Bridge City Community: Recent Episodes
Bridge City Community
Messages, sermons, and other recorded content from Bridge City Community in Chattanooga, TN.bridgecitycommunity.com
One end of the rainbow of God’s promised salvation resting on the receding waters as a promise never to flood the earth again now finds its other end resting upon the waters of the River Jordan illuminating Jesus as the Promise of God Incarnate that death and destruction, punishment and condemnation are over.
The crux of the connection between Haggai and Luke is about gaining clarity of the centrality and importance of the Passover in the relationship between God and his people — stemming from the first Passover at the Exodus from Egypt to the Passovers when the God would lead all humanity in the Exodus of Jesus — God become Human.
As a result of Jesus' bloody death we no longer are bound to the bloody covenant of circumcision made with Abraham because in Christ we are all circumcised — spiritually.
Jesus is “the only Son from the Father, full of grace and truth” -- visible proof that the wait was over, that the promise has been fulfilled, that each of us is one of those uncountable yet numbered descendants promised to Abraham.
Christ is the King of Kings, Lord of Lords, born unto the Virgin Mary, conceived in Nazareth and also our Root and faithful Flower ever blooming and bringing light to our darkness.
Jesus is the righteous branch that springs up from the stump of David’s family tree. The wait is over! Hold on tight to the Righteous Branch — for when you hold on for dear life to the cross of Jesus Christ you are holding tightly onto the Tree of Life itself.
Christ Incarnate is the Horn of Your Salvation who scatters your sin, panics the Evil One, strengthens you, and gives you the conquering power of God’s Word.
Jesus, the Son of David, is the very House of God. The place for God’s people to be planted and placed is in the very dwelling of God — who is Jesus, the God-Man, David’s Son and yet David’s Lord.
Christ is King, he reigns and is ruling on His throne and will return at the right time to restore Shalom to all things forever.
"When you wash your robes in the blood of Christ the Lamb you put on the robes of his immortal righteousness. Humanity “puts on the sovereign gift [of immortality] from the King of Kings and Lord of Lords who alone has immortality. Were it not for his conquest of death, we would only have mortality and would be destined only to extinction. [As a result] the Christian doesn’t look to death for deliverance. [We] look beyond death to the conqueror of death.” -- Taito Kantonen, Life After Death
Humility. Simplicity. Steadfast Faith. These words sum up the message of Jesus to the Christians in Philadelphia and open our eyes to the mission of the Church.
In his death and resurrection Christ did your dirty laundry and clothed you with the holy robes of his righteousness.
Jesus, as the morning star, in perfect faithfulness and obedience to God the Father was also brought down to Sheol taken off the cross, buried in the grave, and descended into the Pit of Hell not out of punishment or condemnation but to declare his victory and your triumph over Satan and his lies of compromise.
Jesus, the Incarnate God says to you = I know where you are living ... hold fast to my name... hold on to my promises. Hold fast to my body and blood. Hold fast to my triumph and victory. Hold fast to my Name which was written upon you at your baptism and is REAL TALK written into the book of everlasting life. Hold on to Christ's name and Christ himself will hold you fast.
The remedy for fear is to repent and look with faith to Jesus Christ. Repentance is simply faithfulness to Jesus Christ who is the Faithful One.
The Christian in this world lives in repentance. The fruit of a life lived in repentance is to receive permission to eat from the tree of life in the paradise of God upon the return of Christ.
I am the Alpha and the Omega, says the Lord God, who is and who was and who is to come, the Almighty.As we stand prepared for the return of Christ be encouraged by the hope that faith provide and inspired for the mission Christ has given you and the Church.
To walk humbly is a good thing but ultimately it is insufficient unless it is with the God of Israel. Walk humbly with Christ's blood on your hands and the fruit of the Spirit on your hearts and in your footsteps.
Unlike the first Exodus - in the New Exodus of God's mercy he didn't send Moses, Aaron, or Miriam but he sent his own Son Jesus Christ to bring you up out of the land of your oppression -- out of the house of your slavery. We must love mercy because then our hearts and souls are in harmony with God's compassion.
In a throwback to our very first sermon on launch Sunday of BCC we revisit the command of God to His people through the Prophet Micah to "act justly." We revisit the the last minute sermon change due to the murder of Mike Brown, address American Exceptionalism, and explore why God's justice is so controversial in the person and work of Jesus Christ.
God made the human flesh and blood of Jesus to be the ransom for all flesh and blood. Every time we gather around the table of the Lord's Supper and eat of Christ's body and drink of Christ's blood we receive eternal life and regain the hope of being raised by Christ on the last day.
Paul's letter to the Church in Rome (Romans 8:28-36) can be summed up in one word: confidence.
- Confidence that for the people of God's Kingdom all things work together for good
- Confidence in that "If God is for us, who can be against us?"
- Confidence that despite any enemies God has the victory and has given us victory in Christ Jesus.
- Confidence to believe that ultimate victory is inseparability from the love of God in Christ Jesus.
In the feeding of the 5000+ Jesus gives the people something to chew on spiritually that's not bread or fish but a glimpse of what's to come, after a reminder from their history, something they can hope in in his presence for a moment that will become an eternal reality when he returns.
Being destined for adoption strips us spiritually bare and therefore totally dependent upon the action of God. But we don't have to guess with God the Father because the fullness of God's plan is to gather up you and everything else into Christ.
Jesus' Rejection in Nazareth Empowered the Disciples for Mission because Rejection, Suffering, Death and Resurrection create Apostolic Mission. You are witnesses to the power and authority and teaching of Jesus - your mission, your language, your lives echo Jesus' own mission, language, life and teaching.
Faith makes you well but unbelief excuses you from the healing power of Jesus. Faith is recognition of the compassion of Jesus and trusting the His conquering power over suffering, death and unbelief.
Jesus is God Almighty -- the greatest, most powerful force in the cosmos that even the wind and the sea obey him. "Amid our temptations we may awaken the sleeping Christ in us.” (St. Augustine)
Jesus knew what would need to happen to him and invites us to see what the rule and reign of His kingdom looks like through the lowly little mustard seed.
Do not lose faith in the face of adversity. The power of God at work in you through the death and resurrection of Jesus allows you to remain peace-filled in the face of any adversity.
New birth through baptism gives you rest from work, reprieve from your sin and resurrection from your death all through the work of the Trinity!
The Promise of Refreshment through the regular practice of Repentance. Repentance doesn't require silver or gold -- only resting in the redeeming work of Jesus of Nazareth to wipe out your sin.
Jesus rises from the dead to give you rest from your doubting, to just trust him, when he spoke the simple greeting of "Peace be with you."
Spiritual Wanderlust is a lust never satisfied because that is the nature of lust -- it is temporary, empty, fleeting, destructive and hollow. The Nations and the World have a tendency to follow Bad Shepherds. What God invites everyone to do is follow the Good Shepherd - Jesus, His Son.
The New Sabbath is worship of God's judgment and God's Judge = Jesus Christ. Genuine rejoicing in judgment is possible because of the significance and intimacy of the cross of Christ and his abandoned grave from which shone forth the Light of Life.
The Holy Spirit glorifies Christ -- brings "weight" to person and work of Jesus on the cross and through the empty tomb. The Gifts of the Spirit for those in Christ are Advocacy & Awareness, Guidance & Glory, Faith.
We welcome the sabbath that comes with Christ's resurrection from the grave ... for in this New Sabbath God gave the world something we all crave but can't always name... rest and relief.
The resurrection of Jesus is exactly what allows you to just abide in Him - to enjoy the New Sabbath of abiding in the fruitfulness of Christ instead of workfulness.
The transformed humanity of Christ in his Resurrection offers you reassurance that you will also be changed, transformed, glorified and perfected in your own resurrection.