Sermons: Recent Episodes
Grace Fellowship Church: Toronto, ON, Canada
The Apostle Paul is dealing with quite a guy in Romans 2. He is disputing with a Jewish man who thinks he is getting to heaven based on his ethnicity. Who, at the same time, is condemning Gentiles for doing the same sins he does! Paul points out his hypocrisy in verse one, then proceeds to build an argument why that Jewish man has no hope for heaven. The foundation to that argument comes in verses 6-11 — all men will be judged by God by the same standard.
There are parts of the Bible where it is really important you immerse yourself into the original issues that provoked the writing. Romans 2 is one of those. Paul has already made it clear that everyone is under the wrath of God because of their sins (Chapter 1). But many Jewish people would read that and think, “everyone except me.” Why was that? And how does that relate to our own ability to think everybody else, except me, is to blame!
The story of Bartimaeus’s change from blindness to sight is a remarkable picture of every Christian’s conversion. We needed Christ to heal us and He did! That is because Jesus is not afraid of entering this broken world in order to bring salvation to the most unlikely of broken people.
God is full of grace to save the most unlikely of sinners. If you ever doubt that, all you need to do is look at the guilty criminal hung on the cross beside Jesus.
It may surprise you to find out that gratitude to God can affect your obedience to God in other areas of your life. Especially in the sphere of relationships with others. In fact, there might be a direct correlation between your relational sanctification as a Christian and your active thanksgiving to God. The latter can greatly improve the former!
God disciplines the one he loves, and he disciplines the one he loves in order to make the one he loves more holy. If you are experiencing the discipline of the Lord, do not try to figure things out on your own - go to God in humble repentance and worship him.
Chronicles functions as the capstone sermon for the entire Old Testament. It provides an inspired commentary on God’s great works from creation to the return from exile, inspiring firm hope that all God’s promises to his people (represented by the royal line of David) and about his place (God’s special revelatory presence in the temple) will indeed come to pass.
Maybe you are at a point in life where you do not really know what to do. Maybe you are wondering what you should be focusing on, or maybe you are wondering what decision to make. Thankfully, God’s Word tells you what you should decide to do, and the answer is actually quite simple.
Psalm 91 expresses a calmness arising from the intimacy of one’s relationship with God. In the face of threats, the psalmist finds the Lord to be his dwelling place. Thus, he is confident, through all manner of dangers and challenges. He trusts in the Lord, not in himself or in his own resources; and he feels safe in the protective care of the Lord. Here is an appeal that we too would dwell in the Lord’s house.
Once upon our time, in a land not too far away, there were two people who needed a redeemer. God, the same God who reigns today, provided them with a redeemer - and they lived happily ever after. If you want to live happily ever after, you need a redeemer too. And God, the same God who provided these two people a redeemer long ago, has provided a redeemer to all those who repent and believe. To live happily ever after, you need a redeemer. You need this redeemer.
We are experts at incorrectly classifying what offends God and what does not. Thankfully, He has supplied us in the Bible with a carefully curated list of what counts as a sin. A taxonomy of sin, if you like. Albeit a very toxic taxonomy! Knowing what will send you to hell forever is important.
The Bible might be summarized as detailed instruction on how to worship the Living God instead of pathetic and lifeless idols. What Israel fell prey to so often in their history was this “return to Egypt” mindset; going back to the fake gods of their former oppressors and thinking life (“nothing but leeks and onions!“) could be found there. God must rescue us from this spiritual stupidity and set our hearts to worship Him alone.
If you are a student, or you were one, you have likely heard of essays. And if that word conjures up a host of bad memories for you, how about this phrase: “thesis statement?” That thesis statement was supposed to appear in the first paragraph of your essay, telling the reader what you were about to… tell the reader. It was a way of stating what you intended to prove. The Apostle Paul starts this letter to the Christians in Rome with something similar to this. Two verses that tell us exactly what he is going to say over the next 16 chapters.
In a land a long time ago lived a woman who was not that different than we can be. She was a suffering, sinful, and weak person. But a sovereign and strong God orchestrated all the circumstances of her life, even the seemingly bad ones, for his glory and her good to bless not only her, but many others as well.
The Good News concerning the death and resurrection of Jesus Christ changes everything in a person's life once they respond to it and put their faith in Christ. Prayers, priorities, and the way that we relate to people all pivot to a new and more selfless way of living. If we are not living this way, we are pushing against the grain of God’s design for the normal Christian life. Wise Christians will learn from Paul's example and do all they can to get their lives aligned to the Gospel.
As Paul gets rolling on this letter about the Gospel, you quickly realize the love he has for his God, the Romans, and the truth of what he is about to write. This is a love letter! And that is at the heart of the Gospel, isn’t it? Love. And like the good Apostle he is, Paul is going to tip 15 cards over hinting at where he is about to go for the next 16 chapters.
Paul wrote a letter to all the Christians in all the churches in the big city of Rome in order to clarify the Gospel to them. He was eager that they would have a clear and robust knowledge of all that Jesus had done for sinners. As such, this letter has been used by the churches through the ages to train their members in the same thing. That has led to more love for Jesus, an increased evangelistic zeal and greater church unity. Grasping how this letter fits together or moves logically along is extremely helpful in coming to understand each part. Today we will attempt to preach the message of the entire letter to prepare us to dig in to each section.
This is the final sermon in our three-part series thinking though some significant issues of life and death. Having laid a robust Biblical and theological foundation in the first two sermons, now we try to answer some of the more difficult ethical questions Christians face.
Those who love the doctrine of Romans are called to live the life of Romans. And that is a life of love—of love for God that is expressed in loving others.
Medical Assistance in Dying (MAID) is rapidly increasing in Canada. Death with the help of a doctor might soon be offered to those struggling with mental illness, not just physical suffering. Christians must understand what life is and how gives it in order to know how to respond to this evil.
It can be hard to believe that you were a wandering sheep with no intention whatsoever of listening to the Shepherd. We often like to think we had a certain kind of spiritual potential or something that caused us to baa, baa, baa all the way to Jesus. But, we were spiritual wanderers who were pursued by a good Shepherd who picked us up and carried us home to the joy of all in heaven.
The only way to withstand a hurricane of error is to be in a building with a solid foundation. To stand true for the sanctity and value of all life, Christians must have a solid foundation of what it means to be human. In particular, what it means to have been made a human by God.
It can be hard to live by faith. Especially when it seems like everything in the world is conspiring against you. Unless, of course, you know how the story ends. Our future reality is the bedrock of our current faithfulness. Or so it should be!
The living God came to earth and offered up His life in our stead. Even though he died, he yet lives. And as our living Redeemer he shall return to judge the living and the dead and outfit his people with new, resurrected bodies designed to endure forever in praise of Him. This is so much better than a manmade, weird tradition of a rabbit with chocolate eggs.
There are two ways to explore the mountains. We have been combing the hills and valleys for several weeks examining the details of what Christ accomplished for us in our salvation. Now it is time to hop in the plane and fly high overhead to look at the person of Christ from three distinct angles. Who He was before He came. Who He was while He was on earth. And who He is today.
Every member of the Trinity is involved in our salvation. As the Word of the Gospel of Jesus goes forth, the Father saves those chosen in eternity past by the power of the Holy Spirit. No wonder Paul takes the time to rejoice in the powerful safeguarding work of the Spirit to keep us to the end.
God calls every Christian to minister—to love and serve others. Within the local church, each member is responsible to carry out the work of ministry which is building up the body of Christ.
We are good at remembering we have an inheritance waiting for us in glory. We are perhaps less faithful at remembering we are God’s inheritance. Why would He speak of us in those terms? Isn’t that making too much out of us, especially when you think about all the ways we mess up and fail Him?
The Bible is not a crystal ball. It is better than that. For, in His Word, God chooses to reveal some events in the future that will occur. Usually He tells us about these future things in order to refine how we are living in the present. The Apostle knew that — apart from the help of the gracious Holy Spirit — we would never fully grasp how critical the Person of Jesus Christ is to the entire creation.
Your suffering is real. So is God. Take them both seriously and you can have tears in your eyes but also praise on your lips.
Belief determines behaviour. Which means we will act incorrectly if we believe falsehood or we are simply ignorant of what is true. Paul understood this and began his letter to the Christians in Ephesus with a hymn that makes profound truth claims. These are not slogans or terms to be thrown around by people who like crossword puzzles. These are real things, that when properly understood, will change everything about you.
Naaman was a great and powerful Syrian military commander. He had everything he ever wanted, but he also had one thing he only ever dreaded. Yet God chose to reach out to him, to heal him, and to draw him to himself.
The idea that God might have decreed our future can seem a little oppressive to modern ears. But, what if that decree included the good of His people? Would it be better if everything was left to chance? Why did the Apostle Paul find such joy in pondering God’s certain adoption of His children?
The Lord Jesus has done so much for us. And as we are positionally identified with Him, all the spiritual blessings are secured for us. All of them! What a blessing.
King David wrote this song praising God for delivering him and the citizens of his kingdom Israel from the hands of all their enemies. The Greater King David was also delivered from his enemies — the death of King Jesus was the decisive victory over his enemies and ours: sin, death, hell and the Devil. Just as Israel benefited from their king’s victory, we who are kingdom citizens benefit from our King’s victory!
As we leave the old year behind and set out into a new year, how can we have confidence that we are living in a way that is pleasing to God? What does it mean to live a meaningful and purposeful life? And what does delighting in God have to do with it? The Bible provides answers in an unexpected place.
This a sermon for children, but wise adults will listen to see if it is true. In it, the preacher is going to tell you about his elder brother, which is interesting because, the last time we checked, he only had older sisters! But, perhaps whoever he is talking about might become your elder brother, too? The preacher also put all the Bible verses here in the bulletin to make it easier for you to follow along.
One of the first great hurdles the church had to overcome after the death and resurrection of Jesus concerned his humanity. Was he really a man? Was he half a man? An “Invasion of the Body Snatchers” kind of demi-god? An illusion or apparition? Or, was he a real man? Your answer to this question might end up determining your eternal future.
Isaiah 7:14 appears on a lot of Christmasware, but do we understand what it meant to the man who first heard it? Do we need to in order to understand what it means? Is there a connection between Isaiah’s prophecy and the virgin birth in Bethlehem?
As we complete the Book of Judges and begin a series on Jesus Christ, it is good to notice the connection between the two. Judges leaves us with a bitter taste in our mouth. But the sweetness of the coming Messiah takes care of that! By seeing the two together we better understand that the entire Bible is all about one thing. One Person. Merry Christmas!
The Book of Judges ends with a whimper. The last two events of this book perfectly capture the single greatest problem in Israel in these days and the single greatest problem in our days. It can be summarized in the words, “Everyone did what was right in his own eyes.” We may not kidnap dancing girls, but our solutions to life’s problems are usually just as awful, if not so remarkable.
When times are darkest, and He feels absent, He is sovereignly moving His kingdom and deliverance forward. Take heart: The sovereign silence (not absence) of God The sovereign power of God. Take heart in the sovereign silence (not absence) of God and the sovereign power of God
There is perhaps no darker chapter in all the Bible than Judges 19. The author records a terrible story in order to show us what happens when everyone does what is right in his own eyes. Sometimes we avoid reading texts like this, but seeing these chapters where they fit in the whole Book of Judges makes it clear. We are to take careful note… do we want to follow our own eyes or look to our Maker? May the Lord give us grace to learn and follow Him.
Jesus is going to look people in the eye on the Day of Judgement and tell them that He never knew them. Those people will spend eternity in hell. What is so distressing about this is that those same people thought they were good with God! They were not atheists or agnostics… they were people who claimed to be in a relationship with the real God. The last chapters of Judges paint us a vivid picture of how easy it is to be spiritually self-deceived. Don’t fall prey to this horrible mistake!
We have learned so much from the life of this enigmatic saviour, Samson. Now we hit the one story for which he seems most famous. Why is that? Why are we so intrigued by the love and manipulation of this mighty man? And is this just a bit of a forbidden titillation that snuck into our Bibles, or does it have something to teach us about Jesus Christ? After all, didn’t Jesus Himself say that all the Scriptures were pointing to Him (Luke 24:27)?
Sometimes things are not as they seem. In fact, this is often the case when God is at work. What can appear as a dismal failure might actually be a roaring success. This is nowhere more evident than at the crucifixion of Jesus. An event captured well by the interesting words of Joseph, centuries earlier: “What some meant for evil, God meant for good.” Perhaps Samson’s exploits were not as sad as we tend to think. Or perhaps they were, but were pointing to Another?
Samson is the only Judge whose birth is described. Remarkably it takes up an entire chapter of his story. What is most unique to his nativity is the plan of God to make him a Nazirite (not, Nazarene) from the womb. In an age of spiritual darkness and Philistine oppression, everyone is confused by the remarkable birth and ministry of this new saviour.
The six minor Judges scattered throughout the Book of Judges have a major role to play. While we do not know as much about them as we do the others, their stories help us to understand the dire straits of idolatry and the desperate need for a full-scale and eternal rescue. From Shamgar to Abdon, the same problem remains… we need a Saviour.
The story of Jephthah can basically be understood in one of two very different ways. One option is to see him as a rash and arrogant warlord. The other is to view him as a God-fearing saviour. Either way, the Lord felt it was important for us to both read and ponder this event in Israel’s history. Doing so should help us to understand even more clearly why it is we so desperately need a Saviour. Plus, the current preacher thinks Jephthah was one of the good guys.
As Jesus Christ lived in this world, He suffered and was tempted. Because He endured such difficulties, He is able to sympathize with us when we suffer and are tempted. In our sorrows we can have confidence that Jesus knows about our weaknesses, He cares about our weaknesses, and He reaches out to help us in our weaknesses.
As we hit the last section of Gideon’s life, we enter some of the most confusing portions of the account. There are some random events, strange questions, unclear motives and a disappointing end. But, if we move slowly, and hold our conclusions with an open hand, there are three big encouragements we can harvest from this text.
Nothing ruins a good revival like a little sinful fear and jealousy. Just as God is bringing about a great deliverance using weak Gideon and his tiny force of 300, new enemies come on the scene. Fellow Israelites. Few things sting as much as friendly fire and Gideon is busy getting buzzed by these two bees as he tries to finish off God’s enemies.
Much of life is about finishing things well. Your Christian walk is no different. The Galatians were in danger of shipwrecking their faith because they were turning away from the gospel of grace and turning toward a false gospel of works and self reliance. So, in Galatians 3:1-9, the apostles call all Christians to finish their race well by relying on the Holy Spirit and by trusting the Word of God.
Because the Galatians were in danger of deserting the gospel by turning to works, Paul calls them back to the real, true gospel: justification by faith. He reminds them that Christians are declared righteous not by anything that have done, but by what has been done for them through Christ.
As the narrative in Galatians continues, the Apostle Paul shows us that he’s willing to do whatever it takes to protect the true gospel. He’s willing to confront and reject not only false teachers, but even another apostle whose conduct didn't match his profession. Paul shows us that the gospel is worthy of protection and that it takes intentional effort to not distort the message of Jesus.
God is more concerned about the Object of our faith than the size of it. And this is the lesson all of Israel needs to learn, starting with Gideon. It makes no sense to fight an army unmanned with torches and smashed pottery. Neither did it make any sense to march around the walls of Jericho seven times. God has His own ways of showing His power. We would do well to listen and learn, for it is way better to be numbered among the 300 trumpeters than the thousands of dead!
Gideon often gets a bad rap. The whole asking for signs and fleeces and stuff can make it seem like he is one big lump of doubt. Yet we find his name in the Hall of Faith in Hebrews 11. And the Bible does not appear to condemn him for asking God to confirm His commands. While Gideon was weak, he also chose to obey. Maybe that is one big point in his life that we are supposed to learn from.
What's so relevant for the Christian about a story involving sowers, soils, seeds, birds and thorns? A whole lot more than you would think! In Mark 4, Jesus tells a story about soils to help us see the different type of listeners of God's word. He wants you to examine your life and ask the question: What type of listener am I?
There are many puzzling things in the events of Deborah’s judgeship. First off, a female Judge. Then the whole Barak refusing to go to war without her. Not to mention a foreigner woman (Jael) killing Israel’s greatest enemy (Sisera) with a tent peg and a hammer! Why is this history included in our Bibles? Are these people for us to imitate or disdain?
God’s ways often look strange to our eyes. But if all He did was predictable, one might start to think He was nothing more than our projection of what a really big man might do. This God of the Bible delights to use odd people and strange situations and surprising plot twists to show the world, He is God and there is no other.
God took His people into the land as promised. They did not avoid the false gods in that land as they promised. In fact, they jumped in to the whole idolatry thing. Why are we so prone to break our promises and devote ourselves to false deities? What appeal do they have? Why do they so easily lure us into their devotion? And what will God do with us when we turn from Him?
We often fail to realize that the problems of the ancient world are essentially our great problems as well. Not so much in the specifics of time and place, as in the inner workings of the heart. The early parts of the book of Judges can seem like a boring rehearsal of mundane geographical ditties to a casual reader, but we are close readers and thus, there is much for us to learn by considering a place like Aijalon or the odd chariot. Judges teaches us all that we NEED a Saviour.
Jesus rose from the dead. Who cares? What difference does it make? Any at all? What difference does it make in the warp and woof of real life? How does it change our relationships or the way we handle our money? Does the resurrection really matter all that much? If we are living lives where we just give in to and accept certain sins, can we really claim to be people who have been saved by a resurrected Lord?
Have you spent much time thinking about God's holiness? Isaiah's life is forever changed when he sees a vision of His Holy God. God's holiness shows us how great God is, how sinful we are, and how much Christ Jesus has done for us.
Do you talk to yourself? Does your self answer? There might be some very important ways for us to talk to ourselves, rather than listen to our mortal enemy. And when we strike up that conversation, we will do our souls well if we point them to God. King David read his Bible and that prompted a conversation with his own soul. Praise God he let us in on it. For we should all speak to ourselves like this.
God in His kindness has given us a lot of instruction about how to follow Him in this world. Central to that sojourn is life in the gathering of fellow Christians. What we refer to as, “The Church.” After unpacking many key features of that life, now is the time to sew it all together and paint a picture of what life under the sun for lovers of the Son looks like.
In Galatians, the Apostle Paul corrects a major issue in the Galatian church—they were running the risk of distorting the gospel by adding to it. But Paul says that gospel addition actually leads to freedom restriction. In the first few verses of his letter, he gives us a preview of the rest of the book: gospel freedom and the one who brings it!
Deacons are qualified, model servants who assist the elders by: guarding the elders’ ministry of Prayer and Word; organizing the church’s service to others (especially to the needy); and seeking to preserve church unity.
Authority gets a bad rap in our culture. We fail to realize that the problem is not with people having authority, but in it being used inappropriately. After all, where would the world go if no one was in charge? In Christ’s church, both the members and the elders have an authority to exercise. Getting clarity on the realm of that authority is essential for the unified, thriving work of an elder-led, congregational church.
God calls His people to live by the Truth He has revealed in His Word. And sometimes this means that you will have to do something hard. That takes courage. Godly courage. And that is what this sermon is all about.
Some of the big remaining questions surrounding the Lord’s Supper have to do with what we eat and drink and who joins us at the table. Bread or potato chips? Grape juice or wine? Members of the church alone, or guests as well?
What should a person actually do or think about when they are participating in the Lord’s Supper? How should we think of those we are taking the Supper with? What does Jesus mean when He tells us to eat and drink “in remembrance of” Him? Is the Supper just a spiritual trip down memory lane?
Ever feel like you don’t quite fit in? Do you struggle to align with the world around you? Well, there’s a reason for that. As God’s people, we are strangers and exiles living in a land that is not our permanent home—we’re awaiting our heavenly promise land! 1 Peter 2:1-12 is a How-To Guide to help us faithfully navigate this world as pilgrims who are just passing through.
When we think about what Christmas is all about, we think about the birth of Jesus Christ. But why was Christ born? What did he come to do? Galatians 4 shows us that the purpose of the incarnation of Jesus Christ was our adoption in God’s family.
The Lord’s Supper is not some random church thing that we can do however we want. It has purpose and meaning and comes with a User Manual. So, we need to see how this ordinance fits into the history of our redemption and look at a couple of ways we easily mess that up.
When you show up to play a game you love, you rarely do so with the rule book under one arm. We assume we are all playing the same game and in the same way, but rule books and codes of conduct become very important when someone on the field or ice or court is acting outside the expected way. Confessions, covenants and constitutions — the three C’s of local church life — help us to stay on course to finish well.
Is local church membership Biblical? Where is it in the Bible? The word “membership” may not be in the Bible, but that doesn’t mean the concept is not there. A careful reading of the Scriptures will show that local church membership is regularly assumed and implied in the New Testament.
For the sake of the elect, we entrust the Gospel to faithful men, and send them with the grace of Jesus Christ. The Word of God is not bound, and the strength of the grace of Christ Jesus is more than enough.
The local church is made up of members. These men and women have been bound together by their shared belief in the Gospel and their faithful obedience to Christ. Knowing their responsibilities as members will help them all to function at the top of their game.
Every baptism is an opportunity to understand your own baptism better, and to rejoice anew in what God did for you. The more we grasp what is being signified, the more blessed we will be as a church and the more our collective joy in God’s saving work will glorify His Name.
The local church is a group of saved people who identify with one another and seek to glorify God by regularly gathering together to: worship Him and proclaim His Word; affirm one another’s profession of faith by the right practice of baptism and the Lord’s Supper; and, display to the world His gospel by their authentic love.
It is quite possible that one of the most beautiful portraits of one local church is found in Acts 2:42-47. In those early days of the first Christians, so many things were going right and it was, indeed, beautiful. But one has to ask what commitments were running in the background for these results? What had God revealed and what were they living out that bought about such rich fellowship and warm devotion to Christ? Perhaps no church will reach this ideal stage if they do not build from the right foundation.
There are only two ways to live. There are only two kinds of people. There are only two possible destinies for all humankind. And standing in the middle of that fork in the road is a cross. Which side are you on?
The Lord Jesus Christ saved his people to be zealous for good works. That does not mean only the good works that are easy to do, but the difficult ones as well, such as lovingly rebuking a brother or sister in sin. The Christian life is filled with many hardships, but the Lord gives us his peace, presence, and grace.
esus rounds out His remarkable Beatitudes with a surprise twist at the end. This upside-down Kingdom living will not result in everything being lovely and wonderful through life. It may result in the exact opposite. But the path He calls us to is the path He trod. And in our submission to His ways, we will learn what true happiness is all about.
Idleness may not sound like a big deal, but it is a sin that Paul takes very seriously. In response to the present idleness in the life of the church, Paul employs some drastic measures in order to purge the church of this sin.
God’s work to advance the gospel and build his kingdom must be done with God’s power. That is why Paul asks the Thessalonians to pray for his missionary work. The Lord is faithful and we can look to him to do what he promised to do.
Living in this world can feel a lot like being on a boat in the middle of a storm. When the strong winds and high waves of life hit you hard, what you need to do is hold on to something secure. In this passage, the apostle Paul calls on the Thessalonians to hold on to the truth of God’s Word. It is the only thing secure enough to keep Christians safe in the of storms of life.
Are you a peacemaker or a troublemaker? God's kingdom values peace. Jesus is the Prince of Peace and he calls his kingdom citizens to be people of peace.
Christians belong to an upside down kingdom. In this kingdom, what matters is not the outer appearance of a person, but the inner posture of the heart. This morning, we are going to see what it means for the pure in heart to see God.
The safeguard against deception is to hold fast to the truth. The remedy against fake news is to simply remember the real news. Paul writes this passage to the Thessalonians in order to correct them and comfort them in their confusion.
Suffering is an indelible mark of Christianity. It is the path that leads to future glory. But that does not mean it is easy to endure suffering. What Christians need in this world is hope, which comes from fixing their eyes on the glorious return of the Lord Jesus Christ, who will right every wrong and execute perfect justice and righteousness.
Despite persecution, the grace of God enabled the church of Thessalonica to grow in faith, love, and perseverance. This moved Paul to give thanks to the Lord. The Thessalonians serve as a good example of how to live a God-honouring life.
Having a clear and correct vision of the return of Christ changes how one lives in the present. This persecuted church was confused about the when the Lord would return and it left them anxious and worried. Paul wrote this second letter in order to comfort, correct, and challenge them to live in light of the Lord’s return.
The notion of rest sounds like music to the ears of a busy Canadian. Our lives are pounded with expectations and we rarely slow down long enough to engage with God. Perhaps this is due to our lack of comprehension of what it means to be saved? Have we entered into the Father’s rest? Are we living lives that depend on His endless grace to keep busy with good works? Are we doing our work now, in His strength, striving to get to that ultimate rest with Him forever?
The things God has made tell us about Him. Not enough to get us to heaven, but enough to prove to us He exists. The written Word He has given the world is enough for the heaven part. All one need do is read about Christ and obey the Gospel to be saved. But once saved, that person enters into the joy of delighting in God THROUGH all He has made. We move from worshipping the created, to delighting in our Creator.
It can be difficult to believe that God is for you when it seems like everything in life is against you. However, an old shepherd knew the good Shepherd in ways that proved God is always wise.
One of the sweet joys of any local church is the privilege of sending men and women to different places in the world in order to proclaim the good news of Jesus Christ. This has been the case for over 2000 years and the New Testament provides us an excellent model to follow.
The idea of delighting in God might feel foreign to you, unless you have read your Bible carefully. It seems that every page is urging us to make God our greatest treasure and to do so in a relationally honest kind of way. In Psalm 73, we read of a man who almost missed this point entirely. He almost spent his life trying to complain his way into heaven. God would have none of that. And praise Him for it!
It is all fine and good to talk about delighting in God. But what if in the midst of that we forget the simplest bits at the very foundation of the concept? We need to be sure that we have our baseline in place before we begin to reach for the heights.
Our world feels like it is divided now as much as ever. With so many things to disagree about, it is no wonder that many in our society find it hard to get along. In the midst of widespread disunity, the church of Christ is to be different. We are not to be marked by our differences, but by our mutual Love for Jesus, and our mutual Love for each other. Love is to be the great identifier of the people of God.
God is not, nor has He ever been, discontent. There has never been, nor will there ever be, a moment God grows bored, frustrated or unfulfilled. So the more we live our lives IN HIM, the more we will enjoy Him and be satisfied IN HIM every day. This is the secret that leads to true contentment, regardless of what life throws at us.
People long to find happiness, but if we look for happiness in the perishable things of this world, our hearts will ultimately be left unsatisfied. The pursuit of infinite happiness is the pursuit of the one true living God.
Life is hard. There is just no way around it. This world is not our home. Yet, God has called on us to delight in Him throughout the trials and troubles. How do we actually do that? David lays out an excellent pattern to show us exactly how he learned to rejoice in God, even when life hurt. We do well to learn from his example.
There is no way to navigate through this fallen world without sinning or being sinned against. That makes extending forgiveness one of the most vital practises of the Christian life. Jesus understood this, and knew how remarkable His own example was in empowering us to forgive from the heart those that sin against us.
There are lots of ways to read the Bible. One of the worst is to avoid the hard parts and cherry pick words and phrases that you think you understand. But there is profit for one who digs to understand what the text means by what is says. Having looked at every verse in Amos, we take a step back and up to view the message of the book as a whole. Having seen the intricacies, we can better appreciate the big idea. And that big idea leaves us needing God more than ever
The sound of the school bell might bring good news or bad. Good news if it signals the day is done and you can finally get outside and play. Bad news if it means your time to write the test is over... and you are not done. When the last trumpet sounds, will it signal joy or despair to you? Amos looks at that day and sounds a final warning. There is only one way to be ready.
Acts of service are a normal yet radical part of everyday life. The person who has been served often becomes a servant themselves. The Scripture shows us that Jesus is the greatest servant of all, and that those who have experienced and understood His goodness towards them, will in turn, live out a life service to those around them.
To have godly courage, one must be sure that what they are doing or saying is rooted in God’s truth: The Bible. Which means that the more we know His Word, the more we will be able to move confidently and humbly through our days.
Some have argued that pride is the root of all sins. If that is true, then we ought to be living with a healthy fear of never letting pride take root in our hearts. That would be easy if it knocked at the door of our hearts before entering, but pride is a silent killer. It climbs in stealthily and spreads its poison discretely. Maybe one of the reasons we will always have the poor with us, is to give us an opportunity to work at our own humility.
The way of Christ is radically different from the ways of the world. We as Christians are called to live in joyful obedience to the Word of God and endure faithfully until the end. This can feel like a daunting task, but we can take heart knowing that God has not left us alone. He promises to sanctify us and keep us until Christ calls us home. Our God is faithful.
There are people who love to predict when this world will come to an end. The reality is, no one knows but God alone. Jesus could come back in any moment and the question we have to ask ourselves is this: Am I prepared for the return of the Lord? In 1 Thessalonians 5:1-11, Paul teaches the saints how to be prepared and ready for the second coming of Christ.
It is never easy to hear about your sins. We don’t mind delving in to the failings of others, but it is quite another thing to have our worst offences paraded across the evening news. Amos shows up in Israel and levels judgment on the family of God. It is direct, forceful and pointed. But, even in the courtroom of God there is room to repent.
If you’ve been to the zoo you might have been startled by the roar of a lion. Imagine how you would have felt had there been no bars or walls separating you from him! There came a time in Israel’s history where God showed up and roared His displeasure with His people. This was more than startling. It was terrifying. But, He did it in order to call His people back into humble fellowship with Him. That same roar echoes down to us today.
Whether you’ve been a Christian for decades or for little over a year, it’s right and natural for you to wonder, “How do I develop as a believer? How do I mature in godliness? How do I thrive as a Christian?” In John 15:1-11, in answer to these very questions, Christ declared that the key to flourishing and fruitfulness was not a technique, system, or place, but a person. That person is Christ, and the way to thrive as a believer is to stay close to him.
One of the most prominent themes of Jesus' life was mercy--he showed mercy to those who were in desperate physical need and to those who were in desperate spiritual need. It is little surprise, then, that as he describes the values of his upside down Kingdom, he says, "blessed are the merciful, for they shall receive mercy."
The apostle John tells us that the reason why he wrote his gospel: so that you would know that Jesus is God, and that by believing in Him you may have eternal life. Friend, eternal life is near! Love Jesus because He is God and He is worthy of our highest affection.
Although Jesus was in a position to be served by others, he showed his disciples by word and action that he came into the world to serve others. He would ultimately do this by his death on the cross.
There is only one place in the Gospels that speaks about what the heart of Christ is like. Jesus calls people to come to him because he is gentle and lowly in heart, and in him we find rest for our souls.
When a Christian dies in this world, what happens? Where are they now? Are they okay? Will we ever see them again? These are some important questions to think about, and it seems like the Thessalonians were unclear about what happens to the Christian dead. So in order to give them real hope and good courage, Paul informs them about the glorious resurrection to come when Christ returns.
In Paul’s second prayer in Ephesians, he continues to ask God to do some remarkable things. These are not puny prayers. They are somewhat audacious. We do well to lean in to what he asks in order to instruct us on how to pray for each other. Specifically, in order to teach us how to better delight in God.
It may surprise you that God wants you to be happy. But, that is how He created us to live and after He saves us He points our hearts back toward real joy. That joy is found, fundamentally, in God Himself. This is what we refer to as “Delighting in God.” Paul prays that Christians would discover this joy for themselves. The way they will do that is by having their minds opened to what God has actually done for them in saving them. The more they grasp what He has done, the happier they will be in Him.
As people with a brand new identity, we spend the rest of our lives seeking to live like who we are really are. And this process of stopping some behaviours and adding others ushers us in to an intense spiritual battle. To fight the war properly, we need to put on the armour of the One who has already conquered our enemy. And then stand our ground until we see Him face to face.
The apostle Paul shifts his focus from sexual purity to address the church concerning brotherly love. This is something that the Thessalonians were doing well. But the exhortation was to grow even more in love for one another.
Jesus promises a blessing upon those who long for the very best thing of all: righteousness.
One of the core values of the Kingdom of Heaven is meekness. But is meekness synonymous with weakness? Or could it actually be something good, something noble, something desirable?
Are there ten thousands rules to parent in a Christlike way? Or are there just a few things to do well?
God is calling Christians to the kind of relationship that is otherworldly. Christian marriages preach Jesus loud and clear when the partners fully embrace their roles. Of course Satan will oppose this at every turn, but there is hope for all who are humble.
The Christian life is like a long marathon race. And in this spiritual race there are God-given rules in place that we must abide by if we are to run faithfully and finish the race well.
Are you caught in the riptide of sin? The worst thing you can do is swim against the current. You need help. And there is only one way to access the rescue you need. The poor in spirit are blessed. The proud in spirit are cursed. At some point, every person needs to admit their total bankruptcy before God and call for help!
It is easy to get lazy with sin. Sin is all around us and, frankly, in us. And familiarity can breed indifference. Yet, God never grows accustomed to our sins. They are just as offensive and unfitting to Him as they were when He punished His own Son on the cross for them. And this means people that have repented from sin and put faith in Christ must learn to live differently from the world. They must learn to call sin what God calls sin… and relentlessly kill it.
There is always a temptation to believe things in our head about God and religion, while we act in ways completely contrary to that. This kind of hypocrisy has no place in the church of Jesus and wise Christians will fight against it all the way to the grave. Foundational to learning to live like a Christian is more accurately understanding your identity - who you are as a child of the King.
Psalm 116 is all about thankfulness to God for how He saves us. When the Psalmist had no one to turn to and nowhere to run, He called to God, and the LORD saved. Now those, like the Psalmist, who have experienced the rescue of the LORD are to live in perpetual greatness for His saving grace.
King David sinned grievously, but he confessed his sin. Psalm 32 is an instruction manual given to guide us to confess our sin.
Christians are never meant to walk in isolation. We are called to stand together with our brothers and sisters in Christ. It's when we are disconnected and alone that we're most vulnerable to the attacks of our spiritual enemy. In 1 Thessalonians 2:17-3:5, Paul stresses the importance of standing together in order to endure affliction.
When it comes to the preaching of the good news of the gospel, there is a right way to respond and a wrong way to respond. The apostle Paul thanks God for the Thessalonians' right response to the gospel. But responding to the gospel rightly doesn't mean an easy life. To live as a Christian means living a life of suffering for the Lord's sake.
One of the most important skills to learn in this Christian life is to consistently rely on the Lord. When we lean on Him, we never fall. But, we are prone to wander. A look at King Asa teaches us what relying on God gives, and what relying on ourselves brings.
God kept Grace Fellowship Church through 469 days of not being able to meet together as one church. In this Psalm, we are called to give thanks to the Lord for His powerful, faithful love. A love that shines brightly in comparison to all our failings and misgivings along the way. Thankfully, God stands ready to forgive and restore. And we respond with eternal thanks.
Our love for others is so often conditioned upon what we think of them or how they are treating us. But Christian love ought not be like this. One of the hallmarks of this love is its relentless optimism. It refuses to give up just because the other is acting poorly. Sure, there are times to be cautious and prudent, but love is excessively hopeful in the others. May God give us more and more of this, so we can become more and more like Him.
The world can be an overwhelming place, especially for a tenderhearted Christian who wants to obey the Lord and love people. The burning question is, “Which people?” And with how much love? Am I required to love orphans in Istanbul with the same level of commitment and sacrifice with which I love my spouse? How does a finite person face a world in need of infinite love? Using concentric circles, Christians can roughly map out who they need to love and when. It is not perfect, but having a plan is better than being completely paralyzed.
Widows, orphans, immigrants, the disabled. There are “weak” people in all of our lives and God calls on us to love them. This can be a tad unnerving. Love them? Not just tolerate them, or help them or pay for their food? Love them? This is the call and way to do it is rather simple.
Many regard the command to love our enemies as the highest expression of Christian love, and for good reason. Loving an enemy roots our entirely in God and not within any aspect of the subject of our affection. This is the most God-like our love ever becomes, since He loved us while we were still His enemies.
Jesus didn't just talk about how much he loved the lost, he demonstrated his love by seeking and saving the lost. Just as he was sent by the Father, he now sends us to join him on this mission.
We often assume we love other people, until we look at the example of Jesus Christ. The most frequent thing the Biblical authors reference when speaking of Christ’s love is His death. “Christ loved us and gave Himself up for us.” As Amy Carmichael said, “You can give with loving, but you cannot love without giving.” A quick overview of the Bible makes it clear, we must be willing to lose our lives in order to love others, and be wiling to do anything for their good. The love standard of Scripture is impossibly high, because it is patterned after God Himself.
As lockdowns drag on and we all grow weary, it is easy to forget the things of first importance. One of those primary duties is to love; in particular, to love God. Our relationship with God has always been based on His love for us. And this is why He can call on the same from us... to love Him. Whether Israel as a nation centuries Go, or the individual Christian today, we love God because He first loved us.
The Flood story is about God. His patience, His justice and His salvation. It is meant to serve as a warning to people alive today. And it is meant to teach us about what God has done for us in Christ. There is a very real sense in which Jesus is the ark of our salvation. Everyone must be “in Him” if they hope to pass safely through the Day of Judgment.
Rarely do we perceive how distorted we have been by sin. Perhaps sin itself has blinded us? Many people were just getting on with life when God chose to judge them all with a worldwide flood. Were things really that bad? Are they any different now?
What these afflicted saints need first is some encouragement. Paul continues in the rest of chapter 1 by encouraging the Thessalonians Christians with more evidences of grace. This church was known for imitating Christ and being holy. What about you? Are you faithfully imitating Christ? Are you living holy lives that are worthy of this kind of gratitude?
Affliction goes hand-in-hand with being a follower of Jesus Christ. When affliction comes, we shouldn’t be surprised, we shouldn’t despair, and we shouldn’t be afraid. Rather, we should be joyful and endure with all hope because the Lord gives hope to his people. 1 Thessalonians was written to a young church that was experiencing much affliction. In this sermon, we look at how Paul encouraged the suffering church and reminded them of God’s grace and love for them.
After surveying Genesis 1-5 it is obvious that God is supreme over all that He has made. But this supremacy is not something to be terrified of. In fact, it ought to lead the Christian to heartfelt joy and thanksgiving. By looking back over these chapters with this thought in mind, we can fuel our delight in God and thus increase our worship of Him.
As Adam and Eve begin to fill the earth, they start to see the effects of their sin. Some of their kids love God and some hate Him. Some walk with God and some don’t listen to Him. Within one generation it becomes clear that there will be those who follow God and those who do not. Eventually, all who love God from every tribe, tongue and nation will be gathered into one new family
Death and abandonment. These seem like the end of the world, and they would be if it were not for the grace of God. Even on the worst of all days, there are glimmers of light and hope, all of which call on all of us to look and live.
Excellence is a highly neglected virtue in the church today. Christians have become far too content with mediocre living that produces low-quality results. This is not the kind of life that honours the Lord. If we are to live lives that are fully pleasing to God, we must restore this lost virtue and passionately pursue excellence for the glory of God.
We often think of Adam and Eve getting cursed by God after they fall into sin, yet the text is clear… only Satan and the ground get cursed. Still, our first parents were indeed punished by God in gender-specific ways that have stayed with us until today. This makes the finished work of Christ and His certain Return all the more amazing. He does what is needed to save us completely, and we are spared from the ruin Satan will endure forever. But it was not without cost. Jesus walks with a limp, as it were. A damaged heel, from stepping on the head of a dead snake.
Why do we blame other people for our sins? Why are we so ashamed of someone seeing certain parts of our lives? Shame and blame-shifting are universal human experiences that do not lead to good outcomes. In this sermon, we seek to understand their cause and how to live without them.
Having examined Satan’s tactics in tempting Eve, now we turn to see where she failed in the battle. And not just her, for Adam was there, too. The first sin can teach us a great deal about what not to do when getting tempted. And almost all of it has to do with your Bible.
Christians can either be killing their church or building their church during Covid. Here is Romans 12:9-13, Paul lays down both the posture and the actions of someone who is building the church. Its every Christians duty to be an active church builder.
Everyone is tempted. And every temptation seems to include the same basic elements. Knowing these elements can help us identify temptations to sin more clearly in the fog of the spiritual battle. The first temptation to sin came from a snake to a woman standing naked and innocent in a garden. From here we learn much about how our enemy operates.
David, having just ascended to the throne of Israel, is challenged by rebellious kings and rulers. In the midst of this, he teaches us about the promised King, who is God's son and will ultimately bring an end to all rebellion against God.
Christians have long recognized the value of independent Bible reading and prayer. Why? What do we have to gain from this practise? Are we in sin if we fail to read our Bibles? How do you really pray? What do you pray for? These are great questions to ponder as we prepare to flip the page of calendar to a New Year.
The first man was created alone and that was not good. Thus, God created from that man the first woman - bone of his bone and flesh of his flesh. She was presented to her husband as a glorious bride to help him fulfill what God had called him to do and be. And this early picture of the ideal union all points forward to something far greater than the best marriages on earth. The union of God with His people forever in the New Creation.
One of the greatest things in the world came about in the midst of massive pressure, trouble and adversity. The church did not begin in a bed of roses, yet the Lord did a great work! What can we learn from the those early days to carry us through our days of testing?
What makes a man, a man? Are men and women different? At its very core, what does it actually mean to be a man? Looking carefully at the creation of the first man will tell us a lot about these kinds of questions and point us in a direction of wholeness and purpose.
Is it a sin to not worship God on a Sunday? To go to a church service on a Thursday? Should Christians always devote one day of their week to public worship? What was God doing when he blessed and sanctified the seventh day of the creation week? These questions and more all get tackled in this biblical theology of sabbath.
What does it mean to be created in the image and likeness of God? Here is a topic with vital importance to everything from friendship to abortion to racism to church life. Is everyone born with a special connection to God? And what does it mean to be like Him?
David was betrayed by family and friends. The people he served were the same ones trying to sell him into the hands of his mortal enemy. Yet, he did not stop doing good and looking to God. This example might look impossible to us until we consider Jesus. The Greater David walked through betrayal far worse than David. And He continued to entrust Himself to Him who judges justly. In doing so, He made a way for us to be right with God forever, even when our responses to betrayal fall far short of His.
Entering a dark room from a sunny day can leave you blind for a few moments until your eyes adjust. As they do, you might begin to see things you missed when you first came in. Sometimes our understanding of God is like this. We cannot see what, or Who, is right in front of us. Genesis is a book that declares God is There. And it trumpets that argument from the very first verses. By pondering the implications of this we can start to see there is a Being we need to deal with
Can you answer this question? What is a church? Much like trying to answer questions like 'What is love?' Or, 'what is music?', we might find we think we know what something is until we go to explain it. In this sermon, we seek to answer that question as plainly and helpfully as we can. In so doing, we hope every Christian will love their local church more than ever and be committed to truly “ekklesiate” as much as possible.
Christians are called away from a life characterized by sin and called to a life characterized by righteousness. What does this life look like? It’s a life that reflects the perfect character of Jesus.
You may have seen a sickly church that still boasts of its great history. It is an ungainly sight. Jesus was not interested in what the professing Christians in Sardis had done, but who they were today. There were so few true Christians left in that poor assembly. Yet, God knew who they were and He was not going to let them go.
As churches begin to re-open across Ontario, we have great reason to rejoice and give thanks. But this doesn’t mean we can afford to become idle in our walk in Christ. As our circumstances change, there are things we should always remember, always pray for, and always do for the good of the church and the glory of God.
Is there a Jezebel in our church? Can Christians really get taken up with the “Deep things of Satan?” There is more than one way to fail at this race. And when Jesus looks at the church in Thyatira, He finds so much good in them. Really, He does! And then He spots a glaring fault. We too easily miss the fact that tolerating sin will almost inevitably relax our grip on our Saviour. And that is not good. He wants our church to be hanging on tight to Him.
Nobody wants to be labelled a sell-out; a person who violates their convictions just to save their neck. But compromisers like this do exist. The problem becomes, what to do with them when they are in the church. Do we just pray for them? Should we ignore them? Should we scold them? Jesus looks at the church in Pergamum and sees compromisers in the membership. His response to this might shock you!
There are many things every church should seek to be, but perhaps none as daunting as setting their mind to be willing to die if that is what it takes to follow Jesus in their day. The church at Smyrna got that news from Jesus Himself. Would they be willing?
The Revelation of Jesus Christ is not just a piece of exciting and colourful apocalyptic literature, it is a letter to real churches. It is letter in which Jesus addresses those churches directly and spells out ways in which they are doing well and ways in which they need to immediately change. Each church is unique in her situation, but taken together, Christ’s instructions to these Christians gives a very good idea of the church we ought to try and be.
The gospel makes a radical difference in the life of a Christian. It severs their bond to the old order and establishes a new bond to the heavenly order of Jesus Christ. With this new resurrection life comes a new purpose, a new reality, and a new hope. Therefore Christians are called to be upward-looking people.
Love changes everything, especially what we think of our own privileges. In this last sermon on Christian unity, we see that more mature believers bear a special burden to ensure that this loving unity is maintained. Since they are strong, they can powerfully deny their freedoms for the greater good of the church. The solution is not legalism or fundamentalism, but a harmonious group of people covenanted together around the truth and doing all they can to neither condemn not cut off each other. This kind of harmony brings glory to God.
By the grace of God, the Colossians are doing spiritually well and standing firm in their faith in Christ, but that doesn’t mean they’re immune to the dangers of legalism that is threatening the church. The apostle Paul, therefore, warns the Colossians to continue trusting in the gospel of Jesus Christ, not the gospel of works. In this section (Col 2:16-19), we take a closer look at what exactly these false teachers were imposing on the believers in Colossae.
Paul spends almost 10% of his letter to the Romans talking about conscience matters in the church. And yet, so few Christians spend any time thinking about this or even have a grasp of what their conscience is and how it should function. A careful look at Romans 14:1-12 reveals several commands and the reasons for them as we pursue the unity of our church. To miss this is to miss a key Gospel issue.
What exactly is a conscience? Does everyone have one? Is it a spiritual gift? Should we always listen to it? Can it trick us? It seems pretty important to know what it is and how it works if so much of our unity depends on what we do with it!
There are always a thousand reasons to break up, cut off or pull away. And, for the Christian, one primary reason to stay united. That reason is Jesus. Our unity is an answer to Christ’s prayer and a finger in the eye of The Satan. But, we to often treat real unity like something nice, rather than the miracle it is. A proper understanding of love, the conscience and the high priority of real unity is essential in every age, and never moreso in our own.
King David’s throne is threatened by rebellion and war. This threat is not a foreign enemy, it’s his own son Absalom with the assistance of Ahithophel, David’s former chief counselor. In the midst of uncertainty and rising animosity, David leads us in a prayer to God for peace of mind and protection against his enemies.
We end Job with a look at how we should suffer as Christians. Only the pedlars of lies will tell you life is all rosy for the believer. Jesus promised wars, famines and the like, and never said Christians would be spared from them. So, there is a way for us to live. And Job and the "Greater Job" show us how.
Have you ever eagerly awaited meeting someone only to have the whole experience go remarkably different from what you expected? Job had spent a lot of time expressing his desire to meet with God and, in some measure, set Him straight. When that meeting actually came, the Voice from out of the hurricane left no doubt that Job had asked for more than he expected. In this last great scene of the story, God shows up. But far more than just pointing at His biceps and threatening Job, God shows how His power is being used to accomplish just the right things with Job. Just as it would when His Son suffered in the hour of darkness in order to save us from our sins.