Back Creek Church | Charlotte, NC: Recent Episodes
Connecting People With the Hope of the Gospel
In all circumstances, we are to take up the shield of faith. Circumstances are the area of satanic attack that require the shield of faith because they are often the battleground between fear and faith. Fear is an assault on faith, and both ask us the question, "what do I believe about my circumstances and about God?"
Our enemy is the accuser of our brothers and sisters. We stand against the accusations of the devil with the breastplate of righteousness: the gift righteousness from Christ that liberates us from the guilt, shame, and penalty of our sin and the growing righteousness from the Spirit that shows God is at work in us, conforming us to Christ.
God doesn't need us, but he loves us and chooses to work in us and for us and through us.
When facing the consequences of his own actions, Jacob responds much the same way we all do: he presumes the worst, prays for the best, and prepares for whatever. But the Gospel offers a better way...
In this passage, twenty years of conflict reach a point of crisis. Between Jacob and Laban we see three possible responses to conflict.
In his loving sovereignty, God allows us to suffer from the sinful scheming of others. But also in his loving sovereignty, God redeems our suffering and restores what is stolen.
Our Easter message - what you are really seeking and longing for, even if you don't realize it, is a crucified and risen Christ.
The Triumphal Entry of Jesus is a declaration that he is God, he is King, he is Prophet, and he is Priest.
In his sovereign goodness, the Lord works around, in, and through even our sinful scheming for our good and His glory.
Leah's story shows us God's heart for the overlooked and rejected: in our sad, we are seen; in our hurt we are heard; in our aloneness we are attached; in our sin we are saved.
Working and waiting are areas of life in which we can find ourselves, like Jacob, wrestling with God.
Good news for weary God-wrestlers who always lose: because God wins, we get his presence and his promises. We don't have to build, bargain, or buy what he offers us freely.
Exile means a forced absence from one's home. It's a consistent theme throughout the story of God's people. Sometimes, it's the consequence of sin (Adam and Eve; Assyrian and Babylonian. exile); more often it's a call to faith (Abraham, Joseph, slavery in Egypt, David, the New Testament command to believers to live as exiles). In Jacob's case – and in ours – there's both. This message gives three expectations for exiles from Genesis 28.
Using deceit to manipulate outcomes promises to give, but it only takes.
It takes advantage of people.
It takes the Lord's name in vain.
It takes matters into our own hands.
It takes the blessing out of the blessing.
But whatever deceit takes, God gives more through Jesus.
We experience both blessings and bitterness in this life, which can lead us to wrestle with God.
The bitterness of trials can lead us to wrestle with trust (26:1-11).
The blessings of success can lead us to wrestle with strife (26:12-21)
The bitterness of problems can lead us to wrestle for praise (26:22-25)
The blessings of comfort can lead us to wrestle against compromise (26:26-35)
Wrestling is inevitable for finite and sinful creatures engaging with our infinite and perfect Creator. Often, it's our wants (both good and bad). that drive our wrestling with God.
Our wants can lead us to wrestle with God's plan.
Our wants can lead us to wrestle with God's provision.
Our wants can lead us to wrestle with our position.
Guest Preacher Josh Grimm show us the call from Proverbs to receive God's wisdom, turn from what entices us away from God's wisdom, and to embrace Jesus as our Wisdom and Righteousness.
Student Ministry Lead Adam Jensen calls us to see that the Living God has drawn near to us and ask how will we approach Him?
We wonder at the angels' perspective, having been in the presence of God the Son from their creation and served as his messengers.
We wonder at the angels' proclamation of Jesus as Savior, Christ, and Lord.
We wonder with the angels at our privilege - to know Christ and his salvation in a way they can only long to look into.
The wonder of the shepherds compelled them to receive, to pursue, and to share the good news of Christmas and the One it was all about.
The wonder of Bethlehem is that God meets us in sad places and small places with salvation and his wondrous love.
"The key to wonder is humility. Humility means being small enough to see the greatness of something and to feel unworthy of it, and privileged to be able to enjoy it.” - Dale Ahlquist
The wonder of prophecy is that it's not implausible but impossible, not prediction but promise, not delay but design.
We believe in the Holy Spirit, the Lord, the giver of life. He proceeds from the Father and the Son, and with the Father and the Son is worshiped and glorified. He spoke through the prophets.
We believe... in one Lord Jesus Christ,
the only Son of God,
begotten from the Father before all ages,
God from God,
Light from Light,
true God from true God,
begotten, not made;
of the same essence as the Father.
Through him all things were made.
For us and for our salvation
he came down from heaven;
he became incarnate by the Holy Spirit and the virgin Mary,
and was made human.
He was crucified for us under Pontius Pilate;
he suffered and was buried.
The third day he rose again, according to the Scriptures.
He ascended to heaven
and is seated at the right hand of the Father.
He will come again with glory
to judge the living and the dead.
His kingdom will never end.
We believe in one God the Father Almighty, maker of heaven and earth, of all things visible and invisible.
We are called to welcome our neighbors with hospitality. In this message, we consider the gift, the grit, and the goal of hospitality as Jesus lived it.
We must continue to welcome one another as Christ has welcomed us, and we must do so with our eyes on a mission that is not internally-focused but externally-focused. We are called to welcome our neighbors – seekers, social connections, and skeptics. Jesus and the Apostles show us how.
By the grace given to Paul, he calls Christ followers to welcome one another by giving grace as we embrace humility, diversity, and charity.
We believe groups are a valuable way to cultivate relational and spiritual growth because, though large crowds were following Jesus, he formed a smaller group with two goals: shared life and shared mission.
We extend Christ's welcome to each other by telling the Gospel to one another and applying the Gospel with one another.
One of the deepest questions of the human heart is "What is God like?"
John tells us to know what God is like, we look to Jesus and to those who belong to Jesus.
This message invites us to pray for the grounding knowledge and experience of God's power and love.
A church transformed by Jesus is a family centered on the Gospel and invested in one another.
Jesus invites us to bring our circumstances to Him by bringing them to church.
Bring your suffering to church that we might pray together
Bring your song to church that we might praise together
Bring your sickness to church that we might seek healing together
Bring your sin to church that we might seek forgiveness together
Hoping in stuff leads to sin and misery, but hoping in Christ leads to righteousness and joy!
- Hoping in stuff leads to the sins of idolatry, injustice, and indulgence while producing the miseries of elusive pleasure and eternal pain.
- Hoping in Christ leads to growth in patience, peace, and perseverance while bringing us the joy of knowing all pain is temporary and ultimate pleasure is forever - Jesus is the treasure!
Jesus changes everything, including our default assumptions about time, control, and our good intentions.
In this passage, the Apostle John teaches us who Jesus is, what Jesus did, and how we can respond to Jesus.
In this passage, James confronts us with two kinds of wisdom available to us - worldly wisdom vs. godly wisdom.
Evidence of true faith is not in what you say or what you know (though both are crucial), it's in how you are changed.
Jesus exposes and changes our natural instincts toward partiality, rationalization of our sin, and judgment of others.
Guest Preacher, Rev, Brian Wood, delivers a message on loving Jesus more through the story of the sinful woman who anointed and kissed Jesus's feet.
Jesus changes our practice of religion: his Gospel sets us free from working to earn salvation and our delight becomes hearing God speak and doing what he says.
Jesus changes what we ask when we pray
Jesus changes how we ask when we pray
Jesus changes what we expect when we pray
"Count it all joy, my brothers, when you meet trials of various kinds, for you know that the testing of your faith produces steadfastness. And let steadfastness have its full effect, that you may be perfect and complete, lacking in nothing."
Jesus changes everything, including the trials we face.
The first message in a series on the letter of James, the brother of Jesus. Through James's greeting we see that an encounter with Jesus changes everything, including our identity.
"If these (people) remained silent, the very stones would cry out." Another shouting stone is the one that sealed the tomb in which Jesus was laid. In its closing, it declared that Jesus was King in death. In its being rolled away, it declared that Jesus is King over death! He is risen!
Leaders set the example. Leaders seek God's will. Leaders sacrifice their expectations.
Spiritual Renewal and Church Revival are expressed in WORSHIP.
Renewed and Revived WORSHIP features:
CONVICTION
CELEBRATION
CONSECRATION
If we want spiritual renewal in our lives, if we want revival in our church, we must receive God's Word with readiness, reverence, and responsiveness.
What happens after a significant win? The tendency and temptation is to celebrate and then to coast. It's good to celebrate, but we cannot coast! Instead we ask, "what's next?" Then we assess and address the issues that remain, looking to the Lord for grace and growth.
Resistance intensifies when you are making progress. But focus leads to finish. And focus requires us to know the work, know the truth, and know our role.
Along with external resistance that tried to discourage, deceive, and distract, Nehemiah was also dealing with internal resistance that threatened to divide. Self-orientation among God's people leads to division. When this happened to Nehemiah's team, he experienced righteous anger and rebuked those who were doing wrong, leading to repentance and restoration. Nehemiah had the credibility to do this because he took up responsibility, laid down his rights, and laid down his resources.
Every vision, every team, and every good work will experience resistance.
When resistance tries to discourage us, we devote ourselves to God's call
When resistance tries to deceive us, we defend ourselves with God's truth
When resistance tries to distract us, we depend on God's power
You can have a burden. You can have a vision. But you won't get far without a team.
On an effective team, everyone unites, everyone serves, and everyone matters.
Vision means seeing what should be. Nehemiah's God-given burden led him to a God-inspired vision. But there were obstacles that would challenge his vision. In this message we see that vision requires courage, clarity, and confidence (in God).
A BURDEN leads us to BUILD.
A BURDEN is a PROBLEM that awakens a PASSION that leads us to PRAY.
Life without the Lord looks like seizing control. Life with the Lord means surrendering control, in our work, in our world, releasing our worry to Christ.
“Weep no more; behold, the Lion of the tribe of Judah, the Root of David, has conquered, so that he can open the scroll and its seven seals.” And between the throne and the four living creatures and among the elders I saw a Lamb standing, as though it had been slain...
Jesus is worthy as the righteous Shoot of Jesse, the royal Son of David, and the reigning Savior of the nations.
The Lion is worthy to receive (praise, victory, and fear)
The Lion is worthy to rule
The Lion is worthy to receive
Is He worthy? He is!
One day, we will be fully and finally free to worship as we were created and redeemed to worship!
Why regular household worship? Because God deserves it and we need it.
Who should participate in household worship? Everyone in our home.
Where should household worship happen? Anywhere it makes sense (it is wise to have a regular time and place)
What should be the content of household worship? Read, pray, sing
Daily personal worship is an opportunity for repentance and rejoicing in the Gospel, for openness to the Lord throughout our day, for us to pause and lean into his presence.
Does the rhythm of your life make you feel like you are flourishing? Or are you living an unsustainable cadence that makes you feel drained? God offers us a cadence for life that centers our highest purpose and contributes to our spiritual, physical, and emotional flourishing.
The cadence of weekly public worship is codified in creation, confirmed by command, and commended by Christ.
The structure of our worship tells the story of a glorious God, a sinful humanity, and a redeeming Savior - the story of the Gospel.
The style of our worship reflects biblical priorities by aiming to be simple, consistent, contextualized, ordered, free, singable, and hospitable.
The content of our worship is regulated by God himself through the Scriptures, and is expressed in we call the “ordinary means of grace” – word, prayer, and sacrament. Worship – public, personal, and household – is saturated by prayer because prayer is a means of God’s grace and connected to promises of God’s presence, provision, and power for his people.
The content of our worship is regulated by God's Word and it falls into three broad categories we call "the ordinary means of grace": word, prayer, and sacrament.
God saves sinners and sanctifies saints through his word.
"Faith comes from hearing and hearing through the Word of Christ." (Romans 10:17)
We have an obligation to worship God. But because of our sin and idolatry, we have no qualification to ascend the hill of the Lord and stand in his holy place. An obligation with no qualification means condemnation. But the good news is the Incarnation - Jesus came, and through his life, death, and resurrection, we are given clean hands and a pure heart - a soul that is not lifted up to idols. We seek the face of the King of Glory.
God is the center of all true worship. All creation is called to worship the Lord.
Why?
Because God alone is Creator.
Because God alone is Worthy.
Because God alone is Redeemer.
We can have confidence before God because of the greatness of the Father, the sufficiency of the Son, and the testimony of the Spirit
Our 10-year vision for Back Creek Church is to cultivate spiritual, relational, and missional growth, leading us to plant a new church by 2035.
We embody our mission of connecting people with the hope of the Gospel by living out four core values: Real Hope, Deep Connection, Full Engagement, Wide Reach
Back Creek Church's mission is connecting people with the hope of the Gospel.
We know the content of the Gospel? But are we connected with the hope of the Gospel?
The hope of the Gospel is forgiveness.
The hope of the Gospel is freedom.
The hope of the Gospel is forever.
The hope of the Gospel is forgiveness.
Christ is the Son of God and the ultimate expression of his love, who through his cross is making all things new.
The story the Bible tells is the one story that makes sense of the world as we experience it.
Creation explains the world as it should be. (Genesis 1)
Corruption explains what happened to the world. (Genesis 3)
Catastrophe and Confusion explain the world as it is. (Genesis 6-9, 11)
But there is hope for the world to be restored to what it should be!
Next week we will consider Christ, his Cross, and the Consummation.
In this passage Jesus teaches us what to pray (in the Lord's Prayer) and how to pray (in the parable of the friend at midnight).
He teaches us to pray relationally, audaciously, openly, continually, and expectantly.
"You will receive power when the Holy Spirit has come upon you, and you will be my witnesses in Jerusalem and in all Judea and Samaria, and to the end of the earth."
- Jesus
"You will receive power when the Holy Spirit has come upon you, and you will be my witnesses in Jerusalem and in all Judea and Samaria, and to the end of the earth.” - Jesus
What does it mean for the Church to be the Family of God?
It means the Gospel shapes our identity (as children of God)
It means the Gospel shapes our lives (as those who do our Father's will)
It means the Gospel shapes our relationships (as brothers and sisters in Christ)
The Church is the flock of God and Jesus is our Good Shepherd.
The Good Shepherd calls the flock (and we must respond).
The Good Shepherd leads the flock (and we must follow).
The Good Shepherd keeps the flock (and we must rest).
What is the church? The Body of Christ - many members, one body. As the Body of Christ:
Our connection is intimate
Our connection is interdependent
Our connection is indispensable
Our connection is intentional
What is the church? We are. The Called (by God's mercies). The Committed (offering our bodies as living sacrifices and our minds for renewal). The Connected (one body and members of one another).
If the resurrection of Jesus is reality, it's time to change our expectations.
If resurrection is reality, the last will be first.
If resurrection is reality, the dead will be alive.
If resurrection is reality, the world will be changed.
Salvation, transformation, proclamation - we're all in this together! We are the Church.
In these final greetings, Paul models and commends at least seven characteristics of a church growing more deeply rooted in Christ:
Affection
Affirmation
Reconciliation
Communication
Hospitality
Unity
Service
Gospel transformation brings Gospel proclamation by changing our posture (inward focus to outward focus) and our participation in God's mission - we prepare with prayer, walk with wisdom, and speak with saltiness.
We need all of Christ for all of life.
He is our Savior and the Lord of all our relationships, roles, and responsibilities:
As husbands and wives
As children and parents
As workers and bosses
The root of the Gospel is Christ. The fruit of the Gospel in change. In Colossians 3:5-17, the Apostle Paul calls us to seek transformation by killing sin and living Christ.
We are naturally inclined and oriented to this world and the things in it. But they can't bear the weight of glory. We need a reorientation of our glory (our identity, our honor, our pursuit, our satisfaction) to that which is actually glorious. Being rooted in Christ reorients our glory. The Apostle Paul teaches us to reorient our glory by dwelling on our past, our present, and our future in Christ.
If we are rooted in Christ, we can walk in victory...
victory over the world
victory over the flesh
victory over the devil
We are called to fight for community by
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struggling for one another's encouragement
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struggling for one another's belonging
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struggling for one another's assurance
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struggling for one another's good
We have a mission.
Three essential parts of our mission:
- The cost of our mission: a ministry of suffering and stewardship
- The content of our mission: a mystery of riches to be revealed
- The culmination of our mission: a maturity in wisdom and work
What is the hope of the Gospel?
The One who is above everything (Jesus) has done everything so you can have everything and overcome everything.
The Apostle Paul prays for the local church in Colossae and provides a model for us to pray for our church (to grow).
Pray for your church to grow full of wisdom (1:9)
Pray for your church to grow fruitful in works (1:10)
Pray for your church to grow fortified for the walk (1:11-12)
Thank God for the root and the fruit of the Gospel.
The root of the Gospel is Christ, as we receive and rest in him alone.
The fruit of the Gospel is change, as we are transformed by grace and bear fruit of faith, hope, and love.
Are you rooted in Christ? In this first message on Paul's letter to the Colossians, we unearth the essence of being firmly planted in faith. As we navigate Colossians 2:6-7, we see the deep connection Paul fostered with the Colossian believers through Epaphras's ministry, and we confront the allure of the "Jesus plus" gospel that threatened their spiritual stability. We share insights on why having a foundation in Christ alone is not just necessary, but life-changing. This passage reminds us to resist adding to the gospel, steering us instead toward the freeing truth found in Christ's sufficiency.
Moving beyond intellectual agreement, this message challenges you to reflect: Is your relationship with Jesus just intellectual agreement with the facts? Or is it a transformative, life-enveloping faith? We discuss what it means to truly receive Jesus, emphasizing the difference between knowing about Him and personally knowing Him. This isn't just about salvation; it's about enriching the fabric of our daily lives with a genuine, relational faith. As we delve into this introduction to the series, we invite listeners to ask three simple but important questions of their own faith as a “root check” of their walk with God. Prepare to reassess your spiritual life with a heart open to embracing Jesus in every step you take.
"whoever believes in me will also do the works that I do; and greater works than these will he do, because I am going to the Father."
- Jesus
Jesus promises that in this world we will have tribulation, but we can have a conquering peace because he has overcome the world.
The story of Ruth is about how God is at work in the circumstances and lives of ordinary people to restore what is broken - to bring rest to the weary, fullness to the empty, hope to the hurting. He is making all things new.
But the beginning of this story is one of weariness, tragedy, and loss. We see in chapter 1 that our weariness comes from circumstances beyond our power and decisions within our power. But rest comes from the God of all power.
Death is our enemy, but a defeated enemy because of the incarnation, life, death, and resurrection of Jesus. He has the keys.
He is risen! He is risen, indeed!
In this series, we want to learn from Jesus and his apostles about how to engage our disciple-making mission with one very simple but powerful strategy: the invite.
In this passage, Jesus provides a model for how to invite others into your life through intentionality ("the next day again..."), curiosity ("what are you seeking?), and hospitality ("come and you will see").
35 The next day again John was standing with two of his disciples, 36 and he looked at Jesus as he walked by and said, “Behold, the Lamb of God!” 37 The two disciples heard him say this, and they followed Jesus. 38 Jesus turned and saw them following and said to them, “What are you seeking?” And they said to him, “Rabbi” (which means Teacher), “where are you staying?” 39 He said to them, “Come and you will see.” So they came and saw where he was staying, and they stayed with him that day, for it was about the tenth hour.
John 1:35-39
"Unless the Lord builds the house, those who build it labor in vain."
Living without The Lord looks like seizing control of my life - my work, my world, through my worry - and with it vanity and anxiety.
Living with The Lord looks like surrendering control of my life - and receiving meaning and purpose, rest and peace.
Because The Lord has done great things for us, we have the experience of his past faithfulness, the encouragement of his present faithfulness, and the expectation of his future faithfulness.
Those who trust in the Lord are secure in the Lord, surrounded by the Lord, and saved by the Lord. We express our trust through prayer for provision, protection, and peace.
Starting Point #1: The Gospel
Starting Point is our class for those exploring membership with Back Creek Church. In this series, we take a deeper dive into that content as a helpful refresh for our members and to help our guests know better who we are and why we exist. It all starts with the Gospel.
On the morning of the resurrection of Jesus, the women at the tomb (and through them, we) receive three invitations:
Come and see! Come and worship! Go and tell!
For Jesus to have been persecuted unto death must have looked and felt to everyone involved - both his followers and his enemies - that he had lost and his enemies had won. But persecution means the opposite of how it looks and feels! The darkest hour in human history - this trial of weakness, mocking, humiliation, crucifixion, condemnation, and death - meant the decisive victory of God over sin, Satan, and death and full atonement for God's people!
Jesus may have been too weak to carry his cross, but he was strong enough to carry all our sin.
Jesus may have been mocked as the "king of the Jews," but the response of nature to his death shows he is the King of creation.
Jesus may have mocked as one who claimed he could rebuild the temple in three days, but he was referring to his body (which is the fulfillment of the temple - Immanuel, God with us!), and that's just what he did.
Jesus may have been mocked as the "son of God" who couldn't deliver himself, but by receiving this punishment for sinners, he delivered his people.
Jesus may have been crucified like a common criminal, but the instrument of his execution would become the worldwide symbol of his victory.
Jesus may have cried out in forsakenness, but he is quoting Psalm 22, revealing his identity as the Davidic Messiah who would endure persecution yet would enjoy the presence and pleasure of God in his sacrifice.
Jesus may have died, but in doing so he gave eternal life to his people.
And Sunday's coming...
Those who persecuted Christ and those who persecute His Church do so because they are deceived by the evil one - we see this in the crowds who shouted "crucify him!"
Because they were deceived, the crowds rejected Jesus.
Because they were deceived, the crowds released Barabbas.
Because they were deceived the crowds received judgment.
Recognizing the reality of deception should help us in the way we see ourselves (as vulnerable to deception), the way we see our enemies (deceived by the devil, needing our compassion), and the way we see persecution itself, which often looks and feels like the devil is winning, when in reality it is an instrument Christ is using to build his church and the gates of hell will not prevail against it!
Jesus not only prepares us to endure persecution for His sake, He endured persecution for our sake. In Matthew 26:47-27:31, we see Jesus face persecution from cowards who had the opportunity to honor Him, but chose instead to participate through:
Betrayal (Judas)
Abandonment (Disciples)
Denial (Peter)
Abstaining (Pilate)
Mocking (Soldiers)
Yet, ultimately we must realize that we are as responsible as these cowards for the persecution and death of Jesus - through which God has brought salvation to all who receive and rest in the risen Christ!
Jesus taught that those who were persecuted for his sake would be blessed. And Jesus himself endured persecution from the most revered and respected men in his community - the council of the Sanhedrin, with all their civil, social, and religious power, would seek to kill him from false motives, by false witness, with false judgment. A disciple is not above his master, so we can expect to face this kind of persecution as well, and seek to endure it in emulation of our Savior.
Blessed are those who are persecuted for righteousness' sake - Jesus expects us to face persecution as we seek to live as citizens of His kingdom in the hostile kingdom of this world. And how does he teach us to respond to persecution arising from irreconcilable value systems? Not with retaliation for, retreat from, or reveling in our persecution - but rejoicing! Why? Because the reward is the reaffirmation of our faith (we suffer on Christ's account) and our future (your reward is great in heaven).
Blessed are the peacemakers, for they shall be called sons of God. Our God is a peace-making God and He makes us agents and ambassadors of peace in the world. We pursue peacemaking through faith, fellowship, forgiveness, focus, and following Jesus's example and command.
Blessed are the pure in heart - those who seek God are blessed to see God, to ascend the hill of the Lord and stand in His holy place, not because we have clean hands and a pure heart, but because Christ does and he came to seek and to save the lost, that we might see God. No one has ever seen God, but Jesus has made Him known.
Blessed are the merciful, who have received mercy from Christ and now look with the eyes of Christ at those in need of mercy, responding with compassion (heart) and action (hands) to the poor, the hurting, and the lost.
Blessed are those who hunger and thirst after righteousness - those who look to Jesus for the righteousness we do not have and find that He has provided for us by satisfying the requirements of God's law in His life, satisfying the justice of God against sin in His death and resurrection, and satisfying out hunger and thirst for a practical righteousness to match our positional righteousness by sending God the Holy Spirit to indwell us and help us die more and more to sin and live more and more to Christ.
“Blessed are the meek, for they shall inherit the earth.”
Toward God, meekness bows the knee, bends the will, and believes the Word.
Toward others, meekness bears mistreatment, bridles the tongue, and binds anger.
Meekness imitates Jesus, overcoming evil with good.
The meek inherit the earth as they never presume on or demand from God, but recognizing that all is grace, they gladly receive what he provides - fertile soil or barren.
Ultimately, the meek (co-heirs w/ Christ!) will inherit the earth (and infinitely more) at the resurrection.
Meekness frees us from an enslaved life, attempting to earn for ourselves an inheritance we could never achieve or deserve, holding on with white knuckles and straining faces to its faint shadows in the accumulation of what we can scrape up for ourselves on the earth.
Meekness also allows us to “inherit the earth” in the sense of our mission. We take our rightful place as beggars who have received bread seeking to show other beggars where to find bread. Our confidence in sharing the good news is not in ourselves but in the God we can trust. He has made promises concerning the nations and his purposes will not fail. The knowledge of the Lord will cover the earth as the waters cover the sea. Meekness frees us from fear (I’m far worse than whatever you might say or think of me, yet the Gospel says I'm infinitely loved) and meekness frees us from the pressure of having to convince and persuade or perfectly align our behavior with our message (though we strive for holiness by grace) - the word of Christ is the power of God for salvation, not my words or my ways.
"Lord give us grace that we, like them - the meek and lowly - on high may dwell with thee!"
As we navigate difficult circumstances in life, Psalm 117 expresses God's invitation to be refreshed as we praise Him.
Those who Jesus says are truly blessed are those who see things as they really are - and as a result, they mourn. And to those who mourn things as they really are, Jesus alone gives comfort: He is making all things new.
Those who mourn see the HOLINESS of God.
Those who mourn see the HORROR of sin.
Those who mourn see the HOPELESSNESS of the world.
But those who mourn see JESUS as he really is: the only true and lasting source of comfort in the universe!
Hallelujah! What a Savior!
Being "poor in spirit" means being emptied (in some specific ways) of self, that we might be filled with Christ.
The poor in spirit renounce self-reliance and embrace Christ-reliance.
The poor in spirit renounce self-righteousness and receive Christ's righteousness.
The poor in spirit renounce self-rule and surrender to Christ's rule (receive the kingdom of heaven).
The world's idea of #blessed usually comes down to power, possessions, popularity, pleasant experiences, and/or prosperity. But what does God say it means to be blessed?
Being blessed is about the disposition of God toward us.
Being blessed is about the orientation of our lives around God and not the world.
Being blessed is about the anticipation of eternity.
The problem is that none of us qualify to be "blessed." We do not faithfully orient our lives around God and His Word, so we cannot earn his pleased disposition or anticipate eternal life with him... unless we run to Jesus! It is in Christ that we are truly blessed.
The best way for God's family to honor Christmas in our hearts and try to keep it all the year is to keep the Lord's Day, every week, all week long. Like the shepherds, we gather. Like the angels, we celebrate. Like the wise men, we give. As God's children, we receive His greatest present, Jesus. And like the shepherds, we go.
Like the shepherds, when we go, our worship and our message go with us.
The best way for God's family to honor Christmas in our hearts and try to keep it all the year is to keep the Lord's Day, every week, all year long. Like the shepherds, we gather. Like the angels, we celebrate. And like the wise men, we give.
Like the wise men, we give our worship, our joy, and our gifts.
Every week, Christ's Church gathers to celebrate His incarnation. How do we celebrate? Like the angels, we celebrate by announcing the good news, ascribing glory to God, and advancing peace on earth.
Like the shepherds on the night of Christ's birth, we gather in response to good news. Like the shepherds, we gather because God invites us and meets us. But unlike the shepherds, it's not a one time event for us. We gather at God's invitation and in expectation of God's presence weekly(!) on a day more significant than December 25 - the Lord's Day.
"To all who did receive [Christ], to those who believed on His name, He gave the right to become children of God, who were born, not of blood nor of the will of the flesh nor of the will of man, but of God."
We who believe are family, not because of natural descent or natural desire, but because of supernatural delivery.
Yahweh gave His people three offices to help lead them in the way of righteousness: prophet, priest, and king. The problem is that the leaders were as unrighteous as the people. So, God gave His promise: He would send a Shepherd who would be the true Prophet, Priest, and King. He would be Yahweh Tsidkenu: The Lord Is Our Righteousness.
Yahweh Shalom provides peace to His people through His presence, His power, His promises, and ultimately, His Person.
"Yahweh Yireh" means The Lord Will Provide.
Yahweh Yireh provides the test(s) we need, the faith we need, and ultimately, the Substitute we need.
God's names represent His being, reveal His nature and character, and rescue His people.
The name El Shaddai means "God Almighty" and reveals that God is able to reach us where we are, able to rewrite our stories, and able to redeem us forever.
God's names represent His being, reveal His nature and character, and rescue His people.
The name Adonai reveals that God is the Lord who rules everything that is, owns everything we have, provides everything we need, and demands everything we are.
God's names represent His being, reveal His nature and character, and rescue His people.
In Moses's encounter with God in Exodus 3, the Lord reveals His covenant name, Yahweh, the self-existent, unchanging, and faithful God.
God's names represent His being, reveal His nature and character, and rescue His people.
Genesis 1 reveals God as Elohim, the transcendent, personal Creator of the universe.
God's name represents His being, reveals His nature and character, and rescues His people.
The younger son runs from his father in rebellion, and the father runs toward him. The older son runs from his father in self-righteousness and his father runs toward him.
Belonging to Christ means peace with God, peace with each other, and peace in all circumstances.
A world where belonging is counterfeit needs a church where belonging is real - where we who belong to Jesus extend that belonging to one another by embracing our new identity and embracing one another.
Behavior does not merit belonging. But knowing that we already and unconditionally belong through Christ, that changes us - including our behavior.
When we belong to Christ and are united to Him by faith, it changes everything about our lives. Christ becomes our life, and we receive a new focus in life, a new foundation for life, and a new future of life.
We all have a longing to belong because we were created by God for belonging. We broke our belonging and threw away our relationship with God through sin. Yet, Christ loves us so much that He came to live and die and rise again so that we could be restored and reconciled, and finally know true belonging.
I am the LORD your God who brought you out of Egypt, out of the land of slavery. You shall have no other gods before me... Fear the Lord and find in Him a strong fortress.
Submission is part of our mission because it is a practical demonstration that our real hope is in God. His wisdom is better than our freedom.
We submit to our shepherds (elders and ministers).
We submit to our siblings (fellow believers in Christ).
We submit to our Savior (everything - our selves, our situations, our safety, and our sufferings)
Our mission is not easy, and along the way we forget our identity. Christ, the Chief Shepherd, has given us the good gift of shepherds (ministers and elders) in His church, to help us. Shepherds are to minister to us by:
Overseeing Willingly.
Serving Eagerly.
Modeling Humbly.
How do we sustain with hope when we face opposition and suffering?
We trust God because God is good. And we do good because we trust God.
We have been blessed by God to be a blessing to others. How do we bless others? By stewarding well what God has entrusted to us.
We steward our selves.
We steward our stuff.
We steward our service.
All for the blessing of others, as an expression of our mission of hope.
Suffering in this world is inevitable. How can we suffer with hope?
We bless one another in our suffering.
We bless our enemies in our suffering.
We bless with the Gospel, which gives us hope in our suffering.
Christian households are to be outposts of the kingdom of God in the world, shining hope to the world, with marriage as an essential building block. In marriage, husbands and wives are equal in status, different in role, and have the same goal: imitating Jesus through humility toward one another.
Our identity of hope is that we are exiles and sojourners in this world, having been born again to a living hope. But we are also invaders, waging war against the kingdom of darkness on the internal front against the passions of our flesh (by grace resisting them) and the external front against those who oppose us (by grace submitting to authority, silencing fools by doing good to them, serving others, suffering well, and in all things seeking Christ).
Our identity of hope: we are chosen by God, children of God, and the church for God. This passage teaches us that God means to dwell with His people and the Church is the spiritual house He is building. We are a chosen race, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, a people for God's own possession.
We are not only chosen by God as elect exiles. In Christ, we are children of God!
As children of God, we are called to holiness in the way we think.
As children of God, we are called to holiness in the way we live.
As children of God, we are called to holiness in the way we relate.
Having been born again to a living hope through the resurrection of Jesus Christ, we have a new identity of hope. We are no longer citizens of this world, but citizens of Christ's Kingdom - elect exiles.
Jesus meets us in our struggle with exactly what we need.
Struggle: Fear (disciples huddled in a room afraid)
Response: Peace (the risen Christ comes and proclaims peace)
Struggle: Doubt (Thomas: "unless I see... I will never believe")
Response: Assurance (Jesus: "Put your finger here... do not disbelieve, but believe")
Struggle: Off Mission (disciples returning to their old way of life)
Response: Commission (provision of what they need and restoration of Peter the denier)
The journey we see Mary Magdalene experiencing through the crucifixion, death, burial and resurrection of Jesus is parallel to the journey we take when the truth of the resurrection changes everything for us - Expectation, Devastation, Revelation, Proclamation.
Even in a world full of vanity, we can live a life of ultimate meaning and eternal significance - through relationship with God.
Life gets harder. But for those who remember God, it also gets sweeter.
Wherever we are in life, it is almost certain that hard days are ahead. The Preacher of Ecclesiastes calls us to remember our Creator now so that we may have hope and meaning and even sweetness then.
We were created and redeemed for a great adventure, called to express our faith through taking risks with discernment.
How do we keep going in an unpredictable, volatile, vain world where even wisdom can't give us all the answers we want? Trust and obey.
The failure of human wisdom to figure it all out is actually a very good thing and a blessing, because it calls us into a trust relationship with God.
Trust God for His provision. Obey God for your good. Trust God for your eternity.
To navigate and enjoy life under the sun, we need wisdom.
Wisdom in our perspective, character, lifestyle, work, and speech.
The certainty of death reveals to us the opportunity of life that frees us for the intentionality of enjoyment to the glory of God.
Under the sun, injustice, impermanence, and individualism reign. But under the sun is not all there is. Jesus gives us hope that one day justice will reign, that joy may be found in this life and beyond, and even under the sun, two are better than one.
Human experience, emotion, and endeavor under heaven are dominated and dictated by the transitory, temporary, unpredictable, even futile. If there is any hope for us, it is located in the character, nature, and actions of the God who is in heaven:
Beautiful, Eternal, Generous, Sovereign Creator and Redeemer.
The Preacher says, "A time to seek and a time to lose."
Jesus says, "The Son of Man came to seek and to save that which was lost."
The Preacher says, "A time to be born and a time to die."
Jesus says, "Whoever believes in me shall never die."
The Preacher says, "A time to mourn and a time to dance."
Jesus says, "I will turn your mourning into dancing."
The Preacher says, "A time to weep and a time to laugh."
Jesus says: "There will be no more crying...anymore."
The Preacher says, "A time to keep and to cast away...to embrace and to refrain from embracing...to tear and to sew...to plant and to pluck up."
Jesus says, "whoever comes to me I will never cast out." He runs toward us with open arms like the father of the lost Son. Instead of ripping us to shreds in just judgment, He came to be ripped to shreds for our sake, tearing also the curtain in the temple, that He might sew together and restore that which was torn apart by sin and death; to be the grain of wheat that falls to the ground and dies and bears much fruit.
And this compels us to live what is in heaven under heaven:
The Preacher says, "A time to love and a time to hate."
Jesus says, "Love your enemies and do good to those who hate you."
The Preacher says, "A time for war and a time for peace."
Jesus says, "My kingdom is not of this world. If my kingdom were of this world, my servants would have been fighting."
The Preacher says, "A time to break down and a time to build up."
Jesus says through the Apostle: "you yourselves like living stones are being built up as a spiritual house, to be a holy priesthood..."
The Preacher says, "A time to keep silence and a time to speak."
Jesus says, "You will be my witnesses."
We have an innate sense that our lives mean something, and most of us are on a search for meaning in life. In this passage, the Preacher shares his quest for meaning with us.
Searching for meaning in life, the Preacher pursued wisdom.
Searching for meaning in life, the Preacher pursued pleasure.
Searching for meaning in life, the Preacher pursued work.
They all brought some value to the Preacher's life, but none satisfied his search for meaning. Only God can do that. If we make wisdom, pleasure, work, or anything else under the sun the pursuit of our lives, we will miss a life of true meaning and find ourselves striving after wind.
But if we make God the pursuit of our work, our pleasure, our wisdom, our very lives, through relationship with Jesus Christ, EVERYTHING we do will be bursting at the seams with meaning!
Introducing Ecclesiastes. From a horizontal, human perspective, life under the sun is vanity, a vapor. It is filled with impermanence, dissatisfaction, repetition, and insignificance. We do not always have answers and hurt, grief, and absurdity are commonplace. It does us good to consider this, so that we do not build our lives around that which is fleeting and finite.
While life under the sun offers impermanence, the hope of the Gospel is eternal life.
While life under the sun offers dissatisfaction, the hope of the Gospel is eternal joy.
While life under the sun offers repetition, the hope of the Gospel is being a new creation in Christ.
While life under the sun offers insignificance, the hope of the Gospel is that our lives count and will be recognized and rewarded by Jesus.
Jesus commands us, "Do not be anxious."
Why according to Jesus should we not be anxious?
Because God is our Master.
Because God is our Provider.
Because God is our Father.
We learn to number our days and get a heart of wisdom through an eternal perspective and expectant prayer.
So teach us to number our days
that we may get a heart of wisdom.
Return, O Lord! How long?
Have pity on your servants!
Satisfy us in the morning with your steadfast love,
that we may rejoice and be glad all our days.
Make us glad for as many days as you have afflicted us,
and for as many years as we have seen evil.
Let your work be shown to your servants,
and your glorious power to their children.
Let the favor of the Lord our God be upon us,
and establish the work of our hands upon us;
yes, establish the work of our hands!
This has been a year full of weariness. Simeon and Anna were two people who had waited their whole lives to see the Lord's salvation. In our weariness, we can learn from them how to wait upon the Lord.
They waited with patience.
They waited with faith.
They waited with intimacy with God.
The Christmas Story is an Adoption Story!
But when the fullness of time had come, God sent forth his Son, born of woman, born under the law, to redeem those who were under the law, so that we might receive adoption as sons. And because you are sons, God has sent the Spirit of his Son into our hearts, crying, “Abba! Father!” So you are no longer a slave, but a son, and if a son, then an heir through God.
The Christmas Story is an Adoption Story!
The Old Testament anticipates the Son of God.
The New Testament announces the Son of God.
You are adopted through the Son of God.
The Christmas story is an adoption story. When Joseph discovers that his fiancee is pregnant with a child that is not his own, he is faced with a choice. In his choice to believe God's Word, marry Mary, and adopt Jesus, we see Joseph's character, his compassion, and his commitment - 3 things we will also need, by God's grace, if we are going to adopt adoption.
But Joseph, like us, was a man of imperfect character who needed a Savior. Jesus is that Savior with perfect character. Joseph, like us, was a man of imperfect compassion who needed a Shepherd. Jesus is that Shepherd with perfect compassion. Joseph, like us, was a man of imperfect commitment who needed a Substitute. Jesus is that Substitute with perfect commitment to the plan of redemption.
An unexpected pregnancy plays a crucial role in the story of Christmas, the story of salvation. When an angel tells the virgin Mary she is going to conceive by the power of the Holy Spirit and give birth to a Son, she responds in humility, in faith, and in surrender to the Lord.
The Christmas story is an adoption story! The Apostle Paul says Jesus had to be born so that we could be adopted by God (Galatians 4:4-5).
But according to God’s covenant with David (2 Sam. 7), being born wasn’t enough. It was necessary for the Messiah to be a son of David. But the Apostle Matthew’s genealogy doesn’t establish Jesus as the natural, biological son of David. Rather, it shows that Joseph, who is not Jesus’s biological father, is the descendant of the King. Jesus became the Son of David through adoption.
That we might be adopted by God, Jesus had to be adopted by Joseph.
This shows us 3 truths:
- God has a plan (and it's good!)
- God keeps his promises (often in unlikely ways!)
- Adoption is close to God's heart (and it should be to ours as well!)
Thanksgiving is personal and corporate, intellectual and emotional. We are called, with the totality of who we are as individuals and as the church, to cultivate and express gratitude to God. The Psalmist gives us one strategy to do so: Remember.
Remember his provision.
Remember his power.
Remember his precepts.
Remember his presence.
Remember his praise.
Give Thanks to the Lord!
After a contentious and divisive election, whether we feel like we've won or lost (or somewhere in between), we ask the question "what now?" For the Christian the answer is always the same...
Pray
Live
Witness
Voting (or principled abstention) is a matter of Christian conscience, Christian conviction, and Christian community.
We put politics in its place by prioritizing unity in our discourse. We prioritize unity by practicing faith, hope, and love.
Submission to governing authorities (even ones we don't like or agree with) is one way we show our ultimate allegiance to Christ. It doesn't show we trust their authority, it shows we trust God's. Because our ultimate allegiance is to God, there are points at which we cannot submit to our governing authorities. Our obedience to Christ's authority always supersedes our obligation to civil authority when the two are in conflict.
The most radical and revolutionary political declaration we can ever made is our pledge of ultimate allegiance: Jesus Christ is Lord!
Because Jesus is Lord, His Kingdom is our primary citizenship (not that in our nation).
Because Jesus is Lord, His Church is our primary community (not our political compatriots or tribe).
Because Jesus is Lord, His Great Commands and Great Commission are our primary calling (not obtaining, maintaining, and wielding political power).
The book of Revelation was not written to confuse us or fill us with fear and dread. On the contrary, it is meant to give us comfort, confidence, and courage for anything we will face, because of who Jesus is, what Jesus has done, and what Jesus will do.
“Behold, I will send you Elijah the prophet before the great and awesome day of the Lord comes. 6 And he will turn the hearts of fathers to their children and the hearts of children to their fathers, lest I come and strike the land with a decree of utter destruction.”
You have wearied the Lord with your words. But you say, “How have we wearied him?” By saying, “Everyone who does evil is good in the sight of the Lord, and he delights in them.” Or by asking, “Where is the God of justice?”
Joyful generosity shares trouble, sacrifices treasure, and by God's grace is supplied totally.
If we are looking to Christ for joy, we can find and cultivate contentment in any and all circumstances.
We practice joy in the Lord by patience with people, peace through prayer, and purity in what we pursue and ponder.
When we have conflict in the church, we can reconcile with joy remembering that we share one Lord, one labor, and one life together in Christ.
We persevere in joy through faith (that Jesus has made me His own), through forgetting (what lies behind, both our failures and our feats), and through forward-straining (toward the goal of the upward call of God in Christ).
We experience joy in loss as we forsake the false gospel of confidence in the flesh (in ritual, race, religion, rank, or righteousness) for the true Gospel of confidence in Christ alone.
Connection that brings joy is spiritual, significant, sympathetic, steadfast, and sacrificially service-oriented.
Unity that brings joy does not come from us, it comes from Christ.
Unity that brings joy comes from our new mind, new motivation, new model, and new mission in Christ.
When Christ is our all, we can live and die with joy.
How can we make Christ our all?
How can we die with joy?
How can we live with joy?
Paul finds joy in Christ even in suffering.
Paul finds joy in Christ as his suffering serves his evangelism.
Paul finds joy in Christ as his suffering serves his example.
Paul finds joy in Christ as his suffering serves Christ's ends.
Because joy comes from our Savior and not from our circumstances, we can find and cultivate joy even in difficult times - even in times of longing.
Though we long to be together, we can find joy in our continued partnership in the Gospel.
Though we long to be together, we can find joy in our continued perseverance toward the goal.
Though we long to be together, we can find joy in our continued partaking of God's grace.
Though we long to be together, we can find joy in our continued prayers for God's people.
God, in his word, acknowledges the brokenness we experience as humans and gives us the freedom to express it through lament. Lament is a form of prayer that teaches us to address God and ourselves honestly.
To lament well, we need to be honest with God about how we feel. (13:1-2)
To lament well, we need to be honest with God about what we want. (13:3-4)
To lament well, we need to be honest with ourselves about who God is and how he has dealt with us (13:5-6)
Because Christ is risen, we have every season for hope:
Because Christ is risen, we have hope that the good news is true.
Because Christ is risen, we have hope that sin is defeated.
Because Christ is risen, we have hope that Satan is defeated.
Because Christ is risen, we have hope that death is defeated.
For our own good, God will disrupt our plans. He will disrupt our arrogance, our aspirations, and our alliances.
Why should we care about the nations? Because God cares about the nations!
God is the Source of all nations. God is the Sovereign of all nations. God is the Savior of all nations.
Sin always has consequences. Sin brings degradation. Sin brings humiliation. Sin brings condemnation. But while sin always has consequences, God always has purposes.
If you want the key that unlocks the unity of the one story the whole Bible is telling, that key is COVENANT.
The story of Noah and the ark is really a story of God and his grace.
By grace, God saved, sustained, and sent Noah.
By grace, God saves, sustains, and sends us, too!
God's grace precedes righteousness, it provides relationship, and it produces faith and obedience.
Sometimes when we're reading the Scriptures, we come across things that fall into the theological category of "weird," and we find some of that in Genesis 6. We also find something that's not weird at all - man's big problem of sin and God's big solution to it (grace).
There are two ways to live: we can live like Cain and his line, fleeing from God's presence and going our own way or we can live like Seth and his line, turning toward God in faith.
Though we are runners and rebels, the God who was and is and is to come is good and He loves us. He will not change his mind. God is tenaciously committed to us, regardless of how we treat Him, and will never stop demonstrating His goodness to us.
- In the midst of our rebellion, God pursues us. (3:8-13)
- In the midst of our rebellion, God provides for us. (3:16-24)
- In the midst of our rebellion, God promises to redeem us (3:14-15)
If God is good and he created a good world for good people made in his image... what went wrong? How do we make sense of the disconnect between our longings and our experience?
In a word, sin. Sin is rebellion against God - an attack against the Creator by his creation. And the way sin works never changes. Sin attacks God by:
- Denying God's Goodness (Genesis 3:1-5)
- Denying God's Command (vs. 1, "Did God actually say...")
- Denying God's Credibility (vs. 4, "You will not surely die...")
- Denying God's Character (vs. 5, "He knows you will... be like God...")
- Deceiving God's People (Genesis 3:6)
- Distorting God's Gifts (Genesis 3:7-24)
The good Creator of all things loves us, and we see that in the good gifts he gave us at creation...
Human beings have always had big questions on their hearts: how did we get here? Why are we here? What are we supposed to do? Why do we all feel that the only world we've ever known isn't the way it should be? Why do we long for a different world that we've never experienced? Since very early times, right up until today, human beings have tried to construct a narrative, a story that attempts to answer these questions and make sense of the universe, our lives, and our longings as they are. God's Word (the Bible) tells us the one story that makes sense of everything: it's the story of a good God who made a good world for his good people.
Jesus is the Word of God who breaks the silence forever.
Jesus is the Light of God whom the darkness has not, cannot, will not overcome.
Jesus is the love of God who brings home alienated prodigals, giving us the right to become children of God.
Jesus is the grace of God who removes our earned condemnation.
Jesus is the truth of God who frees us from the lies of the world and the enemy.
And though the wages of sin is death, they will not have the last word, because Jesus is the Lamb of God who takes away our sin!
Some of the most beautiful words in the history of the universe are "And it came to pass." "And it came to pass" means that God has acted in history to give all his promises their "yes and amen." It means that every inspired word spoken by his prophets, every act of deliverance, every picture and shadow, every promise and longing of his people were pointing forward to this one event: the birth of Christ. And it came to pass.
God's final answer to his people's cry, "Deliver us!" was a baby boy in Bethlehem who is God's presence with his people (Isaiah 7:14), God's king over his people (Isaiah 9:1-7), God's prophet to his people (Isaiah 11:1-5), and God's priest for his people (Isaiah 53).
"Why lies he in such mean estate, where ox and lamb are feeding?
Good Christian, fear, for sinners here the silent Word is pleading
Nails, spear shall pierce him through, the cross be born for me, for you
Hail, hail, the Word made flesh, the babe, the son of Mary."
Lord, let your judgment pass over us
Lord, let your love hover near
Don't let your sweet mercy pass over us
Let this blood cover over us here
- Andrew Peterson, "Passover Us," Behold the Lamb of God
Gather 'round, ye children, come, listen to the old, old story of the power of death undone.
We do not love our neighbors as ourselves until we want for them what we have in Christ to the degree that we are compelled to connect them with the hope of the Gospel.
We love our neighbors with holiness when we show them who God is by telling a better story with our lives than the story the world is telling.
We love our neighbors with humility when we realize the better story is not about us. Self-focus will make us haughty. Christ-focus will make us humble.
Loving God with all of our hearts, souls, and minds doesn't remain in our inner person - it flows into our lives transforming our priorities, our schedules, our words, our actions. Love for neighbor also can't stay within use, but must flow into our lives transforming the way think about and treat our homes, our families, and our resources. Love for God and neighbor lead us to hospitality.
The second great commandment is grounded in and flows from the first: we can love our neighbors only when we supremely love God, but we can only love God fully if we love our neighbors.
Jesus commands us to love the Lord our God with all of our minds. We do this by thinking about God (connecting creation, our daily experiences, and blessings) and thinking God's thoughts after him (by reading, memorizing, and applying his Word).
To love the Lord our God with all our souls, we must honor God with the reverence of our lives (not misusing his name in word or deed) and with the rhythm of our lives (remembering the Lord's Day to keep it holy).
Loving the Lord your God with all your heart means cultivating a deep devotion and commitment to God at the very center of who we are. It means fighting to put God first in all things and refusing to remake him in our own image.
Why is loving the Lord our God the greatest commandment - the greatest thing a human being can do? Because God is the greatest and highest Good: our Creator and our Redeemer.
We are called to wide reach as we love and witness to our neighbors and the nations.
Our core values that drive our mission:
Real Hope - the struggle is real, but there is hope.
Deep Connection - the Gospel creates an uncommon community.
Full Engagement - Back Creek Church is us, but it isn't about us.
Wide Reach - we love our neighbors and we love the nations.
In the church, no one is extra - everyone is essential. We need everyone to be fully engaged in the worship, life, and mission of our church. Back Creek Church is us, but it isn't about us.
Pastor Matt Mantooth shares from Genesis 2, Mark 2 , and Isaiah 58 about the rest God calls us into and learning to delight in it.
Rev. Darin Stone from Ministry to State shares from Leviticus 19 about loving our neighbors as ourselves.
The Gospel creates an uncommon community that cultivates deep connection through perceiving the connection that already exists, practicing the connection we long for, and publishing our connection to the world.
The Real Hope of the Gospel brings new life to a person, characterized by a new king of endurance, a new kind of love, a new kind of faith, and a new kind of joy.
Our mission is our destination - where we believe God is calling us to go as a church. Our core values drive us toward that destination: real hope, deep connection, full engagement, wide reach.
When the risen Christ ascended to heaven, he did not leave us with a great CLUB to enjoy with likeminded people, a great COMFORT to magnify our own consumerism and preferences, a great CROWD that gathers for a production every weekend, or a great COALITION by which we might use political power to enforce change on the world.
He left us with a Great COMMISSION: Be disciples of Jesus who make disciples of Jesus. This is the mission of the Church and our church.
Wisdom requires us to do justice. Tim Keller defines biblical justice as "giving people their due." That involves a proportional response to evil, but also includes extending to people their rights. As bearers of God's image, all human beings have a right to dignity, protection, provision, and love. It is particularly required of the Church that we care for the vulnerable - the widow, the orphan, the poor, and the immigrant.
Wisdom requires us to find contentment outside our circumstances, by identifying the sources of our discontentment (expectations and envy) and by knowing the source of true contentment (fear of and trust in the Lord).
Proverbs 13:25, 14:30, 19:23, 3:5-8
Wisdom requires us to embrace the abundant life that God provides.
How? Through relationship with God, following Jesus down the path of righteousness, and sharing the abundant life with others.
It all comes down to one thing, really: get busy livin' or get busy dyin'.
Wisdom requires that we choose our friends carefully, commit to our friends fully, and care for our friends practically.
Wisdom requires a new relationship with money. Principles that help establish this new relationship: 1) all the money is the Lord's
2) the Lord ordinarily provides through honest, hard work
3) generosity is a blessing, to us and through us
4) the Lord is the real treasure
Wisdom requires family. Wisdom pursues a biblical family, embraces a broken family, and receives a better family.
Wisdom requires that we steward our emotions well, by recognizing our emotions are real but refusing to let our emotions rule.
Emotions can be a great navigator but they are almost always a terrible driver.
F - feel your feelings (it is not healthy to ignore or suppress them)
E - engage your feelings (question them - what? why? how? who?)
E - express your feelings appropriately (to the Lord, to yourself, to others)
L - listen to the Word and the Spirit (emotions can show you where you are and how you got there, but let the Lord drive your life, by listening to his Word and the Holy Spirit)
S - submit your feelings to Christ (we tend to live in our own private emotional world, but if Jesus is Lord of our lives, he is Lord of our emotions as well - we need to invite and submit)
In God's Kingdom, the way up is down. Pride brings humiliation and harm; humility brings honor and happiness. Wisdom requires that we kill pride and cultivate humility.
The Lord's Supper is a means of grace to us as a meal, memorial, and message, and it has meaningful effects for our lives.
Baptism signifies, seals, and shows the identity we have been given in Christ. It is a means of grace to grow us in faith - not merely at the moment of baptism, but all our lives long.
The Holy Spirit saves sinners and sanctifies saints (applying to them the work of Christ) by the Word. Faith comes by hearing, and hearing through the Word of Christ.
We finish the Mark's Gospel with this passage that may not have been part of the original, inspired text by leaning on parallel accounts and information in the other Gospels and the rest of the New Testament. We see that Jesus' mission was decisively victorious in his resurrection, but that his mission continues.
Whatever you think you're seeking, and however you've been seeking it, what you really seek is a crucified and risen Christ.
In His suffering, humiliation, and death on the cross, Jesus takes away our shame and our sin.
Jesus answers his disciples' questions about the destruction of the temple and the apocalypse.
Jesus demonstrates superior wisdom in history, politics, theology, philosophy, and economics.
Our definition of greatness is not God's definition of greatness. Mark, inspired by the Holy Spirit, shows us real greatness by revealing to us the greatness of Jesus.
The problem with the generation Jesus lived among and every generation before or since is that we do not recognize the identity of Jesus as the Christ.
The law of Jesus, which brings true freedom, is (1) everyone is unclean and (2) anyone can be made clean.
Jesus experienced rejection and prepared his disciples to experience rejection as well.
Jesus used a particular teaching tool to reveal truth to his followers, but to conceal truth from the frauds. His parables answer questions about his kingdom: how does it come? how does it grow? what does it look like?
During his earthly ministry, Jesus was surrounded by at least four groups of people - which of these groups most reflects our relationship to Christ?
Over 700 hundred years before Jesus was born, the prophet Isaiah gave him four names describing the relationship he would have with God's people. The last of these names is Prince of Peace. Real and lasting peace anywhere must have as its foundation peace with God through Jesus Christ.
Peace with God through Christ frees us to possess peace within ourselves, to pursue peace with others, and to promote peace in the world.
As an Everlasting Father to his people, Jesus is present, patient, providing, powerful, and pleased.
Over 700 years before Jesus was born, the prophet Isaiah gave the promised Child of Christmas four powerful names.
Names mean something, and usually the name you are called communicates something about the relationship between you and the person who calls you by that name (ex. Mr. so-and-so, title, first name, full name, nickname, daddy, etc.). The same is true for the names given to Jesus over 700 years before his birth. They are given by a prophet to a people who are about to be plunged into deep darkness because of their sin and unwillingness to trust the Lord. But "the people who walked in darkness have seen a great light... unto us a child is born, unto us a son is given, and the government shall be upon his shoulders and his name shall be called Wonderful Counselor, Mighty God, Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace." These names are relational in nature, revealing who God is to and for his people in the promised child of Christmas, the Lord Jesus.
Jesus is uniquely qualified to be our Wonderful Counselor because he is God. Jesus is uniquely qualified to be our Wonderful Counselor because He is human. Trust Him. Accept His invitation. Listen to His Word and do what He says, knowing that He has already dealt with the problem that gives rise to every other problem in our lives and in this world through his life, death, and resurrection.
***Our apologies, there were some technical difficulties during this service which are heard on the recording.
Our mission is connecting people with the hope of the Gospel. We accomplish this by living out the values of real hope, deep connection, full engagement, and wide reach. This message is application of the value of wide reach, encouraging us to imitate the example of the early church in loving our neighbors and the nations.
Back Creek Church exists to connect people with the hope of the Gospel. We do this as we live out our core values of Real Hope, Deep Connection, Full Engagement, and Wide Reach. In this message, we lay the foundation for the value of wide reach in the book of Acts and the story of the early church. Like them, we long to turn the world upside down as we love our neighbors and the nations.
Back Creek Church exists to connect people with the hope of the Gospel by offering real hope, deep connection, full engagement, and wide reach. When it comes to full engagement, Back Creek Church is us, but it isn't about us.
Back Creek Church exists to connect people with the hope of the Gospel. We do this by living out four core values that define who we are and drive our mission forward: Real Hope, Deep Connection, Full Engagement, Wide Reach. This message is on the third value: Full Engagement. Back Creek Church is us, but it's not about us.
The Real Hope of the Gospel creates Deep Connection among those who believe and embrace it, an Uncommon Community that (1) Gathers regularly for corporate worship, (2) Leverages its resources for the common good, and (3) One-anothers in obedience to the commands of the New Testament.
Back Creek Church's mission (connecting people with the hope of the Gospel) is driven by four core values: Real Hope, Deep Connection, Full Engagement, Wide Reach. This is the third sermon examining and applying these values, from Acts 2, on DEEP CONNECTION.
The real hope of the Gospel creates deep connection among those who believe it and embrace it.
Our core values at Back Creek Church are Real Hope, Deep Connection, Full Engagement, Wide Reach. This message looks at some of the implications and applications of the Real Hope the Gospel brings, both for eternity and for our every day lives.
Back Creek Church's mission (connecting people with the hope of the Gospel) is driven by four core values: Real Hope, Deep Connection, Full Engagement, Wide Reach. This is the first sermon examining and applying these values, from Acts 2.