Trinity Christian Reformed Church's Podcast: Recent Episodes
Trinity Christian Reformed Church
This week begins a Lenten series that will go through Easter. It is a series that will help us focus on the life of community that God has called us to as His people with key texts coming from the book of I Peter. This first sermon looks at how we find our identity in community. It starts with our being born again, which is our entrance into God's Kingdom community, by water and by the Holy Spirit. And then, having been born again, we are able to grow in love for one another by moving from brotherly love to agape love within the context of the community. Also essential to knowing ourselves and how we are to live in community is to be in the eternal, transforming Word of God. And again, the Word is able to transform us only as we interact with it and with each other in community.
We close this series on James circling back to where we started, with the idea of trials and how to deal with them. At the beginning of James we were told to rejoice when we go through trials, now at the close of the book, we are given three specific resources to help us go through trials. These are patience, like the patience of a farmer waiting for the last rains; community, such that we are intentional about being open to a church community; and prayer, prayed with the faith that Jesus is interceding on our behalf and that God will do what is best for us.
In James 4 we find some words from James where he really gets after the church for their lack of good Christian community, a community that is transformative and a witness of Christ to the world. James comes down hard on the hedonism and spiritual pride that destroys community. Then he insists that what is needed is greater humility. This humility comes from knowing how much God loves you and that His upside down principle of the universe is that it is the humble who are lifted up. This humility results in greater courage to do what God calls us to do and be who God calls us to be because we understand that humility is not thinking less of yourself, it is thinking of yourself less.
In James 2:14-26, the Apostle James wants to contrast truth faith with demonic faith. He first says that true faith is demonstrated in actions. In distinction from the Apostle Paul, who defines justified as being declared righteous before the Lord, James defines justified as the proof or demonstration of truth faith. It is easy to believe, even demons do this and they are terrified. But God wants us to go from fear to friendship like Abraham and Rahab; two very different people whom accepted by faith despite their sinful past. This is the power of the Gospel!
This week, in the book of James, we are looking at the importance of engaging in mercy. Though James initially teaches about the serious sin of discrimination, which can happen in numerous social situations, his main point is that we must show mercy to all people. Mercy is a heartfelt attitude of love and compassion that results in action toward a person in need. The reason we do this is because all people are created in the image of God and are of infinite value.
The wisdom we get from James in this week's message is on how to use the Word of God. There are three things that you have to allow the Word of God to do for you. First, you have to allow the Word of God to humble you as it points out your sins with pinpoint accuracy. Second, you must allow the Word of God to shape you as you both advocate for those in need and also live a holy life. And third, you must allow the Word of God to set you free as you learn to live the life God meant for you to live.
This is the first in a series of sermons that we will be doing on the book of James. Since this is the wisdom literature of the New Testament, we have in this first chapter of James some wisdom on how to go through trials. First, we need the right perspective and know that trials are normal. Christians do not escape trials, but we do grow in our faith through them. James gives us some tools to help us deal with trials when we go through them, and then He also reminds us that ultimately, to go through trials well, we have to travel with Christ, and only Christ. Christ is the perfect example of enduring trials with the expectation of ultimate joy that would result.
One of the most important things about the Light that came at Christmas is that it gave hope. The world, apart from Christ, was in a very dark place when Jesus was born. Besides the threat of war that came with Caesar's census and the tyrannical, paranoid based rule of Herod the Great, there was also the spiritual confusion caused by people on the scene who were claiming to be the Messiah. Into all that, and into all the darkness that we still see around us today, God sent His Son, with all His glory, to give us hope. With Christ now in us, what is our hope of glory?
This message looks at the Light that guides. It is the Light that enabled the Magi to search for and find the Christ child with the help of God's general revelation in the heavenly lights. It is the Light that showed them what the gifts were that they should give to this child who would be King, Priest, and Savior. It is the Light that is a gift to all of us as we receive the new King and enter His new Kingdom.
At Christmas, as we celebrate the Light of the World, we celebrate that this Light is lighting up the truth. This Light repels those who want to continue in the darkness of sin which is opposed to truth. This shunning of light happens because light exposes the sins we harbor that we want to keep in the shadows. But for those seeking to leave their sin behind and find grace, the Light guides to the way of salvation and to the walk of faith. Each and every day this Light is available to us to guide us along the pathway that is right at our feet.
This message marks the first Sunday of Advent, a time that we will be looking closer at the Light of the World that is Jesus. This message specifically reminds us how light is needed to bring life, just as the sunlight brings life, and that light also causes all darkness to flee. But light does not have to fight the darkness to make it flee, it just happens. And so it is with Jesus -- at His word and in His presence the darkness simply flees, and as we take in His light we too can overcome the darkness and experience greater life.
We conclude our FAITH series answering the often asked question: How do I know I am adopted? And the answer is found in our fellowship with God, which is not simply about believing in God or keeping a list of commandments, but about sharing IN God. And there are three tests, or sets of questions, that we can answer for ourselves in order to determine if we have this sharing IN God. The first is the truth test, which is knowing the truth about our sinfulness and Christ's forgiveness. The second in the obedience test which is about discerning what pleases God and delighting in doing that which pleases Him. And the third is the love test, which is about having the love that Christ has for the whole family of God and for God's great mission in the world.
Even though we are chosen and saved by grace, this does mean we are picked just for our good looks. No, we are picked for a purpose. God made us His masterpieces not for show but for functionality. He wants to accomplish His works in this world with our assistance, so whenever He wants to accomplish something special He recruits from His family. He almost always prefers to do this, rather than just snap His fingers, and the Bible is full of examples of this. So, what does God want to do through you right now?
A question that often comes up with regard to our faith is centered around the idea of election and that if it is God's will to choose us, where does our will fit in, or what is our responsibility? Some people really struggle with the truth of election for this reason. But accepting the idea of election will create a solution to many of the problems that we deal with as a church. Understanding that we are not in any way smarter than anyone else and therefore able to choose Christ as our Savior on our own puts us all on the same playing field, or all at the same level at the base of the cross. Once we understand this we are able to live and work together as the church, even with people who differ greatly from us. God loves us for who we are, not for what we do, and we need to do the same with those around us.
And finally, in the acronym F.A.I.T.H., "H" stands for Held by God. Which means, as we learn from John 10, that no one and nothing can snatch us from Jesus or from God because we are held in a double divine bear hug from the Father and the Son together. There are all kinds of potential threats to our security, both physical and spiritual, but God has promised that He will keep in perfect peace those who trust Him, and that applies not only to us as individuals, but also as the family of God.
The "T" in the acronym F.A.I.T.H. stands for Transformed by the Holy Spirit. Another crucial truth that we believe is that we are transformed by the Holy Spirit. This includes the regenerating power of the Holy Spirit that gives us new life when God saves us by His kindness, love and mercy. And it is also the renewing power of the Holy Spirit that gives us power in our lives that we should never underestimate. Anything that God may call us to do we are also empowered to do. And may we do so out of sheer gratitude for all He has graciously done for us!
Continuing to look at the acronym F.A.I.T. H., in this message we look at "I" which stands for Intentional Atonement. One of the cool things about the doctrine of atonement is that God unfolds these truths throughout the entire Bible. He starts with Adam and Eve in the garden when He kills an animal for them to cover the shame of their sin. Then God illustrates the idea of atonement again in the story of Abraham and Isaac where He provides the ram just as Abraham is preparing to sacrifice his son Isaac. And finally we see the reality of the atonement when Jesus, God's son, lays down His life for His sheep on the cross. This atoning act of Jesus accomplished three things for us: the payment of sin, the defeat of Satan, and our reconciliation with God.
The "A" in the acronym F.A.I.T.H. stands for Adopted by God. Ephesians 1 tells us that God chose us to be adopted as His sons through Jesus Christ in accordance with His pleasure and will. It means we are chosen by God to be part of His family! And this gives us five things: great security in our place as sons and not slaves; unlimited access to God as our Abba Father; great wealth in the riches of our inheritance; meaning to suffering as we understand that God disciplines those He loves; and, above all and through all, unending love lavished upon us by the Father.
When you summarize the truths of the Gospel with the acronym F.A.I.T.H., as someone in our Reformed tradition has done, "F" stands for Fallen Humanity. And the truth of Fallen Humanity is that all people are sinners, and that sin is so complete that there is no way at all that we could save ourselves. We are dead in our sins. This was true for both Gentiles and Jews, and it is just as true for us. And as we are dead in our sins, this means that we cannot possibly seek God. God must seek us because we are only capable of seeking ourselves. And thankfully, God does seek us, dead in sin as we are, and that is why we praise Him!
The organized church in the United States is losing members at an ever increasing rate. There are about 13 churches that close everyday. In a new series of messages, beginning today, we are going to address one reason why this might be so; the crumbling theological foundation. What is truth and where do you find it? Jesus says that when you follow Him you will know the truth and that the truth will set you free. Today we investigate how freedom comes by knowing the truth which means that Christians should be passionately pursing the truth wherever it might lead them.
God's super-abundant grace is seen in the celebration of the sacraments. In the baptism of babies we see God's abundant grace extended to all, even to the youngest little ones as they are included in God's promises to be received into His family. And in the celebration of the Lord's Supper we remember the sacrifice Christ made for us out of His great grace.
If we have received the super abundant grace of God, what kind of super abundant life should that lead to? What should our life look like following the redemptive events in our lives that come through grace? It is not a life that consists of material things, but rather a life that demonstrates all the abundant gifts that God has lavished on us, namely love, grace, mercy, joy and peace.
We have been learning about the super-abundant grace of God and what that looks like for us and how we can pass that grace on to others. Now in this sermon we see that God's super abundant grace should lead to super abundant joy in our lives. If you look throughout the Bible in both the Old and New Testaments, you find that when joy is mentioned it is always in the context of God's salvation and redemptive acts in the lives of his people. And sometimes in order for these acts of salvation or redemption to occur, suffering must go along with it as God's Kingdom has to break through. Paul understood this. That is why he could have such joy in his heart even as he suffered for the Gospel because he knew that the New Kingdom was being ushered in. May this joy be found in us too as we, by the grace of God, go on mission with God in His Kingdom.
This sermon is the first of several on the super abundant grace that Paul speaks of in Romans 5:20. In this message we look at the grace that has been given to us through the New Covenant of Christ and how that compares to the grace of the Old Covenant mediated by Moses. In both the forgiveness of sins and in the provisions that God gives for all of life, we see that the Old Covenant grace had limits and restrictions, but the New Covenant that was made possible through Christ provided super abundantly and the one sacrifice that Jesus made on the cross was limitless in its covering of our sins. Jesus came that we might have life and have it super abundantly.
How do you feel about Monday mornings? Do you dread the thought of going back to work? Or do you embrace Mondays with joyful awe and wonder, knowing that you are able to serve God and others in your work? In his letter to the Ephesians, Paul addresses work in the context of slaves and masters in the first century. Underlying Paul's words is the understanding that God treats all people as equals and that all work is serving the Lord. We need this understanding to properly appreciate work and to appreciate the people we work for or with. We all serve each other, no matter what our work or position is, because we are all equal by the grace of Jesus Christ and His amazing service to us on the cross. It is our grace filled service to others that will draw others to Christ.
The work we do is a way to see and collaborate with God's common grace. Common grace is different from saving grace. It is a form of God's grace that is present in and to everyone and so that Christians and non-Christians alike can work together to do the labor and create the things that are needed in this world. But the only way to really see and collaborate with God's common grace is to see through the lenses of the Gospel of Grace. This eliminates the legalistic view of sin that obscures common grace and instead allows us to have a humble, though careful, engagement with culture.
As we look more at work as a divine calling, we do so by seeing that all work is part of God's assignment for us. All work is Kingdom work, not just a few of the more "spiritual" vocations. If God has called us to do something, it is Kingdom work as far as He is concerned. And our work is also like a mask for God. It is how God gets things done in this world -- how He feeds people, how He keeps them safe. It is through the various vocations that He has assigned to people that God provides for this world. And finally, we have to see our work as an act of love, not as a way of trying to earn God's favor. Work because you love your neighbor, not out of legalism. Whatever you do, do it in the name of the Lord Jesus, giving thanks to God the Father through Him.
This message begins a series on the importance of our work, of our laboring in this world. We have to start by recognizing that work is a divine calling. It was, in fact, a calling given to mankind at the very creation of the world, when God Himself labored to create the world, and then asked humans to assist Him in the ongoing work of caring for His world. God saw His work and the outcome of His work as very good. And our work too is very good as we use it to glorify God, to care for all He has made, and to build His Kingdom.
We conclude this series on the Results of the Resurrection with Pentecost and the realization that the power of the Holy Spirit is yet another result of Jesus' victory over death. The Holy Spirit is the power the changes us so that we become joyfully fearless and are able to see God's mission for us in the world. Then it is the Holy Spirit's power that equips for the mission and gives us hope for the mission to be accomplished. The bottom line is this, that through the power of the Holy Spirit, lives are changed!
There are some teachings in scripture that may be hard for us, in our finite minds, to fully understand, and yet these teachings have great implications for us. One such truth that we need to understand is that Jesus, in His resurrection and then His ascension, is now our ruling King in a human, though glorified, body. And that the heaven that He is abiding in is not some far off ethereal place, but a different kind of place right along side our place, where time and matter are different, but the humanity of Christ is still allowing Him to control the world that we live in. Through His Spirit,Jesus is now actually more present with us than when He lived on earth and after He rose from the dead. So, how do you experience this presence of Christ in you?
Defeating "the powers" is yet another important result of the resurrection of Jesus Christ. We read this in Colossians 2:15. Two questions may come to mind when we consider this verse. First, what are the powers and authorities? And second, what did Jesus do to defeat the powers and authorities? The powers and authorities, ultimately, are none other than Satan and his forces. And Jesus did three things on the cross and by His resurrection that defeated Satan and his forces: He disarmed them, He made a public spectacle of them, and He triumphed over them. So the challenge for us now it to tap into that victory every day of our lives.
Another result of the resurrection of Jesus Christ is that we are called to get to work, knowing that our labor in the Lord is not in vain. His Kingdom is established and now every act we perform in His name or for His glory builds His Kingdom. By way of His resurrection Jesus became the firstfruits of a full Kingdom that is yet to come. And when He ascended into heaven until the fullness of time, He gave gifts to His people so that we are able to do the work He calls us to. So let us stand firm and get to work, knowing that all we do for Christ now is really for all eternity.
Why does the Resurrection of Jesus matter? What are the implication and results? It matters a lot! In Colossians 1 Paul teaches us that the Resurrection was crucial to God's plan for both the reordering of everything and for the reconciling of everything. Reordering everything has to do with Jesus taking control of His created Kingdom, a Kingdom that Satan had tried to wrestle from Him, resulting in the fall of mankind into slavery and thereby the fall of creation into frustration. The reconciling of everything brings both freedom to mankind and liberation from frustration to the cosmos. It is crucial that we understand that this reordering and reconciling involve both man and the entire cosmos, because Jesus created these to be together and the Gospel is not just about man but for all creation.
We talk about celebrating Easter, but what are we really celebrating when we celebrate Easter? What do we understand about Easter that those early disciples did not when they first encountered the empty tomb? In this message, we learn of three things that we celebrate about Easter and the risen Christ. First, we celebrate the just and loving character of God. Second, we celebrate the salvation of sinners, which we all are, that only Jesus' death could atone for. And thirdly, we celebrate the conquest of evil and of the prince of this world who is the author of all evil. We have been set free from all that might keep us from receiving the full salvation of Christ. This is something to celebrate!
Preparing for the Day of the Lord includes submitting. Specifically, submitting to a humble King Jesus. Zechariah helps us see this humility as a contrast to other great conquering kings such as Alexander the Great, who believed that he was the mighty king that was spoken of by Zechariah. But Zechariah also prophesied of a coming king who would be both righteous and gentle. It is easy to submit to a king who demonstrates great power in his conquests, but much harder to submit to a king who comes humbly and gently. But submit we must, and we do this by recognizing His Lordship and striving to become even more humble than He was.
Haggai is another prophet who gives the message that the Day of the Lord is coming, and Haggai gives us reason to look to this day with celebration. He warns us to let go of the idea that days gone by were the most glorious days, but instead urges us to take courage as we look to a new day of far greater glory. Specifically, the former glory had the focal point of having a great temple for worship, but that temple was going to be replaced with a new temple that would be far greater than the old one. This new temple is Jesus and His church -- a church that is the people of God on a mission with God to bring all the nations to Christ, and this mission is not based on a building or on any other schemes of man, but only those things that are led by the Spirit.
Richard Britton shares with us a forgiveness story from Hosea. Hosea’s story is scandalous. It is a scandal of grace. The book uses the metaphor of an adulterous spouse to depict Israel’s relationship with the LORD. Israel has lost their identity as a people who worship the LORD alone. They have been unfaithful to the LORD’s covenant, and will suffer the consequences. Yet the LORD will not abandon His people. Israel will still be called “children of the living God,” their story is not over. We are a part of that story. The LORD forgives us of our heart idolatry and sin. Christians are members of a new covenant that cannot be broken.
We prepare for the Day of the Lord by remembering -- remembering God's works of redemption in our lives. Like the Israelites whom God charged with failure to remember in Micah 6, a charge that He made in the presence all creation because our redemption is so closely tied to the redemption of all creation, God is concerned with our own ability to remember as well. Do you remember when God led you out of your slavery in Egypt? Or do you remember how He has turned a curse into a blessing for you? Or, how about when God brought you across the Jordan River into your Promised Land? Our remembrance of what God has done for us,all by His generous love and grace, is what should propel us to then act justly, love mercy, and walk humbly with our God.
As we prepare for the Day of the Lord we also have to be loving, and not just to people like us, but to those other people too. In fact, we have to love all people, just as God does. We see this vividly illustrated in the story of Jonah. Jonah was called to bring the message of repentance to a people who were terribly wicked and sworn enemies of the people of Israel. Jonah did not want to bring this message of repentance to them, and even when he finally did, he was hoping that the people would ignore the message so that God would indeed destroy them. When the people did repent, and God did relent, Jonah was so angry he wanted to die. But this was the lesson that had to be learned; God loves all people with great compassion, and so then should we.
The prophet Zechariah reminds us that as the Day of the Lord approaches we have to accept the complete, once for all forgiveness that we have through Jesus. And accepting often means that we first have to recognize that we have a relentless accuser, Satan, who is trying to convince us that our sins have left and us dirty and unacceptable. This continuous finger pointing by Satan leaves us with a misfiring conscience that can only be fixed when we allow Jesus to pluck us, charred as we are, from the fire, and clothe us with sparking clothes of righteousness. He had paid for all our sins and it would be unjust of God to require any more payment for them. Once we accept this payment of Christ on our behalf, we have beautiful peace and glorious worship as we are able to celebrate our great oneness together, knowing that we are all acceptable in Christ forever.
For our Lenten season sermon series this year we will be listening to some of the words from the often overlooked Minor Prophets of the Old Testament. A common theme of these prophets is that people need to be preparing for the Day of the Lord, the day when God would set all things right through His Son, Jesus Christ. The prophet Joel reminds us that preparation for that Day requires us to repent -- to repent with urgency, with sincerity, and with assurity. Urgency stops us in whatever we are doing and turns us to the Lord. Sincerity lays out a broken heart, both individually and as a covenant people. Assurity is based on God's loving character and compels us seek the glory of God in our repentance.
In Hebrews 6 hope is described as an anchor for the soul. What exactly does this mean? The story of Abraham's faithfulness to God's call is given as an example of how hope can anchor a soul. Despite having reasons to question Gods' faithfulness, Abraham persevered in faith because he saw the coming day of a Savior of the world and rejoiced in it. He believed, as we all should, in the promises of God and in the character of God. The anchor that was secured in glory for Abraham is also secured in glory for us today, and the anchor line is right within our reach. So grab on and hold on!
Even in a wintry season we have hope, because we have the Spirit. The Holy Spirit comes along side of us in the brokenness of this world and gives us first fruits blessings as a foretaste of future blessings. He also prays for us and gives us hope in our groaning as He groans with us and on our behalf. And the Spirit's groans follow the groans of Jesus on the cross as He hung there on our behalf to give us hope in our groaning.
If you are in a season of winter and spring feels a long way off, you may be looking for something to put your hope in. That which we try to put our hope in is of crucial importance. For example, one thing we can't count on for hope are those things we can count. King David learned this lesson the hard way during the later part of his reign when he decided to count his army. God saw this as David's pride in his own power rather than hope in God's future and He had to punish David. Similarly, we may find ourselves putting our hope in things like security, health, and finances, when we should be putting our hope in the Son of David who gave His life for us.
When we act out of prejudicial feelings towards others, that is discrimination. When that discrimination is held collectively by a social group and backed by legal or institutional power, it is systemic discrimination. This is a situation James was dealing with in James 2:1-13. If the social group's discrimination is defined by race, then it becomes racism, and this is a big problem in the history of the United States, including our churches. So how can we reverse this systemic racism? We see how the early church had to deal with it already in Acts 6 when the apostles chose Grecian Jews to oversee the the distribution of food to all the widows in the church. To reverse systemic racism as we know it in this country and in our churches, we first have to understand what it is, then work to develop genuine empathy towards people of color, and then also be willing to engage them into our lives.
Any conversation about the Sanctity of Life should also include our need to love the alien. An alien is simply anyone who is a stranger or foreigner from some other place, and there should be no judgment for that. Instead, our response should be love. We treat the alien well; we even provide for them because God loves them so and that is what He would do. In fact, God wants to use us to show His love to the alien. We should love them to demonstrate our own love for God and for all He has made, and also because we too have been aliens. If you have not experienced the struggles of being an alien, like so many people have, then make it your goal to understand what it is like to suffer as an alien and then embrace the aliens and provide ways for them to flourish.
A commitment to Sanctity of Life has to include life on all the edges including the unborn child, the disabled person, and the elderly. The Bible teaches us in Psalm 139 that God put us together wonderfully, even in the womb. We also know from Luke 14 that Jesus was preferential to the poor, the crippled, the lame and the blind. And Zechariah 8 teaches us that God wants the elderly, those of ripe old age, to be included in the life of all the community. The important thing for all of us is that we celebrate all of life, and we celebrate it together, including everyone as the wonderfully loved and beautifully created people that they are!
The Bible teaches us right from the beginning, in the creation of Adam and Eve, that we were made in the image of God. We see the implications of this in their relationships with God, with each other, and with all creation. But after the Fall, that imaging of God was tainted. If we look at Jesus and know that He is the truest image of God then we have to see that in order for us to best image God it has to be about love -- how we love God, how we love all mankind, and how we love creation. Colossians 3:10 teaches us that as people who have been raised with Christ, we have to now put on a new self and be renewed in our image of God. How then are we doing at this thing called love and how is that seen in our relationships with God, with all people, and with God's creation?
What better place to start talking about the sanctity of life than the place where all life as we know it began, at God's creation of the universe and of this special place we call earth? Earth is like no other place in the universe in the way in which it was created to sustain all kinds of life. And it is the one place that God gave a role to His greatest creation, mankind, to fill, subdue, rule, work and care for His marvelous creation. We were tasked with being God's stewards of this earth from the very beginning, and that remains true for us today. So let's not take lightly the findings of the scientific community which point us to the destructive problems facing this earth, such as climate change, loss of species, and plastic pollution. How we, as God's people, caring for creation today?
When Jesus Advent-ured into the manger as the Savior of the world, He was wrapped in cloth strips. Imagine the Almighty God bound in strips of rough cloth. It was not the only time He was bound. He was bound and taken to Pilate, and He was wrapped in strips of cloth when He was buried. But Christ was bound so that we could be set free, like Lazarus rising from the dead and Jesus instructing the people to unbind him and set him free. Whatever might bind us today, Jesus came to set us free.
The fact that Jesus was born in Bethlehem was all part of His great advent-ure in coming to earth. Coming to Bethlehem placed Him directly in the shadow of King Herod the Great, the "King of the Jews". There could not have been a greater contrast in kings. The big king Herod had so much power, so much wealth, and was also so ruthless and cared only for himself. The little King Jesus, on the other hand, came in total weakness, total poverty, yet was completely merciful, coming only so that we, His much-loved people could have life in all its fullness. How are we living in that fullness?
This message marks the start of a new Advent series called "Advent-uring with Jesus", where we will look at the adventure that coming to earth was for Jesus, and as a result how it also began a whole new great advent-ure for God's people. This message specifically looks at the family that Jesus ventured into and how that reshapes how we should look at family. The makeup of the family that Jesus entered into shows us clearly the depth and width of God's love and grace. After all, His family tree had some very evil and some generally unacceptable people in it. And from Jesus taking His place in this family, we learn that our ultimate family is God's family and that we too must come not only into our biological family but also into this family of God with amazing love and grace.
The final message of the book of Nehemiah is one of celebration. Specifically, for the people of Israel, this celebration was in the form of a worship of dedication of the wall. Key things we can learn from this dedication are that these: that dedications are intended to assign a purpose to something, that everyone is included and all people's gifts are required, and that joy is a vital part of the dedication. It is all in great celebration what God is doing as He brings in His Kingdom. And if what God is doing, if God's mission in the world, is worth celebrating, then it is a mission that we should indeed be dedicated to.
Nehemiah 9 tells us about a special Day of Confession that the people of God participated in following all the various religious feasts and ceremonies that are laid out for them in the law for the seventh month of the Jewish calendar. Most notably, this Day of Confession took place two weeks after the Day of Atonement, on which the sins of the people were atoned for by way of two special goats. It is only when we know that our sins have been atoned for that we can feel free to confess them. And so a prayer was offered confessing all the sins of Israel. It was a prayer that teaches us how to walk humbly with God and includes elements of exalting God for His creation, praising God for His salvation, confessing our sin and unworthiness, thanking God for His mercy, and finally, vowing our commitment to God.
In Nehemiah 8 we learn that it is not enough to build the walls for a community, but that the community itself that resides and worships within those walls must also be built, and that only happens when God's Word is the foundation. God's Word must be the foundation for everyone -- men, women and children alike. It is a foundation that has to be respected as the very words of God spoken directly to us. And God's Word is also a foundation that needs to be understood and responded to, as we allow the Holy Spirit to do His work in our hearts. Is this the foundation we are laying for our church community?
This message begins a series of sermons from the book of Nehemiah about the rebuilding of the fallen walls of Jerusalem, which was really all part of preparing the way for our Lord, Jesus Christ. The news about the wall that comes to Nehemiah while he is in Susa is not good, but Nehemiah prays and the bad news is turned to good news when Artexerxes gives generous permission to Nehemiah and Nehemiah takes great risk to go to Jerusalem to rebuild the walls. Nehemiah goes to Jerusalem to secretly survey the walls and then is able to proceed with confidence in the rebuilding, assured that God will grant him success because he understands that this is all part God's plan of salvation for the world.
Psalm 24 talks about the glory of God, a glory that we all seek, but that eludes us apart from the solution that God Himself has given us in Christ. Until we receive this glory, by way of the cross of Christ, we try to find substitutes for glory, often called vain glories, by way of wealth, pleasures, power, and honor. Interestingly, these are all completely contrary to Christ, who has declared that it is the poor in Spirit, the mourners, the meek, and those who are persecuted for Christ's sake who will be greatly blessed. So look to Christ for the glory He has given us and then we will resonate God's glory more and more.
Wilderness is a powerful thing, because it can be life-changing. When we go into a place of wilderness, whether it is geographical or circumstantial wilderness, it is going to change us. On the one hand, there is the danger that it could be deadly or defeating to us. But, if we let God do His work in us through the wilderness, then it can help us learn holiness as we drawn nearer to the life-giving God. It can also help us become more human as we become more of what God created us to be. David learned this in his wilderness experience as he was running from Saul. He learned to see the holiness of God and the humanness of all people, even in his enemy, Saul. So, don't be afraid of wilderness, but embrace it, for in it you will find God in a new way.
Fear is a problem for all of us. We all have things in our lives that terrify us, or at least, make us very anxious. In David's Psalms of lament, starting with Psalm 3, we learn a lot about what David feared, but also about how he handled fear and overcame it. To handle fear we have to be able to name it and understand it, knowing that there are greater forces at work in our lives sometimes than we can see, namely the forces that are engaged in the cosmic battle for the salvation in the world. This was the case for David, and can often be the case for us too when we engage in activities and ministry that Satan would like to see us fail in. But to overcome our fears, we have to believe that God is shielding us as we move forward and follow His call, that He is giving us His glory, and that we are part of His story and His mission in the world, a mission that is shared by a unified church.
In Bethany, Mary shows her love for Jesus by drenching His feet with expensive perfume and wiping them with her hair. She is preparing Jesus for His ultimate glory, which will come when He is lifted up on the cross. His ultimate glory comes through humiliation, a criminal’s death. Yet the crowds think that as a conquering king, Jesus will earn glory through liberating the people from Roman oppression. They run out to meet Him with nationalistic pride. Little do they know that Jesus is not the king they are expecting, but the King they need. A King, who through death, will bring eternal life to all who believe in Him.
As illustrated in chapter 9, the Pharisees are blind guides who are unfit to shepherd God’s people. They rejected Christ, and therefore have not entered the sheepfold by the door. We saw that the man born blind, after washing in the “pool of mission” became an ideal disciple/shepherd who had faith in Christ and asked others to follow Him. Unlike the Pharisees, this man had no Biblical or theological training, yet understood simple spiritual truths that the Pharisees could not comprehend. This social outcast was more fit to shepherd God’s people than the religious leaders of his day. Jesus is the Good Shepherd sent by God to lay down His life for the sheep and to protect them against evil. Anyone who believes in Christ is one of His sheep, and can help shepherd others into His fold. No matter who we are, if we believe in Christ, He has called us to be shepherds. He has called us to go out, find sheep who are lost, and guide them back into the fold.
When Jesus encounters a man born blind, He heals him. He not only opens his eyes, but opens his heart and mind as well. The healing takes place on the Sabbath, so the Pharisees know that Jesus is a Sabbath breaker and a sinner. Yet the man whose eyes were opened points out that if Jesus were not from God, He could do nothing. Jesus gave this man both physical sight and spiritual sight, to see that Jesus was the Son of God. Conversely the Pharisees have physical sight, but are left in spiritual darkness as they cannot believe in the one whom God has sent. The Light of the world has uncovered the fact that the deeds of the Pharisees are evil. He invites us to walk in the light and live by the truth, like the man born blind.
Without Jesus as their light, the Pharisees were lost, without life or direction. Yet all those who believe that Christ is the Messiah will never walk in darkness but will have the light of life. As God led the Israelites through the desert in a pillar of fire, so Jesus as the light of the world will guide us as we journey through life as His disciples.
All of Israel was required to travel to Jerusalem for the Feast of Tabernacles which was a feast of expectation. The people expected that the new wine from the autumn harvest of grapes would flow freely. The people expected that rainfall during the upcoming rainy season would be plentiful, and prayed for it. Finally, the people anticipated the coming of their Messiah, hoping He would re-create the miracle of Moses (water from the rock) and bring the political freedom that Moses did when he led the Israelites out of Egypt. When Jesus comes to the feast, He fulfills all three of these in ways the Israelites never thought possible.
Pastor Dan Gritter focuses on how Jesus performed an amazing miracle of feeding 5,000 people with only five loaves and two fish! It was again another sign in this gospel pointing to who Jesus really is. Later He made it very plain that He really is the Bread of Life, the very life of God that we all need. He is the one who finally and fully satisfies our spiritual hunger.
Pastor Dan Gritter focuses our attention on spiritual thirst. Everyone knows what it is to be thirsty. And everyone has a spiritual thirst whether they know it or not. We try many wells to satisfy it. Jesus met a woman at a well in John 4. An interesting discussion ensued. In the end she came to believe and experience that Jesus offered her what He called living water, the kind that most deeply satisfies our deep spiritual thirst. Encountering Jesus ended up changing not only her own life but that of others as well. Everyone has a spiritual thirst, even very religious people. Jesus invites you to come to the only well that will satisfy yours.
Nicodemus is Israel’s teacher but he does not understand spiritual things. Jesus, who Nicodemus calls teacher, is Israel’s true teacher. Jesus has seen the kingdom of God because He is born “from above,” and we must be born “from above” or “again” to see God’s kingdom. If we are cleansed from sin through faith in Christ (symbolized by the waters of baptism) and transformed by the Spirit of God, we can have a place in the kingdom of God. Nicodemus asks how this can be. Jesus’ answer is that the Son of Man must be lifted up on the cross.
This week Rev. Gritter led the congregation in the fascinating story from John 2 of encountering Christ at a wedding in a small town called Cana in Galilee when water was changed into wine. It was there that the writer John tells us that the disciples saw the glory of Jesus and believed in Him. So what was this glory they saw? It was quite different from the idea of glory that we find often in our culture. It was glory that comes often in life in unexpected places and ways. It was the glory of selfless service of others. If we have eyes to see it we will see the glimmering of the kind of glory God values far more than we realize. This story is an encouragement to live that kind of life reflecting the glory of Jesus in selflessly serving others. We may think doing this in small ways is not very important, but it is!
The Diciples Encounter Christ ~ In John 1, the apostle John presents John the Baptist as the model witness to Christ. John the Baptist denies himself and bears witness that Jesus is the Messiah. The disciples all use titles of Jesus that point to Him being the Son of God. They know who Jesus is after their encounters with Him. Then they go and tell others about Him. Who can we tell about what God is doing in the life of the church, and in our own personal lives? How have we encountered Christ through His word, creation, and in our relationships with others? God’s Spirit will help shape us into model disciples and witnesses like the people presented in John 1.
In this second message on God seeking us, we turn to John 10 and the powerful teaching of Jesus, the Good Shepherd. We learn that He loves us in such a great way that He lays down His life to save His flock. Jesus also knows His sheep and everything about them; and He expects us to know Him as well. And, finally, He owns His sheep, which means He will never let anybody or anything snatch us from His loving hands. Indeed, He makes a great point of finding all of the lost ones and brings them home. Wow, how can we be more like our Good Shepherd?
As we study Ezekiel 34 we learn a couple things about sheep and shepherds. First, we are all sheep and this is not a compliment. We are dumb, abstinent, short-sighted and easily lost. So we need a shepherd. Second, shepherds, both civil and religious leaders, tend to be selfish and unwilling to care for the needy. Therefore, God will send Himself, in the form of Jesus Christ, to protect and provide for His sheep.
The sermon series on The "Indestructible Temple" concludes with the important message that we, people of the church, are now the Indestructible Temple, because the Holy Spirit resides inside of us. And what does this mean for us? It means that we become a holy place and that we can have a very intimate relationship with God. But it also means that we have to protect the holiness of the God's temple by how we use our bodies and that we have to let God's glory shine out. We have to move from mere confession about God to intimacy with God, and people should be able to see this in us.
One magnificent thing about the crucifixion of Christ is that it signified the end, completely and forever, of the Old Temple worship as a means of connection with God. When Christ died, God Himself tore the temple curtain in two so that temple worship became worthless in that very instant, because God no longer was willing to be limited to being worshiped in that space. Instead, God opened up salvation to the whole world by exchanging the Holy of Holies for Heaven and by making Jesus Himself the portal to God. The walls have come down so that all nations, all cultures, can bring their glory and honor into the very presence of God. This is what we celebrate at Easter!
What a contrast there is between the Old Temple and Jesus as the New Temple in terms of how the Holiness of God was perceived. Whereas in the Old Temple structure the Holiness of God was protected by the temple architecture, by the regulations for animal sacrifices, and by the regulations for priests. In the New Temple, embodied by Jesus, the Holiness of God is no longer isolated by protections, but instead distributed to everyone because Jesus Himself so perfectly met the demands, once and for all, for holiness, and was willing to share it with everyone He met.
The message of Jesus' cleansing the temple showed us that Jesus is the temple in and around whom we should center our worship. In His encounter with the Samaritan woman, this theme comes up again and three specific questions are addressed concerning worship, all of which lead us again to Jesus Christ. What mountain should we worship on? What Father should be the basis of how we worship -- a father who has passed on traditions to us, or one who wants to be in a relationship with us? And, in what way should we worship? All of these questions end up directing us to finding our sacred space only and always in Jesus.
As Jesus walked toward the cross and his death, He intentionally demonstrated that He was indeed the Messiah and that the Messiah was going to become the new temple of God. In our series of sermons for Lent and Easter we are going to look at how Jesus taught with words and deeds that He is replacing the temple system of the Old Testament and becoming Himself the new Temple of God. And He also then makes the way for us to become the Temples of God too. Nothing but miraculous!
This message concludes a study of the book of Job and gives us two important things we learn about God -- that He is ALL Sovereign and ALL wise; two important things we learn about Job -- that he repented and then he forgave his friends; and finally, two important things we learn about restoration. God does restores, sometimes physically, but always spiritually, both in this life and into all eternity. The question for us then is this, how do we begin living in eternity right now? How are we using our blessings in service to Christ today?
Out of the approaching storm, God speaks. And He not only speaks through creation, but also about all of creation and His Lordship over it. He confirms that He is Lord of all the earth, Lord of all the skies, Lord of all creatures, and even Lord of all Powers, including the spiritual powers of Satan and his forces. Because of his suffering, Job is now ready to see God more fully in this way -- as being sovereign over all creation and also sovereign over all spiritual beings -- so that even in suffering he can find rest. If we want to find this same rest in our suffering, we have to be ready to hear God speak, not forgetting that He speaks powerfully through all of His creation.
After Job's three friends have finished all their arguments and after Job has responded to them, another voice that has been waiting in the wings, listening to it all, speaks out, and with this voice of Elihu we finally hear the voice of truth. The truth is that God is not a God of the retribution principal, and he is also not an arbitrary God who makes no sense. The truth is that righteous people are still sinners, including Job in his harboring of pride, and that when suffering comes to a righteous person, it is not punishment but correction. Suffering is a means of purifying faith. Instead of seeing problems, people and processes that cause us grief, we need to receive these as purifying trials.
Job had three "friends' who proposed to "comfort" him in his time of agony and distress. But in the end, Job could only refer to them as miserable comforters, and God Himself was very angry at them for, each in their own way, so badly misrepresenting Him as a God of retributive justice instead of love. In the words of Job, a comforter should be one who gives words of encouragement and relief. A comforter should never come across as more spiritual, never motivate with fear or name calling, and never be so rational that it is impossible to just be a good listener. God is a God of comfort, and He desires that we, because of the comfort we have received, learn to be compassionate comforters to others.
Another key theme in Luke's Christmas Story is that of mercy. Grace is receiving what we do not deserve, but mercy is not receiving what we do deserve. We see this mercy in the birth of John the Baptist to the family of Zechariah when God takes away Elizabeth's disgrace and gives Zechariah a son. But this is only a picture of the greater mercy that is received by the family of God when Jesus becomes both the new King through the covenant of David and also the necessary Covenant Keeper of the covenant God had made with Abraham. Jesus is the covenant keeper in that He received what we deserve (punishment) in order for us to receive God's mercy.
After Mary realized that the promised Savior has indeed been conceived within her by the Holy Spirit, she sings for us a beautiful song. God gave her, a poor, young servant girl, a voice that continues to sing for us over 2,000 years later. Mary could sing this way because she recognized that having Christ in her was the greatest blessing she could ever have, far surpassing any other earthly blessing she could ever hope for, and far exceeding what the powers of this world could ever achieve.
Luke's story of Christmas shows us how God's grace is so important to the Christmas story. The angel appeared to Mary and proclaimed straight up that she was to be a recipient of God's grace. Then as the proclamation continued, we see how this grace was an operation of the Triune God and that through this grace a powerless young girl would receive the power of the Most High. Mary's ability to receive and respond to this message from the angel is also the working of God's grace. In all of this Mary models for us how all true believers are receivers of God's amazing grace.
Jesus says we are not to judge, or, more specifically, to have a spirit of judgmentalism. In the Sermon on the Mount we learn that if we are to move beyond this spirit of judgmentalism we have to have the right attitude, the right humility, and the right sensitivity. The right attitude is one of compassionate correction instead of tearing someone down. The right humility means we don't look for faults in other people because this only blinds us to faults in ourselves, the first of which may in fact be judgmentalism itself. The right sensitivity means we yield our need to correct someone to God's way and God's timing. In order to have warm relationships in our community, in our church, and in our families we have to overcome our judgmental attitude.
To get a handle on how to deal with money and wealth we have to understand that there two types of treasure, two types of vision with regard to wealth, and two potential masters we can follow. And we have to make the right choices: Will we choose to most value, to treasure, those things that are spiritually focused or earthly focused? Will we choose to stay in the dark about how blind we can be to the sin of greed, or will we find the help we need to get our eyes opened? And will we let ourselves be mastered by the greatest Treasure, which is Jesus, and His Kingdom, or by the things that make money fly right out of our pockets because they satisfy our perceived needs and desires? It is only when we can see that the answer to all these questions is always found in Jesus, that all worry can fade away and that we can become very generous people, just as Jesus was and is.
As we continue through Matthew's account of Jesus' Sermon on the Mount in Matthew 5, we find ourselves more and more blown away by the radicalness of Jesus' words. We find that because God is present everywhere, there is no place for anything but full truth in our speech. We also find no place for revenge or pay backs in the life of Christian, but that instead we are to be fountains of grace. And then, to top it all off, we are told to love our enemies. But in all these things we see that Christ has already lived, and died, this way for us, even when we were His enemies.
"You have heard it said, but I tell you..." These are common words of Jesus in the Sermon on the Mount as Jesus specifically addresses some specific commands found in the Law and tells us the rest of the story. When it comes to the commands regarding murder, adultery and divorce, Jesus teaches us that the real issue, the real sin, is the way we devalue people and relationships when we harbor anger and unforgiveness and when we look for sexual relations outside of marriage. We end up treating people just like consumer goods that can be replaced or put aside for something that might seem better to us or bring us more satisfaction. The only thing that can deliver us from selfish consumer relationships is finding our satisfaction in the love of Christ.
In Matthew 5:17-20 Jesus teaches His disciples how the idea of law fits into His Kingdom. Contrary to common belief, this is not a passage specifically about fulfilling the Ten Commandments. Instead, Jesus is here dealing with His fulfillment of the entire Law and Prophets, which simply is the Old Testament. He fulfilled the Law and the Prophets in two ways: first by keeping and completing them, and then also by paying their penalty, which is really our penalty, because it is impossible for us to keep the commandments. We might think we can keep the commandments, but only by minimizing them. We need to understand that we should instead, as members of the Kingdom of Heaven, focus on love, self-giving love that follows the example of Christ. Actions which flow out of this love are what pleases God, and they should come naturally for us if we truly love God.
In Matthew 5, Jesus calls us to live as Christians in the world in two ways: first, as salt, preserving that which is in decay; and second, as light, bringing the truth and hope of salvation to an otherwise dark world. But Jesus is emphatic in telling us also that as Christians, when we are truly acting as salt and light, we will also suffer hurt, just as Jesus Himself did and as all the prophets before us have. But we can resist any self-pity because our reward is in heaven!
In his Gospel, from start to end, Matthew portrays Jesus as the King of a new Kingdom, and the Sermon on the Mount then teaches us how to live in that Kingdom. Our guilt and bondage to sin would keep us from entering the Kingdom, but Jesus dealt with that in His baptism and temptations, and by His death on the cross. So now we can enter His Kingdom and the Beatitudes teach us what heart attitudes we must have in order to receive all the blessings of the Kingdom, including our very salvation.
Paul journey continues on to Ephesus, one of the most morally bankrupt and demonic cities of that time. But Paul is not deterred. He has seen the Spirit work before and is not disappointed here, when there is a fourth outpouring to the Spirit, just as Jesus has proclaimed in Acts 1:8. This outpouring led to a preaching of the Gospel to some of the uttermost ends of the known earth at that time, and also to extraordinary miracles. Conflict was a continued reality in ministry for Christ, but so was God's guidance through the conflict. And this led to great outcomes of both complete surrender on the part of those previously committed to demonic power, and complete freedom for those previously enslaved to perversions of money and sexuality through idol worship.
Sometimes when we contemplate the future and see the uncertainty of it all, we become fearful and do not want to keep moving forward. What we need to keep in mind is that when we are on mission with God, He will always provide because He is already in that place that may seem so scary to us. God provides for us in two ways: through people we meet and through protection. When Paul was in Corinth, God provided for him through Aquila and Priscilla and through Sothenes. God also provided protection for Paul through Gallio. God always provides for us and always protects us when we are on His mission.
The church in Berea was known for having great listeners and learners. In Acts 17 we learn three things about the Bereans that contributed to this ability to hear and learn well. First, they had noble character, which literally means they had a great willingness to learn. They were willing to to assess a situation and, even if it wasn't what they expected, to learn from it. The Bereans were also eager to receive. They loved to learn more from Scripture because they loved Jesus. And finally, the Bereans were faithful in spending daily time in Scripture, wanting to know it well enough to be able to discern truth. As a result of this abitliy to learn, many Bereans became Christians!
In Paul's visit to Thessalonica in Acts 17 we get a good understanding of what all is involved in a good telling of the Gospel. The passage uses four different verbs to describe all that Paul did. He reasoned from Scriptures, he explained by answering their questions, he proved by way of testimony, and he proclaimed the Good News by telling it with passion. How good are we at telling the Gospel? And when we do speak of the Gospel, do we do so with such a great passion that others are compelled to hear the message?
When bringing the Gospel to a pluralistic society, a society that has many gods and where truth is relative to each individual or culture, there are three principles that Paul followed and that we should keep in mind too. First, our Gospel message should include ministry to the needy. This will serve to confirm our message of grace by the ways that we show miraculous compassion and generosity, and even miraculous signs and wonders. Second, we must contextualize the message to the hearers worldview and find points of contact that meet them where they are and address what they long for. Finally, we must continue through hardships, recognizing that these bring us personally deeper into the Kingdom, and also that how we deal with hardships can validate the Gospel for those outside the Kingdom.
In Acts 13 we find Paul moving into the area of Galatia and facing strong opposition, but also finding great triumph as he faithfully preached the gospel message of resurrection in both its fact and fulfillment. It was a very difficult journey just to reach Pisidian Antioch, but Paul was compelled by his calling to bring the gospel message to Gentiles. Despite the arduous journey and the persecution of jealous Jews, Paul saw that all whom God had appointed to eternal life did believe his message and were saved. He learned from this experience, and many others to follow, that when we go on mission with God we will find strong opposition, but also the triumph of God in people's lives.