Embassy Church Sermons: Recent Episodes
Embassy Church
In this week's sermon, Pastor Phill shows how this passage communicates that we are in the presence of a spiritual war and reveals that the weapon we need to wield in this war is the Gospel of Jesus Christ.Phill outlines this sermon: The War we are fighting. The Weapon we need in this war. What does it look like to Wield this weapon?Scripture Readings: Galatians 5:16-26 (1st Scripture Reading) Galatians 4:4-6 (Assurance of Pardon) Ecclesiastes 3:16-22 (2nd Scripture Reading) 1 Thessalonians 5:23-24 (Benediction)
the Big Idea of today's message is “Christian suffering is Christ-like Suffering.” Pastor Phill shows that Christians should suffer like Jesus because (1) It produces good things (vv.17-18a), (2) Proclaims good news (Vv. 18b-20), and (3) Christian suffering proclaims like baptism the suffering death of Jesus Christ (Vv. 21-22)
This sermon answers the question: “What does it look like if Christ were Big and everyone around you were Small?” Pastor Phill proposes Five Answers to this question. Fear of suffering would be gone Your hope in Christ would be constant People give a defense with gentleness and respect Your conscience is good Suffering for Good. Despite anything bad or good you have done.Scripture Readings: 1st scripture reading (Luke 6:20-36) Assurance of Pardon (Luke 15:7) 2nd Scripture reading (Isaiah 8:11-15) Benediction (Romans 8:37-39)Embassy Sermon Discussion Questions: What contributes to people struggling with self-worth? What contributes to people struggling with making decisions What are the possible reason that people care so deeply about what others think? What do you think are possible reasons why Christ is not big in people’s lives? What do you think it was like when Christ is big in someone’s lives? Give an example of a person who you think has Christ as big in their life. What does it look like to have no fear of harm? What attributes would that person have? How can we know for certain that we will be blessed for suffering for doing good? How does difficulty fuel us to live for righteousness in Christ What does a person’s life look like when their hope is constant? What does is look like when a person does not have their hope in Christ? How do fears and insecurities impact our hope in Christ? What kinds of things can we do if we were struggling more with our fears then our hope in Christ. How does honoring God as Holy impact our fears? What importance does it have for our lives to honor Christ our Lord as Holy? How does hope in Christ’s death, resurrection, ascension, and the second coming impact our daily fears How does Jesus rising from the dead and ascending change the world? What does it look like to be ready to talk about the hope of Christ without putting people to shame What contributes to people not being able to glorify God in how they engage with others? What are the reasons why people can have poor responses to people and come across like they are better than others? What does it look like to evangelize with hope and grace? How does the Bible explain what conscience is? How would we know if our conscience is off according to God or not? How do we know whether or not in big or small ways, we can figure out whether or not our conscience is off? What does it look like for us to know the Bible and apply the Bible to our lives to make sure our conscience is good? What contributes to people believing that suffering is the result of something bad? Wha tis the difference for suffering as a disciple verses a person who suffering as a result of punishment? What is the purpose of suffering in a Christian life? What is the difference between suffering for doing good or because of sin? How can we determine the difference? How does 1 Peter 1:6-7 help us better understand this passage?
Forty days after easter Christians around the world gather to worship the ascension of Jesus Christ. For the first time in the history of Embassy Church, we joined in on the celebration of Christ’s ascension. The big idea of this ascension day sermon is that the greatest human person is right now in the highest place of power. By looking at 1 Peter 3:22 we consider various reasons why Jesus’ departure into heaven is not a bad goodbye, but a glorious goodbye.
Pastor Phill, preaches this Sunday (May 14, 2023) on 1 Peter 3:8-12. The big idea this week is that Brotherly and Enemy Love is Gospel Fruit, but our Calling is Gospel Root.
Guest preacher, Pastor Nate Praytor, preaches this Sunday (May 7, 2023) on 1 Peter 3:1-7. The big idea this week is mankind has been created for imitation of Jesus Christ, not absolute autonomy.Scripture Readings: Ephesians 5:22-33 (1st Scripture Reading) Ephesians 2:8-9 (Assurance of Pardon) Genesis 12:11-20 (2nd Scripture Reading) Revelation 5:12-13 (Benediction)
Pastor Phill preaches this Sunday (April 30, 2023) on 1 Peter 2:18-25. The big idea this week is that Jesus Christ solves the problem of slavery, suffering, and sin. By becoming a slave himself, Jesus endured suffering and carried our sin on the cross. We can endure in our suffering today by looking to the Christ who saved us from our sin.Scripture Readings: Isaiah 53:1-12 (1st Scripture Reading) Colossians 3:18-25 (2nd Scripture Reading) Hebrews 13:20-21 (Benediction)Discussion Questions: How have you thought about how the Bible addresses slavery? Suffering? Or sin? What do other passages say? How does this passage point us to Jesus? How does Jesus becoming a slave, suffering, and taking our sin impact our view of Christ and our interactions with Him? What does 1 Cor 7 and Exodus help us further understand this passage? What kind of slavery are they talking about? How do these passages help us understand what Peter is saying? What does this passage teach us on how slaves are to engage with their masters? What does this passage teach us on how we should respond as slaves? What does the context of this passage help us better understand what this passage says about slavery? How does Jesus becoming a slave for us impact our daily lives in how we live? How does someone becoming a slave for you impact how we live our lives? How does the glory of Christ help us with engaging with slavery and suffering? How are we to respond to suffering that is not a result of sin? How does it impact our daily lives? How are we to respond to people who are suffering? How does the book of Job help us further understand this passage on how to respond to those that are suffering? How do we endure suffering? How do we live our lives honoring Christ in the midst of suffering? How do we determine whether or not our suffering is a result of sin or not? How does Isaiah 53 help us understand 1 Peter better? How does Isaiah 53 help us better understand who Christ is and what He did? What is the purpose of 1 Peter using Isaiah 53 to help us understand who we are and what we are to do as Christians? How does the benefits of freedom from Christ help us with our battle with sin? What do you think contributes to us not looking to Christ when we sin? How does 1 Peter teach us how we are to confess our sins to God? How does Christ’s justice and entrusting ourselves to him help with our struggle with injustice? How does 2 Cor 5:21 help us better understand this passage and better understand Christ? What contributes to us carrying around the burdens of sin and not giving to Christ? What keeps us from bringing them? How does forgiveness help us be like Christ and know Christ more? How does the Holy Spirit help us with the battle of sin? What contributes to us forgetting the beauty of what Christ has done on the cross and Christ rising again?
Pastor Phill Howell preaches this Sunday (April 23, 2023) on 1 Peter 2:13-17. The big idea this week is that believers are a heavenly people sent to do heavenly politics by heaven’s power. The passage shows us how we as spiritual aliens in this world are called to be humble, serve others, and submit to everyone in varying degrees. God’s will is that our good deeds will subvert the powers of this world which is exemplified by the person and works of Jesus Christ who came to serve and save humanity from sin.Scripture Readings: Romans 13:1-7 (1st Scripture Reading) Romans 8:1 (Assurance of Pardon) Jeremiah 29:4-14 (2nd Scripture Reading) 1 Timothy 6:15-16 (Benediction)Discussion Questions: What does it look like for Christians to live distinctly from people in the world? How does Rev. 13 help us further understand this passage? What does it look like for Christians to be heavenly people in daily life? What does it look like for Christians to live good lives in relationships to the governing authorities already established on earth? How do we bring glory to God in how we engage with authorities above us? What does it look like for Christians to honor everyone? What are reasons and hesitations that Christians can give to not submit to authorities on earth? What does it look like to honor those that are going against God and His ways? How does Ex. 19 or Hos. 2 help us better live out this passage? How does knowing who we are as a royal priesthood, holy nation, people for His own passion impact how we honor others? What contributes to us looking down on others or not humble in how we engage with others? What does it mean for us as Christians to be clear and better in our politics? What does it look like for us to engage in heavenly politics on earth? How does how we engage in politics communicate that we belong to Christ? How does the way we engage in the world and how we submit to the authorities matter to God? What is the difference between submitting to governing authorities and worshiping governing authorities? What does it look like? What is the difference between not submitting to authorities because they are going against God vs. authorities doing something we don’t like? What does the freedom we have received from God look like when we decide to just do whatever we want? How do we use our freedom as slaves of God to submit? How do we work towards making steps to charge our hearts in the ways we respond to authority? How could Christians use their freedom as a cover up for evil? How does Jesus’ example show us how to engage with governing authorities? How does loving brothers and sisters impact how we honor everyone and the authorities above us?
The big idea of this week's message is that God's elect exiles are not of this world, but they are sent into the nations to glorify God. Simply put, we are "not of" but we are "sent into." This sermon explains how Peter describes the fact that we are "not of this world" in 1 Peter 2:11 and then how Peter encourages Christians to live in this world based upon their calling in 1 Peter 2:12. Just like the way the world treated Jesus, the world will hate Christ's followers and the world will applaud Christ followers. Christians should live in the world in order to bring glory to God and hope that people from all nations will come to faith in Jesus so that on the day of visitation they too will give glory to God.
Pastor Phill preaches this Resurrection Sunday (April 9, 2023) on 1 Peter 2:4-10. The passage shows us why the world may mock and malign believers today. We discover that the living stone not precious to the world is precious to God, the cornerstone and foundation of where we stand as the house of God. We celebrate the resurrected Jesus Christ who enable both Jews and Gentiles to be a chosen people, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, and a people of God’s possession!Scripture Readings: Luke 24:1-12 (1st Scripture Reading) Psalm 118:19-24 (2nd Scripture Reading) Ephesians 3:20-21 (Benediction)Discussion Questions: What does it mean that Christ is the cornerstone and living stone? How is the rock that makes men fall? How does that happen? What does it mean to be God’s temple or house? How is that lived out in daily life? How is it lived out to be in a house that is rejected and treated poorly? How is this compared to the Christian walk? Why would the family of God move into a house that is rejected and needing a lot of work? What is the cost of being in the house and family of God? How can we attain the cost needed to be in the family of God? What does it mean to have a life of exile as a Christian? How are we called to live as those in exile? What does it look like to for us to live as Christians to have our foundation in Christ? What do you think are the reasons Christians are surprised when they experience trials/difficulty or when persecutions come? Is God’s house precious to you? How would you know if it is? What would your life look like if God’s house was precious to you? How does it impact our life to know that we are not alone in this walk with God? How does it impact our daily life and choices we make daily to live in light of our foundation lasting? How do we live our lives in need of Jesus? How does 1 Peter 1:18-19 help us better understand this passage and how to live out this passage? How does Hosea 2-3 help us better understand this passage? How have you seen God bring yourself or others back to God? How do we know whether or not we are becoming more like Christ? What does it look like? What does it look like to put our hope in Jesus? How would we know if we are putting our foundation in Christ? What does it look like for us to live out who we are in Christ – living stone, chosen race, royal priesthood, a holy nation, people for His own possession, God’s people, and having received mercy? What does it look like to have an identity in Christ no matter what occurs in my life? How do we do the work of the Christian life? How do we encourage each other in our identity of Christ as we engage with one another? How do we live our life in awe of the gift of mercy that we receive from Christ?
Embassy member David Marus preaches during our Good Friday service (April 7, 2023) on 1 Peter 2:24-25. The passage shows us our need for healing as human beings. From the text, David explains our illness, our symptom, our diagnosis, and our remedy. In our weakness, we are encouraged to trust in the power of Christ’s wounds.Scripture Readings: Isaiah 52:13-53:3 (1st Scripture Reading) Isaiah 53:4-9 (2nd Scripture Reading) 2 Corinthians 13:14 (Benediction)Discussion Questions: How do we know from the word that we can find healing? What does this passage and other passages reveal? How does this passage reveal what our greatest suffering is? How do we know that we are sinners? Where in the word does it say what our result of sin is? How does Ephesians 2 help us better understand these verses? How do we know that Jesus’ wounds on the cross is the cure for sin? How does this passage or other passages show that Jesus is the remedy for our sins? How does it impact our lives and daily lives to know that Jesus died and healed us? How does Jesus’ death help us with the daily battle of sin? How have you seen healing of sin in your life and others’ lives through Jesus’ death? How do we get our healing from Jesus? How has following Jesus and trusting Jesus changed your life and others’ lives amidst pain? How have you seen God’s glory through trusting Him with your life and following Him? What does it look like to trust in the power of His wounds?
Pastor Phill Howell preaches this Sunday (April 2, 2023) on 1 Peter 1:22-2:3. The summary of today’s sermon is that, using apostle Peter’s language, pure love is only possible through pure heart and pure milk. To rephrase, true love for others requires a new heart and a new hunger for God’s word. The idea of being born again is a crucial element to understanding how one can love genuinely. Jesus Christ reminds us of how all must be spiritually born again in order to experience new life.Scripture Readings: Isaiah 40:6-8 (1st Scripture Reading) Psalm 34:1-10 (2nd Scripture Reading) Colossians 3:16-17 (Benediction)
Pastor Phill Howell preaches this Sunday (March 26, 2023) on 1 Peter 1:17-21. The big idea this week is that as hope produces and empowers holiness, the fear of God protects our hope-filled holiness. Using a plane as an illustration, the destination is holiness, the fuel is hope, and the two wings are the fear of God and the fear of forsaking one’s salvation. The text shows us how Christ paid the supreme cost of the flight and how we, even in temporary discomfort, can rest assured that God will take us all the way.Scripture Readings: 2 Corinthians 5:1-21 (1st Reading) Isaiah 52:3-12 (2nd Reading) Revelation 1:5-6 (Benediction)Discussion Questions: How does verses 3 and 13 help us better understand verses 17-21. How does hope produce holy living? What does it look like? What does fear of God have as a role in people’s live to live holy lives? What does treating the precious gift of salvation in a trite manner look like? What does it look like to value and fear God as Judge? What does it look like to conduct yourself in fear? How regularly do you call on the Lord as Father? How has that impacted your walk with God? Describe a person’s life who lives in please and live for the Father. How does God’s discipline in our lives look? How does God’s discipline lead to love and fear of God? How does it impact our daily living to know that God will judge us? How does 1 Peter 4:3-5 help us better understand our passage? Why would James, Jesus’ half brother, say that teachers would judge them more strictly? How does this help us understand how God is calling us to live as His believers? What kind of living does this verse encourage us to live in order to fear God in our daily life? How does 1 Peter 2:13-25 help us better understand our passage? How is it comforting to know that God does not play favorites with His people? How is it convicting to know that God doesn’t play favorite and judges His people? How would it look to be disrespectful to God’s gift of salvation through Christ? What does it look like to be amazed that we are saved in our daily living? What has encouraged you by others who live daily amazed in God? What does it look like to use our freedom to honor God with our lives? What do you think contributes to go back to being in slavery of our passions and former living? What does it reflect about our view of God and His engagement in our lives? How does how we live as a Christian directly linked to the gospel? How does God’s love for us help shape our identity and how we live our lives? How does our hope and trust bring glory to God? How does verse 11 help us better understand our passage? How does complaining indicate what we believe about God and believe about our identity in Christ? How does this passage encourage us to live, while engaging with difficult people and difficult situations?
The summary of this sermon is that the grace of our election enables us to be holy during our exile. Or to say it another way, our hope in Christ's future coming determines our present holiness. Pastor Phill first explained the meaning of hope, the reasons for hope in Christ, and the ways that Peter teaches us to set our hope on Christ. Then in the second part of the message he explained the way this hope in Christ enables us to be holy. We examined the meaning of holiness, the reasons for holiness, and the practical ways that we are to strive for holiness.Other Scripture Readings:Leviticus 20:22-271 John 3:1-101 Thessalonians 3:12-13
Pastor Phill Howell preaches this Sunday (March 12, 2023) on 1 Peter 1:10-12. The big idea this week is the prophets of old and the angels in heaven gaze at the gospel, the very gospel believers have today. The passage reveals how the Old Testament prophets and the heavenly angels gazed upon a beautiful yet incomplete picture of what would be the awaited gospel revealed in Jesus Christ. Like them, we should today gaze at the glory of the good news that has been given to us and remind ourselves daily of Christ’s transformative message.Scripture Readings: Psalm 22:1-31 (1st Reading) Luke 24:44-53 (2nd Reading) Romans 16:25-27 (Benediction)Discussion Questions: How does Luke 15 help us better understand the verses in 1 Peter 1? How does this story impact our walk with God? How does rejoicing in salvation increase our intimacy with God? How does it impact our walks with God to know prophets of old and angels gaze and rejoice over Christians? How does Isaiah help us better understand these verses? What does this book and verses teach us about suffering and glory? How is it helpful to understand subsequent glories? What is it? What is the purpose? Do you long and gaze at the glory of God and His beauty? How has that impacted you? What is it that you long for? What is it that gets you up in the morning? How does it impact your or other’s journeys with God to regularly gaze at the gospel and the glory of God? How do the prophets teach us to gaze at the Lord? How has it impacted you or others when they take time to gaze at the glory of the Lord? How do we gaze at the gospel of our salvation? How does it impact our walk with God to know that His mercy is more ready to give than we are to sin? What does it look like to glory in God’s grace to you? How does Isaiah 53 and 1 Peter 2:23-24 help us understand the glories we are gazing of? How does the knowledge of knowing the Spirit of God was in the prophets when they predicted the sufferings of Christ help us better understand God and our response to Him? What does it look like to regularly marvel and the various subsequent glories? What does it look like to regularly thank God that we have been saved? How is the verses for us? How does Leviticus 19 help us better understand the passage today and how to live out our walks with God? What does it look like for us to regularly obtain our salvation? What does it look like for you to be regularly saved? How does Hebrews 1 help us better understand 1 Peter 1:10-12? What does it look like in our lives to live like we know how good we have it in God?
The summary of this sermon is that God’s elect greatly rejoice even during the grief of our exile because of the greatness of our salvation. In this sermon, we examine the text of 1 Peter 1:6-9 and how 1) God's elect greatly rejoice; 2) Even during the grief of our exile; and 3) Because of the greatness of our salvation. In sum, the gospel is the root of our joy and all of Christian living.
Former Embassy elder Ryan Felabom preaches this Sunday (Feb. 26, 2023) on 1 Peter 1:3-5. The passage shows us how even in the readers’ profound grief or suffering, God deserves praise. Ryan teaches us how when we begin to praise God, especially amidst challenges, our eyes will be lifted up to see the fullness of God that removes the enormity of our circumstances.In just a few verses, Ryan shows us how the text reveals God’s great mercy as the foundation of our praise, how our hope is living because Jesus Christ is alive, and how our assurance of salvation through Jesus comes from God who guards our imperishable inheritance!Scripture Readings: Ephesians 1:3-14 (1st Reading) Daniel 12:1-4 (2nd Reading) Hebrews 13:20-21 (Benediction)Discussion Questions: How does this letter and these verses help us under the purpose of how God uses difficulty in our lives? How does this letter help us prepare for the life as a Christian? How does this letter point us to the greatness of God? What is the purpose for why Peter would have people praise God in difficulty? How does Job help us better understand what Peter is saying in 1 Peter? How have you seen God work in your life and other’s lives through praising God in difficulty? How does understanding God’s great mercy impact our intimacy and engagement without God? How does Ezekiel 34 help us understand who God is? How does the knowledge of new life help us understand living hope in Christ? What is biblical hope? How does this impact our lives and interactions with God? How does Romans help us better understand living hope? How does the world’s view of hope differ from the living hope found in God? What does Jesus rising from the dead help us to have living hope? How does it impact us in our daily lives to know that Jesus is alive? How does the inheritance of what we get from God help us to live our daily lives? How does knowing that we are God’s inheritance impact us today? How does our inheritance impact our struggles with sin? How does looking to eternity and the security of our salvation help us with our lives and interactions with God?
Beginning a new sermon series, pastoral assistant John Pai preaches this Sunday (Feb. 19, 2023) on 1 Peter 1:1-2. Apostle Peter writes a letter to Christian gentiles and begins by addressing identities. We see who Peter is, who his readers are, and who God is. In an age where self-identity has become a major focus of public discourse, believers can see how Peter, his readers, and both their relationships with the triune God help us discover who we really are. We see that our true and new identity is in the Suffering Servant who saved us, Jesus Christ.Scripture Readings: 1 Peter 2:9-12 (1st Reading) 1 Peter 2:24 (Assurance of Pardon) Deuteronomy 7:6-11 (2nd Reading) 1 Peter 5:10-11 (Benediction)Discussion Questions: How does 1 Peter help us understand more of who we are as Christians? How does knowing who Peter is help us understand who we are? How does knowing what apostle means help us better understand 1 Peter? How does our understanding of what apostle means and the various levels help us understand the role of Christians? What is the importance of knowing that Peter has a new identity in Christ? How do you express who you are and who you are first? How do people get to self identity? How does our knowledge of what elect means impact our walk with God? How does understanding what exile means help us understand who we are and who we are in Christ? How does understanding dispersion help us understand who believers are and how they function? How does the understanding of knowing these Christians as outsiders impact our walks with God? Knowing that Christians are foreigners always, how does this impact how we engage with the world? How do we engage with the world when we feel like an outsider and expressed by the word to not share the gospel? How does knowing that we are citizens not of this earth impact how we live our lives here? What is the purpose of God having us here on earth and not taking us home yet? How does our knowledge of who God is impact who we are and how we engage with the world? How does knowing what foreknowledge means help us understand who God is and how we engage with God? How does Acts 2 help us better understand this passage and understand who God is and who we are? How does Peter encourage us how we should live our lives and why it matters? How does Proverbs 16: 1, 9, and 33 help us better understand this passage? How does God’s foreknowledge and our pain in this world impact our relationship with God? How does Jesus’ suffering and foreknowledge of his suffering for us impact our relationship with God, and our daily interactions with him? How does Isaiah 53 help us understand more of who Jesus is? How does knowing that we are chosen by God impact our identity and how we engage with the world? What is the importance of starting with who God is to discover who we are?
Pastor Phill preaches this Sunday (Feb. 12, 2023) on Psalm 72. The 72nd sermon in the Psalm series, Psalm 72 is a prayer request for justice to be possessed by the King forever blessed who cares for the oppressed.Pastor Phill shows us how the psalm invokes an image of an older David praying for his younger son Solomon. The psalm teaches us how it can be prayed and applied in our individual life, our corporate life, and our allegiance to Jesus Christ. Expressed in verse 14, our blood should have been spilled, but God saw our blood precious and shed His own blood in the form of Jesus Christ in our place.Scripture Readings: Luke 1:68-79 (1st Reading) 2 Samuel 7:8-17 (2nd Reading) Psalm 72:18-19 (Benediction)
Pastor Phill preaches this Sunday (Feb. 5, 2023) on Psalm 71. The 71st sermon in the Psalm series, the big idea this week is that if God’s righteousness rescued David from impending shame in his retirement, how might God’s righteousness rescue us from a retirement filled with shame?Believers can tend to not show honor toward the older members of their church while striving for a retirement that will be both temporary and short-of-expectations. God rescues us from our sins and our shame based on the righteousness of His Son Jesus Christ who died for us on the cross.Scripture Readings: Matthew 6:25-34 (1st Reading) 1 Samuel 17:31-37(2nd Reading) Jude 24-25 (Benediction)
Pastor Phill preaches this Sunday (Jan. 29, 2023) on Psalm 70. The 70th sermon in the Psalm series, the big idea is that Psalm 70 teaches us how to pray with holy impatience.In the psalm, we are drawn to two questions: 1) when is David praying this psalm, and 2) when is David when he is praying this psalm? We see the significance of our time as believers, both in our prayerful walk with God and in our sense of urgency for deliverance. Saved by the gospel of Jesus Christ, we experience our deliverance from sin while we wait for our full deliverance in Christ’s second coming.Scripture Readings: Mark 15:21-32 (1st Reading) Psalm 40:1-17 (2nd Reading) Revelation 22:12-13 (Benediction)Discussion Questions: What does Psalm 70 teach us about what God wants us to think about time? What does it look like to pray with holy impatience? How does this psalm teach us to pray? How do women reflect how God helps His people? What does it look like to regularly seek God’s help in times of need? How does God respond to those in need, the poor, and the needy? How does the Bible help us and teach us how God helps our needs? How has God helped you and/or others in your life? How does Mark 15 help us better understand Psalm 70? What are the purposes of praying to God over and over again? What does Psalm 40 teach us about Psalm 70? How does Psalm 71 help us to understand Psalm 40? What does it look like for a person to be holy in their impatience? What is the purpose of praying the same things over and over again? How does business contribute to not trusting in God? What does it look like to value older saints in the church? How does the season of life that you are in bring gifts from God to you? How does the truth of knowing that we are already redeemed help us with daily life? What does it look like for us to live our daily lives in the “already and not yet” of our redemption in Jesus?
Pastor Phill preaches this Sunday (Jan. 22, 2023) on Psalm 69. The 69th sermon in the Psalm series, the big idea this week is that a passion for God will result in rejection, ridicule, and reproach, but a passion for God’s justice will result in restoration, redemption, and reverence.In the psalm, we see that David suffers overwhelmingly and turns to God for justice. Jesus Christ, who fulfilled Psalm 69:9, overwhelming suffered on our behalf for our sins and satisfied the justice of God. Today, we can seek God’s justice as a restored and redeemed people.Scripture Readings: Romans 15:1-7 (1st Reading) Romans 8:1 (Assurance of Pardon) John 2:13-17 (2nd Reading) Romans 15:5-6 (Benediction)
Pastor Phill preaches this Sunday (Jan. 15, 2023) on Psalm 68. The 68th sermon in the Psalm series, the big idea this week is that Psalm 68 is a mash-up of three ascension marches of two earthly mountains that foreshadow one majestic ride into heaven.The psalmist proclaims God to be the father of the fatherless, the presence for those who feel alone, and the ongoing gift to those who give to Him. Fulfilling the psalm, Jesus Christ descended to be crucified and descended again into death. In his resurrection, he then ascends from the grave and ascends into heaven. We can now experience his full presence on earth.Scripture Readings: Ephesians 4:7-16 (1st Reading) Ephesians 2:4-5 (Assurance of Pardon) Numbers 10:33-36 (2nd Reading) Ephesians 3:20-21 (Benediction)Discussion Questions: Who is it that leads the procession? What gift did He who ascended give? This psalm connects with several other passages. Which ones can you see? How do these passages help us further understand the meaning of this psalm? What does this psalm direct us to do with the gifts that we receive from God? How does this impact our relationship with God? How does it impact you knowing that God will conquer and defeat His enemies? How does God’s power work for His people? How does knowing the nobles from Egypt will praise God encourage our faith? Who is joining in the parade of the procession? How does this impact our relationship with God? How do we know whether or not we are part of the parade? How does God care for the weak and rejected people? How does God respond to the lonely? How does God care for the needy? What victory does God provide? How does Ephesians 4 teach us how to maintain unity and further help us understand Psalm 68? What is the significance that Ephesians 4 says “he gave gifts to me” instead of receiving gifts in Psalm 68? What is the purpose? How does it impact our intimacy with God? What gift does God give to us? What does His gift do for our lives and soul? How does this gift impact our daily lives? Who does God use to build God’s house? How does He build up the church? How does God’s word help us receive the gift of God’s presence? Why did Jesus leave us after He rose from the dead? How does this impact the church? How does Jesus leaving impact our daily lives on how we live? In what ways do you think that you can be more generous?
The big idea of this week's message is that God gave a prayer to his people so that his plan would prosper. The outline of this message explained three parts of the big idea. First, Psalm 67:1 reveals that God gave a prayer to his people. More specifically, verse 1 is a quotation from the prayer that God gave to Moses in Numbers 6:24-26. In short, this prayer is a prayer asking for God to bless his people with his presence. Second, Psalm 67:2-7 reveals that God gave his people this prayer so that his plan would prosper. But what is that plan? The language of Psalm 67:2 is similar to Genesis 12:1-3 and this means that God's plan is his promise to bless all the nations of the earth through the family of Abraham. The message of the bible is the unfolding of this plan and Psalm 67 shows us that it centers around happiness, gladness, and joy. In other words, the nations will be glad when they see the blessing God provides for Israel. The point is not just that they will be glad because of how generous the LORD is toward his people, but the point is that his kindness and blessing will one day become their blessing. Therefore, the final part of the sermon was to explain how God's plan has prospered and been fulfilled through Jesus Christ. At this point of the message we considered Paul's words in Galatians 3 and Luke's summary of Jesus' great commission from Luke 24.The Sunday's scripture readings were: Luke 24:44-53; Genesis 12:1-3; and Numbers 6:24-26.
Pastor Phill preaches this Sunday (January 1, 2023) on Psalm 66. The big idea this week is that even though everyone worships God for His wondrous works, the psalm teaches us the way for whole-hearted worship. The psalmist shows us universal praise, corporate praise, and personal praise all toward God. Ultimately, we can praise God for what He has done for our souls, saved and redeemed through the person and work of Jesus Christ! The Scripture readings from our worship service were from Isaiah 43:1-7, 1 Peter 1:3-9, and Romans 11:33, 36.
Pastor Phill preaches this Christmas Sunday (December 25, 2022) on Psalm 65. The 65th sermon in the Psalm series, Psalm 65 paints three poetic pictures of peace. These pictures of peace reveal the portrait of Jesus Christ who not only is a picture of peace but the active internal and external peace that the world can experience today! The Scripture readings from our worship service were from Luke 2:8-20, Isaiah 9:2-7, and 1 Thessalonians 5:23-24.Discussion Questions: What does it look like to be satisfied in the Lord in daily life? How does Jesus transform sin and guilt into something beautiful? How does Jesus bring peace amidst our sin and broken relationship? What does it look like to experience the bliss of God’s presence in daily life? How have you or seen others experience His peace amidst the difficulties of life, where it has changed your perspective of how you interact with God? What does it look like to show grace to one another, like Christ, when trust is broken? How does God give confidence and hope to His people? What are examples in the word? What does it look like to have peace and hope in God amidst the war and struggles of this world? How is Psalm 65 lived out by Jesus in Mark 4? How is God’s character and power demonstrated in Psalm 65? What does it look like for us to live out peace as we engage with other people? How does Jesus change racism in our hearts? What does it look like to live out in our daily lives? How does peace display wholeness? What does it look to live in the abundance of God in the midst of life, no matter the circumstance? What does the word say the abundance will be in eternal life? How is there abundance in the wilderness? What does this psalm say the abundance looks like? What does it look like to be generous and giving to those in need around you? What does it look like to live out 1 Cor 11? What does it look like to share the abundance of the gospel and be generous in sharing our faith?
Pastor Phill preaches this Sunday (December 18, 2022) on Psalm 64. The 64th sermon in the Psalm series, the psalm teaches us how we are in a war, that the greatest weapon we have is our words, and the way God wins is surprising. The Word of God, Jesus Christ claims victory by dying! God in the flesh experiences death, and three days later, rises from the dead, conquering sin and death. The Scripture readings from our worship service were from Genesis 3:1-13, 15, Matthew 2:13-18, Revelation 22:20-21. .Discussion Questions: What would it look like to follow David’s example in how we pray to God? Do we have enemies? How can we get enemies in a way that doesn’t honor God? How can we have enemies in a way that doesn’t honor God? What did Jesus mean that He did not come to bring peace? How does this impact how we live our lives? Do you believe that we are in a war? If not, what do you think contributes to not believing that you and I are in a war? What does 1 Cor 15 teach us about what our enemy is? How does it teach us how to engage with that enemy? What will happen if we don’t have faith in God when we die? How does the answer to this question impact our daily lives? How are words the most powerful weapon of the war we are in? How do we learn what we value most? In what ways do our words reveal what is in our heart? How does our sin reveal a misunderstanding and application of God’s word? How does James 3 teach us the importance of our words and how we should use our words? How are the greatest moments and the worst moments in life connected with words? How is God’s word the arrow that wins the battle of words? How have you seen God’s word impact the words in your life? How do we know that those who seem to be getting away with injustice will not get away with it? What is the way of winning the war of our lives? How is the way different than what the world says are the ways to win? What does it look like to receive the salvation that has already been won? What does it look like in our daily lives?
During this year’s Christmas Carols and Cookies service, church member Tyler Jones walked us through what it means for God to be with us (Haggai 1:13; Matthew 1:21-23).
Pastor Phill preaches this Sunday (December 11, 2022) on Psalm 63. The 63rd sermon in the Psalm series, pastor Phill explains what David does in the wilderness is determined by his deepest delight. Like David, we should seek God first in our times of testing. Jesus Christ demonstrates this in the Garden of Gethsemane, relying on his steadfast love of his Father in heaven all the way unto his death on the cross. The Scripture readings from our worship service were from Luke 4:1-13, Matthew 1:21, Isaiah 25:1-9, and John 4:13-14.Discussion Questions: What do you think contributes to people believing that church is a waste of time? How does the church experience transcendence when they gather together? What makes a human worth anything? How does what David does in the wilderness determine what is his deepest delight? How does our actions reveal what our worth and value is and where it comes from? What is the purpose of the wilderness for David? How does God use the wilderness in David’s life? What is the first priority in your life? How does your life reflect that? How does this psalm connect with Psalm 1? How does this impact our understanding of our passage? What does it look like to cling to God and meditate on Him no matter what we are experiencing? How does David respond to being persecuted? What does this teach us on how we respond amidst difficulty? How does our actions reveal what we desire most? If others in our life were to answer the question of who/what we desire most, what would they say? Do you talk to God the way David does? What do you think contributes to that? What does it look like for our soul to thirst and cling to God? How can we considerate it pure joy when we face trials of many kinds? How do our circumstances reveal what is taking place in our heart? How does the gospel provide the greatest experiences in this life? How have you seen it in your life or others? How do we know whether or not we are settling for the glories of this world or not? What are the things you reach for the quickest to fill your soul when life is difficult? What do you think are the reasons we go to other things outside God and the church? How did Jesus reveal that God the Father’s love was most valuable to him? What does it look like to follow God’s example? How do we rely upon God to love God more than anything else? How do we press on and continue even amidst going to other glories outside of God? What does it look like? How does John 4 assist our understanding of Psalm 63? What does it look like to meditate on God day and night?
The big idea of this week's message is that God is our only hope, trust in him at all times. In this Psalm, David model for us and specifically instructs that we must pour out our hearts before God and silently wait for God. In other words, after we have done and said everything that can be done and said, we need to learn the practice of silently waiting upon the LORD. Then in the last two verses of this Psalm, David encourages us with three gospel truths: 1) God's power; 2) God's love; and 3) God's justice. When we believe the gospel of Jesus Christ, it should enable us to pour out our hearts to God and silently wait for God to save us. Then, by God's grace, we can truly become people who trust in God at all times.
Embassy member David Marus preaches this Sunday (November 27, 2022) on Psalm 61. The 61st sermon in the Psalm series, David’s big idea is that king David’s prayer for the source of his security is the answer for the source of our security. From the three requests of security that the psalmist makes, we see that the gospel of Jesus Christ is what ultimately secures us, the great King and foundational cornerstone of our lives. The Scripture readings from our worship service were from Psalms 42-43, Matthew 7:24-29, and 1 Timothy 6:15-16.Discussion Questions: How do we know God is always good, no matter the circumstance? What are other examples in the word? How do we know where we find our security is found? What are indicators of where our security is found? How do we respond when life is hard? What do you tend to go to for comfort? What kinds of things do you tell yourself? How does this psalm teach us to pray when God feels distant? How does God’s presence impact our daily walk? How have you seen God be a strong tower in His word? how have you seen Him be a strong tower in your life? What does it look like to be closer and closer to God in His presence? How does this psalm teach us to pray according to God’s word? How does God’s word describe steadfast love and faithfulness? How have you experienced God’s steadfast love and faithfulness? How do we know we have security in Jesus Christ? What would that look like in our daily lives? What does it mean that Jesus is our cornerstone? What does that look like to have Jesus be the cornerstone of our lives? How have you seen God make you or others strong in Him in the midst of difficulty? How have you seen the Holy Spirit comfort you or others? What does it look like to find refuge in God? What does our confidence rest in? how does your life reflect what your confidence is found in? What does it look like to cry out to God with our lives? How does this psalm teach us to cry out to God with our lives?
Pastor Phill preaches this Sunday (November 20, 2022) on Psalm 60. The 60th sermon in the Psalm series, pastor Phill teaches us that Psalm 60 exists to instruct God’s people on how to deal with defeat. The instructions are to diagnose the problem (v. 1-5), discern the promise (v. 6-8), and depend on the powers, i.e. the amazing and sufficient power of God (9-12). Fulfilling verse 5, the Beloved Son Jesus Christ delivered and saved us from our sins! The Scripture readings from our worship service were from 1 Corinthians 15:50-57, 2 Samuel 8:9-14, and 1 Corinthians 15:58.Discussion Questions: How does God discipline His people when they don’t follow His commands? How does Psalm 60 instruct God’s people to deal with defeat? What would this look like in daily life? Where else does God’s word direct and instruct God’s people to deal with defeat? How does God instruct God’s people when they experience rejection and/or feel as though they are rejected? What does God’s word instruct in our relationship with alcohol consumption? Where does our victory come from? What stands in our way of having God be the one that people/we go to take in the battle with us? How does pride impact our engagement with God and having Him be the one that goes into battle with us daily? What does it look like to have God be the center point and the one we go to for help regularly? Do you or others in your life think that God is angry with you or them and therefore doesn’t love you? What do you think contributes to that? How have you seen in the word and in yours or others lives where God is angry with His people and shows love at the same time? How does God engage with His people? How does knowing that God has fulfilled His promises in the past impact our interactions and prayer with God on future promises and present promises are true and will be/are fulfilled? What would be an indication in our life that we aren’t clinging to the promises of God? What are indications that we are discerning the promises of God accurately or inaccurately? How do we learn what are the promises of God? how does God reveal His character in the promises? How does God want us to engage with His promises? How do we depend upon the powers of God? how do we identify what the powers of God are? How can we identify the ways that pride is a problem in our lives? What ways can it be displayed? How are we to engage with God when we identify pride as an issue for us? How does accepting the free gift of God’s grace through Jesus help us or others with our pride and/or our struggles to think depressingly about ourselves? Do you meditate on the cross in a balanced way? How would you know? How can you find out if you are meditating on the cross in a balanced way? What does it look like to live a life of humility? What contributes to not living a life of humility? What does a person’s life look like when they believe and live their lives in light of the fact that God loves them?
Pastor Phill preaches this Sunday (November 13, 2022) on Psalm 59. The 59th sermon in the Psalm series, pastor Phill’s big idea this week is that when we see God triumph over David’s enemies, we too will sing of God’s strength over our enemies. The structure of this psalm, the stories referred to within the psalm, and the Holy Spirit’s strategy with this psalm all affirm the big idea. Ultimately, Jesus Christ, the sinless person and true David, fulfilled the essence of Psalm 59 through his sacrificial death on the cross, and we can now sing over Jesus’ deliverance of us! The Scripture readings from our worship service were from Matthew 27:24-31, 1 Samuel 19:11-17, and Romans 8:38-39.Discussion Questions: How have you seen in God’s word Him triumphing over the enemies of this world and then result in praise of God’s people over God’s strength? What elements of David’s story in 1 Samuel are helpful in understanding of God’s triumph over enemies and resulting in praise of God’s strength? What can we learn from David on ways to pray about enemies of God in the nations? What is the importance in our lives as God’s followers to know that God is stronger and triumphs over evil and enemies of God? How does this psalm point to the salvation of God’s people throughout the word and His people? How does knowing this psalm provide direction to understanding more of who Jesus is? How does this psalm impact us in how we engage with God and who He is? And engage with Jesus and who he is? How does this passage help us when engaging with the Spirit? How does this passage impact our daily lives in how we engage with others (brothers and sisters) or unbelievers? How does this passage impact our daily lives in how we live in our daily lives? Are there any areas in your life that you are worshiping or focusing on praising more often or more intensely than your relationship with God? How does salvation and singing God’s praises impact your focus and changing your focus from your heart looking idols or other gifts of this world to meet your desires to have transcendence? How does praising God regularly impact your relationship with God and impact your relationship with others? God’s glory is displayed through our lives in what ways? In what ways can we live our lives that affect us seeing God’s glory displayed through us?
The big idea of this week's message is that we should not skip over Psalm 58 because it will reorder our feelings about injustice with the truth of God's justice. We should not skip over imprecatory psalms because all scripture is breathed out by God and profitable for training in righteousness. We also should not skip over Psalm 58 because praying for judgment and cursing enemies occurs all over the Psalms. If we skip Psalm 58, then we would need skip 27% of the Psalms in in the book of Psalms. Additionally, we should not skip Psalm 58 because Jesus, Paul, Peter, and various Christians in the New Testament speak curses and pray for God's judgement. So if we do not skip Psalm 58, then we should use to judge the anger in our heart. We should use it to pray for our nation. We should also use this Psalm to pray for the nations of our world.
Pastor Phill preaches this Sunday (October 30, 2022) on Psalm 57. The 57th sermon in the Psalm series, pastor Phill’s big idea this week is that God has a plan for David, and this plan includes intense pain and severe persecution, but will end with the people’s praise. We learn in the same way David endured pain in God’s plan for him, Jesus Christ endured greater pain within God’s salvific plan for humanity, a truth we can praise God in today! The Scripture readings from our worship service were from John 12:27-36, 1 Samuel 22:1-5, Revelation 5:11-13.Discussion Questions: Do you put your hope in God when troubles come? If so, what has contributed to help you to come to God? if not, what contributes to you not coming to God when you experience troubles? Does God show in other places in Scripture that God’s plan is painful? What were the results of those passages? How does Scripture point to the end of suffering? How can we rest in those truths? Does God have a plan for His people? What have we seen in His word in the plan? How does God’s plans involve suffering? How do we know that God’s plan for David involved suffering? How do we know that it wasn’t just difficult things that happened? How does David have confidence in God amidst His suffering? What contributes to how David can know that he can trust God and His word? Have you ever heard a promise from God and though in the process get discouraged that the promise is not fulfilled? How did you respond to this discouragement? Have you experienced seeing God’s people either in the word or in your life those who get discouraged but continue to go to God and have hope in God? How did Israel get discouraged in exile? How did Israel have hope in God? what did God do when Israel was discouraged? How did David submit to God’s plan? How does his example impact us? How does God’s plan for David reflect God’s plan for Jesus? How is Psalm 57 for you? How does the plan of Jesus lead God’s people to praise? How can God’s people recognize whether or not they are living for their own personal glorifies instead of God’s glory? How does living and experiencing the glory of God impact the purposes of God’s children through their daily lives? How does God help His people not live for their own glory but instead live for God’s? What does it look like?
Pastor Phill preaches this Sunday (October 23, 2022) on Psalm 56. The 56th sermon in the Psalm series, pastor Phill’s big idea this week is that even in the face of death, God’s word will transform our fear into faith and faithfulness. David reminds us of how an infinite and all-powerful God also intimately knows and loves His people. God’s Word became flesh, Jesus Christ, who after facing his own death, transforms believers today! The Scripture readings from our worship service were from 2 Corinthians 1:3-11, 1 Samuel 21:10-15, and Jude 24-25..Discussion Questions: How have songs (or a particular song) been impactful in your walk with the Lord? What does the story of David and Goliath teach us about who God is in 1 Samuel? How have you seen God’s word change your or others’ fear into faith and faithfulness? How have you seen in times when people could be hurt by others either in the word or in yours or others’ live seen that there needs to be no need to fear but trust God? What is essential about having the word of God as the center of our lives? What can be the danger of having the knowledge of God’s word as the center of our lives? How can we know that we can trust the word of God? How have you seen God demonstrate His care for you or others in your life? How is God’s care communicated in the word? How does Jesus demonstrate God’s love and care for you? How have you seen God hold you and others fast in your life?
The big idea of this week's message is that Psalm 55 instructs us to cast all of our burdens upon the Lord, especially the burden of betrayal. Pastor Phill encourages us to not read Psalm 55 alone, but to read it collectively with Psalms 52-55 and to read it within its historical context in the life of David and to read it canonically within the context of the whole bible. However, most importantly we should not read, sing, or use Psalm 55 alone, but we should learn to cast our burdens upon the Lord with one another and with Jesus Christ. Jesus Christ read and sang this Psalm, but he also fulfilled its message when he was betrayed by his disciples and entrusted himself to his Father.Discussion Questions: What is the importance of regularly engaging in deep meaningful relationships with the body of Christ? What are aspects of our lives that keep us from having deep and meaningful relationships? What would be the reason to read Psalm 55 not just alone but with other psalms? How does it impact our walk with God? How does that impact our minds and heart as we read it as a collection? How does the story of David help us to understand Psalm 55? How does the story of David help us understand more of who God is? How does Psalm 55 help us see aspects of the OT and/or the NT? How do we or what does it look like to read Psalm 55 with others in the church? What keeps us from reading the word together and casting our burden to the Lord together? In what ways does reading the word and sharing brothers and sisters help our souls and walk with God? In what ways did Jesus embody Psalm 55? In what ways can he help us follow his example? Have you ever felt alone, betrayed, or not trusted? How does this psalm and the example of Jesus help us know God and trust God with our circumstances? How does this psalm teach us to forgive? What keeps us from forgiving others? What helps us to obey and forgive?
Pastor Phill preaches this Sunday (October 9, 2022) on Psalm 54. The 54th sermon in the Psalm series, pastor Phill addresses this question: when does our prayer become our praise? We see that prayer becomes praise when we turn and ask God to save, when by faith we confidently know that God will save and hear our prayers, and when we behold the goodness of God’s name. As believers, we today can trust that we bear God’s name, the name of Jesus Christ. The Scripture readings from our worship service were from John 16:25-33, 1 Samuel 23:15-24, and 1 Peter 5:10-11.Discussion Questions: What would be the reasons why we start and end our prayers “in Jesus’ name”? What is the third commandment in the OT about? “Do not take the Lord’s name in vain” When does prayer become praise in this psalm? What does this psalm teach us of how our prayers turn to praise? When you pray, are you asking God to save you? What do you think are reasons why you or others wouldn’t ask God to save you? What keeps you or others from turning to God in difficult circumstances? When does prayer become praise for David: before or after the answer? What do you think contributes to you or others not praising God in the midst of circumstances not changing when difficult? What if your life was lived on future victory of difficulties of the present or past? What would that look like? How can anyone be saved from their circumstances even in the midst of difficulty? When will your trouble turn you to be a prayer warrior? What would it take you for you to pray consistently? How does beholding God’s name turn your prayer to praise? What is the “it” that delivers David from his troubles in verse 6? What would you or others lives look like if you were beholding the name of the Lord your God? What do you think would help us to live out verse 4 and regularly behold the name of God? What is the theology of “the name of God”? What is significant in knowing the theology of “His name” in our walk with God? How does this psalm show that Exodus is in the background? What does it look like to “carry” or “take the name” of God with those around us?
Pastor Phill preaches this Sunday (October 2, 2022) on Psalm 53. The 53rd sermon in the Psalm series, the big idea this week is sin originates in the heart, results in shame, and requires a Savior. The sixth and last verse foreshadows the savior for both Israel and the world who came out of Zion: Jesus Christ. The Scripture readings from our worship service were from Psalm 14:1-7, Hebrews 12:22-24, Romans 3:9-10, and Romans 11:33-36.
Pastor Phill preaches this Sunday (September 25, 2022) on Psalm 52. The 52nd sermon in the Psalm series, the big idea this week is when the wicked appear to win, the response of the righteous is fear, laughter, trust, thanks, and waiting. After providing the historical context of the psalm, Pastor Phill explains king David’s confidence in God even in the face of Doeg’s murderous pursuit. The psalmist reminds us of how God accomplishes all things (verse 9), just like how Jesus Christ accomplished his plan of salvation when he placed himself on the cross. The Scripture readings from our worship service were from Revelation 19:1-5, 1 Samuel 22:6-10, and Revelation 22:12-13.Discussion Question: How does God’s word communicate how to respond when it appears that the wicked have won? What does Psalm 52 say is the response of His people when the wicked appear to win? How does this impact you as you engage with the wickedness and sin in the world? What keeps you and/or others from responding like how Psalm 52 responds towards the wicked? How does Psalm 52 encourage us to think about the wicked? In what ways does this challenge and/or confirm what you think about the wicked? How have you seen in God’s word and in life where someone’s tongue has contributed to destruction? What occurs in the lives of the righteous to rejoice in justice of the wicked? How does it display God’s character? What does Exodus 20 teach us on what it looks like to fear God? What does fear mean? How does God allowing people to continue in their sin display God’s justice in character? What are reasons why God and His people laugh at the wicked? What does Psalm 52 and other passages say about laughing at wickedness? How does joy come from laughing at the wicked? What are aspects of your life where you are holding onto wickedness that should be laughed at by you and God? What keeps you holding onto wicked things instead of embracing with laughter about wickedness? How can we trust God when we are struggling to trust God? what do we need to do? What kinds of things can we consistently do to help us trust God, especially when times come where we struggle to trust God? Do we have the ability to believe that God is just to the wicked and gracious all at the same time? How does Jesus’ death, resurrection, and ascension give us that ability? How have you seen God use His people to encourage those who are hurting in your life and in His word? How can we respond in thanks with God’s justice? Are there things in your life that keep you from being thankful?
Pastor Phill preaches this Sunday (September 18, 2022) on Psalm 50. The big idea this week is that an accurate view of God results in accurate worship of God. Psalm 50 invokes an image of a courtroom where God as both righteous Judge and prosecutor judges gathered worshipers: the self-righteous and the wickedly disobedient. Although the psalm appears to present a future hypothetical, God did this in the past by becoming the one judged as the Godman, Jesus Christ! The Scripture readings from our worship service were from Isaiah 1:10-18, Matthew 23:23-28, and 1 Timothy 1:17.Discussion Question: In what ways do you see that our view of God, impacts our worship of God? How have you seen that in the word? How have you seen that in others? In what ways does Psalm 50 reflect a courtroom? How does it impact our worship to know God as judge? How does Matthew 23 demonstrate how Jesus was judge? How does Jesus engage with people? How does Jesus as judge impact our worship? How does it impact our worship and our engagement with God to know Jesus who was the judge became the defendant? How does thank offerings to God regularly with God impact our worship? How do we see this in His word? What do you think are reasons you and/or others struggle with being regularly thankful? How can we implement regular patterns of thankfulness in our lives? What would it look like? How does God as judge impact our worship and knowledge of His grace? Are there ways that this knowledge of Him as judge that is difficult for you or others? What do you think contributes to this difficulty?
Building off of last week's message, this week we took another look at Psalm 42-43 and Pastor Phill shared three lessons of wisdom as it relates to our world's current crisis of depression. Those three hope-filled lessons are: (1) Psalm 42 and 43 teaches us that God knows and understands depression better than we do…so we can trust him; (2) Psalm 42 and 43 teaches us that even the very best believers struggle with depression…so we can stop beating ourselves up; (3) Psalm 42 and 43 teaches us realistic responses to depression, not immediate cures…so talk to God, talk to yourself, and do both of these things in a covenant community.Discussion Questions: How does this song of wisdom give us something practical wisdom for our lives? How does this psalm show us that God understands depression more than us? What do you see and have you experienced the difference between sadness and depression? Are there moments in your life or others’ lives where you/they have experienced depression? How did you/they respond to God in that time? How has the Bible helped to connect to your or others’ depression? What passages were they? What variety of depression have you seen in the word? what varieties have you seen of experienced in the lives of people? What have you experienced when you pray like the psalms to God? What are ways you can grow in empathy towards those who are struggling? What can I learn about God from the doctrine of Psalm 42 & 43? How do we know that true believers experience deep depression? How have you seen believers in the word and outside the word have depression? How do we see in God’s word that personal sin is not always connected to depression? What does it look like to talk to God, talk to yourself, and to do it corporately with depression? Do you understand what it means to talk with yourself like Martin Lloyd-Jones says and not to talk back to yourself the truth of the gospel? What does it look like? What promises and truths would you and/or the word say to talk back to yourself? How does faithfully coming to corporate worship help us know the truths of God’s word and share it with others? What are examples you can think of?
Pastor Phill preaches this Sunday (September 4, 2022) on Psalm 42-43. The first two psalms of Book II of the Psalms, Pastor Phill argues how we should read Psalm 42 and 43 as a single psalm. The big idea this week is that no matter how far you feel God is, Psalm 42-43 collectively as one psalm offers hope and shows us that God will not abandon His king or His people in His kingdom. Focusing primarily on the context this week, we see how the hope presented in this psalm reminds us of our ultimate hope in our God, Jesus Christ. The Scripture readings from our worship service were from Psalm 1:1-6, John 12:20-29, and 1 Peter 5:10-11.
Embassy member and former church elder Ryan Felabom preaches this Sunday (August 28, 2022) on Psalm 51. After providing the Scriptural context of the psalm (2 Sam 11-12), Ryan reveals to us the five main takeaways of Psalm 51: 1) how David pleads for forgiveness, 2) how David confesses his sin, 3) how David seeks restoration, 4) how David can therefore seek inward renewal, and 5) how great sin forgiven leads to public acts of praise and humble worship. As 2 Sam 11-12 and Psalm 51 reveal how the requirement for sin is death, Jesus Christ demonstrates the ultimate sacrifice by dying on the cross for our sins. The Scripture readings from our worship service were from Exodus 34:1-9 and Hebrews 13:20-21.Discussion Questions: Are there times when you struggle to see your sin with the weight that God carries of our sin? Are there ways that you can connect with David, where you have struggled with sin and try to cover up sin with more sin? How did God respond to your sin? How has God responded to you when you have hardened your heart through sin? Do you respond with repentance like David when you are made aware of your sin? How quickly do you respond? What is the consequence for our sin? Do you feel and see the weight of sin? How do you engage with God with your sin? Do you regularly confess and repent of your sin? How does this impact your intimacy with God? Have there been times in your life where you have seen that your heart is hardened against sin? How did you know that your heart was hardened against sin? When you cry out for forgiveness do you cry out in light of God’s character and promises? Do you feel the heaviness of your sin or think of the weight of your sin? Do you cry out to God and see how you have sinned against God? Do you view your sin as treason against God? God delights in our confession of our inward sins. How are you at regularly confessing what is sinful to God? Does your displeasure with sin match God’s displeasure with sin? When you have confessed sin to God, have you experienced inward renewal from God? how did this impact your intimacy with Him? Are you more concerned about your own title or kingdom than you are about being in God’s presence? What do you think contributes to this? Do you pray and ask God to restore the joy of your salvation? When you have, how did this impact your God? Have you seen your sin as a possible reason as why you lost the joy of your salvation? How do we respond to this? How do you engage with God about this? Do you sing praises to God because of the forgiveness of your God? How regularly do you sing praise? Do we recognize that our sin impacts those around us? Do you confess that? Do you ask for forgiveness? Do you respond in praise publicly to what God has done internally? How does God respond to our sin? What has He done for our sin? How have you seen and experienced God’s steadfast love and forgiveness in your life and others? What does it look like to regularly rejoice in what God has done through His forgiveness of our sins? How do we do this regularly with the church body?
Embassy pastoral assistant John Pai preaches this Sunday (August 21, 2022) on Jonah 4. The big idea this week is when we anger over God’s lack of divine justice, God teaches us about His divine compassion. Jonah is angry over God’s compassion for Nineveh, and God teaches Jonah a lesson about who He is: a compassionate God. God displays both justice and compassion on the cross, where Jesus absorbed God’s wrath while dying and resurrecting for us who have been shown His grace and mercy. The Scripture readings from our worship service were from Exodus 34:1-9 and Romans 15:5-6.Discussion Questions: Have you or someone you know experienced a person who is angry with God for His compassion? How did it impact your daily life or their daily life? How do you or have you seen others respond when they believe that God is being unjust? Are their ways you struggle with grace and mercy? What circumstances have you related to how Jonah feels towards God’s grace and mercy to others? How have you or others left or gone away from situations that you believe justice should have been done? How does leaving impact God’s justice or grace and mercy? What are things or circumstances in your life that you have seen God prove more than you can yourself? How do you respond to God when He provides whatever is needed to save you from your own evil? What are the things in your life that are providing happiness for you outside of God? Are there times when you can relate to Jonah and don’t believe there are people who deserve forgiveness? Do you care more for the things God created and gave you than the Creator and Giver Himself? All of us have been called by faith but our actions have said otherwise and not living by faith. How has God responded to you? How do you respond to God when you realize God has compassion for you and your enemies? How do you know whether or not you believe and live out that God will act in His justice how and when He wants to? How does knowing what Jesus did for us through His death, resurrection, and ascension help us to trust God’s justice and compassion? How does Jesus help us to move from anger and selfishness to live in light of the gospel and have compassion for our enemies?
Guest preacher and pastor Paul Alexander preaches this Sunday (August 14, 2022) on Psalm 49. Pastor Paul explains the text and shows us how all die, whether rich or poor, wise or foolish, deceived or deceiver. We learn how we should not mistake material abundance for God’s approval. In keeping with our reminder of the gospel, Jesus Christ lives and dies Psalm 49, demonstrating verse 15 through God the Father’s ransom of His Son’s life from the power of death! The Scripture readings from our worship service were from Luke 12:13-21, Luke 11:13, and Philippians 4:19-20.Discussion Questions: What are fears that you have that you know not to fear? How do you fear like the psalmist? Do you struggle with stating that you must be doing something right due to the amount of money you have? How do you respond to the money that you have? Do you struggle to think that your money will help you in your relationship with God? How do you respond when others take your money? What are your favorite sins that you struggle with and hold onto? How is our ransom paid for our sins? Are there ways that you grow your pomp and make yourself look better? Do you put your confidence in your wealth? Who are you allowing to be the shepherd of your life? How have you seen resting in God and looking to eternity help you deal with the injustices of this world? Why do we need not fear when other people get rich? What makes us concern about others in our life getting rich? How do you respond when you are blessed and receive more financially? How do we know that wealth says nothing about God’s thoughts about Him who has it? How do you get your soul ransomed by God? Why should we not mistake abundance of wealth with God’s approval? What happens to a person who trusts in their wealth? How do we know whether or not we are trusting in material wealth more than God? Are you more interested in making money more than being fruitful for the Lord? How do we invest in the things of eternity? Why would Christians suffer wrong done to them rather than trying to address the wrong done to them? How do we become rich in God? How does keeping our heart towards God impact how we interact with others?
Guest preacher and pastor Nathan Carter preaches this Sunday (July 31, 2022) on Psalm 47. The main idea this week is that Christ’s enthronement calls for enthusiasm! Pastor Nathan walks us through what Psalm 47 meant in the original context, what it means in the overall context of the Bible story, and what it means for our context today. This psalm encourages us to exalt and sing praise to our God King, Jesus Christ! The Scripture readings from our worship service were from Ephesians 1:15-23 and Revelation 5:12-13.
Guest preacher and pastor Nate Praytor preaches this Sunday (July 24, 2022) on Psalm 46. The big idea this week is in Jesus Christ, God is our refuge in our troubles by making us citizens of the city of God in order that we may behold His saving works and rest in Him. Pastor Nate shows us what is being conveyed in the psalm, how God is our refuge during times in trouble, and why God is our refuge. The transcendent God made Himself present to His people in the flesh: Jesus Christ. God has descended to us so that we can ascend to Him. The Scripture readings from our worship service were from Revelation 22:1-7 and 1 Peter 5:10-11.Discussion Questions: Do we desire a better, a more true world? What do you do with this longing? How have you seen God to be a refuge for you and others in your lives? How have you seen the transcendent God make Himself present to His people? How does God make Himself known and present in trouble? How have we in the world through sin have a de-creation of how God made and intended us to be? How do we see Jesus being our present help in time of trouble? How do we become citizens of the city of God? What are the benefits of being part of the city of God? What role does the Holy Spirit have in our trouble and bringing His people into His city? God asks us to come to Him. What keeps us from coming to God? What does God do when we come to Him? What do we experience when we come into the presence of God? What does it look like to have Jesus be the singular pursuit of our life?
Guest preacher and pastor Nate Praytor preaches this week (July 17, 2022) on Psalm 45. Writing about a wedding between Israel’s king and his bride, the psalmist presents a glimpse of the righteous King of Kings. The psalmist, through this marriage, presents a glimpse of the marriage of all marriages, Jesus Christ and his bride, the church. Pastor Nate encourages us as believers to see God’s royal legacy in our royal priesthood and to fix our eyes upon Jesus, the singular pursuit of our lives. The Scripture readings from our worship service were from Ephesians 5:22-33 and Revelation 19:6-9.
Guest preacher Jeremy Meeks preaches this week on Psalm 44. The psalmist addresses times when believers feel abandoned by God. In these times, we must know who God is and dedicate ourselves to Him. Jesus Christ, in his final moments forsaken by God the Father, continued to save us from our sins through his death and resurrection. Jesus exemplifies the faith that we should exercise today. The Scripture readings from our worship service were from Romans 8:31-39 and Jude 24-25.
Embassy elder Kenny Eliazer preaches this week from Romans 12:1. The sermon addresses the question: What is your acceptable service of worship? After laying the foundation in the first 11 chapters, apostle Paul provides the application for how to properly worship. Believers are called to be a living sacrifice and a holy sacrifice. We can do this as Jesus Christ came as the once-and-for-all sacrifice! The Scripture readings from our worship service were from Hebrews 12:12-29 and Jude 24-25.
Embassy pastoral assistant preaches this week from Jonah 3:1-10. The big idea this week is that because the word of God transforms us, we repent, and God relents. After Jonah proclaims God’s prophecy, the Ninevites repent and experience the powerful mercy of God. Believers today experience God’s powerful mercy through the person and works of Jesus Christ.Discussion Questions: How have you seen God use His word in your life or someone else’s to repent? Do you think any of the chapters of our life can change God’s plan for you? What is the importance of this question? How do we know God’s plans for us? What are aspects in your life that contribute to not making disciples of all nations? What does it mean to make disciples of all nations? Who are the people in your life God is calling you to share the gospel with? How have you seen God demonstrate relentless pursuit of your or someone else’s life? How many times or have there been times when you are doing the bare minimum to follow what God is asking you to do? How have you seen God use the bare minimum in your life to follow what He is asking you to do? How have you seen God display His power through mercy in your life and in others? How have you seen God’s power in mercy through other passages in the word? What does it look like to have a life of regular repentance of sins? What does it look like for us to repent of our sin together as a church? What is repentance? What does God’s word say repentance is? What is the order of how we are reconciled to God? What are examples in your life? How have you seen Jesus transform your life and other’s lives? What do you think contributes to us minimizing our sins? How does this impact our relationship with God?
Embassy pastoral assistant preaches this week from Jonah 1:17-2:10. The big idea this week is that because God saved us through His judgment, we praise Him through our thanks. After three days in the belly of the fish, Jonah’s prayer shows us how broken Jonah is and how gracious God is. Jesus fulfills the sign of Jonah by dying for our sins and, on the third day, returning from the dead! The scripture readings from our worship service were from Matthew 12:38-42 and Ephesians 3:20-21. Below are the psalm references in Jonah’s prayer:2:2 – Psalm 120:1, Psalm 31:222:3 – Psalm 102:10, 69:1-2, 152:4 – Psalm 42:7, 31:22, 5:7, 79:1, 138:22:5 – Psalm 18:4, 69:12:6 – Psalm 103:42:7 – Psalm 142:3, Psalm 88:2, 102:12:8 – Psalm 31:6-72:9 – Psalm 54:6, 116:17-18, 50:14, 3:8Discussion Questions: What makes it important to distinguish between God’s ability in Jonah versus our ability? Why did Jonah wait 3 days to talk with God when inside the fish? Jonah prays as if God has already answered his prayer. Have you prayed this way before what was the purpose? When was the last time you prayed for deliverance? Is there something in your life that has swallowed you up? Why would we praise God for His deliverance? What is God’s purpose to saving Jonah and/or saving yourself? Verse 3: Is Jonah glorifying God and His power, or is Jonah being a victim? Verses 7-9: What do you think contributes to Jonah talking more about himself? How does it impact our lives to know that God remembers God’s people? Can you relate to Jonah in saying that when I get out this mess, then I will obey God? What contributes to this? How does praying selfishly often impact our relationship with God? How does regularly praying things we are thankful for impact our lives? Psalm 120:1 is quoted. What is the importance of praying the psalms in context? What impact does repentance have on our lives? Does repentance have a regular practice in your life? If not, what keeps you from repenting? What do you think contributes to us wanting to depend on God verses repenting to God? What contributes to us not wanting intimacy with God? In what ways was God gracious to Jonah? In what ways is He gracious to us? What is the importance of knowing we are saved through judgment? What does it look like to have a life regularly praising and thanking God? How does regularly thanking God impact our lives?
Embassy elder Etienne Nel preaches this week from Matthew 8:23-27. In the story of Jesus calming a storm, the author shows us the dual nature of Christ. Fully God and fully man, Jesus Christ lived the perfect life and died for our sins. In his humanity, Christ sympathizes with us; in his divinity, Christ saves us. The scripture readings from our worship service were from Colossians 1:15-23 and 1 Timothy 2:3-6.Discussion Questions: What are the parallels of Jonah and Jesus? How is Jesus the greater Jonah? Are there times in your life that you ask God why He is allowing the storm in your life and what the reason is? What is the importance of knowing that Jesus was fully human and fully God What importance is there to see Christ’s difference in humanity vs our humanity How does it impact our relationship with him? How is Jesus our help in times of need? How does Jesus’ humanity and deity make it possible for us to approach God? How do we follow the disciples’ examples by counting the costs of what it means to follow Jesus? How have you seen the daily cross in believers’ lives? How does it impact their faith? If you don’t know Christ, why would you want to follow God if it means there will be difficulty in your life and you would be asked to take up your cross daily? What do you think keeps believers from dying to themselves daily? What keeps them from taking up their cross daily? What do you think was the purpose of Jesus rebuking the disciples when they woke him to calm the storm? What are the things that disturbed Jesus by how the disciples acted during the storm? What is the importance of knowing God’s/Jesus’ power over nature? How does Jesus’ divine sovereignty impact our daily lives? How does God’s divinity impact His carrying our sins?Jesus is our mediator. How is this helpful to our lives and how we live our lives How does Jesus’ divinity fuel our worship? How does it impact how we worship?What is the purpose of determining whether or not Jesus is the center of our faith How would that reflect in our lives? How does it look to have faith that focuses on the glory of God? How would it work in your life if you waver in your faith when storms come? How do you change to strengthen your faith? How does Jesus sympathize with us in our weaknesses? How is this helpful in our daily lives?
Embassy pastoral assistant John Pai exposits Jonah 1:1-16. The big idea this week is that when we flee God in our sin, God pursues in His grace. The story of Jonah teaches us that no one can outrun the pursuing grace of God, believers and nonbelievers alike. It is by His grace that believers are saved through the one greater than Jonah, Jesus Christ. The scripture readings from our worship service were from Mark 4:35-41 and Romans 8:38-39.
Embassy member David Marus preaches the gospel by expositing Hebrews 4:14-16. The big idea this week is to draw near to the throne of grace in times of need. The passage encourages us to hold fast to Jesus Christ and draw near with great confidence to the throne of grace for help. Jesus ascended into heaven and sits on his throne at the right hand of the Father, and we sit in his presence. The scripture readings from our worship service were from Acts 1:6-11 and 1 Timothy 3:16.Discussion Questions:1. Where do you tend to go in times of need? What or who do you go to for comfort?2. How have you seen the temptation to sin in difficulty been overcome through the Spirit in your life or other’s lives?3. In what ways does Jesus advocating for us with the Father encourage us in our journey?4. How does holding fast to our confession, our faith impact our lives?5. What does it look like in a person’s life when they hold fast to Jesus?6. What does it look like to trust Jesus when struggling with sin?7. How do we resist temptation?8. How is it helpful to know that Jesus sympathizes with our weaknesses?9. What keeps you from drawing near to Jesus?10. What is the importance of humble repentance with God?11. How do we draw near to the throne of grace? What does it look like?12. What does it look like to not be in complete despair in our lives?13. What does it look like to have a bold prayer life?14. What is the importance of sitting in God’s presence regularly?15. How does it impact our life to memorize and pray Scripture? How does it help to pray for others in this way?
Expositing Philippians 3:1-4:23, Pastor Phill’s big idea this week is that perfection is our prize and partnership is our path. The apostle Paul argues that he pursues perfection because Jesus Christ made him his own. From the text, we are taught to imitate Christ, be unified, pray, practice our faith, and be thankful.Discussion Questions:1. Have you experienced in your life or heard others talk about where everything in your life did not measure up compared to Christ? How do you or they live in light of this truth?2. If you have not arrived in righteousness, what is your hope? What does it look like to live in light of this hope?3. What do you think are the reasons we compare ourselves to each other instead of Christ?4. How do we strive for perfection?5. What does it look like to press on and continue in the journey with struggles?6. How does it impact our lives to focus on the fact that our righteousness is through Christ in our past, present, and future?7. What makes it essential to dwell on our sinfulness?8. How would you know whether or not your thinking is restful in who we are in Christ and striving to the goal of Christ?9. What does it look like to strive and rest in Christ?10. What is the importance of meeting with other believers to practice and imitate Christ in our regular habits?11. What is our unity rooted in? how are we to practice this unity regularly?12. How does prayer impact our growth in our Christian walk?13. What is the importance of focusing your mind and meditating on things that are pure lovely, commendable, excellent or worthy of praise regularly?14. What would a person’s life reflect that whether in need or plenty to find all our riches are in Christ and find our strength in Him?
Expositing Philippians 2:19-30, Pastor Phill’s big idea this week is that the life-changing power of the gospel has been preserved in texts and is perceived in people. The passage shows us how Paul has confidence in God’s work in the Philippians, how Paul has confidence in God’s work in Timothy and Epaphroditus, and therefore how pastor Phill has confidence in God’s work in Embassy Church today. We hold our ultimate hope and confidence in the person and works of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ! The scripture readings from our worship service were from 1 Corinthians 4:14-21 and 1 Thessalonians 3:12-13.Discussion Questions:1. What is the purpose of this letter for Paul and the church?2. What would it look like to have confidence and hope in the body of Christ in our interactions together like Paul as with the Philippians?3. How is seeking the interest of others also seeking the interest of Christ?4. When you have seen someone who is refined in their faith through trials, what characteristics did you see in them? How do they respond with trials?5. What would it look like to live our lives where we consider others interests more than our own?6. What do we need to do to become more humble and more Christlike?7. What kind of people do you honor or esteem?8. How does your life reflect who you honor with your time, with your thoughts, or with your finances?9. Do you know anyone in your life that cares for you and asks many questions about you? How do they help point you to Christ?
The big idea of this week's message is that there is only one political position that results in unity. That political position is that Jesus Christ is Lord! When Jesus is our lord and we live as worthy citizens of his kingdom, then we will work out salvation by considering others more significant than ourselves. We will take a position of humility like Jesus Christ took as he died on the cross for our sins. Therefore, the only political position that actually brings about unity is the position of Jesus our king and reflecting his humility.
Pastor Phill Howell preaches Philippians 1:12-26, explaining the big idea of the passage that nothing can stop the progress of the gospel in the world or the power of the gospel in our hearts. Last week, pastor Phill addressed how the gospel shapes prayer and today how the gospel shapes ambition. Jesus Christ, our living hope, advances the gospel and transforms our hearts, being raised from the dead as we too are raised with him. The scripture readings from our worship service was from Acts 28:16-31 and 2 Thessalonians 3:1-5.
Pastor Phill Howell begins a new preaching series focusing on Paul’s letter to the Philippians. Expositing Philippians 1:1-11, the big idea this week is that the gospel changes our priorities which are reflected in our prayers. The passage answers why Paul prays, what Paul prays, and how Paul prays. Followers of Jesus Christ pray selflessly which is only possible by the gospel of His kingdom and His affectionate love for us all. The scripture reading from our worship service was from Acts 16:25-34.Discussion Questions:1. What does it look like for us to live as citizens of heaven to live out the gospel?2. How does the gospel make us mature in our faith?3. How have you seen the gospel change yours or other’s priorities?4. How have you seen God use prayer to change your priorities?5. What kind of partnership in the gospel is Paul talking about? What would it look like for you to have this partnership in your life?6. How have you seen God provide for you and others in your life? Do you respond regularly with thanks for this provision?7. How can we engage in friendship and with our finances with those who are preaching and teaching the gospel?8. When you are in difficulties, do you follow Paul’s example while in prison, and pray for others and thank God for them? How do you respond in your difficulties?9. How do you think it would impact your daily life if you had a perspective like Paul that dying would be a gain to your life?10. Does your prayer reflect the desires of your heart? What kinds of things do you pray for?11. What would it look like to pray “that even if my circumstances don’t change, praise be to God?” How would this impact your life?12. What kind of requests does Paul pray while in prison? How would this impact you and others if you prayed like Paul in verses 9-11?13. Have you ever struggled with doing the right thing more than your heart being changed by the gospel?14. Do our prayers as a church reflect the gospel centrality? How does this impact our hearts and lives of a church?15. Are you attending prayer meetings regularly? How has that impacted your life and heart?16. Why does Paul pray for the advancement of the gospel?17. In your prayers, are you regularly praying for those in this church to grow in their understanding of the gospel and filled with knowledge of the gospel?18. How do you get the desire to love God more? How does your heart get changed to the priorities of the gospel?19. How does our affection for God change our hearts?20. What does it look like to have confidence in Christ’s completion of good works to the very end?21. How do we work out our salvation?22. Are there aspects of your life that are keeping you from believing that God transforms your life and others? How can we respond if we are struggling to believe this?23. Do you regularly pray for the advancement of the gospel to the nations?24. What would it look like for us to yearn and have affection for other brothers and sisters in Christ?
Pastor Phill Howell provides the 41st sermon of the Songs of the Savior series by expositing Psalm 41. The big idea this week is that because God’s king is merciful to the poor, he will receive mercy when he is poor. The language in this big idea reflects Matthew 5:7. Psalm 41 shows us the posture of poverty (v. 1-3), the position of poverty (v. 4-10), and the king’s confidence in God’s deliverance out of his state of poverty (v. 11-12). The concluding 13th verse concludes the entire Book I of the Psalms (Psalms 1-41). Jesus Christ, the King of all, embodied verses 11-12 on the cross. His enemies did not triumph over him, and he was set in the presence of God forever. The scripture readings from our worship service were from John 13:12-20 for the prayer of confession and John 12:46 for the assurance of pardon.Discussion Questions:1. How does this psalm indicate that we obtain happiness? How does this contradict what our culture teaches of where happiness comes from?2. How should you think about the poor? What would it look like to make them a priority in your life?3. Who are the poor?4. In what ways are you like the king, caring for the poor?5. In what ways are you judgmental and condemning to the poor?6. Do you ignore those that are in need?7. What would our church look like if we together had compassion and cared for the poor?8. How does Jesus’ care for the poor impact us in our relationship with those who are poor?9. Is Jesus your king? How does your life reflect that he is your king?10. How does it impact your life to have Jesus be your king?
Pastor Phill Howell provides the 40th sermon of the Songs of the Savior series by expositing Psalm 40. The big idea this week is that past salvation produces present grace-driven obedience and hope of a future where sin will be no more. The author of Hebrews quotes Psalm 40 and proclaims that we have been sanctified through the offering of the body of Jesus Christ once and for all! The scripture readings from our worship service were from Hebrews 10:1-14 and Romans 16:25-27.
Pastor Phill Howell provides the 39th sermon of the Songs of the Savior series by expositing Psalm 39. The big idea this week is that we should use Psalm 39 as a tool to recalibrate and reset our tongue, our time, and our truth. In the psalm, David cries to God about the shortness of life and God’s discipline upon David for his sins. Jesus Christ lives out what David cries out in verse 13, as Jesus experiences the abandonment of the Father on the cross when bearing all sin, only to resurrect, ascend, and reunite with the Father! The scripture readings from our worship service were from James 4:13-17 and Psalm 90:12-17.
Pastor Phill Howell provides the 38th sermon of the Songs of the Savior series by expositing Psalm 38. The big idea this week is that we should use Psalm 38 when we get sick. We learn from Psalm 38 that David’s sickness is because of his sin, because of his covenant relationship with God, and because of God’s love. It is through the person and work of Jesus Christ that we can declare what David declares in his conclusion of the psalm, verses 21-22. The scripture readings from our worship service were from James 5:13-20 and Revelations 1:5-6.
Pastor Phill Howell provides the 37th sermon of the Songs of the Savior series by expositing Psalm 37. The big idea this week is that the LORD knows the way of the righteous, but the way of the wicked will perish (Psalm 1:6). Psalm 37 is an acrostic psalm where David communicates how believers should trust the LORD when the wicked prosper (v. 1-11), to judge the wicked (v. 12-22) and to bless the faithful (v. 23-29). Believers should also trust the LORD and wait (v. 30-34), trust the LORD with their future (v. 35-38), and trust the LORD to save the righteous from the wicked (v. 39-40). Jesus Christ fulfills the psalms by saving the righteous from the wicked, making the unrighteous righteous! The scripture readings from our worship service were from Psalm 1 and 1 Thessalonians 5:23-24.
Discussion Questions: 1. Have there been times when you have prayed for something and wanted something and you didn’t receive it but others did? What occurred? How did it impact you? 2. Have you struggled when the wicked seem to prosper? How does God ask us to respond to this? 3. What do you think contributes to you or others struggling to trust the LORD? 4. How does trust impact your anger, worry, or anxiety? 5. How does a person become content with whatever they have? 6. How have you seen God change you or others to desire things differently than you did before? 7. How does it impact us and others when we are generous? 8. How is God guiding parents to respond to the difficulties of parenting? 9. How does Psalm 37 say that God will act towards the wicked? How does this psalm direct us to pray for the wicked? 10. Where does salvation come from? How does your life indicate where salvation comes from? 11. Where do you tend to go to when you need refuge and peace? 12. How does Jesus demonstrate justice for the wicked and refuge for the righteous?
This week’s message is the 36th sermon in our series through the first book of Psalms. The big idea of this message is that no matter how deep we are enslaved to sin, the love of Christ is able to set us free. Psalm 36 provides a description of the sinfulness of sin in verses 1-4 and then a description of the steadfast love of the Lord in verses 5-9. The final verses offer a prayer based upon these two descriptions. In order to apply Psalm 36 to our church and world, Pastor Phill discussed some of the debates surrounding addiction that occur inside and outside of the church. We compared the description of the wicked in Psalm 36 with the ways people talk about addiction today. It was then argued that the description of God’s love provides the only true source of life and hope for all sinners and even the very worse addicts. That is because no matter how bad the sin or how deep the addiction, the love of God displayed through Jesus Christ is what will set us free.
Pastor Phill Howell provides the 35th sermon of the Songs of the Savior series by expositing Psalm 35. Here is this week’s main question: will you love Jesus when people start hating you for following Him? Psalm 35 can be broken into three ideas: 1) God will save you when people hurt you for no good reason (v. 1-10), 2) God will rescue you when your friends make fun of you (v. 11-18), and 3) God knows the truth and will make things right when people tell lies about you (v. 19-28). Jesus Christ was mocked, persecuted, and killed, only to triumphantly raise Himself from the dead and promise His persecuted followers ultimate salvation and victory. The scripture readings from our worship service were from John 15:18-27 and 1 Peter 5:9-11. Discussion Questions:
Will you still love Jesus even when people hate you for following Him? Have you or know others who have experienced harm for following Jesus? What occurred? How have you seen God save people who are hut for following Jesus? What are possible things in people’s lives that keep them from following Jesus? How do you tend to respond when people are mean to you? How does David teach us to respond when we are hurt? How do we know and have seen where God will vindicate and make things right when people do something wrong? How have you seen God work through persecution in people’s lives? How are we to respond when we experience or know persecution is happening? What are we to do with anger when those we love are hurt or we are hurt ourselves? How does God want us to pray when wrong is done to people?
Pastor Phill Howell provides the 34th sermon of the Songs of the Savior series by expositing Psalm 34. The psalmist invites the people of God to join him in praising the LORD for delivering them from themselves. Pastor Phill states that the three reasons for the acrostic nature of Psalm 34 (and all acrostic psalms) are to communicate exhaustiveness, completeness, and orderliness. Psalm 34 also answers when God is good, how God is good, and who God is good to. Ultimately, Jesus Christ is the exhaustive, complete, and orderly expression of God’s goodness; God is good all the time, and He is good to us, believers and followers of Jesus Christ. The scripture readings from our worship service were from 1 Peter 3:8-17, 4:18, and 2:1-3. Discussion Questions:
How you experienced God’s goodness and deliverance from troubles? What did it look like? How do you tend to view God and/or respond to God when circumstances are difficult? How is God’s goodness expressed? How do we know God hears us when we cry to Him? How have you experienced this? How do we know that the LORD is good? What does His goodness look like? Do you crave and long for tasting and seeing that God is good? If so, why? If not, why not? What you crave shows what you love. What do you love? What do we try to satisfy our hearts with? What do you tend to go to often? What is the hunger of our hearts to be loved? What are ways we look to something or someone other than God? how does it not work? What are ways you are making the vehicle you are in your home? How does following Jesus mean that we do not get denied pleasure? How have you seen this? Who is God good to? How have you seen God deliver and hear the cries of people in affliction? Who does God provide refuge and goodness to those in Psalm 34?
Pastor Phill Howell provides the 33rd sermon of the Songs of the Savior series by expositing Psalm 33. Here is this week’s big idea: the sovereign power of God’s word creates supreme and sustaining joy. Pastor Phill addresses and answers three questions relating to Psalm 33 (and Psalm 32): why do we gather for worship, how should we worship, and who should we worship? Psalm 33 shows us that our God is a God who speaks, and the fullest expression of God’s spoken word is made manifest in the person and work of His Son, Jesus Christ. The scripture readings from our worship service were from Ezekiel 37:1-14 and 1 Timothy 6:15-16.
Discussion Questions:
What does breath or word mean? What does God say about these words in the Bible? What does it say about God’s breath and word? How have you seen the sovereign word of God bring joy to you or others? How have you seen God create joy in your heart and others’ hearts? Why do we gather for worship? How do we worship? Who do we worship? How does Psalm 33 guide us in how we respond after we have confessed sin to God? What is the purpose of responding this way? How does God’s words “you are forgiven” change you and others? How have you seen God’s perfect love cast out the fear of confessing sins to other saints? How do your emotions show you what you are living for? How do your emotions reveal what is most important in your life? What do you think contributes to when we struggle to praise God? How have you seen the word of God reveal His character of God? How have you seen confession to be better than consumption in church? What is your attitude when you come to church? What is the purpose of worship? How do you see the church edifying one another? How do you participate in that? What does it look like to have a regular practice of confession? How have you seen words give power of life or destroy it? How have the words of God brought power of life? How does God’s word sustain life? How does God’s word reveal His sovereign plan?
Pastor Phill Howell provides the 32nd sermon of the Songs of the Savior series by expositing Psalm 32. The big idea this week is that the triune God provides the path and the power to solve our greatest problem: sin. Sin’s threefold definition is breaking trust, missing the mark (failure), and making crooked what was straight. Sin is a heavy burden that makes us go into hiding and deal with the consequences of our sins. The 3-step path that Psalm 32 shows is to confess, confess now, and confess with repentance. To make this possible, God Himself provides us the power for this path and by the blood of Jesus Christ, believers can be forgiven of their sins today! The scripture readings from our worship service were from Romans 4:1-12 and Revelations 1:5-6.
Pastor Phill Howell provides the 31st sermon of the Songs of the Savior series by expositing Psalm 31. Jesus quotes Psalm 31:5 while on the cross by saying “into your hands I commit my spirit.” Pastor Phill calls believers to ponder three things: why Jesus specifically references Psalm 31 in the last moments of his crucifixion, what Psalm 31 is about, and how Jesus Christ’s dying words can transform our hearts today. The scripture readings from our worship service were from Luke 23:44-56 and 1 Peter 4:19.
Pastor Phill Howell provides the 30th sermon of the Songs of the Savior series by expositing Psalm 30. The big idea this week is that God saves individuals so that they can praise Him in His congregation. King David wrote Psalm 30, he dedicated the psalm to the future temple, and Jesus Christ fulfilled Psalm 30 as the true temple and ultimate hope for all believers today. 2 Samuel 7 tells us that an offspring of David, Jesus Christ, would one day come to build the house of David. The scripture readings from our worship service were from John 11:17-21 and Ephesians 1:17-23.
Pastor Phill Howell provides the 29th sermon of the Songs of the Savior series by expositing Psalm 29. Pastor Phill provides two big ideas this week. The first is that everyone, on earth and in heaven, was created to give God praise. The second big idea is that we should praise Him because His voice thunders from His thrown and brings blessing to His people. The psalmist David draws his readers back to the creation account in Genesis 1 and the flood narrative in Genesis 6-9 while exalting the powerful voice of the LORD. Jesus Christ carries the same powerful voice as Jesus is the LORD! The scripture readings from our worship service were from Mark 4:35-41 and 2 Corinthians 13:11.
In this week's message Pastor Phill showed five different ways to read through the book of Psalms and used Psalm 28 as his example. The five ways are: 1) Read the Psalms Responsively; 2) Read the Psalms Historically; 3) Read the Psalms Collectively; 4) Read the Psalms Personally; and 5) Read the Psalms Devotionally. No matter which approach we take, the big idea of Psalm 28 is that God is the source of strength for his anointed king and therefore he is the strength of his people. Since Jesus is the true Christ (anointed king) and God already heard his prayers and saved him from the pit, then all of his followers can be confident that they will receive strength from this good news. It is the gospel of Jesus Christ that becomes for us an infinite and eternal source of power for us individually and the church corporately.
Discussion Questions: 1. How have you seen God being the strength of His people? In His word and in people’s lives today 2. What is the one thing you hope in? 3. What is the one thing you ask of God? 4. Who or what do you seek for strength instead of God? 5. How does your life reflect that which you desire most? 6. What does Psalm 28 teach us about God? 7. Are there times when you come to God trying to bring something to God? What is it that you can bring that He does not already have or need? 8. How does God give you strength to help you love others? 9. How are you reading the psalms when you read them? What is your focus? 10. What does it look like in our lives to have regard for the work of God’s words?
The big idea of this week's message is that beholding God's beautiful face is the one thing we need most and it is very thing God provides through Jesus Christ. This message seeks to answer three questions related to this big idea: 1) What is the one thing that we need most?; 2) Why is God's beautiful face the one thing we need the most?; and 3) How do we get it?
Pastor Phill Howell provides the 26th sermon of the Songs of the Savior series by expositing Psalm 26. The big idea this week is just like David, we need to confidently have a case of our innocence before the Judge. We who follow Christ know that Jesus Christ makes our case of innocence as our advocate, declaring us not guilty! The scripture readings from our worship service were from Luke 2:41-52 and Jude 24-25. We read these passages during our 3rd week of Advent to demonstrate that Jesus loved being in the temple just like David loved dwelling in the house of God as seen in Psalm 26.
Discussion Questions:
-
How does it impact you to know that because of Jesus, you are presented as not guilty?
-
Have you ever asked God to examine your heart and mind and/or refine you? If not, what keeps you from praying that? If so, what was the result?
-
What do you think brought David to be confident to pray and ask to be vindicated? How does he know this?
-
What kind of people do you surround yourself with regularly? Who is your community?
-
Are you regularly coming to God to confess and repent of your sins? How does that impact your walk w/ God? How does it impact you personally and your relationships with others?
-
Do you love to be with the Lord and His people? Is there anything that you love doing more? What contributes to that?
-
Does Psalm 26 describe you If not, what do you think keeps you from living this way?
-
What ways is David’s confidence of innocence similar to our confidence of innocence as Christians?
-
What does it look like for you to regularly put your hope in God and trust Him with your life?
-
How often do we minimize and explain away our sins? Why do we not need to as followers of Jesus?
-
What do you think would occur if we regularly sought to know and understand the weight of our sin and embrace the grace of Jesus?
-
What does it look like for us to know Christ as our advocate not just next to us but also in us? What would our lives look like?
Pastor Phill Howell continues the Songs of the Savior series by proclaiming the nature of God’s ways and His will as depicted in Psalm 25. As the lines in Psalm 25 are written in alphabetical order (acrostic) in biblical Hebrew, Pastor Phill’s big idea is that God’s ways are available, believable, certain, durable, eternal, faithful, generational, higher, infinite, just, kind, loving, and merciful. Listeners are encouraged to meditate on Psalm 25 and finish describing God’s will and ways from N to Z! The scripture readings from our worship service were from Hebrews 8:6-13 and Revelation 1:5-8. We read these passages to show that Jesus Christ, the new covenant, is the Alpha and the Omega.
Discussion Questions:
-
How would you know whether or not you are too focused on knowing the will of God instead of knowing God Himself?
-
What does it look like in our daily lives to pursue getting to know God?
-
How do we learn God’s ways?
-
What do you think keeps us from believing and trusting God’s ways?
-
What do you think it looks like to wait for God when we are learning His ways? What keeps us from waiting? What are we wanting more than waiting for God?
-
How have you seen God faithful and in the lives of others?
-
What does it look like to pass on trusting Jesus from generation to generation?
-
Have you had afflictions in your life that you have had no control over that have impacted your life? What does it look like to trust God amidst those afflictions?
-
Have you ever felt like you are a mistake? How do we know that the truth is that God doesn’t make mistakes?
-
How have you seen what others have meant for evil that God has meant for good?
-
Does your sin mess up the will of God? How do you know?
-
What is Isaiah 55:8-9 teaching us about who God is?
-
How do you see God’s ways being higher than the world’s ways?
-
How does God respond to sin? How does this impact how we engage with God in our sin?
The big idea of this week's message is that the one true God wants true believers to celebrate the true redeemer. Etienne Nel, a member of Embassy Church, unpacks this big idea into three key points. Point 1 - The True God; Point 2 - True Believers; and Point 3 - The True Redeemer.
The Old Testament scripture reading from our worship service was from 2 Samuel 6:1-15. We read this passage because it provides the historical background and occasion for the writing of Psalm 24.
Embassy Church member Wes Swiderek wonderfully provides this week’s sermon on Psalm 23, thoroughly demonstrating that the point of Psalm 23 is to be transformed by the hope and love of God. Wes also exposits Ezekiel 34 and John 10 to illustrate two main things: 1) the shepherd theme in Psalm 23 along with the Old Testament and 2) how Jesus applied this metaphor to himself in the New Testament. Although there are many wicked shepherds (rulers) in the Bible, Jesus Christ is the good shepherd who brings victory by his death and who brings deliverance for himself and for believers by resurrection!
Guest pastor Paul Alexander from Grace Covenant Baptist Church (Elgin, IL) faithfully exposits Matthew 27:32-54 in relation to Psalm 22. Pastor Paul shows that the author (and ultimately the divine author God) mocks the very mockery that the people had for Jesus when he was on the cross. We witness the mockers unwittingly fulfill the scriptures.
Pastor Phill Howell’s big idea of Psalm 22 this week is that Jesus sang the song of silence so that we could sing the song of salvation.
Discussion Questions: 1. Have you asked God where He is when He feels distant to you? If not, what keeps you from asking? If so, what was the result of telling Him how you feel?
-
How do you engage with God when you are suffering?
-
Have there been times of suffering when you have not come to God? What do you think keeps you from engaging with Him? What was the result of not coming?
-
Do you sing to God when you are suffering? How did that impact your relationship with God?
-
Has there been times when you are suffering that you are tempted to isolate? When you isolated, how did it impact you? When you chose not to, how did that impact you?
-
What does it look like to confess suffering to one another within the body? How did that impact the body of Christ? How did it engage your heart with God?
-
Have you practiced expressing your sorrow to God and expressing your trust in Him? How has that impacted you? How has that impacted your relationship with God?
-
What does it look like to pray prayers of lament within the body of Christ? How does this bring unity in the body of Christ? How does it create intimacy with the Lord together?
-
What keeps you from lamenting with others in prayer?
-
How is it impactful to our relationship with the Lord to know that He has saved us through suffering? How does it impact our suffering?
-
How do we have no fear of death or fear of evil? How is that significant about that in our everyday life?
-
How do you engage with God in your shame? What occurs when you do? What occurs when you don’t?
This week’s big idea is that the victory of the king results in praise by his people. Psalm 21 is the answers of prayer that were prayed in Psalm 20. These two psalms are twins and go together. This week’s message focused on how Jesus Christ is our king and he is the one for whom God has answered his prayers and delivered him with a great salvation. As a result of Jesus’ salvation, we are his people and we can rejoice in the benefits of his victory.
Discussion Questions:
- What are the key words and themes that are the same in Psalms 20 and 21? In what ways do these psalms work together?
- In what ways did does Psalm 21 relate to Jesus?
- Since this Psalm is mostly about a king who lived thousands of years ago, how does Psalm 21 relate to Christians today?
- What is the center of Psalm 21? Which verse stands out in the middle of the Psalm and how does it summarize the whole message of the Psalm?
- What are some ways that we can be tempted to trust in ourselves and steal God’s glory?
- What are good practices for cultivating a spirit of humility and gratitude for all that God is doing in our lives?
- In what ways does our sin put us at enmity with God as his God’s enemies?
- Why should we open our heart to allow God to surgically cut out the unbelief in our heart?
The big idea of this week's sermon from Psalm 20:1-9 is that we sing for victory in the name of our victorious God. King David’s army sings Psalm 20 to him, about him, and for him. Before the battle, soldiers shout for joy as they hope God will bring victory to their king. Jesus Christ, the greater King who claimed victory over death, brings victory and salvation to us who trust in Him.
Discussion Questions:
-
What do you think keeps you from singing victory to God? What do you think contributes to that?
-
What has occurred in your (or others’) life and heart when you sang victory songs to God?
-
Where do you tend to go for help? What keeps you going to that source?
-
What do you think contributes to you or others going to other things outside of God for help?
-
When you feel incapable, where do you go? Are you willing to make sacrifices to do that? What occurred in your heart when you did that?
-
What are the reasons we sing in victory to God?
-
How have you seen God move in your life and battles? And in others’ lives?
-
Do you trust in God to win and fight your battles? If so, how have you seen God work in that? If not, what keeps you from trusting? What do you trust in?
-
What does a person’s life look like when they trust in God? What does a life look like when they don’t trust in God?
-
What chariots and horses do you believe in your life? What indicators are in your life that demonstrate you in those things?
-
How do we know and how have you seen that God has won victory in the lose-lose battles?
-
How do we know that the LORD saves His anointed? How have you seen that?
-
Are you engaged in a battle right now? Do you pray about this battle? What keeps you from praying?
-
How have you seen prayer to be a victory in your life and others’ lives?
The big idea of this week's sermon from Psalm 19:1-14 is that God’s speech brings life and joy to those who seek Him. Psalm 19 presents the speech of creation (v. 1-6), of God (v. 7-11), and of man (v. 12-14). Psalm 19, like all the other psalms, point us to a greater David: Jesus Christ.
Discussion Questions:
1) How does creation communicate who God is? What does it communicate?
2) How does the sky communicate who God is?
3) Is there anything we can learn from the heavens?
4) How does creation speak to us about how we are spiritually blind and spiritually in need?
5) What things in our lives keep us from looking to God in the sky?
6) How do we know whether or not we are worshipping the creation instead of the Creator?
7) How does the knowledge of the sun and the universe bring us to awe in God? What does it teach us?
8) What does it look like for us to regularly meditate on His word? How have you seen that impact your relationship with God?
9) How do we respond to God when we fall into sin?
10) How have you seen God’s word impact sin in your life?
11) What does it look like to have God’s word be the sweetest thing you long for?
12) What is your response to God’s word in Psalm 19?
The big idea of this week's sermon from Psalms 18:1-50 is that Jesus is singing praises to his Father with people from all nations of the world. Psalm 18 reminds us of the breathtaking doctrine of the trinity, God’s glorious purpose and mission to save the world, and the reality of Christ-centered unity. Psalm 18 shows God delivering David from possible death, but fulfilling Psalm 18, God delivered Jesus from actual death, the greater deliverance.
Discussion Questions:
1) Have you thought before that Jesus is singing with us to the Father? How do we know this to be true? How does this impact our relationship with him?
2) Do you respond in praise, like David and Jesus, when He works in your life? If no, what do you think contributes to that?
3) Are there times you have had difficulties having unity with others? What do you think contributed to that?
4) What differences in others do you tend to have more struggles with? Why do you think that is? What do you think would help you to love others that are harder to love?
5) Knowing what Jesus has done by dying, rising, and ascending, how does that impact our songs of praise? How does it impact how we engage with others?
6) Do you have a story that produces a song of praise? How do you respond to that story?
7) How can you make sense of the Bible if you don’t believe in the triune God? How does this knowledge impact our daily life?
8) Do we have reasons to hope? How do we know this hope to be true?
9) Do you have questions in regards to where hope comes from? Do you at times feel hopeless? Where do we go in those times?
10) Are you living out the mission of the church to make disciples of all nations? How is that going? If not, what keeps you from doing so?
11) Are there opportunities in your life to humbly sacrifice your ideas in order to love and bring unity in the church? How are you doing with that?
12) How do you see Jesus as head over all in our lives? How does that impact our lives and our praise?
13) What areas in your life do you think are a temptation to lose focus on Jesus?
14) What do you think contributes to the divisions among people and the church? What do you think unites us?
15) Are there things that I am doing to create disunity in the church or are there things I can doing to create unity?
The big idea of this week's sermon from Psalms 18:1-50 is that David’s passionate praise is the result of perfection, promises, and protection. As the longest psalm attributed to David, it can be considered David’s magnum opus. Psalm 18, both in structure and in content, teaches us how to speak to God as delivered people who love Him. Ultimately, we see that our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ fulfills Psalm 18.
Discussion Questions:
1) How often do you say to God, “I love you?” How often do you sing to God, “I love you?”
2) Do you think we love God to the same degree to what we think we have been rescued from? Is it possible that we might love God little because we think we have been rescued from little?
3) How can we strengthen our souls to have passionate praise like David?
4) Has there been times in your or others’ lives where you cannot help but praise and share your love with God? What was taking place with God and in your life?
5) Do you have passionate love for God when you pray? If not, what do you think contributes to that?
6) What does it look like to have a life that praises God regularly?
7) What would it look like to regularly understand how much we have been saved from and sing praise? How would this impact our lives, our relationship with God, and our relationship with others?
8) What does it look like to praise God and rely upon God, for all He gives to live a life of righteousness and perfection?
9) What keeps us from trusting God to help us to live a holy life and leaning to Him for help?
10) How have you seen God’s promises to be true in your life and in the lives of others?
11) How have you seen God to be a rock in your life and/or the life of others?
12) How does David’s story of deliverance by God impact your/our relationship with God?
13) How has stories of salvation in the Bible impacted your relationship of salvation with God?
14) What does it look like to take refuge in Jesus regularly?
This is a sermon in the Songs of our Savior series preached on Psalms 17:1-15 by Nate Praytor of Gospel Grace Church in Woodstock.
The big idea of this week's sermon from Psalms 16:1-11 is that our joy is here because our God is near. In this Psalm, David is crying out to the Lord for preservation as he considers the prospect of death and Sheol. Throughout the song, David moves from expressing fear of death and dread of his circumstances to praising God for the joy of his presence, the promise of his preservation, and the gift of his people. In the New Testament, both Peter and Paul use this Psalm, particularly the final few verses, in order to demonstrate that even though David did eventually die and descend to Sheol, his greater Son, Jesus, overcame the corruption and fear of death by being raised to life.
The big idea of this week's sermon from Psalms 14 & 15 can be stated as the question: are you going to enter God's presence and be welcomed? Together, these Psalms raise the question of what is needed to enter the presence of God. Throughout these two songs, the answer is clear – no one is righteous, not even one. The totalizing claims of these Psalms is that no person is righteous enough to enter the presence of God. In other words, these two Psalms present the law. That is, what is it that God demands of us. However, they do not stop there because there is also the gospel, which says that God provides all that he requires through the life, death, resurrection, and ascension of Jesus. So, all who believe on Jesus are freed from the demands of the law and brought into union with Jesus by the grace of God.
Discussion Questions: 1) How do we enter into the presence of God? What occurs when in God's presence? 2) How do you know whether or not you will enter the presence of God? 3) How do you become holy and blameless in the presence of God? 4) How does God respond to our sins? How have you seen this in his word and in your life? 5) How do we know what the law demands? What is the purpose of the law? 6) If we have fallen short of the law, how do we have hope? 7) Why is the difference between law and gospel so important? 8) Do you know how to apply the Bible? How do you know that you are rightly applying it? 9) What are some opportunities God has given you to apply and explain the beauty of the gospel?
The big idea of this week's sermon from Psalms 13:1-6 is that lament is one of the ways that we as Christians can learn to deal with the suffering and hardship of life without either ignoring them or trying to help ourselves through our own strength. This Psalm exemplifies lament and shows that it involves bringing specific petitions before God with the trust that He is good and that He does hear us. What this Psalm teaches us is that God saves through the prayers of his people. As Jesus similarly teaches in the parable of the persistent widow in Luke's gospel, we may have confidence in approaching the God who truly is there and does care for us.
Description: The big idea of this week's sermon from Psalms 12:1-8 is that a deceived world will be saved by a divine word, that of Jesus Himself, the word who became flesh. Through the chiastic structure of Psalm 12, the Psalmist contrasts the words of the wicked with the words of the Lord. The wicked, who with smooth speech boast confidently of their ability to exploit others through the abuse of their power, are challenged by the words of the Lord, who answers with the promise of deliverance in response to the cries of the oppressed. But when did the Lord make good on this promise to rescue? The answer comes in the gospel according to John, where it explains that the Lord did arise to deliver his people by becoming the man Jesus, who through suffering the boasts and oppression of a broken world, defeated the power of sin and death, ultimately being raised in victory and now reigning in heaven.
Discussion Questions: 1) How have you seen deception in your life? How did God respond? 2) Are there things in your life that keep you from asking God to bring an end to wickedness? What do you think contributes to that? 3) How have you seen the power of God at work in your life or in other's lives? 4) What connections do you see between our society and that of the one being discussed in Psalm 12? What does the Psalm have to say about these things and what encouragement does it offer? 5) Is it possible that we are living in a society that needs saving? How would we know? How do we respond? 6) How does Jesus incarnation provide the most ultimate answer to the response of God in Psalm 12? 7) How have you seen God respond to the cries of his people?
The big idea of this week’s message is that we have reasons to confidently trust God even when the bottom of our life falls out. Even when the world around us crumbles and the foundations fade away we can confidently remember where God is, what is he doing, and what he is like.
The big idea of this week's sermon from Psalms 9 & 10 is that the Lord will judge the whole world justly, though often through paradoxical, even ironic means. Psalms 9 & 10 together as a single song are written about God judging his enemies. Within ancient Jewish tradition, this song was also seen as being about God's judgement of Goliath as a particularly boastful enemy of God's people. This song celebrates how the Lord even uses the seeming victories of the wicked as a means of their own downfall, just as he did with Goliath. In a more ultimate sense, the cross is the point where God paradoxically judged sin and death in the body of Jesus, that through Jesus' own death, death itself should be defeated.
Discussion Questions: 1) How do we read the Psalms appropriately? How do we know how to read them and what to do with them? 2) What is the purpose of being slow to apply Scripture to our own lives? 3) How have you seen God defend the weak, poor, and fatherless? How does God want you to defend the weak? 4) How do we know that God is in control even when life is challenging and it appears the enemy is winning? 5) When have you been tempted to think that God is not working? 6) How is the wicked's appearance of winning what ultimately becomes their defeat? 7) How can God allowing someone to sin be a judgment in itself? 8) How does Jesus' death demonstrate that God does not allow sin and death to have the final word in the world or in your life?
The big idea of this week's sermon from Colossians 1:15-23 is that Jesus, the Son of God, is supreme over all. When we try to have anything in addition to Jesus, we lose the Jesus of the Bible, the one who created and upholds the universe, because anything added to Jesus is a subtraction from his supremacy as very God of very God.
The big idea of this week's sermon from Psalm 8:1-9 is that God's power is perfected through weak humans. Through Psalm 8, particularly by focusing in on verse 2, we understand that God hears the cries of those who are weak and vulnerable, especially the cries of infants. We see God's concern for the weak in how God heard the cries of David throughout the Psalms, through how God hears the cries of infants in Scripture, and through how God ultimately heard the cries of Jesus, born as an infant and the Son of David, who died in weakness in order that he might rise in victory and end all suffering and oppression of the weak and vulnerable.
Discussion Questions: 1) How have you seen God's power perfected in weakness? 2) What is the purpose of crying out to God? 3) How has God shown that he hears your cries? 4) How and where have you seen God's rest and beauty made known in weakness? 5) How do you view children and their value? How is this evident in your life? 6) Do you listen to the cries of children? 7) How are you caring for children in your life and in the community? What does that look like for you? 8) How is it significant that Jesus became an infant? 9) How does understanding what Psalm 8 says about infants help us to understand more of who God is? 10) How does Jesus becoming weak and dying on a cross impact your understanding of weakness? How does it impact how you think about crying out to him for help?
The big idea of this week's sermon from Psalm 8:1-9 is that Yahweh is the king of creation and his power is shown to be perfect through weak humans. Psalm 8 is a commentary on the creation account of Genesis and as such it focuses on the amazing role of humans within God's creation and purpose. God created humanity to serve as his rulers over the earth, but humanity failed in this calling and the result is that death reigns. Throughout the rest of Scripture, and particularly Hebrews 2:5-9, we learn that it is Jesus, the true human being, who through his own suffering, weakness, and ultimately death, restores humans to their place as God's rulers over creation and gives victory even over death itself.
Discussion Questions: 1) How have you seen God's power perfected through your weakness of the weaknesses of others? 2) Do you know and understand Gen 1-11,Gen 12-22, Ex 2-20, 2 Sam 7, and Isa 53? Why are these passages so significant? 3) How does it impact our relationship to God to know that he is the majestic Lord over all of creation? 4) Do you acknowledge Yahweh as your king? What does that look like in your life? 5) What does it mean that God is mindful of you? How have you seen God be mindful of you in your own life? 6) What does it look like for Christians to have dominion over the earth as God originally intended? 7) What does it look like for Jesus to rule over death in our lives and in the world?
The big idea of this week's sermon from Psalm 7:1-17 is that David's salvation is rooted in the judgement of David's God. David could pray for deliverance from his adversaries because he trusted that his God was the judge of the whole world and that he would judge justly, recognizing David's innocence from the false accusations being made against him. Now, we as Christians can similarly pray for deliverance from judgment, not on the basis of our own innocence, but because of the innocence of Jesus, the one who bore the judgement of God in order that he might now be our refuge and salvation.
Discussion Questions: 1) Do you sing or pray God's Word by yourself or with others? How does this impact your relationship with God? 2) Have you seen God be a refuge in your life and in the lives of others? Have you asked God to be your refuge? 3) What would it look like for us to use Psalm 7 in our lives while understanding it through the lens of the gospel? 4) How does it impact you to know that Jesus is your advocate before God whenever you pray? 5) In light of Psalm 7, What does it mean that Jesus is our shield and refuge? How does knowing this impact your relationship with God?
The big idea of this week's sermon from Psalm 6:1-10 is that the Psalms, when rightly applied, can help us as Christians deal with the real difficulties and times of sadness in our lives, over against the false idea that if anything bad happens, it is a judgement by God or the result of his retribution.
The big idea of this week's sermon from Psalm 5:1-12 is that God loves the righteous, but he hates the wicked. While this message initially seems simple, this sermon explores three questions in an attempt to get at the heart of this idea: 1) Is this what Psalm 5 is really about? 2) Why is this a message in the Bible? 3) Who then is the Bible talking about? Through answering these three questions it becomes clear that the line between good and evil is not primarily drawn between individuals, rather it is a line that is drawn through each one of us, as those created in God's image yet tainted by corruption and sin. From this we learn the truth that it is through Jesus and his sacrificial death on our behalf that those who were wicked can become God's people and can rest in the abundance of his steadfast love.
Discussion Questions: 1) Do you use the Psalms regularly to guide your prayers? 2) Have you ever prayed for God to bring justice to the evil in the world? How has this impacted your relationship with God? 3) How does it impact your relationship with God to know that he hates those who do evil? 4) What are ways in which you have viewed God as you wanted rather than as he is revealed in the Bible? Has that changed? If so, how? 5) How does it impact you to know that the line between good and evil is down the middle of each individual? 6) Who are you in this Psalm, the righteous or the wicked? How do you know? 7) How have you seen God give you the power to change through repentance? 8) Which message did you receive from this Psalm, the love letter from God or the message of his hatred? Why do you think you received the one you did?
The big idea of this week's sermon from Psalm 4:1-8 is that we as Christians can find rest in regular sleep, and ultimately in death and new life, because God has worked through Jesus, is working in the present through his Spirit, and will continue working for our salvation.
Discussion Questions: 1) Have you cried out to God when you are in distress? 2) What do you think keeps you from having rest in your life? 3) How do you think the Lord is inviting you to peaceful rest in your life and what might that look like? 4) How do you see God working presently through his Spirit? 5) Do you struggle with knowing how and when to be angry? 6) What does it look like to be angry and not sin? 7) How does silence help you grow as a Christian? 8) What is the ultimate rest that we have in this life and in eternity? How is this knowledge helpful in our present life?
The big idea of this week's sermon from Psalm 3:1-8 is that even in the most challenging moments of life we can have confidence in approaching the God of the Bible, the God known most fully in Jesus, because He is the God who rescues those who call out to Him in trust. In this Psalm, David moves from his reason for calling out to God for deliverance from his enemies, to his response of prayer, to the result, which is the confident trust that salvation comes from the Lord. By making this song a part of our communal and individual lives, may we learn to trust and call out to the Lord who rescues His people in the midst of hardship and trial.
Discussion Questions: 1) How does an individual lament result in corporate praise? 2) What does this Psalm teach us about God and how we get help from God? 3) Is there anything in your life that you're not allowing God or his people to help you with? 4) What is your response when you sin or have difficulties in your life? 5) What keeps you from coming to God when you sin? 6) In what areas of your life do you see anxieties over and over again? 7) What have been the results in the past when you've turned to God in your sorrow? 8) How does knowing that there is salvation in Jesus impact how we come to God in our sorrow?
The big idea of this week's sermon from Psalms 1 & 2 is that these first two Psalms present two different ways of speaking about the blessed, happy person. Psalm 1 introduces the contrast between the righteous person who lives in accordance with God's pattern for humanity, and the wicked who reject God's instruction. Psalm 2 presents the blessed person as the one who takes refuge in God's King by submitting themselves to his rule, while the wicked are those who plot in vain against God's unshakable purposes. These introductory Psalms, which are central to understanding the entire Psalter, are also crucial for understanding Jesus as God's true anointed King, the Son of God.
Discussion Questions: 1) What are some of the ways you see the nations raging against God's anointed King today? D 2) What does it mean that your theology of happiness will drive everything that you do? Do you think this is true? 3) How does the connection between Psalm 1 and Genesis 1-3 help you better understand the meaning of both passages? In what ways is God's instruction life-giving like the tree of life? 4) How does understanding the structure of Psalms 1 & 2 help you to study them for yourself? 5) What is the significance of Psalm 2 as applied to Jesus in the New Testament? 6) Taking what you've learned from this message, how might you incorporate Psalms 1 & 2 into the liturgy of your life?
The big idea of this week's sermon from Psalms 1 & 2 is that these first two Psalms together provide a doorway into understanding the entire book of Psalms. The Psalms are the songs of our Savior, Jesus, because they are both the songs that he himself sang and prayed, as well as because the Psalms are songs which are most ultimately about Jesus, God's true righteous King. The Psalms teach us how to pray, they shape us as they lead us through meditations on the instruction of God, and they center our lives by pointing us to God, the one from whom all blessings flow.
Discussion Questions: 1) How have you seen the Psalms point to Jesus? What examples might you give? 2) Why is it helpful to understand that the book of Psalms overall progresses from turmoil to praise? How might this be impactful in your walk with God? 3) How have the Psalms taught you to pray? How has praying through the Psalms impacted your faith? 4) How have you seen the word of God shape your life? How, specifically, have the Psalms instructed you? 5) How do the Psalms help you through times of lamenting and sadness? 6) How have you seen the cultural influence of emotivist culture influence you? What do the Psalms teach us about emotions? 7) What have the Psalms taught you about the character of God? 8) When your attention is fixed on praising God in spite of potentially challenging circumstances, how have you seen that focus on God impact your life?
The big idea of this week's sermon from John 16:4-15 is that Jesus' ascension was not only necessary, but is in fact better than if he had remained on the earth. While this is a difficult promise for modern westerners to grasp, Jesus assures his disciples in the Gospel of John that for him to leave is better because he is sending the Holy Spirit, who will work through Jesus' followers to convict the world of injustice and sin, to transform and guide believers, and ultimately to bring praise to Jesus' name.
Discussion Questions: 1) Why is it so difficult to believe that Jesus' departure is actually better? 2) How might focusing on certain evidences of the Holy Spirit detract from seeing how the Holy Spirit is pointing to Jesus? 3) How does the idea that the Holy Spirit will convict the world of sin pose a challenge to the power structures of our society? What role do we as Christians play in this? 4) How might trusting that Jesus' departure is better transform the way we view the Christian life and the goal of Jesus' mission? 5) What might it look like for the Holy Spirit to govern and transform your life?
The big idea of this week's sermon from Genesis 28:10-22 is that the God of the Bible is the God who seeks out sinners who cannot help themselves. Against a modern conception of Christianity as moral therapeutic Deism, where God basically helps those who help themselves, this text demonstrates God's love for Jacob exactly when he's doing everything wrong. Jacob's vision of the gate of heaven opened is ultimately fulfilled through Jesus, the one in whom heaven and earth meet, and the one through whom God rescues us when we could not rescue ourselves.
Discussion Questions: 1) How have you seen God draw near to you in times where you were walking or straying away from him? 2) Have there been times in your life when God has met you with a severe mercy as a result of your sin? What did God do after the severe mercy? 3) What are the things or the people that you go to more than God in your life to help you in your struggles? 4) In Genesis, what is the significance of moving East? How does knowing this help us to better understand the narrative of Genesis 28? 5) How have the past six weeks about the ascension helped you to better appreciate its significance as part of the gospel?
The big idea of this week's sermon from Hebrews 10:19-25 is that the goal of the gospel is God. As the author of Hebrews explains through the use of Psalm 110, this is made possible by the means of Jesus descent through suffering and death and his ascent to the right hand of the Father, where he even now mediates for his people as the greater high priest. We now have access to God's presence through Jesus' ascension so that we can worship by drawing near in faith, holding fast in hope, and stirring one another up in love.
Discussion Questions: 1) Why is the gospel more than just a way to God? 2) What is the significance of Psalm 110 in the book of Hebrews and why is this important? 3) What is one way that we can know we are drawing near to God in confidence? 4) Why might stirring up one another in love be uncomfortable at times?
This week’s message is the fourth message in a series on the gospel, in general, and the ascension of Christ, in particular. As we consider Ephesians 4:1-16, the issue being addressed has to do with the end of Jesus’ journey. What is the end of Jesus’ journey? This question that could be asked in two different ways. First, what is the end destination of Jesus’ journey? The answer of Ephesians 4:10 is that Jesus’ journey ended when he ascended far above into the heavens. The second way to ask and answer the question is, what is the end goal of Jesus’ journey? Or what is being accomplished by Jesus’ ascension into heaven? The answer of Ephesians 4:10 is that so Jesus would fill all things. The filling of all things is the filling the whole world with his presence as the Holy Spirit is poured out as a gift. In other words, Jesus must ascend so that Spirit can descend. When the Spirit descends humans are filled with the Spirit and presence of Christ. These humans speak God’s word as Apostles, prophets, evangelists, and pastor-teachers and this preaching of the gospel builds up the church. It unifies a people around God and his word. This perfected and sanctified new humanity is the end goal and gift of the gospel.
Discussion Questions 1) What is the end goal of Jesus' ascension? How does knowing this impact us? 2) What role does the Holy Spirit have in Jesus' ascension and what does this mean for us now? 3) What is the difference between unity in the Spirit and uniformity? Why is this difference important? 4) What is the commonality among believers and why is this important? 5) How do we maintain unity in the body? What are some blocks to fostering and maintaining this unity? 6) What are some ways that you can die to yourself in order for more people around you to be pointed to the gospel?
The big idea of this week's sermon is that the pattern of Jesus’ descent and ascent reveals that humiliation is the path to exaltation; it is the path of the Christian life, as seen ultimately in Jesus, and also in the life of the Apostle Paul.
Discussion Questions 1) What is the end goal of Jesus' ascension? How does knowing this impact us? 2) What role does the Holy Spirit have in Jesus' ascension and what does this mean for us now? 3) What is the difference between unity in the Spirit and uniformity? Why is this difference important? 4) What is the commonality among believers and why is this important? 5) How do we maintain unity in the body? What are some blocks to fostering and maintaining this unity? 6) What are some ways that you can die to yourself in order for more people around you to be pointed to the gospel?
The big idea of this week's sermon is that the Gospel is good news because it means that a human being is in heaven right now.
Discussion Questions: 1) How did you become a Christian? How was the gospel communicated to you at that time? 2) How does the fact that Jesus is in heaven as a human impact your life? 3) What is the most important message of the Bible and how does this message impact our daily lives? 4) Why does Jesus' absence give us hope in the present? 5) How do you glorify God through the enjoyment of the good creation that he has made? 6) How does the hope of physical resurrection and new creation change the way we live out our hope in the present? 7) Why is the ascension an essential Christian teaching? 8) How do we walk the line between rightly enjoying God's good creation while not allowing any created thing to take the place of God?
The big idea of this week's sermon is that the gospel includes the proclamation of the good news that Jesus the King, the mission to persuade people of that reality, as well as the response of participation in that new reality begun through his birth, death, burial, resurrection, and ascension.
The big idea of this week's sermon is that Jesus is the beginning and the end, the Alpha and the Omega, both of the Gospel according to Matthew and also of the entire story of the Bible from Genesis through Revelation.
The big idea of this week's sermon is that all are invited into the inner circle of God's presence because Jesus was cast out for us.
Discussion Questions: 1) How does it impact you to know that you are invited into the inner circle because Jesus was left out? 2) Are there ways that you find yourself discriminating toward others within the church? 3) Have you or someone you know felt left out of the church? 4) Are you involved in discipleship relationships within the church? 5) Are you inclusive of others within the church? Are you including people that the rest of society would exclude? 6) What things or people are you looking to in order to define your identity and worth? 7) What was the purpose of Jesus' death? 8) If you knew that you already had a place within the inner circle of God's presence, how might that impact how you live and think? 9) In what ways are you tempted to try to get into the inner circle of God's presence for your own ends or through your own means?
The big message of this week's sermon is that how Jesus died, explains why he died.
Discussion Questions: 1) How did Jesus die? How does the way he died impact our lives? 2) How does God's judgement impact our walk and journey with him? 3) How does the way Jesus died give us hope in our daily lives? 4) How does a new day point us to Jesus every day? 5) How do the new mercies we receive each day impact our lives? 6) How does Jesus crying out to God help you understand the darkness in that moment? How does this help us in our relationship with him? 7) What is the importance of us repenting of our sins? 8) In struggling with the darkness, how does Jesus' death help us clarify as we struggle?
The big idea of this week's message is that Jesus did not just physically die for our sins, he suffered shame and humiliation in order to display the wisdom and the power of God. As you listen to this week's message we hope you will be encouraged by how God's superior plans and his superior wisdom frustrates the schemes of sinful humans. We also hope you will be encouraged to trust God through your own sufferings as Jesus did by putting his hope in the God who judges justly.
The big idea of this week's message is that Jesus is a different kind of king and a different kind of savior. For the first time in the gospel of Matthew, we see Jesus toe to toe with a government official. What will Jesus say? How will he respond to the charges against him? What kind of leader and savior do the people want? These are the sort of questions addressed in this week's message.
1) How does the gospel impact your life in a way that is different from this world? 2) Are there categories that you have that impact more of how you live than the categories of King Jesus? 3) What kind of king are you giving allegiance to? 4) What does it look like practically in your life when you believe the gospel? 5) Is your gospel political or is it internal/spiritual? 6) How are you doing following what Jesus says to live out in the Sermon on the Mount? 7) How do we know what kind of Savior we live for and long for? What indications of that answer are present in your life? 8) In what ways is Jesus Lord of your life? In what ways is he not?
The big idea of this week's message is that only the blood of Jesus can wash away the guilt of the blood of Jesus. Feeling sorry for yourself does not wash away guilt or take away the stains of the blood of Jesus. Doing the right thing, even the right religious thing, does not wash away guilt or take away the stains of the blood of Jesus. Matthew teaches us that by fulfilling the words of Jeremiah and Zechariah, only the blood of Jesus can wash away the guilt of the blood of Jesus.
The big idea of this message comes in the form of one big question: how will we stand when we under trial? When Peter denies Jesus, the gospel writers show that he was put under trial at the same time Jesus was on trial. This sermon worked through three questions: 1) Did Peter stand when was on trial?; 2) How did Peter stand after failing his trial?; and 3) How will we stand when we are on trial?
This week's message looked at the passage in Matthew 26 when Jesus was put on trial. The big idea of the message is that Jesus is the judge, who was unjustly judged so that our judgments would be transformed. The gospel transforms the way we judge ourselves and the way we judge others.
The big idea of this message is that all that is happening to Jesus, all the events surrounding his betrayal and arrest, are part of God's revealed plan from the scriptures of the prophets.
The big idea of this message is that many people misunderstand who Jesus is and what he came to do. Are we one of those people? In this passage, we learn from Jesus' own words that he is 1) Not A Violent Revolutionary; 2) Not A Violent Zealot; and 3) Not A Child Who Was Abused By His Violent Father.
The big idea of this message is that Jesus wants us to know something: He wants us to know how to pray like him and he wants us to know the importance of companionship. Therefore, in this message, we look at Jesus' posture in prayer, his pattern in prayer, and his purpose in prayer.
The big idea of this message is that Jesus wants us to know something: He wants us to that he is truly human and that one of the reasons he died was to absorb the wrath of God against sinners.
The big idea of this message is that the disciples will deny Jesus so that we will be able to deny ourselves. There are only two choices, as far as Jesus is concerned: either deny one’s self, give up all hope of security and safety, and follow Jesus to the cross; or, deny Jesus. The disciples will fail; they will not deny themselves but deny Jesus. However, the good news is that through their denial Jesus will accomplish victory so that we can become new people who deny ourselves to the glory of God.
The purpose of this passage is to behold the lamb of God who takes away the sins of the world. In this message, we are given three obstacles that make it difficult to behold the lamb. Those three obstacles are 1) The Problem with the Symbols, 2) The Problem with the Story, and 3) The Problem with the Scriptures.
The big idea of this message is that Jesus was cleansing the old leaven during a Passover meal. The big take away for our church is that we should practice church discipline when we take the Lord's Supper.
During this year's Christmas Eve service, church member, John Pai, walked us through a meditation of Matthew 1:21. "She will bear a son and his name will be called Jesus, for he will save his people from their sins."
This week's sermon resumes are larger sermon series in the gospel of Matthew. As we turn to Matthew 26 we begin the final section of the book and the last hours of Jesus' life. On this Sunday before Christmas, we consider the value and worth of Jesus. The big idea of the sermon was given in the form of a question: How valuable is Jesus to you?
This week's message focuses on what it means to remember Christ while taking the Lord's Supper. We are commanded to take the Lord's Supper in order to remember and this message explains why and how we remember.
As we continue in our study of 1 Corinthians on the significance of the supper, this week we look at one verse in chapter 11. This passage teaches us that the Lord's Supper proclaims the gospel. Therefore, the big idea of this message is that the practice of the Lord's Supper proclaims the gospel. In this message, Pastor Phill talks about how the Lord's Supper is a practice that transforms us and that transformation is part of what is being proclaimed when we gather as a church.
One of the core convictions of Embassy Church members is that God's word is the supreme standard for all of life and doctrine. In today's message, we look to the New Testament's teaching about where the Lord's Supper should take place, when it should happen, and why it matters. The goal of this message is to allow Scripture to guide our thinking and practice of the Lord's Supper.
This message is the second in the series on the Lord's Supper. The big idea of this message is that the Lord's Supper brings us together by undermining the divisions of the world. The church in Corinth had all kinds of issues and one of their biggest issues was that they showed favoritism to wealthy members of the church. As a result, Paul rebukes them and tells them that they are not really practicing the Lord's Supper. At Embassy church we want to pursue unity in the midst of diversity through the gospel.
This week's message is the first in a new series of teaching on the practice of the Lord's Supper. Our guest preacher is Nate Praytor, from our sister church in Woodstock, Gospel Grace Church. The big idea of this message is that the Lord's Supper is part of the Bible's bigger story. Pastor Nate helps situate the broader narrative and theological context of the Lord's Supper.
This week's message is the final section of the Olivet Discourse. We take a second look at the story Jesus tells about the separation of the sheep and the goats. The big idea of this message is that Jesus is the king who will judge the nations based on what they have done and what we have not done to Jesus's brothers, but these good deeds that are required are also part of the gift in the gospel.
The big idea of this week's message is that Jesus' disciples are the wise women that are prepared for the groom’s delay. The kingdom of heaven is compared to a big celebration for a married couple. All throughout the bible, God presents himself as a husband to his people. In the New Testament, Jesus comes to be engaged or more accurately to be betrothed to his bride. Then he goes away and when he returns it will be like a wedding feast. True followers of Jesus will be ready for the feast when he comes!
The big idea of this week's message is that eagerly waiting for the judgment of God should produce in us a greater love for God, one another, and the world. These fruits of the Spirit should be seen in contrast to the fear, anxiety, and worry that is often associated with the second coming of Jesus. If we are in Christ, then we should eagerly look forward to when the master returns because it means receiving our inheritance and it means justice against unrighteousness.
The big idea of this week’s message is that followers of Jesus must stay awake because only God knows when the day will come. The day that Jesus is referring to is a day of judgment on Jerusalem and that day has already happened. However, a day of judgment is happening now and it will happen again when Christ returns. Followers of Jesus today need to always be prepared and make ourselves ready for whenever that day comes.
The big idea of this week's message is that we should trust Jesus' words by following Jesus' path. The path that Jesus takes in order to be crowned with glory and honor is through suffering and death. It is the same path that Daniel took when he worshipped God and was thrown into a den of lions. It is the same path that we must be willing to take if we are going to be true followers of Jesus. Jesus is the Son of Man, who is vindicated in glory. He is Israel's true representative and he is our only hope.
The big idea of this week's message is that Jesus wants to save his followers from destruction. In this section of Matthew 24, Jesus says the destruction of the Jerusalem temple will come after an act of abomination. Therefore, the desolation of the temple is the result of Israel's sin and their rejection of Jesus. When the temple was actually destroyed in A.D. 70 by the Roman army Jesus' words were vindicated. In other words, Jesus is the true exalted king over heaven and earth.
The big idea of this week's message is that the gospel of Jesus Christ and his church cannot fail. In a passage that is filled with darkness and despair, there is a bright word of encouragement about the endurance of the saints and the triumph of the gospel to the ends of the earth.
This week's message in an introduction to Matthew 24, the much-debated chapter about the destruction of the Jerusalem temple and the signs of the end of the age. This chapter challenges our views of the Bible and the unity of the church.
This week we finish Matthew 23 and set our gaze on the character qualities of Jesus. Jesus is the mother hen protecting his children under his wings. Jesus is the temple of God's presence. Jesus is the pilgrim from Psalm 118, the blessed one who comes in the name of the Lord.
The big idea of this week's message is that God does hear the cries of the innocent. He will judge the murderer and the guilty will not go unpunished. Therefore, we should and take refuge under the wings of Jesus or else we will receive the punishment that we deserve.
This week's message examines the third and fourth of the 7th "woes." In sum, Jesus denounces the Jewish religious leaders of his day because they totally misunderstand the most important points of God's word. Therefore, the big idea of this message is that we need to make sure we do not miss the main point of God's word. Namely, JESUS! The gospel of Jesus Christ is of first importance.
The big idea of this message is that Jesus will do whatever it takes to open up the kingdom of heaven and bring God's children home. In this message Pastor Phill contrasts the heart of Jesus with the hypocrisy of the scribes and Pharisees.
This big idea of this week's message is that Jesus' severe wrath is an expression of his fierce and holy love for his people. The outline of the message follows three questions: 1) When Is Jesus Angry?; 2) Who Is Jesus Angry With?; and 3) How Is Jesus' Anger Expressed?
This Sunday's message continues our long teaching series through the gospel according to Matthew. The big idea of this message is that we should listen to Jesus because he is the last and best prophet of Israel who perfectly practices what he preaches. To apply this message the sermon outline has three questions for us to consider: 1) Who are you listening to?; 2) Why should you listen to me?; and 3) Why should you listen to Jesus?
Pastor Phill shares some pastoral instructions from God's word in order to help our church respond with love during our country's present crisis. In sum, this message exhorts our church family to take on the mindset and posture of Jesus and make ourselves low through listening and lamenting with one another.
In this midweek recording, Pastor Phill shares some prayers and mediations from Luke 18:1-8. This message walks through four steps of meditation: 1) How does this truth reveal the character of God? (Prayer of Praise); 2) How does this truth reveal my sin or weakness? (Prayer of Confession); 3) How does this truth lead me to pray for my world, my church, and my family? (Prayer of Petition); 4) How does this truth lead me to thank God for the gospel? (Prayer of Thanks).
On Pentecost Sunday we consider from Acts 2 how the Holy Spirit empowers the church to be Christ's witnesses to the ends of the earth. Without God's presence in us, we cannot accomplish His mission. In our divided, broken, and hurting world, we need, more than ever, to be reminded of God's personal presence that brings new life and unity to our fractured world.
On Ascension Sunday we consider from Acts 1 how the ascension of Jesus empowers the church to make disciples of all nations. The power of the church in the world hinges on Jesus' ascending to the throne of heaven.
Happy Ascension Day! Jesus is on his throne. Here is a little message I put together about the ascension of Jesus. The big idea is that we need to recover the lost doctrine of the ascension because Christ’s absence from the world is the key to our faithful presence in the world.
The following message is an update from the Embassy elders and instructions as to how we want to encourage our church family to go about their lives during COVID-19. The theme of this message is that we need an intentional plan for how to train ourselves for godliness. Physical training is of some value, but training for godliness is of eternal value.
Sometimes we do not pray because we think that our prayers do not matter. The bible teaches that God saves us through our prayers. God works through the prayers of his people and most of all through the prayers of his Son, Jesus Christ. In this message, we learn that our prayers do matter. The big idea is that God saves through prayer. The first half shows that God saves and that we are Christians because of God's sovereign will to change our hearts. The second half shows that God has ordained that his saving work comes through prayer.
Since we cannot recreate our gathering during the COVID-19 shelter-in-place order, we continue focusing our attention on encouraging and equipping our members to engage in various practices and disciplines relating to prayer. This week’s message focuses on the practice of Christian mediation. The first part of the recording seeks to define Christian meditation. The second part aims to instruct how to practice Christian meditation.
The big idea of this series of messages is that fasting is a way for us to pray with our whole body. This big idea is unpacked with three questions: 1) What is a human?; 2) What is whole-body worship?; and 3) Why do our bodies matter?
This midweek podcast recording includes some thoughts about what it means to hunger for God. In addition to the Bible passages that are mentioned in this message, this recording summarizes key ideas from John Piper's book "A Hunger For God" and a chapter from James K. Smith's book "You Are What You Love."
This week’s home worship worked through Isaiah 58 in three parts. The first part looked at the self-centered worship and fasting of the people of Israel. The second part looked at the others-centered worship that God exhorted them to practice. The final part considered the way Christ-centered worship provides us with the way to transform our hearts so that we can practice others-centered worship.
We continue our series of teachings on prayer by looking at the practice of fasting. One reason Christians practice fasting is to respond to the grief and sorrow of their sin. It is a practice that takes sin seriously by starving our sinful flesh and feeding the Spirit within us. This recording is a series of three introductory teachings on the scripture passages found in our home worship guide.
This message provides five practical and pastoral points about what fasting is not. 1) Fasting Is Not For Immediate Results or Rewards 2) Fasting Is Not For Your Health or Body Image Benefits 3) Fasting Is Not For Everyone 4) Fasting Is Not The Same Things As Abstaining 5) Fasting Is Not A Restrictive Diet
This message is a teaching about how Christians should respond to the sacred moments of life. What should we do when life gets seriously interrupted by God? This teaching looks at the example of Moses, Elijah, and Jesus.
As the shelter-in-place order continues, the Embassy elders want to continually provide words of encouragement and meditations of scripture.
On this unique Easter Sunday, we held a Zoom meeting and Pastor Phill led us walked us through Psalms 22, 23, and 24. This audio is the meditations shared about Psalm 24. There are three questions we need to ask ourselves from this Psalm: 1) Do You Know Who Is In Control?; 2) Are Your Hands Clean?; and 3) Do You Know The King Of Glory?
This podcast recording is the audio of Pastor Phill walking through our home worship guide as we worship from home during the coronavirus. This message continues our series through prayer and focuses on prayers of thanksgiving. The big idea is that prayers of thanksgiving can be a helpful antidote to fight against fear and anxiety.
What should we be doing when danger and death are staring us in the face? If we look at the example of Jesus, he gave himself to prayer and tried to get his disciples to pray with him. In this brief mediation, we encourage you all to give your time and energies to the practice of prayer.
The C.S. Lewis quote that was referenced in this message can be found here: https://www.thegospelcoalition.org/article/cs-lewis-coronavirus/
A prayer of lament is a prayer in pain that leads us to trust. In Mark Vroegop’s excellent book Dark Clouds, Deep Mercy: Discovering the Grace of Lament, he writes: “Lament is how we bring our sorrow to God. Without lament, we won’t know how to process pain. Silence, bitterness, and even anger can dominate our spiritual lives instead. Without lament, we won’t know how to help people walking through sorrow. Instead, we’ll offer trite solutions, unhelpful comments, or impatient responses...Lament is how Christians grieve...We need to recover the ancient practice of lament and the grace that comes through it. Christianity suffers when lament is missing. Therefore, the goal of this message is to help us learn how to lament and to receive the grace that comes when we do it.
How can we be a gathering without gathering? What does it mean to be a church during the coronavirus pandemic? The elders of Embassy want our focus not to be on the Sunday gathering, but on the scattering of the church. We want this season to be committed to continuous prayer.
Our series on prayer continues with a look at Psalm 91. The big idea of this message is that God does provide protection to those who call upon Him. The three questions we will consider to help us with our meditation on Psalm 91 are: 1) What Does God Protect Us From?; 2) Who Does God Provide Protection For?; and 3) How Does God Protect For Us?
This week in our series on prayer we sit at the feet of the master. In this message we examine the longest recorded prayer of Jesus. It is found in John 17 and it is commonly referred to as the high priestly prayer. For the purposes of our prayer series, our aim in this message is consider "what" Jesus prayed for. This sermon has three parts: 1) Who Jesus Prayed For; 2) What Jesus Prayed For; and 3) Why Jesus Prayed For These Things.
Scripture Readings: Psalm 96:1-13 Psalm 103:10-12 Philippians 1:3-11
Our mini series on prayer continues this week with a message from James 1:5-8 and 5:13-18. The big idea of this message is that we must pray in faith, in the church and in every situation.
Scripture Readings: 1 Thessalonians 5:12-28 1 Kings 18:41-46
This sermon teaches that: 1) Prayer must be learned; 2) Prayer has a specific form; 3) Prayer is a community activity; 4) Prayer is to the Father; 5) Prayer is worship; 6) Prayer is an act of faith in a good heavenly Father.
Our message this week is the final two interactions between Jesus and the Jewish leaders in the temple. The big idea of this week's message is that Jesus is the risen and ascended Lord, and he commands us to love God and neighbor with all that we are and with all that we have. This is what we learn about Jesus from the two stories we considered in Matthew 22. We also considered 4 half-truths that hinder our growth as Christians. Those half-truths were:
1) The Old Testament is filled with rules, but the New Testament is filled with grace. 2) Jesus did not come to make us perfect, just forgive us. 3) God has more important things to care about, he does care about ______ 4) The gospel is that God became man, died and rose again.
Scripture Readings: Psalm 110:1-7 John 15:12-17
This week's message continues our study through Matthew's gospel. We consider another confrontation with Jesus in the temple. In the passage we look at Jesus is asked a question about the resurrection from the Sadducee party. The big idea of this message is that we would imagine the truth and the power of the resurrection.
Scripture Readings: 1 Corinthians 15:12-19 1 Corinthians 15:56-58 Exodus 3:1-7
Jesus is in the final days before he is about to be executed. These days are tense and filled with all kinds of opposition and from every angle. In this week's message we find another group of men trying to trap Jesus in a way that lead's to his death. Jesus' response amazes those who were there. It should amaze you too! This week's big idea for the sermon is that Jesus does not celebrate Hanukkah and he wants you to celebrate Easter. By presenting the message this way, the hope is that all who hear it will better understand what it really means to be a part of the family of Abraham. Embassy Church is not antisemitic. We pray and long for both Jews and gentiles to embrace Jesus as their king.
Scripture Readings: Psalm 146:1-10 1 Peter 2:11-17
This week's sermon comes from the third and final parable that Jesus gives in response to a question, "By what authority do you do these things?" The day before Jesus cleansed the temple and pronounced judgment on the current religious leaders. Their displeasure is revealed by their questioning him the following the day. Jesus responds to them by telling three stories. The story we look at today is about how the kingdom of heaven is like a king who invites his people to his son's wedding party. The big idea of this week's message is that all who respond to God's become the chosen people of God.
Scripture Readings: Psalm 13:1-6 Luke 14:15-24
After Jesus pronounces judgment on the temple he is asked by what authority he does these actions. This question leads to an exchange between the Jewish religious leaders of the temple and Jesus. His response teaches us that God has given Jesus authority over all of heaven and earth. The big idea of this week's message is that God is a gracious master and it would be best for us to submit to him. We are stewards of his world and our lives. We do not own anything.
Scripture Readings: Psalm 118:19-29 Matthew 3:7-17
In Matthew chapter 21 everything changes. Jesus was more quiet and subtle in the past, but now he is bursting on to the scene in Jerusalem. Jesus spoke in parables in the past, but now he is prophetically pronouncing himself as the ultimate prophet, priest, and king. This week's message overviews the big idea of a series of stories at the end of Matthew 20 and in the first half of Matthew 21. That big idea is that Jesus is THE last and final prophet of Israel. Jesus is THE last and final priest of Israel. Jesus is THE last and final king of Israel. By virtue of being the prophet, priest and king of Israel, he is also the prophet, priest and king of the world. Is he yours?
Our studies through the gospel of Matthew continued this week with two stories about Jesus. The first story is of Jesus predicting his death and resurrection again. The second story is of the disciples desire to sit in seats of honor in the kingdom of God. In both of these stories Jesus teaches us that the way up in God's kingdom is down.
Scripture Readings: Philippians 2:5-9 Isaiah 51:17-23
What do you think about when you think about God? A.W. Tozer says this is the most important thing about you. As we continued our study through Matthew, we were encouraged to think about and meditate on the goodness of God. The big idea was simply that, God is good. In order to apply this truth to our lives we considered three questions: 1) Do Your Thoughts Imagine The Goodness of Good?; 2) Do Your Eyes See The Goodness Of God?; and 3) Do Your Hand Do Good Things Like God?
Scripture Readings: Isaiah 5:1-7 Luke 15:11-32
This week's message comes from the well known story of Jesus and a young man known as "The Rich Young Ruler." There are several things that can seem quite confusing about how Jesus responds to this man. Pastor Phill suggests that the best way to understand this story is from Jesus' teaching on the sermon on the mount. The big idea of the message is...blessed are the poor in spirit for theirs is the kingdom of heaven. The outline of this week's message is 1) Blessed Are The Poor In Spirit; and 2) For Theirs Is The Kingdom Of Heaven.
Scripture Readings: Deuteronomy 5:6-20 Matthew 5:1-12
This week's message is the second half of a passage from Matthew 19 on the topics of marriage, divorce, remarriage, singleness, and children. The big idea of this message is that Jesus wants us to make room in our hearts and lives for him. We make room for Jesus in our lives by making room for 1) Women; 2) Singles; and 3) Children.
Scripture Readings: 1 Corinthians 7:32-35 Isaiah 56:1-5
The 19th chapter of Matthew's gospel begins a new section as Jesus is heading to Jerusalem where he will later be crucified on the cross. As he makes his way to Jerusalem Matthew includes stories of his journey and highlights some of the rising opposition against Jesus. Matthew 19:1-9 is the first of these stories. In our studies of this passage we decided to take two weeks to look at Jesus' teaching on divorce, marriage, singleness, and children. This week's message is focused mostly on the issues of marriage and divorce. The big idea of the message is that Jesus came to restore the very good plan of creation. The sermon contains three parts:
1) Jesus Restores By Healing (19:1-2)
2) Jesus Restores By Teaching (19:3-9)
3) Jesus Restores By Dying
Scripture Readings: Genesis 2:15-25 1 Corinthians 7:6-16 Revelation 19:6-9
Our message this week focuses on Jesus' teaching about forgiveness. All through Matthew chapter 18, Jesus is providing his disciples with instructions for how to live together in community. In this passage, Jesus reveals the importance of forgiving one another in the community of faith.
Scripture Readings: Matthew 6:9-15 Psalm 103:1-22
This week’s message contains nine questions you should ask yourself before confronting someone who has sinned. 1. Are they your brother or sister? 1 Corinthians 5:12-13 For what have I to do with judging outsiders? Is it not those inside the church whom you are to judge? 13 God judges those outside. 2. Have they actually sinned? 3. Should you go or let it go? a) Some matters are weightier than others. Matthew 23:23 Woe to you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! For you tithe mint and dill and cumin, and have neglected the weightier matters of the law: justice and mercy and faithfulness. b) Some sins should be covered with love. 1 Peter 4:8 Above all, keep loving one another earnestly, since love covers a multitude of sins. 1 Corinthians 6:1-8 When one of you has a grievance against another, does he dare go to law before the unrighteous instead of the saints? ... if you have such cases, why do you lay them before those who have no standing in the church? ... Can it be that there is no one among you wise enough to settle a dispute between the brothers, but brother goes to law against brother, and that before unbelievers? To have lawsuits at all with one another is already a defeat for you. Why not rather suffer wrong? Why not rather be defrauded? c) Some sins must be addressed because they destroy our lives. Jude 1:23 save others by snatching them out of the fire James 5:19-20 My brothers, if one of you should wander from the truth and someone should bring him back, consider this: Whoever turns a sinner from the error of his way will save his soul from death and cover over a multitude of sins. Matthew 18:12 If a man has a hundred sheep, and one of them has gone astray, does he not leave the ninety-nine on the mountains and go in search of the one that went astray? d) Some people do not care about the other person they are confronting. Galatians 6:1 Brothers, if anyone is caught in any transgression, you who are spiritual should restore him in a spirit of gentleness. Keep watch on yourself, lest you too be tempted. 4. Are you alone? 5. Should you just give up? 6. Who can help you? Deuteronomy 19:15 “A single witness shall not suffice against a person for any crime or for any wrong in connection with any offense that he has committed. Only on the evidence of two witnesses or of three witnesses shall a charge be established. 7. Who is your church? 8. How will your relationship change? 1 Corinthians 5:11-13 I am writing to you not to associate with anyone who bears the name of brother if he is guilty of sexual immorality or greed, or is an idolater, reviler, drunkard, or swindler—not even to eat with such a one. For what have I to do with judging outsiders? Is it not those inside the church whom you are to judge? God judges those outside. “Purge the evil person from among you.” 9. Why should we do this?
Today's message continues our study through Matthew's story of the gospel. We find ourselves in chapter 18 and the entire chapter consists of teachings from Jesus about how to live in community as Christians. The big idea of today's message is that only by the power of the gospel can Christians fight sin together and not also look down on one another. The outline of the message was: 1) The Gospel Promotes The Weak; 2) The Gospel Pursues The Weak; and 3) The Gospel Prizes The Weak
Scripture Readings: Psalm 23:1-6 John 10:7-18
This week's message was the final message of our mini-series in Leviticus. The plan is to return to the gospel of Matthew next week and finish up the rest of Leviticus in the future. The sermon covered Leviticus chapters 6-7 and this section of Leviticus mostly repeats the material from chapters 1-5. Therefore, this message is essentially a recap of the messages from the past 6 weeks.
This week's message covered the last sacrificial offering in the first seven chapters of Leviticus. The offering is often called the guilt offering, but the word actually means reparation. Through this message we consider six aspects of this offering and how Jesus fulfills them. Scripture Readings: Isaiah 53:4-11 Colossians 2:11-14
The fifth message in our series on the first seven chapters of Leviticus. The Purification Offering (also known as the sin offering) is all about using blood to cleanse the people of Israel. This message asks three questions: 1) Who is it for?; 2) When is it done?; and 3) Why Is it Done? Scripture Readings: Numbers 15:27-36 1 John 1:9 Hebrews 9:11-14
Today's message focused on the third chapter of Leviticus. This chapter explains the instructions for the peace offering. This offering helps reveal what is in our hearts because it was an optional offering. Scripture Readings: Revelation 19:1-9; Deuteronomy 12:8-12
Today's message continued our series through Leviticus 1-7 and we considered the tribute offering in chapter 2. The big idea is that fellowship with Go requires tribute to God. Tribute offerings take work and preparation. They are given to God and they are for God. The tribute is an act of remembrance and a sign of honor and allegiance. This offering is given because of the gratitude and dependence of the worshiper.
This week's message was the 2nd message in a series on the first seven chapters of Leviticus. This message briefly overviews all 5 sacrifices and then reveals the purpose of the ""burnt offering."" The burnt offering is an offering that is: 1) Important; 2) Costly; 3) Deadly; 4) Pleasing; and 5) Constant.
Scripture Readings: Psalm 51:1-19 Hebrews 9:23-28
This week's message was an introduction to a new series through the first seven chapters of Leviticus. In this introductory message we considered what kind of book Leviticus is and why we should study it. We also considered two questions about rituals. 1) Who prescribes our rituals? and 2) To What end or goal?
Scripture Readings: Hebrews 10:19-25 Psalm 65:1-4
This week's message comes from Nate Praytor, one of the pastors at Embassy Church. Nate continues our series through Matthew's gospel and show us how the final section of Matthew 17 confronts us with three questions: 1) Who do you give your allegiance to?; 2) Do you have freedom from those things you are giving your allegiance to?; and 3) What is your purpose and calling in the world?
Scripture Readings: Romans 8:16-21 Isaiah 49:1-6
This week's message comes from a story when Jesus, Peter, James and John come down the mountain after the transfiguration. Once they come down there is a great crowd and in that crowd is a man who is pleading for help. This man's son is sick and afflicted by a demon. As we work through this story we learn about faith and what it means to trust in Jesus. The outline of the message is: 1) The Disability; 2) The Disciples; and 3) The Deliverer.
Scripture Readings: Romans 10:9-17 Lamentations 3:1-20
This week's message takes us up a mountain where Jesus' majesty is revealed. The big idea of this week's message is that when we hear his voice and see his glory we will be transformed to his likeness. Therefore, the outline of this sermon is: 1) Hear His Voice; 2) See His Glory; and 3) We Will Be Transformed.
Scripture Readings: Exodus 24:9-18 2 Peter 1:16-21 2 Peter 1:3 Colossians 3:16-17
This message is the second of two stories in Matthew's gospel that are put side by side in order to teach us about the kingdom of God. The first story teaches us about who is the king. This story teaches us what kind of kingdom he is establishing on the earth. In this message, we first consider the way the disciples would have understood these words of Jesus. Then we apply those words to our world.
"This week's message is the last story before Jesus starts heading to Jerusalem. This passage is a major turning point in the life of Jesus, as recorded by Matthew. Here we are faced with two questions that flow out of one big idea. The one big idea is that when we know who Jesus is, then we will know who we are. The two questions are: 1) Do we know who Jesus is? and 2) Do we know who we are?
Scripture Readings Matthew 18:15-20 Matthew 1:21 Psalm 2:1-12 1 Timothy 1:17"
This week's message from Matthew 16 focused on two big ideas. First, beware of bad teaching. Second, behold the sign of Jonah. Bad teaching is metaphorically described as leaven. It is subtle but powerfully works through entire life or community. The bad teaching Jesus is referring to in his day is the bad teaching of two very different Jewish groups, the Pharisees and the Sadducees. The principles of bad teaching that we should learn from them for our own day include: 1) Any teaching that makes little of Jesus; 2) Teaching that is too liberal or too conservative; and 3) Teaching that is hypocritical, that is, teaching that focuses on the external behavior and not heart transformation.
This week's message came from the last portion of Matthew 15. The big idea of the message is that the God of Israel fulfills his promises through Jesus.
Scripture Readings: Acts 2:37-47 Isaiah 35:1-10
"As we continue our journey through Matthew's gospel we make our way to a strange and difficult story, the healing of a Canaanite woman's daughter. In this message, Pastor Phill walks through each little detail of the story in order for us to sense the weight and the tension of this story. It is jam packed with explosive words and phrases that paint an amazing picture of faith on the one hand and just how far the gospel will go on the other hand. After working through the story we considered two questions: 1) What does faith look like? and 2) Is Jesus racist, sexist and rude?
Scripture Readings: Isaiah 2:1-5 Romans 1:8-17"
This week's message continues the study through Matthew's gospel. We cover Matthew 15:1-20 and as opposition to Jesus grows we see his response to questions from the Pharisees and scribes. From these responses we learn about when disciples of Jesus should break the traditions of men and when we should follow our hearts.
This week's message is from the second half of Matthew 14 and contains two stories about Jesus. The first story is the well-known account of Jesus walking on water in the sea of Galilee after spending all night praying alone. The second story is about Jesus healing all the people who come to him once the boat arrives on shore. Throughout this passage and these two stories we considered two questions: 1) What does this passage teach us about Jesus? and 2) What does this passage teach us about ourselves?
Scripture Readings: Psalm 77:11-20 Matthew 8:23-27
Today's message comes from the next section in Matthew 14 and the story of Jesus feeding the 5000. This familiar story takes on new light when one considers the setting of this miracle. The setting shows that Jesus was around a crowd of 5000 men who were ready to force Jesus to be their military and political leader against the Roman Empire. However, Jesus is a different kind of king and leader with different soldiers for his battles and a very upside down strategy.
Scripture Readings: 1 Corinthians 11:23-32 2 Kings 4:38-44
Today's message was the fifth and final message of Matthew 13 and Jesus' parables. The outline of the message is: 1) A Question From Jesus: Do You Understand?; 2) A Question For Jesus: Who Do You Think You Are?
Scripture Readings: Ezekiel 3:4-11 Ezekiel 36:25-27 Matthew 12:46-50
Today's message was the fourth message through Matthew 13 and Jesus' parables. This week's message covers three shorter parables. These parables teach us that that the Kingdom of Heaven...1) Begins with Selling; 2) Ends our Searching; and 3) Results in Separating.
Scripture Readings: Matthew 6:19-24 Proverbs 8:1-11
Today's message was the 3rd of 5 messages through Matthew 13. As a church we are going through the entire book of Matthew and no we are making our way through chapter 13 and learning about the parables of Jesus. Each message from this chapter is building off of the previous message. This week we took a deep dive into three parables and as we did so we considered two simple questions: 1) When will God do something? and 2) How will God do something? The answers to these questions was that: 1) It is coming, but is slow and 2) It is there, but you may not see it.
Scripture Readings: Romans 3:10-26 Genesis 18:22-33
Today's message was the second sermon from Matthew 13 and Jesus' parables about the Kingdom of Heaven. This week we looked at the parable that is often called the parable of the sower. We considered that this story is a story about 1) Israel and 2) Jesus. After discovering that this parable is story that is retelling the story of Israel that climaxes with the ministry of Jesus, we then considered how the parable is a story 3) For Us.
Scripture Readings: Isaiah 55:1-11 John 12:20-26
HEADS UP* This message contains a long pause without any audio and that pause is intentional to help with the point of this sermon. This week's message continues our trek through Matthew's Gospel. We cover aspects of chapter 13, the third long teaching section of Jesus in Matthew's gospel. This chapters is all about Jesus' parables and this first message seeks to answer: 1) What are parables?; 2) Why use parables? and 3) What do parables reveal?
Scripture Readings: 2 Corinthians 4:1-6 Isaiah 6:1-13
This week's message is the fourth and final message from Isaiah's servant songs. This last prophetic poem of Isaiah explains how God will bring justice and mercy to the world through a suffering servant.
Scripture Readings: 1 Peter 2:21-25 Isaiah 11:1-9
This week's message was the third in a series of four messages on the servant songs of Isaiah. This week's passage from Isaiah 50:4-11 focused on the servant's listening and obeying God. We considered how all Christians get weary, but can find strength from this unique servant of the Lord who is both our substitute and our example. In fact, because he was our substitute he can be our example.
Scripture Readings: Psalm 22:1-5 John 5:19-25
Today's message was the second of four messages from the book of Isaiah in a series through the Servant Songs. The message was preached by Embassy member, Nate Praytor, who is currently working to lead a new church in Woodstock, IL. In this message Nate helped us behold the glory of Christ by walking through the texts of Isaiah 48-49 and meditating on the various ways this text points to Jesus' life and ministry.
Scripture Readings: Deuteronomy 18:15-22 Revelation 1:12-17
Today's message is the first of four sermons in a series through the servant songs in Isaiah. The prophet Isaiah speaks 4 prophetic poems about a coming servant and encourages his listeners to behold the glory of this servant. Nate Praytor, a member of Embassy and also a church planter in Woodstock, walked through Isaiah 42:1-9 and spent time meditating on the descriptions found in that passage of the servant. He repeatedly pointed us to Jesus Christ and his unique relationship with the Father in heaven.
Scripture Readings: Colosssians 2:20 - 3:4 Psalm 72:1-20
Our final message on "The Church" focuses on the the beauty and glory of the diamond, Jesus Christ. The goal of this sermon series has been to see how the church upholds the diamond of the gospel and that Jesus Christ's life, death, resurrection and ascension are the diamond. The passage we considered was Ephesians 1:15-23 and it is an explanation of the ways Paul is praying for the church in Ephesus. Through hearing what Paul prayed for we learn how we can pray for the church. Therefore, this message urges us to pray that the church would know: 1) The Hope; 2) The Inheritance; and 3) The Power.
Scripture Readings: John 20:11-18 Psalm 110:1-7
This year for our Good Friday service we hear from one of our elders, Kenny Eliazer. He shares with us a meditation on the sacrifice of Christ.
Today's message was the 2nd of our three part series on ""The Church."" The focus of this week's message is to understand the bible's teaching on authority. The world assumes it understands love and authority, but the world's understanding of these things are from their fallen state. The church is the means by which God redeems and displays his rule and love. Therefore, we considered these three points: 1) Authority Defined; 2) Authority Described; and 3) Authority Displayed.
Scripture Readings: Psalm 8:1-9 John 15:9-17
https://greatcommissiondesign.us/embassy_church/wp-content/uploads/sermon-uploads/190407-000.mp3This week we started a new mini-series on the church from selected passages to consider what the bible has to say about key topics on the church. This week's message was on servant leadership and how the church functions to display the beauty of the gospel. The three points of this week's message were: 1) Who Should Lead the Church? ... Elders; 2) What Should They Do? ... Shepherd; and 3) How Do Leaders Lead? ... Overseeing.
Scripture Readings: Matthew 20:20-28 Jeremiah 23:1-6
This week’s message is the final message from Mathew 11-12. A section in Matthew all about responses to Jesus. The responses to Jesus observed in this passage are summarized with the question: who is in? Those who are in the kingdom are: 1) Those Who Repent; 2) Those Who Listen; 3) Those Who Are Filled; and 4) Those Who Do His Will.
Scripture Readings: Galatians 4:1-7 1 Kings 10:1-10
Today's message continued our study through the gospel of Matthew. We looked at chapter 12:22-37 and there were three questions we considered as we worked through this story about Jesus' healing of a blind and mute man. 1) What is your biggest problem?; 2) Are you for him or against him?; and 3) Why did you say that?
Scripture Readings: Matthew 15:10-20 1 John 1:9 1 Samuel 16:14-23
Today's message continues the series in Matthew's gospel. Chapters 11-12 of Matthew include stories of the way different people have received or rejected Jesus. In today's message we are encouraged to come to Jesus because he is 1) Gentle and because he is 2) lowly in heart. Those are the two points of the message.
The next message in our series through Matthew's gospel focuses on two stories about that sabbath. Jesus' response to accusations of breaking the sabbath is profound, complexing, and eternally helpful. In this message we examined three ideas: 1) We Need the Sabbath; 2) We Need the Lord of the Sabbath; and 3) How to Get them Both.
Scripture Readings: Mark 12:28-34 1 Corinthians 15:3 1 Samuel 21:1-6 Revelation 1:5-6
Today's message covered Jesus' rebuke of cities that have rejected his way of establishing the kingdom of God, It also covered Jesus' gracious invitation to join him in his kingdom movement. The sermon outline covered these two sections of scripture with the following quotation from Timothy J. Keller: 1) ""The gospel is this: We are more sinful and flawed in ourselves than we ever dared believe; 2) Yet at the very same time we are more loved and accepted in Jesus Christ than we ever dared hope.""
Scripture Readings: Hebrews 4:6-12 1 Kings 12:1-11
Today's message resumes our church's series through the gospel of Matthew. Starting in chapter 11, Matthew provides a series of stories about people's responses to Jesus. The first response is from Jesus' cousin, John the Baptist. John the Baptist is in prison and he is doubting whether or not he should be trusting in Jesus to be the Messiah. The message outline follows two simple points: 1) John's Question is Everyone's Question and 2) Jesus' Answer is Everyone's Answer.
Scripture Readings: Matthew 3:1-12 Isaiah 61:1-4
This week's message was brought by guest preacher Jeremiah Zuo who is a member of Grace Covenant Church in Elgin, IL. This stand alone sermon was a timely word of encouragement after our church just finished Daniel.
Today's message was the fourth and final sermon in our overview of Daniel. The sermon text covers a few chapters and so this sermon focuses on three questions: 1) Do you pray like Daniel?; 2) Do you trust God's timing?; and 3) Do you have a reason for hope?
Scripture Readings: Daniel 9:3-15 Daniel 12:1-13
Today's message was all about explaining who the son of man is why that should provide hope to Christians today.
Scripture Readings: Psalm 8:1-9 Matthew 26:57-68
Today's message covers chapters 4 and 5 of Daniel. Two stories about proud kings, but with two different outcomes. This message covers two big ideas: 1) Their Problem and Our Problem Is Pride; 2) Their Solution and Our Solution Is Humility. Under big idea number one we considered two ways that pride was the problem. First, we saw how the kings put their trust in worldly wisdom instead of God's word. Second, we considered the ways these kings committed cosmic plagiarism.
Scripture Readings: Daniel 4:34-37 Psalm 147:6 Daniel 5:1-12
Today's message was the first of a new short series that will overview the book of Daniel. It covers the first three chapters that all have similar themes in them of God's sovereignty and blessing to faithful Israelites who are not selling out while in Babylonian captivity.
Scripture Readings: Daniel 1:8-22 Daniel 3:8-18
This week's message finishes the last section of Jesus' sermon about missions. All through Matthew 10, Jesus is giving his disciples instructions about what it will be like when they are sent out to announce the kingdom of God. This week's message considers three big ideas from Matthew 10: 1) The Prince of Peace Causes Division, Even Among Families; 2) The Giver of Life Calls Us To Die, Even Death on A Cross; and 3) The Reward of the Righteous Is Free, Even Though It Was Costly.
This week's scripture readings in the service were: Micah 7:1-8 John 7:1-9
This week's message covered the next section in Jesus' sermon on the mission. In these instructions to Jesus' disciples he provides 4 reasons why they should not be afraid: 1) Because truth will triumph; 2) Because death is defeated; 3) Because God is sovereign and knows our sufferings; and 4) Because Jesus is Our Advocate.
Old and New Testament Readings: 2 Chronicles 24:17-22 Hebrews 2:14-18
Today's message was about how Jesus sends out his disciples in the same manner that God the Father, sent him into the world. The story of Christmas is not about a cuddly little baby being born, it is about a king who was born to die. Jesus was persecuted from the time he was born and until his death on the cross, but because of his faithfulness to God he was vindicated and raised to heaven at God's right hand.
Scripture Readings: Daniel 6:10-27 Matthew 2:13-23
Today's message covered the first part of Jesus' teaching to his disciples as he sent them out to Jewish communities. We saw several ways Jesus' teaching walks a line through difficult tensions.
Scripture Readings: Matthew 2:1-12 Genesis 19:23-29
Today's message focused on three things Jesus did that we should want to emulate: 1) Jesus Cared; 2) Jesus Prayed; and 3) Jesus Sent Out.
Scripture readings in the service: Ezekiel 34:1-16 John 4:27-38
Today's message continued our series in Matthew's gospel. In this message we considered: (1) What Jesus is doing; (2) Who Jesus is doing it to; and (3) When Jesus is doing it.
Scripture Readings: Luke 1:26-38 1 Kings 17:17-24
This week's message focused on the nature of the church. By looking at Jesus we see who and what the church is. We first considered that the church is more like a hospital waiting room than a job interview. Then we considered how the church is more like a wedding banquet than a funeral.
Scripture Readings: Hosea 6:1-11 Hosea 14:4-5 Hebrews 8:6-13
This week's message focused on the announcement of Christ as 1) the only priest we need; 2) the supreme king of creation; and 3) the greatest prophet. In this text of Scripture we are challenged to put our faith in Jesus because he is God and that means God is Jesus. When we see Jesus and how interacts with people, then we see what God is like.
Scripture Readings: Revelation 21:1-8 Jonah 1:1-17 Revelation 5:12-13
Today's message comes from Matthew 8:18-22 and it teaches us about the cost of following Jesus. It is worth following Jesus even though it is hard. The outline of this week's message was: 1) Was Jesus A Leader of A Movement? 2) Was Jesus Just A Good Teacher? 3) Was Jesus the Son of Man?
Service Scripture Readings: Luke 14:25-35 Daniel 7:9-14
Today's message was delivered by Pastor Phill from Matthew 8:1-17. He asked three simple questions with of the text: 1) What kind of miracles does Jesus do? 2) Who receive healing from Jesus? 3) Why did Jesus heal and why did we hear about these healing stories?
Today's message was from guest pastor Nate Praytor. He shared the Christian's vision for ministry with the following three points. 1) The Declaration; 2) The Doctrinal Foundation; and 3) The Divine Commission.
Scripture Readings: Isaiah 55:6-13 Isaiah 53:3-5 Ephesians 3:14-21 2 Corinthians 13:14
This week's message was preached by Embassy church member, Zach Salsbury. In this message on 2 Corinthians 1, we were able to consider 1) The Sovereign Design of Comfort; 2) The Means of Comfort; and 3) The Result of Comfort.
This week's scripture readings: Romans 8:18-30 Isaiah 66:7-14
This message was delivered by Embassy elder, Kenny Eliazer. It is not a message a part of sermon series and is aimed at clarifying what the message of the gospel.
Today's message was the final sermon of our series on the first half of Exodus. In this message we considered chapter 19 and we saw 1) God's Plan; 2) Our Problem; and 3) Jesus' Pain.
Today's scripture readings were: Exodus 3:1-12 Luke 9:28-36 Numbers 6:24-26
Today's message is the 5th of 6 sermons on the first half of Exodus. We considered how God tests his people to trust him and how God commands his people to trust him by resting.
Scripture Readings: Psalm 106:1-15 John 6:25-58
Today's message focused on one of the most important bible passages of the Old Testament, the exodus from Egypt. We were encouraged to do three things: 1) See the Salvation; 2) Savor the Savior; 3) Sing the Song.
This week's scripture readings during the service were:
Isaiah 51:9-16 Isaiah 52:9-10 Hebrews 11:22-31
Today's message covers the 10 plagues God sent to the Egyptians. In this message we considered 4 reasons why we should obey God as the supreme ruler. First, God is the supreme judge. Second, God is the supreme power. Third, God is the sovereign Lord. Fourth, God is the savior.
Today's message is the first of a six week series through the first nineteen chapters of Exodus. Each week we will be aiming to pursue encounters of worship with God. This message is about encountering God when he seems absent.
This Sunday's message was the final part of Jesus' conclusion in the sermon on the mount. In this final section, Jesus challenges his hearers to do what he says and this message left the people astonished. We focused our attention on two words: 1) Doing and 2) Astonished.
Today's message was about false teaching. Jesus warns his followers two things: 1) Beware of deceivers, we will know them by their fruit and 2) Beware of being deceived, we must know Christ is our root.
As we continue working through Matthew and the Sermon on the Mount we make our way to the conclusion of the sermon. In the first of a three part conclusion Jesus talks about the narrow gate vs. the broad gate, the narrow road vs. the broad road, the hard way vs. the easy way, the way that leads to life vs. the way that leads to destruction, and the way that few will find vs. the way many will choose.
Pastor Phill outlined his message with two questions:
-
Does Jesus want us to be narrow-minded?
-
Isn't the way of Jesus supposed to be easy?
Today's message was on Jesus' version of what is known as the golden rule. Lately in our culture there have been many people giving their 12 rules for living, but Jesus' take on the golden rule is a timeless principle for all people.
In this week's message Zach Salsbury continues our series through Matthew's gospel and Jesus' next section of the sermon on the mount.
According to a recent study non-Christians in America view Christians as 1) Judgmental; 2) Hypocritical; and 3) Anti-LGBT. Jesus' teaching Matthew 7 addresses all three of these issues. In this message we are challenged to 1) Repent of Condemning Others; 2) Repent of Acting Like We Are Better Than Others; 3) Repent of Unhelpful and Unloving Words and Actions Toward Certain Groups of People (i.e. the LGBT community).
Today's message was from guest pastor Mark Donald. Mark is the associate pastor of Covenant Hope Church in Dubai. His message is from Psalm 3 about how we should turn to God in troubled times like David did when he was surrounded by his enemies.
Today's message was Jesus' teaching on money and idolatry from Matthew 6. The outline of the message was to consider: 1) Two Treasures; 2) Two Eyes; 3) Two Masters.
This week's message covers Jesus' teaching on fasting. The outline of the message is summarized with three questions: 1) When Do You Fast? 2) How Should We Fast? 3) Why Should We Fast?
Today's message covers one of the most famous of Jesus' teachings, the Lord's prayer. In this message Pastor Phill exhorts us to: 1) Believe the Gospel; 2) Pray the Gospel; 3) See the Gospel.
Today's message was an overview of the first half of Matthew chapter 6. In this message three questions are addressed: 1) who are you?, 2) who is your audience? and 3) what is your reward? These points can be remembered by thinking about the 1) Actor; 2) Audience; and 3) Applause.
Today's message was the 20th message in a series through Matthew's gospel. Jesus teaches us how to love our enemies by praying for them and having our hearts filled with love toward all people like our heavenly father.
Today's message is about Jesus' teaching about not retaliating violently when people oppress and shame Christians. We consider the Old Testament's teaching of limiting violence, the New Testament's teaching of reversing violence, and the gospel message that conquers evil.
This week's message covers Jesus' words about oaths and vows. The summary of what Jesus is doing is forbidding the manipulation of religious and legal speech. The reason he forbids this is because the need to give an oath often disrespects God's honor and it comes from an evil heart. The solution to this problem is the gospel. We need our hearts changed and to be in awe of God's grace and majesty. More specifically we should be in awe of God's grace to make promises, confirm them with an oath and then Jesus confirm those promises by taking an oath that leads to his death on the cross. This message transforms and heals the brokenness of our hearts.
Today's message continued with the next section in the sermon on the mount and focused on verses 5:31-32 of Matthew. In this message Pastor Phill shared what Jesus says about divorce, what Jesus means by this divorce teaching, and how Jesus responds to divorced people.
Sunday's message was from a guest preacher, Ryan Swale, who shares about why the ascension of Jesus Christ matters and why it is good news for believers.
This message suggests ten problematic ways pastors and Christians have talked about sexual purity and specific ways they have used Matthew 5:27-30 to unhelpfully teach about sex. Pastor Phill admits that he too has been at fault for many of these points and encourages all of us to preach and live Christ-centered lives.
Today's message continues the series through the sermon on the mount and the larger series through the gospel according to Matthew. In this message Pastor Phill asks three questions for us to consider: 1) Do you only care about the letter of the law? 2) Are you willing to do whatever it takes? 3) What was Jesus willing to do?
Today's message covered Jesus' view of the bible. He teaches that he sees himself as the continuation and climax of Israel's story. In this message we are challenged to 1) Read the bible because it is a story; 2) Trust the bible because it is a true story; 3) Practice the bible because it is a dramatic story.
Today's message is from Matthew 5:13-16 and just like going in to a swimming pool the surface of this text seems simple and shallow. However, the more we ask questions and walk down in to the text the deeper the waters rise above our heads. The three questions that Pastor Phill asks in this message are: Who is Jesus talking about? What does Salt and Light Mean? and How Do We Become Salt and Light? (Who, What, & How?).
This Sunday's message continues the series through the gospel of Matthew. It also begins the new section of Matthew's gospel called the sermon on the mount. This message covers the introduction of Jesus' sermon that include eight statements of blessing. The outline of the message was to consider this scripture like stained glass window and look at 1) The Frame; 2) The Pieces; 3) The Picture.
This message is the conclusion of a series through some of the Psalms that describe a blessed life. It was given on Easter Sunday, April 1, 2018. In this sermon a blessed life is defined as those who follow God's counsel, find contentment in God, and live confidently in God's protection through life and death.
This message is a meditation on the meaning of the death of Jesus from John chapter 12. It was delivered by Embassy Church member, Zach Salsbury, during the 2018 Good Friday service.
Today's message was from Psalm 73 and this psalm has two parts. In the first half of the psalm Asaph struggles with the prosperity of the wicked and in the second half he finds his hope in God's presence. In other words, he first slips from his sight and then he is secure from the grip of God.
This week's message is a psalm of David that he wrote after running away from King Saul and almost getting captured by King Achish. The psalm is written as an acrostic poem and so the points of this message follow the ABC. 1) Accept the Argument; 2) Believe the Basics; 3) Confess the Christ.
This message is the second part of the series through some of the Psalms about what it means to have a blessed life. In this message we see that true happiness comes through taking refuge in Jesus, God's anointed.
This message is the first of a short series on the wisdom Psalms in the Old Testament. In this series we hope to explore the way to a blessed (happy) life. In this first message we consider the duty, description, and destination of the blessed man of Psalm 1.
Today's message was given from guest speaker, Andy Schmitz. In this sermon he calls us to remember we were children of wrath, but now we are God's children and members of God's household.
Today's message celebrates our church's fourth anniversary. We look at Matthew 4:18-25 and summarize following Jesus as speaking God's word and serving God's world.
Today's message is the first part of two messages on what it means to follow Jesus. The two points of the message are that to follow Jesus we must: 1) Be With Jesus and 2) Be Like Jesus.
Today's message talks about the kingdom of heaven. What it is, why we need to repent, and how we repent to be a part of Jesus' kingdom.
This message covers Matthew 4:1-11. In this scripture the text points us backwards, it points us forwards, and it points us upwards.
Today's message is about the baptism of Jesus and we look at Jesus' surprising first words as an adult which begins his upside-down kingdom.
This week's message covers Matthew 3:1-10. It covers John the Baptists, the man, his methods, and his message.
This message explains who Jesus is. He is the son of God, the mediator of a new covenant, and a Nazarene. These truths have the power to increase our love, hope, and faith.
This message explains who Jesus is. He is the son of God, the mediator of a new covenant, and a Nazarene. These truths have the power to increase our love, hope, and faith.
This week's message is from Matthew 2:1-12. In the sermon, we will learn 3 lessons about how to keep Christ in the Christmas story. Many people campaign to keep Christ in our Christmas traditions, but we want to encourage our church to keep Christ in the Scriptures.
In this message, we look at Matthew 1:18-25 and consider the uniqueness of Christ's birth. It is not a normal biography, engagement, conception, name, salvation, and fulfillment of prophecy.
This sermon looks at the genealogy of Jesus from Matthew 1. We consider who Jesus is, who he came from and who he went to.
This sermon is from Matthew 6. It is a message from Jesus' sermon on the mount when he explains that his followers should not worry and instead should seek the kingdom of God.
This message was about how Naomi's view of God reversed from bitterness to kindness. In this sermon, there are three layers to this passage and each of them has a keyword. The first layer is about being "worthy." The second layer is about "wings." The third layer is about "kindness."
In this message, we consider three questions from Ruth 1 and 3. They are: 1) Are we blinded to God's blessings? 2) Are we blinded by our bitterness? 3) Are we blind to God's plans for us?
This message unpacks the reversal of Ruth being a widow to becoming married to Boaz. In this message, we consider the sacrificial love of Ruth, Boaz and how they point to Jesus, our ultimate and greater redeemer.
This week's message is the first sermon in a four-part series called "The Reversals In Ruth." We will look at 4 parts of this book that have been turned around backward because of the grace of our sovereign God. Part one of this message zooms in to the details of chapter 1. Part two zooms out to the end of the story to see the wider story in Chapter 4. Part three considers how zooming out makes all the difference in our lives today.
This message was about how the Christian life is to be centered around the cross of Christ. It explains what the word boast means, what boasting looks like and why we are to boast only in the cross.
This week's sermon is from guest preacher Dustin Coleman, the Pastor of Brainard Avenue Baptist Church. The message demonstrates how the doctrine of justification can be seen in the Old Testament book of Isaiah.
This message explains what it looks like when the Holy Spirit leads a Christian and a Church. The three questions that are addressed are: 1) Who does the Spirit lead us to? 2) What does the Spirit lead us to do? and 3) How does the Spirit lead us to do these things?
Sermon Outline:
-
The gospel is free, but it was costly for Christ.
-
The gospel is a victory Christ won for us, but we must fight to not lose our freedom.
-
The gospel sets us free, but enslaves us to Christ.
Sermon Outline:
-
Who Does It Come To? ... Barren & Desolate
-
How Does It Come? ... Not According to the Flesh, According to the Promise
-
What Does It Look Like When It Comes? ... Joy vs. Persecution
Sermon Outline:
-
Who are we? ... Sons
-
What does this mean? ... It changes everything.
-
How does this happen? ... The love of the Father
Sermon Outline:
- 2 Big Ideas
- 3 Glorious Truths About the Bible
Big Idea # 1: Galatians 3:15-18 teaches us that God first made a promise to Abraham that enabled His blessings to come through faith in God's promise, not by works of the law.
Big Idea # 2: Galatians 3:19-25 teaches that the law was not given to change the promise but to increase the transgressions.
Truth # 1: The Bible Is Trustworthy Truth # 2: The Bible Is Like A Theatrical Drama Truth # 3: The Bible Is S.O.S. (It Shows us Our Sin and it Shows us Our Savior)
Sermon Outline:
-
The History of Abraham
-
The History of the Holy Spirit
-
The History of the Cross
Our message this week comes from a guest preacher from Resurrection City Church in Woodstock, IL.
This week one of our elders, Kenny Eliazer, leads us through a message on bearing false witness.
This week's message tackles the issue of authority in our study through the ten commandments.
The fourth commandment is about rest. We considered this important command in our study through the 10 commandments.
QUESTION # 1: In the bible the 10 commandments are never called the 10 commandments. So what were they called?
The 10 words
QUESTION # 2: How were they first given?
God spoke them. They were not written on stone tablets until Exodus 34:28
QUESTION # 3: How many commandments are there?
These are the first 10 of 613.
QUESTION # 4: How many times are these 10 in the bible?
Twice (Exodus 20 & Deuteronomy 5)
9 of the 10 commandments are repeated in the New Testament.
QUESTION # 5: Who were they given to?
Primarily they were given to Israel. Secondarily they were give to the nations to see the wisdom and glory of God.
QUESTION # 6: If they were not given to us, then should we obey these commands?
Yes and no. It depends on why you are asking. Yes if all you mean is ""are these good laws from God to obey?"" No, if you mean ""are we under the Mosaic covenant and we should obey them as our laws?""
QUESTION # 7: What is the first thing God says in the 10 commandments?
Not a command
""I am the Lord your God who brought you out of Egypt.""
QUESTION # 8: Why were they given?
Not for salvation, God already loved them and saved them.
God's laws are the path we take in life. The fuel to get there is knowing we are already united to God by faith.
QUESTION # 9: Are these laws unique?
Yes and no.
QUESTION # 10: Who can obey them?
No one!
Except for one who did obey them perfectly...Jesus Christ who came not to abolish the law but to fulfill the law.
Sermon Outline:
-
Symbol # 1 = A Throne
-
Symbol # 2 = A Scroll
-
Symbol # 3 = A Lion Who Is A Lamb
Sermon Outline:
-
Jesus is sick of lukewarm Christians who have compromised their witness.
-
Jesus knows everything about you.
-
Jesus knows everything bad about you and still loves you. He still wants to be with you.
Sermon Outline:
-
Security In Our Size
-
Security In Our Suffering
-
Security In Our Salvation
Sermon Outline:
-
What is the greatest power in the universe?
-
What does this power do?
-
How can we get this power?
Sermon Points:
-
Unity in the church does not mean tolerance to all beliefs.
-
Unity in the church occurs when Christ reigns supreme in the church.
Sermon Outline:
- The church is an Embassy of heaven here on earth.
God's plan is for there to be Embassy's all over the earth in every place, even the hardest places.
- The church is an Embassy that is distinct and set apart from the earth because it is from heaven.
The church must be holy and set apart from the world. The church is not perfect and completely free from sin, but the church is repentant and pursues holiness.
- The church is an Embassy that exercises the keys of the kingdom through the word of God.
Jesus gives us authority to make disciples as well as bind and loose citizens in his kingdom. We have that authority not through force and the sword, but through God's word.
Sermon Outline:
A healthy church...
-
Cares about truth and doctrine.
-
Loves Christ and his church.
Sermon Outline:
-
Our church is all about Jesus Christ when we gather.
-
Our church is all about Jesus Christ when we scatter.
Sermon Outline:
-
This story is real.
-
This story has the power to change your life.
-
This story is pointing to a greater story of Jesus Christ.
Sermon Outline:
-
God will provide the land that He promised.
-
God will provide the life that He promised.
Sermon Outline:
-
God has given precious and very great promises.
-
We live by faith and not by sight.
-
All of God's promises find their yes and amen in Jesus Christ.
Here are 10 things you may have missed in Sunday School when you learned about Noah, the flood and the archy, archy:
- A lot of animals died!
- Sin was on the ark.
- Noah was righteous, blameless, and still a sinner.
- Grace was the reason why Noah and his family were saved.
- The ark was not necessarily a boat.
- The flood was most likely a global flood.
- Noah is a new Adam and the flood was a de-creation.
- God was grieved he made the earth.
- The rainbow is an image of a military weapon pointed at heaven.
- Jesus provides a wooden ark for our protection from God's judgment.
Sermon Outline:
1) Sin is first and foremost rebellion against God.
2) Sin is a disease of the heart.
3) Sin is the source of all evil and suffering.
"Sermon Outline:
- The Curse of Sin
The world is not the way it is supposed to be.
- The Deceitfulness of Sin
Sin makes false promises that leave us thinking I thought it was going to be better than this.
- The Defeat of Sin
The birth, life, ministry and ultimately the death of Jesus were supposed to be for us."
"Sermon Outline:
-
God Wants to Walk With Us
-
But We Run and Hide From God
-
God Runs After Us and Still Wants to Be With Us "
Sermon Outline:
-
The Argument for a Covenant
-
The Account of the Covenant
-
The Application of the Covenant
This week's message comes from guest pastor, Lucas O'Neill, from Covenant Life Church in Itasca, IL.
This week's message is from guest pastor, John Yi, who pastors at Bethel Baptist Church in Mount Prospect, IL.
Sermon Outline:
-
The Priority of Marriage
-
The Permanence of Marriage
-
The Passion in Marriage
Sermon Outline:
- It is not good for man to be alone.
-
It is very good that God made man a helper fit for him.
-
Jesus Christ is the very best example of headship and submission.
Sermon Outline:
-
""Emma Is A Boy""
-
Genesis 2:15 - Adam was the first priest
-
Manhood is responding to God's call in glad sacrificial responsibility to care for others.
-
Jesus is our great high priest. Jesus is our new Adam. Jesus is the head of the church and the perfect husband.
Sermon Outline:
-
Is there a contradiction in the descriptions of creation?
-
Is there a contradiction in the descriptions of God?
-
Is there a contradiction in the descriptions of humans?
This week's sermon continues our study through the book of Genesis and it looks at the seventh and climactic day of creation.
-
Who Are You? ... You Are Princes & Princesses
-
Who Are We? ... We Are An Embassy
-
Who Are We? ... We Are New Creations
Sermon Outline:
-
Behold the God Who Is There from the Beginning
-
Behold the God Who Created Everything
-
Behold the Wisdom of God's Creation
We conclude our series through the gospels and the meals with Jesus by looking at Jesus' commission to his disciples. This message was delivered by guest pastor, Andrew Scmitz, who serves at Redeeming Grace Chapel.
Sermon Outline:
-
We Are Blinded By Our Sin
-
We Preach Christ To Blind People
-
God Brings Light Into Darkness
Sermon Outline:
Part 1 - The Old Passover
Part 2 - The New Passover
- The New Passover Was At A Different Time
- The New Passover Was With Different People
- The New Passover Has Different Symbols
Sermon Outline:
In Luke Chapter 15 the following sections need adjusted a bit:
-
Verses 1-10 need turned up. (See who Jesus is speaking to)
-
Verses 11-16 need turned down. (See that there are 2 sons)
-
Verses 17-19 need turned down and verses 20-24 need turned up.
-
Verses 25-32 need turned on because this part of the story has been turned off all together.
Sermon Outline:
I. Setting the Stage
II. Scene 1 - Luke 14:1-6
III. Scene 2 - Luke 14:7-11
IV. Scene 3 - Luke 14:12-14
V. Scene 4 - Luke 14:15-24
This week's message is from Embassy church member, Zach Salsbury. He continues our studies through Luke's gopsel and meals with Jesus.
Sermon Outline:
Part 1: A Riveting Story
Part 2: A Relevant Message
a) A Lesson About Judgmentalism b) A Lesson About Love c) A Lesson About True Religion
Why Was Jesus Called A Drunkard?
- Because He Ate and Drank Alcohol
- Because He Ate and Drank Alcohol With the Wrong People
- Because He Was Fulfilling God's Wise Plan
Sermon Outline:
What? - Jesus Is Inviting Outsiders To His Wedding
Why? - Because He Can Heal Anyone
How? - By the New Covenant of His Blood
Sermon Outline:
-
Bring Your Problems to Jesus
-
Trust Jesus With Your Problems
-
Watch Jesus Provide More Than What You Asked For
-
Watch Jesus Provide Something Better Than What You Asked For
-
Why Did Jesus Change Water to Wine?
Sermon Outline:
-
What does blessing mean?
-
What does blessing God mean?
-
How can we receive God's blessing?
This week we continued our study of the psalms of ascents. The message was delivered by Dr. David Wenkel, a member of Embassy Church.
Sermon Outline:
Part 1 - A Passionate Commitment to God's Presence
Part 2 - A Promised King for God's People
Sermon Outline:
-
What Is the Rare Jewel? ... Contentment
-
Is It Too Rare? Can We Really Have It? ... Yes, but we must be weaned.
-
How Do We Get It? ... Hope in the Lord
Sermon Outline:
-
Cry of the Sinner
-
Confession of the Sinner
-
Contemplation of the Sinner
-
Confidence of the Sinner
Sermon Outline: 1. In the world you will have tribulation 2. But take heart 3. I have overcome the world
Sermon Outline:
-
The Delicious Meal (The Blessed Life)
-
The Recipe & Secret Sauce (The Fear of God)
Sermon Outline:
- Why would the Jews sing this?
- Why would Jesus sing this?
- Why should we sing this?
Psalm 126 Outline:
Part 1: Present Praise For Prosperity in the Past – Verses 1-3
Part 2: Present Prayer For Prosperity in the Future – Verses 4-6
Sermon Outline:
-
The Pain of the Psalmist
-
The Posture of the Psalmist
-
The Protection from the Lord
Sermon Outline:
- What Is Most Important?
- Will you consider the facts?
- Can you face anything?
Sermon Outline:
- The Joy of Jerusalem
- The Shalom of Jeru Shalom
- The Judgement of Jerusalem
Sermon Outline:
- Access
- Basis
-
Content
-
The Gospel Opens The Access of our Prayer
- The Gospel Provides The Basis of our Prayer
- The Gospel Transforms The Content of our Prayer
Sermon Outline:
-
The Gospel Root
-
Leads to Worship Fruit
- The Fruit of Our Lips
- The Fruit of Our Lives
9 Marks of a Healthy Church Member:
- Healthy church members know their leaders.
- Healthy church members know their leaderSSS.
- Healthy church members know the basis of their leaders authority.
- Healthy church members remember and imitate their leader's faith.
- Healthy church members trust their leaders to have their best interests in mind.
- Healthy church members know they are not in charge of their life.
- Healthy church members only submit to leaders who take this seriously .
- Healthy church members want to increase their leaders joy.
- Healthy church members know Jesus is the ultimate leader.
Sermon Points:
-
The Gospel Demands Way More Than We Normally Think
-
The Gospel Offers Way More Than We Could Ever Dare Dream
Sermon Outline:
-
God Created Sex (It was very good)
-
We Are Slaves To Sexual Sin
-
We Will Be Judged For Sexual Sin
-
Jesus Never Sinned Sexually
-
Jesus Saves and Sanctifies Sexual Sinners
-
We Lay Aside Sin and Look to Jesus
-
Purity Is A Means to An End
3 Questions For Application:
1 - What Is the Posture of Our Heart?
2 - What Is the Plan for Our Holiness?
3 - What Is the Purpose of Our Church?
Sermon Outline - 4 Lessons on Remembering:
-
Remembering means coming down and getting involved.
-
Remembering means caring for practical needs.
-
Remembering means putting yourself in someone else's shoes.
-
Remembering happens when you see Jesus became a prisoner for you.
Sermon Outline:
-
The Gospel
-
Hospitality
-
What is hospitality?
-
Why don't we practice hospitality?
-
Why should we practice hospitality?
-
How do we practice hospitality?
Sermon Outline:
-
It is easy to hate / reject Jesus at Christmas.
-
It is easy to miss Jesus at Christmas.
-
It is easy to find Jesus at Christmas.
This week's message is by guest preacher, Chris Huff, who leads us through a teaching about advent.
Sermon Outline:
1) The Reality of the Race
2) The Rules of the Race
a. Pace Yourself
b. Lay aside weights and sins
c. Remember these three things:
1 - When you are weak, then you will be getting stronger.
2 - We are all children running the race
3 - We are not running this race alone. It is like a relay race.
d. Look to Jesus. We are running behind Jesus and we need to run like Jesus
Sermon Outline:
-
The Purpose of Hebrews 11
-
The People of Hebrews 11
-
The Power of Hebrews 11
Sermon Outline:
-
Can you see that this world has no lasting security?
-
Can you see that God has provided a world with eternal security?
-
Can you see how Jesus provides us that security?
Sermon Outline:
-
What Is Commendation?
-
Why Do We Need Commendation?
-
How Do We Get Commendation?
Three Myths About Faith:
Myth # 1: Faith is not intellectual.
Myth # 2: Faith is only intellectual.
Myth # 3: Faith is only for religious people.
Sermon Outline:
-
Theology Should Be Personally Applied
-
Theology Should Be Powerfully Applied
Sermon Points:
-
Believe in the Reality of Wrath
-
Beware of the Sin With No Sacrifice
-
Behold the Christ Who Was Consumed
Sermon Outline:
-
A Heart of Remembrance --> Peacefully Live Long (v. 1-2)
-
A Heart of Love and Truth --> Esteemed Highly (v. 3-4)
-
A Heart of Trust and Obedience --> Walk Far (v. 5-6)
Sermon Outline:
We are unified as a church around...
-
Our Hunger for God
-
Our Hope In God's Promises
-
Our Love for One Another
Sermon Outline:
- Jesus did not come to bring a new religion, he came to bring a new relationship.
Christianity is about a relationship with the living God!
- Jesus did not come to create a new religion, he came to create a new world.
Christianity is about God's plan to restore the world through his death and resurrection.
Sermon Outline:
-
God Is Clean, We Are Unclean, & Animal Sacrifices Can't Make Us Pure
-
God Is Merciful, He Wants To Forgive, But Forgiveness Requires Suffering
-
God Is Just, We Should Be Judged, But Christ's Blood Is Enough
Series Outline:
Week 1 - The End of the Temple
Week 2 - The End of the Sacrificial System
Week 3 - The End of the The Law (Old Covenant)
Sermon Outline:
-
Resolve to Accept Both Warnings and Comforts.
-
Resolve to See The Promised Made and the Promises Kept.
-
Resolve to Hope In God's Unchanging Purposes.
This week's sermon covers the challenging passage from Hebrews 6 that is often used to teach losing salvation.
Sermon Outline:
-
Mature Christians Grow In Their Knowledge of Christ
-
Mature Christians Grow In Discipleship
-
Mature Christians Grow In Their Character & Discernment
-
Mature Christians Grow In Their Reliance Upon Christ
Reasons why Jesus is the great, great priest:
- Jesus passed through the heavens
- Jesus lives in the heavens.
- Jesus the son of God. He is fully God.
- Jesus suffered. He was fully man.
- Jesus never once sinned.
- Jesus is seated at the right hand of God's throne.
- God's throne is a throne of grace, not judgment.
- Jesus helps us and gives us mercy.
- Jesus gives help at the proper time. His timing is perfect.
- Jesus was called by God
- Jesus did not exalt himself.
- Jesus is a priest-king in the order of melchizedek.
- Jesus prayed with loud cries and tears.
- Jesus was reverent and his prayers were answered.
- Jesus learned obedience through suffering.
- Jesus became the source of eternal salvation.
- Jesus changes our lives.