Encouraging Encounters: Recent Episodes
Redeemer Church of Waterford
Could anyone have rejoiced more at the news of our Saviour’s birth than Eve, “the mother of all living”?
Mary, and Joseph, and the Baby Jesus are often referred to as “the Holy Family.” But their’s is not the only family where holiness ought to be the identifying characteristic.
The Christmas season isn’t all “mistletoe and holly.” After all, the reason Christmas brings “good tidings of great joy” is because Jesus came into a world of grief and sorrow.
Jesus said, “No one comes to me except the Father draws him.” The Wise Men came to Jesus in the only way any of us can, by the drawing of the Holy Spirit.
Have you ever considered the extent of the sacrifice that Mary and Joseph were asked to make?
Even if you’ve walked with Jesus a long time, it’s quite possible that there is something about Him which the Scriptures have revealed which you’ve overlooked.
Angels are everywhere in the story of Jesus’s birth. And yet angels cannot benefit from the good news they were sent to announce.
Jesus came to reorder what sin disordered. That will necessitate that the status quo be upended.
Matthew includes four women with questionable backgrounds in his genealogy of Jesus, a not so subtle message that you and I have been included, too!
“The gospel story is all about how Jesus Christ, the Son of David, in God’s kingdom restores life to what it was meant to be.”
So writes Sinclair Ferguson in today’s reading in his Advent devotional.
How do these words help us to respond to yesterday’s tragedy at Oxford High School?
God's people in the Old Testament waited 3,500 years for the promised Messiah. "And when the fulness of the time was come, God sent forth His Son..."
And now we also wait for the promise of Messiah's Second Coming. What do we do in our waiting?
"Peace on Earth" is a phrase you will hear frequently in the coming days. But how can it become for us more than a taken-out-of-context Christmas slogan?
Pastor Paul's Thanksgiving Greeting and the announcement of this year's Advent Devotional.
God finds us, discarded, abandoned, unwanted, and unloved and through no action of our own, He chooses us to be His special people.
Ezekiel 16 is “the most graphic picture of the relentlessness of God’s saving love that penetrates through universal rejection and inability to rescue His own.”
“God’s love for his own is perfect, complete, saving, and eternal and it penetrates right through rejection.”
The imperfections in our marriages (and all our relationships) are made perfect in the righteousness of Jesus Christ alone.
When Christ asks wives to submit to the headship of their husbands, he’s not asking for anything that He himself is not already doing.
Another great Sunday of worship awaits us as we move forward in our study of Ephesians to a consideration of the role of the Holy Spirit in our marriages, homes, and families.
Many see the cross as a depressing spectacle of humiliation and defeat. And yet, the instrument of Christ’s humiliation is also the instrument of His exaltation.
If Christ died on Friday afternoon, was buried Friday evening, and rose again Sunday morning, that’s only one day and two nights in the tomb. Why doesn’t the math add up to three days and three nights?
When we are overwhelmed by the guilt of our sin, our default response is to “do better, and try harder,” even with the means of grace God has given us to deal with our sin.
But the proper response may be to do nothing, except to rest in the righteousness of Jesus.
Why can we trust God to deliver us from dire straits when the present circumstances of our life seem to say God has forsaken us?
After his death on the cross, did Jesus descend to hell and preach the gospel to imprisoned spirits? Or did He ascend to Paradise like He said to the thief on the cross?
We know that after His crucifixion, Jesus’s body lay three days and nights in the tomb. But where was His spirit during those three days?
You might assume it was in heaven, in the presence of His Father, but you would be wrong.
The answer lies within the 18th Psalm.
Pope Francis recently began a tweet by saying, “In these days of uncertainty about our future...”
No Christian, let alone a leader of Christians, should be uncertain about our future. If you believe the gospel, you have a sure and certain future!
One of the ways the Apostle Paul says that our submission to one another manifests itself in the church is by our “meekness and lowliness, with longsuffering” (Ephesians 4:2).
In the gospel’s, Jesus described His character only once (Matthew 11:29): “ I am meek and lowly.”
Imagine believing that you are single-handedly responsible for calling yourself into existence!
The glory of God is our high standard, therefore we can never settle for anything other than the very best of what we can give as we strain toward the prize!
In Matthew 6:43-48, Jesus gives us one important way that we are to be like our Father in heaven.
You can almost sense the gloom of 2 Thessalonians 2:7-12 dissipating as the Apostle begins verse 13. In verses 13 through 17, Paul presents a stark contrast between the destiny of those who love unrighteousness and those who are the “beloved of the Lord.”
The final phase of Redeemer’s parking lot project begins in June! Watch this short video message from our pastor.
Why have I come to see the truth and beauty of Jesus Christ, but those I love don’t see it?
God presently works in invisible ways to accomplish his purposes through the visible rebellion of His creatures. But He has appointed a day when His wrath on the ungodly will very much be visible.
There are two “mysteries” at work simultaneously in our culture - one visible and the other invisible. Setting our minds on the invisible mystery is key to overcoming the stress induced by the visible mystery.
The culture calls it “transgender dysphoria.” The Bible calls it deception. We all know and love someone who has been deceived by the Evil One into believing the lie that they can change their God ordained sex. What is the true source of their “dysphoria”?
Every morning this week we’ll look to Second Thessalonians Chapter 2 for some help.
Our cultural obsession with “safety” has had the consequence of devaluing public worship. When we prioritize public health over public worship, we reveal a heart that is influenced more by worldly wisdom than it is by the wisdom which is from above.
Gems from Spurgeon:
"I can say myself that I never did anything which was a blessing to my fellow creatures without feeling compelled to do it. I thought of going to a Sabbath-school to teach. On a certain day, someone called—asked me—begged me—prayed me to take his class, I could not refuse to go, and there I was held hand and foot by the superintendent, and was compelled to go on.
"I was asked to address the children. I thought I could not, but no one else was there to do it, so I stood up and stammered out a few words. And I recollect the first occasion on which I attempted to preach to the people—I am sure I had no wish to do it—but there was no one else in the place and the congregation must go away without a single word of warning or address? How could I suffer it? I felt forced to address them.
"And so it has been with whatever I have laid my hand to. I have always felt a kind of impulse which I could not resist, but moreover, felt placed by Providence in such a position that I had no wish to avoid the duty, and if I had desired it, could not have helped myself. And so it is with God’s people. If they go through their lives, wherever they have been made a blessing, they will find that God seems to have thrust them into the vineyard."
Gems from Spurgeon:
"The object of God in choosing a people before all worlds was not only to save that people, but through them to confer essential benefits upon the whole human race. When He chose Abraham, He did not elect him simply to be God’s friend and the recipient of peculiar privileges, but He chose him to make him, as it were, the conservator of truth. He was to be the ark in which the truth should be hidden. He was to be the keeper of the covenant in behalf of the whole world.
"And when God chooses any men by His sovereign grace and makes them Christ’s, He does it not only for their own sake, that they may be saved, but for the world’s sake."
Gems from Spurgeon:
“The most excellent study for expanding the soul, is the science of Christ, and him crucified, and the knowledge of the Godhead in the glorious Trinity. Nothing will so enlarge the intellect, nothing so magnify the whole soul of man, as a devout, earnest, continued investigation of the great subject of the Deity. And, whilst humbling and expanding, this subject is eminently consolatary.
“Oh, there is, in contemplating Christ, a balm for every wound; in musing on the Father, there is a quietus for every grief; and in the influence of the Holy Ghost, there is a balsam for every sore. Would you lose your sorrows? Would you drown your cares? Then go, plunge yourself in the Godhead’s deepest sea; be lost in his immensity; and you shall come forth as from a couch of rest, refreshed and invigorated. I know nothing which can so comfort the soul; so calm the swelling billows of grief and sorrow; so speak peace to the winds of trial, as a devout musing upon the subject of the Godhead.”
Spurgeon was converted on January 6, 1850 during a sermon on Isaiah 45:22, “Look unto me and be ye saved all ye ends of the earth.”
Six years later he said, “I shall never forget that day, while memory holds its place; nor can I help repeating this text whenever I remember that hour when first I knew the Lord.”
Gems from Spurgeon:
“There is a woman: she did not pray this morning; she was so busy sending her children to the Sunday School, she had no time to pray. No time to pray? Had you time to dress?”
Gems from Spurgeon:
“Beloved, at this moment let this thought dance through your soul—you belong to Jesus— altogether you belong to Jesus! Let not your love go forth to earthly things, so soiled and dim, but send it all away, up to Him to whom you belong—yes, send it all to Him.”
— Charles Spurgeon
“Remember, Christ was not a defied man, neither was he a humanized God.” — Charles Spurgeon
Why does this matter to us?
The attention of the redeemed multitude in Revelation 15 is upon the Lord God Almighty, specifically His works, His ways, His name, and His judgments, all of which form the theme of our song.
The Song of the Lamb in Revelation 15 is the secret and exclusive anthem of those who have been chosen and redeemed by the worthy Lamb slain from the foundation of the world.
The redeemed multitude in Revelation 15 who have overcome the beast are singing the Song of Moses. What is this song?
This morning we look a little more closely at those who are singing the Song of Moses and of the Lamb in Revelation 15:2-4. Where they are standing makes all the difference in why they are singing.
Revelation 15:2-5 describes a vast multitude standing on a sea of glass who have overcome the beast, and they are singing. Who are these people and what are they singing?
Did you notice that in Ephesians 5:19 our congregational singing consists of two distinct parts?
First, in our congregational singing we “speak to one another,” and then we “sing and make melody...TO THE LORD.”
How is congregational singing a sacrifice to the Lord?
What’s the difference between a psalm, a hymn, and a spiritual song? Much in every way!
The songs of the believer have a specific message: the word about Christ. Why should we sing the gospel when we gather for worship?
There are 7.8 Billion people in the world. And yet technology has made it so small we are able to communicate with others around the world.
And YOUR world is smaller yet! Have you given thought lately to Jesus’s command to go into the world and proclaim the good news of His redeeming love?
I’ve been thinking a lot about kingdoms this morning. And I’m reminded that “the kingdoms of this world are become the kingdoms of our Lord and of His Christ.”
But what about MY kingdom, those areas of my life which I have reserved for myself, refusing to submit them to the Lordship if Jesus?
In 2009, Pastor John Piper tweeted, “One of the great uses of Twitter and Facebook will be to prove at the Last Day that prayerlessness was not from lack of time.”
Are you making the best use of all the resources God has provided for us to spend time with Him?
Subversive Submissiveness is when I let go of my need to be vindicated, and I submit to the unjust consequences of obeying Christ in a culture that punishes me for doing so.
What is the key that makes me willing to be subversively submissive when I’m treated unjustly?
God is using the troubles of your life to give you what you otherwise wouldn’t know you need.
Feeling anxious today? Concerned about the direction our country is heading? Do you need hope today?
It’s the fiery trial that produces the hope we all so desperately need!
“Count it all joy, my brothers, when you meet trials of various kinds, for you know that the testing of your faith produces steadfastness.” James 1:2-3
To be filled with the Holy Spirit is not an experience to be sought. It is a reality to be lived.
What can we learn about the nature of eternal priesthood of Jesus for us from the titles given to Melchizedek in Hebrews 7: King of Peace and King of Righteousness?
This is a longer than usual edition of Encouraging Encounters, but it’s necessary for us to take our time looking at all of what the Book of Hebrews tells us about this mysterious man named Melchizedek. Hidden in his story are some beautiful truths about all that Jesus is for us as our great High Priest!
Jesus IS coming again, but recent events are not the signs of His return but the reality of life for every believer since Jesus ascended back to Heaven in the first century.
Is the pandemic, the unrest in our cities, the violent opposition to the outcome of the US Presidential Election, all signs that Jesus is coming soon?
Take two minutes to listen to why these and other events are probably not signs of our Lord's imminent return.
Do you feel disoriented when you pray, unsure of what to say? You have a merciful and faithful High Priest who is quite familiar with the surroundings of the throne room. He will help you!
The privilege of prayer was purchased for us by the blood of Jesus. We have boldness to enter the holiest through His flesh which was torn for us.
Why then do we rarely pray?
There are some familiar verses in the Book of Habakkuk, but the most familiar of them all is the one upon which the whole book rests: “The just shall live by his faith.”
As Habakkuk opens, the dreadful and terrible enemy of God’s people are marching through the land, trampling the innocent.
Has evil triumphed?
No! The Lord, strong and mighty, is on a March of His own, threshing the heathen, for the salvation of His people
Habakkuk prays. God is silent for a long time. But when He answers, Habakkuk isn’t pleased.
What image comes to your mind when you think about an Old Testament Prophet? Whatever it is, it probably doesn’t fit the description of Habakkuk.
How should we live as followers of Jesus in a nation which despises all that is holy and applauds all that is wicked? The prophet Habakkuk has the answer!
When it comes to the moral and spiritual decline of a nation, not much has changed in 2,600 years!
He could have come for the angels that sinned. Instead, God delivered the angels into chains of darkness, and delivered up His own Son for us, and THAT is what makes for a Merry Christmas!
The perfect baby becomes the perfect man to provide the perfect satisfaction for the Father’s perfect righteousness.
The person who identifies with Jesus will be pierced with the sword of sorrow, but the Sword of the Spirit overcomes the sorrow because it is sharper than any other sword that may pierce your soul.
Some of the best parts of Christopher Ash’s Advent Devotional are the poems and hymns at the end of each day’s reading. Don’t rush through them!
Within the name of Jesus are many other names God has given to His Son which express all that God is for us in Christ.
Your heart is a hope chest. What you put there, you will treasure. And what you treasure there, you will ponder. What’s in your hope chest?
In the angel chorus we receive a spiritual prescription for reconciling what we know of God’s sovereignty with the day to day realities of His providence.
The angel announces the inauguration of a new King, but the sign that his announcement is true doesn’t seem to fit. But what’s even more confusing is that the message is given to shepherds.
The scandal at Christmas isn’t that the baby Jesus was born in a stable (he wasn’t!). Why was “there no room for them in the inn? What is the REAL scandal at Christmas?
[NOTE: In this video, Pastor Paul refers to a renowned scholar of the New Testament with whom he spoke on radio several years ago, but he got the scholar’s name wrong. It’s actually Dr. Ben Witherington III, and the article Paul and Dr. Witherington discussed on radio (“No Inn in the Room”) is linked above.]
The darkness isn’t only enveloping us on the outside, it originates on the inside. But here comes the Sun of righteousness who is rising with healing in His wings!
God promised Adam that if he disobeyed, He would die. But when Adam disobeyed, he didn’t die.
Why? Because God made another promise that He would keep intact in spite of the sinful rebellion of His fallen creatures: to produce a seed - the Second Adam from above - who would bear away the sin of Adam.
As we make our way to Bethlehem, let’s not forget that there are enemies along the way who are the agents of our adversary the Devil whose objective is to steal our joy.
The lowly handmaiden Mary couldn’t have been in more humble circumstances, but she has been humbled even further when she realizes that Almighty God has taken notice of her by exalting her to bear the human flesh of His eternal Son.
A baby in the womb leaps for joy, the trees of the forest clap their hands, the mountains and hills break forth into singing! What’s all the excitement about?
Mary’s faith that God would do what He promised was not based on what she knew in her young, inexperienced mind, but on the word of God given to her by the angel which the Holy Spirit used to create faith in her.
Just as Mary was overshadowed by the Holy Spirit, so we also who have received Jesus are protected and equipped by this same gift of the Holy Spirit.
Our limited human understanding will never wrap its head around the mystery of the conception of the Son of God in the womb of a virgin, but it is a beautiful mystery nonetheless upon which our eternal destiny depends.
Gabriel breaks in on Mary with the shocking announcement that she has been highly favored by God as the instrument through which the Father will send the Son to be the Savior of the world. This Son is the promised King who has come to set the government of the world right. But have I submitted the government of MY LIFE to His Majesty?
Is it possible to be both a believer and an unbeliever at the same time? Driving the dark of doubt away requires silence: speaking less and listening more to the still, small voice of God in the promises of His word.
Repentance is not “turning over a new leaf,” or a commitment to “do better and try harder.” Repentance is a precious gift given to us in the unspeakable gift of God’s Son.
Have you ever wondered why Jesus came? Have you wondered how the birth of a baby in the first century has any relevance to our lives in the twenty-first century?
Elizabeth's dis-grace is turned to grace when God hears the prayer of her husband Zachariah.
Do you see what I see? The gospel implications in the animated Christmas special “Rudolf the Red-Nosed Reindeer.”