Redlands Christian Reformed Church: Recent Episodes
Redlands Christian Reformed Church
Redlands Christian Reformed Church are a community of people, of all ages and cultural backgrounds, that come together in the Redlands. Our common link is Jesus Christ and our desire is to worship God and help others in their relationship with God.
It is possible to misunderstand following Jesus as merely following a set of rules. That is especially a danger as we come to the end of a set of instructions and hear Jesus urging us to put His teaching into practice. But that is not a good summary of the life of discipleship. A far better picture is the one Jesus uses here, of fruit trees producing their fruit and of hearts that produce good works. To understand that picture and to understand what it has to do with coming to Jesus, listening to Him and doing what He says, we will need to delve into what the Bible means when it speaks of our 'hearts'. Then the question will be, how do we get a heart that produces good fruit, rather than bad?
Bible Text: Luke 6:43-49
'Do not judge, and you will not be judged.' So begins our passage from Luke for today. These are well known words but not always well understood words. They sound good to our cultural ears, we like the idea of not judging others. Although as we look around we see a world that is becoming increasingly censorious and quick to write people off. We also know that Jesus in saying this is making a moral command, a judgement if you like. Something He does quite often. So how does this work? What place is there in the Christian community for correction and for calling something right and others wrong? How can we do that in a way that builds community rather than fractures it? In a way that brings peace rather than division and turmoil? Jesus teaches us about that in this wonderful section of His sermon to His disciples.
Bible Text: Luke 6:37-42
Life as disciples of Jesus would not be easy. To be a Christian will be different; it will be radical; it will be hard. At the beginning of the Sermon on the Plain, Jesus presents a picture of what life would be like as a disciple. They would be rejected and despised. Now, Jesus’ attention turns to love, not an ordinary love but a difficult and superior form of love. He says we are to love our enemies. A seemingly crazy response to hurt, but a love that is an appropriate response for a disciple who has experienced God’s mercy and forgiveness. A response that was to be different than society’s norm. At the time retribution was the common response when someone hurt you, abused you, or did anything to you that was unjust. Jesus presented a new standard, a non-violent, positive approach to any form of hostility. Jesus says we are to love our enemies. So, how are we understand these verse and, more importantly, how are we live this out?
Bible Text: Luke 6:27-36
As we continue through Luke, we read about Jesus picks his 12 disciples and then he goes into a sermon message. This is similar to the Sermon on the Mount that we find in Matthew, but Luke’s version is a lot shorter. Jesus begins his sermon with four blessings, defining to his disciples the effect that following him will have on their life. Jesus then adds four woes or warnings to guard against. What we read is a little disconcerting. What is Jesus’ point in defining discipleship this way? The question is, will you treasure Jesus more than anything else? What looks like the good life isn’t that good after all, because it brings only temporary pleasures. The call to follow Jesus is one of total commitment, with it comes the kingdom of God and in it you will be satisfied.
Bible Text: Luke 6:12-26
Genesis 23 marks, in many ways, the end of the account of Abraham in Genesis. There is a little more on him, but the focus in chapter 24 shifts to Isaac's life. This is an odd section. We have the death of Sarah and then a great deal of information on buying a field. Why? Why is this even significant enough to include in the Bible, when so much else is left out? The answer lies in seeing how Abraham's actions here relate to God's promises to him. Though where a person is buried may not seem very significant to us, for Abraham this demonstrates his belief that God will do what He says. That one day the curse that was introduced back in chapter 3 will be undone by God. Abraham does not know how, or when, but he does know that God will do it. And so this passage helps us, who know far more than Abraham, to live by faith especially as we see the curse play out in our lives and especially as we experience death.
Bible Text: Genesis 23
Genesis 22 is one of the most famous stories in the Bible, the story of Abraham offering up Isaac. I think anyone can see, in this account of Abraham offering his son Isaac a remarkable foreshadowing in the Old Testament of the work of Christ in the New. As you read the story you can’t miss the parallel with God sending his own Son to Calvary’s mountain centuries later. While that is true, it is still a disturbing story. What God asks Abraham to do is grotesque and raises a number of troubling questions. The biggest struggle is not what was God doing, but why. Why is God testing Abraham this way? Doesn’t it all go against everything we know about God? These are some of the aspects of the story we need to grapple with on Sunday.
Bible Text: Genesis 22: 1 - 24
After many years of waiting today we read of God fulfilling one of His promises to Abraham. This is a vitally important promise, perhaps the most important, the birth of a son. For we know that through Abraham's offspring all nations on earth will be blessed, the curse brought into the world through sin will be undone. And so there is great rejoicing, but not by all. For this is also the sad account of Ishmael's rejection of God's promises. Even though he had all the evidence he needed that Abraham's God was the true God, he did not want to live for that God. However we also know that the birth of Isaac is not the end of the story. Isaac himself was not the promised seed of Abraham who would reconcile people with God. That would require another son. Another son who would take far longer to come than 25 years. Another son who would cause far greater joy in this world and the world to come.
Bible Text: Genesis 21
In this chapter we see Abraham faltering in his faith in the same way he had done earlier in his life. The scenario was very similar to that related in Genesis 12, and Abraham falls into the same trap. We last saw Abraham overlooking the valley of the Dead Sea, interceding with God on behalf of the wicked cities of the plain. This is a place of high favour in Abraham’s life, when he seems to have grown to a position of wonderful friendship with God. Now, his faith falters and he sins.
It is interesting how the Bible is utterly realistic even about the heroes of the faith. There is no covering over Abraham's sin, but a realistic presentation of him in both his strength and his weakness, in both his faith and his fear, in his righteousness and in his sin. This is true for all our lives too.
While Abraham’s faltering faith comes as no surprise, the faithfulness of God to Abraham in his time of failure is amazing. In this passage especially, we see that it is God Himself who will bring about the fulfillment of the promises of the covenant, not really with Abraham's help, but despite it. And we see that the Lord is good to Abraham even when he deserves punishment.
There are things we can learn from these verses about our failure and God’s faithfulness. He gives us the opportunity to turn our lives back to him. He wants us to see his grace and faithfulness.
Bible Text: Genesis 20:1-18
This week we encounter the very difficult account of the destruction of Sodom and Gomorrah. It raises all sort of questions for us, 'why did God do this?' 'Is it just?' 'Does God still act like this?' 'Why was Lot considered righteous?' and probably others as well. It is a sombre account, but it is one we must wrestle with because it address the core need of humanity, rescue from our deserved punishment. For this is a story of rescue as well as judgement. And it's a hopeful rescue for we see here a flawed human being, rescued entirely by God. In that way, this sombre account is also one that can give us hope and encouragement in times of trouble and when we see wickedness flourish around us.
Bible Text: Genesis 19:1-29
Today as we celebrate Mother's Day we look at a passage that could be viewed as only heaping pressure onto mothers. After all the standards here seem impossibly high. Given the impossible standards that our culture places on mothers (and others of us as well), surely this is the last think we need on Mother's Day. However, as we examine Proverbs 31 we will see that there is actually freedom here. Freedom to pursue what God wants and freedom to pursue it from the security of knowing we are loved and cared for by God.
Bible Text: Proverbs 31:10-31
Last week Pastor Jono introduced us to the call of God to Abraham to walk before him blamelessly. At that time it required humility and obedience. Now in chapter 18, as Abraham continues his humble, obedient walk before the Lord we get three examples of what that looks like. Abraham, in his humble walk extends hospitality, receives assurances from the Lord and prays to God for the city of Sodom. As those who, through Jesus Christ, are in a relationship with God we too can express our humble walk with God in similar ways.
Bible Text: Genesis 18
As we continue in our journey with Abram in the book of Genesis, this week we once again have God speaking to him and making profound promises to Abram. However, unlike back in Genesis 15 now God asks Abram to do something, circumcise himself and every male in his household. This must have been a strange and, to some degree, difficult request. And what does it have to do with Abram following God in faith? As we examine this passage we will explore one of the most important facets of following God, humility. For here we see God continuing his work not only to bring salvation to all of His people through the ages, but His careful work to draw the man Abram into closer relationship with Himself.
Bible Text: Genesis 17
Genesis 16 shows the consequences of not waiting for God. God had laid out a clear plan to Abram, but it seems the plan is in jeopardy because of the advancing ages of Abram and Sarai. Anxious to see the fulfilment of God’s promise of a son, they decide to take things into their own hands. It seemed like a good idea, but the consequences were devastating for the family and, later, for the nation of Israel. It is foolish and dangerous to rush ahead of God; wisdom calls for waiting on Him in faith. This is a lesson which is important for us today too. God has made promises to us through the Lord Jesus Christ, our Saviour. Yet as we live in the time between promise and fulfilment we too can become impatient and do things our own way. We sit thousands of years after the fact that all our needs and wants have already been fulfilled in Christ, if only we take hold of the promises.
Bible Text: Genesis 16:1-16
Christianity rises or falls on the truth of the resurrection. That is, if Jesus did not rise from the dead, everything we hold to falls away. So on Sunday morning we will examine Luke 24 to see how Luke is demonstrating that we can be sure Jesus rose from the dead. Having seen that, we will also remember what Jesus' resurrection means for us in a world that is often full of trouble, hardship and death, and so celebrate that He will come again and make all things new.
Bible Reading: Luke 24:1-12, 36-53
Against the backdrop of everything going on in our world, Christians dare to say that something pivotal happened over the course of three days early in the first century. In a far-off, forgotten province in a dusty corner of the Roman Empire, a man was unjustly condemned, executed, and buried, and everything changed. The cross and resurrection of Jesus is like the hinge of history, the turning point, that changed everything. It is here at the cross that we find our hope. It is here at the cross the heart and love of God is demonstrated for all to see. This is the heart of the gospel that we will look at on this Good Friday, so we can draw receive inspiration and courage to go forward.
Bible Reading: Like 23:26-49
Last week we saw Abram win a great victory and rescue Lot. It was a victory God had given him and yet it was a victory that could lead to much trouble in the future. So in Genesis 15 God comes to reassure Abram. The problem for Abram is that he is still waiting for God to fulfil other promises, so how can he be confident God will take care of him? The answer God gives is both astounding and encouraging. It is also an answer that can greatly encourage us as people who wait for God to fulfil His promises to us. For here we see God irrevocably commit Himself to His word and in Christ we see that confirmed.
This week we return to Genesis 14 and the life of Abram. On the surface this is, at best, an interesting story of heroic battle and rescue. But even so, we are left wondering what are we to make of such an account. Even in good times it doesn't seem that helpful and in times like these it seems even less relevant. Yet, as we have seen, Abram's story is one of walking by faith in the face of trial and uncertainty. This week we will see Abram acting courageously to do what is right and then resisting the temptation to take the glory for himself. There are great lessons for us as we engage with a world in crisis and uncertainty.
The Church Council thought it would be wise to take a one-week break from our study of Abraham in Genesis to talk about the Coronavirus. You can’t escape hearing about it. The Coronavirus is spreading quickly, and things are changing daily. Because of news saturation, evolving cases and the many unknowns, there are lots of different responses.
Some of you might be completely at peace, because you think it’s nothing, and will all go away soon. You are in the age demographic that will have minor symptoms and wonder what the fuss is about. I hope you are right. That’s what we should be praying for. But the challenge is that even if you are right, that’s not the basis for your peace, nor for being too casual about it all.
But others of you are feeling some level of concern, and some of you are feeling great fear. You might be fearful for your own health, or the health of your children, or loved ones both here and in other countries. Others are worried about travelling, job security, and the world economy.
So what we will do today is ask the question- how should Christians respond to problems like the coronavirus? We will look at some answers from God’s Word, that should bring us comfort, hope and peace.
Today we return to the book of Genesis. Last year we begun right back in Gen 1 where we see God creating a beautiful world, with humans made in His image. A world full of goodness and blessing. However, humanity chose autonomy and what followed was numerous accounts of what happens when humanity rejects God and tries to go it's own way. Yet God has not abandoned his world. He promised to deal with evil through a descendant of Eve. He reiterates that promise to Abram, through one of his descendants God will bless the whole world. In chapter 13, that descendant has not yet arrived, nevertheless God is still teaching Abram about what it means to be blessed and on which path true blessing is found.
We are told that God has a purpose in creating and redeeming us. So, why do we, as a church, exist? We can probably list some of them: to bring the Gospel to the lost; to bring hope to the hurting; to prepare children for life; to solve our pain and problems; to have a comfortable life. These are some of the benefits of life, the side dishes, but not its purpose. They are good, but not the very purpose of our life. If everything in creation exists for the glory of God, including ourselves, then how do we do it? How can someone glorify God? God is glorified when we acknowledge our dependence on Him for all good things. God is glorified when we express it in every area of our lives: workplace, church, home, and businesses. (1Cor. 10:31) Today we will consider how the glory of God impacts the whole range of Gs we have been looking at over the past weeks.
One of the last things Jesus did in His earthly ministry was to give his disciples and, after them, the church a mission. The great mission to tell people of His glorious saving work, so that He would be honoured and many would be saved. We know this. Many, if not all, of us feel convicted to do this, but we don't always do it. Why not? What stops us from pursuing this mission the way we should, and want to? This morning we will take some time to look at Paul, the great evangelist, and try to discover what drove Him. So that we, even if we are not evangelists, can take on this great mission with greater enthusiasm and consistency.
This Sunday we are looking at our fourth G…Giving. The main idea is that God has graciously given so much to us that our response is to give ourselves by loving and serving God and others as we gather and grow. ON the surface, we are going to talk about money and what the Bible says about giving, but the issue actually goes a whole lot deeper. When Paul wrote his letter, he was concerned that, not only would they give, he wanted to see their hearts changed as they gave; to see them grow. The motivation for this willingness to give is the infinite generosity of God, who: did not spare His own Son, but delivered Him over for us all, [so] how will He not also with Him freely give us all things? Romans 8:32 Our radical generosity springs from the source of God’s radical generosity. It’s not a work we do to earn God’s favour. It’s not a penance we pay to atone for our sins. Generosity is our joyful response to the one who was rich, yet for our sake became poor, so that by his poverty, we might become rich.
Over the last few weeks we have begun to examine our values here at RCRC. We began with looking at the way the Gospel shapes and transforms everything and then we looked at the fact that God gathers us together for our good and His glory. This week we consider what it means to grow as followers of Christ. Why would we want to grow in godliness of Christlikeness? How can we do that as broken sinful people? Often it seems so hard to change. In 2 Peter 1 we will find great encouragement to grow as we look forward to our glorious future with Christ.
Last week we began exploring our values as a Church. We started with the Gospel and Pastor Jim showed us that the truth of the gospel transforms every area of our life. One of those areas, is our life together as a church. The gospel shapes how we see ourselves as we gather and how we should treat one another and care for one another. It's not that we are trying to make ourselves something as a church but live up to what God has made us. And in the process we have the opportunity to display the manifold wisdom of God.
Over the next few weeks we will be thinking over the core values of our church, reminding ourselves of who we are and what we do as followers of Jesus Christ. Our first value is, GOSPEL: The Gospel is at the heart of all we say and do’. What do we mean by this? We tend to think ‘the gospel’ is a message we share with others; something we believe in order to be saved. But the gospel is more than that. It wasn’t meant to just change your eternity, but your everyday life. It’s not just about getting into heaven, but about growing more and more into the likeness of Jesus Christ. In other words, it shapes your everyday life. But, how does it impact your daily life? How does the gospel help you deal with everyday life?
Psalm 134 is the last of the psalms of ascent, the songs the Israelites sang as they went up to the various festivals in Jerusalem. As the final psalm in the collection, it seems to play the part of a farewell from the people to the priests who presided over the festivals and then a blessing from those priests. That all seems a long way removed from our experience, but if we think about it there are some great lessons on how to support our church and ministry leaders. We will also see why that is so important for the health of Jesus Church and His mission in this world.
Psalm 130 starts with a cry to God. The psalmist is deep distressed, in particular because he sees the terrible separation from God that his sin brings. He does not stay in distress however. God's word reminds him that God is a God who forgives, who does not keep a record of sins. And so the psalm ends with the psalmist longing for God and extolling God's goodness to others. This psalm is a spiritual journey that helps us understand how we too can long for God and delight to tell other how great He is.
The psalm begins with a question and concludes with God’s promise. He asks the question, ‘Who can be in the presence of God?’ Then he lays out the standard: perfectionism, blameless, holy 100% of the time. Why is the bar so high? Why can’t God make allowances for our imperfection? Because we’re talking about His holy hill. Because the worship in His tent is to be holy. Because He is a holy God. So, who can enter? Who is the one who qualifies? Jesus Christ. He lived the perfect life and God promises that a perfect life cannot be shaken. Jesus was perfect and that is our assurance. That is our security. That is our hope. We who are joined to him by faith will not be shaken, either. We hope in Christ. Nothing in this life, no powers or persecutions or storms or swords, can ever shake us. They can’t shake us, because they can’t shake Him. We can’t enter in our own strength, but that’s also the very reason why we’re safe, because we trust in the one who cannot be shaken. What wonderful salvation.
Bible Reading: Psalm 15
Psalm 129 is one of the psalms of ascents, the psalms that were particularly sung by pilgrims on the way to Jerusalem for religious festivals. This psalm however is a bit morbid. It deals with persecution and deliverance but also a prayer that God will deal with the persecutors. What are we to do with such a psalm? What good can come of remembering past persecution? Should we pray in the same way as the psalmist does? This psalm reminds us that taking on the name of Jesus can bring trouble and helps us to know how to find hope in Him in the midst of that.
Bible Reading: Psalm 129
When his life was in danger, David found refuge in the rocky wilderness of Judea. As he reflected on that he was able to say he has taken refuge in the Lord, his rock and fortress. With God as his rock, David found grace to say, 'I trust in you; my times are in your hands'. This is perhaps the greatest challenge to us as we face life because we don't like waiting. As we enter 2020 may we learn to trust God with our lives, commit ourselves to him, and in doing so, find rest.
Bible Reading: Psalm 31
Christmas is about the unexpected. Christmas is about a God born in a stable so that he could identify with those who are broken, those who are needy, those who don’t have life all together. It’s about a God who came not for those who are independent and self-sufficient, but for those who know that they’re sick with sin and need help.
And it’s about a God laying in a manger, waiting for that day when he would die on a cross for sinners like you and me, so that we could taste the glory of his grace and praise him forever.
Luke 2:1-21
First a leper, then a paralytic, and now a tax collector! Jesus calls Levi to be a disciple and Levi responds by throwing a party. For him everything has changed, and he wants everyone to know; he wants everyone to meet Jesus. But the Pharisees get a little upset with Jesus for spending time with tax collectors and sinners. He was going to parties and taking his disciples with him. Worst of all he was calling it ministry and the Pharisees didn’t like it. This was not the way a godly man should act. Jesus responds with a couple of parables to explain to them that with Jesus around everything has and will change. The same truth of change is ours today too.
Last week we saw that after 400 years of silence God spoke again to announce the birth of John. But he was only coming to prepare for one who was greater, Jesus. Today we see the announcement of his birth. For Mary this must have been a moment of great joy, she was to give birth to the long awaited Messiah. However this was not without cost for Mary. Nevertheless Mary accepts her role as she declares, "I am the Lord's servant. May it be to me as you have said." As she does she sets us a great example of being willing to pay the cost that often accompanies serving Jesus.
Bible Text: Luke 1: 26-38
Jesus changes lives, and we see two examples in this passage. Here, Jesus heals a man full of leprosy; not only that, but he reaches out and touches him, like he touches all who are unclean. Jesus also heals a paralytic and forgives him of his sin. The religious people question Jesus and accuse him of blasphemy. They just don’t get it: Jesus is claiming and proving himself to be the forgiver of sins. Jesus is the one who cleanses us from our filth; Jesus is the one who forgives our sin, and Jesus is the one who saves us from our religion. The whole account is a beautiful illustration of God’s grace in, not only healing, but dealing with our greatest need, the forgiveness of our sins found in Jesus, our Lord and Saviour.
Bible Passage: Luke 5:12-26 Pastor: Jim De Witte
This week we begin our series leading up to Christmas. Luke write to help us be certain of the events of Jesus life. He begins by telling us about the events that led to John the Baptist's birth. This marks the beginning of God acting decisively in history after 400 years of silence. The last time He spoke was through the prophet Malachi. Now God raises up a new prophet to prepare the way for God's Son. But this is not just a story of God's momentous actions in history. We also see Him caring for two very specific people, Zechariah and Elizabeth. As we do we see what it meant to live by faith, trusting that God will fulfil His promises.
Luke 1:5-25
Luke 5: 1-11 Jono Deenick Tonight as Jesus continues his ministry drawing large crowds to hear the word of God He begins a new stage. For the first time we see Him calling particular followers. Men who will be trained by Jesus to walk in His footsteps - disciples. He calls them to 'fishing for people', but as He does that, He reveals what it will look like to carry out that fishing work, a work we continue to this day.
2 Peter 3:1-13; 1 Thessalonians 4:13-18 Bill Berends What is our hope for the future? What can we expect at our Lord's return?
In the verses of today’s passage, Luke gives us a picture of a typical day in the life of Jesus. As Jesus again teaches in a synagogue, this time in Capernaum, we get an enthusiastic and amazed response from the people which stands in stark contrast to his being kicked out of Nazareth. In this typical day we see a balance of three parts that reveals Jesus’ authority with the word, authority over demons and authority over disease. This range of power and authority embodies all that he read to the people from the scroll of Isaiah. What we need to see is that while Jesus demonstrates his authority in different ways, what takes precedence for him is the proclamation of the good news. News that is still good for us.
The message seeks to show the importance of maintaining, teaching and defending sound doctrine for the health of the church.
Bible Passage: 2 Timothy 1:13-14
As Jesus begins his ministry people are astounded by the message he brings. He declares that all the promises of God, spoken by the prophets, are being fulfilled in his ministry. This is great news, and yet it is not accepted by all. Some who knew Jesus growing up find it hard to hear his message. Why is that? And how can it help us as we live as his disciples in this world?
Luke 4: 14-30 Pastor: Jono Deenick
The message will look at why our churches were named "Reformed" at the time of the Reformation, and encourage us to worship God as he desires.
Bible Passage: Exodus 32:1-8; John 4:19-24
We continue our journey through Luke this week and look at the last piece of preparation before Jesus begins his major ministry starting in the Galilee. Jesus, filled with the Holy Spirit after his baptism, is lead into the desert for forty days fasting, and then temptation by Satan. There are several themes to this passage. Jesus is the absolutely obedient Son of God. He succeeds in completely deflecting Satan’s temptations where others like Adam and the nation of Israel have failed. He rebuts three devious but severe attacks from Satan by staying faithful and using scriptures from Deuteronomy. Jesus gives us an example to live by today. He shows that by having an insightful knowledge of scripture, obeying God, in submission to the Holy Spirit, Satan can be resisted.
Last week we saw God making promises to Abram. Promises that will shape the rest of the Bible all the way to Jesus, the one through whom God would bless the whole world. They must have seemed distant promises, for Abram and his wife Sarai had no children and they were asked to leave their homes and travel to a land that they didn't know. Abram has believed God so far, but how will he go when famine hits the land? This week we see faith tested, God's gracious restoration of His chosen servant and look at the glorious reality of God that we can cling to when our own faith is tested.
Bible Passage: Genesis 12:10-20
As we continue our journey through Luke this week we come to the somewhat odd occurrence of Jesus' baptism. Why, after all, would Jesus need to undergo a 'baptism of repentance?' Luke follows Jesus' baptism with a genealogy that traces his lineage all the way back to Adam, and God. We are also told that this was the beginning of Jesus' ministry. As Luke puts all of these details together, he is preparing us for his description of that ministry. A ministry that is not that of a mere human, but mysteriously nor is it God walking the earth. This God and humanity in one. A difficult concept, but one that is essential to understanding the gospel and the glory of our saviour.
The focus of Genesis now shifts from the whole human race to a single man, Abram. The rest of the OT is about Abram and his descendants. Rather than wiping out the world again, as he did in the days of Noah, God makes a promise in the face of the world’s sinfulness to bless it. God makes a promise that he will act for the world’s sake through this man named Abram, giving seven great promises of the things he would do. Though God picks a childless couple, a hopeless family, to further his wonderful plans, they must believe that he will do as he said. Abram’s God is our God too, and God also makes promises to us too; promises fulfilled in Jesus Christ, our Lord and Saviour.
In these verses from Luke we meet John the Baptist as he comes out of the desert and begins preaching his message of repentance for the forgiveness of sins. John was not a smooth, smiling preacher who gave a soft message. He was a blunt and confrontational preacher who pulled no punches as he brought a message of coming wrath. Today, that kind of preaching about sin and wrath would anger many today. John warned people not to rely on their spiritual descent as the chosen people. John attacks this idea and demands repentance matched by moral reform. It was an uncomfortable message demanding that people face their guilt, but people flocked to hear this message. Yet this condemning message was really one of hope. It is when we face our guilt that we can seek forgiveness and find new life in the Jesus that John preached.
In our journey through Genesis, we come this week to the account of Babel. It is an event that helps us undertand our world with its myriad languages and cultures, but it does far more than that. It gives us insight into our human tendency to ‘make a name for ourselves’ often by rejecting what God has told us to do. The events at Babel highlight the futility of living life that way, but that is not the end of the story. As we look forward in the Bible to the day when God begins to undo what happened at Babel, we see how we can avoid the mistakes the people there made.
Bible Passage: Genesis 11:1-9 Pastor: Jono Deenick
In Luke 2:41-52 we have a segment of Jesus life that we don't see anywhere else. Matthew and Luke both report on what happened around Jesus' birth and, of course, all of the gospels tell us about Jesus ministry but this is the only place we read about Jesus as a boy. Here we get an insight into what it meant for Jesus to grow up. It's a somewhat odd thing to think about because He is also God and yet, it is helpful for us as we think about what it means to grow up in the faith as people who are also sons and daughters of God.
Bible Passage: Luke 2:41-52 Pastor: Jono Deenick
Coming out of the Ark, Noah worships God for his saving work. God then blesses this ‘new’ humanity, paralleling the original commissioning of Adam and Eve. The Lord then establishes a covenant with Noah and all living creatures for all times. This recreation is looking good...but...sin is still a reality. In spite of Noah being described as a righteous man in his generation we sense from Noah’s failure that sin is still very much alive. If God has promised to never again send a cleansing flood, what is the ultimate solution?
Bible Passage: Genesis 8:20-9:29 Pastor: Jim de Witte
The action in our text takes place at the Temple in Jerusalem. At the centre of the action is a child, the long-awaited Saviour of the world. Here we meet Simeon and Anna whose lives are marked by that of expectation, anticipation, and waiting. We all know what it’s like to wait – waiting for life to change, for the grief to go away, for a prayer to be answered, for forgiveness and reconciliation, for clarity about a decision, for meaning and purpose, for healing and new life. We wait and hope for all sorts of things. There is much we can learn from Simeon and Anna as they wait, and as they see the promises of God begin to unfold before them. Promises, hopes dreams and expectations found only in this child they meet in the temple, the saviour Jesus. He is the answer to all our hopes and dreams too. He is worth waiting for.
Bible Passage: Luke 2:22-40 Pastor: Jim de Witte
Last week we began looking at the account of Noah and asked, 'how such terrible destruction was justified?' We also learnt from Noah's example of faith. This week we will try to answer some of the difficult questions that the flood raises but, more importantly, we will also look at God renewing His creation. The flood was a bit like a 'reset' button. However, it doesn't resolve the problem of sin. It dealt with it, but only in a temporary way. This helps us to think about how we deal with sin, and encourages us with the better solution that God has now provided in Jesus.
Bible Passage: Genesis 7:6-8:19 Pastor: Jono Deenick
Many Christians struggle with assurance of salvation, usually because they are looking too much at themselves and their failures and not enough at what Christ has done on their behalf. God wants us to be sure of being saved, so that we can live our lives in joy and peace, eagerly looking forward to our glorification. If God is the one who saves us, what or who could possibly undo God’s work?
Bible Passage: Romans 8:33-39 Pastor: Ryan Hemelaar
Today we start our travels with Luke as he meets people who actually knew Jesus. He met and interviewed people like Mary, Elizabeth, Zechariah and many others over the years. Luke himself said he ‘carefully investigated everything from the beginning’ indicating he searched out many sources and compared their accounts before writing. He wasn’t interested in passing on rumours or second-hand stories. He offered a factual, carefully researched study of the life of Jesus. Why? So we may know the certainty of the things we have been taught. Jesus did live; Jesus did teach and perform miracles; Jesus did die and rise again. What we learn is that our faith in Jesus is grounded in reality, not myths and legends.
Bible Passage: Luke 1:1-4 Pastor: Jim de Witte
In Exodus 23 God finished giving commands to His people and then made promises regarding the Land He would give them and told them how He would do it. Here in Exodus 24 the people promise to do 'everything the Lord has said.' Moses and some others even enjoy a meal with God to celebrate the covenant God has made with Israel. This is the closest His people have come to living with Him. However, it is clear that there is still a barrier. Even after their pledge to live God's way only some can approach God, and only Moses can come close. Worse, it will only take 40 days for the people to fail the first and second commandment. They are enthusiastic in their desire to obey God, but they cannot. This is a familiar story. We long to live for Jesus and yet we easily forget, wander off and do our own thing. Exodus 24 points us forward to God solution to this problem and shows us how we can live with God.
Bible Passage: Exodus 24 Pastor: Jono Deenick
God has rescued a people out of slavery to be in relationship with him, to be his very own. He has led them, fed them and rescued them from danger. He has put up with their grumbling and complaining. He has revealed himself to them, communicating to them his character and nature. He has given them clear instructions for life within the community of God’s people. Now he is making them promises. He is going to lead them through the wilderness and bring them into a land he has promised to give them. He is promising victory to them. He is promising to fight their battles. He promises to care for their needs. He promises to bless them abundantly. As we reflect on the promises, we find three principles that apply to us in our journey through life to the Promised Land. Principles that remind us that, while the victory is in Christ, there is a sanctifying work we need to be involved in because the victory comes little by little.
Bible Passage: Exodus 23:20-33 Pastor: Jim de Witte
We all love justice. We love it when we experience it and we love to see it done in cases around us. But do we always act justly? Sometimes being just, or making sure justice is done can be costly. It means making sure we speak the truth about others. It means not siding with the crowd, or being driven by pity rather than truth. And, at the deepest level, it means doing good to those who dislike you or whom you dislike. These are the sorts of things God reveals to us in Ex 23. Join us as we think about the goodness, but also cost of justice.
Bible Passage: Exodus 23:1-9 Pastor: Jono Deenick
Once again we are looking at a passage of scripture that is “jarring” or very much in your face”. In the eyes of many non-believers in modern society these verses are out of touch with modern justice, and show that God is “spiteful”. These verses need to be studied in their historical and cultural context. Only then can we understand the purpose of a loving God to give a set of practical laws that can be applied to his newly chosen people now taken to the Sinai. All of his people were governed by these laws, and some of the concepts are very different to what they had previously experienced in Egypt. When properly interpreted the verses give principles that for the first time put in place a just but most of all loving society, reflecting God’s holding of human life to be sacred.
Bible Passage: Exodus 21:12-36 Pastor: Stephen Cheshire
Last week, with Pastor Jono, we looked at the general principle of being living sacrifices; to be transformed in thinking and behaviour so we no longer conform to wrong cultural norms. Now Paul, in Romans, follows that up with specific applications. He is giving some specific ideas and concrete ways in which we can carry out the principle. In the verses today, Paul focuses on the right way to think about ourselves. With that foundation laid, he moves on to right thinking about others, especially in relation to the church. Together we will explore these two life-transforming, counter-cultural ways of thinking.
This Sunday evening we are hosting young people from other Reformed Churches in our state and so we return to the 'Beatitudes'. 'Blessed are those who hunger and thirst for righteousness, for they will be filled.' It is an awesome promise. Jesus offers to fill us with righteousness, but what is that? And do we really hunger for it? My guess is, many of us have hungered and thirsted for all sorts of things this week, but for righteousness? How could we develop this hunger, a hunger that Jesus promises to fill, in our lives?
Today we reach a transition in the book of Romans. Up unto this point Paul has been laying out what God has done and is doing to rescue sinful people and reconcile them to Himself. It has been an incredible picture. But how do we respond? Given God's great mercy to us in sending Jesus to die in our place, though we were His enemies, what should our life look like now. This is the subject of the next 4 chapters or so. Today we begin with Paul's summary statement of what that life looks like. In short, we are to give ourselves completely to living for God. So much so, that Paul calls us 'living sacrifices'. This is can be scary but, as we shall see, wonderful.
What is the Bible about? The redemptive story of God, from creation to glorification. It is about Jesus, the central character in the redemptive story. It is the overwhelming revelation of God’s provision. It is, certainly in the Old Testament, the recurring doubt and disbelief of a people and the unrelenting, miraculous provision for God’s people. In Exodus 17 there is grumbling and testing again, raising the question: who is leading Israel? Moses or God? We learn again, in these two events of Exodus 17, that God is in charge and he is responsible to meet the needs of his people. Again, God demonstrates that clearly, despite the grumbling. These stories of grumbling and testing teach us something about ourselves, our nature, our predisposition toward disbelief, to pursue help in the wrong places…but they also give us the better place to look.
Perhaps two of the most important questions for any person to answer are, 'does God exist' and 'what happens to me after I die'? Interestingly, all through the ages humans have not seen death as the end of existence. Just about every culture had a version of the 'afterlife'. The problem for us is, how do we tell which is correct? After all, no one can actually go and come back to tell us what's on the other side. So how can we know? Is there anything at all? This can't be a question we ignore. Potentially our eternal existence depends on it. Today we will look at what the Bible says happens and, importantly, why we should listen to what it has to say.
God has just brought the people through the red sea, saving them from Pharaoh and his chariots. They have been saved, they believed, and they worshiped. What comes next? The answer, like that for the Christian, is sanctification; the long hard process of being conformed to the holiness of God. They had left Egypt, making a decisive break with sin, but the process of change still had to be undertaken. The wilderness was a hard place, but it is also the place they meet with God, and learned to trust God completely before they entered the Promised Land. There is a similar journey for each of us, as believers, too.
Every culture in the history of the world has had some concept of what God is like. The problem is that each of the assumptions are only part of the picture of who God is. Thankfully, while there are some things we don’t understand about God, He is knowable. In fact, He has revealed everything we need to know about Him in the Bible. Having an accurate view of what God is like is at the very core of addressing every issue we face in our lives, in our churches and in our world today. So, we need to humbly search the Scriptures to discover more about the God of the universe Coming to know what God is like is one of the greatest pursuits we can have because understanding God changes everything.
We have come to the end of Paul's letter to the Colossians. As he often does, Paul ends with a number of greetings and instructions for various individuals, as well as final words for the church. What are we to make of this? Many things could be said, but two things stand out. Firstly, Paul was surrounded by, and helped by many people, in carrying out his ministry. Secondly, and this has been a theme of the book, truth matters. Both of these are essential if we want to be involved in the same gospel ministry as Paul, even if only in our own small way.
Redlands Christian Reformed Church are a community of people, of all ages and cultural backgrounds, that come together in the Redlands. Our common link is Jesus Christ and our desire is to worship God and help others in their relationship with God.
Redlands Christian Reformed Church are a community of people, of all ages and cultural backgrounds, that come together in the Redlands. Our common link is Jesus Christ and our desire is to worship God and help others in their relationship with God.
Redlands Christian Reformed Church are a community of people, of all ages and cultural backgrounds, that come together in the Redlands. Our common link is Jesus Christ and our desire is to worship God and help others in their relationship with God.
Redlands Christian Reformed Church are a community of people, of all ages and cultural backgrounds, that come together in the Redlands. Our common link is Jesus Christ and our desire is to worship God and help others in their relationship with God.
Redlands Christian Reformed Church are a community of people, of all ages and cultural backgrounds, that come together in the Redlands. Our common link is Jesus Christ and our desire is to worship God and help others in their relationship with God.
Redlands Christian Reformed Church are a community of people, of all ages and cultural backgrounds, that come together in the Redlands. Our common link is Jesus Christ and our desire is to worship God and help others in their relationship with God.
Redlands Christian Reformed Church are a community of people, of all ages and cultural backgrounds, that come together in the Redlands. Our common link is Jesus Christ and our desire is to worship God and help others in their relationship with God.
Redlands Christian Reformed Church are a community of people, of all ages and cultural backgrounds, that come together in the Redlands. Our common link is Jesus Christ and our desire is to worship God and help others in their relationship with God.
Redlands Christian Reformed Church are a community of people, of all ages and cultural backgrounds, that come together in the Redlands. Our common link is Jesus Christ and our desire is to worship God and help others in their relationship with God.
Redlands Christian Reformed Church are a community of people, of all ages and cultural backgrounds, that come together in the Redlands. Our common link is Jesus Christ and our desire is to worship God and help others in their relationship with God.
Redlands Christian Reformed Church are a community of people, of all ages and cultural backgrounds, that come together in the Redlands. Our common link is Jesus Christ and our desire is to worship God and help others in their relationship with God.
Redlands Christian Reformed Church are a community of people, of all ages and cultural backgrounds, that come together in the Redlands. Our common link is Jesus Christ and our desire is to worship God and help others in their relationship with God.
Redlands Christian Reformed Church are a community of people, of all ages and cultural backgrounds, that come together in the Redlands. Our common link is Jesus Christ and our desire is to worship God and help others in their relationship with God.
Redlands Christian Reformed Church are a community of people, of all ages and cultural backgrounds, that come together in the Redlands. Our common link is Jesus Christ and our desire is to worship God and help others in their relationship with God.
Redlands Christian Reformed Church are a community of people, of all ages and cultural backgrounds, that come together in the Redlands. Our common link is Jesus Christ and our desire is to worship God and help others in their relationship with God.
Redlands Christian Reformed Church are a community of people, of all ages and cultural backgrounds, that come together in the Redlands. Our common link is Jesus Christ and our desire is to worship God and help others in their relationship with God.
Redlands Christian Reformed Church are a community of people, of all ages and cultural backgrounds, that come together in the Redlands. Our common link is Jesus Christ and our desire is to worship God and help others in their relationship with God.
Redlands Christian Reformed Church are a community of people, of all ages and cultural backgrounds, that come together in the Redlands. Our common link is Jesus Christ and our desire is to worship God and help others in their relationship with God.
Redlands Christian Reformed Church are a community of people, of all ages and cultural backgrounds, that come together in the Redlands. Our common link is Jesus Christ and our desire is to worship God and help others in their relationship with God.
Redlands Christian Reformed Church are a community of people, of all ages and cultural backgrounds, that come together in the Redlands. Our common link is Jesus Christ and our desire is to worship God and help others in their relationship with God.
Redlands Christian Reformed Church are a community of people, of all ages and cultural backgrounds, that come together in the Redlands. Our common link is Jesus Christ and our desire is to worship God and help others in their relationship with God.
Redlands Christian Reformed Church are a community of people, of all ages and cultural backgrounds, that come together in the Redlands. Our common link is Jesus Christ and our desire is to worship God and help others in their relationship with God.
Redlands Christian Reformed Church are a community of people, of all ages and cultural backgrounds, that come together in the Redlands. Our common link is Jesus Christ and our desire is to worship God and help others in their relationship with God.
Redlands Christian Reformed Church are a community of people, of all ages and cultural backgrounds, that come together in the Redlands. Our common link is Jesus Christ and our desire is to worship God and help others in their relationship with God.
Redlands Christian Reformed Church are a community of people, of all ages and cultural backgrounds, that come together in the Redlands. Our common link is Jesus Christ and our desire is to worship God and help others in their relationship with God.
Redlands Christian Reformed Church are a community of people, of all ages and cultural backgrounds, that come together in the Redlands. Our common link is Jesus Christ and our desire is to worship God and help others in their relationship with God.
Redlands Christian Reformed Church are a community of people, of all ages and cultural backgrounds, that come together in the Redlands. Our common link is Jesus Christ and our desire is to worship God and help others in their relationship with God.
Redlands Christian Reformed Church are a community of people, of all ages and cultural backgrounds, that come together in the Redlands. Our common link is Jesus Christ and our desire is to worship God and help others in their relationship with God.
Redlands Christian Reformed Church are a community of people, of all ages and cultural backgrounds, that come together in the Redlands. Our common link is Jesus Christ and our desire is to worship God and help others in their relationship with God.
Redlands Christian Reformed Church are a community of people, of all ages and cultural backgrounds, that come together in the Redlands. Our common link is Jesus Christ and our desire is to worship God and help others in their relationship with God.
Redlands Christian Reformed Church are a community of people, of all ages and cultural backgrounds, that come together in the Redlands. Our common link is Jesus Christ and our desire is to worship God and help others in their relationship with God.
Redlands Christian Reformed Church are a community of people, of all ages and cultural backgrounds, that come together in the Redlands. Our common link is Jesus Christ and our desire is to worship God and help others in their relationship with God.