Anahola Baptist Church: Recent Episodes
Anahola Baptist
Founded in 1965 by Pastor Arza Brown. Located in downtown Anahola by mile marker 14 across the street from the Whaler's Anahola Store on the mauka side (mountain side) of Kuhio Highway. Anahola Baptist Church continues to preach God's word and impact lives with God's love. Anahola Baptist, by God's grace, has been a faithfully committed to the gospel of Jesus Christ for over 50 years.
In this sermon, Pastor Elledge asks three important questions that, when answered, will help rightly interpret Romans 13:1-7 and a Christian's relationship to government.
“You have heard that it was said, ‘You shall love your neighbor and hate your enemy.’ 44 But I say to you, Love your enemies and pray for those who persecute you, 45 so that you may be sons of your Father who is in heaven. (Matthew 5:43-45).
Pastor Elledge demonstrates, through Paul's teaching in Romans 12:14 & 17, that this world transcending imperative of Christ's, is for us who are not to be conformed to this world but transformed by the renewing of our minds.
Christians have many virtuous obligations in this life. The Apostle Paul details five of them for usin Romans 12:10-13 at a dizzying pace. Truly if God's people would live out even these five virtues towards each other, we would be a savor to the world for the glory of God.
For what did Jesus die? Many have tried to reduce Jesus' death as an example to follow. The cross is then held up as a mere portrayal of what man ought to be towards one another. But according to Isaiah, and other Scriptures prior to and after his prophecy, our greatest need was atonement for our sin.
While darkness is an often used metaphor in Scripture for evil and things associated with it, light is that which overcomes the darkness. This metaphor is shown to be true in regards to the bodily resurrection of the light of life, the Lord Jesus Christ. Pastor Elledge demonstrates, with just a few examples, how Christ's resurrection proves that he has overcome the darkness of our sin and judgment, and in exchange gave us eternal life.
Pastor Elledge demonstrates from Scripture that faith in the suffering servant of Isaiah 52-13-53 (Jesus Christ) is not because of our natural capacity to believe but only by grace.
Pastor Kenny Elledge explores the reasons why Jesus' entry into Jerusalem, just days prior to his death, was in fact triumphal.
As the apostle continues demonstrating both what the Christian life is and is not, he now give the key to those who would live the Christian life in accordance to the mercies of God. The renewal of our minds is not optional for a Christian in order to live out the pattern of the Christian life found in Romans 12:1-2. Although it is not optional, it is also not automatic that we attain a renewed mind, but this is an ongoing process for as love as we live in this world. How will we attain it? By the mercies of God.
Having already dealt with the negative 'be not conformed to this world, Pastor Elledge now considers the positive aspect of being transformed. You might be surprised that the transformation being taught by the apostle is not the means of becoming a Christian but comes as a result of being one.
While the pattern of the Christian life is, generally speaking, to present our bodies a living sacrifice to God, the apostle continues in v. 2 by describing what that life looks like in a little more detail. Pastor Elledge shows how not conforming to this world is essentially necessary to live the pattern of the Christian life and doing the will of God.
Pastor Elledge begins a ten part sermon series on the fourth and final Servant Psalm of Isaiah, found in Isaiah 52:13-53:12. This prophecy is so clear that one Puritan, Thomas Manton, said it read more like a historical witness (gospel) than prophecy. Our texts depicts Christ even as the gospels--high and lifted up and humbled more than any other man.
What is the pattern of the Christian life? Without question it resembles the gospel of our Lord Jesus Christ. Perhaps this is one reason the apostle spent 11 chapters grounding believers in it and its benefits. The Christian life is patterned after the cross. By grace we've been brought from death to life so that we can live to die.
Summarizing complex things is often one of the most difficult and discerning tasks. If you could use one word to describe Paul's emphasis throughout the first eleven chapter of Romans what would it be? Pastor Elledge argues that the mercies of God is the way in which Paul summarizes the gospel and all its benefits to sinners in those first eleven chapters. And not only does it summarize the standing of a Christian, it also is the basis for our conduct.
Although God's saving purposes in history are humbling, this in turn is the way in which his word is demonstrating itself to be true. Even a peripheral view of redemptive history leads us to say, who can know the mind of the Lord, or who has been his counselor? But it has been Paul's purpose, since chapter 9, to lead us to this place of humility, so that we'd not judge our salvation according to our immediate circumstance but always by the word and mercy of God in Christ Jesus.
Correction: Pastor Elledge misspoke at 29:38 when he said that the remnant (of Israel) does not bow the knee to Christ. Actually, the remnant does of course bow the knee to Christ. His intended point was to demonstrate that instead of the remnant of Israel being known by their faithfulness or adherence to the law, now that Christ has come, the remnant is known by their faith in Christ.