death of the lamb, But how do we get to the Resurrection? Passover in itself does not speak of the resurrection of Jesus, spoiler alert, the lamb stays dead, but if we look closely, the Passover does tell us about new life. It points forward to a radically transformed life on the other side of our rescue. The fullness of life that Jesus offers us represented in the resurrection.
The 10th and final plague inflicted on the Egyptians. The death of the firstborn. What does it mean for the Israelites? God in his great mercy provided a way for them to be pardoned, a lamb who's blood was to be spilled. Bloodshed was required on this night, whether a lamb or man and beast.
Let’s just pause there for a minute... How many times has pharaoh done this? How many times have we done this? Times are hard and there is suffering in life, we need something from God. So we go to church. We pray. We make all kinds of promises to God, this time it will be different. And as soon as the trial is gone, as soon as the hardship passes, it’s back to life as normal. Back to looking out for number one. Back to indulging in sin and serving yourself. Why? Because the Lord never had your heart You never truly feared the Lord. You were never actually regretted your sin, just the cost of sin, the damage of sin. You never actually LOVED the Lord. Just what the Lord could do for you,
The Plagues are God saying I AM KING, and I will have complete dominion over all and I will destroy those who will not bend to my will. That’s offensive! And not just to one subcategory of society, not just to one minority group or another, there is equal opportunity for outrage here! As Pharaoh takes his stand against Yahweh, the God of Israel he declares by his actions “God, you will not rule me. I am the master of my ship, the captain of my own destiny”. And the LORD will have none of it.
The Israelites had been in Egypt now, for almost 430 years. That had been their home for generations and they still saw themselves as a unique people, different from the people of Egypt. But they couldn’t help but be influenced by the culture, the thinking, and the values of the Egyptians. As we look this morning at the first three plagues that God brought against Egypt we see God saying, "I am the creator God, leave Egypt behind, and follow me." The purpose of these plagues was not just to get the Israelites out of Egypt. It was also to get Egypt out of the Israelites.
Romans 9:22-24 [22] What if God, desiring to show his wrath and to make known his power, has endured with much patience vessels of wrath prepared for destruction, [23] in order to make known the riches of his glory for vessels of mercy, which he has prepared beforehand for glory—[24] even us whom he has called, not from the Jews only but also from the Gentiles? That’s what God is doing, That’s the wonder of Grace! And that is what God is promising here in Exodus 7. That He will win the victory over the sinful World. hat He will gloriously and decisively destroy those who oppose Him for the good of His chosen people. His children.
David's kindness towards Mephibosheth wasn't the cultural norm of his time. No one would have batted an eye if David chose to wipe out the line of Saul. But King David offering kindness towards the crippled grandson of the previous King Saul, would cause everyone to pause. Why? Why would King David offer kindness. Why would he invite Mephibosheth to dine at his table forever?
We all have places in our lives where following God’s Word would cost us. Would make us a target in our work place or with our family , or would just demand some sacrifice. And our temptation is often to justify our disobedience to God to appease the world or our own sin... There will be times that it requires an immense amount of faith to obey God and to trust that following Him is best in the face of an onslaught of trials.
We are constantly drawn to interpret God's Word according to our own experiences and we must fight, time and time again, to interpret our experiences according to God's Word.
Moses’ questions make a subtle shift moving into chapter 4. This is no longer humility or sincere questions. He is beginning to make excuses. And it ought to absolutely shock us, that the God of the universe, the creator of all, the Great I AM, does not just silence Moses and cut him off. The flames of the burning bush don’t just turn into a white hot blow torch and incinerate him. The Lord actually listens to Moses’ excuses and He answers them.
Overwhelmed by the greatness and the Glory of God! Thats where mission begins. That's where meaningful purpose in life begins. Do you feel like you're wandering in the wilderness? Like you are a bit lost and meandering? Like you're not quite sure why you're here or what you are to be doing? Those who stand in overwhelmed awe and wonder of who God is derive from that a purpose and meaning in life.
Moses “supposed that his brothers would understand that God was giving them salvation by his hand” so, he saw himself as God’s rescuer. And he was right, God was going to use him to rescue the Israelites, but he wasn’t patient with God’s plan. He was not doing this on the Lord’s direction he was doing this on his own timing. According to his own wisdom. And on his own strength, and immediately it began to backfire. Instead of trusting the Lord and doing it God’s way, he actually ended up disobeying God in his attempt to serve God. What things do you desire for your life that God has not done yet? Do you want it so badly, that you are willing to take a sinful path to get there?
We ought to find hope in the fact that both personally in our own lives and on a cosmic scale, God is not helplessly watching evil and trying to make the best of it. He is not just reacting to it wishing it could be different. He is not too weak to stop it or too wicked to stop it. He is sovereignly at work through it and that can be really hard to face. But trust me, you will find far more hope in that truth than lesser versions of God. We have hope because God is at work through weakness. We have hope because God is at work through wickedness and we have hope because God will save His people.
As the Israelites enter this season of darkness… they can trust God, because He has shown Himself faithful in the past. They can look at His track record and have confidence into the darkness What causes you to fear? To doubt God’s goodness? When do you feel like the darkness has set in and you just don’t know how to trust God?
Look back.
It might be fuzzy in the present. It might hard to see from your current perspective how this could possibly be part of God’s plan? How this could ever work out for good? Before you try to untangle the present, take a good look at the past. How has God been faithful in the past? What trials and times of doubt and fear has He already brought you through? Has He ever let you down? Has He ever abandoned you in the past? I’ll tell you, He has not!
We had the privilege of having Dr. Shannon Hurley come speak in Redemption Church Olds. These are the 4 reasons why the church is the greatest institutions the world.
Whatever it is, you’ve asked the Lord, pleaded with Him, time and time again...to no avail. No answer. Sometimes you wait in hope. Other times doubt and fear roll in like storm clouds so thick they block out the sun and you battle with that sense of discouragement of doubting the value, purpose and meaning of prayer. For all of us, from the seasoned prayer warrior to the faltering beginner Jesus has this great encouragement in Luke 18:1-8. This is a bit of an odd story, one that we could get wrong if we are not careful, It’s a parable, a story, made up by Jesus to teach a point. But unlike a lot of the parables we are most familiar with this is a parable of contrast. The parable doesn’t show us what God is like. It shows us what God is NOT!
Part 4, the final, to our Long Expected Jesus series. Highlighting Christmas Eve and why we celebrate. What Christmas means to us a believers.
In Simeon we see a great example of how anticipating the saviour ought to affect the way we live. What it means to wait well in this time. Three things I think we can pull from Simeon to wait well, Walk in righteousness Wait in Hope Worship the Saviour
The real world is hard, it’s full of pain and conflict. There is trouble and trials. There are sicknesses and struggles that we just would rather not have to deal with, certainly not at Christmas. And sinking into those carefully sanitized memories of Christmases gone by, we’re able to make believe that maybe life was perfect for a time, and it gives us hope, that maybe one day our hearts will be at peace like that again. That we will have joy like that again. Our hearts long for that, We were made for that kind of peace and rest. And if we are honest it simply can’t be found in this world. That’s why we create memories that try to fill that void. But I think, deep down we know, it’s a false hope. We’re lying to ourselves. But what if there was a way to fill that void?What if there was something solid that we could actually lay hold of that satisfied that longing for rest, for peace, for belonging and serenity and calm.
Genesis 3:15 "I will put enmity between you and the woman, and between your offspring and her offspring; he shall bruise your head, and you shall bruises his heel." This is the first promise the God utters to now sinful mankind. God, in His mercy,in the middle of uttering the curse of sin and rebellion, before he even tells Adam and Eve the details of how this will affect them...He is already weaving His promise right into the words of the curse. 42 generations awaiting their Great King(Matthew 1:17) and faithful Simeon waited to see the Lord's Christ. "And it had been revealed to him (Simeon) by the Holy Spirit that he would not see death before he had seen the Lord's Christ" Luke 2:26. This long awaited promise... was worth waiting for!
Are you burdened by your sins and the cost of forgiveness? How is it possible that your sin causes you to love Christ even more? Pastor Michael contrasts Jesus meeting with the Pharisee and the outcast woman who out of worship stemming from love, risks everything to worship the Christ who has the power to forgive her sins.
Are you walking in the fear of the Lord? Are you walking in the comfort of the Holy Spirit? Do you really trust Him to do what HE said He would? To give you the boldness and the words to speak to your co-worker about Jesus? To connect with your neigbours and hold out the hope of Jesus to them? Church planting is the mission of the church. Healthy churches plant churches, and church planting is the mission of Christ
How does your heart respond to being corrected? Now, we’re all nice Canadians, so I know the outward answer will be polite and positive, But what happens in your heart? Do you actually listen and learn Are you eager to follow?Do you receive correction? Or do you just politely nod and walk away thinking “mind your own business”. Be Subject to your leaders .Seek their advice and input. Be teachable, leadable and correctable. That’s how we are to respond to elders in the church.
As Elders of the church are you willing to give your life to serving the church? And not just the church, but the sheep, these sheep, these people, gathered around you today? Will you serve them? Be an example for them in holy living, and an example for them as you give your life to serving them seeing them grow and thrive in their faith? Lead the sheep Love the shepherding Live the example & lastly Look to Christ.
Jesus said to them again, "Peace be with you. As the Father has sent me, even so I am sending you." John 20:21 As believers we are on a mission. JESUS CHRIST sent us to a life of radical obedience. To a life of faithful evangelism. And to a life of resolute suffering. We can have peace (v.21) because Jesus is standing before them not as their murdered saviour, but as their resurrected Lord!
Discipleship doesn't just happen. It must be intentional, and it will be hard work. It will take sacrifice.
Do you ever find yourself talking away on your phone only to realize you've lost service and have been talking away to no one? Do you ever feel like that's the state of your prayer life? 2 Chronicles 7:14 holds both challenging instructions on how to pray in a way that God hears, as well as a beautiful promise that He will hear and He will answer. Check it out here:
We've all seen and been a little embarrassed by the angry guy ranting about hell on the street corner, but, on the other hand, we have all see, and even been guilty of good intentions of sharing the gospel that never come to fruition. God calls us to be His witnesses and yet, we often feel helpless to actually carry it out. Colossians 4 lays out for us a doable, sustainable picture of what it means to be an everyday evangelist.
"Go and make disciples". Those are our marching orders; our mission as the church. We have not be left here just to watch and wait for Jesus' return. We have been given a job to do, a mission to complete. The harvest is plentiful, but the workers are few! Let's get to work church!
There are many today who would claim Christ but either neglect or outright reject the gathering of the church. But by God's design the best way to grow in our faith is to grow in the church. Hebrews 10 challenges us to encourage the believers, engage the church and envision the future. Check it out here:
From Hollywood to Netflix, from diet plans to workout programs, we live in a fitness frenzied world. And, to be sure, there is some benefit to physical fitness. But there is infinitely more benefit to Spiritual fitness. And just like physical fitness, the pursuit of spiritual fitness depends on diet, discipline and desire. Check it out here:
What does it mean to "abide"? How do we actually DO it? Abiding in Christ is a supernatural, mystical reality. But it's not only supernatural. There are some very natural things that we can do in our pursuit of abiding in Christ. According to Jesus abiding in Him is rooted in the word and prayer, realized in obedience and running after joy.
We want to be a church filled with fruitful believers for the glory of God. And there is only one way to produce the kind of fruit that God desires; Abiding in Christ. And all those that abide in Christ will bear fruit!
We're often tempted at Christmas time to just pretend like the world is perfect and everything is happy; like we live in our favourite happy ending Christmas movie. But it's just not true. And there is no value in pretending. Isaiah 9 calls us to stare the darkness of life square in the face and to dare to rejoice in spite of it.
Have you ever started something and not finished it? How can you be sure that God doesn't do the same? The resurrection of Christ confirms our justification, completes our reconciliation and calls for our ultimate and eternal JOY! He is RISEN!
Contrary to what is often said, the cross of Christ is not a display of the value of humanity, but of the vast love of God, and that is a truth we ought to cherish. --Good Friday
We so often read the last verses of an epistle as ‘throw away verses’. But in these last four verses, Paul summarizes the entire book of Ephesians and makes a passionate plea for the Ephesians (and us) to press on faithful to the end!
Even the Armour of God is not sufficient on its own to engage in spiritual warfare. There is one more thing necessary… prayer. And not just any prayer, warfare prayer! Check it out here: