Cities Church Exhortations: Recent Episodes
Cities Church
Official feed for the exhortations and various devotionals from the leaders and members of Cities Church in St. Paul, MN. We are a church focused on three core values: Worshiping Jesus; Loving one another; Seeking the good of the Twin Cities.
In this exhortation, Pastor Kevin Kleiman asks: Have you ever thought God’s love towards you has limits? David tells us in Psalm 103, “He does not deal harshly with us, as we deserve. For his unfailing love toward those who fear him is as great as the height of the heavens above the earth.” God’s love towards his children will never end.
In this exhortation, Pastor David Mathis shares the final word of Paul’s farewell speech to the Ephesian elders in Acts 20:35. Jesus tells us that we will be happier if we give to others because our Father in heaven will see it and he will reward us with something far greater than what we deserve.
In this exhortation, Pastor Jonathan Parnell exhorts us from Psalm 66. If we harbor sin in our hearts, it will interfere with our prayers. How can we simultaneously defy God’s word and desire God’s blessings unless all we really want from God is what he can do for us?
In this exhortation, Pastor Marshall Segal exhorts us from the happiest book in the Bible with Paul’s words while imprisoned in Philippians 4:4 – Rejoice in the Lord always. Again I will say rejoice.
In this exhortation, Jon Hoglund focuses on the posture of the Magi when they visited baby Jesus. In this moment, the wisemen were Jesus Worshipers. They saw through the veil of outward appearances, seeing as God sees. By what standards do you see yourself, and others?
In this exhortation, Pastor Mike Polley encourages us to show up in our community and share our struggles with others. God’s Word instructs us to build one another up, therefore we should show up and share with our fellow believers. Our Community Groups and Life Groups are especially designed for this purpose.
In this exhortation, Pastor Mike Schumann explains the meaning of “God with us.” God is with us in that He is for us. For our life, for our joy, for our good. Let’s wholeheartedly grasp the reality of Immanuel – God with us.
In this exhortation, Pastor David Easterwood concludes our four part series on the names of Jesus in Isaiah 9:6 with the title Prince of Peace. Real peace belongs only to the sovereign God of the universe. The peace of God surpasses all understanding because his peace is the original, the truest peace.
In this exhortation, Marshall Segal exhorts us to take refuge in the Everlasting Father who came at Christmas. Jesus is for our good, he is a father to those he came to save.
In this exhortation, Pastor Jonathan Parnell expounds upon the second name of Jesus foretold in Isaiah 9:6. Jesus Christ is the Mighty God. Let’s not forget all that we know about our Mighty God.
In this exhortation, Pastor Max Kozak imagines how exciting Isaiah’s family devotions might have been telling of the Messiah to come. Isaiah tells us his name will be Wonderful Counselor – this is especially good news for a people in a land of deep darkness, a people waiting for Christ to come again. Let’s trust in the wisdom and counsel of our Wonderful Counselor.
In this exhortation, Dan Helstrom exhorts us from 2 Peter 1:3 – especially as we enter this holiday season – to prepare our hearts for the challenges to come, so that we are ready to respond to them with hearts that trust in God’s power to meet our every need.
In this exhortation, Tyler Morris echoes Romans 9:20 in which Paul makes it very clear that God is the one in authority over everything. Therefore, who are we to argue with God? God has the final word, so let’s stop contending with God’s promises and start gladly receiving them.
In this exhortation, Marshall Segal looks at 2 Peter 1:5-8 where Peter reminds them of their calling as Christians. We are often forgetful and need to be reminded of the way of Christlikeness. Let’s “make every effort” to remind one another to grow in Christlikeness because we all need to be reminded and we all need reminding.
In this exhortation, Pastor Mike Polley exhorts us from Proverbs 1:7 to learn wisdom by fearing the Lord. Wisdom is attainable for all of us, if we follow Jesus and learn from him.
In this exhortation, Pastor Jonathan Parnell give thanks to the members of our church who have given generously and invites others who have not yet given anything to join in on our church’s culture of generosity because of what Jesus says to us in Acts 20:35.
In this exhortation, Pastor David Easterwood reflects on what Psalm 130 says about waiting on the Lord. We may often feel worried, anxious, irritable, and tired – but how could we honor God in the waiting?
In this exhortation, Jon Hoglund shares what we know about suffering from 1 Peter 5:9 and a recent quote from a persecuted Christian in another country. The exhortation is that through prayer this worldwide fellowship of the saints would become more real to us.
In this exhortation, Pastor Mike Polley gives us a two-fold exhortation. Let’s remember Kenny and Malania Ortiz with prayer as the Horizon City Church plant has now covenanted together and let’s be willing to step out in faith for the Glory of God and the good of others.
In this exhortation, Pastor Jonathan Parnell reflects on the fact that this Sanctuary in which we worship is at max capacity and that makes it harder for guests to have a seat when we invite others to church with us. Therefore, we encourage our members to consider serving our church by being one of the 72 members of our family worshiping in our overflow room on a Sunday morning.
In this exhortation, Pastor Mike Schumann exhorts us to revel in the pleasure of pleasing God and out of that pleasure, seek to please God in your life more and more and more.
In this exhortation, Deacon Clint Manley reminds us of Jesus’s gentle correction to Martha in Luke 10:38-41 when she was distracted from Jesus by serving Jesus. We too feel pressure and anxiety from our busy lives. Yet, Jesus wants our undivided attention and he bids us to come alive to him.
In this exhortation, Jon Hoglund encourages us to never miss an opportunity to remind people around us that we are accountable to our Creator. We are alienated, distant, and separated from God but he graciously comes near to us with an announcement of the forgiveness of sins.
In this exhortation, Dan Helstrom invites us to give thanks to God for a culture at Cities that longs for God’s Word to inform everything we do and embrace humility as we are still not immune to the deceitfulness of sin and the realities of this fallen world.
In this exhortation, Pastor Mike Schumann draws from James 4 which tells us that the biggest reason we are at war with one another is our desires for worldly praise, power, and comfort. But the only way for you to quit warring and quit coveting is to re-crown Jesus as your one and only treasure.
In this exhortation, Pastor David Easterwood reminds us of how God rescued us through adoption as his sons and daughters by referencing some real examples of earthly adoption and the ways that God gives us these earthly realities to help us understand spiritual realities.
In this exhortation, Deacon Josiah Bennett calls us into an increased passion for Jesus Christ. Jesus should be more real to us than anything else, yet so often our minds drift to apathy. The truth is, we are not as passionate for Christ as we ought to be. So, let us confess our apathy to the one who is not apathetic towards us.
In this exhortation, Pastor Kevin Kleiman recounts mankind’s original sin as well as the second sin – the cover up! Like Adam and Eve, we too have a tendency towards the second sin. Rather than running from our sin and shame, we must resolve to walk in the light by confessing our sins in fellowship with one another.
In this exhortation, Clint Manley echoes Isaiah 55:1 – everyone who thirsts, come to the waters! Too often we try to satisfy our thirst with temporary pleasures, but in Jesus we find an ocean full of living water that will forever satisfy our longings.
In this exhortation, Pastor Jonathan Parnell explains how Proverbs 28 teaches us that confession allows us to prosper by having a congruent life of walking in the light. Let’s confess our sins in order to prosper in God’s economy.
In this exhortation, Pastor Mike Schumann exhorts us that while we are still here on earth, we should take every opportunity to fight against sin because this glorifies the God we worship – which is our goal on earth and in heaven.
In this exhortation, Jon Hoglund exhorts us from Paul’s teaching in Ephesians 4:15, to speak the truth in love to ourself and to our neighbor. Your attempt to say out loud how God’s word could shape your response to a difficulty is the means by which God will help you grow.
In this exhortation, Pastor Mike Polley lays out a list of commitments from Psalm 101 that David planned to live in light of. We too want to be faithful to the many callings and responsibilities that God built into the fabric of the universe. So let’s keep striving to live in light of our callings.
In this exhortation, Pastor David Easterwood exhorts us to avoid auto-piloting our Christian lives. Sometimes we find ourselves mechanically marching through the motions from week to week. But for the Christian, all the anticipation and the excitement for what the Lord has in store is still ahead because all the best days are still to come. So don't check out, since we will soon see Jesus face to face.
In this exhortation, Pastor Kevin Kleiman reflects upon the nature of sheep – they are defenseless and often go astray. God repeatedly compares our human nature to that of the helpless sheep, but he sent Jesus to be the good shepherd. Let’s relish in our reality as God’s blood-bought sheep.
In this exhortation, Deacon Clint Manley exhorts us to pay attention to our happy Father’s world. The glory of the Maker is shown around us in all of creation. So let’s enter into the joy of our Creator by listening to the birdsong, watching the wind dance through the tress, and smelling the peonies.
In this exhortation, on Pentecost Sunday, Pastor Mike Schumann reminds us of the significance of this church calendar day. We read about the day of Pentecost in Acts 2, when the Holy Spirit arrived and the church grew from about 120 people to about 3,000. Let's ask God for more Holy Spirit power, without which we can do nothing.
In this exhortation, Dan Helstrom references Psalm 46:10 to exhorts us – especially the mothers – to stop and listen to God. As we consistently practice this “stopping and listening,” more and more we’ll be able to do it even in the midst of chaos — as God’s peace and rest become more real than the noise around us.
In this exhortation, Pastor Jonathan Parnell reads from the 1689 London Baptist Confession of Faith which clarifies that there is no such thing as any creature “giving” God glory. When we talk about giving God the glory let’s remember that the Bible teaches we do not add to God’s glory, but instead God manifests his own glory in, by, unto, and upon us.
In this sermon, Marshall Segal exhorts husbands to love their wives as Christ loved the church, women to seek out Ephesians 5 men, single men to aspire to be an Ephesians 5 man, and the wives to honor and celebrate these men that pursue her, lead her, cherish her, die for her.
In this exhortation, Jon Hoglund refers to the “day by day” renewal that the Apostle Paul explains in 2 Corinthians 4:16. Our temptation is to look at the slowness of our progress and ask, “Is God really at work?” But we should remember that sanctification is a slow and patient work in which God acquaints us with the new creation.
In this exhortation, Pastor Mike Polley compares the incomprehensible depths of the Grand Canyon with the even grander incomprehensibility of the new heavens and earth. We may not know what heaven will be like in full, but God has given us glimpses of it here on earth now when he reveals himself to us. Let’s recognize and appreciate the new creation God has started in our hearts so that when we do arrive in glory we will be prepared to embrace all that it is, with the eyes of our hearts wide open.
In this exhortation, Pastor Mike Schumann reminds us that even now that Jesus has ascended into heaven, and it is so much greater up there than down here, we should remember that the King keeps caring for his people, it is his citizens who stop caring for their king. Jesus has ascended into heaven. Even still, we are not out of his sight, nor his mind. Jesus has ascended into heaven, out of our sight. Is he out of our mind as well?
In this Easter Sunday exhortation, Pastor David Easterwood reads from Luke 24:1-6. If a man in dazzling apparel observed our lives today and saw the places we went to seek comfort or value or security or satisfaction or belonging or joy or love — would he have to ask “Why do you seek the living among the dead?”
In this exhortation, on Palm Sunday, Jon Hoglund reflects upon the triumphal entry of Jesus and what it tells us about our current reality. Could we surrender to Jesus today that plan of ours that we really treasure, and that if it didn’t come about, we would be upset with our creator and Lord?
In this exhortation, Pastor Jonathan Parnell exhorts: As Jesus worshipers, know what it is in your life that fuels and drains the purpose for which God made you. What distracts you from Jesus? What helps you to see and savor him, to glorify and enjoy him?
In this exhortation, Pastor Mike Schumann draws from the exhortation in Romans 13 to cast out all darkness and put on the light of Christ. It can be too easy for us to return to our sin, hanging on to a piece of the darkness. Rather, let’s fully trust that Jesus is enough.
In this exhortation, Deacon Clint Manley looks to Paul's frequent thoughts about heaven in the book of Philippians. Paul thought much of heaven. And as citizens of heaven, we too should hope and desire and imagine well about heaven – for it will be far better.
In this exhortation, Marshall Segal reminds us what Paul writes in 2 Corinthians 2 on how to guard against the lies of the devil – forgiveness. Let’s not withhold forgiveness, but rather “Be kind to one another, tenderhearted, forgiving one another, as God in Christ forgave you” (Ephesians 4:32).
In this exhortation, Pastor Mike Polley imagines how our hearts would honestly describe the commandments of God. Would they say burdensome? Or would they say pure, perfect, reviving? By our selfishness and pride, we might think God’s commands are burdensome, but the burden we bear is actually the weight of our own sin. Let’s remember and really, truly believe that God’s Word leads us to life!
In this exhortation, Pastor David Mathis exhorts families to make our weekly life together as a church a top priority when it comes to our time-management because if Jesus is our Lord, then his church is our single most important human association.
In this exhortation, Pastor Mike Schumann reads Proverbs 22:6 which is an encouragement to parents to train their children in the ways they should go, so that even when they are old, they might continue in those ways. Therefore, we should examine how we are training our children with the words we say, the things we do, the demeanor and tone we present, and the way we choose to spend our time, money, focus, and energy.
In this exhortation, Pastor David Easterwood exhorts us from Psalm 121 that the only way to get the right perspective on our disappointment is to “lift our eyes” to the Lord, from where our help comes. We would do well to remember the old hymn: “Judge not the Lord by feeble sense, but trust him for his grace; behind a frowning providence, he hides a smiling face.”
In this exhortation, Jon Hoglund retells a story from Ambrose, the bishop of Milan and mentor to Augustine, about a 12-year-old girl named Agnes that defied the Roman empire around 304 AD by her bold confession of Jesus Christ as Lord. This Christian martyr, Saint Agnes, was faithful unto death because she understood that our confession of Jesus as our Savior has more significance in reality than any other accomplishments.
In this exhortation, Pastor Mike Polley exhorts us to trust God’s love for us. The Father was well pleased with the Son and because Jesus brought us into that same love by clothing us in righteousness, we can confidently say “if God loves Jesus, then God loves me.”
In this exhortation, Clint Manley provides us with two questions to ponder on this final Sunday of Christmastide: “Have you marveled at Jesus?” and “Have you made Jesus known?” The exhortation then is this: Let us marvel at Jesus and make his glory known.
In this exhortation, Pastor Kevin Kleiman looks to the letter of James to provide an answer to the question: ‘How can we think about the possibility of trials and their effect as we look ahead to 2024?’ James shows us that no matter what the Lord has in store for us this year, we can look ahead with fortified hope knowing that he promises to use even the worst things for our good and for our growth in Him.
In this exhortation, on the fourth and final Sunday of Advent, Marshall Segal draws us back out into the field on the night Christ was born. The night God sent down the frightening forces of his heavenly armies to sing of peace. The exhortation is this: Listen to the blazing, dangerous choir in the sky and savor our harmony with heaven, a gift which Jesus bled and died for.
In this exhortation, on the third Sunday of Advent, Jon Hoglund points to God’s promise to Zechariah that he would have a son in Luke 1 and Zechariah’s doubting response to that promise. Which of God’s promises are you tempted to doubt, or to give up on? How are you doing in waiting for God’s promises without losing hope in their fulfillment?
In this exhortation, Pastor Mike Schumann shows some perspective of the wise men introduced in Matthew 2 in an effort to highlight the peculiarity of the Christmas story. Their faith and willingness to leave everything to go and be with baby Jesus contrasts our own unbelief, and our own unwillingness to lay down any of our comforts for him.
In this exhortation, on the first Sunday of this Advent season, Pastor Max Kozak looks back to Simeon’s Advent waiting in the gospel of Luke and then looks forward as we too wait for Jesus to come – but we wait with a New Covenant perspective. We know “Christ has come ...” and now we wait for the day when “... Christ will come again.”
In this exhortation, Pastor Mike Polley reflects on the reality that in this holiday season of thanksgiving: Our daily struggles often don’t take a break. Your heart may just feel stuck, or dull, or weary. But one way the Lord can restore the joy of our salvation, and awaken love and gratitude in our hearts, is for us to remember our salvation.
In this exhortation, Pastor David Easterwood reminds us of the sinful ways we might approach Jesus. But rather, let’s approach Jesus like the woman in Luke 8:43-48 – in faith – because faith in Jesus is not in vain for he knows we are here and he is the sovereign God over everything.
In this exhortation, Marshall Segal illustrates how in moments of pain or frustration, discouragement or exhaustion, we can sometimes reach for a besetting sin – thinking it will make us feel better – only to realize it makes us feel worse. Let’s not turn to temptation in our pain. Let’s not believe the lie that sin will somehow comfort you.
In this exhortation, Pastor Mike Schumann paints a simple picture for what discipleship looks like and then exhorts us to ask ourselves who, in our church, could we be discipling toward more of Jesus in their life?
In this exhortation, Pastor Kevin Kleiman looks at the words of the apostle Paul in Colossians 3:23, as well as Tim Keller in Every Good Endeavor, which remind us of a proper biblical approach to our work – that rather than working for ourselves, we serve the Lord Christ (Col. 2:23).
In this exhortation, Jon Hoglund explains the difference between being thankful and giving thanks. We should be aware of how we can hide behind thankfulness and avoid thanksgiving. So being watchful in prayer (Col. 4:2), let’s give thanks by telling God and other people about the good we have received from Him.
In this exhortation, Pastor David Mathis poses the question: “What are you doing, or what habits do you want to cultivate, to condition your soul to delight in God?” Singing expresses our hearts, conditions us, jumpstarts us, and forms and shapes our souls. So let’s sing!
In this exhortation, Pastor Mike Schumann walks through the 5 C's of our liturgy: call, confession, consecration, communion, and commission and reminds us to not take it for granted as it is reality in motion in the present.
In this exhortation, Pastor Mike Polley exhorts us, from Proverbs 23:26, to give God our hearts and observe His ways. Our heavenly Father is inviting us to give our hearts to him, which is the only way to understand God’s ways, and the best way to start is to give our sins to God.
In this exhortation, Pastor Mike Schumann reminds us of the neediness of our children and explains how that divinely designed neediness actually results in more of Jesus for us. At Cities, one way to get in on welcoming children is to join a childcare serve team. And the reason we encourage all members to get in on this is because our church exists to have more of Jesus.
In this exhortation, Pastor David Easterwood reminds us of the hope we have in Jesus by pointing to the beautiful scene of a sunrise which reminds us of this hope every morning. And Lamentation 3:22-24 says, “The steadfast love of the Lord never ceases; his mercies never come to an end; they are new every morning; great is your faithfulness. ‘The Lord is my portion,’ says my soul, ‘therefore I will hope in him.’”
In this exhortation, Dan Helstrom exhorts us from Proverbs 2:1-5 to dig deeper by seeking God’s words to us. Let’s call out to God; seeking wisdom and understanding. It is when we understand the fear of the Lord, that we find the knowledge of God.
In this exhortation, Pastor Kevin Kleiman reflects on a memory of the humanity all around at the MN State Fair. There are all kinds of people in a crowd, and we are a helpless people, so how should we act with a crowd? How did Jesus respond to crowds?
In this exhortation, Pastor Mike Polley presents the importance of local church membership. To be a member of a local church is to be a participative member of God’s family, it’s a spiritual membership connected to an eternal reality.
In this exhortation, Clint Manley exhorts us to read and enjoy reading good stories because God has given us the characters of these stories so that we might compare ourselves to them and learn how we might be a good character in God’s story of glory. And most importantly, when we read stories about Jesus, we should ask ourselves – do we look like him?
In this exhortation, Pastor Jonathan Parnell explains that we are called in Ephesians 4:32 to have open, receptive hearts. However, we are often marked by closed, reactive hearts – bitterness and defensiveness. We should be humbled by sin, mainly thankful, and we should not see mercy as a threat but as the reason for existence and something to be shared. The exhortation is this: give God your heart.
In this exhortation, upon our commissioning of the Rigney family, Marshall Segal recalls the encouragement of a wise friend – be the smile of God to your children. Let every gift of God be an excuse and an opportunity to see and enjoy God – don’t miss the raccoons! Let our joy teach the people in our lives that Jesus is real and he is the happiest man who’s ever lived.
In this exhortation, Pastor Max Kozak exhorts us that a God-honoring friend is committed to your eternal good more deeply than to your comfort or approval. His aim is that you love God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind and with all your strength. Do not redefine ‘love’ to mean ‘supporting and celebrating your neighbor’s rebellion against God.’ Be a friend that loves someone enough to pursue their greatest good in God, and seek friends that will challenge you to put God first.
In this exhortation, Pastor Mike Schumann illustrates the present-tense shame we may feel when we allow any unconfessed sin to remain. Our Father does not disown us when we confess our sins to him, for he knows our weakness and failings. Therefore, we should go near to God by confession. For when we confess our sins, God is faithful and just to forgive us. He listens, and hears, and forgives us.
In this exhortation, Josiah Bennett encourages us to delight in reading God's words spoken to us. We often have many excuses or feelings toward this habit that are not fruitful. Let's be more like the Bereans in Acts 17, approaching “the Word with all eagerness” for God's words are to be precious to us, sweeter than honey.
In this exhortation, Dan Helstrom examines the reality of Jesus as our ultimate treasure although we live in a society that worships money. Matthew 6:24 says we cannot serve two masters. What is it that stops us from making radical changes when our lives have become misaligned with our deepest values?
In this exhortation, Pastor David Mathis recalls the stories of Phillip, Paul, and Peter – scattered preachers – in Acts to shed some gospel hope in this season of both joy and sadness as our church now sends out several members of our Pastoral team to be on mission, preaching Jesus's name. And every Sunday when we are commissioned out we practice this dispersing in Jesus's name. So whether we are dispersed out across the Twin Cities during the week or going-out for a longer term: let's scatter like the church in Acts 8:4 when they “went about preaching the Word.”
In this exhortation, Pastor Jonathan Parnell exhorts us to respond with reorientation in the aftermath of our sin. Amidst our disorientation, God calls us to lay down our failures and surrender to his love. So when someone asks, how are you doing? or from another angle, do you know that God loves you? we should respond as one who recognizes our failures, but has humbly sought the mercy of God in Christ, being oriented again to God's truth and love.
In this exhortation, Pastor Mike Polley looks at Paul's words in 1 Corinthians 6:7 and asks the question: How do we respond when wronged, when sinned against? The radical grace of Jesus changes our whole lives, including our response to offenses against us. So, why not just suffer the wrong?
In this exhortation, Pastor Kevin Kleiman retells a parable of Jesus that Jesus himself told during his teaching ministry. Even though the beloved son is rejected by men who think we are the owners of what God has given and are constantly greedy for more...this was the mysterious plan of redemption. The murderous rejection of his very own Son was the Lord’s doing, and it is marvelous.
In this exhortation, Pastor David Easterwood relates the experience of a colorblind person putting on the colorblind corrective glasses to see color to the person who puts their faith in Jesus. The color pops when we see the world through a lens of faith. However, the glasses were never the permanent fix. As 1 Corinthians says: for now, we see through a mirror dimly, but the perfect is coming.
In this exhortation, Pastor Mike Schumann compares the sentiment of a “Get Well Soon” card to the Bible's depiction of prayer as powerful ministry in order to exhort us to avoid thinking about prayer like we think about a “Get Well Soon” card. God is powerful and good, and he does not get tired of hearing our voice. In fact, he invites us to pray. Prayer is ministry. Prayer is productive. Therefore, we should pray.
In this exhortation, Pastor Jonathan Parnell exhorts us to stop underselling the possibility of Christlikeness. In Renovation of the Heart, Dallas Willard provides 11 “scriptural high points” that are “descriptions of what the apprentices of Jesus are to be like.” We must stop our hopeless thinking that Christlikeness is something we cannot be. Let's not belittle the power of the Holy Spirit.
In this exhortation, Marshall Segal reminds us that Jesus is a great high priest who is able to sympathize with us. Motherhood can be so hard, but Jesus sees you and he sympathizes with you – even when your husband or friends fail to understand. The exhortation is for us all to re-see the beauty and everlasting glory of motherhood and bring all your weaknesses to Jesus.
In this exhortation, Pastor Joe Rigney speaks on passions, or emotions, that can be godly or ungodly. They are good, but dangerous. Ephesians 4:26-27 says, "Be angry and do not sin; do not let the sun go down on your anger, and give no opportunity to the devil." Let us be people who feel our emotions, but do not sin. Let's not give the devil a foothold.
In this exhortation, Clint Manley echoes the invitation of Isaiah 30 to enjoy strength, rest, and rescue by practicing the habit of silence. Let's lean into quietness and trust so that we might enjoy the "deep sea joys" of life.
In this exhortation, Pastor Mike Schumann exhorts us to ask God to do what he has promised he will do. God can deliver us from temptation. God is faithful. Ask for an escape, expect it to appear, and make use of it when it arrives.
In this exhortation, Pastor Mike Polley exhorts us by reflecting on what it means to really believe in Jesus. Believing in Jesus means really trusting Him. Do you trust Jesus? Do you trust him? As Hebrews says, do you “believe that he exists, and that he is a rewarder of those who diligently seek him?”
In this exhortation, on Easter Sunday, Pastor David Mathis exhorts us to celebrate the death and resurrection of Jesus on Easter – but also beyond this one day. The sting of death is sin, but because of Christ's sacrifice we have victory over death. Let's celebrate this victory, always.
In this exhortation, Marshall Segal reminds us of how quickly we can get distracted with the familiarity of Holy Week. In Mark 9:31-33, the disciples heard from Jesus himself that he was going to die and they responded by talking about themselves as they departed. Let's slow down, and gladly put aside self, put aside all arguments, complaints, and grudges. Let's give our focus to Jesus this Holy Week.
In this exhortation, Pastor Joe Rigney reminds us of the important liturgical symbols we see during our Sunday worship services as well as the significant architecture of our church building on Summit Avenue and explains why they have been intentionally chosen to be the way they are.
In this exhortation, Pastor Kenny Ortiz reminds us of our need to confess our sins and exhorts us to pray daily for the unbelievers in our lives. Just like the prophet's sentiment in Isaiah 62, give God no rest until he answers the prayers.
In this exhortation, Dan Helstrom exhorts us that every word we speak is a miracle, and what's even more amazing is that God himself speaks to us. Let's wonder at the power of the Word of God and to surrender to what God tells us.
In this exhortation, Pastor David Easterwood looks at the story of Lazarus to remind us of the frightening condition of the human heart. We, too often, think we know better and demand that God perform for us. We blind our eyes to God's mercy and invent our own realities to justify ourselves. Let's be alarmed, lest we hear of a dead man raised alive and think "Kill him again."
In this exhortation, Deacon Clint Manley encourages us to feast on the words of God. God gives us his Word through the written Scriptures, but he also communicates through nature. God's words are sweeter than honey and on Sunday mornings we come to the grand banquet of the week when we gather in worship together. Let's be a hungry people that daily feast on God's words.
In this exhortation, Pastor Mike Polley draws from Paul's teachings in 1 Corinthians to exhort us to be more than a bare minimum Christian. The gospel doesn't just cover our sins, it changes our lives. Rather than just ask if our conduct is permissible, let's ask ourselves if it is beneficial. Does it build people up? Does it cause us and others to know and enjoy God more? Does it cause us and others to delight in the things we should delight in?
In this exhortation, Pastor Max Kozak gives three truths in the midst of the loss of miscarriage. We believe that unborn children are people, made in God's image, created for eternity. We do not hide our grief, and we lean into those who are grieving. And we grieve with hope – knowing that our sorrows will one day be turned to joy.
In this exhortation, Pastor Josh Foster exhorts us with a word from Hebrews 12. Look to Jesus, the founder and perfecter of our faith, so that we may endure the race that is set before us. We must come to Jesus so that our soul may live.
In this exhortation, Pastor Jonathan Parnell addresses the wicked abortion laws just enacted by our state and exhorts us to remember that we are called to be a light in our sinful world. Let's embrace the supremacy of Jesus and hold fast to His word.
In this exhortation, Pastor Kevin Kleiman reflects on the reality of Psalm 144: that man is but a breath and his days a passing shadow. God is our only comfort in life and death. He tells us to call upon His name in times of trouble.
In this exhortation, Marshall Segal shares an experience of heartbreak to exhort us, as Romans 12:12 does, to seek out loving one another in our times of tribulation. Let's move toward the hurting.
In this exhortation, Mike Schumann exhorts that there is nothing mundane about being in the presence of God. Christians are the closest to God out of all people in the world, yet sometimes we act disinterested in the face of our God. Rather than yawn, let's be eager to worship him with reverence and awe.
In this exhortation, Pastor David Easterwood tells the story of Elizabeth Elliot and the Waodani people to exhort us to trust in the word of God. No matter what God has for us in 2023, trust what he tells us to be true.
In this exhortation, on Christmas Sunday, Pastor Joe Rigney draws a parallel between the coming of Jesus at Christmas and the rising of Jesus at Easter. The angles praised God in the highest, but on Christmas the highest became the lowest. Let us sing "Glory to God in the Lowest" this Christmas.
In this exhortation, Pastor Mike Polley guides us in reflection of a phrase from the beginning of Psalm 1. We should remember that Christ came full of grace and truth, and Jesus is the only one who says the right things, at the right time, from the right heart.
In this exhortation, Pastor Jonathan Parnell gives an exhortation directed to our church planter, Jordan Hecox, to desire God above all else. The Hecox family and their team will God-willing plant Gospel Joy Church in the coming year in Mankato, MN.
In this exhortation, Jordan Hecox gives 5 promises from the word to cling to when we find our lives fitting the reality of risk.
In this exhortation, Pastor David Mathis exhorts us to adore Christ this Advent season. Let us know and enjoy Jesus more in this season of waiting.
In this exhortation, Pastor Josh Foster calls us to worship God with our families. Parents must bring their children up in the Lord. But why? As Deuteronomy says, we were once slaves but the Lord brought us out. True revival in this city, starts with the family.
In this exhortation, Pastor Joe Rigney calls parents to be the smile of God to children. Just as our Father aims for our hearts, parents should aim for the hearts of their children and they may understand what it is to give their heart to their heavenly Father.
In this exhortation, Mike Schumann calls out our proneness, as humans, to look at the outward appearance of others. The book of James warns us to show no partiality as we hold faith in the Lord of glory. Let us not create evil distinctions among one another.
In this exhortation, Marshall Segal draws on 2 Timothy 2:7 to build courage and confidence for the moments when we open God's Word. Understanding is possible because God gives it to us, therefore let's slow down and think harder.
In this exhortation, Pastor Max Kozak encourages us to become who we are as new creations in Christ. In Ephesians 4, Paul teaches that our words should be gracious by building up and giving thanks. We must hate what God hates, including repulsive speech.
In this exhortation, Pastor Jonathan Parnell reminds us of our ultimate purpose. While many things of this life are good things – our spouse, our children, our career – none are to be the center of our lives. Jesus is the center of our lives. We exist for the Glory of God.
In this exhortation, Pastor Mike Polley encourages us to keep an eternal view in mind while we endeavor here on earth. It may seem that our life on earth is reality and heaven is but a mere dream, but it is actually the opposite–our life is but a midst, and the New Jerusalem is our true destination. Jesus paid for our sins when he offered himself on the cross. If we believe in Jesus, whom God is well pleased–we too will be pleasing in God's sight–and when we join Christ in heaven, we will be more alive and vibrant than we have ever been!
In this exhortation, Josiah Bennett illuminates the fact that our world is overridden with stories and reminds us of the biggest story. We should be telling our gospel stories, because all of our stories fit into the biggest story.
In this exhortation, Mike Schumann challenges us, as Galatians 6:10 instructs, to do good to everyone and especially to serve the Church when opportunity arises.
In this exhortation, Pastor Kenny Ortiz implores us to seek out relationships with other people because we often fail to see ourselves rightly. Sin blinds our self-perception, but a good friend lovingly rebukes us away from our own blindness.
In this exhortation, Pastor Jonathan Parnell answers the question of where we are going. We are going to see Jesus. But until then, we will continue on mission to plant churches in these Twin Cities creating a place in which Jesus will be impossible to ignore.
In this exhortation, Pastor Josh Foster encourages us that despite our circumstances we shall never forget who God is and what he has saved us from. We shall remember who Christ is and what he has done. Christ is our eternal hope.
In this exhortation, Jordan Hecox looks to the apostle Paul's frequent encouragement to persevere through the many trials that we will face on our journey to God's kingdom because as Isaac Watts puts it "though death and hell obstruct the way" we shall not fear and we shall press on.
In this exhortation, Pastor Mike Polley encourages us to go to God with honesty. We must humble ourselves to the truth of who God is and who we are. Then, He will rescue us.
In this exhortation, Pastor Kevin Kleiman gives an example from Luke 18 of how Jesus responds to interruptions. We should be ready to respond to the interruptions that God places in our lives and we should ask for God's help to respond in love like Jesus – no matter the significance of our halted circumstance.
In this exhortation, Jordan Hecox compares us to sheep because in every season, every decision, and every relationship we need a shepherd – or else we will go astray. We need a shepherd like Jesus Christ.
In this exhortation, Pastor Josh Foster gives a series of fitting exhortations, directed to Pastor Ryan Griffith as he departs MN, to continue to reflect Jesus in every endeavor because we know that we represent a kingdom that cannot be shaken.
In this exhortation, Pastor David Mathis encourages us to patiently endure as Christians – despite the shortcomings and temptations of this flighty, flaky, flimsy, noncommittal, impatient, non-enduring age – because we know Jesus is watching and he stands ready to help.
In this exhortation, Pastor Mike Polley reminds us to run back to our true freedom that is in God. We should turn away from the idols that entangle us, and actually pursue the joy that God has for us – the true, abounding, and eternal joy.
In this exhortation, Mike Schumann invites us to no longer put on a perfect performance at Church. Rather, we should come to Church as vulnerable – giving all of our thoughts about our own imperfections, burdens, anxieties, and fears over to God and the community of believers surrounding us. Jesus is our head physician, the Church welcomes the sick.
In this exhortation, Pastor Joe Rigney expresses how American Christians should respond to July 4th by being grateful, grieved, and hopeful.
“Blessed is the man who walks not in the council of the wicked, nor stands in the way of sinners, nor sits in the seat of scoffers but his delight is in the law of the Lord and on his law he meditates day and night.
An author once said, “Tell me what you love and I’ll tell you who you are.” Or in other words; our affections often reveal our heart’s true loyalties, and its deepest treasures.
Now this morning, I’d like to remind us that our affections are not a static reality that we are helpless bystanders of: Scripture speaks volumes to cultivating and shaping our desires and our affections.
And one of the means God has given us - in his kindness- for the task of heart-formation - is habit, or rhythms: It’s what we regularly immerse ourselves in.
There is a powerful feedback loop, a constant reinforcement between what we immerse ourselves in - and what our hearts are most drawn to.
And we see it in Psalm 1 - David is not just addressing information here; he’s addressing heart-formation. And he starts by asking: Who do you follow? Where do you spend your time? Who do you hang out with? What does your mind and your heart tend to linger on? What captures your delight and your affections?
Psalm 1 reminds us that what we immerse ourselves in - is shaping what we love, which in turn - impacts who we’re becoming.
And that’s true for both good and for evil: Whether it’s the heart-corruption that comes from being regularly immersed in the company of bad friends,Or the powerful heart-formation that comes through a regular lingering in God’s word.
Will we be “like a tree, planted by streams of water that yields its fruit in its season, and in all that he does he prospers?” Or will we be like a weed, tossed around by the wind?
So my exhortation this morning is:
1st: ask yourself: what do I immerse myself in? Who do I surround myself with? What am I most often drawn to? What do I like to watch and listen to? Are my affections and my habits in line with who I am as a new creation in Jesus?
2nd: Immerse yourself in the rhythms and habits God has given us to shape our affections for Him. They are His Gifts for our joy. Linger in His word daily, spend time with his people regularly. Set rhythms that will cultivate your affections for your deepest treasure - King Jesus.
It became clear to me this morning that this exhortation must be for someone here today. I mean that. Many of you have heard me exhort you in this way before, and I’d like to do it every few years, including today.
After the end of summer, in the little town by where I grew up in North Carolina, there’s an annual festival called Mule Days. It happens over a long weekend; there’s no school on Friday; and everyone sort of hangs out in and around this small town’s Main Street. There’s a parade and rodeo and backyard football games, but what really makes it special is that people get to ride their horses everywhere through town, which gives it a neat 19th-century feel. I used to look forward to this every year.
So I’m there as a 14-year-old kid. I’m a high school freshman. My best friend and I are walking around one side of town — because that’s what we did, we’d just walk around — but then we wanted to get to the other side of town. And so we start walking that direction until an older kid from our high school and one of his friends pulls up beside us and asks if we want a ride. We say Yes, and so we climb into the back of this car and he eases all the way down Main Street and pulls into the Burger King parking lot. And this is good. This is where my buddy and I had been wanting to go, but I don’t get out of the car. I just sit there, and we’re talking and carrying on. And then another guy from high school pulls in beside us driving his Camaro. And he’s got a few people in his car, and he’s talking to our driver, and they’re talking about how fast their cars are, and I could have gotten out of the car.
But I just sit there.
And the next thing I know we’re peeling out the parking lot, out of the town limits, speeding down a winding country road, and the Camaro is behind us. And then the Camaro passes us, and we pass the Camaro, and I realize at about this moment that I’m part of some kind of Need for Speed illegal street race. We were seriously flying, and I don’t really care at this point about the legality issues, I’m fearing for my life, and I’m begging the driver to stop, to take us back to town, to get me out of this — because the short ride I intended has taken me further than I want to go.
Which is like sin.
Sin will always take you further than you want to go. And what we get to do right now, at this part of the service, is get out. That’s my exhortation to you. Get out of the car. Right now, get out.
Prayer of Confession Father, your eyes see all the children of man. You see us and you know us. You know who we are and where we are, and you know when we climb into the backs of cars in which we do not belong. Too many times we have turned a blind eye to your mercy. We have shunned the way of escape, and we have indulged ourselves in the chaos of which Jesus died to set us free. And for that, we repent. We repent of double sins — first, we repent for the ways we have sinned, and second, we repent for the sin of trying to make peace with sin, of trying to rationalize our wickedness. And we ask, Father, for you to forgive us. Have mercy on us, and remind us now that however deep we may have fallen, your grace is deeper; that however far we may have gone, there is no place where your love cannot reach. So reach us now, please. According to the riches of your grace in Christ Jesus, bring to our minds and hearts what needs to be there now, and lead us in repentance, I pray, as we confess our sins to you in silence. . . .
“Has it ever occurred to you that one hundred pianos all tuned to the same fork are automatically tuned to each other?”
It’s been more than twenty years now since I first read these words in A.W. Tozer’s classic little book The Pursuit of God. Two decades of adult life, and church life, and spiritual leadership, have confirmed the power of Tozer’s illustration. He continues,
Pianos are of one accord by being turned, not to each other, but to another standard to which one must individually bow. So one hundred worshipers meeting together, each one looking away to Christ, are in heart nearer to each other than they could possibly be were they to become “unity” conscious and turn their eyes away from God to strive for closer fellowship. (90)
Many of us feel like we’ve been living in divisive days — at least compared to other seasons of life we’ve known. Maybe it’s been politics and the pandemic; maybe it’s been the projections of social and traditional media. Whatever the case, many of us have seen, in fresh ways, in recent years how ridiculous and mean and belligerent and shamefully divisive some people can be. Maybe some of us have been those people. All of us know such people.
And naturally, in such times as ours, many begin to ache afresh for unity, for new understanding and sympathy, for relationships restored, for growing rather than shrinking circles of friends. Even if we all can’t get along, how about more of us get along? Can we at least move past the silly causes for division?
And in days like ours, it’s good to remember where and when and how we find Christian unity: Not by becoming “unity conscious” — or perhaps more precisely, by being “unity focused.” In other words, not by turning our eyes away from Christ, and to each other, to strive for closer fellowship.
Rather we find true and lasting unity by “each one looking away to Christ,” tuning ourselves to him and his word, and then, as we do, we discover others in the same pursuit. So, we don’t water down the Scriptures to find common ground and unity, but we go deeper. We don’t back away from biblical doctrine to find new friends; we lean in, and there we find the unity that comes from the truth.
So, the exhortation this morning is this: Cities Church, let’s not back away from the details of God’s word to find true unity; let’s lean in. To find true unity, we look elsewhere first, that is, to Jesus, in his word. And as we do, we come to find others in our field of vision who are doing the same. And then unity falls on us as a blessing from heaven — to be received from God, and not achieved by human effort and strategy — and how good and pleasant it is when brothers dwell in unity.
Let’s pray.
Father in heaven, we confess that none of us have the perfect compass when it comes to unity and division. We’re prone to seek unity in times and ways we shouldn’t. And we’re prone to create divisions in times and ways we shouldn’t. Help us to have the mind of Christ. Help us to be shaped in the study and preaching of your word and in the corporate dynamics of life in this church.
Father, we want you, and your Son, first and foremost. We do not pine for unity at any cost. Rather, we want it on your terms, as your blessing, seeking you first, and gladly receiving your gift of unity that comes in the truth.
And now, Father, we confess to you other sins and failings in the quiet of this moment.
silent confession
Father in heaven, we look to you. We look to your Son. We want to be tuned to the fork of your word, not the course and pattern of this world.
Make us a church of men and women who are not needlessly divisive nor shallow in our pursuit of unity. Help us not to be consumed with pursuing unity at any cost, nor to reject, because of our own folly, your blessing and good gift of unity in the truth. In Jesus’s name we pray, Amen.
Please stand for the assurance of pardon.
Church, you have confessed your sins; now hear the good news.
If we confess our sin, God is faithful and just to forgive us our sins and cleanse us from all unrighteousness. Therefore, to all who humbly seek the mercy of God, I say to you, in Christ Jesus, your sins are forgiven.
Thanks be to God!
Our Father knows how to give gifts. He has given us life, and breath, indeed his very own Son. He is no withholder, but a giver. No mere giver, but a glad-hearted, perfectly wise, and all-things-possessing giver. But there’s one gift of his I fear we often are willing to receive, but content to limit in our lives. This is the gift of the Holy Spirit.
We are, as Christians, a Holy Spirit-filled people. We maintain that not one of us would have ever forsaken our sin and come to Christ if it weren’t for the overpowering and transforming power of the Holy Spirit. But how often, how often, do we desire to have more of the Spirit? How often have we asked for more of the Spirit?
And if we haven’t desired, haven’t asked, is it because — maybe — thought of having more of the Spirit makes us a bit uncomfortable? The thought of giving more control over to the Holy spirit fills us with some anxiety? When push comes to shove, if someone were to say to you, “Look, here’s two options: Either you can get to heaven with a minimal amount of the Spirit, or you can get to heaven with a maximum amount of the Spirit, what would you choose…and why?
Here me, there are churches out there who misuse or mislabel the activity of the Spirit. There are movements and teachings out there that claim to be of the Holy Spirit, that are not. But brothers, sisters, would it be proper of us to react distortion with moderation? See what this all really comes down to is this: With the distortions, with the misuses in mind, “Do you still agree with God the Father, and God the Son, when they say that God the Spirit is a good gift to his people?
Then do you trust that were he to give you more of the Spirit that would be an entirely good thing for you? For your life, your heart, your mind, your work, your rest, your ministry, your family, friendships, hobbies, habits, moments of weakness, sadness, indifference, and proneness toward sin. To be filled by the Spirit, to walk more fully in the Spirit, entirely reliant upon the Spirit for every form of fruitfulness in your life — He is a good gift from our Father who loves us, so ask for more. Ask for more.
Father, we come to you in the name of your Son, asking for more of your Spirit. We need more of Him. We confess that we have not asked for more. We confess our pride, indifference, desire for comfort and control, all which subdues our desire for more. And along with these sins, we confess to you all the other ways we’ve sinned this week, failed to honor you this week. We bring it all to you, right now, in this moment of silent confession.
Today is Easter, the day we celebrate the resurrection of Jesus Christ. Today there will be lots of people around the globe thinking about the resurrection of Jesus, people that don’t ordinarily think about Jesus raising from the dead. And that’s a good thing.
But for those of us that profess to be Christians, we should be thinking about the Resurrection regularly, like, every day. And the resurrection ought to inform and influence how we make decisions, everyday.
Let me put it this way. I want you to imagine something with me. Imagine that you live in a different universe where Jesus did not raise from the dead. Imagine that Jesus was just a good rabbi, who lived in the first century, he died, and stayed dead. Imagine that we live in that universe, but everything else is the same.
How would you live your life in that universe? Think about that for a moment.
Okay, now, compare that with how you live your life now in this universe, the real universe. Are they different? I hope so. And, I hope they aren’t just a little bit different. I hope they are drastically different.
The way you might live your life in that fictional universe, should be very different than the way you live your life in this universe, the real universe. The way you live your life in that fictional universe, where Jesus did not raise from the dead, should be significantly different than the way you live your life in this universe, where Jesus did indeed raise from the dead.
But church, my concern, my fear is that for a lot of professing Christians, the way they live in this universe does not look all that different than the way they might live in that fictional universe. In other words, it seems to me that there are many people, who claim to be Christians, but who’s lifestyles do not seem to be impacted by the resurrection.
But this should not be the case, not for those of us who profess to love Jesus.
The resurrection is not a myth, it’s a not legend, it’s not a metaphor, it’s a matter of history. It actually happened. It is the most victorious moment in all of human history, and it should change everything. It should greatly change the way we live.
The resurrection should change how we spend our time.It should change what movies we watch.It should change how we approach our jobs or our schoolwork.It should change the way we spend our money or do our taxes.It should change how I view my co-workers and neighbors.It should change how we approach dating and marriage and parenting.
Friends, Jesus Christ has risen from the dead, and that should influence everything that we do. So I ask you this morning, is that true for you? Do you think about the resurrection? Does it shape how you live?
My hope, for all of us is that there would be people, friends and family, who observe our lifestyles, they would see the choices that we make, everyday, and that they would be confused, and somewhat curious, and that they would ask: “Why did you do it like that?” And my hope is that would be able to honestly answer, “Because Jesus rose from the dead, that’s why.” May that be true of us.
Church, my exhortation for you this morning is simple: Think about the resurrection often, everyday! And allow the resurrection to influence your choices, everyday!
Church, Christ has risen, let’s live like we believe it.
Would you pray with me.
Prayer
Father in heaven, you are so kind to us. You sent your son, Jesus, to die in our place. But he did not stay dead. Father, on the third day you raised him up. Thank you! But God, we acknowledge that so often we have lived our lives divorced from the reality of the resurrection. So often, many of us have been apathetic or flippant. We’ve gone many hours and days, or maybe even weeks or months without meditating on the glory of the resurrection. So many of us have taken for granite how glorious it is that Christ defeated the grave. O God, forgive our apathy and neglect. And now, O Lord, we pause in this service for a moment, to acknowledge our own sins. We take this moment of silence to confess our own individual sins to you now.
God, rather than meditating upon the glory of the resurrection, and allowing that to be a source of comfort and joy, so many of us have often sought satisfaction and security in the sinful things of this world, the sinful things that made your death necessary. But you have made a way for us to be forgiven, through the death and resurrection of your Son, Jesus. Thank you! Father, thank you for sending Jesus, He is our living hope. Jesus, you bridged the chasm that lay between us and God. And because of you, death no longer has a grip on us. We celebrate that this morning. And now God, I ask that you would strengthen us, I ask that you would help us to live in light of the resurrection, help us to be holy, and help us to love you more. I ask these things in the matchless name of Jesus. Amen!
Assurance of Pardon
Please stand, if you’re able, for the assurance of pardon. Church, you have confessed your sins, now hear the good news, the greatest news ever. God made a way for us to be forgiven. When we confess our sins, God is faithful and just to forgive us, and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness. Therefore, to all who humbly seek the mercy of God, I say to you, in Jesus Christ, your sins are forgiven!
It’s no secret that we live in a confused culture, a lying culture, and increasingly a tyrannical culture. Nowhere is this more evident than in our culture’s orientation to womanhood. For all its vaunted talk of celebrating and empowering women, our culture despises womanhood. Just in the last few weeks, a mentally deranged man, serving as the Assistant Secretary of Health, was nominated as one of USA Today’s “Women of the Year.” Another confused and opportunistic man was celebrated for defeating female swimmers and breaking their records. And this week a Supreme Court nominee was unable to define when a human being obtains legal protection under our laws, nor what a woman is.
Our culture despises women, and would love to erase all that makes women distinct and glorious.
So what is a woman?
A woman is a member of the human species with XX chromosomes. A woman is made in God’s image, sent on God’s mission, for his glory. Every woman is a daughter of human parents. She is a potential mother and sister, even if because of the brokenness of this world she doesn’t ever bear biological children or have biological siblings. She carries this maternal and sisterly nature into all of her relationships.
The Bible tells us that Woman was taken out of man and made for man, thus making her the glory of man. Fundamentally, she receives in order to give more. She is the life-bringer and life-bearer. Her body was designed to nourish and nurture, to feed and console. She is a garden, designed to receive seed and bear fruit, thirty, sixty, and a hundredfold. This is what women do: receive in order to give more. Receive and glorify. Receive and beautify. Receive and amplify.
She has unimaginable influence on those around her–parents, siblings, husband, children, and friends. Though she is the weaker vessel, the power she wields–for good or ill–is remarkable. It’s why Solomon looked upon his bride and declared, “Who is this who looks down like the dawn, beautiful as the moon, bright as the sun, awesome as an army with banners?”
Obviously more could be said. But this is an exhortation and I have yet to exhort. I’ve simply tried (in a brief way) to describe the glory of womanhood. So here’s the exhortation: love that God made the world this way. Ladies, love that God made you a woman. Embrace and celebrate your femininity, in all of the forms and different personalities and vocations that God calls you to. In a culture that is confused and full of lifes, love the truth that God made you to be daughters, sisters, mothers, in your homes, in this church, and in the world. You are image-bearers of God and the glory of man.
Men, celebrate both the common nature that we share with our sisters as well as the distinctive glory of femininity. Revel in the fact that your wife is not like you, and your daughters are not like your sons, and your sisters bring different strengths to the table than you do. Just love it. Be happy about it. Show honor to your sisters as weaker vessels and as co-heirs with you of the grace of life. In a culture that is confused and full of lies, speak the truth and guard the dignity and glory of women.
This reminds us of our need to confess our sins.
Confession Our Father and God, our culture is at war with womanhood because it is at war with you. It despises the complementarity of the sexes because your wisdom and power and glory are displayed in that complementarity. Because we have not honored you as God, nor given thanks for the goodness of manhood and womanhood, you have given us up to folly and confusion, to dishonorable passions, to the unnatural and the absurd. And because the world you have made resists our sinful efforts to twist and distort it, we become more violent in our tyranny, dismembering our children, mutilating our daughters, castrating our sons, and shouting down any who would object. Lord, we confess that this is a great evil.
Father, as your covenant people, we too have failed to glory in womanhood. As Christian husbands, we have not loved our wives like Jesus, nor shown honor to them as the weaker vessels. Our prayers have been hindered because we have not lived with our wives in an understanding way. We have passively followed in the footsteps of our culture, grumbling along the way. But we have not guarded the garden from the dragon’s lies. Forgive us, we pray, for we are miserable offenders.
We know that if we in the church regard sin in our own midst, our prayers will be ineffectual, so we confess our individual sins to you now.
The alarm goes off at 6:00am like the starting gun at the Kentucky derby and it’s all legs and sweat and flying dust until you cross the finish line at 10:30pm: Shower, dress, start the coffee pot, rouse the kids, pound a cup of coffee, find someone’s missing shoe, clean up the spilled cereal, fix lunch, find the missing homework, send someone back to his room for a wardrobe adjustment, drink more coffee, find your car keys, 30 second huddle with your spouse about afternoon plans: who is practicing what and where today?; someone hears the bus coming, the dog is eating from the kitchen table, the baby is crying; someone forgot their lunch box. And it's only 7:23am.
Maybe you can resonate. Whether you are married or single, young or old, there are particular seasons where we feel like life is coming at us too fast to make time for personal devotion. “I just don’t have enough time,” we say. “Where will I find an hour to sit and read the word?”
Even in those seasons, though we might not like to admit it, many of us still find time to check social media. Though we might collapse exhausted onto the couch at 10pm, we still can manage the attention for an episode of that series we’re catching up on. Maybe we fail to spend time in the Scriptures because we’re frustrated with how little we get out of the time we do spend there. Perhaps we think that we must need more time to make our personal devotions “worth it.”
But the problem is not the lack of time, the problem is that we might be using the time we do have ineffectively. Perhaps we have forgotten how to meditate.
Meditation is the act of ruminating—turning over a truth about God in our heart; examining it; savoring it; enjoying it. Meditation is letting the bible brew in your brain. Meditation is taking truth and, by sustained reflection, extracting all the goodness we possibly can from it in conversation with God. As seventeenth-century pastor Edmund Calamy says, “meditation is nothing else but a conversing with God, the soul’s colloquy with God; and it is fit that we should every day walk with God.”
The Puritans recognized that meditation is the nucleus of all spiritual life. It cultivates in us a deep love for God. It causes us to rightly reverence and fear him. It magnifies the kindness and goodness of Christ. Meditation applies God’s promises and equips us to rely on him when all other helps fail. It helps us appropriately value the good things of the world. Meditation cultivates grace and gratitude in our heart, it clarifies our priorities, it helps us live in obedience and fight the temptations of the evil one. Meditation plants Scripture deep in our heart and in our memory.
Meditation thrives when we give it time. But what it needs more than time, is focus. Therefore, we can still deeply benefit from meditation even in small snatches of time on the days when life is moving 100 miles an hour.
So here are two simple ways to make 10 minutes of meditation count.
1: Speak Scripture. Take one verse and speak it out loud. Repeat it in the car and emphasize a different word each time. See how repeating the verse turns your heart to gratitude or brings conviction or relieves anxiety. “The LORD is my shepherd…The Lord is MY shepherd. The Lord is my SHEPHERD.” You’d be surprised how the simple act of speaking Scripture aloud will stir up your affections for God. Maybe your kids will ask who you are talking to.
2 Pray Scripture. The proper beginning and ending of all meditation is prayer. Turn the content of your meditation to prayer—“Lord Jesus, thank you for being my shepherd. Since you are Lord over all things, I know I don’t need to worry. Forgive me for letting my affections be shaped more by my circumstances than my confidence in your care.” Maybe you will find new vigor in your prayer life.
So, church, the exhortation this morning is this: Feast on the riches of God’s works and ways this week by meditating on his Word.
Let’s pray together:
Heavenly Father, we acknowledge that we too frequently fail to meditate on your word and, in so doing, we neglect to remember all that you are to us and all that you have done for us, in Christ. Forgive us, we pray. Our neglect of your word reminds us of other ways we have sinned against you, and we bring these before you now in this time of silent confession. […]
Lord, your word declares your abundant goodness, and we look to you with confidence knowing that you are gracious and merciful, slow to anger and abounding in steadfast love. You are good to all, and your mercy is over all that you have made. Help us live in light of your promises, in the power of the Spirit, because we ask in Jesus’s name, Amen.
The primary function of the Exhortation in our worship service is as an on-ramp to confession of sin. We lay out what God calls us to do so that we can confess to God what we have failed to do, so we can receive mercy because of what Christ has done.
Let me give you an image from the book of Genesis. God said to Cain, “Sin is crouching at your door; its desire is for you, but you must rule over it.” Sin, like a predator, like a monster, crouches on your porch, desiring to possess you, to own you, to master you, to devour you.
Let me get more specific. Because if Paul is any example, sometimes you just need a list of sins. Here is what is crouching at your door. Listen for the monster on your porch.
Envy and rivalry
Covetousness - wanting what other people have so bad that it makes you sad
Discontentment, grumbling, ingratitude for God’s kindness to you
Sexual immorality - pursuing sexual gratification outside of marriage, whether through pornography, fornicaction, or adultery
Drunkenness and gluttony
Unrighteous anger, hatred, malice, and bitterness
Gossip, slander, malicious speech
Cruelty
Cowardice
Laziness and sloth
Disobedience to parents
Plain old selfishness
Lying and deceit - either believing lies or spreading lies or both
Pride, haughtiness, boasting, self-righteousness
So hear these exhortations. First, if that monster is still crouching on your porch, beware. Don’t make peace with it. Don’t coddle your sinful desires. Don’t nurse it and try to befriend it. Don’t secretly feed it scraps under the table. You can’t carry fire next to your chest and expect not to get burned. You can’t raise a dragon in your house and expect not to get eaten.
Second, I expect for some of you, the monster already pounced. You’ve fallen into the ditch. Maybe you even jumped. You’ve presented your members–your eyes, your ears, your mouth, your belly, your hands, your feet, your body, your mind–as instruments of unrighteousness, as tools of sin. You’ve committed great evil. Don’t rationalize your sin. Don’t make excuses for the dragon. Don’t let explanations of sin become excuses for sin.
Third, Don’t bow up. Don’t turn your sin of error and folly and passion into a high-handed, stiff-necked sort of sin. Don’t double down. Don’t make God break your back because you won’t bow. Don’t spurn his kindness. And Don’t hide. Don’t wallow in ungodly grief. Come out into the light. Some of you are terrified that someone is going to find out. I have some bad news: He already knows. And he’s on his way.
And I have some good news: He already knows, and he’s on his way. But I’m getting ahead of myself. That image, and that list, and those exhortations remind us of our need to confess our sins, so let’s seek God’s mercy together.
Prayer of Confession Our Father and God, we live among a wicked people, a nation that massages and coddles its sinful desires and rationalizes and excuses its unrighteous actions. Rather than making war on ungodliness, we have made peace with all manner of evil. Indeed we call good evil and evil good, and we mock at virtue and godliness. We suppress truth in unrighteousness and expect you not to see. Our presumption is a form of idolatry. We are stiff-necked, hard-hearted, and high-handed in our rebellion. And this is a great evil.
More than that, Lord, as your covenant people, we too have followed the passions of our flesh and been led away by deceitful desires. We have gone along to get along. We may not parade our sins like the world, but we nurse and coddle them in secret, expecting your blessing while withholding heartfelt obedience. Forgive us, we pray, good Lord, for giving sin a foothold among us. Forgive our compromises, our errors, our follies, and our deliberate decisions. Turn our hearts back to you in sincere repentance.
We know that if we in the church regard sin in our own hearts, our prayers will be ineffectual, so we confess our individual sins to you now. […]
Father, when we love darkness, your holy light is hateful to us. Your knowledge of our sinful hearts is bad news. But when, by your Spirit, we turn back to you, we find that it was goodness and mercy pursuing us all along. You are not another monster seeking to devour, but our great Savior who delivers us from the world, the flesh, and the devil. Thank you for Jesus who died for our sins and was raised for our justification. Help us to walk in the newness of the resurrection life that he offers us by the Spirit. In Jesus name, Amen.
The road to Emmaus was seven miles long — a pretty good distance under normal circumstances, and I imagine a near impossibility with a heart weighed-down with grief. On this particular day, however, two men attempted the journey with exactly that in common — a heart deeply grieved by the death of their friend, their king, Jesus.
It would have been easy for these two to have kept the cries of their hearts under lock and key. Keep the hurt, confusion, and despair buried deep down inside them. But they didn’t. As they walked, they talked about all that had just happened. They opened the doors of their hearts and let them flow out and find a companion in one another.
Partway through the journey, Jesus would draw near to these two companions, open the Scripture to them, wash away the fog of confusion, help them to make sense of things. He’d sit down to table with them, break bread with them, open their eyes to see — it’s Jesus! Jesus would leave, and these two travelers would follow suit, sprinting side-by-side in joy the entire seven miles back to tell the others “Jesus is alive!”
There are many glories to be found within this narrative from Luke 24. One such glory, I believe, is the display of true Christian friendship. Yes, friendship can be found elsewhere in the Bible, but it is so unique here in that in such a tightly packed space we see along both poles — deep despair, unbridled delight — the beauty and utility of true Christian friendship. Friendship in moments when faith in Jesus is tearing apart at the seams; friendship in moments when Jesus is so real to you that say, “Did not our hearts burn within us!”
Friendship is needed – note merely desired — but needed in both spaces. In the deepest of valleys of dejection, friendships make walkable the path set before you. On the highest mountain tops of delight, friendships complete our joy by allowing us to express delight to another. In doubt and despair, friendship are as Ebeneezers — living, breathing visual reminders of the times when we saw more clearly, of the times when our hearts did burn, of the seasons when Christ was sweet — they give us hope that those days will come again. In joy and gladness, friendships make these moments concrete — brother, sister, I will remember this moment, and keep it in remembrance, that I might share it with you in moments you are tempted to forget it.
Friendships, my friends, are a God-given means of grace to us. Armies at our side lest we attempt the battle alone. Glad-hearted companions lest we keep the joys to ourselves.
Do you have such friendships? Friends to walk alongside the desperate path to Emmaus? Friends to sprint alongside the celebratory path back to Jerusalem? Have you cultivated the richness of such friendships? Have you allowed your friends to see your heart, know your mind, be familiar with your hopes, know the sound of your cries, know you, really know you — that your journey of faith might be trod in the strength and stability offered in fellowship?
It’s my exhortation to you, today, that you would. That you’d not only seek out such friends but that you’d go deep with such friends that you might one day see one another in glory, and say, “Did not our hearts burn within us as we walked with him on the road of life?”
And of course, this exhortation reminds us of our need to confess our sins for we, in our pride, often think ourselves self-sufficient – friends are luxury, not necessity. In our self-exaltation friends are there to admire and applaud our greatness, not witness our weakness. In our selfishness we want friends to serve us in our time of need, but we don’t want the mess and effort of reciprocating. We are sinners, we…are…sinners…and we have a Savior — One who calls himself Friend of Sinners — and he invites us to bring our sins, and all our sins, to him now in this time of silence confession.
One of the great moments of gospel advance in the early church is when Paul preaches in Athens in Acts 17. We have Luke’s summary of the speech, along with this curious leading comment on why Paul was invited to speak at the Areopagus:
Now all the Athenians and the foreigners who lived there would spend their time in nothing except telling or hearing something new. (Acts 17:21)
Now, Luke does not appear to be impressed with, nor does he commend, the Athenians’ use of time. However, he does observe that their otherwise unhealthy fascination with news provides a surprising opportunity, contrary to their intention, for the ultimate news, the good news of Jesus Christ.
So, here, in Athens — this one time — their fixation on news works for the good news. But then what? What will happen when the good news is no longer new to such people, and they move on to the next new thing?
Perhaps, like me, you grew up assuming, or still assume, that keeping up with the daily news is a good, respectable, even virtuous habit. Responsible people diligently apply themselves and expend daily effort to stay informed of the news, and perhaps especially Christians. I think that is a bad assumption.
But the main issue is not whether you stay up on the news in some modest way, but at what cost. Or more precisely, Have you come to lean on news, and give daily attention to news, in such a way that it has become, however so subtle, a replacement for, or competitor to, God.
To test yourself, you might ask, Where do I turn first in the morning? Once I’m awake, and have my best attention and full focus ready, where does it go?
We might also ask ourselves about where we default to, or return to, or what we naturally meditate on, in the spare moments of the day. Is it news? Is it the pretense, I want to know what’s going on in the world right now?
Paul writes in Colossians 3:1–2 with what might be clarifying words for us as Christians on how to orient to the news:
If then you have been raised with Christ, seek the things that are above, where Christ is, seated at the right hand of God. Set your minds on things that are above, not on things that are on earth.
The issue is, Where do we go to set our minds? What, and who, gets our priority time, and our most engaged attention? Is it Christ, and his good news, or is it too often the daily news of this age? Do we seek Jesus and set our minds on him, or has something else crept in — perhaps something as seemingly virtuous as the daily news — and taken his place of priority?
Note well, this is not a call to be oblivious to our times or separate ourselves artificially from the world into which Christ has sent us. But it is a reminder to get the order and balance right.
So, the exhortation this morning is this: let’s make Jesus and his good news, through his word, the first and foremost news in our lives, not the world’s news. It is inevitable, and even helpful at times, to receive the world’s news — and as we do, let’s be among those whose minds have been set on things above, so that we might wisely weigh and respond to daily news from below as Christians.
Let’s pray.
Father in heaven, we confess our ears, and our focus, have too often been more attentive, and more attuned, to daily news than to your Son, and what is ultimate. Whether politics, or ESPN, or the pandemic, or online updates from friends and family, we are prone to lose our bearings, lapse in our priorities, and mishandle the proportions.
And now, in this moment, gathered with your church, with your Spirit among us, we see our folly afresh. We acknowledge our sins of attention and diversion, both subtle and grievous. And we ask for your forgiveness in Christ, as we search our own hearts, and confess our sins, in the silence of this moment.
Father, be our vision. Make Jesus, your Son, and his good news, through his word, to have our best thoughts, and be our prioritized focus.
Keep us from letting the course and pattern of this world, through its news, shape our minds and hearts, and perspective, and control how we approach Christ and his word. Rather, we ask, make Christ and his news, through his word, to so shape us, that it transforms how, and when, and how often, and how much we give ear to the world’s news through whatever flawed and distorting channel it comes to us.
Father, we praise you that you know it all. Every event, every detail, every happening. And you know all that matters most, and typically goes unreported, in our world. So, set our minds on your Son, and in him, give us wisdom to live in this age, wise as serpents and innocent as doves. In Jesus’s name, we pray. Amen.
One way to think about the Christian life is that it’s a rhythm of both remembrance and hope:
We remember what God has done (most importantly when Jesus died for us) and
we hope for what God will do (most importantly when Jesus returns).
And this rhythm of remembrance and hope is especially felt at Advent when we say each week: “Christ has come, Christ will come again.”
We remember Jesus’s First Advent, Christmas; and we hope for Jesus’s Second Advent … when the trumpet sounds and Jesus himself will descend from heaven, as Paul tells us in 1 Thessalonians 4.
And when Jesus does this every Christian who has died in this world will be raised from the dead, and those of us who are still alive will come together with them to meet Jesus and, from then on, we will always be with him (see 1 Thessalonians 4:13–18).
And if that future event seems improbable to you, I guarantee you that the past event of God becoming a man and being laid in a manger and dying on a cross was drastically more improbable … but it’s not just more improbable; from the perspective of our world today, the Incarnation is also more respectable.
Here’s what I mean: Which do you think your unbelieving coworker would find silliest, the fact that you celebrate Christmas or the fact that you are waiting for Jesus to come back?
And I mean you’re waiting for Jesus to come back not just in theory; it’s not just some theological idea that you sign off on; but you actually expect that one day a trumpet will be heard and Jesus will be seen — do you believe that’s going to happen? … Do you believe that’s going to happen enough to ask Jesus for it?
This is the last prayer of the Bible. Revelation 22, verse 20, Jesus says he’s coming back, and John says Please, Jesus! Amen! Come back! And my exhortation this morning is for you to pray that too. No matter how strange the world might consider our hope, we ought to pray for Jesus to come back.
Ask Jesus to return.
And this reminds of us our need to confess our sins:
Prayer of Confession Lord Jesus, forgive us for the weakness of our hope in your return. Your promise is not slack, but our prayers are, and we confess to you that this slackness is an indication of our disordered loves and worldly distractions. We often want other things more than we want you, and for this sin we are desperate for your mercy. We especially feel the depths of our need, Jesus, when the darkness of this world compels our longing for you more than the brightness of your glory. Even if this world were perfect, are you not worthy of our greatest longing still, if we are here and you are there?
Jesus, you are worthy. We believe, help our unbelief — and lead us now in this time of silent confession.
[Silent confession]
Jesus, you indeed are worthy of all praise and longing — you are more worthy than we can comprehend, but give us the grace to want to comprehend more. We rest this morning in your love, that by your death and resurrection we are forgiven and free and alive to know you more. We want to know you more and love you more. We want to long for your return more, even now. Lord Jesus, please work this miracle in our hearts, by your Spirit, in your name. Amen.
With Thanksgiving this week, I wanted to remind us of the spiritual power — the focusing, strengthening, and purifying power — of gratitude. Thanksgiving, of course, is not a Christian holiday, but it can be an especially sweet and meaningful holiday for Christians. So what word from God might help us get ready to celebrate well — to honor God while our whole nation stops to give thanks?
As we head into the week this verse has been at the forefront of my mind and heart. It may seem like a strange verse to choose, but stick with me:
Ephesians 5:4: Let there be no filthiness nor foolish talk nor crude joking, which are out of place, but instead let there be thanksgiving.
The apostle Paul wants us, as Christians, to remove all filthiness and foolishness and crude joking and any other kind of bad or hurtful language from our conversations, and to instead, fill those conversations with thanksgiving. “But instead let there be thanksgiving.” Replace the old ways you used to talk with gratitude to God for all he is for you and all he’s done for you and all he promises to do for you.
He’s describing a kind of spiritual displacement. How do you get air out of a container? You can’t — unless you fill the container with something else. You drive the air out with water. That’s what’s happening in Ephesians 5:4. Do you struggle with sinful ways of talking? Do you want to stop speaking in those ways? Then thank God for something. Drive out filthiness and foolishness and harshness and crude joking with gratitude. Fill your mouth (and mind and heart) so full of thanksgiving that there’s less and less room for sin. That’s how gratitude strengthens and purifies a soul.
So, this week (and then every week after), let thankfulness — specific and expressed gratitude to God — drive out filthiness, foolish talk, and crude joking in your conversations. But don’t stop there. Let thankfulness drive out other sins too. Let thankfulness — specific and expressed gratitude to God — drive out selfish or suspicious thoughts toward your spouse. Let thankfulness — specific and expressed gratitude to God — drive out impatience toward your children. Let thankfulness force out the envy you might feel toward your friends or co-workers. Let thankfulness remind you of just how many reasons you have not to click on that site or indulge that lust. Let thankfulness draw you out of bed to meet with God when you’d rather sleep for another 30 minutes. Give thanks so specifically, so consistently, so joyfully that Satan can’t even get a word in.
My exhortation this morning, Cities Church, is that we overcome temptation with gratitude.
On October 31, 1517, Martin Luther did something remarkably un-revolutionary: he posted a list of propositions on the door of the chapel at the University of Wittenberg. Posting “theses” of this sort was common practice in sixteenth-century—it notified the academic community of matters to be disputed in a formal debate.
Even the content of these ninety-five theses was not, on its face, particularly controversial. The familiar thematic emphases of the Reformation—faith alone, by grace alone, through Christ alone, as taught by the Scriptures alone, to the glory of God alone—would not be fully articulated until several years later.
Nevertheless, we mark the 31st of October as “Reformation Day”—the beginning of the Protestant Reformation. The heart of its conviction comes in Luther’s first proposition, he writes:
“When our Lord and Master Jesus Christ said “Repent,” he intended that the entire life of believers should be repentance.”
Luther was convinced that the Church of his day had turned repentance into selfish self-righteousness.
It was (and is) a surprisingly easy thing to do. There are two ways it can happen. First, we can make repentance about keeping God happy—being concerned about how our sin might impact our prayers being heard or how it might diminish God’s blessing in our lives. Sorrow over sin becomes sorrow over its consequences. We lament how our sin has ashamed us before others or diminished our credibility or closed the door to certain opportunities. We can even be tempted to rationalize our sin, “if you only knew how I’ve been treated, then you’d understand why I behave this way.”
Luther saw the selfishness of sorrowing over sin for its consequences. This kind of sorrow was not repentance, but what the apostle Paul calls “worldly grief that produces death” (2Cor 7.10) because it missed the profound offence that sin is against God. Sin is an outrage against his holiness, a denial of his truthfulness, a revolt against his authority, an affront to precious atonement that is ours in Christ. As wicked as David’s sin was against Bathsheba and Uriah, in Psalm 51, he prays “Against you, you only, have I sinned and done what is evil in your sight” (51.3). True repentance involves recognizing that the heinousness of sin is its offense against God. And, as Luther reminded the church, it involves heart-felt reformation, an overt determination to live in light of the gospel—to turn away from sin because doing so pleases God.
But there is another way that repentance can be turned into selfish self-righteousness. In the sixteenth century, the word repentance had been exchanged for penance. Penance was the performance of prescribed behaviors to make amends for sin—reciting certain prayers, venerating shrines, depriving oneself of certain foods or comforts, scaling stairs on one’s knees, etc. This distortion of repentance is a form of self-punishment in which we attempt to make ourselves so truly miserable and regretful that we feel like we deserve to be forgiven. We do it, today, too. We loathe ourselves, continually rehearse our record of wrongs, despair of our small progress, push ourselves into a regretful frame of heart.
We attempt to atone for our own sin—to make ourselves righteous by our misery! But this, too, rejects the gospel. We don’t have to make ourselves suffer to merit forgiveness. Instead, we simply receive the forgiveness is ours through the cross of Christ. “For our sake,” Paul says, the Father “made him to be sin who knew no sin, so that in him we might become the righteousness of God” (2Cor 5:21).
Luther realized that, for Christians, at the bottom of repentance is the reality that we have been accepted by God in Christ. What mercy! What grace! And when we grasp the reality of God’s love in Jesus, it makes it easier for us to acknowledge our sin before him and to one another. The more loved and accepted we see that we are in Christ, the more often we will be repenting.
And so that is the exhortation, this morning. Friends, make all of life true repentance. Come before the Lord, acknowledging all your sin—for he knows it already—and find in him the forgiveness that is yours because of Christ. Make war on sin, in his strength, and live in the joy of knowing that you are fully and finally his.
Let’s turn now, together, to him, to seek his mercy, in this time of silent confession.
I want to talk about framing. Not framing a house. Framing reality. Framing refers to how we see things. Because we don’t just see things; we see things as. If you see a bear, you don’t just see a bear. You see the bear as dangerous. If you’re on a walk and see a sunset, you don’t just see the sunset; you see the sunset as beautiful. That’s what I mean by framing. We see things as.
And not just sight. Our other senses as well. We hear the buzzing of a fly as annoying. We hear the laughter of a child as delightful. Framing has to do with the immediate and snap judgments that we make about reality and its relation to us.
And our framing is not static. The laughter that is delightful at one time is a nuisance and frustration at another (because you’re trying to get some work done). The laughter is the same; the framing—your snap judgment—is different.
We’re always framing, and it’s good that we do. It’s what keeps us alive. “Bear as dangerous” is why you jump in the car and drive away when you see one.
But our snap judgments lead to snap reactions, and those reactions are not always good. Your spouse makes an observation; you make a snap judgment—“comment as insult”—and you react with your own insulting comment, and the situation escalates. You see the two places you could go wrong: was your snap judgment correct? And was your snap reaction appropriate?
You can think of many other examples. Was that question from your coworker simply a request for information? Or was it a subtle shot at your ignorance? Your friends go out one night and don’t invite you. Did they simply forget or intentionally leave you out? Snap judgment, snap reaction.
And you can see how our snap judgments and reactions—our framing—set us on a path. They didn’t invite me. They intentionally left me out. They don’t want to be around me. They’ve rejected me as their friend. And with every judgment, a corresponding reaction, which together make the frame sturdier.
My exhortation is twofold. First, be compassionately curious about framing, both yours and others. I reacted because I made a snap judgment. Why did I make that judgment? Was that an appropriate reaction? My spouse/child/friend reacted because they made a snap judgment about me. Why did they make that judgment? How can I love them through it?
Second, don’t be conformed to the pattern of this world. In other words, don’t frame reality the way the world frames reality. Instead, be transformed by the renewing of your mind. That’s why you’ve come to worship today—so that your mind can be renewed such that you frame reality the way that God does.
This reminds us of our need to confess our sins.
“I knew I was special.”
Those were the words a young Tom Riddle, eventually the horrible Lord Voldemort, whispered to his own quivering fingers he learned that he had magical powers. The great wizard Albus Dumbledore heard it, and later told the story to Harry Potter, with the commentary, “Yes, Riddle was perfectly ready to believe that he was—to use his word—special.”
All of us have a similar itch deep down: to be special. And it has not been helped by one of the prevailing messages of our day: “you are special.” Surely, there’s a place to hear it from well-meaning parents and grandparents. But it also can be a dangerous message to preach to a young sinner. There is a specialness worth highlighting but it is a specialness we recognize with others, or above others.
There is a specialness as humans, and in Christ, that Christians should appreciate — not only as God’s image-bearers but also as redeemed, chosen before the foundation of the world, loved at Calvary, indwelt by the Holy Spirit. And this is a specialness together, not a specialness that’s over and against each other. This is important. There is a declaration of “you are special” that is true and humbling, and another one that cultivates pride, depending on context.
In our age of self-focus and self-expression, many of us love to feed our minds the elixir of “I am special. I’m a cut above others. I can bend the rules when I want, even though others shouldn’t. I know better than others.” It’s a deadly potion.
One of the main ways that God humbles his people, and sifts such deadly pride from our lives, is by giving us each other in the life of the local church.
As many of us can testify, some of the most humbling situations in life come in the context of the local church, particularly when we’ve covenanted together with each other to be the church to each other, warts and all.
We covenant in marriage, for the hard times, not the easy times; this is why we covenant with each other to be the church to each other.
The church is a gathering of strange folk unlike any other community we’re part of in modern life. We are not a collection of the world’s wisest and most noble and strongest. As Paul says in 1 Corinthians 1,
Consider your calling, brothers: not many of you were wise according to worldly standards, not many were powerful, not many were of noble birth. But God chose what is foolish in the world to shame the wise; God chose what is weak in the world to shame the strong; God chose what is low and despised in the world, even things that are not, to bring to nothing things that are, so that no human being might boast in the presence of God (1 Corinthians 1:26–29)
That’s who we are, by and large: foolish, ignoble, and weak in the world’s eyes — that God, through his church, might shame the wise, noble, and strong. Which means we can be an odd and challenging collection of folks — and that’s exactly what God means it to be. We are not a people who are special over and against each other. In Christ, as his church, redeemed and sustain by his grace, we are special together.
This reminds us of our need to confession our sins.
Father in heaven, forgive us for our low thoughts about the church, and others who claim Christ. Forgive us for looking at each other with natural eyes, the eyes of the world, for seeing folly and weakness when we should see your wisdom and strength. Father, we receive your grace, in awe, as being your beloved, your people — special to you, not over and against these people, but with them. We confess before you our remaining pride, and our ache to be special from an impure heart, as we confess our sins before you now in the quiet of this moment.
Throughout the month of August, we’ve been utilizing these exhortations to explain our liturgy (our order of service for our Sunday morning worship gatherings). Our liturgy each Sunday morning is crafted around the five C’s:
Call to Worship
Confession
Consecration
Communion
Commission
Two weeks ago Pastor Mike kicked us off by talking about the first “C”… Call to worship. And then last Sunday, one week ago, Pastor Ryan discussed the next one, Confession. Today, we come to the third “C”… Consecration.
The word “consecration” is used in a few different ways by various types of people. When we use the word “Consecration” (in our context), we are typically talking about separating ourselves from the sinful things of this world that might contaminate our lives. Simply put, when we’re talking about consecration, we’re talking about living holy lives.
Here at Cities Church, we have a strong desire to be holy, to be like Jesus, and the consecration section of our liturgy is informed by this desire. This section of our service, consecration, consists of four components:
Singing
Prayer
Scripture Reading
Preaching
First, let’s talk about the singing. Now, it’s important to note, there’s also singing in other parts of the liturgy. But the songs that are a part of the consecration section (that’s the songs that we typically sing after the confession and the assurance of pardon, but before the sermon, those songs, usually two songs) those songs are selected with a specific goal in mind.
Of course, there are some songs out there that could fit into any portion of the service, but when we select songs for the consecration section of the liturgy, we tend to select songs that emphasize what God has accomplished for us through the life, death, and resurrection of Jesus.
The reason for this is because these types of songs tend to cultivate in us a spirit of humility and awe. And when we are humble before the Lord and when we are in awe of him, that is when we are most likely to be receptive to the instruction and correction from the Lord that we need to be able to live holy lives.
And sometimes those songs are intermingled with corporate readings from Scripture or readings from historic creeds and confessions. These are also focused on cultivating humility and inspiring us to be in awe of God.
After the singing, we have the prayer of praise. This is a prayer that expresses gratitude to God and it includes specific petitions to God for our congregation and community. And then, of course, we have the reading of Scripture and the preaching from Scripture.
Each week we have someone read the passage, and the person reading the passage is usually different than the person preaching. That’s intentional. When a specific person is designated for the reading of Scripture, it subtly sends the message that the reading of Scripture is not just a “throw-in” component of the service, it’s not ancillary. No. The reading of God’s word is valuable and sacred, so much so that it warrants its own designated reader.
And then that leads to the sermon. Here at Cities Church, we preach expository sermons, generally through entire books of the Bible. We do not believe that this is the only way to handle preaching, various churches do it differently.
However, the Bible commands us, the pastors, to preach the whole counsel of God, and the best way to do that, by far, is to preach expository sermons, book by book. Also, expository sermons are the best way to ensure that you, the congregation, are properly understanding God’s Word, because you are hearing it preached week by week within its appropriate context.
Reading Scripture and preaching are essential components in consecration. The reading and preaching of God’s Word helps to unearth our unbelief, and it exposes our wrong beliefs.
When we gather to hear God’s Word, we expect to be changed; we expect for the Spirit of God to expose the areas of our lives that are not pleasing to God.
By nature, we don’t love the things that God loves. And we don’t think about the world the way God thinks about the world. But through a weekly rhythm of hearing God’s word read and faithfully preached, we can develop a love for the things that God loves, and we can learn to think about the world the way God thinks about the world.
The reading and preaching of the Word of God is transformative for us, and we need that! Even though we are followers of Jesus, forgiven of our sins, and indwelled with the Holy Spirit, we all still have the propensity for sin. We still need that ongoing transformative work of the Holy Spirit in our lives.
Church, my exhortation to you this morning is simple, engage with these components: the singing, the prayer of praise, the reading of Scripture, and the preaching. As we do that, we’ll see God use these components to mold us, to make us holy, to make us more like Jesus.
Would you pray with me?
Prayer: Father in heaven, we are sinners, by nature and by choice. We need to be transformed. This morning we acknowledge that we still need to be brought into greater conformity with your own heart and mind. We have often neglected consecration. We’ve been flippant or apathetic. Please forgive us. We have sung songs with our lips, but our hearts have been far from you. Please forgive us. Many of us have so often prayed prayers of petition; but we have often lacked gratitude. Please forgive us. And now, O Lord, we pause in this service for a moment, to acknowledge our own sins. We take this moment of silence to confess our own individual sins to you now.
[Pause for Private Confession]
Prayer: Lord, thank you for our founding pastors, who crafted our liturgy with such intentionality. I am grateful. And I ask that you would continue to use this liturgy, week in and week out, to continually mold us to be the people you want us to be. God, thank you for sending your Son, Jesus, to rescue us, to atone for our sins, to even make it possible for us to be consecrated. Thank you! Thank you for sending Jesus. Thank you for your mercy and grace and kindness. Lord, we love you, but our love for you so often feels so small. Would you please help us to love you more? I ask that in the matchless name of Jesus. Amen!
Assurance of Pardon
Please stand, if you’re able, for the assurance of pardon. Church, you have confessed your sins, now hear the good news, the greatest new ever. When we confess our sins, God is faithful and just to forgive us, and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness. Therefore, to all who humbly seek the mercy of God, I say to you, in Jesus Christ, your sins are forgiven!
Have you ever been part of a small group that has been “stuck”? The kind of “stuck” where conversation never penetrates much beyond the surface of things? You might worship together, pray together, serve together, study the bible together—you may have even been meeting for years—and yet still feel like you don’t really “know” each other.
A twentieth-century German pastor named Dietrich Bonhoeffer once wisely pointed out that “the pious fellowship permits no one to be a sinner.” Christians lack deep fellowship, he argued, when we fail to gather as “the undevout”—as sinners. And when we are afraid to be seen as sinners, we conceal sin from others and even from ourselves—living instead in lies and hypocrisy. Here’s how the Apostle John describes it:
1 John 1.6 If we say we have fellowship with him while we walk in darkness, we lie and do not practice the truth. 7 But if we walk in the light, as he is in the light, we have fellowship with one another, and the blood of Jesus his Son cleanses us from all sin. 8 If we say we have no sin, we deceive ourselves, and the truth is not in us. 9 If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness. 10 If we say we have not sinned, we make him a liar, and his word is not in us.
Perhaps you’ve never thought of it this way, but confession of sin is a means of grace. And while there is a place for private confession before God, the predominant witness of the New Testament is that confession is a grace to be experienced with others. James 5:16 calls us to “confess your sins to one another and pray for one another, in order that you may be healed.” Sin demands to have a man by himself. But when we confess our sin to one another, the gospel breaks into the darkness and seclusion of the heart. Sin is brought out into the light. We are freed from its bondage.
Confession also poisons our pride. “Confession in the presence of a brother,” Bonhoeffer writes, “is the profoundest kind of humiliation. It hurts. It cuts a man down. It is a dreadful blow to pride.” When we confess our sin, we cannot be seen as strong, or capable, or righteous. Instead, we admit that we are sinful and that we have no hope for salvation apart from the mercy to be found at the cross of Christ. Confession is trusting Jesus to justify us rather than justifying ourselves. The Cross of Jesus Christ destroys all pride.
And confession also is the path to true community. Because concealed sin isolates us, it separates us from true fellowship with other Christians. Our relationships stay superficial. Unless we know one another as saints and sinners, as believers and unbelievers, we really don’t know one another at all. But when we confess our sin to one another, we are reminded that the ground is level at the foot of the Cross. We acknowledge our true fellowship as sinners desperate for a savior.
We have been given to one another for this very purpose. Our brother or sister stands before us as a “sign of the truth and grace of God.” Our friend has been given to us by God to help us—to hear the confession of our sin in Christ’s stead and to assure us of the forgiveness of sin in Christ’s name. As fellow heirs of Christ, we say to one another, “dear friend, in Christ Jesus, your sins are forgiven.”
Confession is part of our liturgy on the first morning of the week to remind us it is needed every other day of the week. We are confronted with the holiness of God. We recognize our meager faith, our selfish hearts, our proud self-protection. We remember the grace of God in putting us in fellowship with others—fellow sinners and fellow saints—to war against sin, to confess our sin, to assure one another of the forgiveness of sin. Friends, make this your practice: confess your sins to one another and pray for one another, that you may be healed.
Let’s turn now, together, to him, to seek his mercy, in this time of silent confession.
First we must look at Biblical prescriptions for worship. The Bible assumes that we will regularly meet together and that we should not neglect this practice. Christians are to come and worship together and to hear and be taught from God’s infallible word. That’s why pastor must be able to teach, because they are teachers.
Ephesians says we are to “be filled with the Spirit, addressing one another in psalms and hymns and spiritual songs, singing and making melody to the Lord with [our] heart[s], giving thanks always and for everything to God the Father in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ”. Corinthians talks about the value of order in a worship service, with the goal to promote clarity rather than confusion. And, the corporate gathering is also a fitting place to obey the 2 ordinances Christ gave to His Church; Baptism and the Lord’s Table.
With help from Biblical prescriptions, the founding pastors of Cities church found it wise to structure our Corporate Gathering in 5 parts that start with the letter C. Which has also been called “New Covenant Liturgy”. These 5 pieces are:
Call to Worship
Confession
Consecration
Communion
Commission
This list is a combination of Biblical prescriptions and theological convictions. Biblical prescriptions are what the Bible prescribes for all churches, everywhere. Theological Convictions are applications of scripture that seem fitting for Corporate Worship. These are helpful, but not commanded in scripture. New Covenant liturgy is a way to structure a church service, not the way.
One of these convictions is that the whole service should revolve around, and climax at, the work of Jesus Christ on our behalf. This also fits well with the churches ordinances, that explicitly display the gospel of Christ. The whole service is about Jesus. And the service is not just informative, but also formative for our hearts and minds. We don’t just hear the call of God, we respond to it.
We don’t talk about confessing sins, we do it. We don’t just hear of God’s grace, together we receive it. We aren’t observers of this service, we are participants in it. And as pastors we trust that this intentional pattern in our lives, and your lives, is helping to mature us and form us into the image of Christ. It is one thing for me to pray in my head. But, it can be helpful in a formative way for me to pray out-loud, on my knees at times. My physical posture helps form my heart and my words. It teaches me a humble posture that can help form a humble heart. In the same way, we hope that by the structure or our liturgy, and your participation in it, would help form your relationship with God.
So starting with the first C, Call, why do we have a call to worship? The Bible teaches us that God is the initiator in all thing. God spoke, and the universe was created. God willed it, and we were physically born. We were dead in our trespasses and sins, and God called us out of darkness and we were spiritually reborn. So the call to worship, is God again initiating towards us. The call each Sunday comes from scripture, usually a Psalm, and is to show us the Glory and Character of the God we have come to worship.
The Call to Worship is then followed by prayer and a Call and Response. The response is the first time in the service, where we all participate. We hear a revelation of God from His Holy Scripture, and we respond and worship Him through song, together. And this sets the pace for the rest of the service.
We see a glimpse of God in the call, and we worship him, this leads us to an awareness of our own unworthiness. The exhortation then helps guide our hearts to confession. We confess our sins and through God’s revealed Word in 1 John 1, we are assured of pardon. We are consecrated and set apart for him. We hear His Word through preaching, we land at communion that experientially reminds us of Christ finished work on our behalf, and it spiritually feeds us. And we are sent out with the commission Jesus left his followers.
So the Exhortation this morning is extremely simple. Our whole service has intention and is linked together, so be here for it, for all of it. Leave a few minutes early so you aren’t rushing in, and in the very near future, come grab some coffee. Meet someone new, catch up with a friend, or find a seat a few minutes early and let your soul slow down. Be here when God welcomes you to worship him.
It seems an unwritten rule in evangelism that when you, a Christian, are forming a friendship with a non-Christian, you ought to spend a good chunk of time with that person, build up some relational collateral with that person, before you start talking about Jesus with that person. Like, you don’t just up and start talking about Jesus with someone you just met, right? You talk about these things, in these categories, at these levels, seeking to earn some trust and report with that person, and then, once you got that, you can bring Jesus in to the conversation.
Are you familiar with this rule? Are you familiar hoping to share the gospel with that person soon, but just not really “there yet”with that person?” Trust, report, relational collateral, ought to be characteristics of our friendships with non-Christians, but not at the expense of making it even harder to bring Jesus into the conversation. And this is, I believe, exactly what this unwritten rule causes us to do.
Consider that we, as humans, tend to form our relational fencing with a person around what we choose to talk about with that person. We’ve talked about these things before, the fence forms around them. We’ve never talked about these things, the fence leaves them out. As time goes on, or, as we say, trust, report, relational collateral is being built, these fences grow taller and sturdier. So when I see Mark, he expects we’re going to talk about the outdoors. When I see Kate, she expects we’re going to talk about gardening, John expects we’ll talk about house projects. And I know that’s what they’re expecting, and knowing that, at least for me, has made it easier to bring in topic I’ve yet to discuss with them, a topic they’re not expecting, the topic of Jesus.
How about for you? Think of someone in your life you have a relationship with who is not a believer, maybe a neighbor. Ask, would it be easier for you to bring Jesus up in a discussion with that person today because you’ve spent X amount of time talking about other things with this person? Or, Is the fact that you’ve spent so much time talking with this person about so many other things thee very thing that makes bringing up Jesus in the discussion feel so uncomfortable and strange?
Church, I exhort you, don’t make evangelism more difficult than it needs to be. Don’t, in the name of trust, wait to talk about the name of Jesus. Bring him into your conversations regularly and allow your relational fences to form around him.
Now I realize, with this exhortation, many might say “I want to, I just don’t know how.” If that’s you, I want to encourage you to talk about this with your community group, your life group, and seek to come up with ideas for how you can do this. I think that it’s better to bounce ideas off these people because they know you — your unique personality, your unique context. But for what it’s worth, let me simply offer one tool for today. Someone today or tomorrow is going to ask you about your weekend. They just will because that’s just what we do. When they do, you can say, “Weekend was great, went to church on Sunday and just really enjoyed being there. And, you know, I’ve never really asked you before, but do you ever go to a church or any other place of worship? Where it goes from there I don’t know. But get it there. Get it there. And see how the Lord may guide the rest.
Proverbs says that the sweetness, the richness of a friendship comes from wise, sincere counsel that will gladden and help the person who receives it. A core worth of a friendship comes with ones ability to speak Godly help into any situation. This is the crown jewel of a friend. A friend who loves with grace and truth. A friend who sticks closer than a brother. Who is faithful to encourage when needed, wound when needed, and heal and restore with a Spirit of gentleness, when needed.
To be that type of friend is something worth seeking after. It can be a good desire to seek to have wise counsel that could bless and encourage your friends. And, If I had to guess, I imagine we think a lot more often about being a friend that has wise counsel, rather than seeking a friend to give us wise counsel.
We are eager to help, but reluctant to admit that we need help. We can be much more excited to give words of advice, than to receive them. And in this imbalance, pride is permeating our souls and causing us to gravitate toward giving counsel, and resistant to receiving it.
A good question to ask yourself is:
“When was the last time I invited Christian counsel into a big decision I was pondering?”
Do you ask for counsel on things like where you might move to, and how much you might spend? Or about your job and if you you should move to another state to take a job because it pays more? Or about whether you should date someone or not?
The closer something is to our heart, the greater the temptation is to keep it close to our chest. To guard it from any opinions or advice that might challenge it. We can do this by literally hiding the decision, until it is too late to change. Or we dress it up in a pretty package with lots of Christian words. Words like “the Lord just gave me peace about this”, or, “I felt led by the Lord to do this”.
But to put a microscope on the heart of the issue, here is the big question:
Do you see the counsel of others as a threat to your control and independence, or as a help and safeguard for your heart? A heart that scripture describes as “deceitful above all things, and desperately sick”?
In our pride (which is deeply crippling to us), we care less about counsel helping to save us from sin or foolishness, and are more worried that counsel will ruin our plans.
One of the gifts God church is the Godly counsel of fellow believers.
So let others in. Invite others into to your struggles, so that they may have the opportunity to encourage, challenge, or comfort you with the grace of Jesus Christ. And Invite others into your decisions, knowing they are seeking your good and are a safeguard for your heart that is prone to wander.
To ask others for counsel is not only a mark of humility, but also a mark of maturity. Wise Christians see their need for others, and don’t view themselves too highly. They know they have weaknesses, and blindspots, and are open to critique, so that they may walk more wisely, and love the Lord more deeply.
So church, let others in and make it a regular rhythm of your life to ask your brothers and sisters in Christ: “What do you think?”
“Where Christians live together the time must inevitably come when in some crisis one person will have to declare God’s word and will to another.”
D. Bonhoeffer said this in his book “Life Together.” This is certainly true. One of God’s great gifts to his people is his people. As Christians, we are in Christ, and since we are in Christ, we are united to others who are also in Christ.
As Christians live in community with one another, we get involved in each other’s lives and inevitably the reality of this broken world we live in becomes apparent. Sometimes it will be external pain of this broken world, other times it will be internal pain of the sin in our own hearts and lives.
Why?
As believers, in all our sins, fears, and sorrows, it is very easy for us to forget the Gospel, which is why we need to others to remind us who we are in Christ.
Every trial and temptation is an opportunity for our lives to be transformed by the Gospel. Yet, it is also in these moments where we are prone to wander, and forget the Gospel, and this is why we need brothers and sisters in our lives to remind us of truth and call us further into grace.
What?
As we live together, as a church, in Community Groups and in life Groups, we are not merely fellow saints on the same path on our own journey. We must see that God designed for us to link arms as we walk along the way of truth. In the trials and the joys, when the weight of sin clings closely, we must declare the promises and exhortations of God’s word and will to each other. To put it another way, we must administer the good news of the Gospel to One another.
Administering the Gospel to one another requires that we both know God through His revealed Word and know truly about the lives of those around you.
To administer the Gospel, we must know the Gospel. We can only administer the Gospel to another person truly, if we have embraced the Gospel ourselves.
The Gospel is far beyond self-help, this supernatural life actually works, it transforms. Rather than giving five principles to a happy or productive life that result in small changes, the Gospel has the power to actually change your heart’s desires.
To truly embrace the Gospel, we understand that we have been bought with a price and are no longer our own. We have a new identity, rather than seeing ourselves as defined by who we are, or what we do or want to do, we need to see that who we are is about whose we are.
We are sons and daughters of the Creator, who paid the price for our redemption with his own life, we are new creations, “the old has passed away and the new has come… it is no longer us who lives but Christ who lives in us”
To administer the Gospel to one another, we must know One another,.
We must know what sins, fears, anxieties, and trials our brothers and sisters are dealing with. Jesus did not just die and rise again for our sins in general, but for our sins specifically!
How?
How do we do it? What does this mean?
Administering the Gospel means speaking truthfully about sin.
We can be honest with each other about how we are actually doing, because the blood of Jesus covers our sin, we don’t need to hide it from those around us. Since “We all were once dead in our trespasses and sins” (Ephesians 2) we can be freed from comparison, pride, and fear. When we remember that we were all dead, but God “made us alive.” is the only way any of us can be saved, we are free to be real about the “sins that cling so closely” and fight to bring them into the light.
Administering the Gospel means we speak the truth about what it means to be in Christ specifically to each other.
We can face the earthly consequences for our sin and failures, because Jesus’ death on the cross paid the penalty.
We don’t need to sit in self condemnation or wallow in self-pity, because “There is no condemnation for those in Christ.”
We can flee temptation! “He was tempted like we are in EVERY WAY, yet without sin.”
Because we are in Christ, “hidden with Christ!” we are safe from living in bondage to our deepest fears.
We can find refuge in God, so that regardless what happens in our lives, because we are secure in Christ. No matter where we come from, or what our day has been like, this truth stays the same.
And so, for those with no community, who long for this, press in, seek life groups and community groups to plug into and know and be known. Be vulnerable. Take the first step and keep pursuing it!
To those who are in these groups, but long for this, rejoice in the gospel that frees us to be real with each other, open up about the broken parts of your life, confess your sin, and proclaim this good news boldly to those around you.
And to those who know what it is to press into the lives of one another, and feel discouraged, burdened, or broken by the weight of sin and sorrow on all sides. Turn to the Gospel and see the healer and bearer of all our sorrows.
We are the best brothers and sisters in Christ when we administer the gospel to each other’s lives, even when administering the Gospel stings like salt in a wound or cuts deep.
The Heavenly Doctor uses His Word through our brothers and sisters as the sterile blades meant to open our souls and sutures meant to bring together again rent lives, and also as the healing salve of fellowship in community.
So, let us turn to confession and repent of where we have feared being God’s faithful tools in each other’s lives, and seek his direction as we surrender our lives to each other’s to administer the Gospel to each other.
Father, forgive me for my failure to administer the Gospel, first in my own heart, but also in the lives of my brothers and sisters. Forgive me for finding my identity in what I’ve done, what I can do, or what I want to be, give me grace to find my identity in whose I am, grant us all grace to find our rest and refuge in you,.
Fathers, we must model, for our children, what the life of a Jesus-worshipping man looks like. We desire our boys to grow up to be one, we desire our girls, if they marry, to grow up to marry one. And so we must model, for them, what the life of a Jesus-worshipping man looks like.
We want our children to be able to say,
“I know that a Jesus-worshipping man reads the Bible, because my daddy worships Jesus, and I regularly see him reading his Bible.”
“I know that a Jesus-worshipping man prays, because my daddy worships Jesus, and I see him, every morning, get on his knees and pray.
I know that a Jesus-worshipping man asks for forgiveness when he fails to live like Jesus, because my daddy worships Jesus, and that is what he does.
I know that a Jesus-worshipping man leads his family to church, because my daddy worships Jesus, and he leads us there every Sunday.
Fathers, we must model, for our children, what the life of a Jesus-worshipping man looks like. But if that is all we do, then our children will know well what a Jesus-worshipping man does, but not why he does it.
Fathers, my exhortation to you, invite your children into the why of what you do.
When you do, it might sound like this:
Son, do you know why daddy is praying this morning? Daddy is praying because even though you think daddy is strong, and wise, he actually isn’t all that strong, he isn’t all that wise. Daddy is actually needy. Daddy needs Jesus to make him strong today. Daddy needs Jesus to help him to know what decisions to make today. Daddy needs Jesus to remind him that Jesus loves daddy, for daddy often forgets that. Son, when daddy is praying, Jesus, even though we don’t see him, is here, leaning in, and listening.
Daughter, do you know why daddy is reading the Bible right now? We have other books in this house to read, some with color, some with pictures, but Daddy is reading this book, the Bible, because while all those other books have been written by people, this one is written by God. Our other books are about animals, insects, adventures — all things God made, but this book is about the God who made them, and about how and why he made them. This book reminds daddy about who he was, who God has made him to be, and about the great home that God has promised daddy, and anyone else who’d turn from sin and worship Jesus.
Kids, do you know why daddy leads his family to church every Sunday? It is because Sunday is where we tell the world that Jesus is real. Sunday is when we meet with the people whom we will inherit heaven with. Sunday is how, one way how, God keeps us, his people. Sunday is when God’s people go to church to get a taste of a future reality. Children, that is why we go to church.
Fathers, we must model, for our children, what the life of a Jesus-worshipping man looks like. But even more, we must tell them why. The why if where we get to talk about the good stuff — the glory of our God, the kindness of our God, the sheer, soul-satisfying goodness of our God, that is why, that is the light, the beauty, the treasure we get the honor to regularly show to our children. Fathers, the opportunities before you are many, and so I exhort you, tell them why.
Let’s pray: Father, it is the fathers who come to you now, asking for your grace to give words, give the why’s, behind our actions. That we’d reveal not mere good-activity, not legalism, not obligation, but joy, to our children. Love to our children. Satisfaction to our children. And we ask for your forgiveness for the many times we have not done so: We’ve been distracted, we’ve said we were too tired, too stressed, too busy with other things. Oh lord, forgive us. And Father, we as a whole church come before you, though many are not fathers, we are Jesus-worshippers, and we possess a similar opportunity and capacity to explain to others, this is why I read the Bible, this is why I pray, this is why I go to church, this is why I worship Jesus. And yet, we’ve neglected this opportunity, for many of the same reasons already mentioned. Lord, we ask for your forgiveness, and we ask for your grace to change. And father, in this moment we, the church, bring before you all the other ways we’ve sinned this week, fallen short, missed the mark, we bring them all before you, now, in this time of silent confession.
In Luke 18, Jesus says, “anyone who will not receive the kingdom of God like a little child will never enter it.” “…For the kingdom of God belongs to such as these.” Many of us have heard this before. But have you ever really thought about what Jesus means here? We can’t get this wrong, or we risk not entering the kingdom of God, and that is what all of us were made for. So the eternally important question for us is… how do we receive something like a child?
My kids are really into BeyBlades right now. If you aren’t familiar with these things, they are spinning tops that battle each other to see who can knock the other down in a little plastic stadium. We told my three boys if they finished strong in school this year, we’d get them a gift. And the chosen gift was BeyBlades. When we arrived at the particular aisle in Target, the excitement began. The boys sprinted around the corner like they were training for the 100M relay. They jumped up and down, pointing and exclaiming quite loudly at which ones they were excited to get. They started chest bumping and singing the BeyBlade song, “let it rip!” They couldn’t care less about who else was in the aisle. When we got home with a few BeyBlades and a Beyblade Burst Surge Speedstorm Beystadium, they couldn’t wait to show Brook and I what they liked most about their new toys, to ask us for help in getting everything set up, and to let it rip to their hearts' content.
Now I think this illustrates just a few things for us about receiving something like a kid. A child receives: - Simply, not over-analyzing - Joyfully, without thinking of the correct response - Loudly, kids are not quiet and definitely not silent - With fun and laughter, not dull or dour - Humbly, asking for help and knowing they don’t have all the answers - Once they receive, kids can’t help but talk about it to anyone who will listen
And while there is more to be said, that is instructive to us. How well does that describe how we receive the kingdom of God, and how we share it with others? Much more than three boys receiving some plastic tops for summer break, God has promised us that we will inherit the kingdom. So the exhortation this morning is to receive God’s grace and his promises for the kingdom to come like a child: humbly, simply, loudly, joyfully, and to share it with others. And this reminds us of our need to confess our sins, so pray with me.
As we begin a return to normalcy after the last 14 months of COVID, we should be aware of various challenges that we face. Some of those may be out there in the world, such as the differing expectations of different locations on opening up. But the more relevant challenges for us will be internal, in our heart and in the church. One particular challenge is the way that COVID and the global reaction to it has effected our orientation to the world, in particular, our anxieties and fears. This isn’t a comment about the actual deadlines of COVID; millions of people have died, especially in vulnerable populations. Nor is it a comment about the wisdom of the various measures that were taken to mitigate the spread; there can be reasonable discussions and debates about those topics. At this moment, I’m simply dealing with two facts: 1) COVID was and is a reality, and 2) the world, by and large, took extraordinary measures to address it. Here is one potential effect of those facts: those of us who are prone to anxiety have had the fear and worry center of our minds and bodies on overdrive for 14 months. For 14 months, almost everywhere we went, our sense of danger and anxiety was reinforced by the extraordinary measures instituted in our society. Masks, social distancing, capacity limits on buildings, constant news stories showcasing charts of number of cases, hospitalizations, and deaths—all of these said to us in subtle and not-so-subtle ways—“DANGER, DANGER, DANGER. EVERYWHERE!” That can’t help but affect us. To use the metaphor of the rider and the elephant from a few weeks ago—for many of us, the elephant is incredibly anxious. For months, the elephant’s anxiety was stoked and reinforced, and as anyone who struggles with anxiety knows: Anxiety doesn’t stay put. It grows. It spreads. It gets into everything. And so these facts create an opportunity for us to grow in faith in Christ. For some of us, faith will take the form of courage to overcome our fears. This doesn’t mean being reckless, but it does mean recognizing the sea of anxiety that we may have been swimming in. It means being mindful of the voices we listen to, the fear that grips us, the mood that clouds our perception of the world, and learning how to tell our anxieties to simmer down. Faith in Jesus includes a deep confidence that he will keep us through whatever trials and tribulations the future holds and refusing to be held captive by fear. This reminds us of our need to confess our sins, so let’s seek the Lord together now. Prayer Our Father and God, we live in a highly anxious and fearful society. For months, our nation has been marked by fear—of disease, of government overreach, and of our neighbors. The one thing we have not feared is you. As a nation, there is no fear of God before our eyes. In rejecting the fear of the Lord, we have instead become slaves to all manner of anxieties, fears, and dangers, both real and imagined. This is a great evil. Lord, as your covenant people, we also have let fear and anxiety run wild in our imaginations. Not only have we feared what they fear, we have feared in the way they fear. Frequently we have found ourselves to have more in common with worldly people who share our particular fears than with fellow Christians who don’t. We have allowed the good and right desire to be wise and loving in preparing for potential dangers to become a cover for anxiety. We confess that we have despised our brothers and sisters out of fear, out of impatience and frustration because they don’t fear the same things we fear, because we believe that their fears are overblown and out of proportion. We have chased the log in our brother’s eye without attending to the speck in our own. Forgive us, we pray, for giving free rein to our anxieties, our impatience, our frustration, and our anger. We confess that we have strayed like sheep, and there is no health in us. Have mercy on us, miserable offenders. Father, we know that if we in the church regard sin in our own hearts, our prayers will be ineffectual, and so we confess our individual sins to you now.
Father, you are the God of all mercy and the Father of comfort. Restore us, we pray, in your mercy. According to your very great and precious promises in Christ, give us everything we need for life and godliness. Lift up our heads, that we might see Jesus, and in seeing him, be released from every fear. Make us radiant with your joy, as we are consecrated here in your presence, through Christ we pray, Amen.
It had been 40 days since Jesus had raised from the dead. He had spent time with the disciples and many other people, presenting himself alive with many proofs, and continued to speak about the kingdom of God. Upwards of 500 people had seen Jesus in his physically resurrected body since his death. The disciples were back again with Jesus, listening to him, learning from him, and wondering what was to come next.
A few days earlier Jesus had told His disciples to meet him in Galilee on the mount called Olivet, near Jerusalem. And now there they are, on that hill, talking with Jesus and worshiping Him.
And on that mount, Jesus spoke his final command to his disciples. He said that they are to “Go and make disciples of all nations, baptizing and teaching them all that he had commanded them”.
But, this is not the only command Jesus gave to his disciples after his resurrection. Earlier, as they had been spending time together, Jesus had commanded them to stay in Jerusalem, to wait for the promise of the father. He reminding them as he told them before, that “John baptized with water, but you will be baptized with the Holy Spirit”.
Jesus reminded them of this again on the mount of Olivet. While they were there together, the disciples asked him “Lord, will you at this time restore the kingdom to Israel?” and Jesus said to them “It is not for you to know times or seasons that the father has fixed by his own authority. But, you will receive power when the Holy Spirit comes upon you, and you will be my witnesses in Jerusalem, and in all Judea and Samaria, and to the ends of the earth.”
Then Jesus’s speaks his last command, and is taken up into heaven. The climactic point in all of history has happened, Jesus death and resurrection. The salvation of the nations has been purchased, the marching orders had been given: to share the good news of Jesus victory over satan, sin, and death.
But there was still something worth waiting for. He had command them earlier not to depart Jerusalem until the promise of the father had come. The gift of the Holy Spirit was absolutely essential to fulfill the command Jesus had given. They were commanded to preach the gospel to the ends of the earth, but that they better not leave until the Spirit was sent.
And that day came, 10 days later on the Sunday of Pentecost. This Sunday in the Christian calendar. 7 weeks after the Sunday where Jesus rose from the dead, and 50 days since the Passover.
On that Pentecost day, the Father sent the Spirit just as Jesus and the prophet Joel had said. The Spirit is not only essential for the mission of God, but is essential for all of the Christian life.
Christian are commanded to “walk by the Spirit”, “to be filled with the Spirit” and to “not quench the Spirit”. The same Spirit that came in power on Pentecost 2,000 years ago, is the same Spirit that is given to everyone who believes today. If Holy Spirit is so essential, then let us not disregard, or quench His work
Often people can equate this to mean “Don’t miss the little nudges of the Spirit”. For example , if someone comes to your mind, pray for them. If you feel led to share more, then share more. In these examples, the Spirit is not much more than your buddy that keeps you from dozing off.
These are good things, and we should follow these prompts when they happen, but the Spirit’s work is much more extensive than “a little nudge.” Scripture says several more things about the Spirit. The Spirit is described as the Spirit of truth, who will guide you in all the truth. It says He will convict the world concerning sin, righteousness, and judgement. And if the world, how much more those whom Christ has saved? He will help you in your weakness, when you don’t even know what to pray.
HS work is mysterious. He works when and where He pleases, but the Bible lets us know where He tends to hangout, what kind of business He is in. So let us not disregard the Holy Spirit, and quench His work.
We quench the Spirit of truth when we neglect to read our Bibles, which are truth. And we may be filled with the Spirit when we draw near to God, and listen to His Words.
We quench the Spirit when we neglect to pray. And we may be filled with the Spirit when we reach out to the Father in prayer.
We quench the Spirit when we don’t regularly come together to worship him on Sunday mornings, or prioritize the fellowship of our Community Groups. And we may be filled with the Spirit, as we spend time with God’s people.
And maybe the most important, as it affect all the others, we quench the Spirit when are callous or casual about our sin, and we may be filled with the Spirit when we take it serious, and seek to put it to death.
By the Spirit we can understand truth, speak the gospel boldly, prayer fervently, and put to death the sinful passions of our flesh. The Holy Spirit is our great helper, so do not quench the Holy Spirit.
Psalm 46:10 The Lord says, "Be still, and know that I am God.”
And so my exhortation to you right now is “Be still and know that he is God.” No matter what you’re going through. No matter what you’re circumstances are. No matter what your heart feels.
Be still and know that he is God.
In 2 Corinthians 12 Paul was describing a situation of tremendous hardship, he was going through deep affliction and the Lord spoke to him and said.
“My grace is sufficient for you, for my power is made perfect in weakness."
His grace is sufficient.
Be still and know that he is God.
When we’re unable, He is able.
When we are weak, He is strong.
When we can’t, He can.
He will never leave us nor forsake us.
If he was strong and mighty to save you even when you were dead in your sin
Then he is also strong and mighty to carry you even through the face of affliction,
He is strong and mighty to carry you even in the midst of your pain,
He is strong and might to carry you even through the sorrow of your sin.
His power is made perfect in our weakness.
A preacher once said “There is no one too weak for God to use. Only those who are too strong in themselves.”
And so in the midst of whatever situation you find yourself in recognize the sufficiency of Jesus’ grace. And in the words of Psalm 46:10 the Lord says “be still and know that I am God.”
What do you do when crisis comes? Do you call a friend? A parent? Your brother or sister? Undoubtedly, you reach out to someone trusted. Someone resourceful, someone knowledgeable, someone wise—who knows how to patiently listen, carefully sort you out, and take action.
And (of course) good friends do this for one another, too. We consider our network of contacts and ponder who might be most beneficial for a friend in need. Who can we appeal to who has faced a similar challenge? Or worked in a similar field? Or experienced similar suffering?
Friends, I’ll level with you—too often when crisis comes, this is the often first response that comes to my mind. I’m prone to forget the most basic reality of my new life in Christ. That the God who upholds the universe by the word of his power, cares about me. Isn’t that amazing? He cares for us. A lot. In fact, more than we can even possibly imagine. He is not simply resourceful and knowledgable and patient and wise—he’s familiar with every temptation and acquainted with every grief. He “gets” us. He knows our needs and the needs of others immeasurably better than we do. And what do the Cross, the resurrection, the outpouring of the very Spirit of Christ at Pentecost demonstrate, if not that he will stop at nothing to give us what we need?
And the Father doesn’t care simply about the big things—the cancer diagnosis, the lost job, or the death of a friend. Because the big things in life are made up of countless little things. The small aches and pains, the petty snub and the lost promotion, the friends who pick up and move many miles away. He cares about broken toys and broken bodies and broken systems and broken hearts. Jesus didn’t call us to cast only our biggest anxieties on him. He wants them all (1Pet 5:12).
And Jesus tells us this when he teaches us how to pray in Luke 11. The inclination to ask him for the basic things like our daily bread leads us to ask him for world-shaking things like the coming of his Kingdom. For, as Jesus says in Luke 11:10, “everyone who asks, receives, and the one who seeks, finds, and to the one who knocks, it will be opened.”
So, the exhortation this morning is simple. Ask. Keep on asking. Help each other keep on asking. Not only for the big things, but for the small things that make up the big things. For the humility to know how much we really need to ask. For the grace to repent for not asking enough.
Friends, we’ve not even begun to understand the blessing God has for us—if we would simply ask. In fact, the only way our church will transform these cities—the only way that we’ll have courage to share the gospel, to confess our sins, to repent, to give sacrificially, to serve perseveringly, to make it to the end—is for the Father to pour out his Spirit upon us. And when we ask for his Spirit, he delights in answering (Lk 11:13).
The gospel was preached; you heard it; the Spirit was at work; you believed.
For everyone of us who has been born again by faith in Jesus, that is our story. The details are different, but one way or another we all have that in common.
We were lost, now we are found.
We were guilty, now we are declared righteous.
We were dead, now we are alive.
And through baptism we display that spiritual reality; we become part of the local church; and we enter into a life of fellowship with God, filled by his Spirit, walking together in obedience to Jesus, who is our Lord, Savior, and Treasure, and in that walking we are conformed more and more into his image. That is discipleship.
That’s what’s happening here!
We are being progressively sanctified. We are being transformed into the likeness of Jesus from one degree of glory to another.
And do you know what stands in the way of that?
Two things: Ignorance and Error.
There are things that we don’t know that we should know. And there are things that we get wrong that we should get right — which is sin, both deliberate high-handed sin, and unintentional mistake sin.
Ignorance and error are defects in the Christian life that we have to deal with — but how do we deal with it?
The answer is the Bible.
The apostle Paul says, 2 Timothy 3:16,
All Scripture is breathed out by God and profitable [listen to this] —
for teaching,
for reproof,
for correction, and
for training in righteousness.
Teaching and training confront our ignorance. Reproof and correction confront our error. That is what the Bible does. As Christians, we will not grow as God intends apart from God’s word.
So we need more of his Word. We need to avail ourselves to receive more of the word of God, which comes not just in solitude, but in community. We need the Bible in relationship. So here’s the exhortation this morning: Get with others, get in the word.
Prayer of Confession
Father in heaven, we extol your goodness this morning. At every angle of our lives, we can see your faithfulness and your sufficiency. You are the Cause of our life in Christ, and you are the Keeper. And your Keeping power comes through the same means as your Causing power, which is your Word. Thank you, O God, for the treasure that is the Holy Scriptures. Would you shape us more and more by your Word, and would you shape us together, in community, as a people?
In these days of getting back into our corporate discipleship rhythms of Community Groups and Life Groups, remind us of this purpose: it’s about the Bible in relationship as a means to your sanctifying work in our lives.
And for the ways that our hearts are obtuse to that work, for the ways that we like our ignorance and error, have mercy on us. Forgive us, and lead us now in a time of silent confession. […]
Father, we were dead, but now, indeed, we are alive, and that is because you have caused us born again to a living hope through the resurrection of Jesus Christ. We praise you in his name, amen.
“Have mercy on me, O God, according to your steadfast love. according to your abundant mercy blot out my transgressions.
Wash me thoroughly from my iniquity, and cleanse me from my sin! For I know my transgressions, and my sin is ever before me.
Against you, you only, have I sinned and done what is evil in your sight, so that you may be justified in your words and blameless in your judgment.
Behold, I was brought forth in iniquity, and in sin did my mother conceive me. Behold, you delight in truth in the inward being, and you teach me wisdom in the secret heart.
Purge me with hyssop, and I shall be clean; wash me, and I shall be whiter than snow.
Let me hear joy and gladness; let the bones that you have broken rejoice. Hide your face from my sins and blot out all my iniquities.
Create in me a clean heart, O God, and renew a right spirit within me. Cast me not away from your presence and take not your Holy Spirit from me.
Restore to me the joy of your salvation and uphold me with a willing spirit. Then I will teach transgressors your ways, and sinners will return to you.
Deliver me from bloodguiltiness, O God, O God of my salvation, and my tongue will sing aloud of your righteousness.
O Lord, open my lips, and my mouth will declare your praise. For you will not delight in sacrifice, or I would give it; you will not be pleased with a burnt offering. The sacrifices of God are a broken spirit; a broken and contrite heart, O God, you will not despise.
Do good to Zion in your good pleasure; build up the walls of (God’s people) Jerusalem; then will you delight in right sacrifices, in burnt offerings and whole burnt offerings; then bulls will be offered on your altar” (Psalm 51).
What in the world are we doing this morning with such words, from Psalm 51, on our lips? And what in the world was King David, the one who wrote this Psalm, doing with such words on his lips? And how about the millions of other men and women, whom throughout the history of time, upon hearing the words of this Psalm, have lifted their voices and joined the chorus?
Could onlookers from a distance look upon this great sea of sinners approaching the throne of heaven — that, I believe, is the question they’d ask — what in the world are they doing?
We are doing exactly what God desired we would do when he first created the world. Easter event does not come out of happenstance. It is no back-up plan. Easter Sunday — the morning the savior of sinners rose form the grave, comes out of the very essence and character of who God is — for, he is a God who does not despise a broken and contrite heart.
If God despises a broken and contrite heart then we do not approach this God — lest we die. If God despises a broken and contrite heart we don’t speak to this God lest we welcome the condemnation of our souls. If God despises a broken and contrite heart then he does not send his son into this world to die for all of us who stand in line and sing the chorus,
Have mercy on me, O God, according to your steadfast love, according to your abundant mercy blot out my transgressions.
Our God is a God who welcomes a broken and contrite heart — that is why we are here. Our God is a God who welcomes a broken and contrite heart — that is why we sing! Our God is a God who welcomes a broken and contrite heart and that is why we come to him, expressing to him our sins, the ways we’ve failed to honor him in this world, we come to him now in this time of silent confession.
My aim with these next several minutes is to open our eyes again to the grace of God, especially the grace of God in our church, through just one verse in Acts 11.
In Acts 11, a church has sprung up in Antioch, and so the apostles send Barnabas to visit the church there and to report back. Verse 23 says, “When he came and saw the grace of God, he was glad, and he exhorted them all to remain faithful to the Lord with steadfast purpose.” He saw the grace of God. He was glad. And he exhorted them to remain faithful.
First, he saw the grace of God. He saw it. Think about that. As he walked around Antioch, grace was not just a concept or a theological term. He could see grace. He was watching God intervene in a city like ours — rescuing the lost, conquering sin, unleashing forgiveness, reconciling relationships, inspiring love, providing for the needy, building his kingdom. Barnabas was watching heaven break into earth. He was witnessing a miracle community — a sinful people bathed in the mercy of God, declaring the mercy of God, and loving each other in Christ. He saw the grace of God.
So do we? Do we see the grace of God — in our church, in our families, in our friendships? Or do we take it for granted? Are we too busy or distracted to notice anymore? This room, this church, is filled with the grace of God.
• If our pastors preach the word of God faithfully, we can see the grace of God. • If our community group carries our burdens with us, we can see the grace of God. • If our life group helps us fight sin and temptation, we can see the grace of God. • If someone in the church has brought us a meal during a heavy week, we can see the grace of God. • If our spouse loves us with a devoted, exclusive, sacrificial love, we can see the grace of God. • If our roommates encourage us and challenge us in our walks with Jesus, we can see the grace of God. • If someone is spending their morning watching our children in the nursery, and telling them about Jesus, we can see the grace of God. • If we can tell that the person next to us loves singing to Jesus, we can see the grace of God.
None of that is natural. None of that is ordinary. If any of that happens, it is because grace happened. We need to learn, like Barnabas, to see the grace of God.
Barnabas, however, not only saw the grace of God; he also rejoiced in what he saw. “When he came and saw the grace of God, he was glad.” You might think, Well of course he was glad. But how often do we see the grace of God and yet feel nothing? How often do we grow dull to what God is doing in us and around us? At Cities Church, we want to be the kind of people who not only notice the grace of God, but who rejoice in the grace of God. While others get used to grace, and begin to take grace for granted, we want grace to make us happier and happier in God.
But Barnabas didn’t stop there. Seeing what he saw, what would he say to the church in Antioch? After seeing the grace of God, and rejoicing in the grace of God, what encouragement would he give to the people? “And he exhorted them all to remain faithful to the Lord with steadfast purpose.” Let the experience of grace make you all the more hungry for grace. Let all that God has provided make you all the more dependent. Let the kindness of God inspire vigilance, sacrifice, and love.
So, why this verse, this exhortation, for this Sunday at Cities Church? Well, what better time than now to stop and see, really see, the grace of God — from the basement of Bethlehem, to the auditorium at Minnehaha, to the transition at Concordia, and now finally here on Summit Avenue. And through this church to All Peoples Church, and Redeemer Church, and Westview Church.
And not just to stop and see the grace, but to be glad in it — to let our hearts love what God has done.
And what a better time than now, Commitment Sunday, to hear from God what he said through Barnabas all those years ago: Cities Church, “remain faithful to the Lord with steadfast purpose.” That is my exhortation for us. Don’t let up now. Don’t coast. Keep making and maturing disciples for Jesus. Keep pursuing souls where you live, work, and play. Keep raising up pastors and planting churches across these cities. Keep loving one another. Keep praying. Keep serving. Keep giving. Keep worshipping. Don’t just be faithful, but be faithful with steadfast purpose.
We are in the middle of this Rooted initiative. And, as many of you know, we want to raise a significant amount of monies… and apx. $3 million dollars of those monies, God willing, will go to renovations for this building.
But it’s not about the building. We don’t want to raise a bunch of money to make this building look beautiful. That’s not the goal. We want to raise monies to ensure that this building is a part of beautiful ministry… ministry to these twin Cities.
Next Sunday is Palm Sunday. That will be celebrated by Christians around the globe. And, in addition to Palm Sunday, here at Cities Church, next Sunday is also Commitment Sunday.
Next Sunday morning, God willing, we’re all going to gather back here, and together we’ll make pledges toward this Rooted initiative. I’ve been thinking about this and praying about this a lot, and I want to share this as a testimony this morning, a testimony of what God has been doing in my heart recently.
I’m sensing that God is wanting me and my family to commit to give a number that honestly makes me nervous.
I’ve been looking at this Commitment card and there’s a number I want to circle that makes me nervous, but I don’t just wanna circle a number that I know I can handle, that I know we can afford. I want to circle a number where I’m gonna need to listen to the birds singing (remember Pastor Jonathan’s sermon from last week). I want to circle an amount that will force me to look to God, and trust him, and that’s what we intend to do.
However, in order to make that commitment, my wife and I are going to have to make some changes. I’ll give you a few examples. For the last several years I have had the MLB package and NFL Sunday direct ticket. Well, this year, in the Ortiz home, we are gonna skip the MLB package and NFL Sunday Direct ticket… and we are gonna skip cable altogether too.
Why?
Because we want to give more to our church. Let me give you another example… this one is more bold for us. Currently, my wife and I typically put away a chunk of monies each month into HSA accounts and an IRA account, and we’ve decided we’re going to put less money per month into those accounts each month, for this season, so that we can give more money to Cities Church.
I share this as a testimony of what God has been doing in me, and in our hearts. This is a really important season in the life of our church; to my wife and I, this is worth re-arranging our lives around. My wife and I, we’re asking ourselves: “What can we re-arrange or cut-out from our lives in order to be able to give more?”
So often, in my life, I have given out of my surplus. But I want to go way beyond that. I don’t want to just give out of surplus. I want to live my life in such a way, where there are things that I want to buy, but I can’t buy, because we gave. I want to live my life that way. But, I need to be honest, that makes me nervous.
In a few weeks, my wife and I are going from being a two-income household to being a one-income household, because my wife is 30 weeks pregnant with our first child, and we’ve been told, many times, that raising a child can get very expensive. So, this commitment causes a little anxiety.
But I know my Father in heaven cares for me. He takes care of the birds, and I am more valuable than they are, right? God’s gonna take care of us. We know this!
Also, I believe in the ministry of this church. I believe in this vision.
Franky, I don’t care what this building looks like… but I do care that this building is quality usable space for decades to come, so that more and more churches can be planted, from this congregation, and from this building… out into these Twin Cities, and beyond! I believe in that! That’s worth giving to!
I want Cities Church to be the platform from which many truth-telling outposts are planted all across these Twin Cities. To me, that is worth re-arranging my life around.
Cities Church, this is a testimony of what God has been stirring in my heart, and my exhortation to you this morning: Seek the Father for your testimony. The Father cares for you. Seek Him. How is he calling you to give in this season?
Pray with me.
God, forgive me for my lack of faithfulness in giving. I have often allowed anxiety or greed or both to get the best of me. Forgive me. And I know that there are others here this morning that have sinned in similar ways… please, forgive us! God forgive us for not trusting you the way we should. God, I know you care for us. Help us to genuinely believe that. God, so often, so many of us have re-arranged our lives around so many other things, things of little value, and we so often seek to find our deepest satisfaction and security in created things rather than in you. God, forgive us. Lord, cultivate in our hearts a fierce commitment to generosity. God, help us be courageous givers. And now, God, we pause in this service to acknowledge our own sins. We take this moment of silence to confess our individual sins to you now.
For this mornings exhortation I want to remind us of our need for God.
There’s so much brokenness in the world. There’s so much sin, so much confusion, and so much need. And yet Humanity’s greatest need is for the Triune glory of God, revealed in who God is and what God has done.
Even as believers we need to continuously have a renewed vision of His glory as shown through all of His Word especially as revealed in the person and work of Jesus.
We need God.
We need the One who was despised and rejected by men, who was described as a man of sorrows, and who was acquainted with suffering; We need the The One who was despised by the world, who bore all grief, and carried all sorrows; We need the one who bore the sin of many, who was oppressed and afflicted, and who was numbered with the transgressors.
We need the one who was pierced for our transgressions; and who was crushed for our iniquities; The One whos chastisement brought us peace, whose wounds give us healing, who makes many righteous, and who even now makes intercession for us.
We need the One who is the radiance of the glory of God and the exact imprint of his nature, the One who upholds the universe by the word of his power, and yet who is gentle and lowly in heart.
We need the One who calls all who are weary to come. Who says, “Come, everyone who thirsts, come to the waters; even if you don’t have money, come, buy and eat!
Come, buy wine and milk without money and without price.”
The One who asks, “Why do you spend your money for that which is not bread, and live and work for things that will not satisfy?” (Isaiah 55:1-2 paraphrase). We need the One that truly satisfies, who gives us the true bread and true drink. The One who’s yoke is easy and who’s burden is light. The One who’s way is perfect and whose word is true.
We need God.
Whether we realize it or not, We can’t do anything without Him. In him we live, and move, and have our being. We need the repentance that He gives, the wisdom that He reveals, and the healing that He supplies.
We need the grace that He administers, the mercy that He offers, and the justice that He delivers. We need the purpose that He provides, the faithfulness that He exhibits, and the perseverance that He imparts.
We need the unity that He grants, the glory that He displays, and the patience that He shows.
We need the desires of His excellence, the anger of His love, and the zeal of His integrity.
We need the splendor of His sacrifice, the perfection of His goodness, and the abundance of His compassion.
We need the gentleness of His persistence, the calm of His peace, and the righteousness of His affections. We need the strength of His Sovereignty. The power of His providence, and the beauty of His care.
We need the holiness of the Spirit, the joy of the Son, and the majesty of the Father. Our God is unrestrained in grace, He overflows in love, and he is abundant in mercy.
All things are from Him, by Him, through Him, to Him, and for Him.
Augustine once said: “Glory to the Father who created us, Glory to the Son who redeemed us, Glory to the Spirit who sanctified us; Glory to the most high and undivided Trinity, whose works are inseparable, whose Kingdom without end abides, from age to age, forever.”
That is who our God is. The triune glorious God revealed perfectly through the Scriptures and in the Person and Work of Jesus.
We need God.
In Luke 14 we’re given the picture of a man standing at the entrance of a grand banquet hall. It’s been filled row upon row of finely dressed tables — each one overflowing with roasted meat, fine wine, and freshly baked bread. And around those tables are many, many chairs — most of which have yet to be occupied.
This man’s servants, those who’d been sent out to spread the message that everything was now ready!’” were now headed back with heads hung low. They’d been unsuccessful for everyone with whom they’d encouraged to come to the feast had told them they were already occupied. One had a field, one had a flock, one had a wife, and so on. They weren’t coming.
Perhaps on the slow walk back, one of those servants was wondering, “Did we do something wrong in how we delivered the invitation?” Perhaps another was thinking, “Guess we might as well get back and shut the doors, no one’s coming!” Perhaps still another might of thought to himself, “Maybe the feast, this thing I’ve so been longing for and excited for, just isn’t all that great to begin with…”
Have you ever found yourself in a season of ministry that felt like this? You’ve invited neighbors to church, invited co-workers to CG, invited a friend to read the Bible with you…and were met with a chorus of “No thanks.” You know you’ve got this feast of joy ready to be had, this good news that Jesus saves sinners, and it’s waiting for anyone who’d be willing to receive it, but no one has. You start questioning yourself, questioning your mission, questioning if the gospel truly is the power of God for salvation to everyone who believes. Now when you hear the commission to go and make disciples, you just shrug your shoulders and say, “I’ve tried, and it hasn’t worked.
If this is you, take note of what happens next in this parable. The man of the feast does not accept no for an answer, rather, he tells his servants, ““Go, Go back out…but this time, go to a different kind of people. Go to the streets and lanes of the city, and bring in the poor and crippled and blind and lame…Go out to the highways and hedges and compel people to come in.” And they do.
The poor, crippled, blind, lame, and outsider by the highway — these would be the people who’d come to the feast because neither the feast, nor the invitation to it, was ever the problem. The problem was that all those who’d previously been asked had thought themselves already quite full on what the world had to offer them. A feast? Who needs your feast, I’ve already got my own — I got a field, I got a flock, I got a wife — I’ve been filled by the world’s goods and I need no other.
But to the poor, the lame, the outsider — their stomachs were empty, their hearts were lonely, their souls were longing to be filled and thus far the world had given them nothing. So when they hear the invitation to the feast, for them, it’s almost too good to be true.
Might it be the same story for you and me? Might it be that our fruitfulness in ministry, just as the servants in this parable, might only be found in abundance if we’re willing to seek out those in this world who feel themselves to be hungry, empty, needy? Might our fruitfulness in ministry only be found in abundance if we’re willing to walk the streets and lanes of the city, or go to the outsiders on the highway. It is my exhortation to you today to consider this, and consider who in your world right now, though they might not be pretty in the world’s eyes, not be valuable in the world’s eyes, might just be the perfect person to sit beside you in the great banquet hall of our Father.
The table is set, the chairs are in place, feast is good — go find those who are most hungry for it.
Jesus forgives sinners. This is the good news that we call the Gospel. And it is good news! But, the Gospel isn’t just that Jesus forgives sinners, but that he changes sinners.
In other words, Jesus doesn’t just forgive us of our sins and leave us as we are, but he changes us, so that we may walk in the newness of life and not in our old patterns that were producing death in us. This is grace upon grace, and there are innumerable places in the Bible to read about the work that God is doing in his people as he saves them to the utmost from there sin.
- We see it in the substance, of what marriage is a shadow. Husbands are to love their wives like Christ loves the church. And Christ gave himself up for the church, not only to sanctify her, but he did it:
“so that he might present the church to himself in splendor, without spot or wrinkle or any such thing, that she might be holy and without blemish.”
Jesus loves with a redeeming and renewing love.
- We see this plan seated at the center of the book of Romans, in the heart of Ch. 8 where the apostle Paul writes:
“For those whom [God] foreknew he also predestined to be conformed to the image of his Son, in order that [Christ] might be the firstborn among many brothers.”
The Glorified Christ will be followed by those whom God has Predestined, called, justified and glorified. We who believe will follow Christ into glory as we are conformed into his image.
Christian, Christ is not done with you yet! He has saved you and is saving you and he eradicated every impurity in us so that he might present us “to himself in splendor, without spot or wrinkle.”
But the question for you this morning is: Do you want that? Do you desire to grow like that? Do you want to grow into an oak of righteousness?
To be like the Blessed man in Psalm 1 who is planted by streams of water and yields its fruit in its season?
It is natural for a tree to grow, and it is natural for a Christian to grow too. But natural doesn’t mean automatic or accidental. A better word may be that it is normal for things that are alive to grow. But if a tree is left with no sunlight, no water, no soil, it is natural for that tree to die.
So do you want to be the tree that yields fruit in its season, fruit like:
“love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, and self-control”?
Or are you just happy that faith sprung up in you, but have little interest in making sure it takes root so that you don’t wither away?
Or are you content to try and live among the thorns not realizing that they desire to choke out the sapling of your faith?
Do we come to Jesus, who is the stream of living waters, and just try to fill our leaky cup and go about our business.
To grow means to have more life and therefore joy. Our greatest hinderance to joy in any moment is our lack of Godliness. Or to put it positively, the fruit of the Spirit can be produced in even the toughest of life circumstances. The gospel is that powerful, Jesus is that powerful.
So your exhortation this morning is this: By the Spirit, put to death the deeds of the flesh so that you may live, and bear much fruit.
We have been going through the letters to the 7 churches in Revelation for our sermon series and one pattern you might have noticed is that some of the churches faced different types of persecution.
As Christians there is sometimes talk about different forms of persecution in America as orthodox Christian beliefs get met with increasing antagonism and hostility. And sometimes we use church history or current examples of persecuted churches around the world today, which we should.
We can and should learn about the underground churches in China that are thriving even in the midst of government persecution. We can and should learn about persecuted churches in other parts of the world and in history that God has grown and sustained even through violent opposition.
But the thing is America had its own underground church that thrived even in the midst of government persecution. America had its own persecuted church that God grew and sustained through antagonism and even violent opposition.
I'm talking about the African-American church.
We should learn from the African-American church and it’s resilience by God’s grace during the various waves of opposition in our nation during slavery and after. And we do this not as a token acknowledgement during Black History Month to check a box off a list but we do it with the mindset of learning from brothers and sisters in Christ in whom we can genuinely learn from on what it means to be faithful in the midst of sinful opposition.
We should learn from Absalom Jones born in 1746 and after obtaining his freedom became an ordained minister and left a lasting gospel legacy in his fight against slavery and racism and allowed his faith to drive him towards serving his community.
We should learn from Richard Allen, born in 1760, who founded the AME church, the first independent Black denomination in the United States. He had a strong trust in God even in the midst of seemingly impossible circumstances. At one point he and others held pre-sunrise services because of discrimination. Imagine being so desperate for the word of God and so hungry to commune and worship with other saints that you would get up in the dark before sunrise to go to church.
We should learn from John Berry Meachum, born into slavery in 1789, he learned carpentry and started slowly saving money and ended up buying his and his family’s freedom. He became a minister and founded the first black church in Missouri, and started a school for enslaved and free black students. In 1847 Missouri made it illegal for any person of color even if they were free to receive an education. In response, Meachum defied that unjust law by moving “his classes to a steamboat in the middle of the Mississippi River, which was beyond the reach of Missouri law. He provided the school with a library, desks, and chairs, and called it the ‘Floating Freedom School.’” With that he was able to continue educating students including in biblical studies.
We should learn from Amanda Smith, she was born into slavery in 1837, who after being freed by her family, ended up traveling the nation as an evangelist, and went overseas as a missionary to Europe, India, and Africa. She started an orphanage in Illinois and even became an author writing an autobiography of her life.
A long term missionary to India who ministered with Amanda said this about her “[She had a] clearness of perception and power of stating the undimmed truth of the Gospel of Christ... She always possessed a buoyant hope and an overcoming faith, which made it easy for her to believe that the Saviour, whom she loved and served, really intended to save and transform India... As she left the country she could look back upon a hundred homes which were brighter and better because of her coming. Upon hundreds of hearts whose burdens had been lightened and whose sorrows had been sweetened by reason of her public and private ministry.” (J.M. Thoburn in the preface of “An Autobiography: The Story of the Lord's Dealings with Mrs. Amanda Smith”)
We should learn from Daniel Payne, a minister who helped found Wilberforce University, during a time when it was becoming increasingly illegal for a person of color to recieve an education especially a higher education. In 1863, Daniel Payne became the president of that institution making him the first African-American college president in the United States.
His vision was that students would receive, in his words, “a Christian education, that draws our head and heart toward the cross, and after consecrating them to the cross sends the individuals from beneath the cross with the Spirit of Him who died upon it, sending them well fitted for Christian usefulness.” (Thabiti Anybwile, The Faithful Preacher: Recapturing the Vision of Three Pioneering African-American Pastors)
We should learn from Francis Grimke who used the Bible to contend against racist scholarship and insisted on the church’s calling to stay faithful to the scriptures and proclaim the gospel of Christ over and against the social ills which plagued the nation.
Cities Church, let us learn from the global church, let us learn from church history, but let us also learn from the African-American church in our own nation’s history. These brothers and sisters in our past who are often overlooked or unknown but were faithful Saints in the faith, who we are united to, along with all of God’s people, covered by the precious blood of Christ, in the unbreakable bond of the Spirit.
What I want to do in the next few moments is to remind us of another subtle but dangerous enemy of our souls. An enemy we often overlook. An enemy that robs some of us of sleep. An enemy that can paralyze us, and keep us from making important decisions. An enemy that spoils friendships, and plagues relationships, and sabotages ministry. An enemy that corrupts motives and inflames insecurities. An enemy that makes people seem bigger than God. That enemy is the fear of man.
Who are you tempted to fear? Whose approval or praise do you crave the most? Whose disappointment or rejection do you dread? Whose feelings and desires have a disproportionate or unhealthy hold on your heart? We often don’t even realize the kind of hold these people have on us. And that’s what makes the fear of man so dangerous. Its subtle, and deceitful, often camouflaging itself as love.
Some of you may wonder, but is the fear of man really that serious? Is it really as destructive as pride, lust, anger, and envy? Why is it so bad to want to make other people happy? Jesus tells us, in John 5, what makes the fear of man so dangerous. When he confronts the religious leaders who rejected him, hated him, and eventually conspired to murder him, he says to them,
I do not receive glory from people. I know that you do not have the love of God within you. . . . How can you believe, when you receive glory from one another and do not seek the glory that comes from the only God? (John 5:42–44).
Why did they fail to recognize and believe in the Son of God? What kept them from seeing Jesus for who he really was? What motivated them to murder the Author of life? Jesus says, at the root, it was because they received glory from one another. Because they feared man, they could not believe Jesus. Because of the fear of man, they listened to Love himself, and they heard hatred. They looked at Safety, and saw danger. They stood before Joy, and felt misery. They were offered Life, and they preferred death. The fear of man ruined them for Jesus. And it will ruin us for Jesus — if we do not see it, confront it, and kill it.
So how do we overcome the fear of man? The answer may surprise us… We fight the fear of man with fear. A different fear. A better fear. A humble, life-giving, even joyful fear: The fear of the Lord. We don’t fear his judgment anymore — there is therefore now no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus and perfect love casts out fear. We don’t fear his judgment anymore, but we do fear him. We fear his power and wisdom, we fear his justice and mercy, we fear his righteousness and love. When we fear the Lord, we begin to feel how small and fragile and vulnerable we are before all that he is.
The prophet Isaiah explains how this fear conquers all our other fears:
Do not call conspiracy all that this people calls conspiracy, and do not fear what they fear, nor be in dread. But the Lord of hosts, him you shall honor as holy. Let him be your fear, and let him be your dread. And he will become a sanctuary. (Isaiah 8:12–14).
Only when God becomes our greatest fear can he become our safest place. Let him be your fear, let him be your dread, honor him alone as holy, and he will become a sanctuary — a refuge in all of your relationships, a haven in rejection or betrayal, a shelter in any storm you endure. In Christ, God will become a sanctuary for you and he will help you love your spouse… your parents… your children… your roommates, co-workers, and classmates. If we trust and fear God, he will help us love people without fearing people.
So, my exhortation for us, Cities Church, is that we fear our fear of man.
Political extremists are vying to control the center of the country. Protests sparked by calls for justice devolve into riots across the nation’s cities. Cultural and counter- cultural forces are pulling in opposite directions. Racial tensions are thick in the air and American life is fractured, assuming it was ever whole. Early in the tumult of the decade, a pastor stood on the National Mall in Washington D.C. and told the crowd of a dream - a dream for the country - of justice and equality before the law and unity before Almighty God.
More than 50 years removed from that decade, one may scan the American landscape and say, “’Twas just a dream, brother Martin. Just a dream.” There is plenty to make one wonder if there can ever be true unity in diversity. I have good news for you. It is possible. More than that, it is not a dream but a reality. And there is only one way to get there.
Dreams are fantasy overlaid on reality - most of the time. Dreams from God can be different. In our current sermon series in Revelation we are walking through a dream, or vision, given by God to the Apostle John. In John’s vision from God, reality is not obscured by the dream but rather the dream reveals reality.
In chapter 7 of the Revelation to John, we read, “After this I looked, and behold, a great multitude that no one could number, from every nation, from all tribes and peoples and languages, standing before the throne and before the Lamb, clothed in white robes, with palm branches in their hands, and crying out with a loud voice, ‘Salvation belongs to our God who sits on the throne, and to the Lamb!’”
Many of us are familiar with this text but I fear that we think of it wrongly. I fear we think of this scene as a future possibility. We think of it as a New Year’s resolution. One of Jesus’ five things to accomplish in the next five years, maybe. If everything works out just right, we might be there. We see it as a goal or a hope or ... a dream. Revelation 7 is not a dream, though. It is a reality - a reality purchased and secured by the death and resurrection of Jesus Christ. Sin, from the time of Adam and Eve, has done what sin always does. Sin lies and divides and builds up walls between God and Man and husbands and wives and parents and children and families and tribes and nations and states. It seeks power and control for selfish gain and stirs up hostility and bloodlust between competing ideologies. Anything to increase the fog and to keep people from seeing God for who he is and ourselves for who we are before him.
But God - the rich in mercy, abounding in steadfast love, curtain tearing, wall tumbling, truth revealing, fog lifting, death defying, serpent crushing, swords into plowshares forming, peace sustaining God - that one and only God sent his own son, Jesus, the Christ, to secure for himself a people from all nations and tribes and peoples and languages. A people redeemed by his blood. A people reflecting his glory. Revelation 7 is real because Jesus is real. This means, dear sisters and brothers, that when you and I take our places in that multitude before the throne of God, we will find that we will have a stronger bond with the saints around us - as varied as they will be - than we have with our closest unbelieving political allies today. We will have a deeper affection for the saints around us on that day than we have for any worldly group we find ourselves in today. The Church of Jesus Christ, united in worship around the throne of God, is the plausibility structure that shows that Revelation 7 is not a dream - it is reality.
This reminds us of our need to confess out sins.
Father, in sin we constantly look inward and the effects are devastating. We seek to build our earthly tribes or parties over your kingdom. We defend our earthly theories more than we defend your truth. We cling to our earthly ideas of governance over your sovereign rule. We love our earthly movements more than we love the moving of your Spirit. We join the world in drawing hateful divisions between people based on color of skin or language or citizenship. We acquiesce to the wickedness of the world if we think we might gain for ourselves some footing in the political arena. We stand apart less and less and look more and more like those who do not see fit to acknowledge you. We mute the witness of your Church by our selfish words and deeds. These are great evils, God, and we know that if we regard sin in our own midst our prayers will be ineffectual so we bring these with our personal confessions before you in this time of silence.
Prayer: Thank you, Father, for sending your son, Jesus. He who the Son sets free is free indeed. We are free from the shackles of this world because of Jesus’ life, death and resurrection. He has modeled for us how to walk in freedom. Like Jesus, we are free to affirm your truth wherever it is found and we are free to condemn wrong without bias. We are free to love the unlovely. We are free to help in the hard places. We are free to wash feet and free to care for orphans and widows. We are free to help the poor. We are free to speak your truth to the powers of this world. God, help us, by your Spirit, to live as free people. Quicken our feet to run where you are needed. Strengthen our hands to serve you. Open our mouths to speak your Word. And when at last our time has come, bring us to that multitude from every tribe and nation that we might join in the chorus proclaiming, “Salvation belongs to our God who sits on the throne, and to the Lamb!” In Jesus’ name. Amen.
Happy Epiphany! Watch this short video from Pastor Jonathan about this past Sunday’s sermon.
Happy New Year! Figured I would start this morning talking about Twitter. It’s my favorite social media platform.
Well, I sometimes take mental notes about what’s trending on the platform. I was on Twitter a few months ago and I saw a lot of Christians complaining about their churches.
People were complaining about masks, and mandates, and vaccines, and whether their church was open or not open, and whether their church spoke out about race enough or too much in the wake of the George Floyd killing. I haven’t heard these complaints here at Cities Church, so I’m thankful for that.
Important to note why people complain. Often because they have a wrong view of church or wrong expectations.
The church was not established to meet your needs, on your terms. The church is not a social club. It’s not a political party. And it’s not merely a Sunday morning gathering.. although Sunday mornings are important.
The church is a family.
If I got to Thanksgivig dinner with my biological family, and my uncle says something I don’t like, like something disparaging about a politician I voted for, I don’t start thinking about leaving the family; and I don’t question his legitimacy or his right to be a part of the family.
If a family member is being obnoxious in someway or harming the family reputation, I don’t bounce… I don’t bail on the family, instead what I’d do is confront him, rebuke him or coach him or encourage him. I’d help him.
Also, I schedule my life around family gatherings. There are other things I might want to be a part of... but I say “no” to them... because attending a gathering with my family is more important. Tis should be even MORE so with my church family.
Families have expectations.
Families take commitment.
Families are sometimes hard to navigate.
I pray that Cities Church would be the type of church committed to one another. My wife and I pray for our church every evening, for this specific thing.
Today, we’re starting a new sermon series from opening chapters of Revelation… the seven letters to the seven churches in Asia.
As we examine these letters, we learn that it matters to Jesus a great deal what happens in the local church. He takes an interest; he leans in; and he watches and tracks and keeps up with what’s going on, and he has thoughts about local churches. He cares. He is committed to the local church.
And, we also see that Jesus has clear expectations of the church. We ought to be committed to the church, and we ought to be committed to meeting those expectations.
If we are going to meet those expectations... if we’re going to represent the gospel well… we need to be committed to one another… TRULY COMMITTED!
We must orient our schedules around our church family... we must be willing to say “no” to being a part of other things because time with our church family is a high priority.
We must be willing to challenge one another and to coach one another, to rebuke one another.
We must be committed to praying for one another daily.
If there’s a particular thing that you think we as a church are not doing well, instead being frustrated or gossiping... please... pray!
Pray for our church..... that we would live up to the expectations that Jesus has set for his church.
As you make your new years resolutions… be sure to include the ways in which you intend to be more committed to our church family in 2021.
My exhortation to you this morning: Be committed to our church!
Pray with me…
Father in heaven, thank you for the church. Thank you for this family you have established... and thank you that we get to be a part of it. Forgive us for the moments when we have neglected the church. God, please forgive us for the moments where we’ve gossiped or been cynical instead of being prayerful... and Lord, help us in those moments, when we are tempted to be cynical or to gossip or to be judgmental, give us the grace in those moments that we need to respond appropriately and to be people of prayer.
And Lord, give us the boldness we need to rebuke the members of our church family that need to be rebuked. I know that’s hard, and can be awkward... but please Give us the courage and wisdom that we need to rebuke one another and to admonish one another.
Jesus, thank you for loving us and for redeeming us. You’ve rescued us and adopted us in this family. Thank you! Would you please strengthen us. Please continue to sanctify us and unify us, so that we can represent you well in these Twin Cities.
And now, we pause in this service to acknowledge our own sins. We take this moment of silence to confess our individual sins to you now.
Prince Rillian had seen the night sky bursting with stars. He’d seen the morning sun rise in brilliant light and warmth. He’d been there, felt the wind of that place on his skin, felt the ground beneath his feet… but that was ten years before — ten years before he’d fallen down into the darkness of Underland, fallen where few return to the sunlit lands.
“There is no overworld,” the queen whispered the lie.
“There is no overworld,” prince Rillian had said in reply.
“There never was an overworld,” the queen whispered deception. “Yes, there never was an overworld,” the prince echoed and complied.
Too often, we, like C.S. Lewis’ Prince Rillian, fall prey to the lie that the only world which exists is the one we currently experience. We, like he, fail to remember there is a far better world than our own — though for now, we do not see it.
Unlike Prince Rillian, we are not without testimony to this better world. Yes, we live in a land of deep darkness, yes we are waiting for the light to shine, but no, God has not left us without witness to the world we all know, deep down, our hearts are longing for. God, in his grace, has given us his word to daily remind our weary souls that yes, there is a better world, one that is far more real, far more lasting, far more definite and substantial than anything we could begin to imagine. Revelation 21 into 22, specifically, gives us what I think is greatest glimpse into eternity that human language is capable of.
A world where there will be, “No temple, for the temple is the Lord God the Almighty and the Lamb. (A world where) there’s no need of sun or moon to shine on it, for the glory of God gives it light, and its lamp is the Lamb. By its light will the nations walk, and the kings of the earth will bring their glory into it, and its gates will never be shut by day—and there will be no night there…”
A world where, “The river of the water of life (flows) bright as crystal, from the throne of God and of the Lamb through the middle of the street of the city; also, on either side of the river, the tree of life with its twelve kinds of fruit, yielding its fruit each month. The leaves of the tree will be for the healing of the nations.
A world Where, “We will see his face, his name will be on our foreheads. And night will be no more. We will need no light of lamp, or sun, for the Lord God will be our light, and we will reign forever and ever.”
What a world. What a reality. And my exhortation to you is that you linger long in thoughts about it. Thoughts of heaven, thoughts of our great eternal inheritance — life forever with God almighty.
Advent is a season where we wait for this eternal reality. And we will wait well in this season when we immerse ourselves in the truths of what’s to come, found here.
Prayer: Father, we are called to know (not forget, but know) what is the hope to which you have called us, what are the riches of your glorious inheritance in the saints” (Ephesians 1:17-18). We are to remember that “What no eye has seen, nor ear heard, nor the heart of man imagined, what God has prepared for those who love him” (1 Cor. 2:9). We are called to set our minds on these things that are above, where Christ is, seated at your right hand. We are called to hold dear the promise that you will come again and you will take us to yourself, that where you are, we may also be” (John 14:1-3). And yet, we are so prone to let such glorious promises fade away from our focus. And at the end of this word, it’s final two chapters, Revelation 21 into 22, God has placed what I believe to be the greatest glimpse into eternity that human language is capable of. My exhortation to you is to live your life lingering of the words you find here.
Cities church, will we remember that we are bound for better country? Will we linger long over the promises of our great inheritance — eternal life with the light of the world!
“There is no heaven,” the world softly spoken to Cities church
“Yes, there is,” the church dissented
“There never was a heaven,” the queen had whispered
“There forever will be a heaven, and we are bound for it.” the church shouted in bold proclamation.
The words of this book are trustworthy and true, and blessed is the one keeps the words of it. Let whoever
hears them say, “Come.” And the one who is thirsty, come; the one who desires take the water of life without price (may come). But how we, so often, neglect to do so. Jesus says three times in this chapter alone, “I am coming soon, I am coming soon, surely, I am coming soon! But how often we forget this.
Lord, you say your book is trustworthy and true, and blessed is the one keeps the words of it. You say that whoever hears them say, “Come.” And the one who is thirsty, come; the one who desires take the water of life without price (may come). But how we, so often, neglect to do so. You say you are coming soon, you are coming soon, surely, you are coming soon! But how often we forget this. Our great inheritance, our eternal life with the light of the world! life with that but will we forget that this year? I fear we are all in danger of pulling a Prince Rillian — forgetting the better world above, transplanting all our hopes in the one below. Think about it: How often have you talked on and on about how great normal will be again? Where masks are no more, political bickering has ceased, and race-related wounds have been healed. How often have you longed for that, begged for that, set your sights on that. All these hopes are good, but none of them surpass the hope heaven, and which, at this point, has greater hold on your heart and mind?
Brothers and sisters, you and I are children of light! children of light, children of the day. Thess. 5:5). We have an eternal weight of glory in our future. It is unseen, and yet more real than any of this could ever be” (1 Thess. 5:5, 2 Cor. 4:17-18). And we have a calling from God to never, ever forget that.
Have we forgotten that?
Ephesians 1:17-18, Paul prays for the church that the eyes our hearts would be enlightened, and that we may know (not forget, but know) what is the hope to which he has called us, what are the riches of his glorious inheritance in the saints” (Ephesians 1:17-18).
Colossians 3:1-2, He urges the church to “seek the things that are above, where Christ is, seated at the right hand of God. Set your minds on things that are above, not on things that are on earth”
In 1 Corinthians he reminds the church, “What no eye has seen, nor ear heard, nor the heart of man imagined, what God has prepared for those who love him” 1 Cor. 2:9
Jesus, himself, reminds his people: “In my Father’s house are many rooms. If it were not so, would I have told you that I go to prepare a place for you? And if I go and prepare a place for you, I will come again and will take you to myself, that where I am you may be also” (John 14:1-3).
How wrong it would be of us to pull a Prince Rillian. Forgetting the reality outside of what we see, abandoning our knowledge of who we really are, and the land we are bound for.
God has given us his book which frequently exhorts us to do so.
Ephesians 1:17-18, Paul prays for the church that the eyes our hearts would be enlightened, and that we may know (not forget, but know) what is the hope to which he has called us, what are the riches of his glorious inheritance in the saints” (Ephesians 1:17-18).
Colossians 3:1-2, the church is urged to “seek the things that are above, where Christ is, seated at the right hand of God.”
In 1 Corinthians, the church is dazzled with the truth that “What no eye has seen, nor ear heard, nor the heart of man imagined, what God has prepared for those who love him” 1 Cor. 2:9
Jesus, himself, reminds his people: “In my Father’s house are many rooms. If it were not so, would I have told you that I go to prepare a place for you? And if I go and prepare a place for you, I will come again and will take you to myself, that where I am you may be also” (John 14:1-3).
This is the second week of Advent. And for this years advent season, we are doing exhortations drawn from Revelation 19-22. These chapters contain a series of visions that were given to John about events of history. Last week we heard the vision of the one riding on the white horse, who is called the Word of God, and on whose robe is written “King of Kings, and Lord of Lords”. This week Pastor Kevin read the vision of the great white throne and the book of life.
One thing that is clear as we look to the end of the Bible, is that history is on a trajectory towards something. It is not endlessly cyclical. The Bible gives us an account of the creation of the world in Genesis and an account of the end of these heavens and earth, ushering in the new heavens and the new earth as described in Revelations 21.
And, the Word, who is Jesus, was with God and was God before anything was created. The Word became flesh and dwelt among us in His first coming. And the Word of God is the rider on the white horse in Revelation 19.
I don’t want us to miss this regardless of how obvious it may be. There is an appointed time when Christ will come again. We are closer to it today than we were last Christmas, we are closer to it today, then we were yesterday. There is an appointed number of advent seasons left on this earth.
That final day is real, and it is coming. And when that day comes, the King of Kings and Lord of Lords, the one who sits on the great white throne, will come to judge every nation and every person of the earth.
At that time, the opening of the scrolls of history will be completed, the books of all that is done will be opened. And then the book of life will be opened. Revelation 21 also calls this last book, “the lambs book of life”.
There is no book of life without the lamb. Without Christ’s first coming, that book would be empty. If Christ did not come first to pay for our sin, the final book, the final verdict for all of us would be the book of our deeds, filled with sin, rebellion, and faithlessness.
Christ justly could have come in wrath the first time, but he didn’t. He first came for rescue rather than for wrath. In John 12 Jesus says that “[He] did not come to judge the world, but to save the world.” He came first with mercy, and willingly laid down his life so that we may be freed from the condemnation of our sin. But when he comes again he will come to judge. This is no bluff, God speaks no empty words.
This day will be terrifying for many. “Wide is the gate that leads to destruction and those who enter by it are many.” It will be so horrific that those who have rejected Christ will cry out to the rocks and say “Fall on us and hide us from the face of him who sits on the throne, and from the wrath of the lamb” Christ tells us he will come to judge the living and the dead. This is no bluff, God speaks no empty words.
But it won’t be a terrifying day for all, by God’s mercy there was a first coming. To all who say “I am wrong and I have done wrong. Jesus, have mercy on me.” If you confess your sin and come to Him, He will save you and He will not cast you out!
And scripture goes so far to say that not only will He not cast you away, but it says: “Let us then with confidence draw near to the throne of grace that we may receive mercy and find grace in a time of need.”
So, for some, for the repentant, for Christ’s bride which is the church, His second coming is a day we deeply long for. A day where we will see our savior and our king. A day where we will be reunited to all who have fallen asleep in Christ. Our faith will become sight, and our sure Hope will have come again. Christ will come again! Let’s pray
Rejoice! The one who is called faithful is coming to right all wrongs. The one who is called the Word of God has come to make all suffering and sorrow cease, and to bring us back to God—and he will come again. May we look toward his second coming as often as we look back at his first.
“Do all things without grumbling or disputing,” Paul says, “that you may be blameless and innocent, children of God without blemish in the midst of a crooked and twisted generation, among whom you shine as lights in the world.”
Church, have we ever had more reasons to grumble than we have this year? The tremors of grumbling have been rising and rising, and we are not immune. Grumbling about the virus — about symptoms and quarantines, about infection rates and social distancing, about masks, about online school, about governors and the CDC, about vaccines, about new restrictions, canceled plans, and more Zoom calls. Grumbling about politics — about the election, about justices and court cases, about parties, policies, and candidates, about mail-in ballots and recounts, about transitions. All of that laid on top our individual trials — sicknesses and surgeries, closures and layoffs, isolation and depression, life changes and tough decisions. Just last week, our 56-year-old boiler gave out. It could have died last year or next year, but like everything else, it chose 2020. We all have reasons to grumble.
And none of us needs to be taught to grumble. My wife and I have a 4-year-old and a newborn. Generally speaking, children do not need to be taught to eat, sleep, pee, or whine. Grumbling comes naturally. Grumbling is easy. We are born grumblers.
That makes gratitude unusual. It’s unnatural. It offends all our tendencies to grumble, to complain, to protest. Gratitude stares at our world broken by sin, divided by sin, in bondage to sin, plagued by sin… and gratitude sees even more grace. Even more mercy. Even more glory.
What stands out in a world full of grumbling? What shines brightly in the midst of crooked and twisted generation? Thankfulness. Colossians 3:15–17:
Let the peace of Christ rule in your hearts, to which indeed you were called in one body. And be thankful. Let the word of Christ dwell in you richly, teaching and admonishing one another in all wisdom, singing psalms and hymns and spiritual songs, with thankfulness in your hearts to God. And whatever you do, in word or deed, do everything in the name of the Lord Jesus, giving thanks to God the Father through him.
Thanksgiving is not a Christian holiday, but thankfulness — the heart and habit of gratitude — thankfulness is profoundly Christian. We do not just give thanks on the fourth Thursday of November, but on every Thursday. And on Monday, Tuesday, and Wednesday too. And we don’t just give thanks this month, but during Advent too — and at the beginning of a new year. We even give thanks in January and February, when we can’t go outside without the threat of death. Thankfulness, gratitude, is profoundly Christian.
Why? Because we know we have a better possession, and an abiding one… A better country and an abiding one… A better body coming, and an abiding one… A better, more abundant life, and an everlasting one. Like everyone else, we have hundreds of reasons to grumble. But unlike everyone else, we have even more reasons to give thanks.
My exhortation for us this morning, church, is that we overcome grumbling — the grumbling in the world and the grumbling in us — overcome grumbling with gratitude.
We all know this has been a trying year in our city, in our country, and around the world. 2020 so far has been a year filled with a once-in-a-generation pandemic, protests, and political uproar. And now, here in Minnesota, we’re entering the dark days of an increasingly cold & snowy winter. Everyone seems to be waiting for something. Waiting for science to save us with an effective vaccine. Waiting for the government to save us with the policies we believe in. Waiting for that new media or technology to drop to offer us an escape. Waiting for the calendar to turn, for the next season to warm us again in the Spring.
But there is another season coming just around the corner where the whole purpose is a Godly waiting… in hope. You remember right? Advent. Don’t we need Christmas more than ever this year? As Pastor David Mathis says in his new advent devotional… I’m not talking about the “gifts and goodies, new toys and familiar traditions, indoor coziness and outdoor snow.” What I’m talking about is the supernatural, out of this world reality of what Christmas means. “What lies at the heart of Christmas… is the most stunning and significant fact in the history of the world: that God himself became one of us” (The Christmas We Didn’t Expect: Daily Devotions for Advent, David Mathis, 2020).
Advent is a season of waiting for an arrival, for the coming of a Savior… and we really need the calvary this year. The official start of Advent on the church calendar isn’t for another two weeks… but I want us to start thinking about it now. How are you going to observe the special season of waiting this year? For yourself? For your family? I’d highly recommend David’s new daily Advent devotional “The Christmas We Didn’t Expect,” we’ll include a link to it when we post this online this week. Perhaps in a year where our gatherings with family & friends may look different than normal, not how we’d like, this is an opportunity for us. Advent is an invitation to slow down, to take a deep breath, inhaling the ancient air of a promised Messiah who promises to return a second time on a white horse. We remember the words of the familiar carol, and we long to sing them, feel them, believe them all the more this year:
“O come, Thou Day-Spring, Come and cheer Our spirits by Thine advent here Disperse the gloomy clouds of night And death’s dark shadows put to flight Rejoice, rejoice, Emmanuel Shall come to thee, o Israel.”
The exhortation this morning is that we not waste this Advent season in 2020 waiting on worldly solutions, but instead to “turn our gaze to Christ and ready our hearts for the feast to come. (Mathis, ibid.)”. And this reminds us of our need to confess our sins, pray with me.
We will never be embarrassed by what the Bible says.
No matter what.
Even if every new scientific study was said to debunk Christian truth;
if every political expert were to call our theology problematic;
if every sociologist were to consider our worldview bigoted;
if every neighbor were to say that the exclusive claims of Jesus are a form of hate speech —
We stand by the words of Scripture. “Let God be true though every one were a liar!” (Romans 3:4).
This is the calling of every generation of Christians, but it also can be an elusive calling — because for some reason we tend to want this world (which is under the power of the devil [see 1 John 5:19]— we want this world to like us. And so the pressure is (and has always been) to dilute Christian truth so that it will be a better fit with a godless palette. And we just want to say No to that.
When we read things in the Bible that ruffle the feathers of our modern sentiments, we take that to be our problem, not the Bible’s.
We’re not trying to squeeze the Bible into the standards of popular culture, but we want — by God’s grace — to bring everything under the authority of God’s word, and the main message of God’s word, which is the good news of Jesus Christ.
So I exhort you, Cities Church: never be embarrassed by what the Bible says, but happily embrace it for our good and the glory of God.
2 Corinthians 13 (ESV)
This is the third time I am coming to you. Every charge must be established by the evidence of two or three witnesses. 2 I warned those who sinned before and all the others, and I warn them now while absent, as I did when present on my second visit, that if I come again I will not spare them— 3 since you seek proof that Christ is speaking in me. He is not weak in dealing with you, but is powerful among you. 4 For he was crucified in weakness, but lives by the power of God. For we also are weak in him, but in dealing with you we will live with him by the power of God.
5 Examine yourselves, to see whether you are in the faith. Test yourselves. Or do you not realize this about yourselves, that Jesus Christ is in you?—unless indeed you fail to meet the test! 6 I hope you will find out that we have not failed the test. 7 But we pray to God that you may not do wrong—not that we may appear to have met the test, but that you may do what is right, though we may seem to have failed. 8 For we cannot do anything against the truth, but only for the truth. 9 For we are glad when we are weak and you are strong. Your restoration is what we pray for. 10 For this reason I write these things while I am away from you, that when I come I may not have to be severe in my use of the authority that the Lord has given me for building up and not for tearing down.
11 Finally, brothers, rejoice. Aim for restoration, comfort one another, agree with one another, live in peace; and the God of love and peace will be with you. 12 Greet one another with a holy kiss. 13 All the saints greet you.
14 The grace of the Lord Jesus Christ and the love of God and the fellowship of the Holy Spirit be with you all.
2 Corinthians 12 (ESV)
I must go on boasting. Though there is nothing to be gained by it, I will go on to visions and revelations of the Lord. 2 I know a man in Christ who fourteen years ago was caught up to the third heaven—whether in the body or out of the body I do not know, God knows. 3 And I know that this man was caught up into paradise—whether in the body or out of the body I do not know, God knows— 4 and he heard things that cannot be told, which man may not utter. 5 On behalf of this man I will boast, but on my own behalf I will not boast, except of my weaknesses— 6 though if I should wish to boast, I would not be a fool, for I would be speaking the truth; but I refrain from it, so that no one may think more of me than he sees in me or hears from me. 7 So to keep me from becoming conceited because of the surpassing greatness of the revelations, a thorn was given me in the flesh, a messenger of Satan to harass me, to keep me from becoming conceited. 8 Three times I pleaded with the Lord about this, that it should leave me. 9 But he said to me, “My grace is sufficient for you, for my power is made perfect in weakness.” Therefore I will boast all the more gladly of my weaknesses, so that the power of Christ may rest upon me. 10 For the sake of Christ, then, I am content with weaknesses, insults, hardships, persecutions, and calamities. For when I am weak, then I am strong.
11 I have been a fool! You forced me to it, for I ought to have been commended by you. For I was not at all inferior to these super-apostles, even though I am nothing. 12 The signs of a true apostle were performed among you with utmost patience, with signs and wonders and mighty works. 13 For in what were you less favored than the rest of the churches, except that I myself did not burden you? Forgive me this wrong!
14 Here for the third time I am ready to come to you. And I will not be a burden, for I seek not what is yours but you. For children are not obligated to save up for their parents, but parents for their children. 15 I will most gladly spend and be spent for your souls. If I love you more, am I to be loved less? 16 But granting that I myself did not burden you, I was crafty, you say, and got the better of you by deceit. 17 Did I take advantage of you through any of those whom I sent to you? 18 I urged Titus to go, and sent the brother with him. Did Titus take advantage of you? Did we not act in the same spirit? Did we not take the same steps?
19 Have you been thinking all along that we have been defending ourselves to you? It is in the sight of God that we have been speaking in Christ, and all for your upbuilding, beloved. 20 For I fear that perhaps when I come I may find you not as I wish, and that you may find me not as you wish—that perhaps there may be quarreling, jealousy, anger, hostility, slander, gossip, conceit, and disorder. 21 I fear that when I come again my God may humble me before you, and I may have to mourn over many of those who sinned earlier and have not repented of the impurity, sexual immorality, and sensuality that they have practiced.
2 Corinthians 11 (ESV)
I wish you would bear with me in a little foolishness. Do bear with me! 2 For I feel a divine jealousy for you, since I betrothed you to one husband, to present you as a pure virgin to Christ. 3 But I am afraid that as the serpent deceived Eve by his cunning, your thoughts will be led astray from a sincere and pure devotion to Christ. 4 For if someone comes and proclaims another Jesus than the one we proclaimed, or if you receive a different spirit from the one you received, or if you accept a different gospel from the one you accepted, you put up with it readily enough. 5 Indeed, I consider that I am not in the least inferior to these super-apostles. 6 Even if I am unskilled in speaking, I am not so in knowledge; indeed, in every way we have made this plain to you in all things.
7 Or did I commit a sin in humbling myself so that you might be exalted, because I preached God's gospel to you free of charge? 8 I robbed other churches by accepting support from them in order to serve you. 9 And when I was with you and was in need, I did not burden anyone, for the brothers who came from Macedonia supplied my need. So I refrained and will refrain from burdening you in any way. 10 As the truth of Christ is in me, this boasting of mine will not be silenced in the regions of Achaia. 11 And why? Because I do not love you? God knows I do!
12 And what I am doing I will continue to do, in order to undermine the claim of those who would like to claim that in their boasted mission they work on the same terms as we do. 13 For such men are false apostles, deceitful workmen, disguising themselves as apostles of Christ. 14 And no wonder, for even Satan disguises himself as an angel of light. 15 So it is no surprise if his servants, also, disguise themselves as servants of righteousness. Their end will correspond to their deeds.
16 I repeat, let no one think me foolish. But even if you do, accept me as a fool, so that I too may boast a little. 17 What I am saying with this boastful confidence, I say not as the Lord would but as a fool. 18 Since many boast according to the flesh, I too will boast. 19 For you gladly bear with fools, being wise yourselves! 20 For you bear it if someone makes slaves of you, or devours you, or takes advantage of you, or puts on airs, or strikes you in the face. 21 To my shame, I must say, we were too weak for that!
But whatever anyone else dares to boast of—I am speaking as a fool—I also dare to boast of that. 22 Are they Hebrews? So am I. Are they Israelites? So am I. Are they offspring of Abraham? So am I. 23 Are they servants of Christ? I am a better one—I am talking like a madman—with far greater labors, far more imprisonments, with countless beatings, and often near death. 24 Five times I received at the hands of the Jews the forty lashes less one. 25 Three times I was beaten with rods. Once I was stoned. Three times I was shipwrecked; a night and a day I was adrift at sea; 26 on frequent journeys, in danger from rivers, danger from robbers, danger from my own people, danger from Gentiles, danger in the city, danger in the wilderness, danger at sea, danger from false brothers; 27 in toil and hardship, through many a sleepless night, in hunger and thirst, often without food, in cold and exposure. 28 And, apart from other things, there is the daily pressure on me of my anxiety for all the churches. 29 Who is weak, and I am not weak? Who is made to fall, and I am not indignant?
30 If I must boast, I will boast of the things that show my weakness. 31 The God and Father of the Lord Jesus, he who is blessed forever, knows that I am not lying. 32 At Damascus, the governor under King Aretas was guarding the city of Damascus in order to seize me, 33 but I was let down in a basket through a window in the wall and escaped his hands.
2 Corinthians 10 (ESV)
I, Paul, myself entreat you, by the meekness and gentleness of Christ—I who am humble when face to face with you, but bold toward you when I am away!— 2 I beg of you that when I am present I may not have to show boldness with such confidence as I count on showing against some who suspect us of walking according to the flesh. 3 For though we walk in the flesh, we are not waging war according to the flesh. 4 For the weapons of our warfare are not of the flesh but have divine power to destroy strongholds. 5 We destroy arguments and every lofty opinion raised against the knowledge of God, and take every thought captive to obey Christ, 6 being ready to punish every disobedience, when your obedience is complete.
7 Look at what is before your eyes. If anyone is confident that he is Christ's, let him remind himself that just as he is Christ's, so also are we. 8 For even if I boast a little too much of our authority, which the Lord gave for building you up and not for destroying you, I will not be ashamed. 9 I do not want to appear to be frightening you with my letters. 10 For they say, “His letters are weighty and strong, but his bodily presence is weak, and his speech of no account.” 11 Let such a person understand that what we say by letter when absent, we do when present. 12 Not that we dare to classify or compare ourselves with some of those who are commending themselves. But when they measure themselves by one another and compare themselves with one another, they are without understanding.
13 But we will not boast beyond limits, but will boast only with regard to the area of influence God assigned to us, to reach even to you. 14 For we are not overextending ourselves, as though we did not reach you. For we were the first to come all the way to you with the gospel of Christ. 15 We do not boast beyond limit in the labors of others. But our hope is that as your faith increases, our area of influence among you may be greatly enlarged, 16 so that we may preach the gospel in lands beyond you, without boasting of work already done in another's area of influence. 17 “Let the one who boasts, boast in the Lord.” 18 For it is not the one who commends himself who is approved, but the one whom the Lord commends.
2 Corinthians 9 (ESV)
Now it is superfluous for me to write to you about the ministry for the saints, 2 for I know your readiness, of which I boast about you to the people of Macedonia, saying that Achaia has been ready since last year. And your zeal has stirred up most of them. 3 But I am sending the brothers so that our boasting about you may not prove empty in this matter, so that you may be ready, as I said you would be. 4 Otherwise, if some Macedonians come with me and find that you are not ready, we would be humiliated—to say nothing of you—for being so confident. 5 So I thought it necessary to urge the brothers to go on ahead to you and arrange in advance for the gift you have promised, so that it may be ready as a willing gift, not as an exaction.
6 The point is this: whoever sows sparingly will also reap sparingly, and whoever sows bountifully will also reap bountifully. 7 Each one must give as he has decided in his heart, not reluctantly or under compulsion, for God loves a cheerful giver. 8 And God is able to make all grace abound to you, so that having all sufficiency in all things at all times, you may abound in every good work. 9 As it is written,
“He has distributed freely, he has given to the poor; his righteousness endures forever.”
10 He who supplies seed to the sower and bread for food will supply and multiply your seed for sowing and increase the harvest of your righteousness. 11 You will be enriched in every way to be generous in every way, which through us will produce thanksgiving to God. 12 For the ministry of this service is not only supplying the needs of the saints but is also overflowing in many thanksgivings to God. 13 By their approval of this service, they will glorify God because of your submission that comes from your confession of the gospel of Christ, and the generosity of your contribution for them and for all others, 14 while they long for you and pray for you, because of the surpassing grace of God upon you. 15 Thanks be to God for his inexpressible gift!
2 Corinthians 8 (ESV)
We want you to know, brothers, about the grace of God that has been given among the churches of Macedonia, 2 for in a severe test of affliction, their abundance of joy and their extreme poverty have overflowed in a wealth of generosity on their part. 3 For they gave according to their means, as I can testify, and beyond their means, of their own accord, 4 begging us earnestly for the favor of taking part in the relief of the saints— 5 and this, not as we expected, but they gave themselves first to the Lord and then by the will of God to us. 6 Accordingly, we urged Titus that as he had started, so he should complete among you this act of grace. 7 But as you excel in everything—in faith, in speech, in knowledge, in all earnestness, and in our love for you—see that you excel in this act of grace also.
8 I say this not as a command, but to prove by the earnestness of others that your love also is genuine. 9 For you know the grace of our Lord Jesus Christ, that though he was rich, yet for your sake he became poor, so that you by his poverty might become rich. 10 And in this matter I give my judgment: this benefits you, who a year ago started not only to do this work but also to desire to do it. 11 So now finish doing it as well, so that your readiness in desiring it may be matched by your completing it out of what you have. 12 For if the readiness is there, it is acceptable according to what a person has, not according to what he does not have. 13 For I do not mean that others should be eased and you burdened, but that as a matter of fairness 14 your abundance at the present time should supply their need, so that their abundance may supply your need, that there may be fairness. 15 As it is written, “Whoever gathered much had nothing left over, and whoever gathered little had no lack.”
16 But thanks be to God, who put into the heart of Titus the same earnest care I have for you. 17 For he not only accepted our appeal, but being himself very earnest he is going to you of his own accord. 18 With him we are sending the brother who is famous among all the churches for his preaching of the gospel. 19 And not only that, but he has been appointed by the churches to travel with us as we carry out this act of grace that is being ministered by us, for the glory of the Lord himself and to show our good will. 20 We take this course so that no one should blame us about this generous gift that is being administered by us, 21 for we aim at what is honorable not only in the Lord's sight but also in the sight of man. 22 And with them we are sending our brother whom we have often tested and found earnest in many matters, but who is now more earnest than ever because of his great confidence in you. 23 As for Titus, he is my partner and fellow worker for your benefit. And as for our brothers, they are messengers of the churches, the glory of Christ. 24 So give proof before the churches of your love and of our boasting about you to these men.
2 Corinthians 7 (ESV)
Since we have these promises, beloved, let us cleanse ourselves from every defilement of body and spirit, bringing holiness to completion in the fear of God.
2 Make room in your hearts for us. We have wronged no one, we have corrupted no one, we have taken advantage of no one. 3 I do not say this to condemn you, for I said before that you are in our hearts, to die together and to live together. 4 I am acting with great boldness toward you; I have great pride in you; I am filled with comfort. In all our affliction, I am overflowing with joy.
5 For even when we came into Macedonia, our bodies had no rest, but we were afflicted at every turn—fighting without and fear within. 6 But God, who comforts the downcast, comforted us by the coming of Titus, 7 and not only by his coming but also by the comfort with which he was comforted by you, as he told us of your longing, your mourning, your zeal for me, so that I rejoiced still more. 8 For even if I made you grieve with my letter, I do not regret it—though I did regret it, for I see that that letter grieved you, though only for a while. 9 As it is, I rejoice, not because you were grieved, but because you were grieved into repenting. For you felt a godly grief, so that you suffered no loss through us.
10 For godly grief produces a repentance that leads to salvation without regret, whereas worldly grief produces death. 11 For see what earnestness this godly grief has produced in you, but also what eagerness to clear yourselves, what indignation, what fear, what longing, what zeal, what punishment! At every point you have proved yourselves innocent in the matter. 12 So although I wrote to you, it was not for the sake of the one who did the wrong, nor for the sake of the one who suffered the wrong, but in order that your earnestness for us might be revealed to you in the sight of God. 13 Therefore we are comforted.
And besides our own comfort, we rejoiced still more at the joy of Titus, because his spirit has been refreshed by you all. 14 For whatever boasts I made to him about you, I was not put to shame. But just as everything we said to you was true, so also our boasting before Titus has proved true. 15 And his affection for you is even greater, as he remembers the obedience of you all, how you received him with fear and trembling. 16 I rejoice, because I have complete confidence in you.
2 Corinthians 6 (ESV)
Working together with him, then, we appeal to you not to receive the grace of God in vain. 2 For he says,
“In a favorable time I listened to you, and in a day of salvation I have helped you.”
Behold, now is the favorable time; behold, now is the day of salvation. 3 We put no obstacle in anyone's way, so that no fault may be found with our ministry, 4 but as servants of God we commend ourselves in every way: by great endurance, in afflictions, hardships, calamities, 5 beatings, imprisonments, riots, labors, sleepless nights, hunger; 6 by purity, knowledge, patience, kindness, the Holy Spirit, genuine love; 7 by truthful speech, and the power of God; with the weapons of righteousness for the right hand and for the left; 8 through honor and dishonor, through slander and praise. We are treated as impostors, and yet are true; 9 as unknown, and yet well known; as dying, and behold, we live; as punished, and yet not killed; 10 as sorrowful, yet always rejoicing; as poor, yet making many rich; as having nothing, yet possessing everything.
11 We have spoken freely to you, Corinthians; our heart is wide open. 12 You are not restricted by us, but you are restricted in your own affections. 13 In return (I speak as to children) widen your hearts also.
14 Do not be unequally yoked with unbelievers. For what partnership has righteousness with lawlessness? Or what fellowship has light with darkness? 15 What accord has Christ with Belial? Or what portion does a believer share with an unbeliever? 16 What agreement has the temple of God with idols? For we are the temple of the living God; as God said,
“I will make my dwelling among them and walk among them, and I will be their God, and they shall be my people. 17 Therefore go out from their midst, and be separate from them, says the Lord, and touch no unclean thing; then I will welcome you, 18 and I will be a father to you, and you shall be sons and daughters to me, says the Lord Almighty.”
2 Corinthians 5 (ESV)
For we know that if the tent that is our earthly home is destroyed, we have a building from God, a house not made with hands, eternal in the heavens. 2 For in this tent we groan, longing to put on our heavenly dwelling, 3 if indeed by putting it on we may not be found naked. 4 For while we are still in this tent, we groan, being burdened—not that we would be unclothed, but that we would be further clothed, so that what is mortal may be swallowed up by life. 5 He who has prepared us for this very thing is God, who has given us the Spirit as a guarantee.
6 So we are always of good courage. We know that while we are at home in the body we are away from the Lord, 7 for we walk by faith, not by sight. 8 Yes, we are of good courage, and we would rather be away from the body and at home with the Lord. 9 So whether we are at home or away, we make it our aim to please him. 10 For we must all appear before the judgment seat of Christ, so that each one may receive what is due for what he has done in the body, whether good or evil.
11 Therefore, knowing the fear of the Lord, we persuade others. But what we are is known to God, and I hope it is known also to your conscience. 12 We are not commending ourselves to you again but giving you cause to boast about us, so that you may be able to answer those who boast about outward appearance and not about what is in the heart. 13 For if we are beside ourselves, it is for God; if we are in our right mind, it is for you. 14 For the love of Christ controls us, because we have concluded this: that one has died for all, therefore all have died; 15 and he died for all, that those who live might no longer live for themselves but for him who for their sake died and was raised.
16 From now on, therefore, we regard no one according to the flesh. Even though we once regarded Christ according to the flesh, we regard him thus no longer. 17 Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation. The old has passed away; behold, the new has come. 18 All this is from God, who through Christ reconciled us to himself and gave us the ministry of reconciliation; 19 that is, in Christ God was reconciling the world to himself, not counting their trespasses against them, and entrusting to us the message of reconciliation. 20 Therefore, we are ambassadors for Christ, God making his appeal through us. We implore you on behalf of Christ, be reconciled to God. 21 For our sake he made him to be sin who knew no sin, so that in him we might become the righteousness of God.
2 Corinthians 4 (ESV)
Therefore, having this ministry by the mercy of God, we do not lose heart. 2 But we have renounced disgraceful, underhanded ways. We refuse to practice cunning or to tamper with God's word, but by the open statement of the truth we would commend ourselves to everyone's conscience in the sight of God. 3 And even if our gospel is veiled, it is veiled to those who are perishing. 4 In their case the god of this world has blinded the minds of the unbelievers, to keep them from seeing the light of the gospel of the glory of Christ, who is the image of God. 5 For what we proclaim is not ourselves, but Jesus Christ as Lord, with ourselves as your servants for Jesus' sake. 6 For God, who said, “Let light shine out of darkness,” has shone in our hearts to give the light of the knowledge of the glory of God in the face of Jesus Christ.
7 But we have this treasure in jars of clay, to show that the surpassing power belongs to God and not to us. 8 We are afflicted in every way, but not crushed; perplexed, but not driven to despair; 9 persecuted, but not forsaken; struck down, but not destroyed; 10 always carrying in the body the death of Jesus, so that the life of Jesus may also be manifested in our bodies. 11 For we who live are always being given over to death for Jesus' sake, so that the life of Jesus also may be manifested in our mortal flesh. 12 So death is at work in us, but life in you.
13 Since we have the same spirit of faith according to what has been written, “I believed, and so I spoke,” we also believe, and so we also speak, 14 knowing that he who raised the Lord Jesus will raise us also with Jesus and bring us with you into his presence. 15 For it is all for your sake, so that as grace extends to more and more people it may increase thanksgiving, to the glory of God.
16 So we do not lose heart. Though our outer self is wasting away, our inner self is being renewed day by day. 17 For this light momentary affliction is preparing for us an eternal weight of glory beyond all comparison, 18 as we look not to the things that are seen but to the things that are unseen. For the things that are seen are transient, but the things that are unseen are eternal.
2 Corinthians 3 (ESV)
Are we beginning to commend ourselves again? Or do we need, as some do, letters of recommendation to you, or from you? 2 You yourselves are our letter of recommendation, written on our hearts, to be known and read by all. 3 And you show that you are a letter from Christ delivered by us, written not with ink but with the Spirit of the living God, not on tablets of stone but on tablets of human hearts.
4 Such is the confidence that we have through Christ toward God. 5 Not that we are sufficient in ourselves to claim anything as coming from us, but our sufficiency is from God, 6 who has made us sufficient to be ministers of a new covenant, not of the letter but of the Spirit. For the letter kills, but the Spirit gives life.
7 Now if the ministry of death, carved in letters on stone, came with such glory that the Israelites could not gaze at Moses' face because of its glory, which was being brought to an end, 8 will not the ministry of the Spirit have even more glory? 9 For if there was glory in the ministry of condemnation, the ministry of righteousness must far exceed it in glory. 10 Indeed, in this case, what once had glory has come to have no glory at all, because of the glory that surpasses it. 11 For if what was being brought to an end came with glory, much more will what is permanent have glory.
12 Since we have such a hope, we are very bold, 13 not like Moses, who would put a veil over his face so that the Israelites might not gaze at the outcome of what was being brought to an end. 14 But their minds were hardened. For to this day, when they read the old covenant, that same veil remains unlifted, because only through Christ is it taken away. 15 Yes, to this day whenever Moses is read a veil lies over their hearts. 16 But when one turns to the Lord, the veil is removed. 17 Now the Lord is the Spirit, and where the Spirit of the Lord is, there is freedom. 18 And we all, with unveiled face, beholding the glory of the Lord, are being transformed into the same image from one degree of glory to another. For this comes from the Lord who is the Spirit.
2 Corinthians 2 (ESV)
For I made up my mind not to make another painful visit to you. 2 For if I cause you pain, who is there to make me glad but the one whom I have pained? 3 And I wrote as I did, so that when I came I might not suffer pain from those who should have made me rejoice, for I felt sure of all of you, that my joy would be the joy of you all. 4 For I wrote to you out of much affliction and anguish of heart and with many tears, not to cause you pain but to let you know the abundant love that I have for you.
5 Now if anyone has caused pain, he has caused it not to me, but in some measure—not to put it too severely—to all of you. 6 For such a one, this punishment by the majority is enough, 7 so you should rather turn to forgive and comfort him, or he may be overwhelmed by excessive sorrow. 8 So I beg you to reaffirm your love for him. 9 For this is why I wrote, that I might test you and know whether you are obedient in everything. 10 Anyone whom you forgive, I also forgive. Indeed, what I have forgiven, if I have forgiven anything, has been for your sake in the presence of Christ, 11 so that we would not be outwitted by Satan; for we are not ignorant of his designs.
12 When I came to Troas to preach the gospel of Christ, even though a door was opened for me in the Lord, 13 my spirit was not at rest because I did not find my brother Titus there. So I took leave of them and went on to Macedonia.
14 But thanks be to God, who in Christ always leads us in triumphal procession, and through us spreads the fragrance of the knowledge of him everywhere. 15 For we are the aroma of Christ to God among those who are being saved and among those who are perishing, 16 to one a fragrance from death to death, to the other a fragrance from life to life. Who is sufficient for these things? 17 For we are not, like so many, peddlers of God's word, but as men of sincerity, as commissioned by God, in the sight of God we speak in Christ.
2 Corinthians 1 (ESV)
Paul, an apostle of Christ Jesus by the will of God, and Timothy our brother, To the church of God that is at Corinth, with all the saints who are in the whole of Achaia:
2 Grace to you and peace from God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ. 3 Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of mercies and God of all comfort, 4 who comforts us in all our affliction, so that we may be able to comfort those who are in any affliction, with the comfort with which we ourselves are comforted by God. 5 For as we share abundantly in Christ's sufferings, so through Christ we share abundantly in comfort too. 6 If we are afflicted, it is for your comfort and salvation; and if we are comforted, it is for your comfort, which you experience when you patiently endure the same sufferings that we suffer. 7 Our hope for you is unshaken, for we know that as you share in our sufferings, you will also share in our comfort.
8 For we do not want you to be unaware, brothers, of the affliction we experienced in Asia. For we were so utterly burdened beyond our strength that we despaired of life itself. 9 Indeed, we felt that we had received the sentence of death. But that was to make us rely not on ourselves but on God who raises the dead. 10 He delivered us from such a deadly peril, and he will deliver us. On him we have set our hope that he will deliver us again. 11 You also must help us by prayer, so that many will give thanks on our behalf for the blessing granted us through the prayers of many.
12 For our boast is this, the testimony of our conscience, that we behaved in the world with simplicity and godly sincerity, not by earthly wisdom but by the grace of God, and supremely so toward you. 13 For we are not writing to you anything other than what you read and understand and I hope you will fully understand— 14 just as you did partially understand us—that on the day of our Lord Jesus you will boast of us as we will boast of you.
15 Because I was sure of this, I wanted to come to you first, so that you might have a second experience of grace. 16 I wanted to visit you on my way to Macedonia, and to come back to you from Macedonia and have you send me on my way to Judea. 17 Was I vacillating when I wanted to do this? Do I make my plans according to the flesh, ready to say “Yes, yes” and “No, no” at the same time? 18 As surely as God is faithful, our word to you has not been Yes and No. 19 For the Son of God, Jesus Christ, whom we proclaimed among you, Silvanus and Timothy and I, was not Yes and No, but in him it is always Yes. 20 For all the promises of God find their Yes in him. That is why it is through him that we utter our Amen to God for his glory. 21 And it is God who establishes us with you in Christ, and has anointed us, 22 and who has also put his seal on us and given us his Spirit in our hearts as a guarantee.
23 But I call God to witness against me—it was to spare you that I refrained from coming again to Corinth. 24 Not that we lord it over your faith, but we work with you for your joy, for you stand firm in your faith.
1 Corinthians 16 (ESV)
Now concerning the collection for the saints: as I directed the churches of Galatia, so you also are to do. 2 On the first day of every week, each of you is to put something aside and store it up, as he may prosper, so that there will be no collecting when I come. 3 And when I arrive, I will send those whom you accredit by letter to carry your gift to Jerusalem. 4 If it seems advisable that I should go also, they will accompany me.
5 I will visit you after passing through Macedonia, for I intend to pass through Macedonia, 6 and perhaps I will stay with you or even spend the winter, so that you may help me on my journey, wherever I go. 7 For I do not want to see you now just in passing. I hope to spend some time with you, if the Lord permits. 8 But I will stay in Ephesus until Pentecost, 9 for a wide door for effective work has opened to me, and there are many adversaries.
10 When Timothy comes, see that you put him at ease among you, for he is doing the work of the Lord, as I am. 11 So let no one despise him. Help him on his way in peace, that he may return to me, for I am expecting him with the brothers.
12 Now concerning our brother Apollos, I strongly urged him to visit you with the other brothers, but it was not at all his will to come now. He will come when he has opportunity.
13 Be watchful, stand firm in the faith, act like men, be strong. 14 Let all that you do be done in love.
15 Now I urge you, brothers[c]—you know that the household[d] of Stephanas were the first converts in Achaia, and that they have devoted themselves to the service of the saints— 16 be subject to such as these, and to every fellow worker and laborer. 17 I rejoice at the coming of Stephanas and Fortunatus and Achaicus, because they have made up for your absence, 18 for they refreshed my spirit as well as yours. Give recognition to such people.
19 The churches of Asia send you greetings. Aquila and Prisca, together with the church in their house, send you hearty greetings in the Lord. 20 All the brothers send you greetings. Greet one another with a holy kiss.
21 I, Paul, write this greeting with my own hand. 22 If anyone has no love for the Lord, let him be accursed. Our Lord, come! 23 The grace of the Lord Jesus be with you. 24 My love be with you all in Christ Jesus. Amen.
1 Corinthians 15 (ESV)
Now I would remind you, brothers, of the gospel I preached to you, which you received, in which you stand, 2 and by which you are being saved, if you hold fast to the word I preached to you—unless you believed in vain.
3 For I delivered to you as of first importance what I also received: that Christ died for our sins in accordance with the Scriptures, 4 that he was buried, that he was raised on the third day in accordance with the Scriptures, 5 and that he appeared to Cephas, then to the twelve. 6 Then he appeared to more than five hundred brothers at one time, most of whom are still alive, though some have fallen asleep. 7 Then he appeared to James, then to all the apostles. 8 Last of all, as to one untimely born, he appeared also to me. 9 For I am the least of the apostles, unworthy to be called an apostle, because I persecuted the church of God. 10 But by the grace of God I am what I am, and his grace toward me was not in vain. On the contrary, I worked harder than any of them, though it was not I, but the grace of God that is with me. 11 Whether then it was I or they, so we preach and so you believed.
12 Now if Christ is proclaimed as raised from the dead, how can some of you say that there is no resurrection of the dead? 13 But if there is no resurrection of the dead, then not even Christ has been raised. 14 And if Christ has not been raised, then our preaching is in vain and your faith is in vain. 15 We are even found to be misrepresenting God, because we testified about God that he raised Christ, whom he did not raise if it is true that the dead are not raised. 16 For if the dead are not raised, not even Christ has been raised. 17 And if Christ has not been raised, your faith is futile and you are still in your sins. 18 Then those also who have fallen asleep in Christ have perished. 19 If in Christ we have hope in this life only, we are of all people most to be pitied.
20 But in fact Christ has been raised from the dead, the firstfruits of those who have fallen asleep. 21 For as by a man came death, by a man has come also the resurrection of the dead. 22 For as in Adam all die, so also in Christ shall all be made alive. 23 But each in his own order: Christ the firstfruits, then at his coming those who belong to Christ. 24 Then comes the end, when he delivers the kingdom to God the Father after destroying every rule and every authority and power. 25 For he must reign until he has put all his enemies under his feet. 26 The last enemy to be destroyed is death. 27 For “God has put all things in subjection under his feet.” But when it says, “all things are put in subjection,” it is plain that he is excepted who put all things in subjection under him. 28 When all things are subjected to him, then the Son himself will also be subjected to him who put all things in subjection under him, that God may be all in all.
29 Otherwise, what do people mean by being baptized on behalf of the dead? If the dead are not raised at all, why are people baptized on their behalf? 30 Why are we in danger every hour? 31 I protest, brothers, by my pride in you, which I have in Christ Jesus our Lord, I die every day! 32 What do I gain if, humanly speaking, I fought with beasts at Ephesus? If the dead are not raised, “Let us eat and drink, for tomorrow we die.” 33 Do not be deceived: “Bad company ruins good morals.” 34 Wake up from your drunken stupor, as is right, and do not go on sinning. For some have no knowledge of God. I say this to your shame.
35 But someone will ask, “How are the dead raised? With what kind of body do they come?” 36 You foolish person! What you sow does not come to life unless it dies. 37 And what you sow is not the body that is to be, but a bare kernel, perhaps of wheat or of some other grain. 38 But God gives it a body as he has chosen, and to each kind of seed its own body. 39 For not all flesh is the same, but there is one kind for humans, another for animals, another for birds, and another for fish. 40 There are heavenly bodies and earthly bodies, but the glory of the heavenly is of one kind, and the glory of the earthly is of another. 41 There is one glory of the sun, and another glory of the moon, and another glory of the stars; for star differs from star in glory.
42 So is it with the resurrection of the dead. What is sown is perishable; what is raised is imperishable. 43 It is sown in dishonor; it is raised in glory. It is sown in weakness; it is raised in power. 44 It is sown a natural body; it is raised a spiritual body. If there is a natural body, there is also a spiritual body. 45 Thus it is written, “The first man Adam became a living being”; the last Adam became a life-giving spirit. 46 But it is not the spiritual that is first but the natural, and then the spiritual. 47 The first man was from the earth, a man of dust; the second man is from heaven. 48 As was the man of dust, so also are those who are of the dust, and as is the man of heaven, so also are those who are of heaven. 49 Just as we have borne the image of the man of dust, we shall also bear the image of the man of heaven.
50 I tell you this, brothers: flesh and blood cannot inherit the kingdom of God, nor does the perishable inherit the imperishable. 51 Behold! I tell you a mystery. We shall not all sleep, but we shall all be changed, 52 in a moment, in the twinkling of an eye, at the last trumpet. For the trumpet will sound, and the dead will be raised imperishable, and we shall be changed. 53 For this perishable body must put on the imperishable, and this mortal body must put on immortality. 54 When the perishable puts on the imperishable, and the mortal puts on immortality, then shall come to pass the saying that is written:
“Death is swallowed up in victory.” 55 “O death, where is your victory? O death, where is your sting?”
56 The sting of death is sin, and the power of sin is the law. 57 But thanks be to God, who gives us the victory through our Lord Jesus Christ.
58 Therefore, my beloved brothers, be steadfast, immovable, always abounding in the work of the Lord, knowing that in the Lord your labor is not in vain.
1 Corinthians 14 (ESV)
Pursue love, and earnestly desire the spiritual gifts, especially that you may prophesy. 2 For one who speaks in a tongue speaks not to men but to God; for no one understands him, but he utters mysteries in the Spirit. 3 On the other hand, the one who prophesies speaks to people for their upbuilding and encouragement and consolation. 4 The one who speaks in a tongue builds up himself, but the one who prophesies builds up the church. 5 Now I want you all to speak in tongues, but even more to prophesy. The one who prophesies is greater than the one who speaks in tongues, unless someone interprets, so that the church may be built up.
6 Now, brothers, if I come to you speaking in tongues, how will I benefit you unless I bring you some revelation or knowledge or prophecy or teaching? 7 If even lifeless instruments, such as the flute or the harp, do not give distinct notes, how will anyone know what is played? 8 And if the bugle gives an indistinct sound, who will get ready for battle? 9 So with yourselves, if with your tongue you utter speech that is not intelligible, how will anyone know what is said? For you will be speaking into the air. 10 There are doubtless many different languages in the world, and none is without meaning, 11 but if I do not know the meaning of the language, I will be a foreigner to the speaker and the speaker a foreigner to me. 12 So with yourselves, since you are eager for manifestations of the Spirit, strive to excel in building up the church.
13 Therefore, one who speaks in a tongue should pray that he may interpret. 14 For if I pray in a tongue, my spirit prays but my mind is unfruitful. 15 What am I to do? I will pray with my spirit, but I will pray with my mind also; I will sing praise with my spirit, but I will sing with my mind also. 16 Otherwise, if you give thanks with your spirit, how can anyone in the position of an outsider say “Amen” to your thanksgiving when he does not know what you are saying? 17 For you may be giving thanks well enough, but the other person is not being built up. 18 I thank God that I speak in tongues more than all of you. 19 Nevertheless, in church I would rather speak five words with my mind in order to instruct others, than ten thousand words in a tongue.
20 Brothers, do not be children in your thinking. Be infants in evil, but in your thinking be mature. 21 In the Law it is written, “By people of strange tongues and by the lips of foreigners will I speak to this people, and even then they will not listen to me, says the Lord.” 22 Thus tongues are a sign not for believers but for unbelievers, while prophecy is a sign not for unbelievers but for believers. 23 If, therefore, the whole church comes together and all speak in tongues, and outsiders or unbelievers enter, will they not say that you are out of your minds? 24 But if all prophesy, and an unbeliever or outsider enters, he is convicted by all, he is called to account by all, 25 the secrets of his heart are disclosed, and so, falling on his face, he will worship God and declare that God is really among you.
26 What then, brothers? When you come together, each one has a hymn, a lesson, a revelation, a tongue, or an interpretation. Let all things be done for building up. 27 If any speak in a tongue, let there be only two or at most three, and each in turn, and let someone interpret. 28 But if there is no one to interpret, let each of them keep silent in church and speak to himself and to God. 29 Let two or three prophets speak, and let the others weigh what is said. 30 If a revelation is made to another sitting there, let the first be silent. 31 For you can all prophesy one by one, so that all may learn and all be encouraged, 32 and the spirits of prophets are subject to prophets. 33 For God is not a God of confusion but of peace.
As in all the churches of the saints, 34 the women should keep silent in the churches. For they are not permitted to speak, but should be in submission, as the Law also says. 35 If there is anything they desire to learn, let them ask their husbands at home. For it is shameful for a woman to speak in church.
36 Or was it from you that the word of God came? Or are you the only ones it has reached? 37 If anyone thinks that he is a prophet, or spiritual, he should acknowledge that the things I am writing to you are a command of the Lord. 38 If anyone does not recognize this, he is not recognized. 39 So, my brothers, earnestly desire to prophesy, and do not forbid speaking in tongues. 40 But all things should be done decently and in order.
1 Corinthians 13 (ESV)
If I speak in the tongues of men and of angels, but have not love, I am a noisy gong or a clanging cymbal. 2 And if I have prophetic powers, and understand all mysteries and all knowledge, and if I have all faith, so as to remove mountains, but have not love, I am nothing. 3 If I give away all I have, and if I deliver up my body to be burned, but have not love, I gain nothing.
4 Love is patient and kind; love does not envy or boast; it is not arrogant 5 or rude. It does not insist on its own way; it is not irritable or resentful; 6 it does not rejoice at wrongdoing, but rejoices with the truth. 7 Love bears all things, believes all things, hopes all things, endures all things.
8 Love never ends. As for prophecies, they will pass away; as for tongues, they will cease; as for knowledge, it will pass away. 9 For we know in part and we prophesy in part, 10 but when the perfect comes, the partial will pass away. 11 When I was a child, I spoke like a child, I thought like a child, I reasoned like a child. When I became a man, I gave up childish ways. 12 For now we see in a mirror dimly, but then face to face. Now I know in part; then I shall know fully, even as I have been fully known.
13 So now faith, hope, and love abide, these three; but the greatest of these is love.
1 Corinthians 12 (ESV)
Now concerning spiritual gifts, brothers, I do not want you to be uninformed. 2 You know that when you were pagans you were led astray to mute idols, however you were led. 3 Therefore I want you to understand that no one speaking in the Spirit of God ever says “Jesus is accursed!” and no one can say “Jesus is Lord” except in the Holy Spirit.
4 Now there are varieties of gifts, but the same Spirit; 5 and there are varieties of service, but the same Lord; 6 and there are varieties of activities, but it is the same God who empowers them all in everyone. 7 To each is given the manifestation of the Spirit for the common good. 8 For to one is given through the Spirit the utterance of wisdom, and to another the utterance of knowledge according to the same Spirit, 9 to another faith by the same Spirit, to another gifts of healing by the one Spirit, 10 to another the working of miracles, to another prophecy, to another the ability to distinguish between spirits, to another various kinds of tongues, to another the interpretation of tongues. 11 All these are empowered by one and the same Spirit, who apportions to each one individually as he wills.
12 For just as the body is one and has many members, and all the members of the body, though many, are one body, so it is with Christ. 13 For in one Spirit we were all baptized into one body—Jews or Greeks, slaves[d] or free—and all were made to drink of one Spirit.
14 For the body does not consist of one member but of many. 15 If the foot should say, “Because I am not a hand, I do not belong to the body,” that would not make it any less a part of the body. 16 And if the ear should say, “Because I am not an eye, I do not belong to the body,” that would not make it any less a part of the body. 17 If the whole body were an eye, where would be the sense of hearing? If the whole body were an ear, where would be the sense of smell? 18 But as it is, God arranged the members in the body, each one of them, as he chose. 19 If all were a single member, where would the body be? 20 As it is, there are many parts, yet one body.
21 The eye cannot say to the hand, “I have no need of you,” nor again the head to the feet, “I have no need of you.” 22 On the contrary, the parts of the body that seem to be weaker are indispensable, 23 and on those parts of the body that we think less honorable we bestow the greater honor, and our unpresentable parts are treated with greater modesty, 24 which our more presentable parts do not require. But God has so composed the body, giving greater honor to the part that lacked it, 25 that there may be no division in the body, but that the members may have the same care for one another. 26 If one member suffers, all suffer together; if one member is honored, all rejoice together.
27 Now you are the body of Christ and individually members of it. 28 And God has appointed in the church first apostles, second prophets, third teachers, then miracles, then gifts of healing, helping, administrating, and various kinds of tongues. 29 Are all apostles? Are all prophets? Are all teachers? Do all work miracles? 30 Do all possess gifts of healing? Do all speak with tongues? Do all interpret? 31 But earnestly desire the higher gifts.
And I will show you a still more excellent way.
1 Corinthians 11 (ESV)
Be imitators of me, as I am of Christ.
2 Now I commend you because you remember me in everything and maintain the traditions even as I delivered them to you. 3 But I want you to understand that the head of every man is Christ, the head of a wife is her husband, and the head of Christ is God. 4 Every man who prays or prophesies with his head covered dishonors his head, 5 but every wife who prays or prophesies with her head uncovered dishonors her head, since it is the same as if her head were shaven. 6 For if a wife will not cover her head, then she should cut her hair short. But since it is disgraceful for a wife to cut off her hair or shave her head, let her cover her head. 7 For a man ought not to cover his head, since he is the image and glory of God, but woman is the glory of man. 8 For man was not made from woman, but woman from man. 9 Neither was man created for woman, but woman for man. 10 That is why a wife ought to have a symbol of authority on her head, because of the angels. 11 Nevertheless, in the Lord woman is not independent of man nor man of woman; 12 for as woman was made from man, so man is now born of woman. And all things are from God. 13 Judge for yourselves: is it proper for a wife to pray to God with her head uncovered? 14 Does not nature itself teach you that if a man wears long hair it is a disgrace for him, 15 but if a woman has long hair, it is her glory? For her hair is given to her for a covering. 16 If anyone is inclined to be contentious, we have no such practice, nor do the churches of God.
17 But in the following instructions I do not commend you, because when you come together it is not for the better but for the worse. 18 For, in the first place, when you come together as a church, I hear that there are divisions among you. And I believe it in part, 19 for there must be factions among you in order that those who are genuine among you may be recognized. 20 When you come together, it is not the Lord's supper that you eat. 21 For in eating, each one goes ahead with his own meal. One goes hungry, another gets drunk. 22 What! Do you not have houses to eat and drink in? Or do you despise the church of God and humiliate those who have nothing? What shall I say to you? Shall I commend you in this? No, I will not.
23 For I received from the Lord what I also delivered to you, that the Lord Jesus on the night when he was betrayed took bread, 24 and when he had given thanks, he broke it, and said, “This is my body, which is for you. Do this in remembrance of me.” 25 In the same way also he took the cup, after supper, saying, “This cup is the new covenant in my blood. Do this, as often as you drink it, in remembrance of me.” 26 For as often as you eat this bread and drink the cup, you proclaim the Lord's death until he comes.
27 Whoever, therefore, eats the bread or drinks the cup of the Lord in an unworthy manner will be guilty concerning the body and blood of the Lord. 28 Let a person examine himself, then, and so eat of the bread and drink of the cup. 29 For anyone who eats and drinks without discerning the body eats and drinks judgment on himself. 30 That is why many of you are weak and ill, and some have died. 31 But if we judged ourselves truly, we would not be judged. 32 But when we are judged by the Lord, we are disciplined so that we may not be condemned along with the world.
33 So then, my brothers, when you come together to eat, wait for one another— 34 if anyone is hungry, let him eat at home—so that when you come together it will not be for judgment. About the other things I will give directions when I come.
1 Corinthians 10 (ESV)
For I do not want you to be unaware, brothers, that our fathers were all under the cloud, and all passed through the sea, 2 and all were baptized into Moses in the cloud and in the sea, 3 and all ate the same spiritual food, 4 and all drank the same spiritual drink. For they drank from the spiritual Rock that followed them, and the Rock was Christ. 5 Nevertheless, with most of them God was not pleased, for they were overthrown in the wilderness.
6 Now these things took place as examples for us, that we might not desire evil as they did. 7 Do not be idolaters as some of them were; as it is written, “The people sat down to eat and drink and rose up to play.” 8 We must not indulge in sexual immorality as some of them did, and twenty-three thousand fell in a single day. 9 We must not put Christ to the test, as some of them did and were destroyed by serpents, 10 nor grumble, as some of them did and were destroyed by the Destroyer. 11 Now these things happened to them as an example, but they were written down for our instruction, on whom the end of the ages has come. 12 Therefore let anyone who thinks that he stands take heed lest he fall. 13 No temptation has overtaken you that is not common to man. God is faithful, and he will not let you be tempted beyond your ability, but with the temptation he will also provide the way of escape, that you may be able to endure it.
14 Therefore, my beloved, flee from idolatry. 15 I speak as to sensible people; judge for yourselves what I say. 16 The cup of blessing that we bless, is it not a participation in the blood of Christ? The bread that we break, is it not a participation in the body of Christ? 17 Because there is one bread, we who are many are one body, for we all partake of the one bread. 18 Consider the people of Israel: are not those who eat the sacrifices participants in the altar? 19 What do I imply then? That food offered to idols is anything, or that an idol is anything? 20 No, I imply that what pagans sacrifice they offer to demons and not to God. I do not want you to be participants with demons. 21 You cannot drink the cup of the Lord and the cup of demons. You cannot partake of the table of the Lord and the table of demons. 22 Shall we provoke the Lord to jealousy? Are we stronger than he?
23 “All things are lawful,” but not all things are helpful. “All things are lawful,” but not all things build up. 24 Let no one seek his own good, but the good of his neighbor. 25 Eat whatever is sold in the meat market without raising any question on the ground of conscience. 26 For “the earth is the Lord's, and the fullness thereof.” 27 If one of the unbelievers invites you to dinner and you are disposed to go, eat whatever is set before you without raising any question on the ground of conscience. 28 But if someone says to you, “This has been offered in sacrifice,” then do not eat it, for the sake of the one who informed you, and for the sake of conscience— 29 I do not mean your conscience, but his. For why should my liberty be determined by someone else's conscience? 30 If I partake with thankfulness, why am I denounced because of that for which I give thanks?
31 So, whether you eat or drink, or whatever you do, do all to the glory of God. 32 Give no offense to Jews or to Greeks or to the church of God, 33 just as I try to please everyone in everything I do, not seeking my own advantage, but that of many, that they may be saved.
1 Corinthians 9 (ESV)
Am I not free? Am I not an apostle? Have I not seen Jesus our Lord? Are not you my workmanship in the Lord? 2 If to others I am not an apostle, at least I am to you, for you are the seal of my apostleship in the Lord.
3 This is my defense to those who would examine me. 4 Do we not have the right to eat and drink? 5 Do we not have the right to take along a believing wife, as do the other apostles and the brothers of the Lord and Cephas? 6 Or is it only Barnabas and I who have no right to refrain from working for a living? 7 Who serves as a soldier at his own expense? Who plants a vineyard without eating any of its fruit? Or who tends a flock without getting some of the milk?
8 Do I say these things on human authority? Does not the Law say the same? 9 For it is written in the Law of Moses, “You shall not muzzle an ox when it treads out the grain.” Is it for oxen that God is concerned? 10 Does he not certainly speak for our sake? It was written for our sake, because the plowman should plow in hope and the thresher thresh in hope of sharing in the crop. 11 If we have sown spiritual things among you, is it too much if we reap material things from you? 12 If others share this rightful claim on you, do not we even more?
Nevertheless, we have not made use of this right, but we endure anything rather than put an obstacle in the way of the gospel of Christ. 13 Do you not know that those who are employed in the temple service get their food from the temple, and those who serve at the altar share in the sacrificial offerings? 14 In the same way, the Lord commanded that those who proclaim the gospel should get their living by the gospel.
15 But I have made no use of any of these rights, nor am I writing these things to secure any such provision. For I would rather die than have anyone deprive me of my ground for boasting. 16 For if I preach the gospel, that gives me no ground for boasting. For necessity is laid upon me. Woe to me if I do not preach the gospel! 17 For if I do this of my own will, I have a reward, but if not of my own will, I am still entrusted with a stewardship. 18 What then is my reward? That in my preaching I may present the gospel free of charge, so as not to make full use of my right in the gospel.
19 For though I am free from all, I have made myself a servant to all, that I might win more of them. 20 To the Jews I became as a Jew, in order to win Jews. To those under the law I became as one under the law (though not being myself under the law) that I might win those under the law. 21 To those outside the law I became as one outside the law (not being outside the law of God but under the law of Christ) that I might win those outside the law. 22 To the weak I became weak, that I might win the weak. I have become all things to all people, that by all means I might save some. 23 I do it all for the sake of the gospel, that I may share with them in its blessings.
24 Do you not know that in a race all the runners run, but only one receives the prize? So run that you may obtain it. 25 Every athlete exercises self-control in all things. They do it to receive a perishable wreath, but we an imperishable. 26 So I do not run aimlessly; I do not box as one beating the air. 27 But I discipline my body and keep it under control, lest after preaching to others I myself should be disqualified.
1 Corinthians 8 (ESV)
Now concerning food offered to idols: we know that “all of us possess knowledge.” This “knowledge” puffs up, but love builds up. 2 If anyone imagines that he knows something, he does not yet know as he ought to know. 3 But if anyone loves God, he is known by God.
4 Therefore, as to the eating of food offered to idols, we know that “an idol has no real existence,” and that “there is no God but one.” 5 For although there may be so-called gods in heaven or on earth—as indeed there are many “gods” and many “lords”— 6 yet for us there is one God, the Father, from whom are all things and for whom we exist, and one Lord, Jesus Christ, through whom are all things and through whom we exist.
7 However, not all possess this knowledge. But some, through former association with idols, eat food as really offered to an idol, and their conscience, being weak, is defiled. 8 Food will not commend us to God. We are no worse off if we do not eat, and no better off if we do. 9 But take care that this right of yours does not somehow become a stumbling block to the weak. 10 For if anyone sees you who have knowledge eating in an idol's temple, will he not be encouraged, if his conscience is weak, to eat food offered to idols? 11 And so by your knowledge this weak person is destroyed, the brother for whom Christ died. 12 Thus, sinning against your brothers and wounding their conscience when it is weak, you sin against Christ. 13 Therefore, if food makes my brother stumble, I will never eat meat, lest I make my brother stumble.
1 Corinthians 7 (ESV)
Now concerning the matters about which you wrote: “It is good for a man not to have sexual relations with a woman.” 2 But because of the temptation to sexual immorality, each man should have his own wife and each woman her own husband. 3 The husband should give to his wife her conjugal rights, and likewise the wife to her husband. 4 For the wife does not have authority over her own body, but the husband does. Likewise the husband does not have authority over his own body, but the wife does. 5 Do not deprive one another, except perhaps by agreement for a limited time, that you may devote yourselves to prayer; but then come together again, so that Satan may not tempt you because of your lack of self-control.
6 Now as a concession, not a command, I say this. 7 I wish that all were as I myself am. But each has his own gift from God, one of one kind and one of another.
8 To the unmarried and the widows I say that it is good for them to remain single, as I am. 9 But if they cannot exercise self-control, they should marry. For it is better to marry than to burn with passion.
10 To the married I give this charge (not I, but the Lord): the wife should not separate from her husband 11 (but if she does, she should remain unmarried or else be reconciled to her husband), and the husband should not divorce his wife.
12 To the rest I say (I, not the Lord) that if any brother has a wife who is an unbeliever, and she consents to live with him, he should not divorce her. 13 If any woman has a husband who is an unbeliever, and he consents to live with her, she should not divorce him. 14 For the unbelieving husband is made holy because of his wife, and the unbelieving wife is made holy because of her husband. Otherwise your children would be unclean, but as it is, they are holy. 15 But if the unbelieving partner separates, let it be so. In such cases the brother or sister is not enslaved. God has called you to peace. 16 For how do you know, wife, whether you will save your husband? Or how do you know, husband, whether you will save your wife?
17 Only let each person lead the life that the Lord has assigned to him, and to which God has called him. This is my rule in all the churches. 18 Was anyone at the time of his call already circumcised? Let him not seek to remove the marks of circumcision. Was anyone at the time of his call uncircumcised? Let him not seek circumcision. 19 For neither circumcision counts for anything nor uncircumcision, but keeping the commandments of God. 20 Each one should remain in the condition in which he was called. 21 Were you a bondservant when called? Do not be concerned about it. (But if you can gain your freedom, avail yourself of the opportunity.) 22 For he who was called in the Lord as a bondservant is a freedman of the Lord. Likewise he who was free when called is a bondservant of Christ. 23 You were bought with a price; do not become bondservants of men. 24 So, brothers, in whatever condition each was called, there let him remain with God.
25 Now concerning the betrothed, I have no command from the Lord, but I give my judgment as one who by the Lord's mercy is trustworthy. 26 I think that in view of the present[h] distress it is good for a person to remain as he is. 27 Are you bound to a wife? Do not seek to be free. Are you free from a wife? Do not seek a wife. 28 But if you do marry, you have not sinned, and if a betrothed woman marries, she has not sinned. Yet those who marry will have worldly troubles, and I would spare you that. 29 This is what I mean, brothers: the appointed time has grown very short. From now on, let those who have wives live as though they had none, 30 and those who mourn as though they were not mourning, and those who rejoice as though they were not rejoicing, and those who buy as though they had no goods, 31 and those who deal with the world as though they had no dealings with it. For the present form of this world is passing away.
32 I want you to be free from anxieties. The unmarried man is anxious about the things of the Lord, how to please the Lord. 33 But the married man is anxious about worldly things, how to please his wife, 34 and his interests are divided. And the unmarried or betrothed woman is anxious about the things of the Lord, how to be holy in body and spirit. But the married woman is anxious about worldly things, how to please her husband. 35 I say this for your own benefit, not to lay any restraint upon you, but to promote good order and to secure your undivided devotion to the Lord.
36 If anyone thinks that he is not behaving properly toward his betrothed, if his passions are strong, and it has to be, let him do as he wishes: let them marry—it is no sin. 37 But whoever is firmly established in his heart, being under no necessity but having his desire under control, and has determined this in his heart, to keep her as his betrothed, he will do well. 38 So then he who marries his betrothed does well, and he who refrains from marriage will do even better.
39 A wife is bound to her husband as long as he lives. But if her husband dies, she is free to be married to whom she wishes, only in the Lord. 40 Yet in my judgment she is happier if she remains as she is. And I think that I too have the Spirit of God.
1 Corinthians 6 (ESV)
When one of you has a grievance against another, does he dare go to law before the unrighteous instead of the saints? 2 Or do you not know that the saints will judge the world? And if the world is to be judged by you, are you incompetent to try trivial cases? 3 Do you not know that we are to judge angels? How much more, then, matters pertaining to this life! 4 So if you have such cases, why do you lay them before those who have no standing in the church? 5 I say this to your shame. Can it be that there is no one among you wise enough to settle a dispute between the brothers, 6 but brother goes to law against brother, and that before unbelievers? 7 To have lawsuits at all with one another is already a defeat for you. Why not rather suffer wrong? Why not rather be defrauded? 8 But you yourselves wrong and defraud—even your own brothers!
9 Or do you not know that the unrighteous will not inherit the kingdom of God? Do not be deceived: neither the sexually immoral, nor idolaters, nor adulterers, nor men who practice homosexuality, 10 nor thieves, nor the greedy, nor drunkards, nor revilers, nor swindlers will inherit the kingdom of God. 11 And such were some of you. But you were washed, you were sanctified, you were justified in the name of the Lord Jesus Christ and by the Spirit of our God.
12 “All things are lawful for me,” but not all things are helpful. “All things are lawful for me,” but I will not be dominated by anything. 13 “Food is meant for the stomach and the stomach for food”—and God will destroy both one and the other. The body is not meant for sexual immorality, but for the Lord, and the Lord for the body. 14 And God raised the Lord and will also raise us up by his power. 15 Do you not know that your bodies are members of Christ? Shall I then take the members of Christ and make them members of a prostitute? Never! 16 Or do you not know that he who is joined to a prostitute becomes one body with her? For, as it is written, “The two will become one flesh.” 17 But he who is joined to the Lord becomes one spirit with him. 18 Flee from sexual immorality. Every other sin a person commits is outside the body, but the sexually immoral person sins against his own body. 19 Or do you not know that your body is a temple of the Holy Spirit within you, whom you have from God? You are not your own, 20 for you were bought with a price. So glorify God in your body.
1 Corinthians 5 (ESV)
It is actually reported that there is sexual immorality among you, and of a kind that is not tolerated even among pagans, for a man has his father's wife. 2 And you are arrogant! Ought you not rather to mourn? Let him who has done this be removed from among you.
3 For though absent in body, I am present in spirit; and as if present, I have already pronounced judgment on the one who did such a thing. 4 When you are assembled in the name of the Lord Jesus and my spirit is present, with the power of our Lord Jesus, 5 you are to deliver this man to Satan for the destruction of the flesh, so that his spirit may be saved in the day of the Lord.
6 Your boasting is not good. Do you not know that a little leaven leavens the whole lump? 7 Cleanse out the old leaven that you may be a new lump, as you really are unleavened. For Christ, our Passover lamb, has been sacrificed. 8 Let us therefore celebrate the festival, not with the old leaven, the leaven of malice and evil, but with the unleavened bread of sincerity and truth.
9 I wrote to you in my letter not to associate with sexually immoral people— 10 not at all meaning the sexually immoral of this world, or the greedy and swindlers, or idolaters, since then you would need to go out of the world. 11 But now I am writing to you not to associate with anyone who bears the name of brother if he is guilty of sexual immorality or greed, or is an idolater, reviler, drunkard, or swindler—not even to eat with such a one. 12 For what have I to do with judging outsiders? Is it not those inside the church whom you are to judge? 13 God judges those outside. “Purge the evil person from among you.”
1 Corinthians 4 (ESV)
This is how one should regard us, as servants of Christ and stewards of the mysteries of God. 2 Moreover, it is required of stewards that they be found faithful. 3 But with me it is a very small thing that I should be judged by you or by any human court. In fact, I do not even judge myself. 4 For I am not aware of anything against myself, but I am not thereby acquitted. It is the Lord who judges me. 5 Therefore do not pronounce judgment before the time, before the Lord comes, who will bring to light the things now hidden in darkness and will disclose the purposes of the heart. Then each one will receive his commendation from God.
6 I have applied all these things to myself and Apollos for your benefit, brothers, that you may learn by us not to go beyond what is written, that none of you may be puffed up in favor of one against another. 7 For who sees anything different in you? What do you have that you did not receive? If then you received it, why do you boast as if you did not receive it?
8 Already you have all you want! Already you have become rich! Without us you have become kings! And would that you did reign, so that we might share the rule with you! 9 For I think that God has exhibited us apostles as last of all, like men sentenced to death, because we have become a spectacle to the world, to angels, and to men. 10 We are fools for Christ's sake, but you are wise in Christ. We are weak, but you are strong. You are held in honor, but we in disrepute. 11 To the present hour we hunger and thirst, we are poorly dressed and buffeted and homeless, 12 and we labor, working with our own hands. When reviled, we bless; when persecuted, we endure; 13 when slandered, we entreat. We have become, and are still, like the scum of the world, the refuse of all things.
14 I do not write these things to make you ashamed, but to admonish you as my beloved children. 15 For though you have countless guides in Christ, you do not have many fathers. For I became your father in Christ Jesus through the gospel. 16 I urge you, then, be imitators of me. 17 That is why I sent you Timothy, my beloved and faithful child in the Lord, to remind you of my ways in Christ, as I teach them everywhere in every church. 18 Some are arrogant, as though I were not coming to you. 19 But I will come to you soon, if the Lord wills, and I will find out not the talk of these arrogant people but their power. 20 For the kingdom of God does not consist in talk but in power. 21 What do you wish? Shall I come to you with a rod, or with love in a spirit of gentleness?
1 Corinthians 3 (ESV)
But I, brothers, could not address you as spiritual people, but as people of the flesh, as infants in Christ. 2 I fed you with milk, not solid food, for you were not ready for it. And even now you are not yet ready, 3 for you are still of the flesh. For while there is jealousy and strife among you, are you not of the flesh and behaving only in a human way? 4 For when one says, “I follow Paul,” and another, “I follow Apollos,” are you not being merely human?
5 What then is Apollos? What is Paul? Servants through whom you believed, as the Lord assigned to each. 6 I planted, Apollos watered, but God gave the growth. 7 So neither he who plants nor he who waters is anything, but only God who gives the growth. 8 He who plants and he who waters are one, and each will receive his wages according to his labor. 9 For we are God's fellow workers. You are God's field, God's building.
10 According to the grace of God given to me, like a skilled master builder I laid a foundation, and someone else is building upon it. Let each one take care how he builds upon it. 11 For no one can lay a foundation other than that which is laid, which is Jesus Christ. 12 Now if anyone builds on the foundation with gold, silver, precious stones, wood, hay, straw— 13 each one's work will become manifest, for the Day will disclose it, because it will be revealed by fire, and the fire will test what sort of work each one has done. 14 If the work that anyone has built on the foundation survives, he will receive a reward. 15 If anyone's work is burned up, he will suffer loss, though he himself will be saved, but only as through fire.
16 Do you not know that you are God's temple and that God's Spirit dwells in you? 17 If anyone destroys God's temple, God will destroy him. For God's temple is holy, and you are that temple.
18 Let no one deceive himself. If anyone among you thinks that he is wise in this age, let him become a fool that he may become wise. 19 For the wisdom of this world is folly with God. For it is written, “He catches the wise in their craftiness,” 20 and again, “The Lord knows the thoughts of the wise, that they are futile.” 21 So let no one boast in men. For all things are yours, 22 whether Paul or Apollos or Cephas or the world or life or death or the present or the future—all are yours, 23 and you are Christ's, and Christ is God's.
1 Corinthians 2 (ESV)
And I, when I came to you, brothers, did not come proclaiming to you the testimony of God with lofty speech or wisdom. 2 For I decided to know nothing among you except Jesus Christ and him crucified. 3 And I was with you in weakness and in fear and much trembling, 4 and my speech and my message were not in plausible words of wisdom, but in demonstration of the Spirit and of power, 5 so that your faith might not rest in the wisdom of men but in the power of God.
6 Yet among the mature we do impart wisdom, although it is not a wisdom of this age or of the rulers of this age, who are doomed to pass away. 7 But we impart a secret and hidden wisdom of God, which God decreed before the ages for our glory. 8 None of the rulers of this age understood this, for if they had, they would not have crucified the Lord of glory. 9 But, as it is written,
“What no eye has seen, nor ear heard, nor the heart of man imagined, what God has prepared for those who love him”—
10 these things God has revealed to us through the Spirit. For the Spirit searches everything, even the depths of God. 11 For who knows a person's thoughts except the spirit of that person, which is in him? So also no one comprehends the thoughts of God except the Spirit of God. 12 Now we have received not the spirit of the world, but the Spirit who is from God, that we might understand the things freely given us by God. 13 And we impart this in words not taught by human wisdom but taught by the Spirit, interpreting spiritual truths to those who are spiritual.
14 The natural person does not accept the things of the Spirit of God, for they are folly to him, and he is not able to understand them because they are spiritually discerned. 15 The spiritual person judges all things, but is himself to be judged by no one. 16 “For who has understood the mind of the Lord so as to instruct him?” But we have the mind of Christ.
1 Corinthians 1 (ESV)
Paul, called by the will of God to be an apostle of Christ Jesus, and our brother Sosthenes,
2 To the church of God that is in Corinth, to those sanctified in Christ Jesus, called to be saints together with all those who in every place call upon the name of our Lord Jesus Christ, both their Lord and ours:
3 Grace to you and peace from God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ.
4 I give thanks to my God always for you because of the grace of God that was given you in Christ Jesus, 5 that in every way you were enriched in him in all speech and all knowledge— 6 even as the testimony about Christ was confirmed among you— 7 so that you are not lacking in any gift, as you wait for the revealing of our Lord Jesus Christ, 8 who will sustain you to the end, guiltless in the day of our Lord Jesus Christ. 9 God is faithful, by whom you were called into the fellowship of his Son, Jesus Christ our Lord.
10 I appeal to you, brothers, by the name of our Lord Jesus Christ, that all of you agree, and that there be no divisions among you, but that you be united in the same mind and the same judgment. 11 For it has been reported to me by Chloe's people that there is quarreling among you, my brothers. 12 What I mean is that each one of you says, “I follow Paul,” or “I follow Apollos,” or “I follow Cephas,” or “I follow Christ.” 13 Is Christ divided? Was Paul crucified for you? Or were you baptized in the name of Paul? 14 I thank God that I baptized none of you except Crispus and Gaius, 15 so that no one may say that you were baptized in my name. 16 (I did baptize also the household of Stephanas. Beyond that, I do not know whether I baptized anyone else.) 17 For Christ did not send me to baptize but to preach the gospel, and not with words of eloquent wisdom, lest the cross of Christ be emptied of its power.
18 For the word of the cross is folly to those who are perishing, but to us who are being saved it is the power of God. 19 For it is written,
“I will destroy the wisdom of the wise, and the discernment of the discerning I will thwart.”
20 Where is the one who is wise? Where is the scribe? Where is the debater of this age? Has not God made foolish the wisdom of the world? 21 For since, in the wisdom of God, the world did not know God through wisdom, it pleased God through the folly of what we preach to save those who believe. 22 For Jews demand signs and Greeks seek wisdom, 23 but we preach Christ crucified, a stumbling block to Jews and folly to Gentiles, 24 but to those who are called, both Jews and Greeks, Christ the power of God and the wisdom of God. 25 For the foolishness of God is wiser than men, and the weakness of God is stronger than men.
26 For consider your calling, brothers: not many of you were wise according to worldly standards, not many were powerful, not many were of noble birth. 27 But God chose what is foolish in the world to shame the wise; God chose what is weak in the world to shame the strong; 28 God chose what is low and despised in the world, even things that are not, to bring to nothing things that are, 29 so that no human being might boast in the presence of God. 30 And because of him you are in Christ Jesus, who became to us wisdom from God, righteousness and sanctification and redemption, 31 so that, as it is written, “Let the one who boasts, boast in the Lord.”
Galatians 6 (ESV)
Brothers, if anyone is caught in any transgression, you who are spiritual should restore him in a spirit of gentleness. Keep watch on yourself, lest you too be tempted. 2 Bear one another's burdens, and so fulfill the law of Christ. 3 For if anyone thinks he is something, when he is nothing, he deceives himself. 4 But let each one test his own work, and then his reason to boast will be in himself alone and not in his neighbor. 5 For each will have to bear his own load.
6 Let the one who is taught the word share all good things with the one who teaches. 7 Do not be deceived: God is not mocked, for whatever one sows, that will he also reap. 8 For the one who sows to his own flesh will from the flesh reap corruption, but the one who sows to the Spirit will from the Spirit reap eternal life. 9 And let us not grow weary of doing good, for in due season we will reap, if we do not give up. 10 So then, as we have opportunity, let us do good to everyone, and especially to those who are of the household of faith.
11 See with what large letters I am writing to you with my own hand. 12 It is those who want to make a good showing in the flesh who would force you to be circumcised, and only in order that they may not be persecuted for the cross of Christ. 13 For even those who are circumcised do not themselves keep the law, but they desire to have you circumcised that they may boast in your flesh. 14 But far be it from me to boast except in the cross of our Lord Jesus Christ, by which the world has been crucified to me, and I to the world. 15 For neither circumcision counts for anything, nor uncircumcision, but a new creation. 16 And as for all who walk by this rule, peace and mercy be upon them, and upon the Israel of God.
17 From now on let no one cause me trouble, for I bear on my body the marks of Jesus.
18 The grace of our Lord Jesus Christ be with your spirit, brothers. Amen.
Galatians 5 (ESV)
For freedom Christ has set us free; stand firm therefore, and do not submit again to a yoke of slavery.
2 Look: I, Paul, say to you that if you accept circumcision, Christ will be of no advantage to you. 3 I testify again to every man who accepts circumcision that he is obligated to keep the whole law. 4 You are severed from Christ, you who would be justified by the law; you have fallen away from grace. 5 For through the Spirit, by faith, we ourselves eagerly wait for the hope of righteousness. 6 For in Christ Jesus neither circumcision nor uncircumcision counts for anything, but only faith working through love.
7 You were running well. Who hindered you from obeying the truth? 8 This persuasion is not from him who calls you. 9 A little leaven leavens the whole lump. 10 I have confidence in the Lord that you will take no other view, and the one who is troubling you will bear the penalty, whoever he is. 11 But if I, brothers, still preach circumcision, why am I still being persecuted? In that case the offense of the cross has been removed. 12 I wish those who unsettle you would emasculate themselves!
13 For you were called to freedom, brothers. Only do not use your freedom as an opportunity for the flesh, but through love serve one another. 14 For the whole law is fulfilled in one word: “You shall love your neighbor as yourself.” 15 But if you bite and devour one another, watch out that you are not consumed by one another.
16 But I say, walk by the Spirit, and you will not gratify the desires of the flesh. 17 For the desires of the flesh are against the Spirit, and the desires of the Spirit are against the flesh, for these are opposed to each other, to keep you from doing the things you want to do. 18 But if you are led by the Spirit, you are not under the law. 19 Now the works of the flesh are evident: sexual immorality, impurity, sensuality, 20 idolatry, sorcery, enmity, strife, jealousy, fits of anger, rivalries, dissensions, divisions, 21 envy, drunkenness, orgies, and things like these. I warn you, as I warned you before, that those who do such things will not inherit the kingdom of God. 22 But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, 23 gentleness, self-control; against such things there is no law. 24 And those who belong to Christ Jesus have crucified the flesh with its passions and desires.
25 If we live by the Spirit, let us also keep in step with the Spirit. 26 Let us not become conceited, provoking one another, envying one another.
Galatians 4 (ESV)
I mean that the heir, as long as he is a child, is no different from a slave, though he is the owner of everything, 2 but he is under guardians and managers until the date set by his father. 3 In the same way we also, when we were children, were enslaved to the elementary principles of the world. 4 But when the fullness of time had come, God sent forth his Son, born of woman, born under the law, 5 to redeem those who were under the law, so that we might receive adoption as sons. 6 And because you are sons, God has sent the Spirit of his Son into our hearts, crying, “Abba! Father!” 7 So you are no longer a slave, but a son, and if a son, then an heir through God.
8 Formerly, when you did not know God, you were enslaved to those that by nature are not gods. 9 But now that you have come to know God, or rather to be known by God, how can you turn back again to the weak and worthless elementary principles of the world, whose slaves you want to be once more? 10 You observe days and months and seasons and years! 11 I am afraid I may have labored over you in vain.
12 Brothers, I entreat you, become as I am, for I also have become as you are. You did me no wrong. 13 You know it was because of a bodily ailment that I preached the gospel to you at first, 14 and though my condition was a trial to you, you did not scorn or despise me, but received me as an angel of God, as Christ Jesus. 15 What then has become of your blessedness? For I testify to you that, if possible, you would have gouged out your eyes and given them to me. 16 Have I then become your enemy by telling you the truth? 17 They make much of you, but for no good purpose. They want to shut you out, that you may make much of them. 18 It is always good to be made much of for a good purpose, and not only when I am present with you, 19 my little children, for whom I am again in the anguish of childbirth until Christ is formed in you! 20 I wish I could be present with you now and change my tone, for I am perplexed about you.
21 Tell me, you who desire to be under the law, do you not listen to the law? 22 For it is written that Abraham had two sons, one by a slave woman and one by a free woman. 23 But the son of the slave was born according to the flesh, while the son of the free woman was born through promise. 24 Now this may be interpreted allegorically: these women are two covenants. One is from Mount Sinai, bearing children for slavery; she is Hagar. 25 Now Hagar is Mount Sinai in Arabia; she corresponds to the present Jerusalem, for she is in slavery with her children. 26 But the Jerusalem above is free, and she is our mother. 27 For it is written,
“Rejoice, O barren one who does not bear; break forth and cry aloud, you who are not in labor! For the children of the desolate one will be more than those of the one who has a husband.”
28 Now you, brothers, like Isaac, are children of promise. 29 But just as at that time he who was born according to the flesh persecuted him who was born according to the Spirit, so also it is now. 30 But what does the Scripture say? “Cast out the slave woman and her son, for the son of the slave woman shall not inherit with the son of the free woman.” 31 So, brothers, we are not children of the slave but of the free woman.
Galatians 3 (ESV)
O foolish Galatians! Who has bewitched you? It was before your eyes that Jesus Christ was publicly portrayed as crucified. 2 Let me ask you only this: Did you receive the Spirit by works of the law or by hearing with faith? 3 Are you so foolish? Having begun by the Spirit, are you now being perfected by the flesh? 4 Did you suffer so many things in vain—if indeed it was in vain? 5 Does he who supplies the Spirit to you and works miracles among you do so by works of the law, or by hearing with faith— 6 just as Abraham “believed God, and it was counted to him as righteousness”?
7 Know then that it is those of faith who are the sons of Abraham. 8 And the Scripture, foreseeing that God would justify the Gentiles by faith, preached the gospel beforehand to Abraham, saying, “In you shall all the nations be blessed.” 9 So then, those who are of faith are blessed along with Abraham, the man of faith.
10 For all who rely on works of the law are under a curse; for it is written, “Cursed be everyone who does not abide by all things written in the Book of the Law, and do them.” 11 Now it is evident that no one is justified before God by the law, for “The righteous shall live by faith.” 12 But the law is not of faith, rather “The one who does them shall live by them.” 13 Christ redeemed us from the curse of the law by becoming a curse for us—for it is written, “Cursed is everyone who is hanged on a tree”— 14 so that in Christ Jesus the blessing of Abraham might come to the Gentiles, so that we might receive the promised Spirit through faith.
15 To give a human example, brothers: even with a man-made covenant, no one annuls it or adds to it once it has been ratified. 16 Now the promises were made to Abraham and to his offspring. It does not say, “And to offsprings,” referring to many, but referring to one, “And to your offspring,” who is Christ. 17 This is what I mean: the law, which came 430 years afterward, does not annul a covenant previously ratified by God, so as to make the promise void. 18 For if the inheritance comes by the law, it no longer comes by promise; but God gave it to Abraham by a promise.
19 Why then the law? It was added because of transgressions, until the offspring should come to whom the promise had been made, and it was put in place through angels by an intermediary. 20 Now an intermediary implies more than one, but God is one.
21 Is the law then contrary to the promises of God? Certainly not! For if a law had been given that could give life, then righteousness would indeed be by the law. 22 But the Scripture imprisoned everything under sin, so that the promise by faith in Jesus Christ might be given to those who believe.
23 Now before faith came, we were held captive under the law, imprisoned until the coming faith would be revealed. 24 So then, the law was our guardian until Christ came, in order that we might be justified by faith. 25 But now that faith has come, we are no longer under a guardian, 26 for in Christ Jesus you are all sons of God, through faith. 27 For as many of you as were baptized into Christ have put on Christ. 28 There is neither Jew nor Greek, there is neither slave nor free, there is no male and female, for you are all one in Christ Jesus. 29 And if you are Christ's, then you are Abraham's offspring, heirs according to promise.
Galatians 2 (ESV)
Then after fourteen years I went up again to Jerusalem with Barnabas, taking Titus along with me. 2 I went up because of a revelation and set before them (though privately before those who seemed influential) the gospel that I proclaim among the Gentiles, in order to make sure I was not running or had not run in vain. 3 But even Titus, who was with me, was not forced to be circumcised, though he was a Greek. 4 Yet because of false brothers secretly brought in—who slipped in to spy out our freedom that we have in Christ Jesus, so that they might bring us into slavery— 5 to them we did not yield in submission even for a moment, so that the truth of the gospel might be preserved for you. 6 And from those who seemed to be influential (what they were makes no difference to me; God shows no partiality)—those, I say, who seemed influential added nothing to me. 7 On the contrary, when they saw that I had been entrusted with the gospel to the uncircumcised, just as Peter had been entrusted with the gospel to the circumcised 8 (for he who worked through Peter for his apostolic ministry to the circumcised worked also through me for mine to the Gentiles), 9 and when James and Cephas and John, who seemed to be pillars, perceived the grace that was given to me, they gave the right hand of fellowship to Barnabas and me, that we should go to the Gentiles and they to the circumcised. 10 Only, they asked us to remember the poor, the very thing I was eager to do.
11 But when Cephas came to Antioch, I opposed him to his face, because he stood condemned. 12 For before certain men came from James, he was eating with the Gentiles; but when they came he drew back and separated himself, fearing the circumcision party. 13 And the rest of the Jews acted hypocritically along with him, so that even Barnabas was led astray by their hypocrisy. 14 But when I saw that their conduct was not in step with the truth of the gospel, I said to Cephas before them all, “If you, though a Jew, live like a Gentile and not like a Jew, how can you force the Gentiles to live like Jews?”
15 We ourselves are Jews by birth and not Gentile sinners; 16 yet we know that a person is not justified by works of the law but through faith in Jesus Christ, so we also have believed in Christ Jesus, in order to be justified by faith in Christ and not by works of the law, because by works of the law no one will be justified.
17 But if, in our endeavor to be justified in Christ, we too were found to be sinners, is Christ then a servant of sin? Certainly not! 18 For if I rebuild what I tore down, I prove myself to be a transgressor. 19 For through the law I died to the law, so that I might live to God. 20 I have been crucified with Christ. It is no longer I who live, but Christ who lives in me. And the life I now live in the flesh I live by faith in the Son of God, who loved me and gave himself for me. 21 I do not nullify the grace of God, for if righteousness were through the law, then Christ died for no purpose.
Galatians 1 (ESV)
Paul, an apostle—not from men nor through man, but through Jesus Christ and God the Father, who raised him from the dead— 2 and all the brothers who are with me,
To the churches of Galatia:
3 Grace to you and peace from God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ, 4 who gave himself for our sins to deliver us from the present evil age, according to the will of our God and Father, 5 to whom be the glory forever and ever. Amen.
6 I am astonished that you are so quickly deserting him who called you in the grace of Christ and are turning to a different gospel— 7 not that there is another one, but there are some who trouble you and want to distort the gospel of Christ. 8 But even if we or an angel from heaven should preach to you a gospel contrary to the one we preached to you, let him be accursed. 9 As we have said before, so now I say again: If anyone is preaching to you a gospel contrary to the one you received, let him be accursed.
10 For am I now seeking the approval of man, or of God? Or am I trying to please man? If I were still trying to please man, I would not be a servant of Christ.
11 For I would have you know, brothers, that the gospel that was preached by me is not man's gospel. 12 For I did not receive it from any man, nor was I taught it, but I received it through a revelation of Jesus Christ. 13 For you have heard of my former life in Judaism, how I persecuted the church of God violently and tried to destroy it. 14 And I was advancing in Judaism beyond many of my own age among my people, so extremely zealous was I for the traditions of my fathers. 15 But when he who had set me apart before I was born, and who called me by his grace, 16 was pleased to reveal his Son to me, in order that I might preach him among the Gentiles, I did not immediately consult with anyone; 17 nor did I go up to Jerusalem to those who were apostles before me, but I went away into Arabia, and returned again to Damascus.
18 Then after three years I went up to Jerusalem to visit Cephas and remained with him fifteen days. 19 But I saw none of the other apostles except James the Lord's brother. 20 (In what I am writing to you, before God, I do not lie!) 21 Then I went into the regions of Syria and Cilicia. 22 And I was still unknown in person to the churches of Judea that are in Christ. 23 They only were hearing it said, “He who used to persecute us is now preaching the faith he once tried to destroy.” 24 And they glorified God because of me.
Hosea 11:9 (ESV)
I will not execute my burning anger; I will not again destroy Ephraim; for I am God and not a man, the Holy One in your midst, and I will not come in wrath.
Romans 16 (ESV)
I commend to you our sister Phoebe, a servant of the church at Cenchreae, 2 that you may welcome her in the Lord in a way worthy of the saints, and help her in whatever she may need from you, for she has been a patron of many and of myself as well.
3 Greet Prisca and Aquila, my fellow workers in Christ Jesus, 4 who risked their necks for my life, to whom not only I give thanks but all the churches of the Gentiles give thanks as well. 5 Greet also the church in their house. Greet my beloved Epaenetus, who was the first convert to Christ in Asia. 6 Greet Mary, who has worked hard for you. 7 Greet Andronicus and Junia, my kinsmen and my fellow prisoners. They are well known to the apostles, and they were in Christ before me. 8 Greet Ampliatus, my beloved in the Lord. 9 Greet Urbanus, our fellow worker in Christ, and my beloved Stachys. 10 Greet Apelles, who is approved in Christ. Greet those who belong to the family of Aristobulus. 11 Greet my kinsman Herodion. Greet those in the Lord who belong to the family of Narcissus. 12 Greet those workers in the Lord, Tryphaena and Tryphosa. Greet the beloved Persis, who has worked hard in the Lord. 13 Greet Rufus, chosen in the Lord; also his mother, who has been a mother to me as well. 14 Greet Asyncritus, Phlegon, Hermes, Patrobas, Hermas, and the brothers[e] who are with them. 15 Greet Philologus, Julia, Nereus and his sister, and Olympas, and all the saints who are with them. 16 Greet one another with a holy kiss. All the churches of Christ greet you.
17 I appeal to you, brothers, to watch out for those who cause divisions and create obstacles contrary to the doctrine that you have been taught; avoid them. 18 For such persons do not serve our Lord Christ, but their own appetites, and by smooth talk and flattery they deceive the hearts of the naive. 19 For your obedience is known to all, so that I rejoice over you, but I want you to be wise as to what is good and innocent as to what is evil. 20 The God of peace will soon crush Satan under your feet. The grace of our Lord Jesus Christ be with you.
21 Timothy, my fellow worker, greets you; so do Lucius and Jason and Sosipater, my kinsmen.
22 I Tertius, who wrote this letter, greet you in the Lord.
23 Gaius, who is host to me and to the whole church, greets you. Erastus, the city treasurer, and our brother Quartus, greet you.
25 Now to him who is able to strengthen you according to my gospel and the preaching of Jesus Christ, according to the revelation of the mystery that was kept secret for long ages 26 but has now been disclosed and through the prophetic writings has been made known to all nations, according to the command of the eternal God, to bring about the obedience of faith— 27 to the only wise God be glory forevermore through Jesus Christ! Amen.
Romans 15 (ESV)
We who are strong have an obligation to bear with the failings of the weak, and not to please ourselves. 2 Let each of us please his neighbor for his good, to build him up. 3 For Christ did not please himself, but as it is written, “The reproaches of those who reproached you fell on me.” 4 For whatever was written in former days was written for our instruction, that through endurance and through the encouragement of the Scriptures we might have hope. 5 May the God of endurance and encouragement grant you to live in such harmony with one another, in accord with Christ Jesus, 6 that together you may with one voice glorify the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ. 7 Therefore welcome one another as Christ has welcomed you, for the glory of God.
8 For I tell you that Christ became a servant to the circumcised to show God's truthfulness, in order to confirm the promises given to the patriarchs, 9 and in order that the Gentiles might glorify God for his mercy. As it is written,
“Therefore I will praise you among the Gentiles, and sing to your name.”
10 And again it is said,
“Rejoice, O Gentiles, with his people.”
11 And again,
“Praise the Lord, all you Gentiles, and let all the peoples extol him.”
12 And again Isaiah says,
“The root of Jesse will come, even he who arises to rule the Gentiles; in him will the Gentiles hope.”
13 May the God of hope fill you with all joy and peace in believing, so that by the power of the Holy Spirit you may abound in hope.
14 I myself am satisfied about you, my brothers, that you yourselves are full of goodness, filled with all knowledge and able to instruct one another. 15 But on some points I have written to you very boldly by way of reminder, because of the grace given me by God 16 to be a minister of Christ Jesus to the Gentiles in the priestly service of the gospel of God, so that the offering of the Gentiles may be acceptable, sanctified by the Holy Spirit. 17 In Christ Jesus, then, I have reason to be proud of my work for God. 18 For I will not venture to speak of anything except what Christ has accomplished through me to bring the Gentiles to obedience—by word and deed, 19 by the power of signs and wonders, by the power of the Spirit of God—so that from Jerusalem and all the way around to Illyricum I have fulfilled the ministry of the gospel of Christ; 20 and thus I make it my ambition to preach the gospel, not where Christ has already been named, lest I build on someone else's foundation, 21 but as it is written,
“Those who have never been told of him will see, and those who have never heard will understand.”
22 This is the reason why I have so often been hindered from coming to you. 23 But now, since I no longer have any room for work in these regions, and since I have longed for many years to come to you, 24 I hope to see you in passing as I go to Spain, and to be helped on my journey there by you, once I have enjoyed your company for a while. 25 At present, however, I am going to Jerusalem bringing aid to the saints. 26 For Macedonia and Achaia have been pleased to make some contribution for the poor among the saints at Jerusalem. 27 For they were pleased to do it, and indeed they owe it to them. For if the Gentiles have come to share in their spiritual blessings, they ought also to be of service to them in material blessings. 28 When therefore I have completed this and have delivered to them what has been collected, I will leave for Spain by way of you. 29 I know that when I come to you I will come in the fullness of the blessing of Christ.
30 I appeal to you, brothers, by our Lord Jesus Christ and by the love of the Spirit, to strive together with me in your prayers to God on my behalf, 31 that I may be delivered from the unbelievers in Judea, and that my service for Jerusalem may be acceptable to the saints, 32 so that by God's will I may come to you with joy and be refreshed in your company. 33 May the God of peace be with you all. Amen.
Romans 14 (ESV)
As for the one who is weak in faith, welcome him, but not to quarrel over opinions. 2 One person believes he may eat anything, while the weak person eats only vegetables. 3 Let not the one who eats despise the one who abstains, and let not the one who abstains pass judgment on the one who eats, for God has welcomed him. 4 Who are you to pass judgment on the servant of another? It is before his own master that he stands or falls. And he will be upheld, for the Lord is able to make him stand.
5 One person esteems one day as better than another, while another esteems all days alike. Each one should be fully convinced in his own mind. 6 The one who observes the day, observes it in honor of the Lord. The one who eats, eats in honor of the Lord, since he gives thanks to God, while the one who abstains, abstains in honor of the Lord and gives thanks to God. 7 For none of us lives to himself, and none of us dies to himself. 8 For if we live, we live to the Lord, and if we die, we die to the Lord. So then, whether we live or whether we die, we are the Lord's. 9 For to this end Christ died and lived again, that he might be Lord both of the dead and of the living.
10 Why do you pass judgment on your brother? Or you, why do you despise your brother? For we will all stand before the judgment seat of God; 11 for it is written,
“As I live, says the Lord, every knee shall bow to me, and every tongue shall confess to God.”
12 So then each of us will give an account of himself to God.
13 Therefore let us not pass judgment on one another any longer, but rather decide never to put a stumbling block or hindrance in the way of a brother. 14 I know and am persuaded in the Lord Jesus that nothing is unclean in itself, but it is unclean for anyone who thinks it unclean. 15 For if your brother is grieved by what you eat, you are no longer walking in love. By what you eat, do not destroy the one for whom Christ died. 16 So do not let what you regard as good be spoken of as evil. 17 For the kingdom of God is not a matter of eating and drinking but of righteousness and peace and joy in the Holy Spirit. 18 Whoever thus serves Christ is acceptable to God and approved by men. 19 So then let us pursue what makes for peace and for mutual upbuilding.
20 Do not, for the sake of food, destroy the work of God. Everything is indeed clean, but it is wrong for anyone to make another stumble by what he eats. 21 It is good not to eat meat or drink wine or do anything that causes your brother to stumble. 22 The faith that you have, keep between yourself and God. Blessed is the one who has no reason to pass judgment on himself for what he approves. 23 But whoever has doubts is condemned if he eats, because the eating is not from faith. For whatever does not proceed from faith is sin.
Romans 13 (ESV)
Let every person be subject to the governing authorities. For there is no authority except from God, and those that exist have been instituted by God. 2 Therefore whoever resists the authorities resists what God has appointed, and those who resist will incur judgment. 3 For rulers are not a terror to good conduct, but to bad. Would you have no fear of the one who is in authority? Then do what is good, and you will receive his approval, 4 for he is God's servant for your good. But if you do wrong, be afraid, for he does not bear the sword in vain. For he is the servant of God, an avenger who carries out God's wrath on the wrongdoer. 5 Therefore one must be in subjection, not only to avoid God's wrath but also for the sake of conscience. 6 For because of this you also pay taxes, for the authorities are ministers of God, attending to this very thing. 7 Pay to all what is owed to them: taxes to whom taxes are owed, revenue to whom revenue is owed, respect to whom respect is owed, honor to whom honor is owed.
8 Owe no one anything, except to love each other, for the one who loves another has fulfilled the law. 9 For the commandments, “You shall not commit adultery, You shall not murder, You shall not steal, You shall not covet,” and any other commandment, are summed up in this word: “You shall love your neighbor as yourself.” 10 Love does no wrong to a neighbor; therefore love is the fulfilling of the law.
11 Besides this you know the time, that the hour has come for you to wake from sleep. For salvation is nearer to us now than when we first believed. 12 The night is far gone; the day is at hand. So then let us cast off the works of darkness and put on the armor of light. 13 Let us walk properly as in the daytime, not in orgies and drunkenness, not in sexual immorality and sensuality, not in quarreling and jealousy. 14 But put on the Lord Jesus Christ, and make no provision for the flesh, to gratify its desires.
Romans 12 (ESV)
I appeal to you therefore, brothers, by the mercies of God, to present your bodies as a living sacrifice, holy and acceptable to God, which is your spiritual worship. 2 Do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewal of your mind, that by testing you may discern what is the will of God, what is good and acceptable and perfect.
3 For by the grace given to me I say to everyone among you not to think of himself more highly than he ought to think, but to think with sober judgment, each according to the measure of faith that God has assigned. 4 For as in one body we have many members, and the members do not all have the same function, 5 so we, though many, are one body in Christ, and individually members one of another. 6 Having gifts that differ according to the grace given to us, let us use them: if prophecy, in proportion to our faith; 7 if service, in our serving; the one who teaches, in his teaching; 8 the one who exhorts, in his exhortation; the one who contributes, in generosity; the one who leads, with zeal; the one who does acts of mercy, with cheerfulness.
9 Let love be genuine. Abhor what is evil; hold fast to what is good. 10 Love one another with brotherly affection. Outdo one another in showing honor. 11 Do not be slothful in zeal, be fervent in spirit, serve the Lord. 12 Rejoice in hope, be patient in tribulation, be constant in prayer. 13 Contribute to the needs of the saints and seek to show hospitality.
14 Bless those who persecute you; bless and do not curse them. 15 Rejoice with those who rejoice, weep with those who weep. 16 Live in harmony with one another. Do not be haughty, but associate with the lowly. Never be wise in your own sight. 17 Repay no one evil for evil, but give thought to do what is honorable in the sight of all. 18 If possible, so far as it depends on you, live peaceably with all. 19 Beloved, never avenge yourselves, but leave it to the wrath of God, for it is written, “Vengeance is mine, I will repay, says the Lord.” 20 To the contrary, “if your enemy is hungry, feed him; if he is thirsty, give him something to drink; for by so doing you will heap burning coals on his head.” 21 Do not be overcome by evil, but overcome evil with good.
Romans 11 (ESV)
I ask, then, has God rejected his people? By no means! For I myself am an Israelite, a descendant of Abraham, a member of the tribe of Benjamin. 2 God has not rejected his people whom he foreknew. Do you not know what the Scripture says of Elijah, how he appeals to God against Israel? 3 “Lord, they have killed your prophets, they have demolished your altars, and I alone am left, and they seek my life.” 4 But what is God's reply to him? “I have kept for myself seven thousand men who have not bowed the knee to Baal.” 5 So too at the present time there is a remnant, chosen by grace. 6 But if it is by grace, it is no longer on the basis of works; otherwise grace would no longer be grace.
7 What then? Israel failed to obtain what it was seeking. The elect obtained it, but the rest were hardened, 8 as it is written,
“God gave them a spirit of stupor, eyes that would not see and ears that would not hear, down to this very day.”
9 And David says,
“Let their table become a snare and a trap, a stumbling block and a retribution for them; 10 let their eyes be darkened so that they cannot see, and bend their backs forever.”
11 So I ask, did they stumble in order that they might fall? By no means! Rather, through their trespass salvation has come to the Gentiles, so as to make Israel jealous. 12 Now if their trespass means riches for the world, and if their failure means riches for the Gentiles, how much more will their full inclusion mean!
13 Now I am speaking to you Gentiles. Inasmuch then as I am an apostle to the Gentiles, I magnify my ministry 14 in order somehow to make my fellow Jews jealous, and thus save some of them. 15 For if their rejection means the reconciliation of the world, what will their acceptance mean but life from the dead? 16 If the dough offered as firstfruits is holy, so is the whole lump, and if the root is holy, so are the branches.
17 But if some of the branches were broken off, and you, although a wild olive shoot, were grafted in among the others and now share in the nourishing root of the olive tree, 18 do not be arrogant toward the branches. If you are, remember it is not you who support the root, but the root that supports you. 19 Then you will say, “Branches were broken off so that I might be grafted in.” 20 That is true. They were broken off because of their unbelief, but you stand fast through faith. So do not become proud, but fear. 21 For if God did not spare the natural branches, neither will he spare you. 22 Note then the kindness and the severity of God: severity toward those who have fallen, but God's kindness to you, provided you continue in his kindness. Otherwise you too will be cut off. 23 And even they, if they do not continue in their unbelief, will be grafted in, for God has the power to graft them in again. 24 For if you were cut from what is by nature a wild olive tree, and grafted, contrary to nature, into a cultivated olive tree, how much more will these, the natural branches, be grafted back into their own olive tree.
25 Lest you be wise in your own sight, I do not want you to be unaware of this mystery, brothers: a partial hardening has come upon Israel, until the fullness of the Gentiles has come in. 26 And in this way all Israel will be saved, as it is written,
“The Deliverer will come from Zion, he will banish ungodliness from Jacob”; 27 “and this will be my covenant with them when I take away their sins.”
28 As regards the gospel, they are enemies for your sake. But as regards election, they are beloved for the sake of their forefathers. 29 For the gifts and the calling of God are irrevocable. 30 For just as you were at one time disobedient to God but now have received mercy because of their disobedience, 31 so they too have now been disobedient in order that by the mercy shown to you they also may now[e] receive mercy. 32 For God has consigned all to disobedience, that he may have mercy on all.
33 Oh, the depth of the riches and wisdom and knowledge of God! How unsearchable are his judgments and how inscrutable his ways!
34 “For who has known the mind of the Lord, or who has been his counselor?” 35 “Or who has given a gift to him that he might be repaid?”
36 For from him and through him and to him are all things. To him be glory forever. Amen.
Romans 10 (ESV)
Brothers, my heart's desire and prayer to God for them is that they may be saved. 2 For I bear them witness that they have a zeal for God, but not according to knowledge. 3 For, being ignorant of the righteousness of God, and seeking to establish their own, they did not submit to God's righteousness. 4 For Christ is the end of the law for righteousness to everyone who believes.
5 For Moses writes about the righteousness that is based on the law, that the person who does the commandments shall live by them. 6 But the righteousness based on faith says, “Do not say in your heart, ‘Who will ascend into heaven?’” (that is, to bring Christ down) 7 “or ‘Who will descend into the abyss?’” (that is, to bring Christ up from the dead). 8 But what does it say? “The word is near you, in your mouth and in your heart” (that is, the word of faith that we proclaim); 9 because, if you confess with your mouth that Jesus is Lord and believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead, you will be saved. 10 For with the heart one believes and is justified, and with the mouth one confesses and is saved. 11 For the Scripture says, “Everyone who believes in him will not be put to shame.” 12 For there is no distinction between Jew and Greek; for the same Lord is Lord of all, bestowing his riches on all who call on him. 13 For “everyone who calls on the name of the Lord will be saved.”
14 How then will they call on him in whom they have not believed? And how are they to believe in him of whom they have never heard? And how are they to hear without someone preaching? 15 And how are they to preach unless they are sent? As it is written, “How beautiful are the feet of those who preach the good news!” 16 But they have not all obeyed the gospel. For Isaiah says, “Lord, who has believed what he has heard from us?” 17 So faith comes from hearing, and hearing through the word of Christ.
18 But I ask, have they not heard? Indeed they have, for
“Their voice has gone out to all the earth, and their words to the ends of the world.”
19 But I ask, did Israel not understand? First Moses says,
“I will make you jealous of those who are not a nation; with a foolish nation I will make you angry.”
20 Then Isaiah is so bold as to say,
“I have been found by those who did not seek me; I have shown myself to those who did not ask for me.”
21 But of Israel he says, “All day long I have held out my hands to a disobedient and contrary people.”
Romans 9 (ESV)
I am speaking the truth in Christ—I am not lying; my conscience bears me witness in the Holy Spirit— 2 that I have great sorrow and unceasing anguish in my heart. 3 For I could wish that I myself were accursed and cut off from Christ for the sake of my brothers, my kinsmen according to the flesh. 4 They are Israelites, and to them belong the adoption, the glory, the covenants, the giving of the law, the worship, and the promises. 5 To them belong the patriarchs, and from their race, according to the flesh, is the Christ, who is God over all, blessed forever. Amen.
6 But it is not as though the word of God has failed. For not all who are descended from Israel belong to Israel, 7 and not all are children of Abraham because they are his offspring, but “Through Isaac shall your offspring be named.” 8 This means that it is not the children of the flesh who are the children of God, but the children of the promise are counted as offspring. 9 For this is what the promise said: “About this time next year I will return, and Sarah shall have a son.” 10 And not only so, but also when Rebekah had conceived children by one man, our forefather Isaac, 11 though they were not yet born and had done nothing either good or bad—in order that God's purpose of election might continue, not because of works but because of him who calls— 12 she was told, “The older will serve the younger.” 13 As it is written, “Jacob I loved, but Esau I hated.”
14 What shall we say then? Is there injustice on God's part? By no means! 15 For he says to Moses, “I will have mercy on whom I have mercy, and I will have compassion on whom I have compassion.” 16 So then it depends not on human will or exertion, but on God, who has mercy. 17 For the Scripture says to Pharaoh, “For this very purpose I have raised you up, that I might show my power in you, and that my name might be proclaimed in all the earth.” 18 So then he has mercy on whomever he wills, and he hardens whomever he wills.
19 You will say to me then, “Why does he still find fault? For who can resist his will?” 20 But who are you, O man, to answer back to God? Will what is molded say to its molder, “Why have you made me like this?” 21 Has the potter no right over the clay, to make out of the same lump one vessel for honorable use and another for dishonorable use? 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? 25 As indeed he says in Hosea,
“Those who were not my people I will call ‘my people,’ and her who was not beloved I will call ‘beloved.’” 26 “And in the very place where it was said to them, ‘You are not my people,’ there they will be called ‘sons of the living God.’”
27 And Isaiah cries out concerning Israel: “Though the number of the sons of Israel be as the sand of the sea, only a remnant of them will be saved, 28 for the Lord will carry out his sentence upon the earth fully and without delay.” 29 And as Isaiah predicted,
“If the Lord of hosts had not left us offspring, we would have been like Sodom and become like Gomorrah.”
30 What shall we say, then? That Gentiles who did not pursue righteousness have attained it, that is, a righteousness that is by faith; 31 but that Israel who pursued a law that would lead to righteousness did not succeed in reaching that law. 32 Why? Because they did not pursue it by faith, but as if it were based on works. They have stumbled over the stumbling stone, 33 as it is written,
“Behold, I am laying in Zion a stone of stumbling, and a rock of offense; and whoever believes in him will not be put to shame.”
Romans 8 (ESV)
There is therefore now no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus. 2 For the law of the Spirit of life has set you free in Christ Jesus from the law of sin and death. 3 For God has done what the law, weakened by the flesh, could not do. By sending his own Son in the likeness of sinful flesh and for sin, he condemned sin in the flesh, 4 in order that the righteous requirement of the law might be fulfilled in us, who walk not according to the flesh but according to the Spirit. 5 For those who live according to the flesh set their minds on the things of the flesh, but those who live according to the Spirit set their minds on the things of the Spirit. 6 For to set the mind on the flesh is death, but to set the mind on the Spirit is life and peace. 7 For the mind that is set on the flesh is hostile to God, for it does not submit to God's law; indeed, it cannot. 8 Those who are in the flesh cannot please God.
9 You, however, are not in the flesh but in the Spirit, if in fact the Spirit of God dwells in you. Anyone who does not have the Spirit of Christ does not belong to him. 10 But if Christ is in you, although the body is dead because of sin, the Spirit is life because of righteousness. 11 If the Spirit of him who raised Jesus from the dead dwells in you, he who raised Christ Jesus from the dead will also give life to your mortal bodies through his Spirit who dwells in you.
12 So then, brothers, we are debtors, not to the flesh, to live according to the flesh. 13 For if you live according to the flesh you will die, but if by the Spirit you put to death the deeds of the body, you will live. 14 For all who are led by the Spirit of God are sons of God. 15 For you did not receive the spirit of slavery to fall back into fear, but you have received the Spirit of adoption as sons, by whom we cry, “Abba! Father!” 16 The Spirit himself bears witness with our spirit that we are children of God, 17 and if children, then heirs—heirs of God and fellow heirs with Christ, provided we suffer with him in order that we may also be glorified with him.
18 For I consider that the sufferings of this present time are not worth comparing with the glory that is to be revealed to us. 19 For the creation waits with eager longing for the revealing of the sons of God. 20 For the creation was subjected to futility, not willingly, but because of him who subjected it, in hope 21 that the creation itself will be set free from its bondage to corruption and obtain the freedom of the glory of the children of God. 22 For we know that the whole creation has been groaning together in the pains of childbirth until now. 23 And not only the creation, but we ourselves, who have the firstfruits of the Spirit, groan inwardly as we wait eagerly for adoption as sons, the redemption of our bodies. 24 For in this hope we were saved. Now hope that is seen is not hope. For who hopes for what he sees? 25 But if we hope for what we do not see, we wait for it with patience.
26 Likewise the Spirit helps us in our weakness. For we do not know what to pray for as we ought, but the Spirit himself intercedes for us with groanings too deep for words. 27 And he who searches hearts knows what is the mind of the Spirit, because[g] the Spirit intercedes for the saints according to the will of God. 28 And we know that for those who love God all things work together for good, for those who are called according to his purpose. 29 For those whom he foreknew he also predestined to be conformed to the image of his Son, in order that he might be the firstborn among many brothers. 30 And those whom he predestined he also called, and those whom he called he also justified, and those whom he justified he also glorified.
31 What then shall we say to these things? If God is for us, who can be against us? 32 He who did not spare his own Son but gave him up for us all, how will he not also with him graciously give us all things? 33 Who shall bring any charge against God's elect? It is God who justifies. 34 Who is to condemn? Christ Jesus is the one who died—more than that, who was raised—who is at the right hand of God, who indeed is interceding for us. 35 Who shall separate us from the love of Christ? Shall tribulation, or distress, or persecution, or famine, or nakedness, or danger, or sword? 36 As it is written,
“For your sake we are being killed all the day long; we are regarded as sheep to be slaughtered.”
37 No, in all these things we are more than conquerors through him who loved us. 38 For I am sure that neither death nor life, nor angels nor rulers, nor things present nor things to come, nor powers, 39 nor height nor depth, nor anything else in all creation, will be able to separate us from the love of God in Christ Jesus our Lord.
Romans 7 (ESV)
Or do you not know, brothers—for I am speaking to those who know the law—that the law is binding on a person only as long as he lives? 2 For a married woman is bound by law to her husband while he lives, but if her husband dies she is released from the law of marriage. 3 Accordingly, she will be called an adulteress if she lives with another man while her husband is alive. But if her husband dies, she is free from that law, and if she marries another man she is not an adulteress.
4 Likewise, my brothers, you also have died to the law through the body of Christ, so that you may belong to another, to him who has been raised from the dead, in order that we may bear fruit for God. 5 For while we were living in the flesh, our sinful passions, aroused by the law, were at work in our members to bear fruit for death. 6 But now we are released from the law, having died to that which held us captive, so that we serve in the new way of the Spirit and not in the old way of the written code.
7 What then shall we say? That the law is sin? By no means! Yet if it had not been for the law, I would not have known sin. For I would not have known what it is to covet if the law had not said, “You shall not covet.” 8 But sin, seizing an opportunity through the commandment, produced in me all kinds of covetousness. For apart from the law, sin lies dead. 9 I was once alive apart from the law, but when the commandment came, sin came alive and I died. 10 The very commandment that promised life proved to be death to me. 11 For sin, seizing an opportunity through the commandment, deceived me and through it killed me. 12 So the law is holy, and the commandment is holy and righteous and good.
13 Did that which is good, then, bring death to me? By no means! It was sin, producing death in me through what is good, in order that sin might be shown to be sin, and through the commandment might become sinful beyond measure. 14 For we know that the law is spiritual, but I am of the flesh, sold under sin. 15 For I do not understand my own actions. For I do not do what I want, but I do the very thing I hate. 16 Now if I do what I do not want, I agree with the law, that it is good. 17 So now it is no longer I who do it, but sin that dwells within me. 18 For I know that nothing good dwells in me, that is, in my flesh. For I have the desire to do what is right, but not the ability to carry it out. 19 For I do not do the good I want, but the evil I do not want is what I keep on doing. 20 Now if I do what I do not want, it is no longer I who do it, but sin that dwells within me.
21 So I find it to be a law that when I want to do right, evil lies close at hand. 22 For I delight in the law of God, in my inner being, 23 but I see in my members another law waging war against the law of my mind and making me captive to the law of sin that dwells in my members. 24 Wretched man that I am! Who will deliver me from this body of death? 25 Thanks be to God through Jesus Christ our Lord! So then, I myself serve the law of God with my mind, but with my flesh I serve the law of sin.
Romans 6 (ESV)
What shall we say then? Are we to continue in sin that grace may abound? 2 By no means! How can we who died to sin still live in it? 3 Do you not know that all of us who have been baptized into Christ Jesus were baptized into his death? 4 We were buried therefore with him by baptism into death, in order that, just as Christ was raised from the dead by the glory of the Father, we too might walk in newness of life.
5 For if we have been united with him in a death like his, we shall certainly be united with him in a resurrection like his. 6 We know that our old self was crucified with him in order that the body of sin might be brought to nothing, so that we would no longer be enslaved to sin. 7 For one who has died has been set free from sin. 8 Now if we have died with Christ, we believe that we will also live with him. 9 We know that Christ, being raised from the dead, will never die again; death no longer has dominion over him. 10 For the death he died he died to sin, once for all, but the life he lives he lives to God. 11 So you also must consider yourselves dead to sin and alive to God in Christ Jesus.
12 Let not sin therefore reign in your mortal body, to make you obey its passions. 13 Do not present your members to sin as instruments for unrighteousness, but present yourselves to God as those who have been brought from death to life, and your members to God as instruments for righteousness. 14 For sin will have no dominion over you, since you are not under law but under grace.
15 What then? Are we to sin because we are not under law but under grace? By no means! 16 Do you not know that if you present yourselves to anyone as obedient slaves, you are slaves of the one whom you obey, either of sin, which leads to death, or of obedience, which leads to righteousness? 17 But thanks be to God, that you who were once slaves of sin have become obedient from the heart to the standard of teaching to which you were committed, 18 and, having been set free from sin, have become slaves of righteousness. 19 I am speaking in human terms, because of your natural limitations. For just as you once presented your members as slaves to impurity and to lawlessness leading to more lawlessness, so now present your members as slaves to righteousness leading to sanctification.
20 For when you were slaves of sin, you were free in regard to righteousness. 21 But what fruit were you getting at that time from the things of which you are now ashamed? For the end of those things is death. 22 But now that you have been set free from sin and have become slaves of God, the fruit you get leads to sanctification and its end, eternal life. 23 For the wages of sin is death, but the free gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord.
Romans 5 (ESV)
Therefore, since we have been justified by faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ. 2 Through him we have also obtained access by faith into this grace in which we stand, and we rejoice in hope of the glory of God. 3 Not only that, but we rejoice in our sufferings, knowing that suffering produces endurance, 4 and endurance produces character, and character produces hope, 5 and hope does not put us to shame, because God's love has been poured into our hearts through the Holy Spirit who has been given to us.
6 For while we were still weak, at the right time Christ died for the ungodly. 7 For one will scarcely die for a righteous person—though perhaps for a good person one would dare even to die— 8 but God shows his love for us in that while we were still sinners, Christ died for us. 9 Since, therefore, we have now been justified by his blood, much more shall we be saved by him from the wrath of God. 10 For if while we were enemies we were reconciled to God by the death of his Son, much more, now that we are reconciled, shall we be saved by his life. 11 More than that, we also rejoice in God through our Lord Jesus Christ, through whom we have now received reconciliation.
12 Therefore, just as sin came into the world through one man, and death through sin, and so death spread to all men because all sinned— 13 for sin indeed was in the world before the law was given, but sin is not counted where there is no law. 14 Yet death reigned from Adam to Moses, even over those whose sinning was not like the transgression of Adam, who was a type of the one who was to come.
15 But the free gift is not like the trespass. For if many died through one man's trespass, much more have the grace of God and the free gift by the grace of that one man Jesus Christ abounded for many. 16 And the free gift is not like the result of that one man's sin. For the judgment following one trespass brought condemnation, but the free gift following many trespasses brought justification. 17 For if, because of one man's trespass, death reigned through that one man, much more will those who receive the abundance of grace and the free gift of righteousness reign in life through the one man Jesus Christ.
18 Therefore, as one trespass led to condemnation for all men, so one act of righteousness leads to justification and life for all men. 19 For as by the one man's disobedience the many were made sinners, so by the one man's obedience the many will be made righteous. 20 Now the law came in to increase the trespass, but where sin increased, grace abounded all the more, 21 so that, as sin reigned in death, grace also might reign through righteousness leading to eternal life through Jesus Christ our Lord.
Romans 4 (ESV)
What then shall we say was gained by Abraham, our forefather according to the flesh? 2 For if Abraham was justified by works, he has something to boast about, but not before God. 3 For what does the Scripture say? “Abraham believed God, and it was counted to him as righteousness.” 4 Now to the one who works, his wages are not counted as a gift but as his due. 5 And to the one who does not work but believes in him who justifies the ungodly, his faith is counted as righteousness, 6 just as David also speaks of the blessing of the one to whom God counts righteousness apart from works:
7 “Blessed are those whose lawless deeds are forgiven, and whose sins are covered; 8 blessed is the man against whom the Lord will not count his sin.”
9 Is this blessing then only for the circumcised, or also for the uncircumcised? For we say that faith was counted to Abraham as righteousness. 10 How then was it counted to him? Was it before or after he had been circumcised? It was not after, but before he was circumcised. 11 He received the sign of circumcision as a seal of the righteousness that he had by faith while he was still uncircumcised. The purpose was to make him the father of all who believe without being circumcised, so that righteousness would be counted to them as well, 12 and to make him the father of the circumcised who are not merely circumcised but who also walk in the footsteps of the faith that our father Abraham had before he was circumcised.
13 For the promise to Abraham and his offspring that he would be heir of the world did not come through the law but through the righteousness of faith. 14 For if it is the adherents of the law who are to be the heirs, faith is null and the promise is void. 15 For the law brings wrath, but where there is no law there is no transgression.
16 That is why it depends on faith, in order that the promise may rest on grace and be guaranteed to all his offspring—not only to the adherent of the law but also to the one who shares the faith of Abraham, who is the father of us all, 17 as it is written, “I have made you the father of many nations”—in the presence of the God in whom he believed, who gives life to the dead and calls into existence the things that do not exist. 18 In hope he believed against hope, that he should become the father of many nations, as he had been told, “So shall your offspring be.” 19 He did not weaken in faith when he considered his own body, which was as good as dead (since he was about a hundred years old), or when he considered the barrenness of Sarah's womb. 20 No unbelief made him waver concerning the promise of God, but he grew strong in his faith as he gave glory to God, 21 fully convinced that God was able to do what he had promised. 22 That is why his faith was “counted to him as righteousness.” 23 But the words “it was counted to him” were not written for his sake alone, 24 but for ours also. It will be counted to us who believe in him who raised from the dead Jesus our Lord, 25 who was delivered up for our trespasses and raised for our justification.
Romans 3 (ESV)
Then what advantage has the Jew? Or what is the value of circumcision? 2 Much in every way. To begin with, the Jews were entrusted with the oracles of God. 3 What if some were unfaithful? Does their faithlessness nullify the faithfulness of God? 4 By no means! Let God be true though every one were a liar, as it is written,
“That you may be justified in your words, and prevail when you are judged.”
5 But if our unrighteousness serves to show the righteousness of God, what shall we say? That God is unrighteous to inflict wrath on us? (I speak in a human way.) 6 By no means! For then how could God judge the world? 7 But if through my lie God's truth abounds to his glory, why am I still being condemned as a sinner? 8 And why not do evil that good may come?—as some people slanderously charge us with saying. Their condemnation is just.
9 What then? Are we Jews any better off? No, not at all. For we have already charged that all, both Jews and Greeks, are under sin, 10 as it is written:
“None is righteous, no, not one; 11 no one understands; no one seeks for God. 12 All have turned aside; together they have become worthless; no one does good, not even one.” 13 “Their throat is an open grave; they use their tongues to deceive.” “The venom of asps is under their lips.” 14 “Their mouth is full of curses and bitterness.” 15 “Their feet are swift to shed blood; 16 in their paths are ruin and misery, 17 and the way of peace they have not known.” 18 “There is no fear of God before their eyes.”
19 Now we know that whatever the law says it speaks to those who are under the law, so that every mouth may be stopped, and the whole world may be held accountable to God. 20 For by works of the law no human being will be justified in his sight, since through the law comes knowledge of sin.
21 But now the righteousness of God has been manifested apart from the law, although the Law and the Prophets bear witness to it— 22 the righteousness of God through faith in Jesus Christ for all who believe. For there is no distinction: 23 for all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God, 24 and are justified by his grace as a gift, through the redemption that is in Christ Jesus, 25 whom God put forward as a propitiation by his blood, to be received by faith. This was to show God's righteousness, because in his divine forbearance he had passed over former sins. 26 It was to show his righteousness at the present time, so that he might be just and the justifier of the one who has faith in Jesus.
27 Then what becomes of our boasting? It is excluded. By what kind of law? By a law of works? No, but by the law of faith. 28 For we hold that one is justified by faith apart from works of the law. 29 Or is God the God of Jews only? Is he not the God of Gentiles also? Yes, of Gentiles also, 30 since God is one—who will justify the circumcised by faith and the uncircumcised through faith. 31 Do we then overthrow the law by this faith? By no means! On the contrary, we uphold the law.
Romans 2 (ESV)
Therefore you have no excuse, O man, every one of you who judges. For in passing judgment on another you condemn yourself, because you, the judge, practice the very same things. 2 We know that the judgment of God rightly falls on those who practice such things. 3 Do you suppose, O man—you who judge those who practice such things and yet do them yourself—that you will escape the judgment of God? 4 Or do you presume on the riches of his kindness and forbearance and patience, not knowing that God's kindness is meant to lead you to repentance? 5 But because of your hard and impenitent heart you are storing up wrath for yourself on the day of wrath when God's righteous judgment will be revealed.
6 He will render to each one according to his works: 7 to those who by patience in well-doing seek for glory and honor and immortality, he will give eternal life; 8 but for those who are self-seeking and do not obey the truth, but obey unrighteousness, there will be wrath and fury. 9 There will be tribulation and distress for every human being who does evil, the Jew first and also the Greek, 10 but glory and honor and peace for everyone who does good, the Jew first and also the Greek. 11 For God shows no partiality.
12 For all who have sinned without the law will also perish without the law, and all who have sinned under the law will be judged by the law. 13 For it is not the hearers of the law who are righteous before God, but the doers of the law who will be justified. 14 For when Gentiles, who do not have the law, by nature do what the law requires, they are a law to themselves, even though they do not have the law. 15 They show that the work of the law is written on their hearts, while their conscience also bears witness, and their conflicting thoughts accuse or even excuse them 16 on that day when, according to my gospel, God judges the secrets of men by Christ Jesus.
17 But if you call yourself a Jew and rely on the law and boast in God 18 and know his will and approve what is excellent, because you are instructed from the law; 19 and if you are sure that you yourself are a guide to the blind, a light to those who are in darkness, 20 an instructor of the foolish, a teacher of children, having in the law the embodiment of knowledge and truth— 21 you then who teach others, do you not teach yourself? While you preach against stealing, do you steal? 22 You who say that one must not commit adultery, do you commit adultery? You who abhor idols, do you rob temples? 23 You who boast in the law dishonor God by breaking the law. 24 For, as it is written, “The name of God is blasphemed among the Gentiles because of you.”
25 For circumcision indeed is of value if you obey the law, but if you break the law, your circumcision becomes uncircumcision. 26 So, if a man who is uncircumcised keeps the precepts of the law, will not his uncircumcision be regarded as circumcision? 27 Then he who is physically uncircumcised but keeps the law will condemn you who have the written code and circumcision but break the law. 28 For no one is a Jew who is merely one outwardly, nor is circumcision outward and physical. 29 But a Jew is one inwardly, and circumcision is a matter of the heart, by the Spirit, not by the letter. His praise is not from man but from God.
Romans 1 (ESV)
Paul, a servant of Christ Jesus, called to be an apostle, set apart for the gospel of God, 2 which he promised beforehand through his prophets in the holy Scriptures, 3 concerning his Son, who was descended from David[b] according to the flesh 4 and was declared to be the Son of God in power according to the Spirit of holiness by his resurrection from the dead, Jesus Christ our Lord, 5 through whom we have received grace and apostleship to bring about the obedience of faith for the sake of his name among all the nations, 6 including you who are called to belong to Jesus Christ,
7 To all those in Rome who are loved by God and called to be saints:
Grace to you and peace from God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ.
8 First, I thank my God through Jesus Christ for all of you, because your faith is proclaimed in all the world. 9 For God is my witness, whom I serve with my spirit in the gospel of his Son, that without ceasing I mention you 10 always in my prayers, asking that somehow by God's will I may now at last succeed in coming to you. 11 For I long to see you, that I may impart to you some spiritual gift to strengthen you— 12 that is, that we may be mutually encouraged by each other's faith, both yours and mine. 13 I do not want you to be unaware, brothers, that I have often intended to come to you (but thus far have been prevented), in order that I may reap some harvest among you as well as among the rest of the Gentiles. 14 I am under obligation both to Greeks and to barbarians, both to the wise and to the foolish. 15 So I am eager to preach the gospel to you also who are in Rome.
16 For I am not ashamed of the gospel, for it is the power of God for salvation to everyone who believes, to the Jew first and also to the Greek. 17 For in it the righteousness of God is revealed from faith for faith, as it is written, “The righteous shall live by faith.”
God's Wrath on Unrighteousness 18 For the wrath of God is revealed from heaven against all ungodliness and unrighteousness of men, who by their unrighteousness suppress the truth. 19 For what can be known about God is plain to them, because God has shown it to them. 20 For his invisible attributes, namely, his eternal power and divine nature, have been clearly perceived, ever since the creation of the world, in the things that have been made. So they are without excuse. 21 For although they knew God, they did not honor him as God or give thanks to him, but they became futile in their thinking, and their foolish hearts were darkened. 22 Claiming to be wise, they became fools, 23 and exchanged the glory of the immortal God for images resembling mortal man and birds and animals and creeping things.
24 Therefore God gave them up in the lusts of their hearts to impurity, to the dishonoring of their bodies among themselves, 25 because they exchanged the truth about God for a lie and worshiped and served the creature rather than the Creator, who is blessed forever! Amen.
26 For this reason God gave them up to dishonorable passions. For their women exchanged natural relations for those that are contrary to nature; 27 and the men likewise gave up natural relations with women and were consumed with passion for one another, men committing shameless acts with men and receiving in themselves the due penalty for their error.
28 And since they did not see fit to acknowledge God, God gave them up to a debased mind to do what ought not to be done. 29 They were filled with all manner of unrighteousness, evil, covetousness, malice. They are full of envy, murder, strife, deceit, maliciousness. They are gossips, 30 slanderers, haters of God, insolent, haughty, boastful, inventors of evil, disobedient to parents, 31 foolish, faithless, heartless, ruthless. 32 Though they know God's righteous decree that those who practice such things deserve to die, they not only do them but give approval to those who practice them.
Jude (ESV)
Jude, a servant of Jesus Christ and brother of James, To those who are called, beloved in God the Father and kept for Jesus Christ:
2 May mercy, peace, and love be multiplied to you.
3 Beloved, although I was very eager to write to you about our common salvation, I found it necessary to write appealing to you to contend for the faith that was once for all delivered to the saints. 4 For certain people have crept in unnoticed who long ago were designated for this condemnation, ungodly people, who pervert the grace of our God into sensuality and deny our only Master and Lord, Jesus Christ.
5 Now I want to remind you, although you once fully knew it, that Jesus, who saved a people out of the land of Egypt, afterward destroyed those who did not believe. 6 And the angels who did not stay within their own position of authority, but left their proper dwelling, he has kept in eternal chains under gloomy darkness until the judgment of the great day— 7 just as Sodom and Gomorrah and the surrounding cities, which likewise indulged in sexual immorality and pursued unnatural desire,[d] serve as an example by undergoing a punishment of eternal fire.
8 Yet in like manner these people also, relying on their dreams, defile the flesh, reject authority, and blaspheme the glorious ones. 9 But when the archangel Michael, contending with the devil, was disputing about the body of Moses, he did not presume to pronounce a blasphemous judgment, but said, “The Lord rebuke you.” 10 But these people blaspheme all that they do not understand, and they are destroyed by all that they, like unreasoning animals, understand instinctively. 11 Woe to them! For they walked in the way of Cain and abandoned themselves for the sake of gain to Balaam's error and perished in Korah's rebellion. 12 These are hidden reefs at your love feasts, as they feast with you without fear, shepherds feeding themselves; waterless clouds, swept along by winds; fruitless trees in late autumn, twice dead, uprooted; 13 wild waves of the sea, casting up the foam of their own shame; wandering stars, for whom the gloom of utter darkness has been reserved forever.
14 It was also about these that Enoch, the seventh from Adam, prophesied, saying, “Behold, the Lord comes with ten thousands of his holy ones, 15 to execute judgment on all and to convict all the ungodly of all their deeds of ungodliness that they have committed in such an ungodly way, and of all the harsh things that ungodly sinners have spoken against him.” 16 These are grumblers, malcontents, following their own sinful desires; they are loud-mouthed boasters, showing favoritism to gain advantage.
17 But you must remember, beloved, the predictions of the apostles of our Lord Jesus Christ. 18 They said to you, “In the last time there will be scoffers, following their own ungodly passions.” 19 It is these who cause divisions, worldly people, devoid of the Spirit. 20 But you, beloved, building yourselves up in your most holy faith and praying in the Holy Spirit, 21 keep yourselves in the love of God, waiting for the mercy of our Lord Jesus Christ that leads to eternal life. 22 And have mercy on those who doubt; 23 save others by snatching them out of the fire; to others show mercy with fear, hating even the garment stained by the flesh.
24 Now to him who is able to keep you from stumbling and to present you blameless before the presence of his glory with great joy, 25 to the only God, our Savior, through Jesus Christ our Lord, be glory, majesty, dominion, and authority, before all time and now and forever. Amen.
3 John (ESV)
The elder to the beloved Gaius, whom I love in truth.
2 Beloved, I pray that all may go well with you and that you may be in good health, as it goes well with your soul. 3 For I rejoiced greatly when the brothers came and testified to your truth, as indeed you are walking in the truth. 4 I have no greater joy than to hear that my children are walking in the truth.
5 Beloved, it is a faithful thing you do in all your efforts for these brothers, strangers as they are, 6 who testified to your love before the church. You will do well to send them on their journey in a manner worthy of God. 7 For they have gone out for the sake of the name, accepting nothing from the Gentiles. 8 Therefore we ought to support people like these, that we may be fellow workers for the truth.
9 I have written something to the church, but Diotrephes, who likes to put himself first, does not acknowledge our authority. 10 So if I come, I will bring up what he is doing, talking wicked nonsense against us. And not content with that, he refuses to welcome the brothers, and also stops those who want to and puts them out of the church.
11 Beloved, do not imitate evil but imitate good. Whoever does good is from God; whoever does evil has not seen God. 12 Demetrius has received a good testimony from everyone, and from the truth itself. We also add our testimony, and you know that our testimony is true.
13 I had much to write to you, but I would rather not write with pen and ink. 14 I hope to see you soon, and we will talk face to face.
15 Peace be to you. The friends greet you. Greet the friends, each by name.
2 John (ESV)
The elder to the elect lady and her children, whom I love in truth, and not only I, but also all who know the truth, 2 because of the truth that abides in us and will be with us forever:
3 Grace, mercy, and peace will be with us, from God the Father and from Jesus Christ the Father's Son, in truth and love.
4 I rejoiced greatly to find some of your children walking in the truth, just as we were commanded by the Father. 5 And now I ask you, dear lady—not as though I were writing you a new commandment, but the one we have had from the beginning—that we love one another. 6 And this is love, that we walk according to his commandments; this is the commandment, just as you have heard from the beginning, so that you should walk in it. 7 For many deceivers have gone out into the world, those who do not confess the coming of Jesus Christ in the flesh. Such a one is the deceiver and the antichrist. 8 Watch yourselves, so that you may not lose what we have worked for, but may win a full reward. 9 Everyone who goes on ahead and does not abide in the teaching of Christ, does not have God. Whoever abides in the teaching has both the Father and the Son. 10 If anyone comes to you and does not bring this teaching, do not receive him into your house or give him any greeting, 11 for whoever greets him takes part in his wicked works.
12 Though I have much to write to you, I would rather not use paper and ink. Instead I hope to come to you and talk face to face, so that our joy may be complete.
13 The children of your elect sister greet you.
1 John 5 (ESV)
Everyone who believes that Jesus is the Christ has been born of God, and everyone who loves the Father loves whoever has been born of him. 2 By this we know that we love the children of God, when we love God and obey his commandments. 3 For this is the love of God, that we keep his commandments. And his commandments are not burdensome. 4 For everyone who has been born of God overcomes the world. And this is the victory that has overcome the world—our faith. 5 Who is it that overcomes the world except the one who believes that Jesus is the Son of God?
6 This is he who came by water and blood—Jesus Christ; not by the water only but by the water and the blood. And the Spirit is the one who testifies, because the Spirit is the truth. 7 For there are three that testify: 8 the Spirit and the water and the blood; and these three agree. 9 If we receive the testimony of men, the testimony of God is greater, for this is the testimony of God that he has borne concerning his Son. 10 Whoever believes in the Son of God has the testimony in himself. Whoever does not believe God has made him a liar, because he has not believed in the testimony that God has borne concerning his Son. 11 And this is the testimony, that God gave us eternal life, and this life is in his Son. 12 Whoever has the Son has life; whoever does not have the Son of God does not have life.
13 I write these things to you who believe in the name of the Son of God, that you may know that you have eternal life. 14 And this is the confidence that we have toward him, that if we ask anything according to his will he hears us. 15 And if we know that he hears us in whatever we ask, we know that we have the requests that we have asked of him.
16 If anyone sees his brother committing a sin not leading to death, he shall ask, and God will give him life—to those who commit sins that do not lead to death. There is sin that leads to death; I do not say that one should pray for that. 17 All wrongdoing is sin, but there is sin that does not lead to death.
18 We know that everyone who has been born of God does not keep on sinning, but he who was born of God protects him, and the evil one does not touch him.
19 We know that we are from God, and the whole world lies in the power of the evil one.
20 And we know that the Son of God has come and has given us understanding, so that we may know him who is true; and we are in him who is true, in his Son Jesus Christ. He is the true God and eternal life. 21 Little children, keep yourselves from idols.
1 John 4 (ESV)
Beloved, do not believe every spirit, but test the spirits to see whether they are from God, for many false prophets have gone out into the world. 2 By this you know the Spirit of God: every spirit that confesses that Jesus Christ has come in the flesh is from God, 3 and every spirit that does not confess Jesus is not from God. This is the spirit of the antichrist, which you heard was coming and now is in the world already. 4 Little children, you are from God and have overcome them, for he who is in you is greater than he who is in the world. 5 They are from the world; therefore they speak from the world, and the world listens to them. 6 We are from God. Whoever knows God listens to us; whoever is not from God does not listen to us. By this we know the Spirit of truth and the spirit of error.
7 Beloved, let us love one another, for love is from God, and whoever loves has been born of God and knows God. 8 Anyone who does not love does not know God, because God is love. 9 In this the love of God was made manifest among us, that God sent his only Son into the world, so that we might live through him. 10 In this is love, not that we have loved God but that he loved us and sent his Son to be the propitiation for our sins. 11 Beloved, if God so loved us, we also ought to love one another. 12 No one has ever seen God; if we love one another, God abides in us and his love is perfected in us.
13 By this we know that we abide in him and he in us, because he has given us of his Spirit. 14 And we have seen and testify that the Father has sent his Son to be the Savior of the world. 15 Whoever confesses that Jesus is the Son of God, God abides in him, and he in God. 16 So we have come to know and to believe the love that God has for us. God is love, and whoever abides in love abides in God, and God abides in him. 17 By this is love perfected with us, so that we may have confidence for the day of judgment, because as he is so also are we in this world. 18 There is no fear in love, but perfect love casts out fear. For fear has to do with punishment, and whoever fears has not been perfected in love. 19 We love because he first loved us. 20 If anyone says, “I love God,” and hates his brother, he is a liar; for he who does not love his brother whom he has seen cannot love God whom he has not seen. 21 And this commandment we have from him: whoever loves God must also love his brother.
1 John 3 (ESV)
See what kind of love the Father has given to us, that we should be called children of God; and so we are. The reason why the world does not know us is that it did not know him. 2 Beloved, we are God's children now, and what we will be has not yet appeared; but we know that when he appears we shall be like him, because we shall see him as he is. 3 And everyone who thus hopes in him purifies himself as he is pure.
4 Everyone who makes a practice of sinning also practices lawlessness; sin is lawlessness. 5 You know that he appeared in order to take away sins, and in him there is no sin. 6 No one who abides in him keeps on sinning; no one who keeps on sinning has either seen him or known him. 7 Little children, let no one deceive you. Whoever practices righteousness is righteous, as he is righteous. 8 Whoever makes a practice of sinning is of the devil, for the devil has been sinning from the beginning. The reason the Son of God appeared was to destroy the works of the devil. 9 No one born of God makes a practice of sinning, for God's seed abides in him; and he cannot keep on sinning, because he has been born of God. 10 By this it is evident who are the children of God, and who are the children of the devil: whoever does not practice righteousness is not of God, nor is the one who does not love his brother.
11 For this is the message that you have heard from the beginning, that we should love one another. 12 We should not be like Cain, who was of the evil one and murdered his brother. And why did he murder him? Because his own deeds were evil and his brother's righteous. 13 Do not be surprised, brothers, that the world hates you. 14 We know that we have passed out of death into life, because we love the brothers. Whoever does not love abides in death. 15 Everyone who hates his brother is a murderer, and you know that no murderer has eternal life abiding in him.
16 By this we know love, that he laid down his life for us, and we ought to lay down our lives for the brothers. 17 But if anyone has the world's goods and sees his brother in need, yet closes his heart against him, how does God's love abide in him? 18 Little children, let us not love in word or talk but in deed and in truth.
19 By this we shall know that we are of the truth and reassure our heart before him; 20 for whenever our heart condemns us, God is greater than our heart, and he knows everything. 21 Beloved, if our heart does not condemn us, we have confidence before God; 22 and whatever we ask we receive from him, because we keep his commandments and do what pleases him. 23 And this is his commandment, that we believe in the name of his Son Jesus Christ and love one another, just as he has commanded us. 24 Whoever keeps his commandments abides in God, and God in him. And by this we know that he abides in us, by the Spirit whom he has given us.
1 John 2 (ESV)
My little children, I am writing these things to you so that you may not sin. But if anyone does sin, we have an advocate with the Father, Jesus Christ the righteous. 2 He is the propitiation for our sins, and not for ours only but also for the sins of the whole world. 3 And by this we know that we have come to know him, if we keep his commandments. 4 Whoever says “I know him” but does not keep his commandments is a liar, and the truth is not in him, 5 but whoever keeps his word, in him truly the love of God is perfected. By this we may know that we are in him: 6 whoever says he abides in him ought to walk in the same way in which he walked.
7 Beloved, I am writing you no new commandment, but an old commandment that you had from the beginning. The old commandment is the word that you have heard. 8 At the same time, it is a new commandment that I am writing to you, which is true in him and in you, because the darkness is passing away and the true light is already shining. 9 Whoever says he is in the light and hates his brother is still in darkness. 10 Whoever loves his brother abides in the light, and in him there is no cause for stumbling. 11 But whoever hates his brother is in the darkness and walks in the darkness, and does not know where he is going, because the darkness has blinded his eyes.
12 I am writing to you, little children, because your sins are forgiven for his name's sake. 13 I am writing to you, fathers, because you know him who is from the beginning. I am writing to you, young men, because you have overcome the evil one. I write to you, children, because you know the Father. 14 I write to you, fathers, because you know him who is from the beginning. I write to you, young men, because you are strong, and the word of God abides in you, and you have overcome the evil one.
15 Do not love the world or the things in the world. If anyone loves the world, the love of the Father is not in him. 16 For all that is in the world—the desires of the flesh and the desires of the eyes and pride of life—is not from the Father but is from the world. 17 And the world is passing away along with its desires, but whoever does the will of God abides forever.
18 Children, it is the last hour, and as you have heard that antichrist is coming, so now many antichrists have come. Therefore we know that it is the last hour. 19 They went out from us, but they were not of us; for if they had been of us, they would have continued with us. But they went out, that it might become plain that they all are not of us. 20 But you have been anointed by the Holy One, and you all have knowledge. 21 I write to you, not because you do not know the truth, but because you know it, and because no lie is of the truth. 22 Who is the liar but he who denies that Jesus is the Christ? This is the antichrist, he who denies the Father and the Son. 23 No one who denies the Son has the Father. Whoever confesses the Son has the Father also. 24 Let what you heard from the beginning abide in you. If what you heard from the beginning abides in you, then you too will abide in the Son and in the Father. 25 And this is the promise that he made to us—eternal life.
26 I write these things to you about those who are trying to deceive you. 27 But the anointing that you received from him abides in you, and you have no need that anyone should teach you. But as his anointing teaches you about everything, and is true, and is no lie—just as it has taught you, abide in him.
28 And now, little children, abide in him, so that when he appears we may have confidence and not shrink from him in shame at his coming. 29 If you know that he is righteous, you may be sure that everyone who practices righteousness has been born of him.
1 John 1 (ESV)
That which was from the beginning, which we have heard, which we have seen with our eyes, which we looked upon and have touched with our hands, concerning the word of life— 2 the life was made manifest, and we have seen it, and testify to it and proclaim to you the eternal life, which was with the Father and was made manifest to us— 3 that which we have seen and heard we proclaim also to you, so that you too may have fellowship with us; and indeed our fellowship is with the Father and with his Son Jesus Christ. 4 And we are writing these things so that our joy may be complete.
5 This is the message we have heard from him and proclaim to you, that God is light, and in him is no darkness at all. 6 If we say we have fellowship with him while we walk in darkness, we lie and do not practice the truth. 7 But if we walk in the light, as he is in the light, we have fellowship with one another, and the blood of Jesus his Son cleanses us from all sin. 8 If we say we have no sin, we deceive ourselves, and the truth is not in us. 9 If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness. 10 If we say we have not sinned, we make him a liar, and his word is not in us.
2 Peter 3 (ESV)
This is now the second letter that I am writing to you, beloved. In both of them I am stirring up your sincere mind by way of reminder, 2 that you should remember the predictions of the holy prophets and the commandment of the Lord and Savior through your apostles, 3 knowing this first of all, that scoffers will come in the last days with scoffing, following their own sinful desires. 4 They will say, “Where is the promise of his coming? For ever since the fathers fell asleep, all things are continuing as they were from the beginning of creation.” 5 For they deliberately overlook this fact, that the heavens existed long ago, and the earth was formed out of water and through water by the word of God, 6 and that by means of these the world that then existed was deluged with water and perished. 7 But by the same word the heavens and earth that now exist are stored up for fire, being kept until the day of judgment and destruction of the ungodly.
8 But do not overlook this one fact, beloved, that with the Lord one day is as a thousand years, and a thousand years as one day. 9 The Lord is not slow to fulfill his promise as some count slowness, but is patient toward you, not wishing that any should perish, but that all should reach repentance. 10 But the day of the Lord will come like a thief, and then the heavens will pass away with a roar, and the heavenly bodies will be burned up and dissolved, and the earth and the works that are done on it will be exposed.
11 Since all these things are thus to be dissolved, what sort of people ought you to be in lives of holiness and godliness, 12 waiting for and hastening the coming of the day of God, because of which the heavens will be set on fire and dissolved, and the heavenly bodies will melt as they burn! 13 But according to his promise we are waiting for new heavens and a new earth in which righteousness dwells.
14 Therefore, beloved, since you are waiting for these, be diligent to be found by him without spot or blemish, and at peace. 15 And count the patience of our Lord as salvation, just as our beloved brother Paul also wrote to you according to the wisdom given him, 16 as he does in all his letters when he speaks in them of these matters. There are some things in them that are hard to understand, which the ignorant and unstable twist to their own destruction, as they do the other Scriptures. 17 You therefore, beloved, knowing this beforehand, take care that you are not carried away with the error of lawless people and lose your own stability. 18 But grow in the grace and knowledge of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. To him be the glory both now and to the day of eternity. Amen.
2 Peter 2 (ESV)
But false prophets also arose among the people, just as there will be false teachers among you, who will secretly bring in destructive heresies, even denying the Master who bought them, bringing upon themselves swift destruction. 2 And many will follow their sensuality, and because of them the way of truth will be blasphemed. 3 And in their greed they will exploit you with false words. Their condemnation from long ago is not idle, and their destruction is not asleep.
4 For if God did not spare angels when they sinned, but cast them into hell and committed them to chains of gloomy darkness to be kept until the judgment; 5 if he did not spare the ancient world, but preserved Noah, a herald of righteousness, with seven others, when he brought a flood upon the world of the ungodly; 6 if by turning the cities of Sodom and Gomorrah to ashes he condemned them to extinction, making them an example of what is going to happen to the ungodly; 7 and if he rescued righteous Lot, greatly distressed by the sensual conduct of the wicked 8 (for as that righteous man lived among them day after day, he was tormenting his righteous soul over their lawless deeds that he saw and heard); 9 then the Lord knows how to rescue the godly from trials, and to keep the unrighteous under punishment until the day of judgment, 10 and especially those who indulge in the lust of defiling passion and despise authority.
Bold and willful, they do not tremble as they blaspheme the glorious ones, 11 whereas angels, though greater in might and power, do not pronounce a blasphemous judgment against them before the Lord. 12 But these, like irrational animals, creatures of instinct, born to be caught and destroyed, blaspheming about matters of which they are ignorant, will also be destroyed in their destruction, 13 suffering wrong as the wage for their wrongdoing. They count it pleasure to revel in the daytime. They are blots and blemishes, reveling in their deceptions, while they feast with you. 14 They have eyes full of adultery, insatiable for sin. They entice unsteady souls. They have hearts trained in greed. Accursed children! 15 Forsaking the right way, they have gone astray. They have followed the way of Balaam, the son of Beor, who loved gain from wrongdoing, 16 but was rebuked for his own transgression; a speechless donkey spoke with human voice and restrained the prophet's madness.
17 These are waterless springs and mists driven by a storm. For them the gloom of utter darkness has been reserved. 18 For, speaking loud boasts of folly, they entice by sensual passions of the flesh those who are barely escaping from those who live in error. 19 They promise them freedom, but they themselves are slaves of corruption. For whatever overcomes a person, to that he is enslaved. 20 For if, after they have escaped the defilements of the world through the knowledge of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ, they are again entangled in them and overcome, the last state has become worse for them than the first. 21 For it would have been better for them never to have known the way of righteousness than after knowing it to turn back from the holy commandment delivered to them. 22 What the true proverb says has happened to them: “The dog returns to its own vomit, and the sow, after washing herself, returns to wallow in the mire.”
2 Peter 1 (ESV)
Simeon Peter, a servant and apostle of Jesus Christ,
To those who have obtained a faith of equal standing with ours by the righteousness of our God and Savior Jesus Christ:
2 May grace and peace be multiplied to you in the knowledge of God and of Jesus our Lord.
3 His divine power has granted to us all things that pertain to life and godliness, through the knowledge of him who called us to his own glory and excellence, 4 by which he has granted to us his precious and very great promises, so that through them you may become partakers of the divine nature, having escaped from the corruption that is in the world because of sinful desire. 5 For this very reason, make every effort to supplement your faith with virtue, and virtue with knowledge, 6 and knowledge with self-control, and self-control with steadfastness, and steadfastness with godliness, 7 and godliness with brotherly affection, and brotherly affection with love. 8 For if these qualities are yours and are increasing, they keep you from being ineffective or unfruitful in the knowledge of our Lord Jesus Christ. 9 For whoever lacks these qualities is so nearsighted that he is blind, having forgotten that he was cleansed from his former sins. 10 Therefore, brothers, be all the more diligent to confirm your calling and election, for if you practice these qualities you will never fall. 11 For in this way there will be richly provided for you an entrance into the eternal kingdom of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ.
12 Therefore I intend always to remind you of these qualities, though you know them and are established in the truth that you have. 13 I think it right, as long as I am in this body, to stir you up by way of reminder, 14 since I know that the putting off of my body will be soon, as our Lord Jesus Christ made clear to me. 15 And I will make every effort so that after my departure you may be able at any time to recall these things.
16 For we did not follow cleverly devised myths when we made known to you the power and coming of our Lord Jesus Christ, but we were eyewitnesses of his majesty. 17 For when he received honor and glory from God the Father, and the voice was borne to him by the Majestic Glory, “This is my beloved Son, with whom I am well pleased,” 18 we ourselves heard this very voice borne from heaven, for we were with him on the holy mountain. 19 And we have the prophetic word more fully confirmed, to which you will do well to pay attention as to a lamp shining in a dark place, until the day dawns and the morning star rises in your hearts, 20 knowing this first of all, that no prophecy of Scripture comes from someone's own interpretation. 21 For no prophecy was ever produced by the will of man, but men spoke from God as they were carried along by the Holy Spirit.
So I exhort the elders among you, as a fellow elder and a witness of the sufferings of Christ, as well as a partaker in the glory that is going to be revealed: 2 shepherd the flock of God that is among you, exercising oversight,[a] not under compulsion, but willingly, as God would have you; not for shameful gain, but eagerly; 3 not domineering over those in your charge, but being examples to the flock. 4 And when the chief Shepherd appears, you will receive the unfading crown of glory. 5 Likewise, you who are younger, be subject to the elders. Clothe yourselves, all of you, with humility toward one another, for “God opposes the proud but gives grace to the humble.”
6 Humble yourselves, therefore, under the mighty hand of God so that at the proper time he may exalt you, 7 casting all your anxieties on him, because he cares for you. 8 Be sober-minded; be watchful. Your adversary the devil prowls around like a roaring lion, seeking someone to devour. 9 Resist him, firm in your faith, knowing that the same kinds of suffering are being experienced by your brotherhood throughout the world. 10 And after you have suffered a little while, the God of all grace, who has called you to his eternal glory in Christ, will himself restore, confirm, strengthen, and establish you. 11 To him be the dominion forever and ever. Amen.
12 By Silvanus, a faithful brother as I regard him, I have written briefly to you, exhorting and declaring that this is the true grace of God. Stand firm in it. 13 She who is at Babylon, who is likewise chosen, sends you greetings, and so does Mark, my son. 14 Greet one another with the kiss of love.
Peace to all of you who are in Christ.
Since therefore Christ suffered in the flesh, arm yourselves with the same way of thinking, for whoever has suffered in the flesh has ceased from sin, 2 so as to live for the rest of the time in the flesh no longer for human passions but for the will of God. 3 For the time that is past suffices for doing what the Gentiles want to do, living in sensuality, passions, drunkenness, orgies, drinking parties, and lawless idolatry. 4 With respect to this they are surprised when you do not join them in the same flood of debauchery, and they malign you; 5 but they will give account to him who is ready to judge the living and the dead. 6 For this is why the gospel was preached even to those who are dead, that though judged in the flesh the way people are, they might live in the spirit the way God does.
7 The end of all things is at hand; therefore be self-controlled and sober-minded for the sake of your prayers. 8 Above all, keep loving one another earnestly, since love covers a multitude of sins. 9 Show hospitality to one another without grumbling. 10 As each has received a gift, use it to serve one another, as good stewards of God's varied grace: 11 whoever speaks, as one who speaks oracles of God; whoever serves, as one who serves by the strength that God supplies—in order that in everything God may be glorified through Jesus Christ. To him belong glory and dominion forever and ever. Amen.
12 Beloved, do not be surprised at the fiery trial when it comes upon you to test you, as though something strange were happening to you. 13 But rejoice insofar as you share Christ's sufferings, that you may also rejoice and be glad when his glory is revealed. 14 If you are insulted for the name of Christ, you are blessed, because the Spirit of glory and of God rests upon you. 15 But let none of you suffer as a murderer or a thief or an evildoer or as a meddler. 16 Yet if anyone suffers as a Christian, let him not be ashamed, but let him glorify God in that name. 17 For it is time for judgment to begin at the household of God; and if it begins with us, what will be the outcome for those who do not obey the gospel of God? 18 And
“If the righteous is scarcely saved, what will become of the ungodly and the sinner?”
19 Therefore let those who suffer according to God's will entrust their souls to a faithful Creator while doing good.
1 Peter 3 (ESV)
Likewise, wives, be subject to your own husbands, so that even if some do not obey the word, they may be won without a word by the conduct of their wives, 2 when they see your respectful and pure conduct. 3 Do not let your adorning be external—the braiding of hair and the putting on of gold jewelry, or the clothing you wear— 4 but let your adorning be the hidden person of the heart with the imperishable beauty of a gentle and quiet spirit, which in God's sight is very precious. 5 For this is how the holy women who hoped in God used to adorn themselves, by submitting to their own husbands, 6 as Sarah obeyed Abraham, calling him lord. And you are her children, if you do good and do not fear anything that is frightening.
7 Likewise, husbands, live with your wives in an understanding way, showing honor to the woman as the weaker vessel, since they are heirs with you[a] of the grace of life, so that your prayers may not be hindered.
8 Finally, all of you, have unity of mind, sympathy, brotherly love, a tender heart, and a humble mind. 9 Do not repay evil for evil or reviling for reviling, but on the contrary, bless, for to this you were called, that you may obtain a blessing. 10 For
“Whoever desires to love life and see good days, let him keep his tongue from evil and his lips from speaking deceit; 11 let him turn away from evil and do good; let him seek peace and pursue it. 12 For the eyes of the Lord are on the righteous, and his ears are open to their prayer. But the face of the Lord is against those who do evil.”
13 Now who is there to harm you if you are zealous for what is good? 14 But even if you should suffer for righteousness' sake, you will be blessed. Have no fear of them, nor be troubled, 15 but in your hearts honor Christ the Lord as holy, always being prepared to make a defense to anyone who asks you for a reason for the hope that is in you; yet do it with gentleness and respect, 16 having a good conscience, so that, when you are slandered, those who revile your good behavior in Christ may be put to shame. 17 For it is better to suffer for doing good, if that should be God's will, than for doing evil.
18 For Christ also suffered[b] once for sins, the righteous for the unrighteous, that he might bring us to God, being put to death in the flesh but made alive in the spirit, 19 in which[c] he went and proclaimed[d] to the spirits in prison, 20 because[e] they formerly did not obey, when God's patience waited in the days of Noah, while the ark was being prepared, in which a few, that is, eight persons, were brought safely through water. 21 Baptism, which corresponds to this, now saves you, not as a removal of dirt from the body but as an appeal to God for a good conscience, through the resurrection of Jesus Christ, 22 who has gone into heaven and is at the right hand of God, with angels, authorities, and powers having been subjected to him.
1 Peter 2 (ESV)
So put away all malice and all deceit and hypocrisy and envy and all slander. 2 Like newborn infants, long for the pure spiritual milk, that by it you may grow up into salvation— 3 if indeed you have tasted that the Lord is good.
4 As you come to him, a living stone rejected by men but in the sight of God chosen and precious, 5 you yourselves like living stones are being built up as a spiritual house, to be a holy priesthood, to offer spiritual sacrifices acceptable to God through Jesus Christ. 6 For it stands in Scripture:
“Behold, I am laying in Zion a stone, a cornerstone chosen and precious, and whoever believes in him will not be put to shame.”
7 So the honor is for you who believe, but for those who do not believe,
“The stone that the builders rejected has become the cornerstone,” 8 and “A stone of stumbling, and a rock of offense.”
They stumble because they disobey the word, as they were destined to do.
9 But you are a chosen race, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, a people for his own possession, that you may proclaim the excellencies of him who called you out of darkness into his marvelous light. 10 Once you were not a people, but now you are God's people; once you had not received mercy, but now you have received mercy.
11 Beloved, I urge you as sojourners and exiles to abstain from the passions of the flesh, which wage war against your soul. 12 Keep your conduct among the Gentiles honorable, so that when they speak against you as evildoers, they may see your good deeds and glorify God on the day of visitation.
13 Be subject for the Lord's sake to every human institution, whether it be to the emperor as supreme, 14 or to governors as sent by him to punish those who do evil and to praise those who do good. 15 For this is the will of God, that by doing good you should put to silence the ignorance of foolish people. 16 Live as people who are free, not using your freedom as a cover-up for evil, but living as servants of God. 17 Honor everyone. Love the brotherhood. Fear God. Honor the emperor.
18 Servants, be subject to your masters with all respect, not only to the good and gentle but also to the unjust. 19 For this is a gracious thing, when, mindful of God, one endures sorrows while suffering unjustly. 20 For what credit is it if, when you sin and are beaten for it, you endure? But if when you do good and suffer for it you endure, this is a gracious thing in the sight of God. 21 For to this you have been called, because Christ also suffered for you, leaving you an example, so that you might follow in his steps. 22 He committed no sin, neither was deceit found in his mouth. 23 When he was reviled, he did not revile in return; when he suffered, he did not threaten, but continued entrusting himself to him who judges justly. 24 He himself bore our sins in his body on the tree, that we might die to sin and live to righteousness. By his wounds you have been healed. 25 For you were straying like sheep, but have now returned to the Shepherd and Overseer of your souls.
Philemon (ESV)
[1] Paul, a prisoner for Christ Jesus, and Timothy our brother,
To Philemon our beloved fellow worker [2] and Apphia our sister and Archippus our fellow soldier, and the church in your house:
[3] Grace to you and peace from God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ.
[4] I thank my God always when I remember you in my prayers, [5] because I hear of your love and of the faith that you have toward the Lord Jesus and for all the saints, [6] and I pray that the sharing of your faith may become effective for the full knowledge of every good thing that is in us for the sake of Christ. [7] For I have derived much joy and comfort from your love, my brother, because the hearts of the saints have been refreshed through you.
[8] Accordingly, though I am bold enough in Christ to command you to do what is required, [9] yet for love's sake I prefer to appeal to you—I, Paul, an old man and now a prisoner also for Christ Jesus—[10] I appeal to you for my child, Onesimus, whose father I became in my imprisonment. [11] (Formerly he was useless to you, but now he is indeed useful to you and to me.) [12] I am sending him back to you, sending my very heart. [13] I would have been glad to keep him with me, in order that he might serve me on your behalf during my imprisonment for the gospel, [14] but I preferred to do nothing without your consent in order that your goodness might not be by compulsion but of your own accord. [15] For this perhaps is why he was parted from you for a while, that you might have him back forever, [16] no longer as a bondservant but more than a bondservant, as a beloved brother—especially to me, but how much more to you, both in the flesh and in the Lord.
[17] So if you consider me your partner, receive him as you would receive me. [18] If he has wronged you at all, or owes you anything, charge that to my account. [19] I, Paul, write this with my own hand: I will repay it—to say nothing of your owing me even your own self. [20] Yes, brother, I want some benefit from you in the Lord. Refresh my heart in Christ.
[21] Confident of your obedience, I write to you, knowing that you will do even more than I say. [22] At the same time, prepare a guest room for me, for I am hoping that through your prayers I will be graciously given to you.
[23] Epaphras, my fellow prisoner in Christ Jesus, sends greetings to you, [24] and so do Mark, Aristarchus, Demas, and Luke, my fellow workers.
[25] The grace of the Lord Jesus Christ be with your spirit.
Colossians 4 (ESV)
[1] Masters, treat your bondservants justly and fairly, knowing that you also have a Master in heaven.
[2] Continue steadfastly in prayer, being watchful in it with thanksgiving. [3] At the same time, pray also for us, that God may open to us a door for the word, to declare the mystery of Christ, on account of which I am in prison—[4] that I may make it clear, which is how I ought to speak.
[5] Walk in wisdom toward outsiders, making the best use of the time. [6] Let your speech always be gracious, seasoned with salt, so that you may know how you ought to answer each person.
[7] Tychicus will tell you all about my activities. He is a beloved brother and faithful minister and fellow servant in the Lord. [8] I have sent him to you for this very purpose, that you may know how we are and that he may encourage your hearts, [9] and with him Onesimus, our faithful and beloved brother, who is one of you. They will tell you of everything that has taken place here.
[10] Aristarchus my fellow prisoner greets you, and Mark the cousin of Barnabas (concerning whom you have received instructions—if he comes to you, welcome him), [11] and Jesus who is called Justus. These are the only men of the circumcision among my fellow workers for the kingdom of God, and they have been a comfort to me. [12] Epaphras, who is one of you, a servant of Christ Jesus, greets you, always struggling on your behalf in his prayers, that you may stand mature and fully assured in all the will of God. [13] For I bear him witness that he has worked hard for you and for those in Laodicea and in Hierapolis. [14] Luke the beloved physician greets you, as does Demas. [15] Give my greetings to the brothers at Laodicea, and to Nympha and the church in her house. [16] And when this letter has been read among you, have it also read in the church of the Laodiceans; and see that you also read the letter from Laodicea. [17] And say to Archippus, “See that you fulfill the ministry that you have received in the Lord.”
[18] I, Paul, write this greeting with my own hand. Remember my chains. Grace be with you.
Colossians 3 (ESV)
[1] If then you have been raised with Christ, seek the things that are above, where Christ is, seated at the right hand of God. [2] Set your minds on things that are above, not on things that are on earth. [3] For you have died, and your life is hidden with Christ in God. [4] When Christ who is your life appears, then you also will appear with him in glory.
[5] Put to death therefore what is earthly in you: sexual immorality, impurity, passion, evil desire, and covetousness, which is idolatry. [6] On account of these the wrath of God is coming. [7] In these you too once walked, when you were living in them. [8] But now you must put them all away: anger, wrath, malice, slander, and obscene talk from your mouth. [9] Do not lie to one another, seeing that you have put off the old self with its practices [10] and have put on the new self, which is being renewed in knowledge after the image of its creator. [11] Here there is not Greek and Jew, circumcised and uncircumcised, barbarian, Scythian, slave, free; but Christ is all, and in all.
[12] Put on then, as God's chosen ones, holy and beloved, compassionate hearts, kindness, humility, meekness, and patience, [13] bearing with one another and, if one has a complaint against another, forgiving each other; as the Lord has forgiven you, so you also must forgive. [14] And above all these put on love, which binds everything together in perfect harmony. [15] And let the peace of Christ rule in your hearts, to which indeed you were called in one body. And be thankful. [16] Let the word of Christ dwell in you richly, teaching and admonishing one another in all wisdom, singing psalms and hymns and spiritual songs, with thankfulness in your hearts to God. [17] And whatever you do, in word or deed, do everything in the name of the Lord Jesus, giving thanks to God the Father through him.
[18] Wives, submit to your husbands, as is fitting in the Lord. [19] Husbands, love your wives, and do not be harsh with them. [20] Children, obey your parents in everything, for this pleases the Lord. [21] Fathers, do not provoke your children, lest they become discouraged. [22] Bondservants, obey in everything those who are your earthly masters, not by way of eye-service, as people-pleasers, but with sincerity of heart, fearing the Lord. [23] Whatever you do, work heartily, as for the Lord and not for men, [24] knowing that from the Lord you will receive the inheritance as your reward. You are serving the Lord Christ. [25] For the wrongdoer will be paid back for the wrong he has done, and there is no partiality.
Colossians 2 (ESV)
[1] For I want you to know how great a struggle I have for you and for those at Laodicea and for all who have not seen me face to face, [2] that their hearts may be encouraged, being knit together in love, to reach all the riches of full assurance of understanding and the knowledge of God's mystery, which is Christ, [3] in whom are hidden all the treasures of wisdom and knowledge. [4] I say this in order that no one may delude you with plausible arguments. [5] For though I am absent in body, yet I am with you in spirit, rejoicing to see your good order and the firmness of your faith in Christ.
[6] Therefore, as you received Christ Jesus the Lord, so walk in him, [7] rooted and built up in him and established in the faith, just as you were taught, abounding in thanksgiving.
[8] See to it that no one takes you captive by philosophy and empty deceit, according to human tradition, according to the elemental spirits of the world, and not according to Christ. [9] For in him the whole fullness of deity dwells bodily, [10] and you have been filled in him, who is the head of all rule and authority. [11] In him also you were circumcised with a circumcision made without hands, by putting off the body of the flesh, by the circumcision of Christ, [12] having been buried with him in baptism, in which you were also raised with him through faith in the powerful working of God, who raised him from the dead. [13] And you, who were dead in your trespasses and the uncircumcision of your flesh, God made alive together with him, having forgiven us all our trespasses, [14] by canceling the record of debt that stood against us with its legal demands. This he set aside, nailing it to the cross. [15] He disarmed the rulers and authorities and put them to open shame, by triumphing over them in him.
[16] Therefore let no one pass judgment on you in questions of food and drink, or with regard to a festival or a new moon or a Sabbath. [17] These are a shadow of the things to come, but the substance belongs to Christ. [18] Let no one disqualify you, insisting on asceticism and worship of angels, going on in detail about visions, puffed up without reason by his sensuous mind, [19] and not holding fast to the Head, from whom the whole body, nourished and knit together through its joints and ligaments, grows with a growth that is from God.
[20] If with Christ you died to the elemental spirits of the world, why, as if you were still alive in the world, do you submit to regulations—[21] “Do not handle, Do not taste, Do not touch” [22] (referring to things that all perish as they are used)—according to human precepts and teachings? [23] These have indeed an appearance of wisdom in promoting self-made religion and asceticism and severity to the body, but they are of no value in stopping the indulgence of the flesh.
Colossians 1 (ESV)
[1] Paul, an apostle of Christ Jesus by the will of God, and Timothy our brother, [2] To the saints and faithful brothers in Christ at Colossae: Grace to you and peace from God our Father.
[3] We always thank God, the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, when we pray for you, [4] since we heard of your faith in Christ Jesus and of the love that you have for all the saints, [5] because of the hope laid up for you in heaven. Of this you have heard before in the word of the truth, the gospel, [6] which has come to you, as indeed in the whole world it is bearing fruit and increasing—as it also does among you, since the day you heard it and understood the grace of God in truth, [7] just as you learned it from Epaphras our beloved fellow servant. He is a faithful minister of Christ on your behalf [8] and has made known to us your love in the Spirit.
[9] And so, from the day we heard, we have not ceased to pray for you, asking that you may be filled with the knowledge of his will in all spiritual wisdom and understanding, [10] so as to walk in a manner worthy of the Lord, fully pleasing to him: bearing fruit in every good work and increasing in the knowledge of God; [11] being strengthened with all power, according to his glorious might, for all endurance and patience with joy; [12] giving thanks to the Father, who has qualified you to share in the inheritance of the saints in light. [13] He has delivered us from the domain of darkness and transferred us to the kingdom of his beloved Son, [14] in whom we have redemption, the forgiveness of sins.
[15] He is the image of the invisible God, the firstborn of all creation. [16] For by him all things were created, in heaven and on earth, visible and invisible, whether thrones or dominions or rulers or authorities—all things were created through him and for him. [17] And he is before all things, and in him all things hold together. [18] And he is the head of the body, the church. He is the beginning, the firstborn from the dead, that in everything he might be preeminent. [19] For in him all the fullness of God was pleased to dwell, [20] and through him to reconcile to himself all things, whether on earth or in heaven, making peace by the blood of his cross.
[21] And you, who once were alienated and hostile in mind, doing evil deeds, [22] he has now reconciled in his body of flesh by his death, in order to present you holy and blameless and above reproach before him, [23] if indeed you continue in the faith, stable and steadfast, not shifting from the hope of the gospel that you heard, which has been proclaimed in all creation under heaven, and of which I, Paul, became a minister.
[24] Now I rejoice in my sufferings for your sake, and in my flesh I am filling up what is lacking in Christ's afflictions for the sake of his body, that is, the church, [25] of which I became a minister according to the stewardship from God that was given to me for you, to make the word of God fully known, [26] the mystery hidden for ages and generations but now revealed to his saints. [27] To them God chose to make known how great among the Gentiles are the riches of the glory of this mystery, which is Christ in you, the hope of glory. [28] Him we proclaim, warning everyone and teaching everyone with all wisdom, that we may present everyone mature in Christ. [29] For this I toil, struggling with all his energy that he powerfully works within me.
Philippians 4 (ESV)
[1] Therefore, my brothers, whom I love and long for, my joy and crown, stand firm thus in the Lord, my beloved.
[2] I entreat Euodia and I entreat Syntyche to agree in the Lord. [3] Yes, I ask you also, true companion, help these women, who have labored side by side with me in the gospel together with Clement and the rest of my fellow workers, whose names are in the book of life.
[4] Rejoice in the Lord always; again I will say, rejoice. [5] Let your reasonableness be known to everyone. The Lord is at hand; [6] do not be anxious about anything, but in everything by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known to God. [7] And the peace of God, which surpasses all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus.
[8] Finally, brothers, whatever is true, whatever is honorable, whatever is just, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is commendable, if there is any excellence, if there is anything worthy of praise, think about these things. [9] What you have learned and received and heard and seen in me—practice these things, and the God of peace will be with you.
[10] I rejoiced in the Lord greatly that now at length you have revived your concern for me. You were indeed concerned for me, but you had no opportunity. [11] Not that I am speaking of being in need, for I have learned in whatever situation I am to be content. [12] I know how to be brought low, and I know how to abound. In any and every circumstance, I have learned the secret of facing plenty and hunger, abundance and need. [13] I can do all things through him who strengthens me.
[14] Yet it was kind of you to share my trouble. [15] And you Philippians yourselves know that in the beginning of the gospel, when I left Macedonia, no church entered into partnership with me in giving and receiving, except you only. [16] Even in Thessalonica you sent me help for my needs once and again. [17] Not that I seek the gift, but I seek the fruit that increases to your credit. [18] I have received full payment, and more. I am well supplied, having received from Epaphroditus the gifts you sent, a fragrant offering, a sacrifice acceptable and pleasing to God. [19] And my God will supply every need of yours according to his riches in glory in Christ Jesus. [20] To our God and Father be glory forever and ever. Amen.
[21] Greet every saint in Christ Jesus. The brothers who are with me greet you. [22] All the saints greet you, especially those of Caesar's household.
[23] The grace of the Lord Jesus Christ be with your spirit.
Philippians 3 (ESV)
[1] Finally, my brothers, rejoice in the Lord. To write the same things to you is no trouble to me and is safe for you.
[2] Look out for the dogs, look out for the evildoers, look out for those who mutilate the flesh. [3] For we are the circumcision, who worship by the Spirit of God and glory in Christ Jesus and put no confidence in the flesh—[4] though I myself have reason for confidence in the flesh also. If anyone else thinks he has reason for confidence in the flesh, I have more: [5] circumcised on the eighth day, of the people of Israel, of the tribe of Benjamin, a Hebrew of Hebrews; as to the law, a Pharisee; [6] as to zeal, a persecutor of the church; as to righteousness under the law, blameless. [7] But whatever gain I had, I counted as loss for the sake of Christ. [8] Indeed, I count everything as loss because of the surpassing worth of knowing Christ Jesus my Lord. For his sake I have suffered the loss of all things and count them as rubbish, in order that I may gain Christ [9] and be found in him, not having a righteousness of my own that comes from the law, but that which comes through faith in Christ, the righteousness from God that depends on faith—[10] that I may know him and the power of his resurrection, and may share his sufferings, becoming like him in his death, [11] that by any means possible I may attain the resurrection from the dead.
[12] Not that I have already obtained this or am already perfect, but I press on to make it my own, because Christ Jesus has made me his own. [13] Brothers, I do not consider that I have made it my own. But one thing I do: forgetting what lies behind and straining forward to what lies ahead, [14] I press on toward the goal for the prize of the upward call of God in Christ Jesus. [15] Let those of us who are mature think this way, and if in anything you think otherwise, God will reveal that also to you. [16] Only let us hold true to what we have attained.
[17] Brothers, join in imitating me, and keep your eyes on those who walk according to the example you have in us. [18] For many, of whom I have often told you and now tell you even with tears, walk as enemies of the cross of Christ. [19] Their end is destruction, their god is their belly, and they glory in their shame, with minds set on earthly things. [20] But our citizenship is in heaven, and from it we await a Savior, the Lord Jesus Christ, [21] who will transform our lowly body to be like his glorious body, by the power that enables him even to subject all things to himself.
Philippians 2 (ESV)
[1] So if there is any encouragement in Christ, any comfort from love, any participation in the Spirit, any affection and sympathy, [2] complete my joy by being of the same mind, having the same love, being in full accord and of one mind. [3] Do nothing from selfish ambition or conceit, but in humility count others more significant than yourselves. [4] Let each of you look not only to his own interests, but also to the interests of others. [5] Have this mind among yourselves, which is yours in Christ Jesus, [6] who, though he was in the form of God, did not count equality with God a thing to be grasped, [7] but emptied himself, by taking the form of a servant, being born in the likeness of men. [8] And being found in human form, he humbled himself by becoming obedient to the point of death, even death on a cross.
[9] Therefore God has highly exalted him and bestowed on him the name that is above every name, [10] so that at the name of Jesus every knee should bow, in heaven and on earth and under the earth, [11] and every tongue confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father.
[12] Therefore, my beloved, as you have always obeyed, so now, not only as in my presence but much more in my absence, work out your own salvation with fear and trembling, [13] for it is God who works in you, both to will and to work for his good pleasure.
[14] Do all things without grumbling or disputing, [15] that you may be blameless and innocent, children of God without blemish in the midst of a crooked and twisted generation, among whom you shine as lights in the world, [16] holding fast to the word of life, so that in the day of Christ I may be proud that I did not run in vain or labor in vain. [17] Even if I am to be poured out as a drink offering upon the sacrificial offering of your faith, I am glad and rejoice with you all. [18] Likewise you also should be glad and rejoice with me.
[19] I hope in the Lord Jesus to send Timothy to you soon, so that I too may be cheered by news of you. [20] For I have no one like him, who will be genuinely concerned for your welfare. [21] For they all seek their own interests, not those of Jesus Christ. [22] But you know Timothy's proven worth, how as a son with a father he has served with me in the gospel. [23] I hope therefore to send him just as soon as I see how it will go with me, [24] and I trust in the Lord that shortly I myself will come also.
[25] I have thought it necessary to send to you Epaphroditus my brother and fellow worker and fellow soldier, and your messenger and minister to my need, [26] for he has been longing for you all and has been distressed because you heard that he was ill. [27] Indeed he was ill, near to death. But God had mercy on him, and not only on him but on me also, lest I should have sorrow upon sorrow. [28] I am the more eager to send him, therefore, that you may rejoice at seeing him again, and that I may be less anxious. [29] So receive him in the Lord with all joy, and honor such men, [30] for he nearly died for the work of Christ, risking his life to complete what was lacking in your service to me.
Philippians 1 (ESV)
[1] Paul and Timothy, servants of Christ Jesus, To all the saints in Christ Jesus who are at Philippi, with the overseers and deacons: [2] Grace to you and peace from God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ. [3] I thank my God in all my remembrance of you, [4] always in every prayer of mine for you all making my prayer with joy, [5] because of your partnership in the gospel from the first day until now. [6] And I am sure of this, that he who began a good work in you will bring it to completion at the day of Jesus Christ. [7] It is right for me to feel this way about you all, because I hold you in my heart, for you are all partakers with me of grace, both in my imprisonment and in the defense and confirmation of the gospel. [8] For God is my witness, how I yearn for you all with the affection of Christ Jesus. [9] And it is my prayer that your love may abound more and more, with knowledge and all discernment, [10] so that you may approve what is excellent, and so be pure and blameless for the day of Christ, [11] filled with the fruit of righteousness that comes through Jesus Christ, to the glory and praise of God. [12] I want you to know, brothers, that what has happened to me has really served to advance the gospel, [13] so that it has become known throughout the whole imperial guard and to all the rest that my imprisonment is for Christ. [14] And most of the brothers, having become confident in the Lord by my imprisonment, are much more bold to speak the word without fear. [15] Some indeed preach Christ from envy and rivalry, but others from good will. [16] The latter do it out of love, knowing that I am put here for the defense of the gospel. [17] The former proclaim Christ out of selfish ambition, not sincerely but thinking to afflict me in my imprisonment. [18] What then? Only that in every way, whether in pretense or in truth, Christ is proclaimed, and in that I rejoice. Yes, and I will rejoice, [19] for I know that through your prayers and the help of the Spirit of Jesus Christ this will turn out for my deliverance, [20] as it is my eager expectation and hope that I will not be at all ashamed, but that with full courage now as always Christ will be honored in my body, whether by life or by death. [21] For to me to live is Christ, and to die is gain. [22] If I am to live in the flesh, that means fruitful labor for me. Yet which I shall choose I cannot tell. [23] I am hard pressed between the two. My desire is to depart and be with Christ, for that is far better. [24] But to remain in the flesh is more necessary on your account. [25] Convinced of this, I know that I will remain and continue with you all, for your progress and joy in the faith, [26] so that in me you may have ample cause to glory in Christ Jesus, because of my coming to you again. [27] Only let your manner of life be worthy of the gospel of Christ, so that whether I come and see you or am absent, I may hear of you that you are standing firm in one spirit, with one mind striving side by side for the faith of the gospel, [28] and not frightened in anything by your opponents. This is a clear sign to them of their destruction, but of your salvation, and that from God. [29] For it has been granted to you that for the sake of Christ you should not only believe in him but also suffer for his sake, [30] engaged in the same conflict that you saw I had and now hear that I still have.
Ephesians 6 (ESV)
[1] Children, obey your parents in the Lord, for this is right. [2] “Honor your father and mother” (this is the first commandment with a promise), [3] “that it may go well with you and that you may live long in the land.” [4] Fathers, do not provoke your children to anger, but bring them up in the discipline and instruction of the Lord.
[5] Bondservants, obey your earthly masters with fear and trembling, with a sincere heart, as you would Christ, [6] not by the way of eye-service, as people-pleasers, but as bondservants of Christ, doing the will of God from the heart, [7] rendering service with a good will as to the Lord and not to man, [8] knowing that whatever good anyone does, this he will receive back from the Lord, whether he is a bondservant or is free. [9] Masters, do the same to them, and stop your threatening, knowing that he who is both their Master and yours is in heaven, and that there is no partiality with him.
[10] Finally, be strong in the Lord and in the strength of his might. [11] Put on the whole armor of God, that you may be able to stand against the schemes of the devil. [12] For we do not wrestle against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the authorities, against the cosmic powers over this present darkness, against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly places. [13] Therefore take up the whole armor of God, that you may be able to withstand in the evil day, and having done all, to stand firm. [14] Stand therefore, having fastened on the belt of truth, and having put on the breastplate of righteousness, [15] and, as shoes for your feet, having put on the readiness given by the gospel of peace. [16] In all circumstances take up the shield of faith, with which you can extinguish all the flaming darts of the evil one; [17] and take the helmet of salvation, and the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God, [18] praying at all times in the Spirit, with all prayer and supplication. To that end, keep alert with all perseverance, making supplication for all the saints, [19] and also for me, that words may be given to me in opening my mouth boldly to proclaim the mystery of the gospel, [20] for which I am an ambassador in chains, that I may declare it boldly, as I ought to speak.
[21] So that you also may know how I am and what I am doing, Tychicus the beloved brother and faithful minister in the Lord will tell you everything. [22] I have sent him to you for this very purpose, that you may know how we are, and that he may encourage your hearts.
[23] Peace be to the brothers, and love with faith, from God the Father and the Lord Jesus Christ. [24] Grace be with all who love our Lord Jesus Christ with love incorruptible.
Ephesians 5 (ESV)
[1] Therefore be imitators of God, as beloved children. [2] And walk in love, as Christ loved us and gave himself up for us, a fragrant offering and sacrifice to God.
[3] But sexual immorality and all impurity or covetousness must not even be named among you, as is proper among saints. [4] Let there be no filthiness nor foolish talk nor crude joking, which are out of place, but instead let there be thanksgiving. [5] For you may be sure of this, that everyone who is sexually immoral or impure, or who is covetous (that is, an idolater), has no inheritance in the kingdom of Christ and God. [6] Let no one deceive you with empty words, for because of these things the wrath of God comes upon the sons of disobedience. [7] Therefore do not become partners with them; [8] for at one time you were darkness, but now you are light in the Lord. Walk as children of light [9] (for the fruit of light is found in all that is good and right and true), [10] and try to discern what is pleasing to the Lord. [11] Take no part in the unfruitful works of darkness, but instead expose them. [12] For it is shameful even to speak of the things that they do in secret. [13] But when anything is exposed by the light, it becomes visible, [14] for anything that becomes visible is light. Therefore it says,
“Awake, O sleeper, and arise from the dead, and Christ will shine on you.”
[15] Look carefully then how you walk, not as unwise but as wise, [16] making the best use of the time, because the days are evil. [17] Therefore do not be foolish, but understand what the will of the Lord is. [18] And do not get drunk with wine, for that is debauchery, but be filled with the Spirit, [19] addressing one another in psalms and hymns and spiritual songs, singing and making melody to the Lord with your heart, [20] giving thanks always and for everything to God the Father in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ, [21] submitting to one another out of reverence for Christ.
[22] Wives, submit to your own husbands, as to the Lord. [23] For the husband is the head of the wife even as Christ is the head of the church, his body, and is himself its Savior. [24] Now as the church submits to Christ, so also wives should submit in everything to their husbands.
[25] Husbands, love your wives, as Christ loved the church and gave himself up for her, [26] that he might sanctify her, having cleansed her by the washing of water with the word, [27] so that he might present the church to himself in splendor, without spot or wrinkle or any such thing, that she might be holy and without blemish. [28] In the same way husbands should love their wives as their own bodies. He who loves his wife loves himself. [29] For no one ever hated his own flesh, but nourishes and cherishes it, just as Christ does the church, [30] because we are members of his body. [31] “Therefore a man shall leave his father and mother and hold fast to his wife, and the two shall become one flesh.” [32] This mystery is profound, and I am saying that it refers to Christ and the church. [33] However, let each one of you love his wife as himself, and let the wife see that she respects her husband.
Ephesians 4 (ESV)
[1] I therefore, a prisoner for the Lord, urge you to walk in a manner worthy of the calling to which you have been called, [2] with all humility and gentleness, with patience, bearing with one another in love, [3] eager to maintain the unity of the Spirit in the bond of peace. [4] There is one body and one Spirit—just as you were called to the one hope that belongs to your call—[5] one Lord, one faith, one baptism, [6] one God and Father of all, who is over all and through all and in all. [7] But grace was given to each one of us according to the measure of Christ's gift. [8] Therefore it says,
"When he ascended on high he led a host of captives, and he gave gifts to men."
[9] (In saying, “He ascended,” what does it mean but that he had also descended into the lower regions, the earth? [10] He who descended is the one who also ascended far above all the heavens, that he might fill all things.) [11] And he gave the apostles, the prophets, the evangelists, the shepherds and teachers, [12] to equip the saints for the work of ministry, for building up the body of Christ, [13] until we all attain to the unity of the faith and of the knowledge of the Son of God, to mature manhood, to the measure of the stature of the fullness of Christ, [14] so that we may no longer be children, tossed to and fro by the waves and carried about by every wind of doctrine, by human cunning, by craftiness in deceitful schemes. [15] Rather, speaking the truth in love, we are to grow up in every way into him who is the head, into Christ, [16] from whom the whole body, joined and held together by every joint with which it is equipped, when each part is working properly, makes the body grow so that it builds itself up in love.
[17] Now this I say and testify in the Lord, that you must no longer walk as the Gentiles do, in the futility of their minds. [18] They are darkened in their understanding, alienated from the life of God because of the ignorance that is in them, due to their hardness of heart. [19] They have become callous and have given themselves up to sensuality, greedy to practice every kind of impurity. [20] But that is not the way you learned Christ!—[21] assuming that you have heard about him and were taught in him, as the truth is in Jesus, [22] to put off your old self, which belongs to your former manner of life and is corrupt through deceitful desires, [23] and to be renewed in the spirit of your minds, [24] and to put on the new self, created after the likeness of God in true righteousness and holiness.
[25] Therefore, having put away falsehood, let each one of you speak the truth with his neighbor, for we are members one of another. [26] Be angry and do not sin; do not let the sun go down on your anger, [27] and give no opportunity to the devil. [28] Let the thief no longer steal, but rather let him labor, doing honest work with his own hands, so that he may have something to share with anyone in need. [29] Let no corrupting talk come out of your mouths, but only such as is good for building up, as fits the occasion, that it may give grace to those who hear. [30] And do not grieve the Holy Spirit of God, by whom you were sealed for the day of redemption. [31] Let all bitterness and wrath and anger and clamor and slander be put away from you, along with all malice. [32] Be kind to one another, tenderhearted, forgiving one another, as God in Christ forgave you.
Ephesians 3 (ESV)
For this reason I, Paul, a prisoner of Christ Jesus on behalf of you Gentiles— 2 assuming that you have heard of the stewardship of God's grace that was given to me for you, 3 how the mystery was made known to me by revelation, as I have written briefly.
4 When you read this, you can perceive my insight into the mystery of Christ, 5 which was not made known to the sons of men in other generations as it has now been revealed to his holy apostles and prophets by the Spirit. 6 This mystery is that the Gentiles are fellow heirs, members of the same body, and partakers of the promise in Christ Jesus through the gospel.
7 Of this gospel I was made a minister according to the gift of God's grace, which was given me by the working of his power. 8 To me, though I am the very least of all the saints, this grace was given, to preach to the Gentiles the unsearchable riches of Christ, 9 and to bring to light for everyone what is the plan of the mystery hidden for ages in God, who created all things, 10 so that through the church the manifold wisdom of God might now be made known to the rulers and authorities in the heavenly places. 11 This was according to the eternal purpose that he has realized in Christ Jesus our Lord, 12 in whom we have boldness and access with confidence through our faith in him. 13 So I ask you not to lose heart over what I am suffering for you, which is your glory.
14 For this reason I bow my knees before the Father, 15 from whom every family in heaven and on earth is named, 16 that according to the riches of his glory he may grant you to be strengthened with power through his Spirit in your inner being, 17 so that Christ may dwell in your hearts through faith—that you, being rooted and grounded in love, 18 may have strength to comprehend with all the saints what is the breadth and length and height and depth, 19 and to know the love of Christ that surpasses knowledge, that you may be filled with all the fullness of God.
20 Now to him who is able to do far more abundantly than all that we ask or think, according to the power at work within us, 21 to him be glory in the church and in Christ Jesus throughout all generations, forever and ever. Amen.
Ephesians 2 (ESV)
[1] And you were dead in the trespasses and sins [2] in which you once walked, following the course of this world, following the prince of the power of the air, the spirit that is now at work in the sons of disobedience—[3] among whom we all once lived in the passions of our flesh, carrying out the desires of the body and the mind, and were by nature children of wrath, like the rest of mankind. [4] But God, being rich in mercy, because of the great love with which he loved us, [5] even when we were dead in our trespasses, made us alive together with Christ—by grace you have been saved—[6] and raised us up with him and seated us with him in the heavenly places in Christ Jesus, [7] so that in the coming ages he might show the immeasurable riches of his grace in kindness toward us in Christ Jesus. [8] For by grace you have been saved through faith. And this is not your own doing; it is the gift of God, [9] not a result of works, so that no one may boast. [10] For we are his workmanship, created in Christ Jesus for good works, which God prepared beforehand, that we should walk in them.
[11] Therefore remember that at one time you Gentiles in the flesh, called “the uncircumcision” by what is called the circumcision, which is made in the flesh by hands—[12] remember that you were at that time separated from Christ, alienated from the commonwealth of Israel and strangers to the covenants of promise, having no hope and without God in the world. [13] But now in Christ Jesus you who once were far off have been brought near by the blood of Christ. [14] For he himself is our peace, who has made us both one and has broken down in his flesh the dividing wall of hostility [15] by abolishing the law of commandments expressed in ordinances, that he might create in himself one new man in place of the two, so making peace, [16] and might reconcile us both to God in one body through the cross, thereby killing the hostility. [17] And he came and preached peace to you who were far off and peace to those who were near. [18] For through him we both have access in one Spirit to the Father. [19] So then you are no longer strangers and aliens, but you are fellow citizens with the saints and members of the household of God, [20] built on the foundation of the apostles and prophets, Christ Jesus himself being the cornerstone, [21] in whom the whole structure, being joined together, grows into a holy temple in the Lord. [22] In him you also are being built together into a dwelling place for God by the Spirit.
Ephesians 1 (ESV)
[1] Paul, an apostle of Christ Jesus by the will of God, To the saints who are in Ephesus, and are faithful in Christ Jesus: [2] Grace to you and peace from God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ.
[3] Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who has blessed us in Christ with every spiritual blessing in the heavenly places, [4] even as he chose us in him before the foundation of the world, that we should be holy and blameless before him. In love [5] he predestined us for adoption to himself as sons through Jesus Christ, according to the purpose of his will, [6] to the praise of his glorious grace, with which he has blessed us in the Beloved. [7] In him we have redemption through his blood, the forgiveness of our trespasses, according to the riches of his grace, [8] which he lavished upon us, in all wisdom and insight [9] making known to us the mystery of his will, according to his purpose, which he set forth in Christ [10] as a plan for the fullness of time, to unite all things in him, things in heaven and things on earth.
[11] In him we have obtained an inheritance, having been predestined according to the purpose of him who works all things according to the counsel of his will, [12] so that we who were the first to hope in Christ might be to the praise of his glory. [13] In him you also, when you heard the word of truth, the gospel of your salvation, and believed in him, were sealed with the promised Holy Spirit, [14] who is the guarantee of our inheritance until we acquire possession of it, to the praise of his glory.
[15] For this reason, because I have heard of your faith in the Lord Jesus and your love toward all the saints, [16] I do not cease to give thanks for you, remembering you in my prayers, [17] that the God of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of glory, may give you the Spirit of wisdom and of revelation in the knowledge of him, [18] having the eyes of your hearts enlightened, that you may know what is the hope to which he has called you, what are the riches of his glorious inheritance in the saints, [19] and what is the immeasurable greatness of his power toward us who believe, according to the working of his great might [20] that he worked in Christ when he raised him from the dead and seated him at his right hand in the heavenly places, [21] far above all rule and authority and power and dominion, and above every name that is named, not only in this age but also in the one to come. [22] And he put all things under his feet and gave him as head over all things to the church, [23] which is his body, the fullness of him who fills all in all.
Almost every week, one of the pastors extends a welcome to begin the service. It is a welcome on behalf of Jesus Christ to those who are weak and desire strength, to those who are weary and need rest, to those who are broken and desire to be healed, and to those who are sinners desperate for a savior - in other words - to everyone.
Everyone should hear that welcome and feel welcomed to enter in and to worship Jesus here. But each week, I am sure there are some of us who don’t feel that they can worship Jesus. Not because the welcome didn’t include us, it did. No, we feel we cannot worship Jesus because we have not brought enough with us. How can we come to worship God and not bring something with us. Something to offer. But we don’t have enough. We don’t have enough energy because we don’t have enough rest. We don’t have enough focus. We haven’t prayed enough this week. We haven’t read our Bibles enough. We don’t have enough faith.
I want to encourage you this morning, if that’s you, by reminding you that the God we worship here likes to do much with little. In fact, it’s kind of his thing. He likes to make wine when you only have water left. He likes to feed thousands when you only have a few loaves of bread and some fish. He likes to quiet storms with only words. He likes to bring forth all the nations, tongues, and cultures of the world from only two people. And he tells us that with faith just the size of a mustard seed, we can move mountains. Watch what he can do with the little that you brought.
Here’s where some might say, “I hear you, pastor. But what if I don’t have anything? What if I am completely empty? What if I don’t have any faith? What can God do with nothing?”
I’m glad you asked.
If the God we worship in this place likes to do a lot with little, then he delights to do even more with nothing! He said, “Let there be light.” And there was light. Out of nothing. He went on and on from there and created the universe and everything that fills it. And he didn’t just create things out of nothing, he created living things. Genesis tells us, “then the Lord God formed the man of dust from the ground and breathed into his nostrils the breath of life, and the man became a living creature.”
What if the living creature dies? The God we worship here has the power to bring life back to the dead. The Bible tells us of a man who died named Lazarus. Jesus called to Lazarus and told him to come out of the tomb and Lazarus came out alive. Jesus called Lazarus out by name and others have pointed out that had he not called Lazarus by name, all the dead may have been raised - such is his power.
It’s not just our dead bodies he can raise. He can bring life to our dead souls, also. Ephesians 2 says, “And you were dead in the trespasses and sins in which you once walked, following the course of this world, following the prince of the power of the air, the spirit that is now at work in the sons of disobedience - among whom we all once lived in the passions of our flesh, carrying out the desires of the body and the mind, and were by nature children of wrath, like the rest of mankind. But God, being rich in mercy, because of the great love with which he loved us, even when we were dead in our trespasses, made us alive together with Christ - by grace you have been saved - and raised us up with him and seated us with him in the heavenly places in Christ Jesus. For by grace you have been saved through faith. And this is not your own doing; it is the gift of God, not a result of works, so that no one may boast.”
Friends, he knows you haven’t brought enough. You can’t bring enough. He knows you’ve got nothing. It doesn’t stop him from freely giving. Giving strength. Giving rest. Giving healing. Giving faith. Giving forgiveness. So again, you are welcome here with a welcome from Jesus Christ.
This reminds us of our need to confess our sins.
This coming Wednesday is Ash Wednesday, which signifies the beginning of Lent. As many of you know, Lent is a 40-day season culminating in Good Friday and Easter. In the past we’ve marked Lent in a handful of ways. We’ve given exhortations specific to the season; last year I wrote a ‘Lent Guide’ for our congregation; and this year we’re having an Ash Wednesday Prayer Gathering here at the building, 8pm.
As you’ve heard me say on several occasions now, I think the church’s historic liturgical calendar is incredibly valuable, especially in our secular age. For one, the liturgical year uniquely testifies to the Lordship of Jesus over one of our most precious resources: time.
Secondly, the genius of the liturgical calendar is the way it captures the “already-not yet” tension of the Christian life. The seasons of Christmas and Easter are designed to train us to “rejoice always” and to celebrate all the grace we experience right here, right now, because we are in Christ.
The seasons of Advent and Lent are intended to help us make sense of our present suffering and remind us that Jesus has yet to return and that each of us are not yet what we one day will be. For these reasons, I think there’s great benefit in adherence to the liturgical year; and as we enter the Lenten season, I encourage each of you to consider fresh ways to bring focused silence, solitude, and contemplation upon Jesus and his word into your daily routines.
But that’s not my exhortation to you this morning. Instead, I want to be clear about the limitations of liturgy in general, and Lent specifically. There is no biblically prescribed liturgy or liturgical calendar, and because of that all matters of liturgical practice are prudential, or wisdom-calls—except of course practices prohibited by Scripture. Because liturgy falls into the category of “wise or unwise” and not “right or wrong” there are a two things we need to be mindful of.
First, Cities Church, as relates to matters of the liturgical calendar, hear this: you are free. Absolutely free. Whether you participate in Lent or abstain altogether, you are in good standing here and before the Lord. Which means, you who practice Lent, do not look down your noses at those who abstain. And, you who abstain, do not look upon those practicing Lent with suspicion or contempt.
For those coming from a strong Catholic background where Lent was accompanied with all sorts of superstitious garb, it may be wise for you to abstain acknowledging the season in any significant way. For those of you who grew up outside of the church or in other traditions, it may be wise to engage in the season of Lent as a means of orienting your life around Jesus in greater measure. Wherever you’re at, as a church, let’s celebrate the freedom that Christ has given us to exercise wisdom in these matters.
Lastly Church, beware that you do not use liturgy, and especially this season of Lent as a means of hiding. Jesus has strong words to the Pharisees about their pompous religious displays which served to disguise the true nature of their hearts’ distance of their hearts from God. Beginning Wednesday, you will see countless social media posts about the sacrifices your friends are making for the next 40-days. Don’t do that!
Jesus himself commands you not to: “And when you fast, do not look gloomy like the hypocrites, for they disfigure their faces that their fasting may be seen by others. Truly, I say to you, they have received their reward. But when you fast, anoint your head and wash your face, that your fasting may not be seen by others but by your Father who is in secret. And your Father who sees in secret will reward you” (Matthew 6:16–18).
Liturgy and, yes, Lent are great tools for aiming our hearts Godward. But sin’s tendency is always to take good things and pervert them. The reality is, it is not hard to impress your friends and pastors with your liturgical practices; but if that is your ultimate goal, you have your reward.
My exhortation is in whatever liturgical practices, spiritual disciplines, or Lenten sacrifices you make, remember your Father, the one who sees in secret. Remember that because you are in Jesus, your Father is proud to call you his own. Liturgy is a terrible savior; but used rightly it leads us to deeper love of the one who has saved us.
“I just don’t feel like I’ve been tested.”
That’s what I landed on. I was telling my wife about anxiety I felt about a possible opportunity at work and in my mind the anxiety was rooted somewhere in the phrase “I just don’t feel like I’ve been tested.” The conversation moved on but in the days and weeks following I kept thinking about what I had said. “I just don’t feel like I’ve been tested.”
It bothered me because what I said cut against one of my natural leanings. I know I like to be comfortable - and only more so the older I get. I turn 40 this year and I love the rare nights we don’t have anything going on and I can change into my PJ’s and slippers by 6 PM.
But the way I had talked about being tested revealed a desire to be tested and testing is almost inherently uncomfortable. Testing is meant to push and to stress. To turn up the heat. It is uncomfortable. Why would I want that?
I wanted it because I wanted what lies beyond the testing. I wanted the confidence that would come from knowing that all of my education and training and experiences mattered when it counted. I didn’t want the test as much as I wanted to pass the test! And I don’t think it’s just me. I think most of us have some area of our lives where we desire testing. Not for the testing itself, but for the certification, the confidence, or the reward that waits on the other side of the testing. We are willing to be uncomfortable, sometimes extremely so, in order to get something of more value through the testing.
For the Christian, this desire to be tested is true of our souls before God, as well. Passages in the Bible like Psalm 26 say, “Prove me, O Lord, and try me; test my heart and my mind.” Or Psalm 139 says, “Search me, O God, and know my heart! Try me and know my thoughts!”
But why would we want to be tested before God? For the same reason we want any testing. For what lies beyond the test. What lies beyond the testing of our faith? James chapter 1 tells us, “Count it all joy, my brothers, when you meet trials of various kinds, for you know that the testing of your faith produces steadfastness. And let steadfastness have its full effect, that you may be perfect and complete, lacking in nothing.”
But it gets even better. A little further down, we read, “Blessed is the man who remains steadfast under trial, for when he has stood the test he will receive the crown of life, which God has promised to those who love him.” And there it is. How can you not only desire testing but count it all joy when you meet trials? You can if you know those trials are going to produce a steadfastness that leads to a crown of life from God himself.
There is another benefit these trials produce that’s even better than a crown of life. Just as testing in your career produces confidence in your ability to perform under pressure, so the testing of your faith produces confidence. Here’s the difference. The testing of your faith will not make you more confident in yourself. In fact, it will likely destroy your confidence in yourself. But it will grow your confidence in God.
You will learn to trust him more and you will see that your steadfastness is tied to his steadfast love, your faith to his faithfulness. The greater benefit is that you will get more of God. I mentioned Psalm 26. It says, “Prove me, O Lord, and try me; test my heart and my mind.”
The next sentence tells us why the psalmist demands to be tested. It says, “For your steadfast love is before my eyes, and I walk in your faithfulness.”
The exhortation is this: Set the steadfast love of the Lord before your eyes. Walk in his faithfulness. Embrace the test.
This reminds us of our need to confess our sins.
Father, forgive us for evading the tests when they come. We want comfort more than we want you. We don’t trust you to bring us through to the other side. We believe the world that tells us you will not be there. We doubt that you are who you say you are. Forgive us. Father, this is a great evil. And we know that if we in the church regard sin in our own midst, our prayers will be ineffectual, so we confess our individual sins to you now.
Anything worth seeking takes time. We all used to understand this, but with todays access to information, there is a massive temptation to skim. We only have time for the cliff notes, not the content. Have you found yourself like me, scrolling Youtube looking for an update on the news, but only clicking on videos under 5 minutes long? Or you get drawn in by articles that say “3-minute read”, vs. the usual torturous length of 10, maybe12 minutes? Have you opened an article and only read the headings? or worse, looked at the length and clicked back out before you even make an attempt?
It’s true, this may be because you are tight on time, but it may be more a product of comfort and laziness than anything else. You may not have time for important things because you wasted 30 minutes on your phone. Or the waste may not be because you were on your phone for 30 minutes, but because you skimmed 10 articles, rather than reading 1 article for 30 minutes.
All things worth pursuing, worth seeking after, take time, and also take effort. Chances are, you know of far more things than you really understand. Take for example this popular proverb:
“Trust in the LORD will all your heart, and do not lean on your own understanding. In all your ways acknowledge him, and he will make strait your paths.” (Proverbs 3:5-6)
Consider these questions:
Do I lean on God? What ways do I follow my own understanding? How should I acknowledge Him? How does God make our paths strait? A real understanding takes more than 3 minutes In fact, the message of the proverbs is such that you only find treasure if you dig.
THERE ARE SEVERAL OTHER EXAMPLES OF THIS IN THE BIBLE:
The Apostle Paul, to young Timothy, and tells him to be a good soldier, a non-cheating athlete, and a hard working farmer. Then he says to Timothy, “Think of over what I say, for the Lord will give you understanding in everything (2 Tim. 2:7) - God will give understanding but Timothy you still need to press in, think, work hard. - Sometimes Paul is hard to understand, other times we just need to put the effort in.
We see this in Mary, angels come to the shepherds and share amazing news, then the shepherds go to Bethlehem to share what they had heard and seen with everyone there, and Luke writes:
“And all who heard it wondered at what the shepherds told them. But Mary treasured up all these things, pondering them in her heart.” (Luke 2:18-19) What understanding did Mary gain in the coming weeks and years because she meditated on these things? What added joy, peace & hope did she gain? How much did her praise of God increase? Or contrasted with Mary, What did the crowds miss by only being amazed, then moving on? What do we miss because we don’t want to give any effort? Or what of Christ have you missed out on because you quit when it felt hard?
Broadly this can apply anything worth pursuing; it will take more than 3 minutes. More specifically, apply this to your pursuit of knowing God. Listen to the words of Proverbs 2:1-5:
“My son, if you receive my words and treasure up my commandments with you, making your ear attentive to wisdom and inclining your heart to understanding; yes, if you call out for insight and raise your voice for understanding, if you seek it like silver and search for it as for hidden treasures, then you will understand the fear of the Lord and find the knowledge of God.” (Proverbs 2:1-5)
EXHORTATION
Your exhortation is simply this: When your walk with God gets hard, work hard, it will bear fruit. • When your mind wanders in prayer, fight to keep your focus, don’t check out, don’t quit. • And when the Bible seems distant or confusing, don’t go first to a commentary or article, but lean in, think, and pursue God.
In 2 Kings Chapter 5, a man named Naaman is the commander of the Syrian army, and he has leprosy, so he comes to Israel, looking for the prophet Elisha, because he wants to be healed.
And by this time God has established his work through Elisha, and people all around recognized that. Elisha has already performed a catalog of miracles, and so Naaman comes to him with a whole entourage of treasure — ten talents of silver, six thousand shekels of gold, ten changes of clothes.
Elisha tells him what he needs to do in order to be healed: Wash in the Jordan River and your skin will be restored. And Naaman is reluctant at first but he follows through, and sure enough, he is healed! He goes from having leprosy to having skin as smooth as a baby’s.
God has worked another miracle through Elisha, and Naaman is converted. He says the God of Israel, Yahweh, is the one true God, and so he wants to give Elisha all this treasure as a gift, but Elisha rejects. Elisha takes none of the treasure and so Naaman leaves. And this is a good story. Everything is going great. God is at work.
BUT THEN GEHAZI But Elisha has this servant named Gehazi, and Gehazi is seeing all this, and after Naaman leaves he decides he wants to get himself some of that treasure. So after Naaman travels down the road a little ways, Gehazi catches up with him and deceives him into thinking that Elisha changed his mind. Gehazi says that Elisha does want some of the silver and the clothes, and by the way, can you deliver them to my house?
And Naaman is eager to do this, so he leaves the treasure with Gehazi, goes back to Syria, and then Gehazi comes to see Elisha, and Elisha says to him, “Where you been, Gehazi?”
In 2 King 5:25 Gehazi says, “Your servant went no where.”
Gehazi said that to Elisha … Elisha the prophet who has literally been performing miracle after miracle — he has raised a kid back to life, he has stood boldly before kings, he just cured Naaman of leprosy. God has been at work through Elisha, and Gehazi has seen it all, and somehow he thinks this lie is going to work.
All the other servants in this story, the servants of Naaman, they recognized God’s work through Elisha. But it was actually Gehazi, the servant on the inside, who didn’t get it, even though he had been there and seen everything. Gehazi was Elisha’s personal attendant. He had been with him for all these miracles. He has seen these miracles with his own eyes, but he is the servant in this story who doesn’t believe. Although he has been there and seen God’s work, he has an evil, unbelieving heart. Because that happens.
EXHORTATION Cities Church, in our short five years together, we have seen God do amazing things. He has been so good to us, and if you have been here, you’ve seen it with your own eyes. God has been a work, but here’s the thing: we still have these hearts.
And our hearts can grow cold.
Even for those on the inside, for those of us who have seen God’s work with our own eyes, we can become like Gehazi. And so my exhortation this morning is “Don’t.”
Church, don’t be like Gehazi.
Take care, brothers and sisters, lest there be in any of you an evil, unbelieving heart, leading you to fall away from the living God (Hebrews 3:12).
PRAYER OF CONFESSION Father, we confess that we are desperate for your mercy. Even in this season of so much grace, of so much to be thankful for, of seeing your work in our church, we acknowledge that our hearts are prone to wander, and they will wander unless you keep us. We need you, Father, to hold us fast, to awaken us each day to your glory, to overcome us with your love, to lead us in your truth. And we confess that, in our sin, we can often resist this. We can grow callous to your care, and for that, we beg you for mercy. We do not want to harbor sin in our hearts, so for this and other sins, we come to you now in silent confession.
The exhortation this morning is a little unusual. Normally we seek to move toward confession by reminding ourselves of our obligations before God. Remembering his commands and our responsibility reminds us of our failures, and leads us to confess our sins. But this morning, I want to lead us to confession with a simple phrase that struck me in my Bible reading in the gospel of Matthew a week ago. Here’s the phrase—your Father who sees in secret.
It’s from the Sermon on the Mount, where Jesus tells us to do our giving, our personal praying, and our fasting in a certain way, not practicing our righteousness before men, to be seen by them, but instead to practice our righteousness so that our Father, who sees in secret, will reward us. As I reflected and meditated on that phrase, I was struck by two things that both encouraged and challenged me.
First, it struck me that it takes effort for us to get other people to see our good deeds, to recognize our righteousness. And I don’t just mean in a sinful way, in order to be praised. I mean to be understood and known. I mean that there are times that you’re attempting to be faithful, you’re attempting to be noble, you’re attempting to love God and love others, and other people don’t recognize it. They just don’t see it. In fact, they may misunderstand it completely. They may misconstrue your intentions. They may misunderstand your actions. They may misrepresent who you are. You may wake up one day and discover, much to your surprise, that some people have a very different impression of you than you thought. And sometimes that impression isn’t true. Because it takes effort for us to get other people to see our good deeds and recognize our righteousness. And in those moments, it’s easy to be discouraged. It’s easy to want to justify ourselves, to rise up and set the record straight. But I want you to take heart from these simple words about who God is. He is your Father who sees in secret. He knows. He intimately knows your business. And he’s understood you completely. He sees the good deeds you’ve done when no one else did. And he won’t forget. They won’t get lost. He’s your Father, and he sees in secret.
But there’s another side to this as well. If God is a father who sees in secret, then he sees more than the good deeds and the noble intentions. He sees all the junk. He sees the mess. He sees the sin. He sees the pride that no one else does. He sees the bitter thoughts that run through your head. He sees the envy that has you by the throat. He sees the covetousness that seethes in your soul. He sees the ugly and shameful images that play on the screen of your imagination. He sees the anger that festers in the dark crevices of your heart. You may be able to hide those things from other people. Just as it takes effort for us to get other people to recognize our righteousness, it’s possible for us to hide our wickedness from them. But not from your Father who sees in secret. He knows. He intimately knows your business. And he’s understood you completely. There’s no hiding from him. You haven’t gotten away with it. He marks it all, with a meticulousness and detail that would astound you. He even sees the wickedness and the sin that you don’t see, the corruption that is so sly that it hides even from you.
This morning, I have no doubt that there are some of you who need to be encouraged that, though other people have misunderstood and misrepresented you, your Father sees in secret. And there are some of you who need to be exhorted that, though your sins may be hidden from other people, your Father sees in secret. And in either case, remember, he’s your Father. He’s not fundamentally your task master. He’s not fundamentally your critic. He’s your Father. He sees in secret. And he loves you anyway. And so let that little phrase—your Father who sees in secret—lead you into his presence this morning.
This reminds us of our need to confess our sins, so let’s seek him together.
CONFESSION Our Father in heaven, our Father who sees in secret, how easily we forget your all-seeing presence. How easily we forget that you are present everywhere and see everything, even to the bottom of our hearts. We confess that in our forgetfulness, we have grown proud and self-reliant. We have sought fundamental approval from men, practicing our righteousness before them in order to be seen by them. We have done this because we’ve forgotten that we are seen by you. Forgive us for this forgetfulness.
Even more than this, Father, we have sought to hide from you. In our foolishness, we have thought that we could get away with it, that we could evade your all-seeing eye. In our shame, we have hidden in the trees and covered ourselves with fig leaves. We confess that we are terrified of being known, of being exposed, of coming into the light. Forgive us for forgetting that you are our Father, and in that forgetfulness hiding from you.
Father, we know that if we in the church regard sin in our own midst our prayers will be ineffectual. So we confess our individual sins to you now.
In the summer of 2015, in that first year of Cities Church, I realized that in the progress and transitions of young-adult life I had lost a handle on something basic. I had no regular pattern of exercise.
Somewhere in getting married in 2007, and having twin boys in 2010, and having a daughter in November 2014, and planting in 2015, exercise had fallen by the wayside. I thought I didn’t have any time to exercise. But over time, and prompted one day by some wise input from my wife, I realized this was a lame excuse.
Even with small kids, there is enough time for the non-negotiables: for daily spiritual disciplines and weekly worship and community group, and generous family time and reasonable work hours, and at least seven hours of sleep, and exercise. I finally owned up the fact that if I was not getting at least some minimal regular exercise, I must be making some bad choices, and trying to do too many things, or investing myself in some unimportant things.
I had little business working overtime, or checking social media, or keeping up with the Twins and Vikings if I was not adequately making time for the basics of both being a Christian and being human.
Here at our five-year anniversary as a church, my exhortation to us, for our next five years, and the next five decades, is (in the pace and pressures of modern life) not to cut corners on the vital dimensions of what it means to survive and thrive as a Christian. Perhaps you’ve made space for family time and adequate sleep and regular exercise. But have you compromised on the basics of what it takes to survive and thrive in Christ? Have your personal spiritual habits slipped, or vanished? And here’s the main point this morning: Have you compromised your commitment to this church, for Sunday worship or community and life groups?
Maybe over time your part in the body and bride of Christ has fallen too low on the list of priorities. Instead of building your personal and family life around the very simple structure of this church — and it is remarkably simply; we are decidedly not over-programmed here — you’re content with your attendance and engagement being spotty. And when this habit of fellowship slips, you miss the means of grace God means for these people to be to you, and the means of grace he means for you to be in the lives of others. You deprive yourself and others of joy.
This five-year-old church doesn’t exist to cater to the preferences of our individual families or the whims of our fast-paced and noncommittal modern lives. Rather, God calls us, as individuals and families to embrace the priority and preciousness of Christ’s church.
Jesus loved the church and gave himself for her. Do we?
The societal pressures we feel toward isolation, away from committed relationships, may seem to come at us in new ways, but the temptation to fall out of habit with the people of God is ancient. Almost two thousand years ago, the author to the Hebrews wrote:
Let us consider how to stir up one another to love and good works, not neglecting to meet together, as is the habit of some, but encouraging one another, and all the more as you see the Day drawing near. (Hebrews 10:24–25)
Brothers and sisters, as members of Cities Church, we have covenanted with each other “to walk together in Christian love” and “to sustain [our church’s] worship, ordinances, and discipline.” And to watch over one another in brotherly love; to remember one another in prayer; to aid one another in sickness and distress; to cultivate Christian sympathy in feeling and courtesy in speech.
Without forming and sustaining the habit of Sunday mornings together, and Wednesday evenings together — even when it’s inconvenient — we will not fulfill these commitments, and be the church we’ve pledged to be to each other.
So, here at our five-year mark, in a society in which the real-life, face-to-face social fabric is deteriorating, let’s renew our resolve be the church to each other. Make fellowship a habit. When in doubt, don’t bow out. Let’s adjust our lives to the very minimal structure of this church, and not be content with covenant delinquency.
It will only get tougher in the years to come. Let’s continue to be the church in practice, not just in theory, in our next five years and until Jesus returns.
Let us pray.
PRAYER OF CONFESSION Father in heaven, we need your help. Our world seems to slowly stretch us further apart, rather than bring us to together in face-to-face, accountable relationships. And we are selfish. We are prone to feed ourselves bad excuses, to serve our sense of comfort and convenience. Something in us bristles against accountability and the curbing of personal freedom. Who among us would say we have walked together in Christian love as we ought? We acknowledge that genuine covenant community is not easy for sinners, and confess that we have often failed, and failed each other.
Father, forgive us for this, we pray, and for the many ways we fall short, as we confess our individual sins to you in the silence of this moment.
Father, we look to your Son, who is building his church. The gates of hell, and the sin still dwelling in us, will not prevail against Jesus’s church. So, Father, in a day in which communities are fragmenting, and covenants are held cheap, and accountability is eschewed, make us faithful to Jesus and to his bride. Work in us, by the power of your Spirit, to make and keep fellowship a habit. Help us not to suffer the pathetic excuses the Enemy whispers in our ears, but to be the church in sickness and distress, in discomfort and inconvenience, week in and week out, for our joy and the joy of this church. In Jesus’s name we pray. Amen.
It was a relatively mild morning on January 24, 2012. I remember the day well. It was a morning I got angry. Though this was a new kind of anger; I hadn’t been angry like this before. You see, one author simply describes anger’s logic, “That matters, and it’s wrong.”[1] You get angry at whatever the issue may be when you make the value judgment that something matters and the moral judgment that something is wrong. I experienced a new anger that morning seven years ago because before I hadn’t made the value judgment.
That morning, I stood by my wife at our very first ultrasound. I saw our kumquat-sized daughter, Maranatha, for the very first time. I saw her little heart racing. And as the ultrasound tech pointed out her arms, her legs, her head, a new anger grew within me. I don’t recall a time when I ever thought abortion was ok. Scripture is clear on that evaluation. But thinking back on that new found anger—anger at the thought that someone would be just fine with killing my preborn daughter—I guess it was new because I previously had thought abortion didn’t matter, that life didn’t matter. That all changed as the syllogism of anger formed in my heart: preborn children matter, and to kill them is wrong.
Where is anger’s logic broken for you? Planned Parenthood performed their highest number of abortions in a single year last year. Does it matter? Is it wrong? They also received their highest level of annual government funding.[2] Does it matter? Is it wrong? People with disabilities are ostracized, overlooked, and ignored. Does it matter? Is it wrong? Seniors are forgotten in nursing homes, taken advantage of by scammers, and abused by predators. Does it matter? Is it wrong?
Church, if we are going to be pro-life—not just pro-life in respect to the preborn but in respect to all life—if we are going to be pro-life, we need to be angry. That doesn’t mean we are angry towards medical professionals or politicians or scared and confused mothers and fathers. We need to be angry about sin that is an assault on the Creator in whose image all human life is formed. Church, my exhortation for us is that we consider whether we think it matters and is wrong when life—preborn life, life with disabilities, elderly life—is devalued, dismissed, or destroyed. Does it matter? Is it wrong?
————
[1] David Powlison, Good & Angry.
[2] Planned Parenthood data from https://disrn.com/news/planned-parenthood-annual-report-reveals-highest-ever-number-of-abortions-and-government-funding?utm_source=feedblitz&utm_medium=FeedBlitzEmail&utm_campaign=0&utm_content=5575
We want our congregation to be a tight-knit community. We want our members to spend time together, to actually hangout on a regular basis, to do life together, to do ministry together. To come up with all sorts of creative initiatives together, for the good of the Twin Cities.
We want our congregants to really get to know each other, and to constantly be encouraging and challenging one another, and praying for one another. We want the friendships that exist within our church to be an instrument for sanctification in each other’s lives! That’s good. And there are many people looking for that. People are looking to be a part of that type of tight-knit community.
Over the course of my life, I've read several studies and articles about how people choose a church. One of the top factors is relationships. When people are visiting a church for the first time, they are often asking themselves, “How easy will it be for me and my family to build friendships here?”
Human beings want to be in a tight-knit community. People want to be known. People long for that. And they know they need it. The problem is… breaking into pre-existing community is really, really hard. I've been thinking and praying about this a lot over the last few months. The reason this has been on my mind so much is largely because of several conversations that I have had with people here at Cities Church—some of you. I've had several people tell me that it was really hard for them to get connected here. These are people that now feel connected, but that it took a while. For some of you here this morning, that’s your story.
In addition, there's a second group of people that I've talked to a lot over the last few weeks and months, and that’s regular attenders, people who have been coming here for a while, but they don't feel connected—at least not yet.
There are quite a few people here, sitting in this room, right now, that want deep relationship, but they don’t know how to break into the friendship circles that already exists here at Cities Church.
There is a group of people sitting here, in this room, right now, that see some great gospel-centered friendship circles all around them, which is awesome, but those same people just don’t know how to get into those circles.
To solve this problem, our friendship circles need to have easy entry points. We want a tight knit community, yes, but we want a tight knit community that is easy for new people to plug into.
And honestly… that’s on us. Those of us that already feel connected, we need to make it easy for people to break into our lives and break into our friendship circles. And this is not just on the pastors… no… this is on all of us. We must find ways to make it easier for those who do not feel connected… to get connected. Now, there are certainly people in our congregation that are already doing this very well. Praise the Lord!
But, if we’re honest, I think there are many of us, myself included, that could afford to be better.
Now, our church is not unique in this. Lots and lots of churches across the country struggle with this. However, we can’t allow that to be an excuse. We don’t want this to be our story.
So, how do we solve this? Here’s some ideas.
Pray for our church.
When you meet someone here on a Sunday morning, invite them out to lunch, that day… or better yet, invite them over to your home?
Maybe hang out after service… linger… not just see your friends and people you already know, but to intentionally meet people that you don't already know.
When service is over today look around the room, find someone you don’t know, walk up to them and introduce yourself. I know it feels awkward, but I’d encourage you, do it anyway. Have a conversation, get to know each other a bit. And maybe invite them into your life somehow. Something like, “Hey, there’s a group of us hanging out Tuesday night, why don’t you join us?” Swap phone numbers or emails, right there, and if possible, make plans on the spot.
My exhortation this morning is for everyone—both those that feel connected and those who don’t.
First, if you’re someone who doesn’t feel connected, you may need to take some steps too. Come up here after the service and talk to one of the leaders upfront, or come find me in the back, almost every week after service I’m back there. Feel free to come up to me and ask how to get connected. I promise, we’ll introduce you to some people. We’ll get you connected.
And to those of you who already feel connected, those of you who call Cities Church home… in particular, to our covenant members… this exhortation is especially for you.
I encourage you… Proactively find people that you don't know, seek out people that might feel disconnected, and invite them into your life… and into friendship circles. No matter how inconvenient or awkward it may be.
Please pray with me please.
Lord, please forgive me for the times where I have been apathetic in this area. And I ask the same for my brothers and sisters in this room, forgive us for the apathy that we often display. Forgive us, Oh God, for the moments where we have been selfish, when we have not considered the relational needs of those around us, and for the times when we’ve lacked compassion and sympathy for others. Forgive us for the moments where we’ve allowed awkwardness or fear or pride or busyness to stop us from being the church community that we ought to be. Forgive us for not being proactive when we should. Help us to build friendships with those we don’t know, and I ask that those friendships would become the catalyst for greater sanctification in our lives. God, please give us the grace to be the church community that you desire us to be. And Lord, we recognize that to be the community you want us to be, we must confront sin, not just our corporate sins, but our individuals sins as well. And so, this morning, with sobriety, we take a moment of silence to confess our individual sins to you now.
Humans were made to be expectant creatures. God designed us to be hopeful. There's a growing body of scientific knowledge indicating the benefits of hope, and it’s called The Optimism bias. People who expect good things have slightly better outcomes in many areas of life, from lower stress to even a slightly better response to some cancer treatment. Being hopeful seems to provide a survival benefit. It’s good for us. So much so that a Psycho-analyst recently published an article in the Wall Street Journal explaining how kids benefit from hoping in a God, in an afterlife. But don't worry, she writes, there’s a simple solution for parents who are atheists. How can they give their kids hope? Lie to them. Give them something to hope in even if you don't believe it, they need it for their health.
As Christians this really shouldn't be surprising. Hope is a virtue alongside faith and love, and like all virtues, it’s good for us. Even people who deny God and do nothing out of love for Him will get residual benefits when they follow God's design. If you try to obey the 10 commandments, things will generally go better for you. Stop lying, stealing, and coveting your neighbors stuff and this world will be less burdensome. It’s not magic. Hope works the same way. There's nothing magical about being optimistic or hopeful that does something to the universe, it's just that God designed the human machine to run on hope because God designed humans to look towards a glorious future... with Him.
Our need for hope should be a clue to everyone about the meaning of the universe, but God doesn’t simply want our small or fake hope. He wants it to be based on truth, based on Him.
As Christians we know that for our hope to be realized it must be rooted in the one true God.
The decedents of Abraham also knew this, so they expected Yahweh to be their help. When God delivered his people over and over again from slavery and their enemies he was teaching them to Hope in Him alone. Their hope reached its climax in the 1st century while Israel was anticipated their long awaited Savior to come and free them again. This time from Rome. It was good for them to expect God’s Messiah to come, but they failed in one major way.
Their hope was too small. The prophets spoke of the great salvation that was coming through the Messiah, but few, if any, realized how hopeful God intended them to be.
We are about to sing the Christmas hymn "Come, thou long expected Jesus". It is a song filled with expressions of what Jesus Christ accomplished, and a lot of these lyrics are scripture references straight from the Old Testament, because the salvation Jesus brought was predicted in the Bible, but they missed it, partly because his salvation was almost too good to be true. Israel expected the Messiah to help them... but not this much. And I can relate.
Here are some lyrics:
Come, thou long expected Jesus,born to set thy people free
(Yes, free from Rome, from government oppression, poverty…)
from our fears and sins release us,let us find our rest in thee
(Wait, fears and sins? You mean the good King won’t just free us from bad kings, but free us from fear itself? Could he release from the worst slavery of all, our enslavement to sin?)
Israel's strength and consolation
(Yes, the good king who comes will give us strength, he'll strengthen our armies, our walls, our nation, and this will bring rest and comfort.)
hope of all the earth thou art;dear desire of every nation,joy of every longing heart.
(Wait, so the Messiah isn't just coming for Israel, but for all the earth? God, do you so love the world? And he won’t just help our physical situation, but He himself will be our desire and our joy? So, the ultimate desire of the little girl in Africa, the old man in china and the Jew in Israel will literally be walking around the earth? How is that possible? What kind of Savior is this?! Who would’ve dared to expect this?)
Born thy people to deliver,
(Yep, deliverance, I’m tracking... we’ve got government oppression we need forceful deliverer. That’s how these things work.)
born a child and yet a King,born to reign in us forever,now thy gracious kingdom bring.
(Reign IN us? I understand how Kings rule, they rule OVER us... not inside us. Having a good king rule over us brings great joy, but having a good King rule in me? I have no category for that. In my heart? Christ in me? What kind of glorious hope is this? Where exactly is this kingdom being brought? This kingdom is going places I didn’t expect.)
I can related to the 1st century Jews, and how so many missed that Jesus was the Messiah because the salvation he brought was almost beyond their capacity to expect.
My own hopes for my life were far too small, until I met Jesus Christ. This is one reason I believe the gospel of Jesus, no human would dare invent him. No optimist would go this far or this deep, and we don’t have enough hope inside of us to invent this great of salvation. This gospel story, that we would receive new hearts, is straight from the heart of God.
This reminds us of our need to repent:
Father in heaven, Your people have had a track record of not hoping in you enough. They hoped for a powerful ruler, not a poor peasant baby. They expected a conquering king, not for the Messiah to die on a cross. And we still expect you to merely change our external circumstance without expecting you to do the greater work, the miraculous work of changing our hearts.
Forgive us for not hoping in you enough.
In this moment we ask you to continue to change our hearts as we confess our sins to you
——————
“Come Thou Long-Expected Jesus” (Lyrics)
Come, Thou long expected JesusBorn to set Thy people free;From our fears and sins release us,Let us find our rest in Thee.Israel's strength and consolation,Hope of all the earth Thou art;Dear desire of every nation,Joy of every longing heart.
Born Thy people to deliver,Born a child and yet a King,Born to reign in us forever,Now Thy gracious kingdom bring.By Thine own eternal SpiritRule in all our hearts alone;By Thine all sufficient merit,Raise us to Thy glorious throne.
By Thine all sufficient merit,Raise us to Thy glorious throne.
Look to the poets to find that the onset of winter has long evoked in the soul of man the imagery of death and loss and longing. Consider these two stanzas:
The Autumn leaves fall to the ground, Soon all the trees will barren be; And all that is so dear to me, Will soon have ended with no sound. The Darkened landscape wrapt in frost, And all the flowers wilt and lie; Dead in their spot under the sky, O what is this that all is lost! [1]
We feel this poignantly in Minnesota. There’s a palpable sense of a communal preparation of hunkering down for a long winter. And perhaps the increased flurry of shopping and parties and cookies this time of year is to distract ourselves in part because we intuit the sorrow winter stirs.
The turn in weather itself awakens in us a stark reminder that while the youthfulness of spring gives rise to the vitality of summer before the fading days of fall, winter is coming. Death is inevitable. It is the curse of sin (cf. Romans 6:23). And we look about in the dark days of December and see the pervasive impact of sin. We feel it in our bones. Like the false prophets of Israel in Ezekiel’s day, our society eagerly covers over the sorrow of the season by saying, “Peace,” when there is no peace (cf. Ezekiel 13:10). There is still death; there is still winter. The natural world itself has been groaning in its subjection to futility (cf. Romans 8:18-25).
And so we plead in song, “O come, Divine Messiah / The world is longing for the day / When hope shall sing its triumph / And her sadness flies away.” We look about in these dark days and turn our gaze on Hope, on true Peace. It comes not in sales or in fleeting fun but in the God-Man, Jesus Christ. He came, and he died, and he rose, and he departed. And it’s winter. We wait, and we groan. We groan until his promise is fulfilled and the warm light of eternal spring shines in new creation wonder.
So Church, may we repent of the vain distractions that obscure the reality and consequence of sin. May we know godly grief that produces repentance that leads to salvation (2 Corinthians 7:10). And may we look eagerly for the day when our Divine Messiah comes in triumph.
—
[1] “Winter, Death, and Life” (https://hellopoetry.com/poem/248790/winter-death-and-life/)
This Sunday is the first Sunday of the Advent Season. For the next 4 Sundays as a church, we will anticipate the coming of Christ. We will sing songs, that really are good all year round, but especially leading up to Christmas, we will put our faith and hope in Christ, like we should do always, but especially as we anticipate Christ’s incarnate birth. So for the next 4 Sundays, the exhortations will be directly or indirectly tied to Advent Hymns.
One way you can describe the Advent season, is that it is a season of sowing. The world God created, has a woven link between sowing and reaping. If you sow apple seeds, you hope to reap the fruit of your labor with tasty apples. But sowing and reaping doesn’t just apply to agriculture, it is one of the common principles of all of God’s creation.
God’s design even shines through into our common adages. We say things like: “He has to sleep in the bed he made”, or “She is getting a taste of her own medicine”. The chickens come home to roost.
With our actions we sow. With our heart attitudes and affections we sow. And what we reap is in kind of what we sow. This is a Biblical theme through all of scripture, here are just a few examples:
Hosea: “They sow the wind, and they shall reap the whirlwind”
Hosea: “Sow for yourselves righteousness; reap steadfast love”
Job: “Those who plow iniquity and sow trouble reap the same”
Proverbs: “Whoever sows injustice will reap calamity”
Galatians 6:10: “Do not be deceived: God is not mocked, for whatever one sows, that will he also reap.”
There is a sobriety that comes with sowing. You may already be reaping what you have sown, but you may not. Seeds sown today may take a while for their fruit, or thorns to manifest. And sin speaks strongly to us in this gap. We may think, “I lost my patience today, but I suffered no consequence because of it”. We tell ourselves that we won’t reap what we sow. We may say: “I got what I wanted and they finally heard me!” We sow bad seeds but think we are reaping good fruit, or at least not bad fruit.
But the seeds we are sowing just haven’t grown yet. That seed of anger, or grumbling like Israel, will start to grow and take root if it is not pulled out. Our interpretation of our experiences can make us see consequences only as immediate. Yet the internal cost outweighs the external consequence. We are to keep our hearts will all diligence, for from them flows the spring of life. Yet with a narrow view of sin, we think of reaping as only external and immediate consequences, so we can think little of warning like Eccl. 7:9, which says:
“Be not quick in your spirit to become angry, for anger lodges in the heart of a fool”
That sin of anger or grumbling, starts to cling so close and soon entangles us. It lodges in our hearts, and what we have sown we are now reaping. And what was sown and has now grown, does not pull out as easy at it could have once. The unseen roots are deep, long before any from of fruit is seen.
This is the sobriety of sin, and the sobriety of Advent. What could be so bad that God himself must take on flesh and die to remedy it? It is our sin. We need to be rescued from our sin. But this also brings the hope and joy of advent. Jesus came and reaped what we have sown, so that we may reap what He has sown.
Advent is a season of sowing. We reap according to what we sow. So, this Advent season, Sow well to reap much. I know there is snow outside, but don’t be fooled, and don’t miss the advent season of sowing. Make a paper chain, light a few advent candles, or pick up an Advent guide from the back. Sow anticipation, and reap the fulfillment of it. Sow longing for rescue and reap the hope of His coming. More sure than Dec. 25th, is the reality of Christ’s return. In faith, we rehearse Christ’s first coming, because we know there will be a second.
Pray with me.
Isaiah 7:14: “Therefore the Lord himself will give you a sign. Behold, the virgin shall conceive and bear a son, and shall call his name Immanuel.”
Father, with Israel, we long for Jesus, the Messiah, Immanuel to come and tend to the garden of our hearts, pull the weeds of sin from our hearts, as we silently confess our sins to you now.
Time and time again in God’s word there are examples and commands to give thanks to God for who he is and what he has done. With Thanksgiving coming soon this next week the exhortation this morning to us is let us be thankful to our God not just during Thanksgiving but also throughout the whole year. Here are some verses to help reorient us.
“Do not be anxious about anything, but in everything by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known to God.” (Philippians 4:6)
“Rejoice always, pray without ceasing, give thanks in all circumstances; for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus for you.” (1 Thessalonians 5:16–18)
“And let the peace of Christ rule in your hearts, to which indeed you were called in one body. And be thankful. Let the word of Christ dwell in you richly, teaching and admonishing one another in all wisdom, singing psalms and hymns and spiritual songs, with thankfulness in your hearts to God. And whatever you do, in word or deed, do everything in the name of the Lord Jesus, giving thanks to God the Father through him.” (Colossians 3:15–17)
Let us be thankful for who God is and what he has done throughout the year because it give’s God glory and because it is good of our soul and may that thankfulness turn into praise and may the praise of God’s holy name be spread through us to others.
So, most of us have heard of the Twelve Days of Christmas. But I bring it up because this morning my exhortation to you is to celebrate all Twelve Days of Christmas this year. Some of you hear that and perk up, while others of you are tempted right now to check out. Which, I get, because typically I’d be in that latter group. I hear “Twelve Days of Christmas” and “marking them” and think, yeah, that kind of stuff just isn’t for me.
But, I’ve experienced how awesome it is to celebrate the Twelve Days of Christmas, and cannot recommend it highly enough to each of you.
First, some Church Calendar 101. Think back to the first few hundred years of the church. Generally, we think about the massive theological questions the early church had to figure out and all the creeds we’ve received as a result. But, creeds aren’t the only gift those first believers left for future generations, like ours. Early Christians also had to figure out how they were going to pattern their lives after encountering the radical gospel of Jesus Christ. This led to the creation of the Church Calendar. The Church Calendar is designed to help Christians orient their lives to the essential moments and rhythms of Jesus’s ministry on earth. Advent is a season of darkness that anticipates God sending a savior. Christmas is a season of celebration and wonder that Jesus was born fully God and fully man. Lent is a season of penitence for our sin and the brokenness of the world that culminates in the death of Jesus. Easter is the bright season of new and eternal life secured by Jesus’s resurrection. And, the more fully we participate in the church calendar, the more our own lives are caught up in the gospel story and the ebbs and flow of death giving way to resurrection.
Our celebration of Christmas doesn’t explicitly come from our Bibles. We inherited it from the early church. But, somewhere along the lines, Christmas ceased to be a 12 day season that followed Advent and began on December 25.
Today, Christmas has crept up so much that it begins somewhere between the middle of October and Black Friday, and ends promptly on December 25. Now, I’m not trying to shame you odd-balls who started setting up Christmas decorations the day after Halloween. And, admittedly, in our house we’ve had some Christmas tunes rocking for a few solid weeks. That’s not the point. The point is, for the majority of the church’s history, Christians have celebrated Christmas differently than we do. And, frankly, I think they did it better and that we’d do well to get back to our roots. So, what did they do? Well, for one, they let Advent be Advent. A four-week season of waiting, anticipation, and longing leading up to Christmas. They prepared their hearts and quieted themselves before God, both reflecting on what it was like before Jesus had entered the world and training themselves to yearn for his second coming. They resisted frenzy, and instead sought after peace. A stark difference from our jam-packed, crazy busy Decembers.
Secondly, they celebrated Christmas for — you guessed it — twelve full days. December 25 through January 5, the early church went big with feasts and celebrations to marvel together at the mystery of God made flesh. Twelve days of uninhibited, unbridled, laugh till your belly hurts, joy. Joy. Which, sadly, is another stark difference from the disappointment that many of us feel acutely around Christmas.
The particular ways they celebrated the twelve days of Christmas are less important. The important part is that Christmas was a season that the whole church participated in and invited others into. Which, is what I’m exhorting us to reclaim today. What would this look like?
Here’s a few ideas:
Instead of one day full of presents, spreading out giving and receiving gifts over the twelve days with aim of cultivating a heart of generosity and gratitude over consumption and greed.
Instead of holding a “Christmas” party before December 25, plan your party for sometime during the twelve days of the 25th through January 5th.
With that, consider having multiple Christmas dinners during the twelve day season of Christmas.
Consider ways to serve your neighbors and spread Christmas cheer throughout the twelve days; shovel their walkways, bake them Christmas cookies, or write them an encouraging Christmas card.
Leave up your Christmas decor, and even add to it throughout the twelve days of Christmas.
These are things that have worked for me and our family, but use your creativity and come up with your own ways that you, your family, housemates, or community group can celebrate the full twelve days of Christmas.
Now, why? Why am I exhorting you, our church, to celebrate Christmas as a full season rather than just one day? I think the most simple answer is, because in a really, really good way, it’s weird. We need the strangeness, the foreignness of the twelve days of Christmas for two reasons. First, we need to be reminded of the wonder of Christmas. We’re so prone to getting caught up in the way that our culture celebrates “the holidays” that, at least for me, so often November and December feel like an exhausting rollercoaster that I cannot wait to get off of on January 1st. But, that’s not how Christmas should be. Twelve days of Christmas gives us the time to unhurriedly marvel, savor, and enjoy the truth that Jesus is God with us.
Secondly, our unbelieving neighbors need to see that our Christmas isn’t the same as their Christmas. Not in an us versus them sort of way, but in a way that we’re able to invite them in to a celebration that is fuller, richer, and deeper than they ever imagined Christmas could be. The strangeness of you inviting them to a Christmas dinner on January 3rd shows that Christmas is something more to you—to us—than it is for those who don’t know Jesus. That it’s not fundamentally about gifts or even time with family, but that it’s about celebrating the birth of Jesus — a birth so profound that the celebration couldn’t possibly end after just one day.
Rather than being conformed to the patterns and practices of our modern culture, we are to be transformed by the renewing of our minds. The church calendar and the season of Christmas are gifts that our brothers and sisters of old created to help us be renewed and conformed by the gospel story. I exhort us then to take hold of that gift, to celebrate Christmas distinctly as Christians, and in such a way that our strangeness would prove to be the very means by which God would draw those far from him to himself.
In 1988, a former Air Force pilot-turned-art-dealer named Forrest Fenn was diagnosed with cancer. The prognosis looked grim, and Forrest began to dream up some ways that he could leave behind a “legacy” of sorts. He decided to take some of his favorite & most valuable artifacts and hide them in a literal bronze treasure chest, which he proceeded to bury somewhere in the Rocky Mountains north of Santa Fe, New Mexico. Later, he published a 24-line poem that was intended to give clues on the whereabouts of the treasure. One of the lines goes like this: “Begin it where warm waters halt, And take it in the canyon down, Not far, but too far to walk. Look below the home of Brown.” People were fascinated. Over the last decade, it is estimated that some 350,000 people have scoured the 3,000 mile-long mountain range looking for Fenn’s treasure, purported to be worth several million dollars. As of yet, it has not been found, and Fenn has said it may take 1,000 years for someone to finally unearth his jewels.
These types of treasure stories remind me of Proverbs chapter 2, which speaks of the value of God’s Word, and the priceless wisdom found within. “My son, if you receive my words and treasure up my commandments with you… if you seek it like silver and search for it as for hidden treasures, then you will understand the fear of the LORD and find the knowledge of God.” Let’s think about this for a moment. There’s something about the way we are to seek the knowledge of God that is like the search for hidden treasures. But how?
First, any good treasure hunt requires a worthy prize at the proverbial ‘X’ on the map - a treasure truly worth finding. If Forrest had buried a pair of dirty gym shorts, no one would have gone looking, no matter how good his prose was. But how much greater is the bounty God is promising to those who would seek Him in His Word? Find an old art dealer’s treasure, maybe you’ll be happy for a few weeks or months. Come face to face with the King of the universe, who promises everlasting riches of glory, belonging, adoption into His royal family, and you find deep, eternal joy. Knowing God and experiencing more of his brilliance & glory is worth more than any treasure on this earth.
Second, any true treasure hunter will tell you that searching for hidden treasure takes time, patience, effort, and perseverance. It’s not something you can research for 3 minutes as you suck down your morning coffee. That’s not how you find treasures. Similarly, when we read & study God’s Word, sometimes we may dip our pan into the river and expect to come up with 24 carat gold on the first pull. Brothers and sisters, you might need to take out your pick-ax and go down into the mine! Spend some time in there. Bring friends or family along for the journey, and search together. Remember that God promises if you seek, you will find.
So the exhortation this morning is simply this: resolve to be like a humble treasure hunter as you seek God in His Word, and in faith, by the Holy Spirit, expect to find real, lasting treasure. And this reminds of us of our need to confess our sins.
Father, we confess that we have failed to believe or act like your Word holds true treasure. We have attempted to scrape by with glimpses, and have forgotten what it means to seek you with the abandon of one searching for hidden treasure. Forgive us for our misaligned priorities, and for the dullness of our hearts. Have mercy on us, as we confess our individual sins to you now.
And Father, would you turn our eyes now to Jesus, the One with whom we can count all of the world’s gain as loss compared with the surpassing value of knowing Him, in whom are hidden all the treasures of wisdom and knowledge. Remind us that through faith in Him, we have died to this life, and our real life is hidden with Christ, and when He appears, we also will appear with Him in glory. Thank you for your glorious grace and help us as we strive to enter your rest, Amen.
Suffering is not a foreign concept to the Bible. We have been studying the book of Exodus here at Cities Church and we have seen that the Israelites have suffered under intense slavery in Egypt. They have had no freedom. They have been forced to labor in terrible conditions. And yet in their suffering, they turned to God. They groaned because of their slavery and cried out for help, and God heard them.
The question for us in this morning’s exhortation is: where do we turn when we are suffering? Think about your own life right now. In what ways have you gone through suffering? Think about just the challenges or setbacks that you have faced in the past two weeks — how are you doing with it? How are you handling it? Where are you turning to in your daily trials?
In an effort to help us answer the question of how we should deal with hardship in our lives, I want us to consider the example of past saints. I want us to look at Christian examples and learn from them — and a great place to turn is to our African American brothers and sisters in Christ who suffered as slaves in early America. Many African American slaves were Christians who suffered in incomprehensible ways and yet maintained their faith in Christ.
The list of suffering that our faithful brothers and sisters in Christ endured is long. At a high level, I will list a few. They suffered from isolation and separation. They were kidnapped in Africa and ripped away from their families and forced onto ships. They were packed into ships where many died on the voyage to America due to disease and lack of food and water. If they were able to maintain familial connection during the voyage, at the slave auction block husbands and wives, fathers and sons, mothers and daughters, were forced to separate as one family member was purchased to go with one master, and the other to another master. The cries of pain shook to the core. Then in their slave labor, the suffering continued. Records from masters and slaves suggest an average waking time for the slaves of four o’clock in the morning. The best estimates place the slaves’ workday between twelve and fifteen hours, often with self-care tacked onto the end of the endless workday.
John Goodwin, an ex-slave, remembers his mother being forced to leave her baby all alone in the cradle all day long while she worked in the field. He also recalls her difficult double duty. He said in an interview “My mommy had to work hard all day long with all the balance of men… After working all day in the cottonfield she would come home and work half of the night for herself and children. She used to wash, patch, spin, and cook for the next day to carry out in the field.”
Her work was endless and yet she and many other slaves trusted Jesus through these sufferings. We have a lot we can learn from them — especially the ways they did not allow their suffering to define them.
The way they did this was to practice their faith every moment of every day. They would constantly call to mind their Savior Jesus Christ. Charlotte Brooks, an ex-slave, said “Religion is good anywhere – at the plow handle, at the hoe-handle, anywhere. If you are filled with the love of Jesus you [can be] happy.”
How did she get this mindset? It’s because Charlotte Brooks and others understood that trials make us God-dependent — and I marvel at the depth of her faith! Christ’s suffering for humanity’s sin was the key that unlocked her heart and enlightened her eyes. Christ shared with her the experience of unjust suffering, but even more importantly, Christ gave her forgiveness and the hope of being with him forever.
Think about the power of that subtle mindset and heart shift. Instead of focusing on their own suffering as being ultimate, they went deeper and saw how Christ suffered immensely to save sinners. And they went there. They went beyond the narrative of an evil master, to their own personal victory of eternal life and inner freedom from sin through faith in Christ.
THE EXHORTATION So, the exhortation today is to consider our hearts and attitude when we face hardship or trials or challenges in our daily life. Not just on Sunday. How are we doing with having Jesus in our hearts on Monday when we go to work? Where do we go with our sufferings when we feel like we can’t go on anymore?
I exhort us, as a church, to learn from our past brothers and sisters, and to turn to Jesus in all moments of our trials.
Church, since we are surrounded by so great a cloud of witnesses, let us also lay aside every weight, and sin which clings so closely, and let us run with endurance the race that is set before us, looking to Jesus, the founder and perfecter of our faith, who for the joy that was set before him endured the cross, despising the shame, and is seated at the right hand of the throne of God.
Consider him who endured from sinners such hostility against himself, so that you may not grow weary or fainthearted. In your struggle against sin you have not yet resisted to the point of shedding your blood. And have you forgotten the exhortation that addresses you as sons? “My son, do not regard lightly the discipline of the Lord, nor be weary when reproved by him. For the Lord disciplines the one he loves, and chastises every son whom he receives.”
It is for discipline that you have to endure. God is treating you as sons. For what son is there whom his father does not discipline? If you are left without discipline, in which all have participated, then you are illegitimate children and not sons. Besides this, we have had earthly fathers who disciplined us and we respected them. Shall we not much more be subject to the Father of spirits and live? For they disciplined us for a short time as it seemed best to them, but he disciplines us for our good, that we may share his holiness.
For the moment all discipline seems painful rather than pleasant, but later it yields the peaceful fruit of righteousness to those who have been trained by it. Therefore, lift your drooping hands and strengthen your weak knees, and make straight paths for your feet, so that what is lame may not be put out of joint but rather be healed. Strive for peace with everyone, and for the holiness without which no one will see the Lord.
My family and I just returned from a week-long trip to Great Britain. The primary reason we were there was so that I could defend my dissertation. But since I was traveling there anyway, we took the opportunity to take the older boys and tour London, Oxford, and Ireland. When you’re in England (or Europe in general), you’re reminded just how young a country America is. We visited the Tower of London, which was built in 1078 by William the Conqueror. We saw churches and buildings that were begun in the Middle Ages, added to during the Reformation, and expanded by the Tudors, the Hanovers, and the Windsors up through modern day. In London, we visited Westminster Abbey and Buckingham Palace where the Queen lives. In Oxford, we visited Christchurch Cathedral and the Kilns where C.S. Lewis lived. In Ireland, we visited Lewis’s childhood vacation spots that inspired Narnia as well as tombs and stone tables that are as old as the pyramids.
And though there are many things worth sharing from our trip, I wanted to highlight one of them by way of exhortation for us this morning. It’s remarkable that for the English and Irish today, they live their daily lives amidst all of these places and monuments of great historical significance. There’s a Starbucks across the street from the Tower of London. There’s a lawyer’s office next to the Eagle and Child where Lewis and Tolkien had breakfast every Tuesday. There’s a great little pub (with an X-box to keep the kids entertained) right next to the 2000 year old Roman walls that still stand inside the city of Chester. If you want to get into the 5000 year old Fourknocks tomb in Ireland, you just need to get the key from the farmer who owns the land. The blending of modern life with ancient monuments is a remarkable thing. I kept wondering whether the people who live, work, study, and play realized the significance of the buildings and monuments that they walk by every day?
But even more than that, the regular signs, monuments, and statues were a constant reminder to me about the reality of death. Whether it’s the hundreds of nobles, soldiers, and poets who are buried in Westminster Abbey; whether it’s the Martyr’s Memorial that commemorates the burning of Hugh Latimer and Nicholas Ridley in Oxford in October 1555 or the 5000 year old Fourknock’s tomb that was built on a high place as a pagan passageway to the afterlife; or whether it’s the grand tomb of Elizabeth I and Mary Queen of Scots, or the simple stone nestled among all the other crumbling stones in the graveyard of the country church in Oxford where Lewis is buried, as we toured, we couldn’t help but be reminded that we were constantly walking among the dead. And that’s not just true of England. This whole planet is a graveyard and we live, work, and play among the tombs. For me, there was something sobering and deepening about the constant reminder that death comes for us all, small and great, noble and common. The constant reminder was a little disorienting. I kept thinking: “He’s buried there. She’s buried there. There are bones beneath that stone. He died here.” And that constant reminder could be a joy killer. Or a joy deepener. It could add a gravity to our gladness. As Lewis said once, “Joy is a very serious business.”
This reminds us of our need to confess our sins, so let’s seek him together.
Confession
Our God and Father, we often forget our own mortality. We forget that all flesh is grass, and all of our glory is like the flower of grass. The grass withers and the flowers fade, and even when we put up stones to remind us of the glory of particular flowers, they still crumbled and fall and in the end come to dust. We confess that we have failed to number our days, to remember that life is a vapor, and that some day, our bodies too will lie beneath the ground. And in this forgetfulness, we have committed great evils. We’ve turned aside to our own way and thought ourselves immortal. Forgive us, O Lord, for our forgetfulness and for our self-reliance.
Father, we know that if we in the church regard sin in our own midst our prayers will be ineffectual. So we confess our individual sins to you now.
Father, we thank you that because of Christ, this graveyard that we live among is in fact a garden. Every body in the ground is a seed of the body that is to come. And just as Jesus is the first fruits of the resurrection, we live, work, and play in this garden of death called the Earth in anticipation of our own resurrection at the last day. Thank you for the living hope we have in Christ. Help us to walk with gravity and gladness in the Holy Spirit. Through Christ we pray, Amen.
One of the truths that has radically changed my life is that in Jesus, nothing can separate us from the love of God. There are hundreds of stories all around us. Every person here has a story. You might not know any stories in this room or maybe you know quite a few. But God knows every story of every person in here.
One of the themes emerging from Exodus is that God, the God that we worship, the God of the Scriptures, is the God who comes down to us and sees us. He is with us even in our affliction and even when hard circumstances fall on us and even when we don’t know why things are happening to us in our different trials God is there. He sees us there in those circumstances and he is even using it for our good.
So I once got one of those old little box T.V.s with the VHS player right there on it. And the reason was I wanted to wanted to buy old VHS tapes at the thrift store for like a dollar and watch the movies I grew up with with my kids. And so I had gotten the first Toy Story and I put the tape in and my 3 year old son Nahshon was hyped, but the thing was the tape was towards the end of the movie and I had to rewind it. And that’s a concept that kids nowadays don’t really have a grasp of. And so you can either just rewind it which still shows the picture but its going backwards really fast which works well if you’re just trying to rewind it a little bit but if you’re trying to go to the start of the movie you press stop and then rewind. And so I stopped it and pressed the rewind button and the screen goes in this wired black and white fuzzy type of stuff like there was no signal or something but you can hear it rewinding fast but the thing is it still takes like a couple of minutes. But as soon as I pressed stop and rewind Nahshon starts freaking out and he’s crying uncontrollably. In his mind, all he knows is that we were watching the movie and then Dad pressed a button and made the movie go away and he thinks not only that I stopped the movie but that I’m just sitting there not doing anything about it. I see him crying and I’m trying to explain to him that we have to rewind it so that we can see the whole movie. In my mind, for a second I thought I should just play it and then he’ll stop. But I knew that he would enjoy the movie more if he saw it from the beginning and not just the last 10 minutes of it.
And we can be like Nahshon. You see there are circumstances and situations in our life where because we are finite, limited human beings, we cannot see why we are going through different circumstances and trials. And you have to see the spiritual aspect of this. The enemy of our soul, will lie to us and say look at what you’re going through what kind of Father does that to his children. Our own minds will lie to us saying that, there’s no way God can love me if I’m going through this. Or God can’t be real if he would allow me to go through this. Like my son Nahshon we cannot understand how or why stuff is happening to us. It might be years before we might understand why something happened or maybe in this life we might never know why something happened and we wont know until we are face to face with Jesus.
And it’s hard because God didn’t create us to be robots he created us to have and experience real emotions. Often even our joy and hope is mixed with our sorrow and grief. God created us to experience emotion but we can easily let our emotions dictate to us how were going to live. But this is the main thing. Nahshon would have been wrong if he thought I was putting him through that trial of rewinding the movie for those brief minutes because I didn’t love him or because I didn’t care about him or that it was a random pointless trial. I am a weak limited Father that is just a frail human. Unlike me and any other human father God the Father is a perfect Father who has unlimited wisdom and love for his children. And his love is shown for us in that God the Son representing the Father, united himself to humanity as a real person and chose to identify with the pain and suffering of humanity and suffered with us and for us even to the point of death on a cross.
The Apostle Paul, writing to Christians about God’s love asks, what can separate us from the love of Christ? Who can separate us from the love of Christ? Shall trouble or hardship or persecution or famine or danger or maybe death? And he lists all these possible things that people imagine would mean that they are separated from God’s love. And he answers his question by saying “in all these things we are more than conquerors through him who loved us. For I am convinced that neither death nor life, neither angels nor demons, neither the present nor the future, nor any powers, neither height nor depth, nor anything else in all creation, will be able to separate us from the love of God that is in Christ Jesus our Lord.
I can be forgetful. Not about important stuff—I’ve never forgotten my wife’s birthday or our anniversary. But I’m forgetful enough that a family friend enjoys laughing about it. I chalk it up to her freakish memory and my keen ability to … delegate and stuff. But I think there are two ditches of forgetfulness that we can fall into as Christians. On the one side is forgetting how sinful I really am and the other side is forgetting how saved I really am.
As I reflect on how much the Lord has sanctified me over the years, I think I can slip into thinking that I’m not that bad. Hey, the Lord may even be grateful I’m on his team! He can really use me for something. I too easily forget the sin that clings too closely. I too easily forget all that the Lord has saved me from, not to mention all that he kept me away from to start.
But then at times I can be consumed with fear, guilt, and shame of my sin. Given how I have sinned—how I still sin—how could God ever use me for anything of eternal value? I am too wicked at my core to ever be of any use in his redemptive plans. I too easily forget that the risen Lord Jesus is mighty to save to the uttermost. I too easily forget all that he endured to wash me and cleanse me.
And so I read 1 Corinthians 6:9-11. Paul writes to the church, “Do not be deceived: neither the sexually immoral, nor idolaters, nor adulterers, nor men who practice homosexuality, nor thieves, nor the greedy, nor drunkards, nor revilers, nor swindlers will inherit the kingdom of God. And such were some of you. But you were washed, you were sanctified, you were justified in the name of the Lord Jesus Christ and by the Spirit of our God.” And such was I. I remember my sin to serve my remembering of my salvation. I was a sinner like that, but now I have been washed, sanctified, and justified.
Church, we are sinners, but we have a Savior. Let us repent of our forgetfulness.
In John, Jesus prayed: “Father, I want those you have given me to be with me where I am, and to see my glory, the glory you have given me because you loved me before the creation of the world.”
I want to focus on this last part- where Jesus says to God the Father- “You loved me before the creation of the world.”
Press pause in your mind, and think about that. Before the world was created. Let your mind go there… before the universe existed, no planet, no people, no animals, no stars, not even empty space. Was there anything there? Before the creation of the world?
Yes, there was God, God the Father the Son and the Holy Spirit.
And there was Love.
Within the Triune God, before the creation of the world, Jesus was loved by the Father.
God is love. This is who God is, and his love is eternal.
Contrast that with one of the most commonly Googled questions ever:
“What is love?”
There was love before the foundation of the world within the happy triune God,
Yet here we are, asking the internet “What is love?”
There is something broken in our society, in the human heart, that we don’t understand this eternal concept.
Its not that we do not want it.
Love is universally thought of as a good thing, something we should all strive for, and everyone likes to claim it. In fact, the word “love” is so valued that we tend to assume that whatever we are already doing falls into the category of love.
We naturally believe we are on the side of love.
Yet we’re still asking, googling “What is love?”
As An example of the confusion: Several years ago the President tweeted “love is love… retweet if you agree”.
How confusing is that?
How could anyone disagree with that? How could anyone agree with that? It doesn’t mean anything. Love is love… No it’s Not!? It’s a tautology, a self-defining sentence that tells us literally nothing.
But love is so good, we’re all like, “Well, yea love is love, I’m loving, and I love love. I love loving love. You love love, right? How could you not love loving love… you don’t love love?
Love turns into gibberish.
The word gets twisted into meaningless bumper-stickers to promote agendas, without any reference to the love that was before the creation of the world.
We hear: “Love is love.” “Love wins.” “Love makes a family.”
At some point, we have to stop and say, as Inigo Mantoya from the movie the Princess Bride once did, “You keep using that word. I do not think it means what you think it means.”
While there may be different types of love, as C.S. Lewis described in his book The Four Loves, we don’t get to just bend the definition of love to simply describe what we happen to be fond of doing at the time, to our own fickle deceitful feelings.
The Bible says, “The heart is deceitful above all things, and desperately sick.” Jeremiah 17:9
The Bible tells us very clearly what love is, and is not.
His love is eternal, before the creation of the world.
God is the Fountain head of all love and therefore, He alone gets to define it.
And Praise God, He doesn’t just define love, He personifies it.
God doesn’t just tell, God Shows.
God is love. And his love is perfectly revealed in the person of Jesus Christ.
“God shows his love for us in that while we were still sinners, Christ died for us.” Romans 5:8
He told us that “No greater love has a man than this: that he lay down his life for his friends.” John 15:13
Then He called us friends, and then He laid down His life For us.
So when He tells us that the greatest commandment is to “Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your strength and with all your mind, and your neighbor as yourself.” He does not leave much room for interpretation, and he does not ask for our opinion.
He shows us Jesus: In loving God, Jesus became obedient to death, even death on a cross. In loving His neighbor, Jesus humbled Himself, taking on the very nature of a servant. Love does not delight in evil but rejoices with the truth. 1 Cor 13:6 Jesus is the truth and as much as our culture and our deceitful hearts would like to co-opt the word, we can’t co-opt God.
So today my exhortation to you is to learn to love by looking to Jesus. Let him be your example, your standard, and your true north. Learn to differentiate real love from counterfeits by becoming intimate with love incarnate. If our strong feelings lead us to sin against God, then they are not loving feelings. Do not be fooled into thinking that everything we call love is actually love.
As 1 John 3:16 says: “This is how we know what love is: Jesus Christ laid down his life for us” and 1 John 4:10 “This is love: not that we loved God, but that he loved us” (before the creation of the world) “and sent his Son as an atoning sacrifice for our sins.” This reminds us of our need to repent.
Father, we confess that we do not love as you love. We are all prideful. We think so highly of ourselves that we assume we understand love, and that our natural feelings are rooted in love, but this is a great falsehood. Our hearts are deceitful, but in you there is no deceit, only love. Help us always look to Jesus to learn what perfect love is. We now repent for the ways we have failed to do this.
At the beginning of the book of Galatians, Paul abbreviates his normal introduction in his letters and dives right in. He does this because he has a great concern for the Galatians, and he is even astonished by their actions. In Gal 1:6-7 Pauls says: "I am astonished that you are so quickly deserting HIM who called you in the grace of Christ and are turning to a different gospel — 7 not that there is another one, but there are some who trouble you and want to distort the gospel of Christ.”
The problem he saw was the Galatians were turning to a different “so called” gospel. The Galatians were leaving the good news of Jesus Christ, but they weren’t just leaving a message, they were leaving a person. Paul says they were leaving the God who had called them in grace. To leave the gospel, is not to leave an idea, or a principle, but to leave a person.
And what sin is, is an abandoning of Christ for something else, or someone else.
We don’t sin against things, we sin against people. Your fitbit is not sinned against if you fail to get you 10,000 steps today. Your computer or phone is not sinned against if you use it to fuel lust, comparison, or envy. We use these things to either follow Jesus, or leave him, but he is the point.
In other words, Sin is relational. We sin against God, but we also sin against other people and cause harm to ourselves. Sin is a choice to reject God’s Words to us, whether consciously, or subconsciously, and instead believe others words, or believe our own words. Sin is not a leaving of the principle of the Gospel, it is leaving and rejecting of the person of the Gospel. It is to reject what Jesus says about us, and what He has done for us.
Often people will say, I need to believe the Gospel more. This is true but it is important to know what we mean by this, or should mean.
What is doesn’t mean: Is to just try to live more graciously, give yourself a break, as if the the gospel is a life principle like “Live, laugh, love,” Or “keep calm and carry on” It’s not a life slogan.
What we should mean is I need to believe the gospel more, as in: “I need to believe Jesus more, I need to trust Jesus more, follow Jesus more, I need to rest in his grace more. Remember the person who is the message of the gospel.
So I have 2 quick encouragements for us and an exhortation:
Everything God commands is for our good. So the question is never, is it good to obey, but rather will I obey. What an amazing promise, all his commands lead us to good!
Sin is a a rejection of a real person, a breaking of a real relationship, but by God’s grace he grants us real repentance leads to real forgiveness, and real restoration with God, and real change and real healing, even if it may come slow.
Every sin we commit happens in relationship to God. We do not break impersonal commands, or confess to impersonal law. We confess to God to who spoke the commands we are breaking.
So your exhortation this morning is this: know that your sin is against God and that you are confessing to God. We don’t confess for the sake of confession, we confess to God so that he may forgive us and grant us peace.
We have sinned against a real God, who offers real forgiveness. He is here, and he hears us when we pray.
Reminders are important. Usually, when we need to remember something, a reminder shows the value and importance of whatever that thing is that we’re trying to remember. We all need reminders to help us remember the value of certain things in our lives because we can be so easily caught in the drift of life and like a leaf in the wind or something out in sea we can get pushed and pulled in all sorts of directions. And that’s why we have an exhortation before a time of confession in our service every Sunday. As a reminder. And that is why we confess our sins. As a reminder. A reminder that no one walks in here worthy. No one comes in here having perfectly obeyed God. It’s a reminder. A reminder that we were once in darkness… and that out of darkness… light came forth and shone into our hearts. We confess our sins as a reminder of the greatest news ever, that even though we do not even come close to measuring up to God’s standards, Jesus perfectly represented and fulfilled God’s standards.
We confess our sins as a reminder that though we were once dirty, he has made us clean. A reminder that we were once lost but now we are found, That we were once in grave danger but now we’ve been rescued, that we were once blind but now we see. We see “the light of the knowledge of the glory of God in the face of Jesus Christ. (2 Corinthians 4:6).
We confess our sins as a reminder that we acknowledge God’s perspective about sin over what we or others think about it. A reminder that to confess our sin to God is to walk in the light, and that to walk in the light means to walk with Jesus. And so brothers and sisters, let us confess our sins, so that as it says in Romans that we won’t be conformed to the patterns of this world but that we would be transformed by renewing our mind to God and his word. And let us, as it says in Hebrews, lay aside every weight, and sin which clings so closely, and let us run with endurance the race that is set before us, looking to Jesus, the founder and perfecter of our faith, who for the joy that was set before him endured the cross.
Confession is a way to come to terms with our self and realize that the world does not revolve around us. That we are not dependent on ourselves but on God and what he has done. We confess as a reminder of the glorious news of the Gospel, that the forgiveness of our sins is not because of who we are or what we have or haven’t done but forgiveness is found by grace through faith in the person and work of Jesus.
Let us pray and confess.
Father God, we come to you knowing you are a good Father, and that as your children we confess our need for you and how prone we are to forget you. We confess that we have been pushed and pulled in so many directions that we have forgotten to even confess our weaknesses and sins to you throughout the week.
The young man’s eyes blinked awake as the sun’s early morning rays began to break through the trees outside of the cave. It was warm on his face, the golden-orange beams dancing off the dust sprinkled in his unkempt beard. He could smell the remnants of last night’s fire, mixed with the freshness of the stream bubbling nearby. Squinting and pressing himself up to lean back on the wall of the cave, he looked up, trying to remember how many days he’d been here now. It had been at least a few weeks since he’d become a wanted fugitive in his own country, and it was wearing on him.
More than the hunger, the thirst, the chronic crick in his neck from sleeping with a rock for a pillow, it was the isolation that gnawed at the young warrior’s soul. How long could he hold out like this on his own? Would there be anyone to help? He didn’t even know if his friends were still alive. As he was being hunted, he felt sure that anyone loyal to him would not last long with the current man in power. As he felt the fear starting to grip his chest and threaten to overtake him, David made a decision, as he often did during these times. He began to hum a low melody that reverberated off the stone walls around him. Glancing at the defeated giant’s sword lying next to him, the warrior turned his mind to the One who had never truly left him, and he sang, “Save, O Lord, for the godly one is gone, the faithful have vanished…”
Have you ever felt alone? Ostracized? Excluded? As digital connection replaces face-to-face interaction, the epidemic of loneliness is spreading around the globe like a virus. 40% of U.S. adults now report feeling lonely. The United Kingdom went as far as to appoint a Minister of Loneliness. Even fleeting moments, let alone lasting times of real connection with other humans are increasingly difficult to come by. And in a world that has lost a sense of transcendence, if we’re not around other people, it’s easy to think there’s no One else there. So what can we do, in those moments or seasons of loneliness? The example of David, as a shadow of Jesus, is enlightening for us.
Both David, and the much greater Son of David, Jesus, had a common first response when facing loneliness, betrayal, or exclusion. They turned their eyes from earth to heaven, and they prayed. They went to God and told Him how they felt. They asked for relief. And they took comfort in the presence of the Almighty God, who calls Himself our Friend. They turned their thoughts away from themselves, and directed them toward God. This is different than our natural response to the feeling of loneliness, is it not? It’s so easy to fall into a pity-party of paralysis and soak in the sorrow. But the face of God gives hope.
Having done that, secondly, they took courage and sought out God’s people. Whether we’re talking about David’s mighty men, the 30 outcasts who found him in the cave of Adullum, or the 12 disciples of Jesus, a band of mostly uneducated fishermen, we can see that seeking out a crew, a tribe, a group of fellow travelers seeking after God is essential to getting home. And as we love one another, reach out to one another, pray for one another, we fight back the mutual experience of loneliness and see glimpses of God’s kingdom coming, even here on earth. And this reminds us of our need to confess our sins.
Father, we live in a world that grows more isolating by the day. The forces that push against us often push us away from one another, and from you. Our cars and our screens and our busy schedules threaten to snuff out a sense of communion or community. And we confess Father that whether by commission or omission, we have often failed here. We have failed to pray when we are alone, opting instead to post, podcast, or scroll. And we have failed to prioritize time with one another, failing to love our very brothers and sisters. Father, have mercy on us as we confess our individual sins to you now.
And God now we praise you that Jesus is our high priest, our interceder at the throne of heaven. He is the perfect one - always faithful, in perfect communion with you on earth, flawlessly loving his friends AND his enemies. And because Jesus actually was forsaken by you on the cross for our sin, in our place, we can be completely and totally forgiven. Would you change us now by your Spirit, as we seek to live in step with the truth that sets us free. In Jesus’ name, Amen.
If you’re here as part of the Redeemer Church founding membership, would you raise your hand really high.
So in just a few minutes I’m going to ask you to stand, and our pastors are going to gather around you and I’m going to lead us in a prayer of commissioning, but before I do that, since this is your last Sunday with us as covenant members of Cities Church, I want to send you out with an short exhortation.
And the exhortation is simple. This is for the founding pastors and the members together — this is for all of Redeemer Church. Here’s the exhortation:
Be humble because Jesus is real.
Be humble in your work as a church, and be humble for one another. And I when I say humble I don’t mean to be shy or passive or genteel, but I mean to be imperturbable in the face of adversity because you are filled with a Bible-saturated, Spirit-empowered fresh, ancient faith in the power of God.
I mean be humble because you have the kind of faith that in the moment when things are not going the way you want and you feel overwhelmed that you’re able to look up and see that the mountains full of horses and chariots of fire (see 2 Kings 6);
Be humble because you have the kind of faith that knows a mustard seed, as small as it is, will one day change an entire ecosystem (see Matthew 13);
Be humble because you have the kind of faith that plants seeds like crazy, and waters like crazy, but knows that only God gives the growth, and therefore only God gets the glory, and you are happy to give him the glory (see 1 Corinthians 3).
Be that kind of humble because you have that kind of faith in the power of God, not in yourself — and when your faith is in the power of God, you can be steadfast and immovable, always abounding in the work of the Lord because you know your labor in the Lord is not in vain because the Lord is risen (see 1 Corinthians 15). Alive. Watching.
Right now, in this moment, Jesus is seated at his Father’s right hand, and he looks at you Redeemer Church, and he smiles on you.
So Redeemer Church, with great love and affection for you, in the presence of God and of Christ Jesus, who is to judge the living and the dead, and by his appearing and his kingdom, I exhort you: be humble because Jesus is real.
Prayer of Commissioning Almighty God, we ask this morning that you look with favor upon Redeemer Church who has committed to be the body of Christ together in Roseville. Give them courage, patience, and vision to be a church that makes disciples of Jesus who love Jesus together. Indeed, Father, make them a church that glorifies Jesus by sinners being redeemed into his kingdom. Fill them with your Holy Spirit and with power. Strengthen their hands for the work you have called them to, and give these Twin Cities a harvest of your grace. In Jesus’s name, amen.
Prayer of Confession Father, as we give you thanks for Redeemer Church, and ask your blessing on them, we confess our own shortage of faith, and our own dullness to your calling. We know that you intend for us all to be a witness to your gospel in these Twin Cities, and too often we have been slack. We have not pursued the good of our neighbors as we ought, and for that, we repent and ask for mercy. Forgive us for this sin, and for our individual sins as we confess them to you in silence …
Father, we celebrate your mercy. You are sovereign in your grace, and overflowing in your love, and we know you can forgive every sin. We embrace that forgiveness now. Jesus loves us and he has set us free. We were dead, but Jesus made us alive; we were lost, but Jesus has made us found; we were your enemies, but Jesus has made us your sons and daughters — all because he lived and died for us in our place, because he is risen from dead, because he is reigning for us now and coming for us soon. And it’s in his name alone that we live and pray, amen.
As a church, when it comes to ministering to children and their families, our primary aim is to help parents to raise their children to become mature followers of Jesus. Underneath this primary aim are three ways that we that accomplish this.
We seek to teach children the whole counsel of God.
We seek to help parents be the smile of God to their children.
We seek to create a church culture that welcomes children in Jesus’s name.
Last week, Pastor Michael exhorted us on the first of these by highlighting the role that Sunday School plays in teaching children the whole counsel of God. Sunday School for pre-K through elementary school will begin in a few weeks, and we encourage you to sign up using the app. Additionally, we do have a few spots remaining for teachers in our three age groups (pre-K; K-2nd; 3rd-6th), and you can reach out to me or Pastor Michael if you’re interested.
For today’s exhortation, I want to mention two initiatives related to the other two aspects of our ministry to children and families. First, over the next year, we’re planning to organize some parenting check-ins by clusters of community groups in which I’ll come to offer some teaching on parenting as well as answering questions and checking in with our parents on issues that they’re facing. Stay tuned for more information on these check-in sessions.
Second, the main way that we cultivate a church culture that welcomes children in Jesus’s name is through our childcare serve rotation. Every week a different team of community groups rotates through and staffs childcare during this service. Our baseline expectation is that the vast majority of our members will serve children and their parents in this way. Once every five weeks, we expect that most of you—if you’re a member—will arrive to church early, set-up the rooms, pray for grace, and then receive children in Jesus’s name. There are some specific exemptions for those who are regularly serving the congregation in other ways (worship and setup). But for most of you, we need you to serve in childcare. We’re reminding you of this now for a couple of pressing reasons.
Our volunteer numbers have languished at various times over the last few months. Most Serve Team has at least 40+ members to draw from, and yet we’ve had a number of weeks where we’ve only had a mere 12-15 volunteers. Some of this is because of summer travel. Some of it is because we’ve not prioritized serving in this way.
With the launch of Redeemer Church next week, we are sending some of our most dedicated volunteers to begin a new gospel advance in the Twin Cities. One of the places that we will feel their absence is in childcare.
In light of that, here is the exhortation. If you’ve never completed our childcare training process or been included on a childcare serve team, press in and do so. We need your help in serving children and their families. Contact Joanna Polley (joanna@citieschurch.com) for information on the process for being trained and approved for childcare. If you have completed training, but have simply not been serving with your team, we’d ask that you’d renew your commitment to being there every five weeks, eager and ready to serve.
And we ask that you do this because it’s good for the children of this church. Every week, you’re making deposits. You’re showing them Jesus by playing with them, smiling at the them, and receiving them in Jesus’s name. Years of that kind of faithful care is storing up a good deposit that we trust and pray God will use to awaken and strengthen their faith.
Prayer Our Father and God, you have given us the tremendous blessing of children. Not only our children, but the children of others are a great and glorious blessing to us. They teach us humility, simplicity of faith, and a thousand other good things. Children are indeed a gift from you.
But we confess that we have grown weary in doing good. Our energy and enthusiasm in manning our childcare ministry has waned. The challenges of our space, the hassle of arriving early, the difficulty of watching young children—we have allowed these things to smother our eagerness to receive the children of this church in Jesus’s name, and at times to find excuses to not show up. As a result, we’ve placed an added burden on those who have volunteered. You promise that in receiving children in Jesus’s name, we get more of Jesus, and so in missing them, we’ve missed you. We acknowledge that at times we have not approached our ministry to children in the way that we ought, and that this is a great evil. Forgive us for our weariness and renew our hearts with your grace. Have mercy upon us, O Lord.
Lord, we know that if we in the church regard sin in our own hearts, our prayers will be ineffectual, so we confess our individual sins to you now.
Father, we thank you for Christ who invited the children to come to him. Not only that, but he invites us to come to him like little children, in humility and faith. Thank you for receiving us because of Jesus. Help us to serve the children of this church in the strength that you supply so that you receive the glory. By your Holy Spirit, renew our hearts so that our thoughts, desires, loves, words, and deeds align with your own. Through Christ we pray, Amen.
We are now in the middle of August, and Labor Day weekend and the start of school is around the corner. And for us as a church, that means Sunday School is starting back up again. Specifically, the first Sunday School session will begin on Sunday, September 8, less than one month away.
In Sunday School, our goal and our focus is to share the gospel of Jesus Christ with the kids who are able to attend, and our aim is to share the “whole counsel of God” with our children.
We learn of this phrase “whole counsel of God” from the apostle Paul, who said to the Ephesian elders, “I did not shrink from declaring to you the whole counsel of God.”
A few observations:
1) It is possible to shrink back from declaring the whole counsel of God. This means that it is possible to neglect, for example, sharing Truth from the Bible, and Truth of the gospel of Jesus Christ with our children. There is a temptation and tendency to not prioritize and share the depths of the wisdom and knowledge of Jesus Christ with our children. We do not want to shrink back from sharing the whole counsel of God with our children and so we are intentionally blocking off time once a week, 9am-10am on Sunday mornings, to work through curriculum.
2) We want to systematically cover as best we can, the whole counsel of God. We started the Gospel Project curriculum 2 years ago and started in Genesis. This fall we are continuing on in the journey and we are covering Acts and the New Testament Letters. And if you are wondering if it is ok for your child to jump in now, the answer is YES, of course it is. Once we finish up the New Testament, we will most likely start over in Genesis and go through the Bible again systematically.
In order for this to work, there are two very important components that have to be in place:
1) Children need to show up ready to learn.
2) Adults need to show up, ready to give their time and talents and skills and energy to help share the whole counsel of God with the children.
We are a 5 year old church plant and as is typical of church plants, we had a lot of infants and preschoolers when we launched. Well, our children are growing up fast. But the commitment we made when these kids were dedicated at our baby dedication services remain. One of the commitments that we make as a church during those child dedication ceremonies is that the dedication is an act of the church for the parents and child. We commit to be the church for families with children. We, as a church, dedicate ourselves to partner with the parents to raise their children in the grace and truth of Jesus, and therefore, we, as a church, dedicate ourselves to the child’s nurture, growth, and everlasting good.
Sunday School is one way we can as a church, help nurture the faith of our children by sharing with them knowledge of Jesus.
Practical Items
1) Ages
Sunday School is open to children aged 3 years old and up. There will be three main rooms: Pre-K (ages 3-4); Kindergarten to 2nd grade; And 3rd Grade and Up.
2) Sign Up
On the app or on the website there is a place to go where you can register your children for Sunday School. Please register as soon as you can so we can get a feel for numbers and it will help our planning.
3) Schedule
After worship service on Sunday August 25 and Sunday September 1st, myself and other Sunday School leaders will be available in the library for parents and children to come and meet their teachers and also ask any questions you may have. Also, on August 25 and September 1st we want parents and children to stop in and meet their teachers because they can also pick up their copy of the Kids Quarterly.
4) Kids Quarterly
What is the Kids Quarterly? The Kids Quarterly is a booklet that accompanies the Gospel Project curriculum that we are going through this fall and it can be used in two primary ways: 1 – for the younger kids, this booklet is a guide for parents to read the Bible with their kids and have some questions to help interact with their children. 2 – for the older kids, it is a workbook where the kids can start to do some Bible study on their own. During the week they can spend some time looking up Bible passages, and then journaling out answers and responses to the questions.
The Kids Quarterly for this fall follows the curriculum we are covering in Sunday School, and also has some readings to cover from Exodus since that is the sermon series we are doing this fall.
Helping with Sunday School
Lastly, we are still in need of a few volunteers to help lead a small group in certain classrooms. If you would like to commit to helping lead a small group in Sunday School please email me or Pastor Joe.
The Exhortation
So, the exhortation today is to remember our children and their faith journey. We want to disciple our children and share the whole counsel of God with them. Yet in our selfishness we can forget about sharing the whole counsel of God with our children.
I exhort us, as a church, to joyfully serve our children, prioritize them, and share with them the whole counsel of God, at church, and at home.
A man sits home on his computer late at night. Still answering emails, still completing tasks. All his responsibilities—work, family, home—weigh heavily upon his shoulders. Then, an image pops up on his computer, offering a temporary escape, a getaway from his stress.
What will he choose?
The next door down on this same busy street sits a woman—alone, empty, cynical. She wants a husband; one who will love her, prayer for her, and point her to Jesus. But so far there have been no takers, and the prospects around her seem limited. Her friend mentioned there’s this guy she knows, he’s not a Christian, but he’s kind, and has good morals.
What will she choose?
One door down from her is a woman and a man engaged to be married. Rings have been purchased, the date has been set, wedding invites have been accounted for; the only thing left to do it wait. But, right now, the roommates are gone for the weekend, and they’re alone.
What will they choose?
On-and-on down this busy street reveals particular situations, which provoke particular questions, many of which, when boiled down, come to this: “How much do I value my obedience to God?”
Jesus
Moving further down this street—much further in fact—all the way across the country, all the way across the Atlantic Ocean, and back in time by about 2,000 years, there is a man. He’s not at home. He is in a desert. He’s hungry, and he’s tired because he’s been fasting in a desert for 40-days.
Satan appears to this man, saying, “You have a decision to make. Let me offer my suggestion: Go! Turn these rocks into bread, throw yourself from the temple and let the angels bear you up, bow to me and all this suffering will be over like that!”
What would he choose?
Jesus lived on this same street as you and I. Jesus sat in these spaces as you and I. Hebrews says, “We do not have a high priest who is unable to sympathize with our weaknesses but one who was tempted in every way, yet without sin.”
Jesus chose obedience — God-honoring, stubborn obedience.
Will you be stubborn in your obedience?
-What is going on in your life right now that is begging you to give in?
-What situation is pulling so much from you that you are just craving an escape?
-When are you hearing Satan’s words, “I know what you desire, I’ll give it to you, if you bow to me?”
You can be obedient.
Hebrews 2:18 promises, “For because he himself has suffered when tempted, he is able to help those who are being tempted.”
One of the easiest ways Satan can convince you to fall into sin is to first make you believe that you cannot help but do otherwise. Don’t buy it! It’s garbage.
You can stand in obedience, so long as you cling to the one who stood first, Jesus. The one who not only stood in obedience for you, but hung on a cross in payment for you.
The point of this exhortation is simple, I would like us to increase our expectation in prayer by remembering who we are praying to.
We are studying the psalms right now, and as Johnathan said last week, “The psalms are written with the assumption that we are praying.”
Yes, praying is difficult, but that does not mean it’s unimportant. In fact, its difficultly speaks to its importance as the really important things in life often the most difficult, and prayer is no different. But, part of the reason prayer is so difficult is that we easily forget who we are talking to, and therefore we don’t expect our prayers to do anything
God is all-powerful.
As Christians we believe God is all powerful, but that thought is not always in front of us. We don’t always remember it and, because we don’t remember God’s power, our expectations of what God will do during prayer are often low.
Tim Keller has said, “There is almost universal agreement that prayer should be started by thinking over who it is that you will be addressing.”
When we remember who it is we are talking to—the Almighty Creator of the Universe—it creates in us what John Calvin called a “joyful fear,” or what Tim Keller refers to as a “loving awe” where “our hearts are in awe before the greatness of God and before the privilege of prayer.”
It is like working on a roof. Last year I was cleaning out the gutters on my house. I was two stories high for an hour or two digging out rotten slop from my gutters. I had my headphones in because it was tedious and repetitive task, but at one point I reached to grab more slop and my foot slipped. In that moment, I grabbed tightly to the roof, I froze, and my heart dropped. I took out my headphones and thought, “I have to take this way more seriously. I’m on a roof! This isn’t a joke! I need to focus.” The gravity of what was going on just hit me.
It is the same with prayer. When we truly remember who we are talking to, our hearts drop with seriousness of what is going on.
We are talking to the God who “neither slumber[s] nor sleep[s]” (Psalm 121:4). And, “The number of his years is unsearchable” (Job 36:26).
As it says in Job 26:7, 10, 14, “God stretches the northern sky over empty space and hangs the earth on nothing…He created the horizon when he separated the waters: he set the boundary between day and night. The foundations of heaven tremble; they shudder at his rebuke…These are just the beginning of all that he does, merely a whisper of his power” (NLT).
All creation is merely a whisper of God’s power. A whisper!
This is the God who hears us!
So, increase your expectation in prayer
The power of prayer is not in us, in our ability to pray, but in the God we are praying to.
Edmund Clowney wrote, "The bible does present an art of prayer, it presents the God of prayer."
God uses his power today.
The one we are praying to is not just all-powerful, but he actually uses his power in real life—here, right now, in Minnesota. Jesus said his Father is working until now, and he is working (John 5:17). The New Testament is filled with prayers that God would strengthen us by his power, by his might (see Eph. 3:16, 6:10; Col. 1:11; 1 Pet. 4:11). God is active today.
If you pray long enough in Jesus’ name you will experience God using his power in your life. He will answer prayers. And when you experience God answering your payers you will have that heart-drop like you almost fell off the roof again. “Whoa, I have to take this more seriously! Why don’t I pray more?”
He is the God who through his mighty hands and outstretched arm created the world, rescued Israel from slavery, raised Jesus from the dead, and still rescues people from slavery and still raises the dead.
He is not the Almighty God with all this power, who then just sits on his hands.
He sits on his throne.
Today, at this very moment, and he is working.
So Increase your expectation of what God will do when you pray.
God wants us to pray to him.
Finally, remember, this God who has all power and who uses his power, actually wants us to pray to him, in Jesus Name—in the name of his son, in no other name, but the name of his only son. God delights in our prayers because he delights in his son, and we are in his son! So, he delights to hear us!
As Jesus says in John 16, “Truly, truly, I say to you, whatever you ask of the Father in my name, he will give it to you. Until now you have asked nothing in my name. Ask, and you will receive, that your joy may be full.”
God delights to hear us pray in the name and authority of his son.
Revelation 5 & 8 give powerful pictures of God delighting in our prayers. They talk of our prayers—the prayers of those in Christ—as incense being gathered into bowls, and this incense is creating a pleasing aroma rising up before God. Incense is delightful aroma.
Our prayers are a delight to our Father.
He is all Powerful, he actively using his power today, and He delights to hear our prayers, so let us increase our expectation of what he will do in response prayer.
And let us do this right now as we come to him in confession.
Jesus has opened the front door
There is this interesting text in the book of Isaiah. In it is mentioned a man named Eliakim. Eliakim was one of King Hezekiah’s officials. And Hezekiah was a good king. Another official named Shebna was head over Hezekiah’s household. He ordered the home, oversaw servants, and was responsible for all of the happenings within it. But, Shebna was a wicked man.
Isaiah 22:15-25 prophetically states that Eliakim, a faithful servant of God, would replace the unfaithful Shebna. Here is how Vs. 22 states it, the God of hosts says, “I will place on his shoulder the key of the house of David. He shall open, and none shall shut; and he shall shut, and none shall open.”
So, there is this kingdom that belongs to David, with one in it who has been made responsible for the keys to its entrance, who will open and shut to whomever he will.
Here is what Revelation 3:7-8 says about Jesus, “The Words of the holy one, the true one, who has the key of David, who opens and no one will shut, who shuts and no one opens. I know your works. Behold, I have set before you an open door, which no one is able to shut.”
Jesus possesses this key to the kingdom. And he has opened the door to all who will come. Which means that to you who are trusting in the work of Christ, Jesus has welcomed you. The head of the home has ushered you in. Jesus has unlocked the front door and opened it for you.
We have closed our front doors
And yet, I think that we have a tendency to close our front doors; to forget that God’s invitation to follow him gets passed along by men and women who know him and desire to welcome others also; by people who don’t always expect an R.S.V.P..
Instead of letting Jesus’ example become our template, we let our appetite and capacity for hospitality be shaped by the calendar and by our own personal preferences.
The Gospel
But the gospel, without which no one will enter the gates of the kingdom, unlocks front doors. It turns backyard patios into front porches. It shrinks media rooms and expands kitchens and living areas. It takes those wooden wedges from 1970 and shoves them under dorm room doors to keep them open. It occupies the calendar and fills our evenings.
Christ’s welcome to us is joined by an expectation that we welcome others into God what is doing. That we do what ambassadors do, calling those from a distant country to enter the gates.
The Exhortation
So, your exhortation this morning is to see whatever space you dwell in as a place where others can come to know the welcome from Jesus Christ.
Which reminds us that he is the great host who has brought us in. And reminds us of the freedom that we have to confess to him.
The question I want to ask us this morning is: Does Jesus make a difference? When you think about the activities of your life, Does Jesus make a difference? The majority of us would answer that question quickly and confidently and say: Yes. Now I want to ask it a little differently, Did Jesus make a difference this morning, yesterday, this week? Did the fact that you know and love Jesus change anything about your week? Did Jesus impact how you steward your money, your time, what goals you are working towards? Did Jesus impact the state of your heart, your anxiety, your fear, or your joy? When we ask the question this way, the honest answer may be: Not very much.
But Jesus’ payment for us on the cross changes us, and renews us. This doesn’t mean everything is happy all the team, we still weep, mourn, and long for desires to be met that currently are not, but His love for us impacts our attitude, our motivation, and our actions. Proverbs 28:1 describes one of the impacts of God’s love towards us. It says: “The righteous are as bold as a lion”.
The order here matters. The bold are not righteous, but the righteous will be bold. Many people are bold but are not righteous. They boast in their sin, they justify their deeds, or are actually bold in their self-righteousness.
But God’s righteous ones are not arrogant or proud, but have a boldness of heart and Spirit, a rock solid confidence and stability in their God and what he thinks of them, and what he has promised to them. The peace of Christ rules in their hearts, as God’s word dwell richly in them.
This boldness looks like:
-Peter and John, when they were charged not to teach or speak in the name of Jesus, they replied: “Whether it is right in the sight of God to listen to you rather than to God, you must judge, for we cannot but speak of what we have seen and heard.”
-Or the women in proverbs of whom it is said: “Strength and dignity are her clothing, and she laughs at the time to come.”
-Or it often looks like the Psalmist who said “Why are you cast down, O my soul, and why are you in turmoil within me? Hope in God; for I shall again praise him, my salvation and my God.”
Are we bold in heart? Or are we more ruled by anxious and fear, and doubt? Do we flex in the wind, but still stand, or do we just fold under any kind of pressure? Do we run to him, or in an instance, do we run in all kind of directions looking for material comfort, or an escape.
Often, Jesus wants more for us than we want for ourselves. The Spirit is willing, but our flesh and our faith are weak. But despite this, there’s still room for us, Jesus is real and is for us. He is the good shepherd who instills confidence in his sheep. And he grants us boldness and strength to keep fighting the fight of faith.
Pray of Confession
Father we confess we are that we are often ruled by fear, anxiety or doubt, and we are quick to run to other things besides you. When things get tough, we doubt your presence, or your goodness, or both.
But because you do not leave us, because there is still room for us in your love, and in your family, we now confess our individual sins to you silently.
As humans there’s this temptation to see others and to either elevate ourselves or demean ourselves.
As humans who are in the image of God we have the ability to see and make judgements but God is able to go below the surface. He sees our heart and the intent of our motives. He knows our personal history and all the different ways we’re unique so stop superficially compare yourself to others. God’s standard isn’t your neighbor or your coworker or anyone else you know, God’s standard is Jesus. God’s standard is His word. Hebrews 4:12-13 says:
[12] For the word of God is living and active, sharper than any two-edged sword, piercing to the division of soul and of spirit, of joints and of marrow, and discerning the thoughts and intentions of the heart. [13] And no creature is hidden from his sight, but all are naked and exposed to the eyes of him to whom we must give account.
We see the outside, a person’s actions and behavior. But God sees the inner workings of the heart with all its motives and intentions.
It’s like when Jesus told the parable of the Pharisee and the tax collector and how they both went to the temple to pray. The Pharisee prays and tries to justify himself before God. He gives thanks to God that he is not like other people. And he begins to list off people that he thinks he’s better than and then starts telling God all the good things he’s done. The Pharisee was full of excuses, he thinks that God needs to receive him because he’s not like certain people and because he hasn’t done certain things.
The tax collector on the other hand, he had no excuses, he didn’t need to compare himself to anybody because he knew he was at the end of himself, he knew he was empty handed before God, that there was nothing he could bring to use as an excuse, he’s beating on his chest with his soul aching he says “God, be merciful to me, a sinner!”
Jesus then said that it was the tax collector who went home justified. Jesus finishes the parable by saying the one who tries to exalt himself will be humbled but the one who humbled himself will be exalted.
God is the perfect judge and his standard is perfect so stop comparing yourself to others and submit yourself to God’s word and receive his mercy and grace.
Prayer of Confession
Father, if we have recently compared ourselves to others to make ourselves feel better about ourselves or if we have compared ourselves to others to make us feel worse about ourselves or to feel bad about our situation and the lot you have given us then I just ask that you would give us the grace to get our eyes off other people and help us to see you… and by your truth through your spirit help us to confess our sins to you, may the Spirit shine the light of your word in our hearts. We now confess our individual sins to you in this silence. . . .
Father, your mercy and love is hard to understand in all it’s greatness. That you would send the eternal Son, Jesus, through whom all things were made and by whom the universe is held in place and in whom all life is found. You are life, in you we live and breath, and have our being. We thank you Father for the cross and that Jesus took all of our sins and payed the endless debt we had by his precious blood. We thank you for the Spirit you have given us, to help us in our walk and guide us in our life and to glorify your name. We thank you. In Jesus name. Amen.
A number of years ago, I attended an advanced firearms training course for law enforcement agents. During one of the exercises, we discussed what to do in an ambush. What do you do if bullets start coming your way when you weren’t expecting them? Our instructor said that there were two schools of thought as to what you should do first.
One school says you should immediately find cover. Find something that will stop a bullet and get behind it. It will be harder for your attacker to hit you while you’re running and once you are behind cover, you can assess the situation, call for back up, and return fire from a safer position.
The second school of thought says accurate returned fire is the first point of cover. In other words, if you can face the source of the ambush and accurately send your own rounds in that direction, you can hopefully buy time to assess and find cover. You know how this works from playing dodgeball. The kid who is winding up to throw the ball at you has to stop and react when you get your throw off first. You bought some time to move as he has to figure out what to do with what’s coming at him.
After he explained those two approaches, I remember a feeling like time had stopped. I was stuck in my head as I tried to calculate which option was best. “Don’t get this wrong”, I thought. “This could be the difference between life and death.” After what felt like quite some time, but surely was only a moment, the instructor said something that snapped me into clear focus. He said, “Look, I don’t care which one you choose, just do something!” Do something. That was it. That was the key in that situation. The only wrong answer was to freeze and do nothing. Both options were viable, but you had to do something!
In the decade since I took that course, I have found myself thinking about that moment of instruction with some regularity. I think about it as it may save my life one day while I’m working. That’s true, but it’s not why I most often think of that moment.
In the 14 years since I started in law enforcement, I have never been in such a situation. I have, though, daily faced an adversary who seeks my life. 1 Peter 5:8 says, “Be sober minded: be watchful. Your adversary the devil prowls around like a roaring lion, seeking someone to devour.” And the next verse starts with, “Resist him, firm in your faith…” The principles of the exercise in that firearms course fit 1 Peter 5 and that is most often why I think of that day.
There are many strategies for resisting the devil. Sometimes it will be necessary to run for cover. Sometimes you will need to turn and face the source of the lies with truth. Most importantly you must resist him. Do something. Don’t just sit there and let the attack happen. Do something. And while you fight, while you resist, take comfort from the rest of the passage:
-“Resist him, firm in your faith, knowing that the same kinds of suffering are being experienced by your brotherhood throughout the world…” — You are not alone.
-“And after you have suffered a little while…” — It will feel much longer when the bullets are flying, but it is a little while in light of eternity.
-“…the God of all grace, who has called you to his eternal glory in Christ, will himself restore, confirm, strengthen, and establish you. To him be the dominion forever and ever. Amen.” — You can’t beat that kind of back up.
If you walk up to the average American—a churchgoer or not—and ask them how they’re doing, what is the typical response? What does almost everyone say? “Busy, man, super busy. It’s been crazy.” This feeling is true for the vast majority of people, whether you're a teenager, a parent of four, or a stay at home grandma. Americans are literally addicted to busyness. But why is this?
First, let's look externally. America is full of workaholics—as much as 25% of the workforce by some estimates. Workers take an average of 16 paid holidays a year, which you probably think feels like a lot if you’re American. But that is less than half of what standard European workers take. “Time is money,” we often say. So, we can’t possibly spend our most valuable resource on something that doesn’t drive profit, revenue, material value, right? In a 2016 study completed by the Harvard Business Review, researchers found that Americans perceived busy people as higher status than those who spent more time on leisure. However, Italians are the opposite. Being able to spend time on leisure activities is a sign of wealth and success in Italy, and the whole country takes July & August off.
So what’s going on here? Secondly, we need to look internally, at our hearts. Because of the culture in which we live, certain things are valued and emphasized. Deep in our bones we want to be seen as valuable and important, and, in America, being busy and “productive” is what makes you valuable and important. So we fill up our schedules and our minds with constant activity, shifting from one thing to the next, and we project that image to others, without even knowing it. In a recent article on the topic, a John’s Hopkins researcher quipped, “In our rush to make more money and to have the American Dream as it's been defined to us, we ended up crowding out our opportunity to have more time.” By chasing after money that we can use to spend more time on things we enjoy, we no longer have time to enjoy things.
We are literally chasing the wind. The Industrial Revolution—which brought about the beginning of the productivity revolution in America almost 200 years ago—was built on the bedrock of what’s known as the Protestant work ethic; a worldview shaped initially by seeing work as worship, as calling, and as service to others. People worked hard because they were working for the Lord & for others, surrounded by grace and exercising God’s energy and investing the talents he gave them. But as we’ve lost God’s place in our work, we end up working from nothing to nothing; we are hamsters in wheels.
Or so we think. Because there’s another factor in this discussion: we are horrible estimators of our time. All of us believe we have far less free time than we do. In actuality, Americans spend more time with their kids now than they did 50 years ago, and the average American still watches up to 20 hours of TV per week. So, we have time, but we’re “simply frittering it away with mindless versions of passive leisure that don’t register as restorative” (The Cult of Busy, Elizabeth Dickenson).
This means that in America at large, and in our church, many of us are experiencing a crisis of both work and rest. We don’t know how to work productively, because we’re approaching it as a status symbol, and we allow it to overrun the banks. But we also don’t know how to rest well, and so we waste it away on silly things like scrolling Instagram and reading ESPN. Left to ourselves, we are a mess.
Do you know what we need? We need God. We need his truth—crystal clear and countercultural, cutting through to the core of our desires and reorienting our hearts.
Listen to what God says in Psalm 127. “It is in vain that you rise up early and go late to rest, eating the bread of anxious toil; for he gives to his beloved sleep.” God doesn’t want us to run around like chickens with no heads from morning to night, trying to get full on constant activity. And Jesus addressed this as well in John 6, where he said, “Do not work for the food that perishes, but for the food that endures to eternal life, which the Son of Man will give to you…Then they said to him, ‘What must we do, to be doing the works of God?’ Jesus answered them, ‘This is the work of God, that you believe in him whom he has sent.’” You see, it’s not the activity of our hands and the slots in our schedules that matter most. It’s the state of our hearts and the object of our faith.
You want to be truly productive, to change the world? Believe in Jesus, receive his grace, worship him, and thus enter into the transcendent work of God. “Be still, and know that he is God,” and that you are not. This reminds us of our need to confess our sins.
Well, if you haven’t noticed, this church has a lot of young families. We all know at least a family or two with young children and if you have you asked one of those parents how they’re doing lately their response probably sounded something like this: “Life with a newborn has been challenging. I’m really, really tired. I don’t know what routine is like any more; and things like relationships, Bible intake and prayer feel…different — if they even happen.” And as you’re listening, you realize this person sounds discouraged.
Whether parents of young children or not, difficult seasons of life find all of us. I’m sure many of you are in one right now. So, I have a question for you: what does God think of you in this difficult season? Perhaps you were once the most regular Bible-reader around but now, in the midst of a chaotic week just trying to keep your family afloat, you’re not even sure where your Bible is. Maybe you used to have plenty of time to develop and maintain deep, life-giving friendships, but the demands of your job seem to be forcing those relationships to the fringes and you’re losing touch with those once-close friends.
In these times, what does God think of you? And, what do you think of you?
There are two terms I’ve found extremely helpful in thinking through difficult seasons in my own life. They are these: union and communion. Everything I just talked about with Bible-intake, prayer, and relating to others fall into the category of communion. Simply put, communion is relating to God and his people. And communion is not always consistent. We oversleep or we hardly get any sleep. We get busy or fall into laziness and don’t make time for these foundational habits of grace. That ‘busy season at work’ seems to be year round now, and there’s a growing distance in our relationships.
Union, however, is very different. This union is our union with Jesus himself. All who are trusting in Jesus are united to Jesus. And being united to Jesus means that he is in us and we are in him. Does this union ebb and flow? Change like the weather? Suffer seasons of distance and hardship? Gloriously, the answer is no!
Our union with Christ is based on his finished work — on Jesus’s own constancy and steadfast love. Does Jesus grow tired and weary? Does he get too busy for you? Is he forgetful? No! Our union with Christ is permanent, stable, unbreakable and infinite.
So back to our question: what does God think of you in your difficult season of life? Where does he look to determine this? To our communion? Or our union? You see, we so often look at our communion to define our standing before God, and no wonder we feel so unsure about his love for us.
But God looks at our union. Which means that when we are at our most pathetic, most broken down, most defeated — when we’ve forgotten how to pray and haven’t read our Bible in weeks and have been absent from God’s visible family — union with Christ means that God’s love for you has not wavered. Not an inch nor for a second. He is here, he is near, with grace sufficient for our every need. Grace to press on and to press in. Grace to draw us back to him. Because he sees us through our union with Christ.
So the exhortation this evening is simple: in this difficult season, see what God sees: look to your union, not your communion.
I fear that many have bought into the principle that, while each of us may be of some benefit to one another in the here and now, in the grand narrative we are relatively inconsequential in the effect we have on each other’s lives.
You may have, in your head and heart, purchased the lie that your presence is irrelevant to the progress and purposes of those around you.
Maybe you have thought…
-I just don’t have the emotional capacity to invest in a large number of relationships
-I wish I had that person’s charisma and charm
-Relationship is unnatural to me
-I don’t have time
-I’m in transition right now, and so it wouldn’t do much good to commit.
If this is you, I’m here to tell you that you are needed.
Because the Spirit of God dwells in those to whom God has given faith. The Holy Spirit, whose work enlivens and sustains God’s people, lives in you and intends to work through you. Which means that your presence (hear that, “your presence”) is of eternal consequence in the people with whom God has surrounded you. Your presence, not personality type, ability to meet for coffee, spiritual gifts, leadership strengths, enneagram number.
I want to tell you that your community needs you.
Exhortation: Give yourself to your community
Redeem that lie that Satan has told you, to keep to yourself, for the truth that you are how God wants to work in community to which you belong. Simply be present in the spaces in which you live, work and play, that you would participate in the joy of being God’s instrument for change.
The word Family is emotionally-loaded. It can warm the soul with nostalgia and wholeness, and it can cut the heart like a dagger. Often, at least in our culture, the word family causes a rolling of the eyes — “Oh, family.…” It connotes a unique kind of annoyance. Sometimes annoyance on the level of laughable, almost loveable, and, other times, an annoyance that says, “That’s the last straw, I’m done with you all.”
And we gauge how someone feels about their family, not by how often they’re together. Some families get together all the time yet show little love for one another. Rather, we gauge someone’s love for their family by how they talk about their family.
Do they talk lovingly of their family members? “She is so hard-working,” “he is so patient,” “they are so kind.”
Do they talk knowledgeably about their family? They know what’s going on in each other’s lives. They know what the struggles are, what the hopes are, and what the joys are.
Do they avoid talking disrespectfully about their family? This is more about what they don’t say than what they do say. Families know one another’s junk, the juicy stories and details; yet they are disciplined enough—even jealous enough—for one another’s honor that they say no to when they feel tempted toward gossip.
So, (1) the word family is emotionally-loaded. (2) We gauge those emotions by how one talks about their family. (3) Loving families are attractive families.
I remember my college buddy Chris. He talked this way about his family, lovingly, knowledgeably, respectfully. The stories he’d tell—their family habits and traditions—it made me want to be a part of it.
I’d go there to visit and never want to leave. I wanted to stay there. I wanted to belong. I wanted to be a part of the love they had for one another. I wanted to be one of them. Not a visitor, but a fellow family member.
Here’s the point of it all in form of a question: How do we talk about our family, the church? Specifically, how do we talk about one another? In our CG’s, in our LG’s, or the people next to us in the pew?
Cities Church, my exhortation to us all is to speak well of our church family, and in so doing make our family attractive to others. May the way we speak about our church family cause those outside the family to want to come in.
And this reminds us of our needs to confess our sins. Pray with me.
An exhortation highlights a specific sin as some way in which we fall short of God’s glory, and then calls those who participate in it to greater things in Jesus. This exhortation concerns the activity and effect of motherhood.
The Activity
What does a mother do? She builds up the house that God has given to her by teaching, training, nurturing, providing for, serving, and looking after the wellbeing of those whom God has brought into it. She invests herself in the growth and establishment of those whom God has entrusted to her.
To me, the word that most closely relates to the work of mothering is “sacrifice.” Which is what I see in my mom, even to this day. And it is what I see in my wife as she gives herself over to the growth of our three children.
The Effect
What is the result of a mother’s work? Men and women who have been taught how to love and follow Jesus. Which means that Christian mothering is a unique expression of the Great Commission
And I think that this is amazing; that by providing meals for her three children, teaching the children at home, training them in various practical and spiritual matters, all while working part-time to help support the family financially, my mom and my wife express the Great Commission.
But Why this Exhortation?
What makes this more than a mashup between a Hallmark card and a Michael W. Smith song? The reason for this exhortation is because we make the theological and practical mistake of limiting the scope of motherhood to anyone who gives birth to a child. We think that the activity of a mom only occurs in a house with four walls and is only accomplished by a woman to whom physical children have been given and that its effect is only felt by the children to whom she has Given birth.
We forget that Jesus, looking at his mother and his spiritual brother John, said, “woman, behold your son!” and, “Son, behold your mother!”
We forget God’s promise in Psalm 113, to “give the barren woman a home, making her the joyous mother of children.
We forget Paul in Romans 16, where he says, “greet Rufus…and his mother, who has become a mother to me.
We limit God’s glorious activity by improperly defining who it is that gets to be a mom.
Exhortation
Your exhortation this morning is to recognize and rejoice over the defining threads of motherhood that run through the fabric of your life.
The older sister who looks after her siblings when mom isn’t around.
The professional that sees the young men and women in her church as younger brothers and sisters, and cares for them as such.
The student who actively seeks the success of the men and women who live in her dorm room.
The childless wife who has become a second mom to a countless number of children around her.
The grandmother whose children have long since left the home, but tirelessly gives of herself to someone else’s children and grandchildren, because God has brought them into her path.
God has called moms of all types for the good of those whom they sacrificially serve. See this, and celebrate it.
Over the last few weeks, we’ve done a series of exhortations focusing on our church’s practice of baptism. We’ve said that baptism is a visible sign of invisible realities. Baptism is public and objective, like a wedding ceremony, and like a wedding ceremony, in baptism God makes promises to us, and we receive those promises by faith, and we also make promises to him. God promises to forgive our sins and transform our lives, and we promise to trust Jesus and follow him as Lord, Savior, and Treasure. In baptism, we publicly identify with Christ and he publicly identifies with us. We say, “You are our God,” and God says, “You are my people.” And last week, Pastor David emphasized that we are credo-baptists, which means that we only baptize those who have made a credible profession of faith in Christ.
In this morning’s exhortation, I simply want to introduce a challenge or tension created by our baptistic convictions. It’s this: how do we, as Baptists, orient to those whose baptismal belief and practice differs from ours? In particular, how do we relate to paedobaptist individuals and churches? Paedobaptism (from the Greek word for “child”; think “pediatric”) is the practice of baptizing the children of believers in infancy in anticipation of their profession of faith in Christ. Rather than baptizing after someone professes faith (as we do), paedobaptists regard baptism as the New Testament counterpart to Old Testament circumcision, and therefore administer the visible, public sign of the covenant to children of Christians.
Now we believe that paedobaptists (Presbyterians, Methodists, Anglicans, Lutherans, Roman Catholics, Greek Orthodox) err in their baptismal theology and practice. We think they’ve got it wrong. At the same time, we don’t believe that misunderstanding and misapplying baptism is essential for someone to be a true Christian. There are genuine believers in all of those other traditions, and we want to celebrate our common confession of faith in the triune God and our salvation in Jesus Christ.
And that creates a tension between two impulses. First, there’s the Baptist impulse—we want to teach and practice according to our baptistic convictions. On the other hand, there’s what I call the Catholicity impulse. The word “catholic” here doesn’t refer to the Roman Catholic Church, but instead means “universal.” This is the recognition that the people of God, Christ’s church, is bigger than our local church, bigger than our denomination, bigger than our theological tribe. And at this church, as at many churches, we have both impulses. We are Baptists, but we know that the church is bigger than us.
And those two impulses create a tension in how we regard the baptisms of other traditions. For example, some Baptists (the majority of current Baptists in America) deny that paedobaptisms are baptisms at all. Like us, they believe that baptism should only be applied to professing believers. And they believe that baptism should be by total immersion in water rather than by sprinkling. And because of that, they say that those who have had water sprinkled on them as infants have not been baptized at all. But nearly all of them also believe that there are genuine Christians who have wrong theology and wrong practice. And so the question is, can such people join our church? “We believe that you’re a genuine Christian. But your theology and practice of baptism is mistaken. So can you join this church?” Or, what about the Lord’s Table? We believe that baptism is the public, formal entry into God’s visible family, and that the Lord’s Table is the regular family meal. And you should publicly join the family before you share the meal. You should be baptized before you come to the Table. So what do you do with someone who was sprinkled as an infant? Can they come to the Lord’s Table?
The pastors have wrestled with this tension for a number of years. We want to faithfully teach and practice from our convictions, and we want to welcome all genuine Christians in Jesus’s name. And in the last year, we’ve come to some clearer convictions about how to honor both the Baptist impulse and the Catholicity impulse. And we’re planning to discuss those clearer convictions at the Congregational Meeting on May 15. So the exhortation this morning is twofold. First, if you’re a member of this church, the pastors want to exhort you to be there on May 15 for this important discussion. Second, and more immediately, I want you to feel the force of both impulses. Feel the importance of believing and practicing your convictions, in living according to the truth, when it comes to baptism, or any other biblical teaching. And feel the importance of welcoming and embracing all genuine Christians in Jesus’s name, recognizing that the people of God extend beyond this local church, our denomination, and our theological tribe. Feel both of them deeply.
This reminds us of our need to confess our sins, so let’s seek him together.
Prayer of Confession
Our God and Father, we come to you to confess our failures. We confess that we have failed to live out and practice our convictions, not mainly about baptism, but about many aspects of the truth. We have heeded the temptation to compromise and water down the truth in order to fit in, in order to be liked, in order to avoid rocking the boat. There are true things that we won’t say or practice because we’re afraid. Rather than fearing you, we have feared men. Forgive us for our cowardice and our hypocrisy. Father, we have also failed to welcome and embrace your people in the name of Jesus. We have wielded our convictions as a weapon against fellow brothers and sisters, not for their good, but for our gain. Forgive us for our impatience with those who differ, for sinfully dividing from other Christians when such division is unwarranted, for refusing to extend the right hand of fellowship across the denominational divide. Both of these, Lord, are great evils.
Father, we know that if we in the church regard sin in our own midst our prayers will be ineffectual. So we confess our individual sins to you now.
Father, we thank you that your mercy meets us in our failures and lifts our heads. Thank you that your church is still one flock with one shepherd, and Christ is that shepherd. By your Holy Spirit, renew our hearts so that our thoughts, desires, loves, words, and deeds align with your own. Through Christ we pray, Amen.
Less than a month ago, I had the great joy of baptizing my twin sons, who are almost nine years old. We celebrated the moment as a family and sought to make memories. We invited family to town. We took all sorts of pictures. Multiple friends captured video for us. We went out to lunch afterwards.
But most memorable of all for my sons was not any of the accompanying aspects. The most memorable part was the baptism itself. The giant trough. The cold water. The packed sanctuary. The full immersion of the body, leaning back in the posture of trust. Then sealing it with the sharing of the Lord’s Table together.
God made baptism to be memorable. He means for it to be an occasion we recall our whole life long, not as the sole basis of our assurance, but as a real and helpful supplement, to remember that gospel-faithful pastors, and a gospel-faithful church heard our profession of faith, saw our newness of life, and said, We believe you are Christ’s.
Here at Cities Church, we are believer-baptists (often called credo-baptists). We baptize professing believers alone. We believe that baptism, like the Lord’s Supper, is to be received by faith, and not be administered to those who do not offer a credible profession of faith in Christ alone.
All our members have covenanted together “to welcome, test biblically, and apply instruction from the Scriptures by the elders of the church which accords with the Leader Affirmation of Faith,” which defines baptism as:
"an ordinance of the Lord by which those who have repented and come to faith express their union with Christ in his death and resurrection, by being immersed in water in the name of the Father and the Son and the Holy Spirit."
As pastors, and as a church, we do not believe that baptism is properly applied to infants who do not profess faith. In fact, just as the Lord’s Table is a means of blessing or curse, depending on whether someone partakes in faith or not (1 Corinthians 11:27–32), we believe baptism is a means of grace to those who receive it in faith, and consider it very unwise to administer the sacrament to any who do not profess faith.
The exhortation this morning is this: Cities Church, cherish your baptism. It is a great gift from God when gospel-faithful pastors at a gospel-faithful church hear your profession of faith, and see your newness of life, and say, “We believe you are Christ’s.” Cherish that. Remember that. In your moments of temptation and doubt, remember God’s invisible word to you, experienced so concretely and memorably in the waters of baptism: “You are mind. I will keep you. Trust in me.”
And if you’re among us this morning, and you love Jesus, and have not been baptized as a Christian, we want to exhort you to make a memory that will be enduringly good for your soul. It will be a means of God’s grace to you, and to others in this church and in your life. We know that with every passing year, if you’ve long been a Christian, but have not been baptized as a believer, it can become more and more difficult. We understand that. And as baptists, we admire when someone says, I’m not putting this off any longer. Let’s do this. I’d love to talk with you about it. All our pastors would be eager to talk and help you wrestle.
But the main exhortation is for the baptized to cherish your baptism. Rehearse the glory of it, not only when you witness the baptisms of others, but remember your baptism, and the statement that was made to you in it by God himself: “You are mine.”
Prayer of Confession
Father, how precious is your grace to us in the waters of baptism. We were born into sin. We walked according to the pattern of this fallen world. We were by nature children of wrath, and yet your grace broke in. You caused us to be born again. You gave us the gift of faith. You began a good work in us and by your Spirit gave us the first steps of walking in newness of life. Help us to cherish afresh, and continually, your grace to us demonstrated in the memorable act of baptism. May baptism never be boring to us. Help us to see and feel its glory and walk increasingly as those who have been claimed by you and set apart as your people.
And now Father, forgive us, we pray, for the many ways we still fall short, as we confess our individual sins to you in this moment of silence . . .
Father, we praise you as the one who took action to save us. You planned it from before the foundation of the world. You sent your Son, and your Spirit. You took the initiative. You made us your own, and captured it in the strikingly memorable experience of baptism. Grant us your ongoing grace to walk more and more in light of the new identity in Christ to which our baptism testifies first to us, then to the church, and then to the world. In Jesus’s name we pray. Amen.
There’s this story of the early church father, Augustine, and he was taking a walk along the beach, and he was getting stuck in his mind as he was trying to meditate on God. And as he’s walking, he sees a boy playing with a shell, splashing around on the shore, and so he asks the boy what he was doing? And the boy says that he’s putting the ocean inside his shell. And Augustine keeps walking and realizes that’s what he’s doing as he was meditating and thinking about God. He was trying to fit the ocean of the infinite knowledge of God into the small shell of his mind.
God gave us our minds and wants us to use it, and yet God isn’t asking that we have it all figured out when we turn from ourselves and our sins and trust in Jesus. Everyone believes in light. But how many of us have figured out how light can be both a wave and a particle, at the same time. But we can still believe in light because in and through the light we can see and make sense of the world around us.
At the heart of the Bible is God redeeming humanity back into relationship with himself. And this redemption is woven across all of Scripture. And the climax of this redemption is in Jesus at the cross. Jesus died in our place so that we can die to our sin and Jesus rose from the dead so that we can find newness of life in him.
Our mind’s capacity is just a small shell to the infinite ocean of the knowledge and glory of God, but God would not want us to be just sitting on the sand just looking at the immensity of the ocean and saying, it's too much. He would want us to be like that kid that Augustine saw, who is on the shore, enjoying the water, splashing around and trying to put the ocean inside his shell.
God wants us to enjoy him in all of life through what he has done for us in Jesus as revealed through his Word so that as we obey him, and trust him, we are also enjoying him and finding ultimate satisfaction for our souls as we continue to comprehend him more and more.
Prayer of Confession
Heavenly Father,
We come before you knowing that you are the judge of all the earth, that you are just in all your ways and yet we also come before you knowing that you are rich in mercy. That your steadfast love knows no end. Help us to love you and love others well. Help us to follow you even as we continue to comprehend who you are. Give us the grace to continue to know your Word and treasure it in our hearts. Give us satisfaction in you, to be able to delight in you. Give us the sight to see Jesus for who he really is. Help us to examine ourselves for we know that you are faithful and just to forgive us of all sin, and so we confess our individual sins to you now in this silence.…
Father, you are the ultimate source of joy. And you find your ultimate joy in your son, Jesus, the one who gave himself for us. He was rejected so we can be welcomed. He was forsaken, so we would never be abandoned. He chose death so we can be alive, he was found guilty so we can be found innocent, he tasted wrath so we can taste mercy and grace. He was humiliated, but now he is exalted. Father, you take our sin and because your Son’s blood you forgive us and clean us. We thank you, by your Spirit and in Jesus name. Amen.
As a church we are working through 1st Timothy, and I was given the privilege to give an exhortation on 1 Timothy 4:7, 8
"Have nothing to do with irreverent, silly myths. Rather train yourself for godliness; for while bodily training is of some value, godliness is of value in every way, as it holds promise for the present life and also for the life to come."
Like many of you here, I have a competitive athletic background and still am physically active, so when I read this passage I get excited. What do you think excites me? What jumps out is the phrase: "bodily training is of some value". Bodily training is valuable, it's good!
All the years of intense training I put in, all that work, for sports, it's of some value, God says so! So, I should talk about how bodily training is important because the Bible says so. I want to be honest with you guys: for me to think that way is dangerous, because it's conforming scripture me. "It puts the emPHAsis on the wrong sylLAble" We are all tempted to read INto the Bible what we want to see; to put pressure on God's word rather than let it exert its pressure on us. So, brief warning: be careful. Know what your own blinders are, what you focus on, because they can detract from what God is trying to tell you.
The point in this verse is so much better than simply a call to workout:
"Have nothing to do with irreverent, silly myths." Have nothing to do with false, non-Gospel teaching. "Rather train yourself for godliness." Train yourself for the godliness that you've already been given through Jesus Christ, Train yourself for that. Don't train for a prize that perishes.
"for while bodily training is of some value, godliness is of value in every way, as it holds promise for the present life and also for the life to come."
This is the training we are to set our life on. This is the point of this passage, and Paul makes the same point in 1 Corinthians 9:24-25
"Do you not know that in a race all the runners run, but only one receives the prize? So run that you may obtain it. Every athlete exercises self-control in all things. They do it to receive a perishable wreath, but we an imperishable."
This is not written to praise bodily training; it's simply not the point. The point is one of comparison. If athletes will go through intense training for a temporary benefit, how much more should we train for godliness, which promises a better reward both today and for eternity?
There are many benefits to physical training, but its greatest benefit is the intense picture it gives of what our training in godliness should be like.
As important as the athlete's body is to him, let your godliness be even more important to you.
As loud as the sprinter's lungs feel, train your compassion to be even louder in your chest.
As the gymnast daily stretches her muscles to create more flexible joints, daily encourage the stretching of your patience to create a more patient heart.
As the football player memorize his playbook, study the word of God with even more earnestness.
As the gym rat refuses to miss a day of bench press or curls, be even more stubborn in your daily prayers.
As a soccer player knows she needs her teammates to spur her on to harder workouts, seek even more to surround yourself with encouraging fellow Christians.
As the boxer knows he must win the small fights if he ever wants a title shot, we must know that only if we're faithful in the little things will we be faithful in the big things.
How much more wonderful will our reward be?!
As the wrestler is aware of both his weaknesses and his strengths, be even more intimately aware of yours.
As the fencer diligently studies film of his opponent, be even more shrewd in the schemes of the evil one.
As sensitive as the pitcher is to the slightest decrease in his fastball, train yourself to be even more sensitive to any backsliding.
As the Olympic weightlifter avoids even a single banned substance because of the potential consequences four years down the road, avoid even the smallest sin because of the greater consequences.
As the marathoner pants for streams of Gatorade, train your soul to pant for God.
As trusting as the football player is of his coach, trust the Lord even more.
As the bodybuilder endures hunger and thirst for the temporary glory on stage, let us hunger and thirst for "the earth to be filled with the glory of God"
Do you see the calling we have? The intense training plan we’ve been given?
These athletes know that all their efforts and pain will work for their athletic good, let us know more surely that God is working all of our sufferings for our eternal good. God is inviting us to train for godliness because it will benefit us both today and for eternity, for our joy and His glory. But, we don’t always do this, and this reminds us of our need to Confess.
Father, We don't train for godliness as we ought to, none of us do. We thank you that our salvation is by your grace through faith in Christ alone, but this great salvation deserves all we have. We confess that we often seek the glory that comes from other people more than the glory that comes from you. Forgive us for our spiritual lethargy and laziness, for not taking seriously enough your call to godliness for not trusting you when say it has great value in this life and the life to come.
Father, we confess that we often don’t train for godliness because our love for you is too small. And if we in the church regard sin in our own midst, our prayers will be ineffectual, so we confess our individual sins to you now.
In last week’s exhortation, Pastor Jonathan talked about how baptism makes faith — which is invisible — visible by publicly identifying with Jesus through the act of being baptized. This week, I’m picking up on his language of baptism being “a visible symbol of a spiritual reality,” but coming at it from another angle.
Yesterday, I attended a wedding ceremony. One of the highlights of every Christian wedding is the exchange of vows between the bride and groom. And, yesterday, over two-hundred people witnessed the couple make their promises to one another. The congregation heard the vows, felt the earnestness of the commitments, and saw the sincere love the groom had for his bride, and her’s for him. Finally, the couple sealed their vows with the exchange of rings. And now, for the rest of their lives, those little cylinders of precious metal and stone will function as a visible symbol of the spiritual reality of their one-flesh union.
Hearing their vows caused me to think about the solemnness of vow making and the rarity of hearing people make vows. The only other vows I could think of were friends vowing to pay me back, the vows we make to one another as members of Cities Church, and baptismal vows — which, for many of us, are fresh on our minds.
The Significance of Vows Vows are meaningful and binding because our God is a vow making and vow keeping God. As we see in Scripture, he is always true to his word and delivers on every one of his promises. In the gospel, God has made vows to us. He has vowed to forgive you of all your sins and to credit you with Jesus’s righteousness. He has vowed to be your God and to keep you as his people. He has vowed to never leave you or forsake you. And as a sign and seal of his promises, he has given you his Holy Spirit as the guarantee that he keep you in this life and in the next. In response to the vows God has made to us in the gospel, we also make vows to him.
A moment ago, I mentioned baptismal vows. Last week, if you were here, you witnessed fourteen people vow to trust in Jesus alone for the forgiveness of their sins and the fulfillment of all God’s promises. They vowed to forsake Satan and all his works and all his ways; and, with God’s help, to obey the teachings of Jesus and to follow him as their Lord, Savior, and Treasure. But why then did they have to get wet? Why wasn’t the confession of their vows to God enough? What does baptism do that speech alone cannot?
The Significance of Symbols To help us answer those questions, I want us to think about the significance of a wedding ring.
By God’s power, the couple who was married yesterday will keep their vows, but — as with all marriages — it will be a struggle. One of the means that God will use to assist them in their vow keeping will be the rings upon their fingers. Anytime one of them begins to stray, the objective, physical, metallic band around their ring finger ought to remind them of the promises they made to their spouse. Moreover, any one of those two-hundred witnesses has the right and the obligation to point to that ring and charge them, again, to uphold the vows they made.
Brothers and sisters, you too, by God’s power, will persevere in faith and faithfulness to God, but — as with all Christians — it will be a struggle. One of the most significant means of grace that God will use to keep you along the way is your baptism. Anytime you begin to stray, remember your baptism. Remember who you were before stepping into that baptismal. Remember your identification with Jesus’s death as your body was immersed under that bone-chilling water. Remember the joy and newness of life you experienced as you rose to the cheering and celebration of your church family. And if you don’t remember, expect that your brothers and sisters, those who witnessed your baptism, will lovingly charge you to uphold your baptismal vows.
The physical and objective nature of baptism seals your vows to God in a tangible way that words alone cannot. It gives you a marker in space and time of your professed and public faith. It ties your abstract words to faith filled action.
So, church, my extortion to you this morning is this: remember your baptism. Remember Jesus’s work in your life and the vows you made to him by calling to mind your physical and public identification with him.
Okay, imagine for a minute that two people are standing up here side by side. There is one person here, and one person here. This one person believes the gospel of Jesus Christ, and this other person does not. Imagine that.
It means that this one person believes that God created us but that we have been separated from God because our sin, and no matter how hard we try, we can never make it back to God on our own — but, because God is rich in mercy, because God is great in love, although we can’t make it back to God, God himself has come to us. This person believes that Jesus, God the Son, came here to this earth and walked in our shoes; he experienced all the temptations of life that we have experienced, except that Jesus was always faithful, always perfect — and because of his love for us, Jesus went to the cross and he died in our place. This person believes that Jesus suffered the punishment they deserved for their sins, and that after Jesus died, on the third day he was raised from dead. And now, because of what Jesus has done, we can all be forgiven and brought back into a relationship with God if we just turn from our sins and trust in Jesus.
This person believes that, and has done that, which means, this person, standing right here, is a Christian.
But the other person, standing here beside them, this person doesn’t believe those things at all. This person thinks he’s okay with God, that he’s not a bad guy, and that religion is just not his thing. This person is a decent person, but he doesn’t trust in Jesus, which means, this person is not a Christian.
Now, imagine these two people standing here side by side; they both believe something very different about Jesus — but by looking at these two people, do they look any different? When you look into a crowd of people, or at two people standing side by side, by just looking at the people, can you know who trusts in Jesus and who doesn’t?
The answer is no way. Now, if you got to observe someone’s whole life over time, you could probably discern whether or not they believe in Jesus.(This is the principle of a tree bearing fruit of its kind.) If you watched long enough, you would probably tell if someone was a Christian, but most of the time nobody can just look at two people and know who believes in Jesus and who doesn’t.
That’s because so much of the Christian life is invisible. Faith itself is mostly unseen. And that is what makes baptism and the Lord’s Table so fascinating. With so much of our faith invisible, Jesus has given us these amazingly dramatic symbols to show the world that we belong to him. Today, during our baptisms, that is what these people are saying. They are saying, and demonstrating in their baptism, “I trust in Jesus!” Baptism is one of those rare moments when you can look at someone — as they are immersed into the water and then resurrected — you can look at them say, “Those people are Christians!”
And we are excited to celebrate that together.
Prayer of Confession Father, in this moment we acknowledge your goodness. You are good to all, and your mercy is over all that you have made. Everything around us in creation testifies to your glory; everything around us is a symbol of your worth; and yet, so often, we ignore you. We see who you are in what you’ve made, and we do not give thanks to you as we ought. Forgive us, Father, for this sin. Forgive us for distracting ourselves away from your nearness and love. Forgive us for this sin, and for other sins, and in this moment, by your Spirit, lead us in a time of silent confession.
What do you do when God doesn’t feel near?
Recognizing that there are external life circumstances that contribute to this — trauma, broken relationships, moving to a new location — I think that most of us would admit to experiencing persistent bouts of the absence of God’s felt presence; that this is something common to following Jesus. That it is normal.
Why is this the case? I think because for fear and pride, and countless other reasons, we don’t put ourselves in the paths of God’s presence in specific enough ways. The other day I was brought back to a passage that I had lived in a few years ago. I had attempted to memorize it, I thought about it on long walks as I was memorizing it, and, naturally, I brought it up often in conversation.
And every time I came back to this text, it seemed as if God was moving towards me. And I think it is because my heart towards this particular part of Scripture transitioned from simply seeing it as, “God’s word” to it being, “God’s message to me.” The more time I spent in it, the more time God would speak through its unchanging truths into the ever-changing landscape that was my life.
Maybe you, out of a fear of true intimacy with the living God, have contented yourself with approaching the Bible as God’s book, but have not treated it like God’s word to you. Maybe you have yet to know personally the resonance we have with God through his message. There is grace for you.
In 1833, the British Parliament voted decisively to abolish the practice of slavery throughout the empire. It was a momentous feat cultivated and championed primarily by a few influential friends who responded to the call of God on their lives. Today, many of us have heard the name William Wilberforce, the politician typically credited with the eventual defeat of the evil of slavery across the English territories. Perhaps more of us would be familiar with the story of one John Newton, the former swash-buckling slave trade captain who was miraculously converted to Christianity and would go on to write the beloved hymn Amazing Grace. However, I would venture to guess that far fewer know the story of Hannah More, the poet, playwright, author, teacher, and close friend of these two men, who would come to be regarded as one of the most quietly influential women of the early 19th century, who was likely even more critical to swaying public opinion on the controversial topic than anyone else.
Hannah More became a remarkable person, but she was born in a fairly unremarkable setting. Her father ran a charity school just outside London, and by the ripe age of 16, Hannah would start her career as a teacher at the school. At 18, Hannah wrote her first play, called The Search After Happiness, which, like much of what would come later in her life, was both entertaining yet illuminating in its message. By the age of 35, Hannah had written several best-selling plays, one of which was found in Mozart's possession upon his death in 1791. Around the same time that her fame was beginning to grow in the circles of the social elite, Hannah began encountering the written works of John Newton, who had become an Anglican minister and wrote with such gospel force that Jesus began to shape Hannah's work. As Eric Metaxas writes in his book 7 Women, "Hannah More understood that the culture in which one lived was as much or more influenced by the arts than by legislation, and she undertook to use her gifts in God's service. She did not wish to retreat from culture into a religious sphere, but rather to advance with the wisdom and truth of religion into the cultural sphere."
By age 50, Hannah had met John Newton and William Wilberforce personally and started lasting friendships with these guys. Wilberforce would write in his diary that he felt God had called him to the suppression of the slave trade and the reformation of the British society, which was at the time adrift and far from God. In these twin missions, Hannah would become one of his closest collaborators. While Wilberforce would fight for decades in the halls of Parliament, arguing, debating, and convincing fellow legislators to see the horrors of slavery, Hannah would set her mind to the public, publishing simple tracts, the 18th century equivalent of blog posts, that would help ordinary citizens see the God-given dignity and humanity of their African brethren. Their labors, though they would take more than 30 years, were eventually successful.
And the way they worked together, the building of structures, laws, and official consensus by Wilberforce, combined with Hannah's flourishing and persuasive prose that filled the minds and motivated the hearts of the people, is in a way, a beautiful illustration of the myriad of ways that men and women contribute in God's plans for humanity. Both were critical. Both were visible. Both were fighting for a mission greater than themselves, seeking to glorify God and love their neighbors, in distinct yet dependent ways. And our world is better for it, and it needs more of it. So our exhortation today is first, to recall the culture-shaping faith of Hannah More and William Wilberforce, and second, in your own life, to seek to apply the simple words of Micah 6:8, "What does the LORD require of you but to do justice, and to love kindness, and to walk humbly with your God?"
God is God, and he is good.
Psalm 100:5 says “For the LORD is good; his steadfast love endures forever….” Our circumstances and feelings don’t change who he is. Circumstances and feelings might try and tell us about God but we need to make sure we see God for who he really is in Scripture and through Jesus.
And yet we are embodied, emotion filled beings—that’s how we were created. Emotions aren’t bad; don’t just put on a bold face and check out emotionally, but don’t be dominated by your emotions either.
When Lazarus died, Jesus knew more truth and had more hope than anyone in that situation and yet what does he do? He weeps. God the Son, isn’t impulsive and emotionally driven, and yet he also doesn’t check out emotionally. Pain as invisible—as it can be sometimes—is still real, and God calls us to go to him and be real with him, no matter the circumstance, no matter what the situation is.
When you’re in a difficult circumstance, don’t allow that situation to dictate to you God’s character. Don’t let the hard things in life question if God is for you and if he loves you. As Romans 8:28 says,
And we know that for those who love God all things work together for good, for those who are called according to his purpose.
No matter what your tendency is, whether it’s to be led by your emotions or to be emotionally detached the answer is still the same.
Take your emotions, or your lack of emotions, and surrender them and your entire being to Jesus knowing that God is good—even in the midst of hard circumstances.
Prayer
Father, you have said in Isaiah 55:8–9 that your thoughts are not our thoughts, neither are our ways your ways, for as the heavens are higher than the earth, so are your ways higher than our ways and your thoughts higher than our thoughts.
Help us to know who you are not based on our feelings or circumstances but based on the truth of your Word. Forgive us for not trusting you, for allowing other voices to be louder in our minds than yours. We come to you and confess our individual sins to you now in the silence of our hearts.
Psalm 32:5:
I acknowledged my sin to you, and I did not cover my iniquity; I said, “I will confess my transgressions to the Lord,” and you forgave the iniquity of my sin.
By Jesus’ death and the blood he shed on our behalf we are able to have our sins forgiven and have a relationship with you. We thank you that no matter our circumstances we can declare, “Blessed be the name of the Lord, the one who deserves all worship and honor and glory…” Or, Psalm 73:26, "My flesh and my heart may fail, but you God are the strength of my heart and my portion forever.” Amen.
I’m sure that at some point you’ve been asked to describe yourself in two or three words. Or maybe you’ve tried to describe a friend of yours that way. Let’s say we’re having a conversation and I’m telling you about my friend Matthew. You ask me what he’s like and expect me to say something like, “Matthew is average height… he’s funny… and he works at a coffee shop.” Instead, after you ask me what Matthew is like, I pause, and after a moment of thought say, “My friend Matthew… he’s... sober-minded.”
Now I’d be really interested to hear what your first thought about Matthew was… What’s your immediate impression of my friend? That his personality is a bit dry? That his outlook on life is a little stiff? Maybe too serious? Hasn’t had a good laugh in few weeks?
I was struck by this term “sober-minded” recently as I was in a season of meditating on the book of 1 Peter. It occurs three times is the short letter - here the are:
Preparing your minds for action and being sober-minded, set your hope fully on the grace that will be brought to you at the revelation of Jesus Christ.
The end of all things is at hand; therefore be self-controlled and sober-minded for the sake of your prayers.
Be sober-minded, be watchful. Your adversary the devil prowls around like a roaring lion, seeking someone - someone like you — to devour.
Now what we see here is that a sober-minded person is not someone who is just thoughtful, or quiet, or introverted, or somewhat more serious than the rest of us. It’s not a personality-type, or a temperament that you either have or you don’t.
I even wonder if we hear the term “sober-minded” and think something closer to “somber-minded.” Let’s be clear - to be sober-minded is emphatically not to be somber!
Instead, the sober-minded person has a certain perspective. A unique way of looking at things. There is a clarity of mind here. It’s a deep, cultivated, lived sense of reality. It shapes our worldview, down to the thousands of little decisions we make every day.
A sober-minded Christian is a glad Christian who lives their life with refreshing clarity. So, church, I exhort you:
Let us recognize that we are at war, and fight for our lives lest we be devoured.
Let us know - to make ourselves know! - that Jesus is coming, soon, and order your days and your prayers accordingly.
And most of all, let us gladly, fully, set our hope on the grace of Jesus, who is for you, and will keep you.
In other words, I exhort you, be sober-minded.
This is Isaiah 46 …
God has planned all of history and purposed all of the created order to one end; that he would be most glorified. And this glory is most uniquely revealed in the form of a people who love God together and make him the focal point of their attention and affection. And the means by which God raises up this people is through salvation. Or, as we see it on this side of the New Testament, through the death and resurrection of Jesus Christ God takes a people who were rebellious, purchases their forgiveness, and frees them to love him. That he would be most glorified in them.
Or, God’s purposed glory in a redeemed people
Manner But what about the manner? By what natural efforts does God accomplish this purpose? How does intend to bring about men and women who love him.
The Bible’s answer is to “make disciples”.
And I think that many of us have missed it; that we have dropped the ball on our role in the grand scheme of God’s eternal glory.
Particularly because of individualism. Which is the idea that I have my life and you have yours, and they can intersect as long as it is in ways that I deem appropriate.
So your exhortation this morning is to see the spaces of your life as settings for discipleship. Make disciples, whether that be at the office, in the kitchen, behind the textbook, or in front of the audience. Teach what you know about God’s word, model what it looks like to live it out, and coach others in applying it to life.
See your life as an integral part in the grand scheme of God’s purposes.
Racism in America, at one level, is complex. The racial evils that have been committed in this country over the last 300 years are vast, and for a large part of that history, some Christians have been at worst proponents and at least complicit with the racism, whether that meant endorsing chattel slavery in the 1800s, or segregation in the 1950s, or apathy in the present day. Racism in America, at one level, is complex.
And it’s complex because racism is mainly a heart problem — it’s an individual problem — but it gets manifested all kinds of different ways outside the individual that ends up becoming bigger than the individual. And then those things get stuck in the air, as it were, and it becomes the way things are, the air we breathe, and we don’t even realize it.
Racism is one of the few things in life that is so widely witnessed but so rarely claimed. If you asked most people, Do you to prejudge, discriminate, or feel antagonistic toward people of a different race because you think they’re inferior? Most individuals, I think, would say to that question, no way. Most people don’t claim racism, but then we look around and we know something is not right. And good intentions are not good enough. And before long, we’re back into the complexity, and some scholars believe that complexity is what has silenced many Evangelicals for so long (see Michael Emerson and Christian Smith, Divided by Faith). It’s too complicated. Racism in America, at one level, is complex.
But then, at another level, racism is not complex at all. Because racism, whatever the form, however it’s manifested, is always wrong. And that’s because racism’s problem is first and foremost with God, who never changes. Racism is first and foremost an offense to God, who, as the Father from whom every family is named, created every individual and every ethnicity in his image.
God is the Maker of all mankind, and the differences that exist among all peoples are good. God made them to be a reflection of his glory, not to divide us, but to unite us in one, glorious chorus of praise to him. And the world is trending toward that chorus. One day Revelation 5 will be reality, and the redeemed from every tribe and tongue and people, and nation will worship Jesus together. That is our straightforward hope. The Bible is clear. And that means, church, we should not be silenced by the so-called complexity. The exhortation is: don’t be. Be clear that God is God over all peoples, and that our worth and dignity as human beings come from him.
Prayer of Confession Father, have mercy on us, as a church and as a nation. In recent weeks the headlines in our country have reminded us that racism still exists. It is a problem in this present day, and while most would decry its injustice, they lack the foundations as to why and they lack the resources for hope. But Father, you have given us both — and forgive us, please, for the ways that we have failed in our stewardship. Forgive us for bowing to the complexity, for the things we have done and the things we have left undone.
Last Tuesday in the state of Virginia an abortion bill was presented that would remove all restrictions to abortion in the third trimester. This was the same as the bill that was passed in New York, which means that up until the point of actual delivery, the child could be aborted.
Then on Wednesday last week, the governor of Virginia, Ralph Northam, commented on this bill and gave an example of a third-trimester abortion. He said,
I can tell you exactly what would happen, the infant would be delivered. The infant would be kept comfortable. The infant would be resuscitated if that’s what the mother and the family desired, and then a discussion would ensue between the physicians and the mother.
And that discussion he is referring to is whether or not the mother wants to end the child’s life. Which means, just to be clear here, we’re talking about infanticide — this is the murder of infants. To have no restrictions on third-trimester abortions allow for this, and the reason why pro-abortion delegates advocate for no restrictions is because they realize the logical contradiction of their position. They know that if they protect the child’s life outside the womb it would confer human rights to the child, and that would then undermine abortion altogether. Because the question would be: If the child should be protected outside the womb, why not inside? And if the child should be protected at, say, 38 weeks, why not 32? Why not 24? Why not 12? And see at this point the whole discussion becomes philosophical and scientific, and pro-abortion advocates do not like to go there — because it does not work.
The governor of Virginia does not want to have that discussion, but instead he thinks that discussions should be had between a mother and her doctor about whether to end the life of an infant who has been born.
And millions of people applaud him … until it is exposed that he is racist — which deserves its own exhortation next week.
But for right now, we just need to say plainly that this man’s view of children is morally repulsive. And no nuance is required.
Now life is complex, and there are many times when nuance is helpful, but there are other times when things must be said straight. We don’t always have to say, “Yeah, but.” Especially when we’re talking about sin. That’s the exhortation. Know how to call sin what it is, and know how to say it plainly.
When it comes to abortion …
It is sin to intentionally kill innocent human beings; and
Abortion intentionally kills innocent human beings; and therefore,
abortion is sin.
Prayer of Confession Father, the only reason we can be honest about our sin is because of your mercy. Forgive us for the ways that we belittle the depths of your mercy by smoothing over the surface of sin. Thank you, Father, for your revealed will — that you have told us what is right and good, and you have told us what is not. And now as we ponder our own hearts, we acknowledge that we have offended your will in thought, word, and deed. We have sinned against you in the things we have done, and in the thing we have left undone.
We’ve mentioned before that in this series we want to talk about the relationship between nature, Scripture, and culture. Nature refers to God’s design and purpose embedded in the creatures that he has made, the built-in tendencies and trajectories that make us what we are as human beings. Scripture refers to the declarations, promises, and commands of God in the Bible. Culture is the expression and application of nature (and in our case, also of Scripture) in a particular time and place. For many of us, the category of nature is still a bit confusing, so I thought I’d take this exhortation to describe four stages or states of human nature.
Human Nature’s Fourfold State First, there is our original nature. This is what we have by virtue of God’s creating us as his image-bearers. Our original nature is good, and directs to the purposes for which we were made. But because of the Fall and the entrance of sin, we never encounter our original nature directly. Instead, we have to deal with our corrupted nature. This is human nature as it has been distorted by human sin and decay and death. This is what Paul refers to when he says that we are “by nature children of wrath.” Our corrupt nature means that the original tendencies and trajectories of our original nature have been derailed and disordered. They veer from their true purpose, and in doing so, become unnatural.
But, the fact that our nature is corrupted doesn’t mean that it’s abolished. Nature is a stubborn thing, and even though it has been corrupted, we can still recognize God’s imprint and handiwork despite the sin that mars us. For example, God intended masculine strength to be directed toward subduing the earth, exercising dominion, and providing and protecting those under a man’s care. But sin twists masculine strength, either by leaving it idle and useless, or by making it tyrannical and oppressive. The strength is still there; our original nature is present, but it’s been corrupted. Similarly, God intended women to provide counsel and wisdom as they assist men in fulfilling God’s mission. By their presence and their words, women were to influence and inspire men to complete God’s task. But sin twists feminine counsel and influence, by attempting to sap men of their strength, or by encouraging them to act in ways that are contrary to God’s law. The influence is still there; the original nature is present, but it’s been corrupted. And this means that, whenever we witness an act of our corrupt nature, we should ask, “What part of our original nature is under there? What good is being twisted by human brokenness and rebellion?” Beneath our corruptions lies God’s original design.
But we can’t return to that original design on our own. That’s what the gospel is for. The Spirit of God works through the preaching of his word to overcome our corruption and renew our nature. Now, in Christ, we have a redeemed nature. Aspects of our corruption still remain; we are still “in the flesh.” But we are not dominated by our sin and corruption as we were. Grace has changed us and begun a restoration project. This restoration project is incomplete in this life. But it is the down payment of our future inheritance, when God fully and finally transforms us. This is glorified nature, when the whole person, body and mind, is entirely delivered from sin and death and decay, and we finally attain God’s original purposes for human beings.
Original nature. Corrupted nature. Redeemed nature. Glorified nature. What should we do with this knowledge in the present moment? The word of God addresses us as human beings. God’s external, authoritative word reminds us of our original nature; it clarifies God’s original design for us. It also crucifies and corrects our corrupted nature, reordering us to God’s purposes. God’s word renews and strengthens our redeemed nature, so that we may resist the pull of temptation and sin, and walk by the Spirit. And God’s word promises and points us to our glorified nature.
This reminds us of our need to confess our sins, so let’s seek the Lord’s mercy together now.
To redeem something is to do whatever is necessary to bring that thing you treasure back into your possession; that is, to buy it back at whatever cost. And the act of redemption includes finding that sought-after possession. It means that the treasure, which was once in darkness, is illuminated.
Here is some illumination for you, which should benefit your lives greatly. In the foyer at the entrance of the church is a table with lost and found on it, which includes a few bins of stuff; mugs, jackets, kids stuff, and bibles. It all needs to be found! It needs to be redeemed by its owner. And it is free! All it takes is recognizing that you lost it, miss it, and want it back.
The light of redemption: To a much greater degree, each one of us is in darkness and in desperate need of having the light of redemption shine on us. We are cold and need warmth. We are blind and need to have our path revealed. We need the gospel light of Christ to penetrate our darkness.
So your exhortation this morning is to go check for your stuff! Bring back those miniature, broke-down, will-one-day-burn treasures back into your possession, that God might squeeze out a few more drops of grace for you from them.
GET FOUND! But for real, your true exhortation is to get found!
Like Ruth, who put continued to put herself in the path of her redeemer Boaz that she and her family might be rescued; put yourself in the paths of grace, where the warmth of Jesus Christ shines. Find people who love Jesus together and give yourself over to them. Commit to them. Read, pray, and meditate on God’s Word. Sit under good preaching. Get counseling. Dedicate yourself being found and met by Jesus Christ.
Do whatever it takes to be found by Christ.
You can fool yourself, you might be able to fool other people but you can’t fool God.
In an interview, Bob Cousy, a former NBA player in the hall of fame, was recalling his religious experience, and he said something that caught my attention, he said “We used to go to confession. Why did we go? We did something wrong and needed to get it off our conscience. The priest listened and said, ‘Don't do it again.’ So, you walk out of there feel ing like you don't need anything more than that.”
That is not how the Bible views sin and confession. Sin isn’t a guilty feeling to get off our conscience. Sin is rebelling against God’s loving authority. It is the self-elevation of ourselves, whenever we try to play God. Sin can be actions that can be clearly recognized like murder or adultery, but sin can also be hidden from recognition in the inner workings of our heart and mind like lust and anger.
Hebrews 4:13 says “no creature is hidden from his sight, but all are naked and exposed to the eyes of him to whom we must give account.”
And so, again, people can fool other people, but no one fools God.
Psalm 139:1–4 (ESV): “O Lord, you have searched me and known me! 2 You know when I sit down and when I rise up; you discern my thoughts from afar. 3 You search out my path and my lying down and are acquainted with all my ways. 4 Even before a word is on my tongue, behold, O Lord, you know it altogether.”
We are completely known by God. David here exclaims “You have searched me and known me!” God knows everything about us. In fact not only does he know us as much as we know ourselves but he actually knows us better than we know ourselves. He knows our words before we speak them, he knows our thoughts before we have them. He knows everything about us even the worst parts and he has still chosen to love us and save us.
And so we go to God with our sin because we recognize that Jesus has paid the price for our sin and so we can go to our Heavenly Father not in fear but in humility knowing that he already knows everything about us. We don’t confess our sins because God doesn’t know about them but we do it because he does know about them and so when we confess our sins to God, even in the silence of our heart, we are declaring to ourselves and to God our need for him and the forgiveness he offers through Jesus.
Father, nothing is hidden from your sight, everything is uncovered before you. Even the darkness, is not dark to you, the night is as bright as the day, for darkness is as light with you. We say along with the Psalmist “Search us, O God, know our hearts! By the grace that saved us we ask for the grace to recognize and renounce the sin in our lives.
So in this moment everybody in this room has some kind of soul-posture toward God. And ultimately there are just two kinds: we either have a soul-posture of faith or a soul-posture of unbelief. You are either wanting to move toward God or you are trying to avoid him.
And I’m going to assume that because we are here, at least in a broad sense, we all have a posture of faith. We have not given up. Our souls are looking to God.
And how our souls do that looks different at different times.
Psalm 130:5,
I wait for the Lord, my soul waits, and in his word I hope; my soul waits for the Lord more than watchmen for the morning, more than watchmen for the morning.
In this psalm the soul is like a watchman — which means a solider — who is standing guard all night long, desperately waiting for daylight. That is an image of faith in God.
Then, in the very next psalm, Psalm 131:2,
But I have calmed and quieted my soul, like a weaned child with its mother; like a weaned child is my soul within me.
Now in this psalm the soul is like a content toddler sitting comfortably in the lap of his mother. That is an image of faith in God.
Think about the two images. Both psalms are showing us the soul-posture of faith toward God —
one is a soldier holding a spear; the other is a two-year-old holding a sippy cup;
one feels the risk of his vulnerability; the other is in the bliss of security
one is weary from the waiting; the other has every single need met.
And both are faith. Both souls are looking to God, they just look different.
And as a church, our mutual understanding of these differences will make us profoundly welcoming.
Some of you this morning have souls that are tired because you’ve just been waiting and waiting and waiting for the sun to rise, and I want you to know that we want you here. We know that faith looks that way sometimes. Sometimes we rest content and satisfied, and then sometimes we are crying out from the depths.
And so church, let us be a church that welcomes both. That’s my exhortation. Here it is: Let us be the kind of gospel community that is a welcome space for souls like Psalm 130 and Psalm 131.
In the Book of Revelation, the very last book of the Bible, the resurrected Jesus comes to the apostle John and he gives him seven messages for seven local churches in Asia, and each message is tailored for each church.
And what’s fascinating about the messages is that we see that Jesus has real thoughts about local churches. Jesus has opinions on how these local churches are doing. He says that:
Ephesus Church has done a great job confronting false teaching, but they lack love.
Smyrna Church is a persecuted church who has experienced great suffering.
Pergamum Church has been swayed by false teaching.
Thyatira Church has made moral compromises.
Sardis Church is sleepy and checked out.
Philadelphia is patient and enduring.
Laodicea is lukewarm and lacking self-awareness.
Jesus gives assessments on local churches. He has thoughts about local church. And that should make us wonder: What does he think about Cities Church?
How would Jesus assess how we’re doing?
That really is the question that matters most. Who cares what we think?!
If Jesus has thoughts — and he does — then that’s what we’re living for. That’s what Paul says in 2 Corinthians 5:9. He says that at the end of the day, no matter what, “we make it our aim to please him.”
So what does he think? What do we want him to think?
Well, there’s a lot of different things I could say here, but I’m going to put it like this: Let one of the ways we please Jesus be how serve one another.
I want our church to be a lot of good things, and some are more important than others, but for this moment, for where we are at “four years in” … I want us to be good at serving each other. And I mean, not in theory, but in actual, roll-up-your-sleeves-and-do-stuff serving. And I see it. It’s happening. And we need it to happen more. Keep serving in childcare, and in set-up, and in greeting and coffee, and in all the other ways on Sunday mornings. Stay a little later after Community Group meetings to do the dishes. Don’t just wait to be directed, but look for ways that you can serve and love and help your brothers and sisters.
Serve one another in ways that delight the heart of Jesus.
This reminds us of our need to confess our sins.
Father, we confess right away that the reason we’re not better at serving others is because we’re great at serving ourselves. This is a human problem. It’s an American problem. And it’s our problem, Father, for we are sinners. We are sinners who have offended your glory in thought, word, and deed. We have sinned against you in the things we have done, and in the things we have left undone. And so now we humbly repent and seek your mercy in our silent confession.
A redeemer is someone who, at a cost, frees a captive from all that stands between the two. Zechariah tells us that in Jesus God has visited and redeemed his people. And he likens this visitation from God to the arrival of the sunrise.
The Sunrise
Just this last week a friend of mine, who is not from these parts, said, “I feel like I haven’t seen the sun in weeks”, which is pretty typical of winter here in Minnesota. But we forget this, and we unconsciously hunker down and plod through our days, ignoring the extent of the effect the darkness and cold have on us; that It numbs us (physically, to be sure), but also our hearts. Honestly, it seems like everything about us stiffens up in the cold, dark stretches of winter.
And then the sun shines through. Your chest starts to warm, and you feel like you can take off your gloves and actually do some things with your hands. And you remember how much you need it; all the ways that you benefit from the sun.
The Effect
So, the birth of Christ is the rising of the sun. Here is it’s effect.
In it the redeemer Jesus Christ is made known to you. He becomes personal to you. God is with you.
And the rising of the son pierces the dark shadow of death that covers over you. Winter aside, many of you would say that you know what it is like to have not felt the warmth of the sunrise of Jesus Christ in some time. All you can feel is frigid nightfall hanging over you. By the incarnation Jesus enters into this.
And it does this illuminating the cost of bringing you back into relationship with the redeemer; the difficulty of his perfect life, the terrible reality of his death, and the victory in his resurrection.
All of these things (the gospel) are found in Christmas, when we celebrate the coming of the redeemer.
Your Exhortation
In the midst of your winter look for and receive the sunrise of Jesus Christ. Bask in it, that you would experience it in new ways. Expose yourself to it, that the warmth of the gospel might reach your heart.
All of us are waiting for something.
Most immediately, I think of the kids in this room who are eagerly waiting for Christmas morning to finally come.
I also think of you students, who are waiting for finals week to end and, more ultimately, for your graduation day to arrive.
For the rest of us, you may be waiting on a vacation, a visit from an old friend, or — like my wife — the big reveal of Joanna Gain’s next line of Hearth & Hand products.
There’s a hundred other things like these that you may find yourself waiting on, but there’s another deeper sense of waiting. You likely know what I’m talking about. When you dig down a little further, you uncover a sort of ‘waiting’ that so often feels like sandpaper to your soul.
Let me paint a few portraits to describe what I mean. As I do, consider if you see yourself in these descriptions.
You’ve been hurt, slandered — abused even — and the offender has seemingly gotten away with the evil they’ve committed against you. You’re waiting for justice. But, every day that your offender walks free, the pain they’ve caused you compounds, leaving you feeling paralyzed under the weight.
Or, you feel alone. Your closest friends moved; their life-circumstances changed and you no longer share the same things in common; or—worse yet—you had a falling out and the warmth and affection you once enjoyed is now replaced with coldness and awkward interactions. You’re waiting to be found, known, and loved; but the longer you wait, the deeper your loneliness sets in and the more tired and weary you become.
Maybe for you it’s guilt and shame. You’ve done unthinkable things and caused seemingly irreparable damage. You know it and, even though you own up to it, you can’t shake the sense of worthlessness and rejection you feel. You’re waiting to be accepted, forgiven, and freed, but you feel perpetually stuck on the outside and your hope for reconciliation is drying up.
Or, you’re here this morning and you’ve lost some one and, now — especially this time of year — you’re experiencing a deep and pervasive sadness. Even the celebratory gathering of family and friends just isn’t the same because around every table and in every group photo the only person you can see is the one who is not there. You’re waiting for healing, for the tears to stop, for the grief to end; but it doesn’t feel like that day will ever come.
So, what is it that you are waiting for this morning?
And, my exhortation to you is this: take whatever it is that you’re waiting on and out of the depths bring it before the Lord again this morning. Together, let’s make all of our waiting a waiting on him. In faith, we will wait on him to make good on his promises to act justly; to seek and save to the uttermost; to pardon and free from all sin and shame; and to bind every broken-heart and lovingly dry every fallen tear.
Father, We say with the Psalmist this morning, “For God alone, O my soul, wait in silence, for my hope is from him” (Psalm 62:5).
In our waiting we are tempted to run a thousand other places for comfort and rest, but none of them ultimately satisfy. No lawyer or judge can completely fulfill our craving for justice. No community or friend group can met every one of our longings to belong. No amount of penitent tears can sufficiently remove the shame of our sin. And, for all the comfort we can find in an affectionate embrace or a sincere word of encouragement, it still won’t bring back the ones we’ve lost.
But, O merciful Father, you can. And you will! You will bring about final justice. You will make our home with you. You will clothe us in garments of pure righteousness. You will exchange our ceaseless sorrow and grief for eternal joy and comfort in your presence.
Lord, we believe and we need you to graciously help us in our unbelief. So now, we come before you and confess the ways we have not trusted you. We confess that we have refused to wait on you and have sinfully taken matters into our own hands — and, still, we’re unable to find the healing our hearts need. We confess and we bring before you our deepest longings and yearnings, and we do so in the silence of this moment.
So next month in January we will officially be four years old as a church, and if you’ve been around Cities Church for any length of time, one of things that you’ve probably noticed — or not noticed — is that we don’t really talk about giving. We don’t pass an offering basket; we don’t email you about it; every now and then we mention the boxes in the back, but overall we just don’t really talk about how you can make financial contributions to our church.
And let me give you three quick reasons why. These are three reasons why in our first four years we have not talked a lot about giving:
1) We don’t want your money if you don’t want to give it. We assume that if you’re part of our church but you’re not supporting the church financially it’s because you don’t want to, and Paul says in 2 Corinthians 9:7, “Each one must give as he has made up his mind, not reluctantly or under compulsion.” So this means: we’re not trying to pry out money from white-knuckled fists. God doesn’t want that money, and neither do we.
2) As a church we have never been financially desperate. We became a self-supporting church in our first year; God has given many mature Christians who give often; and we have a sensible ministry budget. Therefore, we’ve never been in a place where we’re scrambling over finances. We’ve not been in a place where we’ve been forced to keep talking about money, and so we haven’t.
3) We have missed a discipleship opportunity. So one and two are reasons we don’t talk a lot about giving, but they’re not good reasons. When it comes down to it, our not talking about giving is really a missed opportunity in discipleship.
Here’s why: giving is not first about the need you’re giving toward; it’s first about the heart from which you give. Also, your generosity does not correlate to the wealth of your resources; but your generosity correlates to your understanding of grace. That’s the way the apostle Paul talks about it in 2 Corinthians 8. Paul was teaching the church about giving and he says:
For you know the grace of our Lord Jesus Christ, that though he was rich, yet for your sake became poor, so that you by his poverty might become rich.
We should be generous because our very lives are owed to the generosity of Jesus Christ — and giving is really about understanding that. We should give thankfully and cheerfully because we have experienced God’s grace. And as your pastors, we are going to do a better job at teaching on that.
So here’s the exhortation: Cultivate a heart of generosity by pressing into the grace of God.
Father, we confess right away that too often we blame our lack of generosity on our lack of resources. We confess, right now, that our failure to give and live generously is less an issue of our bank accounts, and more an issue of our hearts, and that is why we need your mercy.
Father, have mercy on us. You mean for us to be conduits of grace. Forgive us, Father, for making conduits into cul-de-sacs. Forgive us for making your paths of grace into dead-end roads of our own comfort. We know that stinginess is a symptom of evil — O God, have mercy on us!
And Father, we also know that if we in the church regard sin in our own hearts that our prayers will be ineffectual, and so now we come to you confessing our individual sins in silence.
We know your grace, Lord Jesus. You were rich — in the eternal fellowship of the Trinity, more riches than we can fathom —and yet for our sake you became poor. You came down to earth. You became a man. You became a poor man. So that we — because of your poverty — we become rich. This is your grace. And we thank you! We praise you! Lord Jesus, overcome us more and more with your grace! Amen.
Satan must love the night. He tries to make it his accomplice at every turn. Thieves and wrongdoers conceal their evil deeds in the darkness. Good judgment, wearied by a long day, erodes into unsteady choices that slide toward deep regret by the morning. The stillness and isolation create a void in our thoughts that quickly fill with anxiety and depression. The night feels dangerous in many ways.
It was no different 2,000 years ago, but God chose the night to make the first declaration of Jesus’ birth. It was a deliberate shot across the bow of that hopeless ship Satan helms; a bright tracer round that lit up the night with a multitude of the heavenly host praising God and saying, “Glory to God in the highest!” The display reminded everyone that light and dark are not co-equals. Only the light can drive out the darkness and set the boundaries for the shadows. The best the darkness can do is obscure the light, but even then, a bright enough light will melt away any obstruction. And so it is with God. He has no equal. Satan and our own sinful hearts can try all they want but they will not thwart or even frustrate the plans of God.
If the angels in the sky were the shot across the bow, then the death and resurrection of Jesus mark the final torpedoes tearing through the ship below the surface. It is dead in the water and listing. It will not recover. It will sink. But sometimes it doesn’t look that way, especially in the night. We still see the silhouette of the ship on the horizon and at the right angle, it doesn’t even look like its listing. We swear that it might actually be gaining speed. The night is dark again and feels so long. We need some light to shine and show us the truth.
So each year, during this season of Advent, we prepare to shine a light once again on the truth. We prayerfully ready our canons, stuffing them with all of the hope of the promises of God that find their yes in Jesus. On Christmas, we will fire a volley over that vile vessel of hopelessness. It will be a brilliant display reminding those bent on wickedness that their doom is sure and offering the safety of the shore to any who would trust in Jesus. In the thundering of the canons, (or the ringing of the bells, I get the two confused) you will hear good news of great joy that will be for all the people, “Christ has come, and Christ will come again!”
Father, we are so often lost and without hope in the night because of unbelief. What we see before us appears to be more real than the truth of your word, so we trust our eyes, as dim as they are, instead of asking you to open our eyes. We did not see the angels in the sky and so we don’t believe that you sent your Son and when we don’t believe that you sent your Son, we cannot believe that you will send him again. Father, this is a great evil. And we know that if we in the church regard sin in our own midst, our prayers will be ineffectual, so we confess our individual sins to you now.
With Thanksgiving and Christmas falling so close to one another on the calendar, the days and weeks of November and December tend to be filled with activity. Parties need to be scheduled, work needs to be taken off, presents need to be purchased, cards need to be written, pictures need to be taken, food needs to be cooked, conversations need to take place, decisions need to be made — and all of this on top of our day-to-day activities. It’s the most wonderful, but also the most busy, time of year.
Perhaps some of you are just recovering from the events of Thanksgiving weekend. Lots of time with family, hours of driving in the car, emotional stress of talking with those you perhaps haven’t seen or heard from in a while. It’s a lot. And now with the Christmas season around the corner, we might feel like there’s no time slow down.
It’s a unique day today, the time between. How will we stop, check the engine, and plan for putting on more miles?
Rest Like Jesus
Our answer, for today, comes from the book of Mark. And it’s fitting for us because the book of Mark has a pace that often mirrors that of our own lives. It’s fast, action-packed, and nearly leaves its readers gasping for air with each turn of the page. But near the middle of the book is a scene that seems to stick out like a sore thumb. Jesus’s disciples had just returned from being sent out on mission. Stories of Jesus’s miracles had been spreading, and so people are everywhere. There’s work to be done, people to be taught, food to be prepared, things to do.
And yet, you can almost see it, Jesus raises his hand, quiets his disciples, and says, “Come away by yourselves to a desolate place and rest a while.” For many were coming and going, and they had no leisure even to eat. 32 And they went away in the boat to a desolate place by themselves” Mark 6:31-32.
What did they think about while they were on the boat? Jewish men, as they were, they likely knew many Psalms, perhaps they considered:
Maybe Psalm 62:1-2 - “For God alone my soul waits in silence; from him comes my salvation. He alone is my rock and my salvation, my fortress; I shall not be greatly shaken.”
Or Psalm 4:8, “In peace, I will both lie down and sleep; for you alone, O LORD, make me dwell in safety.”
Psalm 23 - “He makes me lie down in green pastures, he leads me besides quiet waters, he restores my soul.”
Psalm 46:8-10 - “Come, behold the works of the Lord, how he has brought desolations on the earth. He makes wars cease to the end of the earth; he breaks the bow and shatters the spear; he burns the chariots with fire. ‘Be still, and know that I am God. I will be exalted among the nations, I will be exalted in the earth!’”
Or Matthew 11:28-30 - “Come to me, all you who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest. Take my yoke upon you and learn from me, for I am gentle and humble in heart, and you will find rest for your souls. For my yoke is easy and my burden is light.”
They were with Jesus. They were away from the chaos, away from the work, and with Jesus. We need this, daily, especially this time of year.
My exhortation to us today is to find one promise, more if you’d like, but at least one to be your anthem, your banner, your truth-reminder, from here until the new year.
When Should you use it?
It could be in the morning, you slept past the alarm, you still need to get ready, the cars not starting cuz it’s like negative 70 outside, and the kids are sick.
It could be in the afternoon, during the lunch break as you recover from a stress-inducing morning filled with projects and meetings.
Or perhaps once the kids have gone down for a nap and the dirty dishes in the sink or toys on the floor are screaming out to you, “keep working, don’t stop!”
Or it could be in the evening, when your eyes grow tired, the day is done, and you need Jesus to remind you that he is the one that will sustain you for tomorrow.
Brothers and sisters, this holiday season, far greater than our need to schedule parties, plan meals, purchase gifts, write cards, wrap presents, is our need to be alone with Jesus.
Life can be so hard... because of sin the human experience is so broken. It can be so difficult to navigate through life when you’re feeling the painful ache deep in the soul when you’re in the middle of suffering or when you’re going through trials and affliction.
There’s this lie that we can be tempted to believe and it’s that when we go through some real hard stuff that God doesn’t love us. Or if there is some heavy, difficult circumstances that you weren’t prepared for that just completely blindside you, the temptation is to believe the lie that says, God is not good.
In 2nd Corinthians Paul uses a series of paradoxes based on different hardships he had been through to highlight the
In 2 Corinthians 4 he states “But we have this treasure in jars of clay, to show that the surpassing power belongs to God and not to us. 8 We are afflicted in every way, but not crushed; perplexed, but not driven to despair; 9 persecuted, but not forsaken; struck down, but not destroyed”
A little later in Chapter 6 using this same theme he goes on saying “We are treated as impostors, and yet are true; 9 as unknown, and yet well known; as dying, and behold, we live; as punished, and yet not killed; 10 as sorrowful, yet always rejoicing; as poor, yet making many rich; as having nothing, yet possessing everything.”
And so my exhortation and prayer for us this morning is that even in the midst of crazy circumstances and difficult trials, and when there seems to be no hope that we may have the eyes of faith, not to have to try and interpret our suffering through some superficial positivity but to be a human in our weakness in a broken world just desperate to want God. That Psalm 34:8 would be real to us, that we would “taste and see that the Lord is good. Blessed is the man who takes refuge in Him.”
Just for a moment, I want you to close your eyes, take a deep breath, and imagine yourself in heaven. Perhaps you’re walking the golden streets of the new Jerusalem, and beside fellow saints, you stroll together along the crystal shores of the river of life. As you ascend the steps, nearing the throne of God, you are greeted by thousands, millions of people singing the most beautiful song you’ve ever heard. But think about the other people there with you. What do they look like? Do they all look like you? Is the vision in your minds-eye shaped by Scripture? “Behold, a great multitude that no one could number, from every nation, from all tribes and peoples and languages, standing before the throne and before the Lamb…”(Rev 7:9). In the Bible, we see that heaven will be a place of perfect unity, and yet our differences will not be swallowed up.
Now, what we believe about our future reality impacts our behavior in our present reality. And what is our present reality in regards to racial & cultural differences? In an NBC News poll taken this past summer, 65% of Americans said that racism is still a major problem in this country. Another 30% conceded that racism exists, but don’t think it’s a serious problem. Adding those two figures together, we see that 95% of Americans believe that racism still is alive and well in this country. Racism can be a somewhat ambiguous term, but we’re referring to an explicit or implicit belief or practice that qualitatively distinguishes or values one race over other races.
I think all of us can agree that this is evil. But what can be done about it? We want our present reality to reflect more and more that glorious future reality. Jesus taught us to pray, “Father, your will be done, on earth, as it is in heaven.” But too often, especially those of us in the white majority culture, do nothing, myself included. We do nothing, we say nothing, because we don’t know what to say, we don’t know what to ask. And frankly, we often fall into one of two ditches when presented with racial or cultural differences - we either pretend the differences aren’t there, or we call attention to them in a negative way, even unintentionally. We lack awareness of the differences of our dear brothers & sisters, and we fail to recognize the biases that every single one of us carry around.
The better way is the way of Jesus.
In Romans 15, Paul addresses two distinct cultural groups this way, “May the God of endurance [we’ll need endurance, because it’s hard] and encouragement [you’ll get discouraged] grant you to live in such harmony with one another [this peace is a gift from God], in accord with Christ Jesus, that together you may with one voice glorify the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ. Welcome one another as Christ has welcomed you, for the glory of God.” Our differences, in Christ, do not have to divide us. In fact, as we embrace them and seek to listen and learn from one another, we experience the glory of God even more fully.
So my humble exhortation to you this morning is this: Open your eyes, and open your ears, to encounter the beautiful diversity of the people of God around you, and strive daily to understand one another better, and welcome one another in light of the future diverse reality we’re all longing for.
In any season of life it is easy to forget about God our creator. Our lives are busy and hectic and stressful, and we feel as if we need to figure this out on our own and we don’t have time to trust God as we do life.
This morning is a good time to hit pause and reflect on who God is. In the Bible we often see that God is referred to as Lord.
The exhortation today is that we would remember the Lord in our daily lives and to help us with this, I want us to memorize three categories of who God the Lord is…
1) Control
On some level, we all have control issues. It is easy to go through our day holding on tight to everything wanting every situation under our control. We want everything to go our way. But, we must remember that we don’t have ultimate control. It is humbling and it is good, to remember that God is the one who has ultimate control.
When we take control to an unhealthy level, we hurt those around us. When you are on a conference call at work with a customer, and a colleague is not saying it the way you want it to be said, do you get really angry with that person and create tension, even belittle them, speak ill of them?
When we take control to an unhealthy level, we hurt those around us. We forget how to serve the other person, we forget how we can truly help the situation. When the going gets tough, it is good to trust God, trust his control, and then serve others and be helpful. Be part of the solution, don’t be part of the problem.
And a great place to start to be helpful, is to humble ourselves by remembering that God is in control, not us.
2) Authority
The second key word to remember is “authority”. God as creator and as lord has the right to tell his creatures what to do. He has the authority. He speaks with absolute authority, and thus his Word, the Bible, has absolute authority. Control is all about power. God can do what he wants. Authority is about our needing to obey him and follow him.
In the Old Testament, God tells his people to follow him and obey his commands and law. Jesus picks up on this and says “if you love me, keep my commandments.” Jesus even asked the questions “How can you say ‘Lord, Lord’ when you don’t do the things I say?”
Simply put, your ultimate allegiance to who you follow and obey, is not YOU. It is God. When you think you are the one who sets the rules and makes the plans and charts the course, you tend to go beyond the boundaries of your authority, and run over people (figuratively).
Yes, we all have our God-given roles of influence and authority, but we are so prone to act as if we have more authority than we do. Know your role, listen to God, obey God, and serve others.
3) Covenant Presence
The third key word to remember is “presence”. God is committed to us and therefore the LORD is with us.
God says many times and in many ways in the Bible “I will be your God, and you will be my people.” When we are his people, he fights our battles, he blesses us, he loves us, he challenges us, he grows us, he stretches us, he tests us, he disciplines us… most importantly, he is with us.“God is Lord and He is with You".
The exhortation today is to remember that God is Lord. He has ultimate control in your life. He has ultimate authority over your life. And he is with you, his presence is with you.
I exhort you today to remember God's: control, authority, and presence.
Imagine with me a warm, sunny day. We’re in a field, next to a small river. The sunlight is bouncing off the surface of the water while it bubbles over the rocks. Next to this stream is a tree. It’s a small tree. It’s branches are sturdy, the leaves are vibrant, and the fruit is ripe. This is good, healthy tree.
And this tree is a picture. It’s a picture of a healthy Christian. In the first Psalm we find this metaphor of a tree planted by streams of water. It’s leaf does not wither and it yields its fruit in season. And we ask, why is this tree so healthy, vibrant and full of life? Because it’s planted by the stream. The unseen roots of this tree have been constantly nourished by the fertile soil and plentiful water provided by the stream. And so is the person who meditates regularly on God’s Word.
Meditation on God’s Word is like a stream of water that nourishes the hidden root of godliness in our lives. Our hearts and our affections are changed as we give ourselves to slow, careful thinking over God’s Word.
We all want to be like that tree, don’t we? Strong, healthy, fruitful. Regularly drinking from the crystal clear, refreshing streams of the Bible. And yet, how often do we meditate? How much time do we make to slow down and sit with God’s revealed word?
We live in a world drenched with distraction. It’s everywhere - we can’t escape it. There are radios in our cars, smart phones in our pockets, earbuds in our ears, and TV’s or tablets is multiple rooms in our homes. It seems that our culture has attempted to design our lives in such a way that silence is going extinct, and deep thinking is in short supply. We allow ourselves to be overrun by the incredible technology available to us, and consumed by our favorite social media sites or sports teams. We live distracted lives, and so we neglect the grace of meditation.
If we would be health, maturing, multiplying Christians - if we would be that tree planted by streams of water - we also need nourishment. We must turn away from a life of distraction and give ourselves to nourishing the hidden root of godliness in our hearts by meditating regularly on God’s life-giving words.
So I exhort you: Do no be distracted. Turn off the TV. Put away your phone. Take a break from social media and fantasy football. And give yourself to God’s Word. Soak in it. Drink it in. Nourish the roots of godliness in your life, that we may bear much fruit for God.
Pray with me.
Father, we confess that we are often distracted. We don’t feel the weight of your glory and your word as we ought to. We choose the trivial over the treasure. We often waste time rather than stewarding it as one of your most precious gifts. We don’t recognize the glory and the gift of having your Word, the Bible, so readily available to us. We ask that you would convict each of us of our own sin in this area, and help us to make meditation on your Word a daily retreat. A resting place. A source of great strength and joy as your glory comes alive to us through this discipline of delight. We know that if we cherish sin in our hearts, our prayers will be ineffectual. So would incline your ear to us and hear as we seek your mercy in this moment of silent confession.