From the Pulpit: Recent Episodes
Oakridge Bible Chapel
While there are many ways to get to know another person, the best way is to listen to them when they speak, to hear them describe their sense of right and wrong, their memories of the past, their desires for the present, and their goals for the future. Indeed, it’s near impossible to experience relational intimacy with anyone apart from deliberate attentiveness to what they reveal about themselves.
And what’s true of our relationships with the people around us is true of our relationship with the God above us. If we desire to know our Creator—to worship him rightly, walk with him truly, rest in him fully, grow in him obviously, trust in him totally, talk about him joyfully, and bring people to him urgently—we must listen attentively when he speaks, how he speaks, and through whom he speaks. God wants to be known and he’s gone to great lengths to make that possible. Are we listening?
The Bible teaches us to obey authorities and governments. The Bible also teaches us that God is in control of any earthly government. In the book of Daniel we see Kingdoms rise and fall, on God’s authority. And it’s that same authority that will one day bring in a final and eternal kingdom, when God reigns.
Disunity, complacency, apathy, immorality, immaturity, lethargy, idolatry, insecurity, adversity, and apostasy. There are so many spiritual diseases that can plague God’s people, sin-wrought infections that hinder us from growing and serving and enjoying and worshipping and witnessing as we ought to do. And yet, as various as these sicknesses present, as contagious as these infections can be, and as dangerous as these ailments are, they all share a treatment and have a common remedy: a clearer, fuller, grander view of Jesus Christ.
Whatever hardships, disappointments, failures, and discouragements face the people of God, the prescription always includes “more Jesus.” The clearer our view of Jesus, the fuller our understanding of Jesus, the grander our conception of Jesus, the more equipped we are to faithfully endure whatever spiritual diseases come our way.
While all Scripture is equally inspired and equally authoritative, we can admit that not all Scripture is equally urgent. Not every passage of the Bible uniformly challenges its hearers and readers with a sin-confronting, reality-defining, life-shaping, soul-saving, and response-demanding set of truths. Ephesians 2:1–10, however, certainly does.
Sometimes considered a condensation of Paul’s explanation of redemption in the book of Romans, this single paragraph declares the glorious truth that, while we were once dead in sin, we’ve been made alive by grace, and have now been sent to work. Whether one is unacquainted with Christ, has rejected Christ, fallen away from Christ, grown apathetic to Christ, is struggling to follow Christ, or is walking faithfully with Christ, Paul’s words in this text call for action, convicting us, inviting us, reminding us, reassuring us, and motivating us.
This message focuses on the fact that human beings have a deep sense that things could be a
whole lot better than what they are. They know that because as Solomon says – we have eternity
written in our hearts. It is part of our spiritual DNA. And, in a very real sense we are on a journey – an
Exodus. Moses was on an Exodus. Jesus too was on an Exodus. We as believer’s are on an Exodus.
The first couple of chapter in 1 st Peter tell us how the Believer should behave on this journey.
1] They should live as if this world is not his home.
2] They should live ready for action.
3] They should live under God’s authority.
4] They should live as Priests bringing sacrifices of praise.
The present conditions of our world lead many Christians to believe that the Lord might
come and come very soon. For sure, throughout history there have many predictions of the
return of Jesus. But in reality – our focus should not be “when” Christ is coming. The real
question is will we be ready when Jesus returns? Jesus himself emphasizes this when he says
numerous times “no one knows the day or the hour”.
But while we many not know the day or the hour – we can be ready. In Matt. 25 Jesus
tells us how through 3 parables.
1] The parable of the Wise and Foolish Virgins shows us that it is key to have oil. We
need the Spirit of God in our lives.
2] The parable of the Talents shows us that we must use the gift that God has given us.
3] The parable of the Sheep and the Goats shows us that we must care for God’s
creation – human kind who were created in God’s image.
Jesus will be looking for these things when he returns.
In the Psalms we find a reflection of life in a fallen world—years stippled with uncontainable joy and unspeakable sorrow, seasons of holistic prosperity and times of total poverty. In this collection of inspired poetry we hear the ancient but relatable cries of God’s people as they too sought to obey the Lord faithfully, avoid sin desperately, live life wisely, endure the world victoriously, and wait for deliverance hopefully. But as this book of the Bible nears its conclusion it announces with increasing clarity and rapidity what our response should always be: worship.
Whether we’re lamenting or celebrating, singing or groaning, gathered or scattered, God’s people are to “Praise the Lord!” And though there are many reasons to do that, Psalm 146 highlights his trustworthiness as fodder for his exaltation. Our God (unlike the people around us) is perfectly, lavishly, and eternally reliable, ever helping and protecting his own.
This sermon is to show the importance of evangelism and Jesus shows us 5 things he left us in order to do that task, that mission.
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He left us an unfinished mission - we can see this in the world around us, that we are not doing our job the way we should be.
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He left us an unchallenged message - Acts 1:3
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He left us the power to accomplish the Mission and share the message - the Holy Spirit will give us power of confrontation as our authority comes from God
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He left us an unshakable testimony - people are coming to the Lord in the thousands daily
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He left us an unchanging promise - Acts 1:11 - Jesus will return.
There are many reasons to love the Psalms. They are beautiful, expressing eternal truth in elegant language. They are rich, offering more and more treasure the deeper one mines. And, perhaps most basically, they are emotional, showcasing that what we feel in this life the psalmists felt in theirs—lament and grief, fear and vulnerability, thanksgiving and anticipation, celebration and praise, wonder and humility, regret and restoration, empowerment and peace.
But no tour of human emotion is complete without an acknowledgement of anger, without a consideration of fury fuelled by injustice, without a study of exasperation sparked by the sin in this world and in our own lives. There are times when God’s people should be filled with a righteous indignation for the evil we see, the wickedness we experience, and the sin with which we wrestle. Psalm 137 exemplifies such rage and the battle to keep it sinless.
Sometimes it’s hard to say “thank you.” Perhaps it’s because we’re embarrassed to admit our dependance and neediness. Maybe we simply get distracted and forget to express the appropriate appreciation. It could be that we don’t say “thank you” because we fail to understand the effort that was involved in the care we received. Maybe we assume that saying it too much dampens the authenticity of our thanks. Or perhaps it’s because we have bitterness in our hearts toward the person that served us.
Interestingly, those same reasons can also create barriers to expressing our gratitude to God—we don’t want to admit we need him as much as we do, we get preoccupied with life, we don’t comprehend the extent of his care, we want to avoid mindless repetition, or we are angry because we think he has failed us in the past.
Sometimes it’s hard to say “thank you” to God but Psalm 136 is going to make it easier.
Our world is not at peace. Over one hundred wars are currently being fought around the globe with thousands of casualties in dozens of countries. There is tension within our own country around immigration and taxation, ideology and poverty, politics and economics. Many homes are battlefields characterized by abuse, neglect, betrayal, debt, selfishness, and neediness. And then there are personal fights with addiction, loneliness, guilt, shame, sadness, failure, illness, aging, self-loathing, and self-doubt. Christians knowingly add the reality of spiritual warfare to the mix, the invisible struggle that ceaselessly rages around us and in us. Our world is not at peace … but we can be. Like a boat with a strong anchor, a tree with deep roots, or a house with a sure foundation, God’s people can have rock-solid peace in an otherwise peaceless world. And Psalm 122 is going to show us how.
The Gospel writer, Luke, concludes his account of the discovery of Jesus’s empty tomb with these words: “Peter got up and ran to the tomb; stooping and looking in, he saw the linen wrappings only; and he went away to his home, marvelling at what had happened” (24:12). This disciple was amazed, befuddled, and overwhelmed. His head was doubtlessly spinning with questions about what had just happened, the implications of what had just happened, and thoughts of what was about to happen because of what had just happened. “Could it be? Is my Lord actually alive?!”
Today we want to join Peter in marvelling at the reality of the empty tomb. Without risk of exaggeration it can be said that the resurrection of Jesus Christ is the single most earth-shaking, reality-defining, hope-providing, and response-demanding event in human history. Why is this so? Well, because the tomb was empty …
This morning we have walked with the Lord Jesus up to Calvary’s mount. Beginning with the prophets who predicted the coming of one who would endure agony in the place of those who actually deserve it, we then followed this Suffering Servant into the Upper Room where his inevitable death was commemorated in a meal, one which we then shared in remembrance of his sacrifice. We then followed Jesus from the fellowship of the last supper to the loneliness of the garden to the sting of his betrayal to the corruption of his trials and, finally, to the horrific injustice and brutality of his crucifixion.
Jesus did all of that for you and for me. Jesus left the glories of his heavenly throne room, condescending to take on suffocating flesh for you and for me. Jesus was mocked, hated, attacked, and rejected by the very people he came to save for you and for me. Why? And how are we to respond?
The Bible exhorts us to strive for peace, so far it depends on us (Romans 12,18). Sometimes we find ourselves in a situation where we offended, hurt or willfully sinned against someone else, where we need to apologize. Both apologies and forgiveness start in the hart, where a change of heart is needed for the offender, and the heart of the offended needs to be moved (that is what compassion is). Yet, how can we be sure that the words spoken as an apology reflect a change of heart and show true repentance? And does forgiveness depend on the depth of our repentance? In the parable of the Prodigal Son the Lord Jesus speaks to these questions in the context of sinners who repent and turn to God, with some practical applications for apologies and forgiveness between people.
Psalm 119 is a celebration of God’s word, its nature and purpose, its power and perfection, its necessity, sufficiency, reliability, and veracity. The Hebrew word for law, torah, is used thirty-six times in the Psalms, twenty-five of which are found in this particular Psalm. Add to that the many synonyms the author employs—God’s word, ways, testimonies, precepts, statutes, commandments, and judgements—and God’s word is explicitly mentioned 178 times in its 176 verses.
And while one might expect that a passage about God’s word would include a call to obey God’s word, there isn’t one. Instead, readers are given a model to obey not a command to obey. The psalmist, throughout this lengthy acrostic poem, presents himself, not as one in grim, slavish obligation to God’s law, but as one who loves and delights in God’s law, inviting all of God’s people to join him in his resolution to walk in God’s way.
Dietrich Bonhoeffer was a theologian who grew up during WWI. His older brother was killed in battle and his mother was irreparably shocked by the loss. Fear and morbidity filled their home. To cope with those years, Dietrich, along with his twin sister, Sabine, would put themselves to sleep each night thinking about heaven, repeating into the darkness a single word: eternity. They wanted to make it their only thought as they fell asleep. When he turned twelve and was given his own room, Dietrich would lie in his bed and tap the wall that separated the twins. It was his signal to his sister that meant, “Think of God. Lift your mind to heaven. Think of eternity.”
We too face much in our present world that can break our hearts, cause us fear, and steal our sleep. But Psalm 111 knocks on the bedroom wall of our lives and reminds God’s people to think of God, to lift our minds to heaven, and to think of eternity.
Every good and effective government must provide both laws to govern its citizenry and courts to represent its citizenry. If laws are absent, unarticulated, or unenforced, there is anarchy. If courts are corrupt, powerless, or inaccessible, there is tyranny.
God’s government promises both infallible regulation and unending representation for the good of its people. Foreshadowing this reality in the past, God gave ancient Israel kings from the tribe of Judah (Gen 49:10; Ps 60:7) and priests from the tribe of Levi (Ex 29:9; Deut 18:1–8), the former bringing divine authority to earth and the latter bringing human frailty to heaven.
But in Psalm 110, David, inspired by the Holy Spirit, predicts a coming time when these two necessary offices will reside eternally and perfectly in a single person. (Spoiler: he’s talking about Jesus!) God’s people need to be governed by God and represented before God and this psalm declares that that time is coming.
Worship is a central tenet, activity, posture, and goal for all believers. As one author has suggested, “Christian worship is the response of God’s redeemed people to his self-revelation that exalts God’s glory in Christ in our minds, affections, and wills, in the power of the Holy Spirit.”
However we define and articulate this important concept, one thing must be clear: ultimately, worship is not about us—it’s about our God the King. Worship starts with God and responds to revelation from God. It’s directed at God in ways appropriate for God. Worship is empowered by God, brags about God, and is offered by those who belong to God as they’re drawn toward God to be made more like God. Worship is not about us. It’s about him. It’s our response to his beauty and mercy, his integrity and activity, his transcendence and his nearness. And Psalm 96 calls us to that type of worship, reminding us who we’re to worship, why we’re to worship, and how we’re to worship.
It’s hard to grow, improve, or mature without first being honest about the need for growth, the room for improvement, and the areas of immaturity.
Being realistic is important for those who want to progress and, as a church family, that is exactly what we desire. We want to become a congregation that is used by God to lead more and more people from darkness into light. We want to be a people so being filled with the Holy Spirit that wounded, battered, discouraged, and questioning Christians can come and find healing care and restorative grace. We want to be an assembly that God increasingly uses to build up soldiers for Christ, strong, wise, and equipped for battle and to deploy those troops into the fray with surging effectiveness. Any church family that longs to grow in these tasks needs to be honest about ways they are failing, falling short, or being disobedient, and where they desperately need God to intervene, forgive, and restore.
The psalms are songs about life, sacred songs, but commentaries on life. The ups and downs, the good and the bad, the joys and sorrows. They afford so much wisdom about life as it was meant to be lived. They tug at our hearts, they challenge our ways, and they teach us good and godly things. Many of them were written by David, the king of Israel, as is Psalm 34. In it, he speaks of several godly habits. A habit is a repetitive behaviour, one that by its repetition requires less intention and planning. It thereby streamlines our day.
For instance, I have a breakfast habit, the same breakfast every day. So I don’t have to get up in the morning and ponder the question, What shall I eat this morning? Without much mental stressing, I make the toast, put peanut butter, honey, and banana slices on it and then eat it along with a cup of coffee to wash it down. If you want the recipe I will gladly share it with you! So, breakfast is done! Now on to issues which may require more deliberate planning.
Habits can be good and habits can be bad. Perhaps at the outset of this year, you made a few resolutions, to get rid of some bad habits and to institute some good ones. How are you doing?
The Christian life goes better when I have several good and godly habits, and repetitive behaviours that form the structure of my day. This is what David learned and this is what he shares in this Psalm.
After the predictably horrible reign of Saul, God hand-picked David to succeed him as king of Israel (1 Samuel 13:14). And David loved God, worshipped God, served God, and represented God. By all earthly measurements, David was a great man. But, as 2 Samuel 11:1–12:12 demonstrates, even the greatest of people still sin, sometimes dramatically. No one—no matter how mature they are in the Lord, how knowledgeable they are about the Lord, or how useful they’ve been to the Lord—is immune to temptation, disobedience, and moral shipwreck.
We may never steal someone’s spouse or conspire to have someone killed as David did, but we all rebel against the God we claim to love. The question is, what do we do when we do? How should we respond to our own trespasses? How do we process our personal immorality and the accompanying guilt it brings before our God? Psalm 51 gives us a guide.
Weddings can be beautiful and meaningful events. Friends and family are gathered, happiness and love are expressed, promises and prayers are offered. Even on the surface, these events are celebratory and significant. But the beauty and meaning of a wedding runs far deeper than many people understand. From a biblical perspective, a wedding (and the marriage that ultimately follows the wedding) is hugely significant and symbolic as it honours God’s presence, points to God’s character, demonstrates God’s faithfulness, and declares God’s love. On the surface, they’re beautiful. Digging deeper, they’re more wonderful still.
On the surface, Psalm 45 is a song celebrating a royal wedding and the love between a king and queen of Israel. But the beauty and meaning of this song and the event it commemorates runs much deeper as it also anticipates a royal wedding in the future.
The Scottish novelist, Robert Louis Stevenson, once said, “The person who has stopped being thankful has fallen asleep in life.” In other words, even in the darkest moments of life there is always something for which people can be grateful and to not recognize that is to be knowingly or ignorantly unconscious.
Now, if that’s true in general, how much more for God’s people in particular? Are we not totally forgiven? Are we not kept near the Father through the Son by the Spirit? Are we not loved beyond comprehension? Are we not headed toward everlasting paradise? Surely Christians can amend Stevenson’s sentiment and say with confidence, “The people of Godwho have stopped being thankful have fallen asleep in life!”
But sometimes we need a reminder because the years can bring difficulties and sometimes we need a model because we forget how and why to say “thank you” to God. Psalm 30 provides both.
“He loves me, he loves me not. She loves me, she loves me not.” It’s a familiar and simple game. By alternating those statements while plucking pedals from a flower one-by-one, an individual seeks to discover whether their affection for someone is, or will be, reciprocated. Ultimately, it’s an exercise in hopefulness and powerlessness.
Following the Lord through the ups and downs of life can feel similar: “He loves me, he loves me not. He’s with me, he’s with me not. He protects me, he protects me not.” Back-and-forth, over mountaintops and through valleys, sometimes feeling hopeful and sometimes feeling futile. But this isn’t something new for God’s people. Even the great David found himself playing this game, alternating between faith and fear, confidence and cowardice, trust and tears. But David also knew how to win the game—how to, despite the circumstances of his life, always pluck the last pedal and declare, “He loves me! He’s with me! He protects me!” And we want to learn how to do that too.
Bad things happen to good people, even to God’s people. Belonging to Jesus Christ does not inoculate us from sadness, loneliness, and stress. Following the Lord does not ward off financial insecurity, relational hostility, emotional misery, and physical injury. The gift of eternal life in the ever after does not guarantee a long life in the here and now. Many of us know biblically—and all of us know experientially—that trials and tribulations arise regularly.
We live in a sin-cursed world full of sin-stained people and, because of that, bad things happen to good people, even to God’s people. The question becomes, is there a way to endure those terrible hardships, lamenting their existence but, at the same time, trusting in God’s deliverance? What can God’s people do when life feels like war? Psalm 3 provides an answer to that question and model to follow.
This morning I want to go back in time together, before Christ on the cross and before Messiah in the manger, to a time of desperation, a time when the future for God’s people looked bleak and the hearts of God’s people seemed black.
Christmas may be “the most wonderful time of the year” but it’s also one of the most expensive times of the year. One report estimates that an average household will spend almost $2500 this season on festive food, decorations, and gifts. But even beyond the financial cost, Christmas also can carry a relational cost with family tensions and social divisions being exacerbated. There can be an emotional expense with the season sparking loneliness, sadness, and grief. Finally, the holiday can take a chronological toll, jamming calendars with events, parties, and other time-filling, energy-stealing happenings.
There’s no doubt that Christmas can be costly. It always has been, ever since the very first Christmas when “the Word became flesh and dwelt among us.” But it’s not just the birth of Christ that’s pricey. Following Christ is expensive as well. The question becomes, are these prices worth paying?
There are many words we could use to describe Jesus’s birth: miraculous, humble, anticipated, needed, epic, joyful, and merciful. But one word we cannot use is secretive. The coming of Jesus was not classified, hidden, or undisclosed. It was unmistakable, being both predicted before it happened and announced after it happened. And, ultimately, that leaves all people without excuse. The revelation of Jesus Christ puts all people to a decision: will we respond with rejection or adoration?
Hope is a wonderful thing. Hope is faith directed towards the future. It is confidence in what is to come. For Christians, our future is a glorious thing. This is the key teaching in the book of Revelation and it is the key in Paul’s epistles to the Thessalonians as well. Seven of the eight chapters in these two books highlight the coming of the Lord. All through these two letters, the Holy Spirit is wanting us to embrace this hope. It is what we need to strengthen us for living today.
From the beginning, God’s desire was to reign over his creation through a mediator. To that end, the King of the universe placed representative images of himself in his creation to fill his creation and rule his creation (Gen 1:26–28). But, alsofrom the beginning, Satan’s desire was to usurp God and set himself up as sovereign. He deceived God’s first kingdom mediators, prompting them to rebel against the King rather than represent the King (Gen 3:1).
In spite of the catastrophic effects of this fall, however, the original plan was never abandoned and God promised to one day establish a pristine, curse-free, never-ending global kingdom (e.g., 2 Sam 7:12–13; Ps 2:1–8) within which he would dwell with his creatures and over which he would eternally rule through a perfect Mediator (e.g., Isa 9:6–7). Revelation 20 predicts that time, a future moment when King Jesus will stomp sin, restore what was lost, and sit on his throne.
At long last, the Apostle John is shown the culmination of God’s future wrath against and destruction of all sin. To this point it had been revealed that Jesus Christ—the Lamb who was slain and is, thus, worthy (5:6, 12)—will one day initiate, oversee, and enact righteous judgement upon the whole world. Natural disasters and unnatural disturbances, fear and famine, death, darkness, and demonism will be unleashed. While the church will be exempt from this time (3:10), those who come to faith during this time will likely be martyred (6:9–11). As the prophets predicted (Dan 12:1; Joel 2:2) and Jesus affirmed, it will be a season of chaos “such as has not occurred since the beginning of the world until now, nor ever will” (Matt 24:21).
But it all comes to an end with two banquets, one of celebration and one of condemnation. And a study of these two future suppers can prepare God’s people today to partake in another supper, the Lord’s Supper, one of commemoration, purification, and anticipation.
Satan had just brought his antichrist and false prophet into the world to deceive and destroy (13:1–18) when John sees the Lamb standing unfazed on the heavenly Mount Zion (14:1–7). Harps are being played, songs are being sung, and gospels are being preached when, seemingly out of nowhere, an angel flies overhead declaring, “Fallen, fallen is Babylon the great” (14:8). What immediately follows is reverent celebration in heaven and more devastation on earth (15:1–16:18) before a similar refrain is heard: “Babylon the great was remembered before God, to give her the cup of the wine of his fierce wrath” (16:19).
With so much chaos being poured out on earth and on so many people, why does this ancient city receive a divine call-out? What’s so special about Babylon, how is she uniquely punishable, and what does her eventual fall have to teach the church today?
Throughout human history, God has stayed his hand of retribution, being “patient toward us, not wishing for any to perish but for all to come to repentance” (2 Pet 3:9). But God’s patience with rebellion does not mean forgetfulness of rebellion. In fact, Paul teaches that the unrepentant are “storing up wrath for [themselves] in the day of wrath and revelation of the righteous judgment of God” (Rom 2:5). It is as though the sin in this world is building-up pressure like water against a dam until, one day, God will open his holy spillway, unleashing his just anger so as to punish evil, prompt faith, and bring restoration. Ultimate rest comes on the other side of wrath and perfect peace arrives after divine punishment.
Revelation 15 and 16 mark the near-culmination of this time of great testing, a finish line that prompts celebration in the heavens, sends devastation upon the earth, illustrates the corruption of the human heart, and provides much-needed exhortation for the waiting church today.
There’s nothing quite like a good comeback story. You know the type: when a person, group, or team seems so down-and-out, so defeated, and so oppressed and yet finds a way to climb back into contention, grab success, find safety, and even secure victory against all odds. These tales are surprising, satisfying, inspiring, and exciting.
While it may seem near-blasphemy to call the eventual-and-total victory of Jesus Christ “a comeback story,” there are sections of Scripture that record the Lord snatching a big win from, what seems like, the jaws of defeat. For example, in Revelation 12 and 13, Satan has the upper-hand, the blue-chip players, home-field advantage, and is running up the score before, all of a sudden in chapter 14, Jesus says, “no more games” and dramatically and definitively turns the tables. For those who know the power and character of God, this is not a surprising comeback but it is satisfying, inspiring, and exciting.
When the glorified Jesus appeared to the imprisoned John, he told him, “write down what I’m about to show you and pass it on to my people” (ch. 1). In this message, after some pointed words to the churches in the present age (chs. 2–3), Christ turns his attention to the future (chs. 4–22). He takes the apostle into the heavenly throne-room, giving him a glimpse of the Father’s awesomeness, the Son’s faithfulness, and their all-together worthiness to be worshiped and trusted (chs. 4–5).
The Lamb then starts opening the book containing God’s perfect plan for the resolution and redemption of all things, unleashing a storm of wrath (chs. 6–7), one that continues to grow in intensity. In fact, the seventh seal unleashes seven trumpets of judgement, each more dramatic, demonic, and emphatic than the last (chs. 8–11). And as they sound, John records the reactions of those who witness and experience their chaos. And it’s in their responses to judgement that God’s people today can find encouragement, conviction, and comfort.
In the early 1900s, it was not uncommon for over a million people each year to lose their lives due to natural disasters like floods and droughts, earthquakes and fires, tornadoes and landslides. Fast forward one hundred years and, in this past decade, the average annual death toll was less than 10,000. Why this dramatic improvement? Is it because there are less natural disasters today? No. The positive trend is largely due to the fact that humanity has become better prepared for the storms, more understanding of their power and behaviour, improved in anticipating their arrival, and more efficient at seeking adequate shelter when they hit.
Revelation 6 and 7 is a storm warning. A big one is coming—a category 5 tempest of divine wrath, unprecedented in scope and power. At the same time, there is also an impenetrable shelter of grace that has been provided, an indestructible and eternal refuge for all who would climb inside.
Reading the fourth and fifth chapters of the Revelation of Jesus Christ can feel like stepping into the sun after hours in the dark. It takes time for our senses to process what it is we are being shown as our eyes, ears, and minds are treated to a glimpse heaven’s glory, joining the Apostle John in the witness of pure, untainted worship of the awesome Creator and Sustainer of the universe. At first, the scene can be overwhelming, what with creatures and crowns, thunder and thrones, singing and spirits. There’s a lot to take in!
But, as the Holy Spirit helps our eyesight adjust to the magnificence of this text, its purpose becomes clearer: every magnificent detail of this scene is meant to highlight and spotlight what the King is like, was the Lamb has done, and their shared worthiness to be worshiped and trusted with the future.
People want to know the future and are quite creative in how they attempt to do that, reading tea-leaves and palms, examining stars and crystals, and studying playing cards and weather patterns. And this desire to peek beyond the horizon of tomorrow isn’t unique to our times. God warned about these methods at Mount Sinai (Lev 19:31), Saul dabbled in the practice during his downward spiral from Israel’s throne (1 Sam 28:6–7), and Paul encountered the lucrative practice of fortune-telling in Philippi (Acts 16:16).
People have always wanted to know the future and, while there are clearly many sources to which many clamour for such information, Christians have the privilege of going to the One who is already there, he “who is and who was and who is to come, the Alpha and the Omega, the first and the last” (Rev 1:8; 22:13). But, before starting a journey into such an exploration, some preparations need to be made.
How many here like gifts? How many of you enjoy Christmas when you receive those gifts? Most of you celebrate Christmas receiving gift for one day. I celebrate Chanukah where I receive gifts for 8 days, with having a large family you can imagine how many gifts we get!! Its Wonderful!!
What is a gift if you don’t open it? A gift is no good still wrapped up. A gift is no good if you don't use it or implement it. God has given us many gifts and so many of us don’t use the gifts we’ve been blessed with. Everyone here has a gift that we need to use for the Kingdom of God and the Body of Christ.
The Gifts of the Spirit are important and an essential part of the church and our ministry. God does not give us the Gifts for a show of our power but to manifest His great power. We do not worship the “Gifts” or those used in a particular Gift. We worship the giver of Gifts (James 1:17). Simon the Sorcerer in Acts 8 desired to purchase the Gift. His Spirit was not correct. He wanted this Gift for his selfish use, glory, and power. This is not the purpose of the Gifts.
God’s people have many needs and vulnerabilities but God’s Spirit has been given to help meet those needs and minister to our weaknesses. As rebels against God, we need saving, so the Holy Spirit regenerates, making believers new creatures who are born again from above. We need security in and assurance of that salvation, so the Spirit indwells us, seals us, and testifies to us that we belong to him. We need truth in a world of deception, so the Spirit teaches us. We need fellowship with our Saviour and with his people, so the Spirit unifies us. We need to be holy, so the Spirit sanctifies us. We need guidance and power, so the Spirit fills us, leads us, and prays for us.
But there is another great need of humanity for which the Spirit was sent to address: the need for all people to be convinced of the serious nature of sin.
Living in a fallen world, it’s not uncommon for people—even God’s people—to feel disoriented and isolated, overwhelmed by choices and trials, decisions and disappointments, insecurities and uncertainties, hurts, fears, and loses. Sometimes the cumulative fatigue of such experiences, the emotional taxation of helplessness, and the dramatic intensity of uncertainty rises to such a level that even God, the only one who can ultimately bring guidance and deliverance, seems out of reach.
It’s in these most dire circumstances that the Holy Spirit graciously ministers to those whom he indwells by showing them the way out of the darkness and by calling for help when they’re unable. It is when God’s children are at their most needy, most vulnerable, and most weak, that the Holy Spirit can lead the way and does help them pray.
If you have been with us in the past weeks, you’ll know that we have been doing a series on the Holy Spirit. Today we will continue that series with the topic of sanctification.
Our word sanctification comes from the latin “sanctus”, which means holy. In other words, today we will talk about becoming holy, and the role the Holy Spirit plays in that. Holy can mean blameless or pure, and often we define it by what is not: to be holy means to be separated from sin. If you think it about this way, than sanctification means to become more pure, become more blameless, to become more separated from sin.
The filling of the Holy Spirit could rightly be considered the centre of his work in the world today—the hub to which his other ministries connect and by which his other ministries are rightly experienced.
The Spirit has regenerated, indwelled, and sealed every believer. But it is the filling of the Spirit that helps us understand and celebrate those realities. The Spirit teaches. But it is his filling that empowers our recognition and reception of that education. The Spirit unifies. But it is when we are filled that we are able to appreciate and preserve that oneness.
To say it another way, the filling work of the Holy Spirit does not cause his other ministries but it does highlight them, uncover them, and empower God’s people to experience them. And Christians need that for maturity. If the goal is growth in godliness, believers must have the Spirit’s power and we must experience the Spirit’s work.
Speaker: Lew Worrad
Text(s): Selected Scriptures
Topic: The teaching ministry of the Holy Spirit
Series: God In Us: A Study of the Holy Spirit
There’s a sense in which home ownership has two corresponding realities. There’s the objective reality. When the funds are confirmed and the mortgage is signed the house is owned. It’s a done deal. But there’s also the subjective reality. This is the process by which the owner grows in their experience of their ownership by moving-in, unpacking and renovating, and sharing their home with others. In these ways, the objective reality becomes increasingly experienced and enjoyed.
Similarly, when an individual places their faith in Jesus Christ the payment has been made, the deed has been signed, and the Lord is now their owner. It’s objectively a done deal. But there’s also a subjectivity—a process by which believers can grow in the experience, enjoyment, and certainty their salvation by the work of the Holy Spirit as he moves-in to his new home (indwells), unpacks in his new home (seals), and shares his new home (testifies).
If you’re a Christian, whether you can fully remember it or not, there was a moment when you believed on the Lord Jesus Christ for everlasting life. You may have been seven, seventeen, or seventy. It might have arrived suddenly or after much consideration. Maybe you were praying with a parent, chatting with a friend, listening to a sermon, or reading a book. Maybe you were at an evangelistic event or at home alone.
Whatever the details, for all who belong to Jesus in thepresent, there was a moment in thepast when, by God’s grace, you passed from death to life, from darkness to light, when “you who formerly were far off [were] brought near by the blood of Christ” (Eph 2:13)! And today we want to acknowledge the Holy Spirit’s role in that moment and in the moments leading up to it. More specifically, we want to celebrate with gratitude the drawing ministry of the Holy Spirit and the regenerating ministry of the Holy Spirit.
The Bible teaches that there is one God existing in three persons—Father, Son, and Holy Spirit—eternal in being, identical in nature, equal in power and glory, having the same attributes and perfections, and worthy of the same worship, confidence, and obedience. Over the centuries, the Christian church has come to incapsulate this mind-bending, creature-humbling truth in a single word: trinity.
Now, most Christians today eagerly worship God the Father and long to know and serve God the Son. But, relatively speaking, many are confused by God the Spirit. When it comes to the Spirit of God there’s often much we don’t know, things we wrongly think we know, and lots we’d still like to know. And, just as in our relationships with one another, the more ignorance that remains between us and our God, the more barriers to intimacy with our God. So, let’s get reacquainted with the third person of the trinity, the Holy Spirit, God in us.
Not long ago one of my sons was given a remote-control drone as a birthday present. While he had fun almost immediately, mastery of the device alluded him as he chose to ignore the instruction manual and, instead, was content to repeatedly crash it into walls, into the ceiling, and into his siblings. As soon as my son unwrapped that toy he became a boy who owned a drone and, while he enjoyed it to a degree, his experience of that gift was limited by ignorance to its capabilities and proper use.
Christians, likewise, have been given a great gift, that of eternal life. Unfortunately, not all believers read the instruction manual and, thus, fail to learn the extent of this gift and how best to enjoy it. Instead, we can become a people who haveeternal life but who fail to experience and express that life to the extent God desires. The Holy Spirit, speaking through John, wants to help us avoid that tragedy in this closing and cumulative chapter.
In baking a cake, there are some ingredients that are more essential than others. While sprinkles aid ascetics and nuts add texture, it’s the eggs, flour, and sugar that actually make it a cake.
The same is true of a healthy church family. There are many potential elements that can be added to the recipe but they’re not all of equal importance. While a building may add stability and significant attendance can bring excitement, it’s commitment to the gospel and submission to the word, prayer and evangelism, baptism and communion, discipleship and discipline, love of God and love of God’s people that make it a church. And it’s this last essential ingredient we’re going to examine at this morning—a love for one another. The hard reality is, if a church family fails to love one another it cannot be and do what God desires it to be and do. Familial love is the eggs, flour, and sugar of church life. It’s an essential, foundational ingredient.
God wants those who belong to him to experience intimacy with him. That’s why he calls believers to pursue holiness (1:5–2:2), obedience (2:3–6), and familial love (2:7–11; 3:10–23), not because that’s how we’re saved but because that’s how we draw near to him once we’re saved. God so desires that his children abide in him that he tells us to avoid worldliness (2:15–17) and sin (3:1–9), not because if we don’t we prove we don’t belong to him but because such rebellion kills intimacy. God so longs for his people walk in his light and love that he warns us to avoid false teaching (3:24–4:6), not because it can steal our salvation but because few things cause more damage to a relationship than deception. And, as John reveals in our passage today, there are lots of lies out there, falsehoods and half-truths about Jesus that can, if entertained and believed, destroy trust, breed anger and apathy, and prevent us from enjoying the Lord.
Imagine I told you we were going to have a conversation about classic story structure, and invited you to finish the following sentence: “and they all lived…” Exactly. We all know it. In most cases, we probably expect it. And while it’s obviously not true of every story, the opposites are infrequent or undesirable enough that “and they all lived terribly ever after” just isn’t a thing we say.
Think of the last fictional book you read or movie you watched (ones that actually resolved the story, not the ones with the cliffhanger setting up for the sequel) and I can almost guarantee there was a scene involving the punishment of the “bad guys” before seeing the happy future for the “good guys”. Because in many ways, part of that happy ending involves this acknowledgement that the evil ones are getting what they had coming, fair retribution for what they have done to the world and to the protagonists themselves. We know in our hearts, even in our fictional stories, that bad things deserve punishment, and a “happily ever after” with evil still on the loose just isn’t “happy” or “ever after”.
As I mentioned a few moments ago, today we’re going to get to the resolution of the prophetic story in the book of Joel. And in that resolution, we’re going to see everything required for that proper “happily ever after”.
We’re into the final two sections of the book of Joel and we’re now in part of the book where it finally starts to take a turn for the positive, where God’s people have been challenged to repent, and we now get to see God’s response for when they do so. The last two weeks described judgement on God’s people in the southern kingdom of Judah, and called them to repentance for their disobedience, and it was fairly simple to make the connection to see how those texts could still be relevant and applicable for us today. A passage that calls for turning from sin and turning to God, all for the sake of his glory can obviously draw our mind to our own struggles, temptations, and disobedience and what we should do about them.
Today’s passage is a little less obvious, at least in my opinion, because the majority of the verses are focused on God turning from his punishment, showing mercy, and even blessing the very people he had just been disciplining. While God has shown us all mercy, particularly through the person and work of Jesus Christ, he is not necessarily going to bless us or relent of discipline in the exact same ways he did for his people in Joel. This is a specific story of God’s mercy and blessing, not a template, not a “if you do this, God will do that” scenario, necessarily.
Specifically, in today’s passage we’re going to see God offering deliverance to his people, relenting of his discipline and blessing them through meeting their physical needs after the army and the locust invasions. He then promises a future deliverance available to all people, where he will offer to meet their spiritual needs through the outpouring of his Spirit.
Sometimes in times of struggle, difficulty, or suffering, we act as though all we need to do is apologize and everything will be okay. Sometimes we look at the suffering God allows in our life or the discipline he’s putting us through as a combination lock just waiting to be opened, a code to be cracked. “If I just ask forgiveness for this sin” or “if I just read my Bible this much” or “if I just go to church this many times” or “if I just donate this amount of money” God will have no choice but to bless me and take me out of this pain and put me into better life circumstances. It may sound a little ridiculous, and many of us probably wouldn’t say those things out loud, but I know I’m not the only one who has had times where we’ve thought it, or acted as though that’s the way it is.
The reality is we are told in the Bible that God will sometimes use or allow to help us grow, mature, learn, and become more like Christ. So while it’s okay to ask God to help us with or even remove us from situations of suffering or discipline, to apologize, or to be brought to confession, repentance, or positive life-change by those circumstances, that doesn’t mean God immediately owes us a supernatural rescue for doing as we’re told. Saying sorry doesn’t mean we won’t face discipline or consequences.
It’s Mother’s Day, and a sermon about divine judgement and locust plagues and starving animals probably isn’t what most of you came expecting today. But interestingly enough, the overall tone of the first chapter is not so different from some very common maternal phrases, like “sit here and think about what you’ve done”, “You can come back out when you’re ready to apologize and behave”, or “I hope you’ve learned your lesson”.
Today, we’re going to start with the first chapter, and as we read we’re going to see three specific types of calls to action: a directive to listen and tell, a directive to grieve, and a directive to repent; and each of these is followed by a description of the admittedly brutal circumstances that makes these actions necessary.
One of the greatest honours and aspirations for any athlete is to compete for their country on an international stage like the Olympic Games. They dream of wearing the flag and hearing their national anthem played as they stand on the podium. And many athletes make their country proud in those moments, competing and carrying themselves in an admirable and applaudable manner. But some bring shame to the nation they represent by cheating, lying, mistreating teammates and opponents, and even breaking the law. When this happens, the athlete is still a citizen of their county but they’ve failed to represent the values of their country. They’ve squandered the opportunity to showcase to the world the best that their nation has to offer.
Christians are on Team Jesus. We wave a common flag and represent a heavenly nation. Our job is to represent well, not bringing shame but showcasing to the world the best our Lord has to offer. And according to 1 John 3, that means we love one another like Christ.
Most people today—and, unfortunately, many Christians and churches—treat sin more like empty calories than like cancer, something that can be enjoyed in moderation but not something to necessarily fear and fight. But even a cursory reading of the Bible reveals sin to be more the latter than the former. It’s pervasive and powerful, corrupting and consuming, and deceptive and damning.
Sin is not something with which God’s people should approach casually. Indeed, every Christian can echo the puritan prayer that says, “Eternal Father, thou art good beyond all thought, but I am vile, wretched, miserable, blind … I bring my soul to thee; break it, wound it, bend it, mould it. Unmask to me sin’s deformity, that I may hate it, abhor it, flee from it.” Summarily, sin is a big deal to God and should be to God’s people also. Why? Well, for starters, because sin prevents the enjoyment of Christ, the modelling of Christ, and the honouring Christ.
Research shows that the sunniest places in Canada are southern Alberta and Saskatchewan, a swath of land that runs from Calgary to Estevan boasting over 2375 hours of bright sunshine annually. (For reference, that’s about an hour more per day than Toronto.) Often the big skies are blue, the clouds are sparse, and the sun is bold. However, some find it difficult to fully enjoy that prairie perk because of the cold. With winter temperatures regularly dipping below -40°, many choose to “appreciate” the sunshine from indoors. The potential for frostbite can serve as a significant obstacle to the enjoyment of regularly clear skies.
The book of 1 John makes it clear that God wants his children to enjoy the life-giving warmth of his light and love. He wants us to walk in close fellowship with himself (1:3). Unfortunately, many believers simply “appreciate” its cloudless clarity from afar. Why? Because there are obstacles that distract and discourage, realities that can, if we’re not careful, keep us from fully enjoying the divine gift of intimacy with God.
Many people work hard to live forever. For example, the Coalition for Radical Life Extension, an Arizona-based nonprofit, is on a mission to “cure aging.” Its founder, James Strole, labours to make “mortality optional” and to “put an end to The End.” Likeminded individuals are willing to do almost anything to cheat death— from supplements to exercise, from medical procedures to cryogenic freezing. And, if they can’t physically live forever, many at least desire that their work ensures, their reputation remains, or their legacy perseveres. Whatever path taken, many people work hard to live forever.
On Easter, God’s people celebrate that we can live forever, that death—our great enemy—has been defeated, that the tomb was empty, that Christ has been raised. Today we are reminded that immortality doesn’t require a self-care regimen, a medical discovery, or a scientific breakthrough. It requires resurrection.
Sometimes in history certain people distinguish themselves by accurately predicting an historical event and they gain notoriety from it. One such person is investor Michael Burry who accurately predicted the collapse of the US housing bubble before the 2008 financial crisis. When many others kept investing freely, Burry was right in acting conservatively and he managed to net 100 million dollars for himself and 700 million for his investors, while others lost their fortunes. How did he do it? It wasn’t miraculous. He saw the signs that were there beforehand that others chose to ignore.
One of the great proofs of the truth of Scripture is prophecy. God knows the future and at various points chooses to reveal it to us so that we might be encouraged to believe in him. God says, “I make known the end from the very beginning.” All through the Bible, He used certain people to do this work for him. They were the prophets. One of the great prophets of the Old Testament was Isaiah. In this beautifully written book are some of the most amazing prophecies concerning the coming of the Saviour and his life and death and resurrection. Michael Burry had the vision to see a few years in advance of the stock market trends, but Isaiah predicted events concerning Jesus that would not happen for another 700 years. This is truly miraculous! God was revealing the future.
Did you know there are people who have literally won the lottery but have never picked up their prize? While it isn’t the norm, it does happen. In fact, the largest unclaimed prize in Ontario is $5-million from a LOTTO 6/49 draw in 2005. What a waste! Can you imagine winning a life-altering amount of money but never cashing-in?
Tragically, this is exactly how many Christians live their lives. Believers in Jesus are sitting on a ticket worth more than millions. This is a prize that goes beyond the future afterlife we’re guaranteed by virtue of our faith in Christ and includes the potential for a present abundant life (see John 10:10), one marked by peace, joy, maturity, liberty, purity, and intimacy. Yet many Christians never show-up to collect, leaving this life-altering prize unclaimed and unapplied. What a waste!
Well, God doesn’t want that for his children and today we’re going to be reminded of what we’re to do to cash-in and what God has done to make us eligible.
We were blessed on this day to hear from Dean Billings on behalf of Compassion Canada about the work they are doing around the globe, work with which we can partner from here in Oakville. We had some unexpected technical issues with the video clip that Dean brought during service, and we wanted you to have to chance to watch it properly, so you can find that video here.
For those who want to learn more about Compassion Canada or are considering sponsoring a child, they've created a special site for ushere.
A special thanks again to Dean and his team for bringing the Word today and the work they are doing, "releasing children from poverty in Jesus's name."
While it’s relatively easy to get married, it’s harder to have a good marriage. Repeating a vow is one thing, being faithful to the content of that vow is another. And what makes the difference between the two is work, intentionality, humility, self-denial, and maturity. And while many aren’t willing to invest the time and effort necessary, those that do know that it’s worth it because the sacrifice leads to reward and enjoyment.
It’s the same with the Christian life. Relatively speaking, it’s simple to become a Christian (by believing in the person and work of Jesus Christ) but harder to be a disciple, to be one who takes up their cross daily and follows Jesus, killing sin and loving holiness. The latter takes work, intentionality, humility, self-denial, and Spirit-wrought maturity. But, as any seasoned saint will tell you and, more importantly, the Scriptures tell us, it’s worth it because the sacrifice leads to reward and enjoyment. As believers lean into the knowability of Christ—who he is, what he’s done, and what he’s doing—we experience intimacy with Christ and his people. And this supernatural fellowship is well-worth the effort.
Last week we started into a brief study of God’s sovereignty by reading the story of a man who Jesus said was born blind “so the works of God might be displayed in him”. A man whose physical ailment was healed and that led to a spiritual opening of his eyes to see and believe in Jesus as the Messiah.
But as we all know, the Bible doesn’t stop with salvation—believe in Jesus, that’s it, now we’re done. But rather what Jesus invites us all to is a life of following him, of willing submission and obedience, of putting him first even when it’s hard, of growing and maturing in our faith. This morning we are actually going to look at two different stories, involving two different groups of people: one from the old testament and one from the new testament.
Each of these stories involves some pretty intense events happening beyond the control of the people, and in both cases they are faced with a very tough choice with potentially dangerous, even deadly, consequences. As we go into these stories let’s remember that: Sometimes God allows things we don’t understand to accomplish something greater than we can imagine.
A few weeks ago I was invited to be the guest speaker for a youth snow camp weekend up north, and the theme of the weekend was all about God’s sovereignty. It’s one of those words we use a lot in the church, and yet even for those of us who understand it, or think we understand it, it can be hard to accept or appreciate it.
As I was preparing for this Sunday and next, the concept of God’s sovereignty came back to me and I thought it could be helpful to take what I had studied for and prepared for that weekend and use parts of it to hopefully bless this congregation as well, recognizing that God’s sovereignty touches on some of the biggest concerns people have with believing in or following Jesus, whether in or outside the church.
What does it mean when people say that God is “in control”? How could a good God allow suffering? Why is God allowing me to go through these circumstances? All of these questions connect back to a proper understanding of sovereignty.
Over the next two weeks we’re certainly not going to answer all of them, but we are going to look at a few different stories of people in the Bible who had events happen in their lives beyond their control—situations of suffering and hardship—and through how they responded to these events we’ll hopefully together be able to grasp a better picture and understanding of what it means for God to be sovereign in the midst of it all.
In 2020, with a virus sweeping across the globe causing fear, anger, and confusion, Oakridge Bible Chapel, like all other church families, faced a trial that tested us, strengthened us, and exposed us. God used that hardship to show our leadership areas of weakness and vulnerability.
One such area was in the leadership itself—not in quality but quantity. At the time this body had about 250 members and five elders. Almost overnight there was an influx of legitimate need: isolation, health concerns, relational tensions, spiritual warfare, and financial burdens. And as blessed as the leadership was to hear of members caring for one another, our limits were made obvious. God used that trial to show us that to shepherd God’s people the way God’s word demands five was not enough. And so, in 2020, we started praying: “Lord, raise up leaders from within. Send us help, shepherds of your choosing.”
And we began to see the Lord answer those prayers. In 2022 we added two new elders and this morning we get to add two more. But, as I thought about this answer to prayer, I was reminded that many who now call Oakridge “home” are relatively recent additions, having come from other countries, cities, churches, and backgrounds, and may not know much about how a church is led, what an elder is, and what elders do. And, for those who are familiar, a refresher wouldn’t hurt.
Anyone who has ever been camping, spent significant time in the elements, read tales of extreme adventurers, or watched them on TV, knows that fire is essential to survival as it provides warmth and light, can purify water and cook food, and can discourage predators and signal rescuers. It’s no exaggeration to say that, in the great outdoors, life depends on fire. Now, to build a fire one must first find, collect, haul, and arrange the wood. This can be a time-consuming and labour-intensive activity. And yet, all that effort is futile without one final piece of wood: the match. The match is the fiery climax of the whole endeavour, bringing an essential ingredient for survival. The last piece of wood, as small as it may be, ignites the whole stack to usefulness.
Today we come to the match of the New Covenant—the final, climactic divine oath that ignites the covenants collected and arranged before it. It’s the New Covenant that provides the power the other five lack in-and-of-themselves and provides God’s people with a more completed picture of God’s plan to restore his fallen creation.
A quick internet search allows anyone to collect some concerning statistics about Canada. For example, there were over 358,000 victims of reported physical abuse in 2019, 30% of which were domestic. There are more than two thousand organized crime groups in operation, three-quarters of which are violent and have connections to seventy-seven other countries. There are over 47,000 deaths every year linked to substance abuse, nearly 5000 to suicide, and almost 2000 to traffic accidents. Last year saw almost 20,000 robberies and 5000 incidents of identity theft.
Numbers like these show, among other things, the limits of our governments, our systems, and our leaders. They simply aren’t fast enough, smart enough, resourced enough, or powerful enough to stop all this evil and suffering. Numbers like these make us long for an authority so limitless it could eradicate all injustice, crime, abuse, and brokenness. But an authority that powerful would have to be equally good or it would be terrifying.
Christians have the comfort of knowing that such a King is coming and such a kingdom is inevitable.
Good representation can make a big difference. Consider, for example, legal representation. The difference between a good lawyer and a bad lawyer can mean the difference between incarceration and emancipation, between a criminal record and a clean record. Obviously, it’s important and beneficial to have experienced, passionate and well-equipped representation!
And that’s exactly what God provides for his people: representation of the highest order in the highest court before the highest Authority.
While the Noahic covenant laid the foundation (Genesis 9), the Abrahamic covenant predicted a location for a benediction-spreading population (Genesis 12–22), and the Mosaic covenant established a means of preservation for that population (Exodus 20–24), the Priestly covenant promises perpetual representation for God’s people in the presence of Almighty God.
People will go to great lengths to protect what’s important to them. It could be their family, their online privacy, a dream car, an endangered species, or a stamp collection. It really doesn’t matter what it is just that it’s important and worthy of securing with diligence, care, and thoughtfulness. People protect what’s important to them.
And so does God. After sin came into the world God began a restoration project to rebuild what had been lost. He swore to never again flood the world (Gen 9), thus establishing a predictable foundation on top of which he could build. He then promised a particular location for a specific population, a group through whom he would bring global benediction (Gen 12–22). But, for that to happen, this population needed to be preserved against the dangers of deviation, corruption, capitulation, and eradication. This restoration project is important to God, and so he goes to great lengths to protect it.
Canada has one governmental system with three distinct but cooperative branches: the legislative makes laws, the executive implements laws, and the judicial evaluates laws. The whole depends on each part remaining distinct, doing what it is supposed to do and contributing what it is supposed to contribute. The system only works as intended if each branch remains clear on its unique role and unconfused with the unique roles of the other two. If judges start trying to enact laws rather than interpret them or if the prime minister starts making laws rather than applying them, the one system suffers.
The Abrahamic covenant functions in a similar way, containing three distinct but cooperative branches: the promise of a particular land, the promise of a multitude of descendants, and the promise of a global blessing. And it is important to appreciate each part for what it is, not conflating nor confusing them lest the whole of the covenant suffer.
On December 5th, 2022, Ronald and Carol Wilczak woke to the foreboding beep, beep, beep of their home smoke alarm. It had been only five years since the couple had finished saving, planning, building, and moving into what they described as their “dream home,” but now they helplessly watched it burn to the ground. What do they do now? Walk away or rebuild?
In the early chapters of Genesis, God watched as his “dream home” was set ablaze by sin. The damage spread quickly until “the wickedness of man was great on the earth” (6:5). What does God do now? Walk away or rebuild?
In many ways, the Bible is God’s account of how he chose the latter option, deciding to fix what was broken by humanity and repair what was burned. God will live in his dream home (Rev 21:1–4). He will not be thwarted in his plans. And the biblical covenants, starting with the one received by Noah, provide the blueprint to this restoration project and the reason for our hopeful expectation.
The author of Hebrews gave believers a task: "Let us consider how to stimulate one another to love and good deeds ... , not forsaking our own assembling together, as is the habit of some, but encouraging one another; and all the more as you see the day drawing near" (10:24–25). One of the ways we, as the people of God, can stimulate and encourage one another is by sharing stories of God's faithfulness.
Alice Popovich, a long-time member (and current office administrator) of Oakridge Bible Chapel, shares an abridged version of what God has been doing and is currently doing in her life.
The author of Hebrews gave believers a task: "Let us consider how to stimulate one another to love and good deeds ... , not forsaking our own assembling together, as is the habit of some, but encouraging one another; and all the more as you see the day drawing near" (10:24–25). One of the ways we, as the people of God, can stimulate and encourage one another is by sharing stories of God's faithfulness.
Rick Walker, a member of Oakridge Bible Chapel, shares some of what God has been teaching him over the past few years, months, and through various life circumstances. God is faithful, and Rick can—and does—attest to that!
The author of Hebrews gave believers a task: "Let us consider how to stimulate one another to love and good deeds ... , not forsaking our own assembling together, as is the habit of some, but encouraging one another; and all the more as you see the day drawing near" (10:24–25). One of the ways we, as the people of God, can stimulate and encourage one another is by sharing stories of God's faithfulness.
Godsgrace Agu, a member of Oakridge Bible Chapel, shares an abridged version of how God has been demonstrating his faithfulness through the last number of turbulent and unpredictable years.
When I was thinking about what I was going to preach on today, I got thinking about how special it is when Christmas is on a Sunday, because it happens so infrequently. There’s no denying that these Christmas Sundays are special, and in some ways that can make it feel like a lot of pressure. I know it’s not uncommon for preachers to struggle with a real or self-imposed expectation when it comes to the advent season, to preach something new or unique, so we’re not just rehashing the same Christmas story everyone’s heard 100 times.
Yet as I reflected on the significance of a Sunday morning Christmas service, and as I thought about that same Christmas story, it really seemed like there was no other choice that was fitting for such a day than to return to the heart of it all in Luke chapter 2. The reality is that there is a lot we remember or think we know about the Christmas story, but even after hearing it 100 times over, we can still mess up the details. We like to imagine the drama, to think about what that night would’ve looked like for Mary and Joseph. We want the birth story! Give us all the nitty gritty!
But the Biblical account doesn’t actually give us that many details about the birth itself and so sometimes we end up filling in the blanks with information that isn’t actually there. But today, we’re going to do the exact opposite. We’re going to focus on what is actually written in the text. On a Christmas Day on the Lord’s Day, I want to be sure we’re reading what God’s word actually says about the birth of God’s son.
My full name is James Stuart Turner Rennie. It's quite a moniker to attach to a little baby! The Stuart part is from my Dad’s Scottish roots. The Turner part is from my mother’s English family roots.
The James part is my Dad’s first name so I was named after him. James is a biblical name. He was the Lord’s brother. James comes from the name Jacob in the Old Testament. So many Bible names have a good meaning, but James or Jacob does not. It means deceiver or trickster, and as you may remember, that is what Jacob was. He tricked his father to give him the inheritance and then he tricked his brother to sell his birthright. My name reminds me of that old nature in me that can lie and cheat and steal just like Jacob.
But I am so thankful that I got another part to my name: Rennie. Rennie comes from the French, Rene, and it means born again. So, you see my name is the story of my life. James the sinner is also Rennie, the one born again. That’s me, a sinner born again.
Today we will look at yet another prophetic reference to the birth of Christ in the book of Isaiah, and it is about four amazing names of our Saviour.
On August 5, 2010, the collapse of a mine in San Jose, Chile trapped thirty-three workers 700-meters underground. For seventeen dark days they survived on tiny rations of food and dirty water. Finally, a 4.5” hole appeared in the wall. The attempt to reach the cave by workers above had worked and, through this tiny shaft the miners were supplied with food, water, communication, and hope. Obviously, a bigger hole was needed to escape, and this took time. But finally, on October 13, after weeks of non-stop drilling, all thirty-three men tasted fresh air for the first time in over two months.
In the initial days underground, I’m confident those miners were asking specific questions. First, who’s coming to help us?Second, what’re they bringing when they come? And, third, when’s it going to happen?
The same questions were being asked by God’s people during the ministry of Isaiah the prophet. Israel wasn’t surrounded by walls of rock but they were surrounded by walls of Assyrian troops—soldiers of one of the most vicious, wicked superpowers ever to exist. They felt trapped, abandoned, powerless, and hopeless. So, in their desperation, they ask Who’s coming to help? What’s he bringing when he comes? And, when’s it going to happen? Isaiah 11 records God’s answers to those questions.
C. S. Lewis once wrote, “There are far, far better things ahead than any we leave behind.” Do you share his optimism? Do you believe, as a Christian, that your future is immeasurably greater than even your most precious experiences so far? I hope you do because this is one of the privileges that Christ offers his children: beauty and glory ahead.
But western Christians today can struggle with this sanctified anticipation because life is pretty good. We have full bellies, warm backs, and dry beds. Some of us may think, “If Jesus wanted to come back today, that would be fine. But if he decided to wait, that’s okay too.” Many have lost the urgency of looking ahead for things promised.
The Christmas season provides an opportunity to excise our anticipatory muscles as we imagine waiting for the first coming of Christ. And, while we do that, we also get to stoke the flames of our expectation for his second coming, that for which we still wait today.
A Christmas Carol is the story of a mean, selfish old man named Ebenezer Scrooge who is visited by a series of ghosts come to show him how his behaviour has affected others. At one point of this supernatural education, Scrooge is led to the home of his ill-treated employee, Bob Cratchit, and, looking through the front window, observes something powerful and foreign. He sees a family marked by contentment and generosity in spite of poverty, by joy and love in spite of hardship. Looking through that window, Scrooge sees what a family can and should look like.
The closing verses of Colossians have a similar tone. As Paul extends his greetings and says his farewells, it’s as though readers are being brought to the front window of his ministry, looking in on a snapshot of the life he enjoyed. And as believers peer inside they see what a family can and should look like, that is, a church family.
Scripture is full of individuals who, when faced with a God-given task, immediately felt ill-equipped and insecure, sure that the Almighty had chosen the wrong person of the job. For example, consider Abraham and Sarah (Gen 17:17), Moses (Ex 3:11), Gideon (Jdg 6:15), Jeremiah (Jer 1:6), Mary (Luke 1:34), and Paul (1 Cor 15:9). These were real people wanting to serve a real God who had given them real assignments in the real world but were faced with real uncertainty because of real deficiencies.
Most Christians today can relate with these characters in the face of our God-given task to “make disciples of all nations” (Matt 28:18–20). That’s a huge and potentially overwhelming calling, one that leaves many believers wondering how to even get started, if they’re even capable of contributing, and if they have anything of significance to offer. It’s into this uncertainty that the Holy Spirit speaks clarity and reassurance through Paul’s pen.
Jesus is the absolute and incomparable Christ who preexisted all (Col 1:17), created all (1:16), is over all (1:15; 2:10), sustains all (1:17), and owns all (1:16). All the fullness of divinity dwells in him (1:19; 2:9), all things are being reconciled to him (1:20), and all the treasures of wisdom are hidden with him (2:3). Jesus is everything and, because of that, believers lack nothing. By virtue of our relationship with Christ we have access to all spiritual understanding (1:9), enjoy all assurance (2:2), can please him in all ways (1:10), are strengthened with all power and all steadfastness (1:11), forgiven of all transgressions (2:13), united to all the body (2:19), and are freed from all that is perishing (2:22).
But how do these lofty realities affect the daily life of a Christian? What practical difference do they make? In 3:18–4:1, Paul shifts from the extraordinary to the ultra-ordinary, from the heavens to the home, and explains how it is that the fullness of Christ changes family life.
This morning we are going to look at Psalm 47. This psalm has been categorized by some as one of several “psalms of the Lord’s kingship” or “enthronement psalms”; that is, it specifically deals with the acknowledgement of God as King.
One of the things I find particularly interesting about this one is that, while the majority emphasizes God’s universal reign as king over all the earth, there’s a little segment in the middle that is focussed more on Israel, and what God has done and will do for them, which adds a neat twist for us as New Testament believers.
Ultimately my hope for today is that as we spend time reading and learning more about the God we worship—his identity, his kingship, who he is and what he’s done—that in turn we will better understand what it means to worship him, properly, as the King of all the earth.
A quick internet search informs the budding altruist that a good person is someone who is kind, attentive, wise, self-controlled, and courageous. They are people who are happy, promoters of happiness, and who never stifle others’ happiness. Further online research suggests that such exemplary character can be achieved by such means as embracing change, being grateful, taking care of yourself, complimenting yourself, letting go of anger, giving back, shopping local, being yourself, setting goals, and forgiving others.
Followers of Jesus should desire clarity on those questions as well. What does it look like to be a good person in God’s eyes? How does one successfully move in that direction? However, Christians should seek answers from God and not Google … nor any other source. What does the Lord desire for the lives of those who are his? What means does he provide for their growth?
Let's think together about Heaven. Some people call this the afterlife, about what happens when you die, and though we can understand the thought, the term “afterlife” is technically incorrect and not something that can be found in the Bible. Let's go to Scripture today and find a better understanding of Heaven, one that can encourage us to seek it, to set our minds on it, and to look forward to it.
While many have heard of claustrophobia (a fear of enclosed spaces), acrophobia (a fear of heights), and arachnophobia (a fear of spiders), fewer are familiar with sciophobia—a fear of shadows.
One publication explains that, for someone wrestling with it, sciophobia “may dictate major decisions they make in their day-to-day life such as choosing to not go outside in the daylight … in fear they may come across a shadow.” This fear can lead to intense, paralyzing anxiety. Now, most understand that a shadow is harmless, just a shape produced on a surface by an object blocking light. But for sciophobics, something so common and powerless can enslave them and stop them from fully enjoying the life they have.
Many Christians suffer from spiritual sciophobia, ensnared by “mere shadows” (Col 2:17). Paul, however, insists that such a hindrance is avoidable and that followers of Jesus can come out of the shadows and into the Son.
Some assignments are so big they can be overwhelming. Maybe it’s a comprehensive final exam or a massive term paper, a necessary home renovation or a significant health issue, a mountain of personal debt to climb or a relational tension to overcome. Huge tasks like these can be intimidating, deflating, and immobilizing. “Where do I even start? Is it even possible? Should I even bother?”
Sometimes this is how it feels to follow Jesus, to give our lives to him, to serve him, to share him, and to become more like him. And as we grow in our understanding of how wonderful he is and how sinful we are, the assignment can become increasingly daunting. “I’m supposed to follow in his steps? Where do I even start? Is it even possible? Should I even bother?” If you have ever felt this way—like you’re in over your head in this Christian life—God has something to tell you today.
“Handle with care.” We’ve all heard, read, said, and maybe prayed those three words of request. Whether when passing a newborn to an excited older sibling for the first time, packing and transporting boxes of irreplaceable items, or offering help to a vulnerable, ill, or discouraged loved one, the need is the same—to proceed with caution, to speak with compassion, and to handle with care. And the care with which we handle a situation reflects its perceived worth and fragility. We care for robust things if they’re expensive and we care for inexpensive things if they’re delicate. But when something is both costly and vulnerable, we take special care.
In his letter to the church in Colossae, Paul reminds his readers that the good news of Jesus Christ is both. The gospel is precious, costly, and invaluable. But it’s also fragile as it can be distorted, attacked, obstructed, and obscured. So, we as recipients and beneficiaries of that gospel must protect it, defend it, and handle it with care.
Music is powerful but, for Christians, music that celebrates and venerates our Lord and Saviour is especially so. Consider these well-worn and majestic words: “All hail the pow’r of Jesus’ name! / Let angels prostrate fall; / bring forth the royal diadem, / and crown him Lord of all!” Or how about these more recently-penned lines: “You’re the Word of God the Father / from before the world began; / every star and every planet / has been fashioned by your hand. / All creation holds together / by the power of your voice; / let the skies declare your glory; / let the land and seas rejoice.”
Wonderful! Lyrics like these excite in God’s children a love for God’s Son—who he is, and what he did, does, and will do—and moves them to adoration, reflection, appreciation, conviction, and dedication. Now, if that’s true of hymns written by people, what about one written and preserved for us by God himself?
One of the burdens of every generation is to teach the next generation good manners. Parents, grandparents, aunts, uncles, teachers, and baby-sitters all join forces to help children learn to be polite, to do things like use a napkin at the table, hold doors open for others, and say ‘excuse me’ when appropriate. But perhaps the most foundational and obvious example of good manners is children learning to say ‘please’ when asking for something and ‘thank you’ when receiving it. ‘Please’ and ‘thank you’—two relatively small gestures that can make a big difference.
Our heavenly Father wants us, his spiritual children, to develop good manners as we grow-up in Christ. As we mature, by his power, God desires us to develop habits of communication with him that are proper, worshipful, and edifying. In fact, learning to say ‘please’ when asking for something and ‘thank you’ when receiving it may be at the top of his list.
In July 1961, Vince Lombardi, coach of the Green Bay Packers, stood before thirty-eight professional football players ready to start a new season. Six months previous, they had lost the championship game in the final minutes and had been sitting in that memory ever since. These athletes were ready to adjust what needed adjusting to make sure this year was different and were waiting for their coach to give them direction. Instead, Lombardi looked out over the second-best team in the world, held up a football, and said, “Gentlemen, this is a football.” And with that statement, the coach expressed his intention to take that team back to the fundamentals of the game.
In a similar way, sometimes the church needs to go back to the fundamentals of her existence, her mission, and her purpose. It’s an important discipline to regularly sit under God’s word and hear it declare authoritatively but simply, “Brothers and sisters, this is a church.”
From Paul's letter to the Romans, Dr. Rennie encourages us how to rightly identify our spiritual giftedness and how to use that giftedness for the building up of the body of Christ.
Oftentimes an end is also a beginning. The end of summer signals the beginning of autumn. The end of childhood means the beginning of adulthood. When life as a single person comes to an end that typically means life as a spouse is beginning. Trusting Christ for everlasting life marks the end of separation from God and the beginning of the process of becoming like him. Oftentimes an end is also a beginning.
Such is the case with Matthew’s gospel. The evangelist didn’t write this book to simply entertain or preserve history. Rather, inspired by the Holy Spirit, he wrote it to move his readers to action, to thrust them into the trenches, and to send them into the world on fire with an assignment. As Matthew’s account comes to an end, his readers are shown how it’s just the beginning of something amazing—a great commission to be undertaken, in spite of great imperfection, fuelled by the power of great provision.
It is customary for a good sermon to begin with an introduction of sorts, an attempt to orient the hearer to the text or topic about to be studied. However, there are some passages of Scripture that simply require no introduction. These are sections of God’s word so momentous, so profound, so dramatic, and so captivating that they demand attention with little outside help.
Such is the case with Matthew’s inspired account of the crucifixion of the King. It is as climactic as it is devastating, as beautiful as it is brutal, and as sombre as it is necessary. And this passage highlights for believers of all eras and ages that which was endured by Jesus, that which was shown by what was endured by Jesus, and that which is demanded by what was shown.
A “kangaroo court” is a trivial-sounding idiom that, in reality, describes something far less playful than its title may suggest. According to one source, this expression refers to “an unauthorized mock court or legal proceeding in which some or all of the due process rights [of the accused] are ignored and the outcome appears to be predetermined.” In other words, a kangaroo court is a sham trial, it is judicial theatre, and it is malevolent injustice.
There could scarcely be a better description of what the Lord Jesus experienced in the hours leading up to his crucifixion. Though his opponents had already decided both his guilt and sentence, the people of Israel—led by their religious leaders—put their Messiah on a trial, a trial more concerned with a desired conviction and execution than with legality and truth.
Yet, there’s deep irony to Matthew’s account of this charade in that it’s the accusers who end up exposing themselves as criminal and it’s the accused, Jesus, who is proved blameless.
Young pastors are often advised, “preach to suffering people and you’ll never lack an audience.” Why? Because everyoneis well-acquainted with the subject. We all suffer, facing times of uncertainty and vulnerability, pain and inconvenience, fear and heartbreak, mistreatment and loneliness. Indeed, each of us have endured, are enduring, and will endure hardship.
But how can we endure well? That’s the question Matthew 26:30–56 is going to help us answer. As Matthew provides readers with a front-row seat to the agony of Jesus and his anticipation of the cross, we can find guidance toward faithful endurance. If we want to be a people that bear the inevitable and inescapable hardships and uncertainties of life in a Christ-honouring way we must be a people that, recognizing our frailty and fallenness, actively draw near God’s power and promises.
Chapter 26 marks a dramatic shift in Matthew’s gospel. In it is a transition from a teaching on things to come to a retelling of things that are, from predictions of Jesus’s future return to predictions of Jesus’s soon departure, from powerful scenes of victory and vindication to pathetic scenes of vulnerability and apparent defeat. Whereas the disciples had been promised that the Son of Man will come in glory and be eternally enthroned (25:31), now they’re being promised that the Son of Man is going to be tortured and executed (26:2).
Indeed, Matthew 26 and 27 describe what is often called the passion of Christ—the unjust events and brutal sufferings that pave our Lord’s road to the cross. It’s horrific … and wonderful. On one hand, there’s ugly corruption—hatred and hard-heartedness, blindness and betrayal. But, on the other hand, there’s beautiful provision—sovereign and sacrificial, precious and powerful. We must remember both.
One can learn a great deal from reading the letters written by soldiers to their families during World War I and World War II. Scanning these preserved messages can grow in us a compassion for those who suffer, provide insights into the horrors of battle, and inspire gratitude for the many men and women who have given their lives for the safety and security of others. And all of this and more can be gleaned in spite of the fact that the letters were not written to us and that they describe particular conflicts we ourselves have not had to endure.
In many ways, Jesus’s teaching recorded for us in Matthew 24 and 25 functions similarly. The discourse itself is not directed at the church and it describes a terrible time of global tribulation that the church will not have to endure. (Thank God!) Yet, just like wartime communique, the church is still able to extract from these prophetic chapters—with the help of the Holy Spirit—much needed lessons and reminders.
The Bible is filled with contrast. Good and evil, light and darkness, joy and sorrow, hope and fear. In many cases, we’re better able to understand just how great something is when it’s compared and contrasted with something that is not very great. If I showed you a twig and a log, it would be immediately obvious which one is bigger, and heavier. But if I held up two twigs that are only slightly different in length and thickness, it might take some time or a closer inspection to figure out the difference.
In the case of the Bible, most of the contrast is noticeable on purpose. That’s kind of the point. It’s included to show just how great the log is in comparison to the twig. And that’s exactly what we’re going to see today as we turn to Psalm 115. We’re going to see a mighty, powerful, strong God contrasted with weak, flimsy, useless idols made by human hands. And as we do so, we’re going to see the futility of so many of the things that fight for our attention and worship, in comparison with the incredible God who deserves it all.
Sometimes, there is suffering in our lives that’s more like a stomach flu: we don’t really know why it’s happening, but it feels terrible. Just when we think it’s done, we get hit again. And while others can comfort us and we can treat the symptoms as much as possible, we know that ultimately we just need to wait it out. But other times, suffering has a cause; we’ve done something unwise or irresponsible, and brought a pain upon ourselves that won’t be stopped until we get that source of corruption out of us.
Today we're going to look at Psalm 32, which is an interesting psalm, a mixed bag of genres, including aspects of praise, wisdom, and thanksgiving. And we’re going to be reminded about the character of the God we serve, and how gracious he truly is, despite our foolishness. As we read through the text today, we’re going to see three principles or realities about our relationship with God, each followed by an example of how that reality can or ought to be demonstrated in life.
It has been observed that “the subject of biblical prophecy is like one magnet interacting with another. For many people, it pulls them in. For others, it drives them away.” Indeed, some are drawn to prophecy. Wanting to know about the future they enjoy thinking, discussing, and reading about things to come and, perhaps, how current events fit in to God’s revelation. Others are repelled by prophecy, viewing it as a futile topic that divides, confuses, and scares.
Surely both groups are represented within most church families, along with those who are apathetic, ignorant, or uninterested. But regardless of individual experiences with and feelings toward what the Bible says about end times, all would do well to understand that Jesus considered it important and edifying. So much so that, during the days leading up to his death, the Lord gave his disciples a peak beyond the horizon. And looking with them, believers today can be reminded of what prophecy is supposed to bring: clarity, comfort, and conviction.
Matthew has recounted Jesus’s final entrance into Jerusalem (20:29–21:17), the unrelenting opposition he faced upon arrival (21:18–22:14), and, now, his rebuke of the faithlessness of the nation’s leadership (23:1–39). To state it another way, the King was formally presented to Israel, formally rejected by Israel, and is now formally rejecting Israel in response. And of all the legitimate reasons the Lord had to condemn that generation of his people, it is their hypocrisy that he highlights. It is their hollow religiosity and resolute sanctimony that Jesus can no longer abide. Why? Because hypocrisy is a poison, as deadly as it is sneaky and as pernicious as it is persistent. But if God’s people can learn to identify its characteristics, its symptoms, and its seriousness, catching exposure early, they can treat it effectively with the antidote of humility.
There are few more offensive concepts to the sensibilities of our contemporary culture than that of submission—the act of knowingly, willingly, intentionally, and repeatedly placing ourselves, our wills, and our preferences under the authority of another. It is considered a distasteful mark of powerlessness, hopelessness, shamefulness, and oppression. Success, according to many, means having others answer to you. True liberty is found in the freedom from ever having to bow to anyone. Truth is something created, not something objective to which we must yield. Ultimately, submission is something to be avoided and condemned.
But the Bible teaches that it is actually through submission that God promises prosperity, liberty, joy, truth, and life. It’s actually when we lay ourselves down that we get to pick it all up. This apparent paradox is what many in the 21st-century fail to understand and, as we’ll see, what many in the 1st-century didn’t understand either.
It’s wise to learn from others’ errors. A child, seeing their sibling punished, can learn obedience. A student, observing a peer caught cheating, can learn integrity. An athlete, watching a teammate fail, can learn of strategy. Whether in business, dating, gaming, or home renovations, it’s wise to learn from others’ errors (see, for example, 1 Cor 10:1–11; 1 Tim 5:20). That that’s what we re going to do this morning.
As we draw nearer to Matthew’s account of Jesus’s death, the abject failures of Israel become increasingly obvious and official. While the King has been formally presented to his subjects (20:29–21:17), he is now formally rejected by his subjects (21:18–22:46). And, with the help of the Holy Spirit, we are going to learn from their mistake, avoid the consequences that come with such a misstep and, instead, be propelled forward in our personal and corporate pursuits of God-pleasing and God-glorifying maturity.
If you follow the church calendar a bit, you may have noticed that last Thursday was a memorable day. In some countries it is actually a holiday where we commemorate the Ascension of the Lord into Heaven. Now, in between Easter and Pentecost (not to mention Christmas), Ascension day may not make it into your top three Christian holidays. And so I wanted to talk about this event using three questions: 1) What happened? 2) How can we be sure that it happened? And 3) What is the significance for us?
It is not uncommon to look forward to something for a long time only to be a tad underwhelmed, unfulfilled, or disappointed at its eventual realization. Whether a particular milestone or accomplishment, a unique experience or possession, the goal has been anticipated, daydreamed about, planned for, and worked toward. And yet, when the longing gives way to reality—the milestone reached, the accomplishment grasped, the experience felt, or the possession owned—it’s not all that had been expected. It is wonderful but, at the same time, it seems that something’s missing. Something about the experience does not quite match what was envisioned.
In a way, this was what faced national Israel when their Messiah finally marched into Jerusalem, his would-be capital city, and was presented to them as their long-awaited King. It was exciting and cathartic, celebratory and worshipful. And yet, at the time, something was missing. Something didn’t quite match that which they had come to anticipate and expect.
The God of the universe calls and invites all people to obey him, to fellowship with him, and to serve him and, like a wise parent, he motivates his children in a variety of ways. Sometimes God motivates with fear (e.g., Rev 2:16). The reality of hell is terrifying and, rightly understood, is hugely incentivizing to trust in the One who can save us from it. Other times, God motivates with love (e.g., John 14:15). As we grow in an understanding of all God has done, is doing, and will do for us we are propelled by gratitude toward allegiance, commitment, and submission. There are also times God motivates with rewards (e.g., Rev 2:10, 26; 3:21). These are perks and accolades that go beyond everlasting life and, just like fear and love, can be very motivating. No doubt, that’s why God uses them to spur his people on toward faithfulness.
Jesus’s first century disciples needed some clarification on the topic of future rewards and the Holy Spirit saw fit to record and preserve this lesson for Jesus’s twenty-first century disciples as well.
Today I want to talk about Romans chapter 8. Romans 8 is one of the greatest chapters in the Bible, great because it is full of blessings for the believer, blessings that we are only beginning to appreciate as we walk with the lord. This blessed chapter follows chapter 7, one of the most troubling chapters for Christians because Romans 7 documents the great struggle we have with our sinful ways.
Romans 8 is a beautiful description of the victorious Christian life. It is bounded front and back by two amazing promises from God for those in Christ. All that self-condemnation in Romans 7 is replaced with this grand assurance, no condemnation. Then, at the end of the chapter, from verse 31 to the end he adds a second great promise, no separation from God’s love in Christ. The very best thing that could ever happen to me has happened and will continue to happen forever!
The more famous, powerful, and wealthy someone grows to be, the less approachable and available they become. For example, just as most citizens are unable to walk into the office of the Prime Minister to casually discuss public policy so most Roman Catholics can’t schedule a dinner with the Pope to chat theology. Why? Because in our world, one measure of importance is inaccessibility.
But that’s not the case with Jesus. Indeed, he who is far more famous, powerful, wealthy, and important than anyone else grants total access to all who want it (e.g., Matt 11:28; John 7:37). Yet, many people—including many Christians—don’t take advantage of the invitation to himself that Jesus offers. Instead, we put barriers between us and him. We hinder the access we have to Christ and, inso doing, trade the peace, joy, and security of being in his presence with the fear, fatigue, and insecurity that comes with being estranged. How can we remove those obstructions so as to enjoy the privilege of unhindered access to the King?
As we read the first chapter of the book of Acts, it appears that the disciples were still struggling with this resurrection thing. Over a period of 40 days, Jesus appeared to them and as Luke says “they talked about the Kingdom”, and Jesus gave them many “incontrovertible” “irrefutable”, “undeniable” proofs that he was raised from the dead. He was alive and well. But, they still are not in focus! They are concerned about one thing: the Kingdom. Their question is simple: “will you at this time restore the Kingdom to Israel?”
But Jesus says something very different from what they expected! “It is not for you to know the times or the seasons that have been set by the Father! But you will receive power when the Holy Spirit comes on you. And you will be my witnesses in Jerusalem, Judea, Samaria, and to the ends of the earth!” THEN HE LEFT! HE ASCENDS IN A CLOUD! They have their instructions. They are to be witnesses of the risen Christ!
But, I am not going to speak from the book of Acts today, though speaking from Acts on any day is a good thing. I want to speak to you from the Gospel of John, specifically about a special witness: John the Baptist
The final verse of the fifteenth chapter of Paul’s first letter to the church in Corinth invites and implores believers in Jesus Christ to stand with immovable conviction in their faith and serve their Lord with joyful confidence. Few Christians would deny their need and longing for either of these two realities. The question is, how can they be cultivated? This is where the first fifty-seven verses of the chapter come in! Therein, Paul describes how it’s the resurrection—both Jesus’s resurrection and the believers’ future resurrection—that fuels our stability and labour. Because he has risen and because we too will rise, we are empowered, motivated, inspired, humbled, and affirmed. He is risen! He is risen, indeed!
On December 19, 2013, Ontario was hit with a huge ice storm that in effect shut down the whole province. Driving was impossible and for days many were trapped in their homes. Many had to abandon their homes and go live in warm shelters for days. Tragically, in the GTA, 27 people died because of the storm. Such was the devastating effect of the power shortage.
Today we are going to look at Romans 7, a chapter that describes a power shortage, not a physical one due to an ice storm, but a spiritual one that happens in our hearts and can bring us to our knees. Then we will look at God’s provision so that we can overcome it.
Our culture is hugely confused about marriage, its importance and significance, exclusivity and accountability, permanence and purpose. The institution of marriage is often treated today as something with which to play, like a board game that can be briefly enjoyed and then discarded if broken or replaced if old. It’s treated like something to ignore, like a war monument commemorating something important but treated as archaic and impractical. Or, it’s treated like a pest, an oppressive invention of primitive generations that must be exterminated. Our culture is increasingly unclear about marriage because it increasingly rejects the God who created it. But this degradation shouldn’t happen in the church, amidst those who claim to believe in God, his sovereignty, goodness, and love. While our world lacks clarity about the institution, God’s people should be thinking clearly, sharing the Messiah’s view of marriage.
The eighteenth chapter of Matthew’s gospel account records yet another significant teaching session from the Lord Jesus Christ. Whereas he has already described the ethical standard of the kingdom (chs. 5–7), sent his disciples out to declare the nearness of the kingdom (ch. 10), and parabolically introduced novel details about the kingdom (ch. 13), Jesus here explains a defining characteristic of greatness in the kingdom—that of childlike humility. While the world clamours for status and significance through self-promotion and applauds celebrity and influence, God’s economy celebrates and rewards meekness, selfless service, submission, and sacrifice. It is after true humility that God’s people are to pursue and, in this lesson, Jesus illustrates three things that happen when they do.
When preparing for a marathon, there is a goal that is set in the runner’s mind months prior to the actual race. Much preparation, exercise, and sacrifice has been paid for by the athlete. The several hours of the race will be the pay off for all the training that was put in. The marathon runner has to note the proper diet, running shoes to wear, type of training, and the proper coaching to be a successful runner. The main goal for the marathon runner is crossing the finish line.
As we read in the passage to Timothy, Paul was also running a race. His wasn’t a physical marathon, but in many ways it was comparable. So today we’re going to look at a bit of Paul’s journey and some other texts in scripture that point us towards how to train for our own spiritual marathon. How do we best prepare to run the race well and to cross our own finish line some day?
It seems there’s a lot of bad news lately. A sample of recent news headlines report and warn of disconcerting realities that range from escalating humanitarian crises to fatal school shootings, from potential radiation leaks to continued civil unrest, from soaring gas prices to spreading wildfires. Add to the mix a combination of health concerns, growing fatigue, financial strain, relational tensions, feelings of purposelessness, and spiritual apathy and it’s difficult to avoid being overwhelmed with fear and uncertainty.
However, times like these should prompt God’s people to be reminded of how the story ends, what the future holds, and how God wins. This isn’t to bury our heads in the sand and ignore the fallenness of the world but, instead, to behold afresh the good news of the hope we’ve been given that can energize, give endurance, restore joy, inspire thanksgiving, and spark true anticipation in spite of all the bad news.
One of the most beautiful and awe-inspiring things is to have a water’s-edge view as a storm builds and works its way in across a lake. There is something about watching the clouds billow and darken, the waves picking up in size and intensity, and the raw power of the lightning as it almost seems to crackle across the surface of the water, that reminds you of just how puny and powerless you really are.
Well, it would seem that King David may have had similar thoughts, because in the psalm we are going to look at today, he uses the imagery of a violent storm to describe the breadth of glory and strength found in our God, and presents it as the fuel and inspiration for our worship.
It's never a bad time for us all to hear some reminders of just how great and deserving of worship our God is, and we're going to find that today in Psalm 29. Specifically, we’re going to see in David’s words a What, a Why, and a Now What? What does God deserve? Why does he deserve it? And Now What do we do about it?
Life is always going to be difficult, but we can avoid a lot of hardship and needless struggle when we are prepared and practice the essentials. In the spiritual realm there are essentials to practice, and one area is in our prayer life.
Scripture is clear that, for those who follow the Lord Jesus and proclaim the riches of his saving grace, causing someoffence is unavoidable. “For we are a fragrance of Christ to God among those who are being saved and among those who are perishing; to the one an aroma from death to death, to the other an aroma from life to life” (2 Cor 2:15–16). In other words, Christians stink and only the perfume of Spirit-wrought regeneration can transform that stench into a sweet-smelling fragrance.
Indeed, some offence is inevitable. But there is also some offence that can and should be avoided. There are battles that don’t need to be fought and confrontations that don’t need to be sought. In fact, when believers fail to recognize these distinction they can risk overshadowing, confusing, and distracting from the gospel itself. And it takes humility and discernment to know which are which.
“You are more powerful, capable, and resilient than you realize!” Supposedly motivational statements like this one are common in a humanistic culture that’s obsessed with self-esteem and that preaches purpose, joy, contentment, and success are all available with the right mindset, a positive attitude, and unwavering self-belief.
However, the Bible is clear that none of that is true and, in fact, thinking in those terms and believing those lies actually robs people of the power that is actually available—a power that’s inexhaustible, unfathomable, and supernatural. Matthew’s account of the liberation of the demonized boy showcases the amazing power available to God’s otherwise powerless people, its purpose, its accessibility, and reasons it is often ignored and unused.
There are certain sections of Scripture that seem especially holy, accounts like Moses at the burning bush, the Hebrews at the foot of Mount Sinai, the Christ-welcoming night in Bethlehem, and the women at the empty tomb. These are sacred scenes that invite God’s people nearer God’s glory, power, and grace. The transfiguration of Jesus likewise falls into that magnificent category.
In his book, The Training of the Twelve, A. B. Bruce suggests that “the transfiguration is one of those passages in the Saviour’s earthly history which [a preacher] would rather pass over in reverent silence” (p. 190). It’s as if handling it and explaining it risks adding filth to and distracting from something otherwise pristine and breathtaking, akin to throwing a rock into a calm, silent, and picturesque mountain lake. But handle it we must as this is a text that is as essential as it is awesome, a text by which God’s people need to be both dazzled and shaped.
In the middle of the book of 2 Samuel there is a fascinating story where David, the King of Israel, is forced to flee for his life from his son Absalom. But today, rather than look at 2 Samuel, we are going to be reading from Psalm 3. When we read the intro text before the first verse, we see that this short psalm has been noted as “A Psalm of David, when he fled from his son Absalom”.
Now, I’m going to go out on a limb here and assume that the majority of us have not found ourselves in a situation where our own child has staged a multi-year rebellion that involves seeking to supplant our kingdom by poisoning the minds of our people that leads to us having to flee for our lives. However, I would also assume that many of us do know what it is like to have someone close to us betray our trust, or to face opposition from people around us that causes us to doubt or question our standing with them. I’m sure most of us don’t have to look very far to find those who dishonor our Lord by slandering his goodness or his godliness, or who are actively hostile towards him and his plans.
So today we are going to look at Psalm 3, to see David’s response to his situation. Specifically, we’re going to see David appreciating God’s sustenance, hoping for God’s salvation, and trusting in God’s sovereignty.
It’s one thing to hold a membership at a fitness centre, it’s another thing to use it. It’s wonderful to belong to a gym but its potential benefits are more fully experienced if time, sacrifice, sweat, and a bit of pain are exerted. Similarly, there are many people who have become saved members of God’s household who, for countless reasons, are not experiencing all of its familial blessings. They are redeemed by Christ but not abiding in Christ. They are converted to new life but not committed in their whole life. They are Christians but they are not disciples.
Last week we were reminded that to be saved one must believe in the person and work of Jesus, that he is “the Christ, the Son of the living God” (v. 16). This week we are going to see what it means to follow Christ, what it costs, and what it provides those who take up the call.
There are many significant questions one may ask and seek to answer in life. Why am I here? What should I do now that I am here? How shall I spend my time? Am I lovable? What is truth? Will you marry me? Where should I focus my abilities and attention? Questions like these are of great consequence and, thus, worthy of great consideration.
But of all the weighty questions we can and should ask ourselves, there is onethat eclipses all others in import. How one answers this single question—and all do answer it, knowingly or otherwise—is eternity-defining and reality-shaping. The question is this: Who is Jesus Christ? Matthew 16:13–20 presents the answers of people who lived during the years of Jesus’s first advent and, ultimately, forces us, thousands of years later, to consider our own response.
Have you ever been confronted by an individual who is displeased about something you have done, something you have said, or some way you have behaved? It can be a jarring and upsetting encounter, regardless of the purity of the intentions, the veracity of the claims, and the closeness of the relationship. Having to face the reality that there are those who are upset with us, disapproving of us, or even disliking of us is an unpleasant experience.
As we come to Matthew 16, we find this is exactly what happens to the Lord Jesus Christ. A group of high-power, high-brow, high-influence people seek him out for the express purpose of publicly exposing him as the fraud they think he is. How will Jesus respond? What can we learn from this malicious attack? What warning does God have for us who live two-thousand years later?
The humanitarian organization, Doctors Without Borders, is on a mission to mobilize doctors, nurses, and other healthcare professionals to provide medical aid to people in parts of the world where it is most dramatically lacking. If there’s a need, this group attempts to cross all borders to meet it.
God, similarly and more perfectly, is a God without borders, constantly condescending to help, provide, sustain, and save a creation in desperate need. It is important for the people of God to be reminded that they serve a God who seeks to provide aid and that, his Son — he whom he sent into this world because of his love for this world—is likewise a Messiah without borders. He goes where there is great need. As we conclude Matthew 15, we are going to see Jesus, Israel’s anticipated Messiah and King, modelling a border-traversing mentality he wants all his followers to mimic, including you and I.
Key Passage: Matthew 15:21–39
Series: Matthew: Of King and Kingdom
Speaker: Josiah Boyd
The many Christmas traditions we enjoy can spark in us a renewed appreciation of many beautiful realities. However, few are more important than the two we’re reminded of tonight: First, God keeps his promises and, second, God means what he says. This season, as you take in the lights in your neighbourhood, the decorated tree in your home, the nativity scene on your mantle, and the gifts on your floor remember also that God keeps his promises and God means what he says.
Key Passage: Selected Scriptures
Series: Advent 2021
Speaker: Josiah Boyd
We all know that life doesn’t always (or often) go the way we plan or desire it, from small disappointments and frustrations, to major loss and suffering. Yet for those of us who are Bible-believing Christians, we would say that God knows what we need, even when things aren’t going the way we want them to.
We know that in the midst of the chaos when Mary and Joseph journeyed to and arrived in Bethlehem, God provided a place for Jesus to be born; and it’s a story that is known and remembered by millions, if not billions, of people around the globe, even after 2000 years. We know that Jesus being born on that not-so-silent night was exactly what we as humanity needed, because he would grow up to save us.
In arguably the most well-known verse there is in the Bible, John 3:16, it says, “For God so loved the world, that he gave his only Son, so that everyone who believes in him will not perish, but have eternal life.” And it’s this Son-sending, eternal-life-providing love of God that we’re going to focus on with our time today.
Join Dr. Jim Rennie as he shares a message on the third Sunday of Advent: Hope.
Speaker: Dr. Jim Rennie
According to the 2020 Global Peace Index, Canada is currently the sixth-most peaceful nation in the world as it enjoys both positive peace, “the attitudes, institutions, and structures that create and sustain peaceful societies,” and negative peace, “the absence of violence or fear of violence.” In other words, Canada has peace because it has cultural building blocks in place that discourage and prevent significant conflict. And that’s wonderful! However, when Scripture talks about peace—or shalom—it often means something more substantial than a mere absence of violence. Rather, the word carries with it ideas of universal flourishing, sin-free wholeness, and uninterrupted delight. By God’s grace, our country may be one of the most peaceful on earth but few would claim Canada enjoys biblical peace. And the fundamental reason why is that our nation, like every nation, is full of individuals who don’t experience the wholeness and delight of God’s shalom.
Text: Selected Scriptures
Series: Advent 2021
Speaker: Josiah Boyd
Everybody wants to be happy, a desire that’s understandable and expected when we remember what Scripture teaches about human origins. In the beginning we were made good creatures by a good God to enjoy his goodness unendingly. Certainly a joy-filled start! But when Adam and Eve believed the lie that something greater existed outside of what had been provided, they turned their backs on the source joy, God himself, moving immediately from shameless to shameful. Graciously, even before these first rebels left Eden, God had already provided a hope-filled promise that, one day, this perfect joy would be restored through an individual. And, since then, God’s people had been on the lookout for the One who would defeat evil, restore creation, and reconcile now-fallen humanity to an always-holy God.
Centuries later, against an underwhelming backdrop, comes an announcement that this promise was being fulfilled—the Christ had arrived!
Key Passage: Luke 2:1–14
Series: Advent 2021
Speaker: Josiah Boyd
In the book of Job, we read how God removes his hand of protection from Job, opens him up to attacks of Satan, and then seemingly leaves Job hanging in the dark, without an explanation for why God does this. And from chapters 3 until 32, Job and his three friends wrestle, argue, and debate. Job’s friends are convinced that Job must have done something terrible that deserves God’s judgment. Job doubles down and holds on to his integrity.
The book of Job has often been cast as a discussion about the problem of suffering: Why does God allow suffering? And this is an argument in the world: If God is good, how can he allow suffering? How can God be almighty and good? I am not qualified to answer the question of suffering (which is a different way of saying that I do not know the answer). But I do want to study with you this chapter of Job, and learn more about Job, Satan, and God.
Key Passage: Job 1
Speaker: Nate Vellekoop
Join Lew as he walks through the Book of Deuteronomy to study and observe Moses.
Key Passage: Selected passages from Deuteronomy
Speaker: Lew Worrad
Join Lew as he walks through the story of Balaam.
Key Passage: Numbers 22-24
Speaker: Lew Worrad
Whether we realize it or not, whether we understand it or not, and whether we believe it or not, we are all at war (Eph 6:10–11). This particular war is not over territory, money, or national peace. This is a war for the human heart and it has been raging for millennia with countless casualties. The Creator God wants our hearts—our reciprocated love, our unwavering loyalty, our undiluted adoration—things he’s clearly owed. The Enemy, on the other hand, wants to prevent that from happening, to steal or distract our attention so we will experience the terrible consequences that always accompany idolatry.
Whether or not we realize it, understand it, or believe it, we are in a war for our hearts every moment of every day. Is there hope of winning? How do we advance? Can we avoid missteps and setbacks? What’s the key to victory?
Key Passage: Matthew 15:1–20
Series: Matthew: Of King and Kingdom
Speaker: Josiah Boyd
Most cellphones today come equipped with passcodes, facial recognition software, fingerprint scanning capabilities, and multistep-step user verification. Why? It’s all for the purpose of ensuring that whoever is accessing the information stored inside the device is the person who should be accessing all the information stored inside the device! We understand that failure to identify—or misidentifying—the one using the phone can bring frustration, inconvenience, danger, and even harm. Simply stated, identity recognition and conformation can be serious business.
What’s true of cellphone access and private data is exponentially (and eternally) more true about the person of Jesus Christ. Failing to rightly recognize, confirm, and prioritize the true identity of the Saviour has dire consequences. There simply could not be more at stake.
Key Passage: Matthew 13:53–14:36
Series: Matthew: Of King and Kingdom
Speaker: Josiah Boyd
As one reads the gospel according to Matthew, a pattern can be identified in how the author, inspired by the Holy Spirit, presents his account of the life and ministry of Jesus Christ, alternating between stories about Jesus and teachings of Jesus. The book opens with the story about Jesus’s birth and ministry preparation (chs. 1–4) followed by a robust teaching on kingdom principles (chs. 5–7). Matthew then records stories about Jesus performing claim-authenticating miracles (chs. 8–9) before recounting a teaching that prepared his disciples to extend his ministry to Israel (ch. 10). Story again comes next with the climactic confrontation between the Lord and the Pharisees (chs. 11–12) leading into an exclusively parabolic teaching session before both the crowds and the twelve (ch. 13). It’s this third discourse we conclude today, being reminding of Jesus’s new teaching method, identifying the mysteries he’s presenting, and taking seriously the mission he puts before us.
Key Passage: Matthew 13:31–35, 44–52
Series: Matthew: Of King and Kingdom
Speaker: Josiah Boyd
Anyone walking into a church baptism service might be confused about what was happening. Hot tubs are for back yards or for spas, but in a church? “What is going on?”, they would ask in their confusion, and understandably so. But some believers who should know what is going on may have a shaky understanding as well. They might know that all believers are commanded by Christ to be baptized, and that is true. They might have some idea that it is tied in with declaring your faith publicly, but the rest is kind of sketchy. To help clear away some of the confusion, Dr. Jim Rennie shares 5 words about baptism. Baptism is symbolic of great truths and is rich in meaning.
Key Passage: Selected Scriptures
Speaker: Dr. Jim Rennie
The thirteenth chapter of Matthew’s gospel records an abrupt shift in Jesus’s teaching ministry. Responding to his formal rejection as messianic King by Israel’s leadership (12:24), the Lord pivots from a clear declaration of the nearness of the kingdom of heaven to seemingly simple stories that, as he explains to his disciples, are meant to reveal new kingdom truths to some and, at the very same time, conceal those truths from others (13:11–12).
Today we come to the parable of the tares among wheat, the second parable in total but the first that purposes to uncover a novel kingdom reality. This, like that of the sower before it (13:3–9, 18–23), is a parable that Jesus both tells (13:24–30) and later interprets (13:36–43) for his disciples. From this text we want to grow in our understanding of the parable itself, the mystery it revealed, and the implications for us today.
Key Passage: Matthew 13:24–30, 36–43
Series: Matthew: Of King and Kingdom
Speaker: Josiah Boyd
Up to this point in Matthew’s gospel there has been a consistent and clear proclamation of the nearness of the kingdom of heaven (see 3:2; 4:17; 10:7). Jesus’s ministry had been one characterized by urgency and excitement, rebuke and invitation. However, opposition had been brewing and, in chapters 11 and 12, it came to a head as Israel’s leadership looked Jesus in the eyes and declared on behalf of the nation, “We don’t believe you and we don’t want you” (see 12:24)! This rejection was labelled by the Lord as unforgivable (12:32) and irreversible (12:37).
A thoughtful reader of Matthew’s gospel has to ask at this point, what now? Israel, having waited centuries for their messianic King, shunned him when he finally arrived! What’s this rejected Christ going to do now? Matthew 13 records Jesus’s reaction and the necessary but calculated shift that takes place in his ministry going forward.
Key Passage: Matthew 13:1–23
Series: Matthew: Of King and Kingdom
Speaker: Josiah Boyd
When I was a kid, I used to hate going on road trips. I would get really bored, and even when there were things like books I wanted to read or video games I wanted to play, I used to have fairly significant motion sickness, so those options weren’t usually viable for more than a few minutes. So whenever we were going on a trip, my mom would take some steps and make preparations to try and make it as bea
The result was, after a certain point in time, while I probably wouldn’t say I loved road trips, I at least stopped actively hating them so much. They were more bearable when we prepared for the journey.
But often what is most important is having an idea of what to expect when we get there. Well, like the Psalms of Ascents that we looked at a few weeks ago, today we’re going to look at a psalm that was sung on journeys or pilgrimages.
As we work our way through this psalm, we are going to see the people of God, fueled by their expectations, joyfully anticipating their time of praise in God’s presence, filled with strength for the journey, and confident in the blessings that are sure to be waiting for them.
Key Passage: Psalm 84
Speaker: Andrew Longmire
It’s been said that failures are like a compost heap — they stink but are the most fertile part of the garden! We’ve all experienced failure to varying degrees of severity and publicity, making mistakes in things we’ve thought, said, and done. Sometimes the blunders are containable, rectifiable, and forgettable. Other times, however, they’re not. At those times, failures do, indeed, stink. But they can also be very fertile times in life. When our missteps and mistakes are examined, they can be fodder for growth and recalibration. A thoughtful and intentional person learns from failure, identifying factors that contributed to it, and recognizing how best to avoid its repetition.
Matthew 12 has recorded one of the greatest failures in the history of the world: Israel’s rejection of their messianic King. What were the consequences of such a blunder? What were its causes? Is there a cure that could help us avoid similar foolishness?
Key Passage: Matthew 12:38–50
Series: Matthew: Of King and Kingdom
Speaker: Josiah Boyd
Please note there were technical difficulties with the audio during the recording of this sermon.
Matthew 12 reads like the transcript of the final scenes of a long courtroom drama—The People v. Jesus of Nazareth. It’s a trial that as arrested the attention of the entire nation of Israel.
This otherwise nondescript Rabbi burst onto the scene claiming to be the long-awaited messianic king and boldly offering to establish the divinely-promised, eternal kingdom characterized by unending peace, unfathomable prosperity, unfettered godliness, and unabating rest. For months he taught and healed, travelled and modelled, fulfilled prophecy and challenged orthodoxy, all of which sparked a growing polarization among the people. Many believed, followed, and trusted him. Others, particularly Israel’s religious leaders, were scandalized by his claims.
The trial now, however, is coming to an end. The evidence is about to be summarized so that it is fresh in the minds of the jury who will then, after quick deliberation, hand down a final, irrevocable verdict that will define the entire case as well as the fate of a generation.
Key Passage: Matthew 12:15–37
Series: Matthew: Of King and Kingdom
Speaker: Josiah Boyd
Join Lew Worrad as he dives into the book of Esther on August 29th, 2021
Key Passage: Book of Esther
Speaker: Lew Worrad
It’s amazing how the physical presence of an employer can impact the work of their employees. When the boss shows up frivolity fades, laziness vanishes, focus sharpens, and productivity increases. The mere presence of one with authority over jobs and power to sign paycheques causes a change in behaviour.
As Christ followers, we believe that God, as Creator and Sustainer of all things, is the boss and that he doesn’t merely show-up on occasion but that he’s ever-present with and among his people. And it makes sense that, just as employees are affected by the presence and character of their boss, so too God’s people are impacted by the presence and character of our God. As we are alerted more and more to what he’s like and where he is, our apathy fades, laziness dies, focus sharpens, and productivity increases. God’s people become more worshipful because we grow in our understanding that he’s worthy of all worship. We bless his name because we revel in the blessings he has poured out upon us.
Key Passage: Psalm 134:1–3
Series: Two Views From the Mountaintop
Speaker: Josiah Boyd
On July 23, the Canadian women’s eight rowing crew won the gold medal at the Tokyo Olympic Games. The team is made up of athletes ranging in age from 24 to 35. They’re from different hometowns, represent different sport clubs, have been shaped by different coaches, different families, different hobbies, and different preferences. How does a group of people that differ so significantly demonstrate such successful athletic unity? The answer is that what they have in common—a passion for sport, desire to win, commitment to train, and willingness to sacrifice—is more powerful than what they don't.
That’s how unity works. It’s the realization of and commitment to shared realities that transcend diversity. And God’s people are to be marked by this type of unity; a togetherness that joins diverse people with the glue of the gospel and that fosters a community of love and belonging, security and sanctification, influence and power.
Key Passage: Psalm 133:1–3
Series: Two Views From the Mountaintop
Speaker: Josiah Boyd
In our study of the seven churches of Revelation we have come to the last church. Laodicea was a big town, a rich town. People loved their leisure, living in the lap of luxury. Laodicea reminds us of our own community, affluent and living the good life, but neglecting the Lord. However, the church is called to resist the influence of the world around it. But the Laodicean Christians did not listen to this warning. They began to take on the character of the society around them and they became materialistic in their thinking and behaviour.
As with the other letters, there is a pattern. Jesus reveals something of himself, his character, taken from the picture of Christ in chapter 1. Then a commendation, followed by a concern where he points out the troubles. Next, there is a corrective for the trouble, and finally, Jesus’ compassion.
Key Passage: Revelation 3:14-22
Series: Revelation: Come, Lord Jesus
Speaker: Dr. Jim Rennie
Christianity asserts a number of seemingly counter intuitive truths. For example, wealth comes through poverty, maturity through childlikeness, exaltation by submission, life via death, glory by suffering, and freedom through enslavement.* Truths like these are difficult for us to grasp because our sinful nature screams rebellion and our ignorant world preaches their opposites.
Another such reality is presented throughout Scripture promising peace, joy, purpose, influence, protection, and blessing, and summarized by the apostle Paul: “When I am weak, then I am strong” (2 Cor 12:10). Counter intuitively, true power is seen, found, and experienced in total weakness. What Paul was writing to the church in Corinth, the church in Philadelphia was likewise experiencing. It’s not until believers are stripped of earthly influence, competence, and independence that God’s power can be fully understood and demonstrated.
Key Passage: Revelation 3:7–13
Series: Revelation: Come, Lord Jesus
Speaker: Josiah Boyd
This sermon was preached by Pastor Josiah to Stone Ridge Bible Chapel in Hamilton, ON on July 18, 2021.
Key Passage: Ecclesiastes 5:10–20
Series: N/A
Speaker: Josiah Boyd
A common practice for many sport teams is to watch film from previous games. Oftentimes a coach will lead these viewings, stopping the tape from time to time to point out successes and failures, strengths and weaknesses, areas to be applauded and areas to improve. The purpose behind these sessions isn’t humiliation or confrontation but, rather, refinement, motivation, and group cohesion. A good coach knows that a team rises and falls together; that while a weak member harms the whole, a strong member can inspire those faltering.
Sardis, like every church since (including our own), is a team that has on her roster some who are struggling and some who are thriving. In our text today, Coach Jesus watches some game film with that congregation—correcting, challenging, affirming, and encouraging— with the ultimate goal being the strengthening, effectiveness, and growth of the entire team.
Key Passage: Revelation 3:1–6
Series: Revelation: Come, Lord Jesus
Speaker: Josiah Boyd
For the past several weeks we have been studying the letters to the Seven Churches found in the second and third chapters of the Book of Revelation.
There are two bed rock things we must keep in mind as we study these churches: First, they were historical churches, that is they existed as real churcheswith real pastors and real buildings and, second, they are at the same time pictorial churches, meaning that as we observe these churches we can see something of the strengths and weaknesses of our own churches.
Key Passage: Revelation 2:18–29
Series: Revelation: Come, Lord Jesus
Speaker: Lew Worrad
Avid hikers are used to receiving warnings before setting off on their favourite trails—“beware loose stones,” “watch for bears,” “look out for falling trees.” However, in 2021, apparently there’s a new hazard that demands caution: The selfie. Says one New York news outlet, “what many people don't think about is that every year dozens of people across the country are injured or killed by taking a selfie and not watching their footing. Many park officials have put up signs and barriers to keep hikers safe on popular trails, but many people ignore them and get as close as possible to the edges of cliffs and waterfalls to get the perfect photo.” Wanting to capture the moment, danger and warnings are ignored to potentially harmful and fatal ends. Like these determined shutterbugs, the church of Jesus Christ can become distracted well—whether by hardship or success—to the point of ignoring warning signs, sacrificing footing, and risking harm to ourselves, one another, and the mission we’ve been entrusted with.
Key Passage: Revelation 2:12–17
Series: Revelation: Come, Lord Jesus
Speaker: Josiah Boyd
Polycarp (AD 70–155), the bishop of Smyrna, was urged by the Roman proconsul to publicly renounce his faith in Jesus or face execution for the amusement of the anti-Christian culture of the day. In response to the deadly ultimatum, the man of God said: “Eighty and six years have I served him, and he never did me any injury. How then can I blaspheme my King and my Saviour?” Thus, the fire was lit and Polycarp was burned at the stake.
This is just one example of countless saints who have chosen agony and over apostasy, death over denial of Christ, conviction over capitulation, and earthly loss over heavenly loss. Stories like theirs force us to ask ourselves weighty questions: Would I join them if faced with the same dilemma? Could I endure persecution without compromise? These are exactly the types of questions Christ asks his people to consider in our passage today—“Are you prepared to die for me?”
Key Passage: Revelation 2:8–11
Series: Revelation: Come, Lord Jesus
Speaker: Josiah Boyd
Imagine Oakridge got a letter from Christ. What would it say? What would he commend us for as a church? What would he rebuke? Where would he encourage us, and where would he correct us? These are the sort of questions we can be asking ourselves as we take the next seven weeks to read the letters to the seven churches in Revelation 2 and 3. Today we’re going to start with the church at Ephesus and see that it's good to do good, but our motives matter.
Key Passage: Revelation 2:1-7
Series: Revelation: Come, Lord Jesus
Speaker: Andrew Longmire
Everyone loves a good story and I have a great story to tell today. It is the story of future history. It's not fictional—the product of someone’s imagination—but it's a true story. It's called "The Revealing of Jesus Christ." This story is about the future, about the things that must soon take place. But where did this story come from? It came from God. It came through Jesus Christ. Then, by means of an angel, to the apostle John. Then, through the apostle John, to all the servants of Jesus. But, not only is Jesus telling the story, he is the subject of the story. This story is an autobiography of Jesus.
Key Passage: Revelation 1:1-20
Speaker: Dr. Jim Rennie
There are many experiences in life that prompt mixed emotions. Walking a daughter down the aisle can bring a father sadness and joy, nostalgia and pride. Dropping a child off at school for the first time—whether kindergarten or university—is a feelings’ factory for parents. Attending a Christian funeral both breaks the heart with grief and fills the heart with hope. These types of circumstances are beyond simple sentiment and spark a variety of simultaneous emotions to be recognized, understood, and managed. So it is as our church family begins to again re-gather after a time of forced separation. There is, all at once, relief, gratitude, joy, and cautious optimism. But there is also a gnawing cynicism, a deep fatigue, and a resigned helplessness. In other words, it’s a time of mixed emotions. What do we do with all of that? Are those appropriate reactions? How can we move forward in a way most pleasing to the Lord?
Key Passage: Psalm 126
Speaker: Josiah Boyd
We talk a lot about grace in the church, and, rightly so! As Christians, we are saved by grace, live by grace, mature in Christ by grace, are filled with grace so as to extend grace to others, both inside and outside the church. The importance of God’s grace cannot be overstated. But there’s an enemy of God’s grace that lurks in every Christian church, in every Christian family, and in every Christian heart. That enemy’s name is legalism, and it’s antithetical to grace as it elevates rules, expectations, and traditions to a place of authority that only Scripture should have. Legalism kills joy, strangles liberty, and may be the most tolerated sin in Christianity because it masquerades as serious-holiness and super-spirituality. Our text today is going to help us identify it as the monster that it is and highlight four terrible consequences of legalism.
Key Passage: Matthew 12:1–14
Series: Matthew: Of King and Kingdom
Speaker: Josiah Boyd
Philip Melancthon, the great Reformation theologian, once said to his friend and mentor, Martin Luther, “Today you and I will discuss the governance of the universe.” It’s reported that Luther calmly responded: “Today we’ll go fishing and leave the governance of the universe to God.” That’s a picture of resting in the Almighty! And, Lord knows, our world could use some of that today, couldn’t it? We all desire a respite from doubts and fears, weariness and loneliness, stressors and frustrations, burdens and obligations. Wouldn’t it be wonderful to just “leave it all to God”? Today we’re going to be reminded by Jesus that that type of “divine holiday" is very much available to us all. But we’re also going to notice the realization and experience and enjoyment of that rest necessitates humility. The reality is, pride robs us of rest while humility sends us fishing.
Key Passage: Matthew 11:20–30
Series: Matthew: Of King and Kingdom
Speaker: Josiah Boyd
Expectations can dictate experiences. If our expectations of a relationship or situation are inaccurate, unrealistic, or misguided then disappointment, disillusionment, and discouragement often result. To expect your spouse to meet all your needs, your job provide unwavering purpose, your education to secure sustained credibility, or your children to bring unblemished pride is a fool’s errand. This type of anticipation, rooted in nothing more than wishful thinking, is a recipe for tragedy because expectations can dictate experiences. And it’s much the same with our relationship with God and the life of following Jesus. Behind every disappointment with God, every frustration with Christianity, and every disillusionment with the church lurks unbiblical expectations. Why? Because expectations can dictate experiences.
Key Passage: Matthew 11:2–19
Series: Matthew: Of King and Kingdom
Speaker: Josiah Boyd
Without doubt, other than creation, The Exodus is the single greatest event in the Old Testament. It is an incredible story. It is a story of rescue and release. It is a story of God rescuing Israel from Egypt. He not only rescues them from Egypt he leads them through the desert to the Promised Land. It is a story full of the miraculous work of God on behalf of his people. They are on their way from slavery to freedom. They are on a journey! It is a story that is lived not only by Israelites but by every person who has ever sought to follow God. In this sense, the Exodus is a New Testament story as well.
Selected Scriptures
Speaker: Lew Worrad
The Gospel according to Matthew is written in such a way that it oscillates between stories about Jesus and the teachings of Jesus. All in all, there are five major sections of discourse in this particular book, the first of which is the oft-labelled Sermon on the Mount (chapters 5–7). The second, our text of study today, is an instructional passage often referred to as the Commissioning of the Twelve. As we take in the entirety of this discourse, we’re going to experience the full force of what Jesus was asking of his first-century disciples and, by extension, what he’s asking of disciples today.
Key Passage: Matthew 9:35–11:1
Series: Matthew: Of King and Kingdom
Most are familiar with this cinematic scene: A bomb with a visible timer is counting down to detonation and, apparently, the only way to disarm it is to cut one of its two exposed wires. One, if snipped, will shut the bomb off while the other will set it off. It’s a binary choice with life at stake and time running out.
In many ways, that’s the situation Israel was facing in Matthew 9. They had a decision to make about Jesus: Is he the Messiah or not? It was a binary choice with life at stake and the clock ticking. Now, unlike in the movies where the choice is often guesswork, Israel’s is not. In addition to national expectation and scriptural prediction, since 8:1, Jesus has been providing evidence, authenticating his authority through healings, exorcisms, and fulfilled prophecies. Which wire will the nation cut? Which choice will you and I make?
Key Scripture: Matthew 9:18–34
Speaker: Josiah Boyd
While Da Vinci’s Mona Lisa is arguably one of the world’s most famous works of art, if you’ve ever seen it (whether in-person at the Louvre in Paris or in photos online) you’ll know that it hangs on a plain, tan wall in a large, mostly-empty room. The original rationale for such simplicity of presentation was to help patrons avoid “museum fatigue” caused by over-stimulation. But a 2017 study vindicated the decision as it found that “appreciating beauty takes conscious thought—and therefore, distracting a person can prevent them from fully taking in the work of art before them.” Simply stated: Beauty is best appreciated when undistracted. The same is true of following Jesus. The Christian life is a beautiful thing, but when we’re distracted—by sin, tradition, culture, or preferences—its enjoyment and effectiveness can be diminished.
Key Passage: Matthew 9:9–17
Speaker: Josiah Boyd
As Christians, we have been saved unto eternal life. We have been moved from darkness to light, from death to life. We have, by God's grace, been raised with Jesus Christ and are seated with with him in the heavenly places. We are forgiven of all sins—past, present, and future—and are free from our deserved condemnation. Honestly, this list could get very long if we simply continued to list all the beautiful, wonderful blessings the believer has through faith in Jesus Christ, the Son of God, the resurrected Messiah.
The question is, though, since all that is true, how now shall we live? How do these marvellous realities move us into action? How does what we have in Christ propel us into this world? How does the knowledge of what we've been freed from and freed toward motivate our pursuit of holiness? How does the good news we've received send us into the world to those who haven't heard?
Key Passage: Matthew 28:1-20
Speaker: Stephen Hawkins
Current news headlines suggest that we have a lot to be afraid of. A spreading virus, a falling economy, government overreach, climate change, creeping totalitarianism, the disintegration of the family, attacks on freedom of speech, and accusations of hate speech. It's like we’re in a house of mirrors that, instead of seeing our own reflection everywhere we turn, we see the reflection of something that could kill us, hurt us, or take something from us. We’re surrounded! Yet, at the same time, fearful Christians are bad advertisement for the God of all comfort and peace. In other words, Christ-followers should respond differently than others to all the fearful happenings around us. But how? Matthew’s helps us answer that question and encourages us in taking small steps away from fear and toward faith.
Key Passage: Matthew 8:23–9:8
Speaker: Josiah Boyd
They say "seeing is believing". While human beings have always sought to understand and explain things that are confusing to them, now, more than ever perhaps, the world is very skeptical of things that don't make sense. And while there are parts of Christianity that are agreeable to most, the reality is that Christians worship a supernatural God whose actions can't always be explained or understood in a natural way.
Key Passage: 1 Corinthians 15:1-19
Speaker: Andrew Longmire
In Hebrews 11:1 we see that hope is another aspect of faith in the unseen or the future. Hope is faith directed to the future.
Hope in the secular sense is the expectation of good. Christian hope goes beyond that to the expectation of God and Christ. I believe that God not only worked in the past and is working in the present, but will work in the future for his glory and my blessing. He has made promises to that effect. Believing in those promises and having a sureness that they will unfold, and that I choose to invest in them is what the Bible calls hope.
Key Passage: Hebrews 11:1
Speaker: Dr. Jim Rennie
Suppose today Jesus was to ask you, “What are you seeking?” What would you say? What would you tell him? Could you tell him that you were seeking God with all of your heart, all of your soul, all of your strength and all of your mind? Could you even tell him that mostly you were trying to seek him but you slip just a little now and then? Could you say that?
While world leaders today are busy talking about the Great Reset, a new start, a new beginning for humanity, (really, the humanistic new creation is what they're talking about!), I want us to consider today a Great Spiritual Reset! That is, us getting our lives reoriented to True North, where True North means Jesus.
Text: Selected Scriptures
Speaker: Lew Worrad
It’s wise to, once-in-a-while, be reminded of what we already know so as to make sure we’re still moving in the right direction. It’s why a student will return to their course syllabus, why a traveller will recheck their compass, why a chef reviews their recipe, and why a contractor revisits their blueprints. These actions are rarely taken with the intention of learning something new but, rather, to be reminded of what’s expected, what lays ahead, and what they’re supposed to be doing. Matthew 8:18–22 records Jesus teaching on a familiar subject: discipleship. For most of us, following Jesus isn’t a novel concept and, so, we come to this short paragraph less to learn something fresh and more to be reminded of what’s expected of us, what lays ahead, and what we’re supposed to be doing to follow well.
Key Passage: Matthew 8:18–22
Speaker: Josiah Boyd
In the early days of his earthly ministry, Jesus made many bold claims. He said he was going to make fishers of men (4:19). He declared himself humanity’s final Judge (7:22–23) and the ultimate fulfiller of the law (5:17), a law he asserted had been mishandled and mis-taught by Israel’s religious leaders (5:20–48). Yet, perhaps Jesus’s boldest claim was that he was the God-promised King they’d been waiting centuries for and that, if they repented as a nation, he would establish the anticipated eternal reign of peace and prosperity. That’s big talk! But why would Israel believe him? How could they tell if Jesus actually was who he was claiming to be and could do what he was claiming to do? They’d need proof and, that’s exactly what Jesus gives them in Matthew 8 and 9 as he demonstrates his authority over people, diseases, demons, and even nature itself.
Key Passage: Matthew 7:28–8:17
Speaker: Josiah Boyd
Storms in this life are as inescapable as they can be vicious. The rains of depression, fearfulness, and loneliness fall. The floods of personal sin, family tension, and relational brokenness come. The winds of cultural tension, social pressure, and godless societies blow. And all of it, at times, slams against the walls of our lives. In fact, so common is this experience that it can safely be assumed that each and every one of us is, right now, recovering from, going through, or preparing for such an affliction. Sometimes all three at once! As Jesus concludes his so-called Sermon on the Mount, he acknowledges that while such overwhelming trials are inevitable in this life, being overcome by them is not. As he concludes his lesson, Jesus describes what its proper application produces: An unshakable life.
Key Scripture: Matthew 7:13–27
Speaker: Josiah Boyd
We worship a relational God. Being mysteriously Trinity—one God eternally existing in three distinct-but-equal Persons: Father, Son, and Holy Spirit—God has always been in perfect relationship with himself. And it’s this relational God who created humanity in his image and likeness (Gen 1:26–27).
As such, each of us has been created longing for, surrounded by, and in need of relationships. The problem is, Genesis 1 is followed by Genesis 3 and, when sin entered the world and the curse fell upon creation, everything was negatively affected, including relationships. Sin is why we annoy, envy, hate, abuse, fear, and fight one another. Sin is why some fear intimacy, being truly known, and trusting others.
And, while we know there is a time coming when sin will be removed and we will enjoy relationships as they were meant to be enjoyed, we have to ask, what do we do in the meantime? How can we buffer against the brokenness of our relationships?
In Matthew 7, Jesus teaches how the pursuit of true righteousnesscan change relationships, specifically how righteousness shapes our interactions with God’s people, with God’s opponents, and with God himself.
Key Passage: Matthew 7:1–12
Speaker: Josiah Boyd
The Bible claims (and we believe!) that “all Scripture is inspired by God and useful” (2 Timothy 3:16). However, the usefulness of all Scripture is not uniformly self-evident with some passages seem more obviously applicable and more immediately practical than others! Arriving at the second half of Matthew 6, we find a text that requires very little explanation as to its modern-day relevance as, in it, Jesus addresses two temptations that each and every Christian has, is, or will battle in their lifetime. These are temptations that threaten to distract us and steal the joy and peace to which we have access in Christ. What are they? They are wealth and worry. All who have a relationship with money—whether you have it, want it, lost it, or need it—and all who experience worry, stress, or anxiety need to hear Jesus’ very useful words.
Speaker: Josiah Boyd
Key Passage: Matthew 6:19–34
Today we’re going to fight a disease together, one that often goes undetected and has eternal side-effects. The disease is that of exhibitionism—the desire to be seen and validated for doing or saying something. This is a sickness that controls lives, binds consciences, distorts motives, and spreads quickly.
While exhibitionism is always ugly, it may be at its worst when it gets into the church. You see, Christians are not immune. We’re all vulnerable to the desire of wanting to be seen doing churchy things by churchy people, whether to impress or avoid disappointing. And one of the terrible symptoms of this illness when it gets into the church is that the desire to be seen godly becomes more important than actually being godly; that more time is spent crafting the illusion of righteousness rather than pursuing real righteousness; that we elevate what those around us think over and above what God in heaven thinks of us.
This morning we want fight exhibitionism and, to do that we’re going to hear from Jesus, the Good Doctor himself, and find help in both diagnosis and treatment.
Key Scripture: Matthew 6:1–18
Speaker: Josiah
Lew walks us through the first fourteen verses of Colossians and into the context of Colossae, where a new form of heresy was sneaking into the church. Paul's message was simple: “there is no other name under heaven, given among men, whereby you must be saved…” In short, everything you need is in Jesus. In the first verses of this powerful letter, Paul gives a full-bodied picture of Christ, and then encourages the believers, prays for them, and reminds them of what God has done for them already, and where true wisdom and knowledge comes from.
Key Passage: Colossians 1:1-14
Speaker: Lew Worrad
In these days characterized by repeated lockdown, constant inconvenience, forced isolation, and a seemingly never-ending stream of bad news, do you find yourself increasingly tired, frustrated, and burdened? Or, if you don’t, do you know anyone who does? What, as Christians, are we supposed to do in response?
This morning, from Psalm 61, we’re going to find some divine guidance on what to do when we we feel weary and inadequate, helpless and fearful. As we study this passage, we’re going to find that it’s comprised of three prayers that you and I can and should be praying during times of struggle.
Speaker: Josiah Boyd
Key Passage: Psalm 61:1–8
COVID-19 has forced us apart as a church and paused or changed many of the functions of our church, but we recognize the virus doesn’t exempt us from being the church. The reality and mission of the body of Christ transcends continents, eras, and even pandemics.
God has given us assignments to which we must dedicate ourselves regardless of circumstance. These are God-given lighthouses at which we must stare and move toward, especially when the winds are strong, the waves are high, and the fog is thick.
Today, from a handful of chapters in the latter half of Paul’s letter to the Romans, we’re going to be reminded of one such assignment. More specifically, we’re going to find a root to which we must attend and, when we do, the fruit it surely produces.
Key Passage: Romans 12:1–15:13
Speaker: Josiah Boyd
The arrival and spread of the coronavirus has largely rendered churches oxymoronic unassembled assemblies tantamount to an uncrowded crowds or ungrouped groups. At Oakridge, our prayer and mission is to be a church that's like family. But how do we become family from afar? How can we operate as a body when our members are disconnected from one another?
Today we’re going to be reminded that the separation-causing hardship we’re currently facing as a church family is not unprecedented. It’s happened many times in history and, this morning, we're going back to perhaps its first occurrence. As we see how the people of God were scattered in Acts 8, we want to learn how to best navigate our days ahead with faith, trust, and effectiveness.
Key Passage: Acts 8:1-8
Speaker: Josiah Boyd
The author of Hebrews gave believers a task: "Let us consider how to stimulate one another to love and good deeds ... , not forsaking our own assembling together, as is the habit of some, but encouraging one another; and all the more as you see the day drawing near" (10:24–25). One of the ways we, as the people of God, can stimulate and encourage one another is by sharing stories of God's faithfulness.
Sarah Sutherland, a member of Oakridge Bible Chapel, shares some of what God has been teaching her over the past few years, months, and through various trials. She also encourages and challenges us to trust he would is worthy of such trust.
The author of Hebrews gave believers a task: "Let us consider how to stimulate one another to love and good deeds ... , not forsaking our own assembling together, as is the habit of some, but encouraging one another; and all the more as you see the day drawing near" (10:24–25). One of the ways we, as the people of God, can stimulate and encourage one another is by sharing stories of God's faithfulness.
Bertha Maoka, a member of Oakridge Bible Chapel, shares an abridged version of what God has done, what he is doing, and what she trusts he will do in her life.
The author of Hebrews gave believers a task: "Let us consider how to stimulate one another to love and good deeds ... , not forsaking our own assembling together, as is the habit of some, but encouraging one another; and all the more as you see the day drawing near" (10:24–25). One of the ways we, as the people of God, can stimulate and encourage one another is by sharing stories of God's faithfulness.
Bruce Pellowe, a member of Oakridge Bible Chapel, shares an abridged version of how he came to understand the gospel of Jesus Christ, trust him as Saviour, and follow him as Lord.
On this, our final Sunday together before Christmas 2020, we look together at the opening two chapters of Luke's gospel account. In these opening scenes we're remind of the oft-told but never over-told true story about God becoming flesh and dwelling among us. This is the account of how the Infinite took on finitude and the Transcendent condescended to come near.
Speaker: Lew Worrad
God's people waited hundreds of years for the Messiah. So, too, we wait for the return of Jesus as our coming King. While there are times when we wait with eager anticipation, there are other days when it seems much more like getting weary of waiting. Before Jesus was crucified, he spent some time with disciples, informing them that he was leaving, and giving them some important tasks for his time away. Today we spend time in John 14 looking at this conversation to better understand what to do while we wait.
Key Passage: John 14:1–15
Speaker: Andrew Longmire
One of the unpardonable sins in our culture today is telling someone they’re unqualified—that they don’t meet the standard necessary for participation in a given activity, employment in a specific field, or identification with an individual group. To tell someone that they can’t be or do whatever they want is actually considered by some to be an act of aggression and evidence of hatred. The problem is that we know intuitively (and certainly biblically) that carte blanche affirmation is unsustainable and, in many cases, incredibly unloving. Jesus, as he continues in his famous Sermon, tells an entire nation that they’ve missed the mark and that they don’t qualify. And just as his message wasn’t politically correct in the 1st-Century, so we’re going to be reminded that it’s the same today: That salvation and godliness are built atop a divisive reality, but that the declaration of that reality is not at all hateful but immeasurably loving.
Key Passage: Matthew 5:17–48
Speaker: Josiah Boyd
After his announcement by John the Baptist (3:1–12), his authentication at baptism (3:13–17), and his proven acceptability through temptation (4:1–11), Jesus finally appears proclaiming the imminent arrival of the kingdom that God had promised to the nation of Israel, that which they had been anticipating for centuries. And while his ministry attracted crowds as large as they were diverse, the long-awaited King takes a moment to instruct his disciples specifically. And, in the opening paragraphs of the Sermon on the Mount, Jesus has two main lessons for his followers: The first has to do with their character and the second, their commission. Jesus “opened his mouth and began to teach” his disciples who they’re to be and what they’re to do.
Key Passage: Matthew 5:1-16
Speaker: Josiah Boyd
First impressions are important and powerful. It’s why we dress-up for a job interview, act politely on a first date, prepare well for a public presentation, and wear a favourite outfit on the first day of school. First impressions can determine how someone is perceived, thought of, and remembered years after that initial introduction, no matter the meetings’ brevity or seeming insignificance. No doubt, when Jesus first appeared on the scene after his announcement by John (3:1–12), his authentication in baptism (3:13–17), and his proven acceptability through temptation (4:1–11), he made a significant impression on the people of Israel. In this, the introduction of the King to his would-be subjects, Matthew describes the impact the Lord made and how he initially made it.
Key Passage: Matthew 4:12–25
Speaker: Josiah Boyd
For centuries the Jewish people had anticipated for the arrival of the promised Messiah, one who would fulfill prophecy by sitting on David’s throne in Jerusalem and establishing a peace-filled, prosperity-bringing, Israel-exalting, liberty-ensuring kingdom without end. In their minds, King and kingdom went hand-in-hand. But now that Jesus—the one who himself claimed, and they believed, to be that King—had come and gone, they were left wondering: Where’s the kingdom? How could Jesus be the King when Caesar’s still ruling? It’s into this confusion and uncertainty that Matthew writes his gospel account seeking to assure believers that Jesus is indeed the promised Messiah and King and to explain the current and future realities of his kingdom.
Key Passage: Matthew 3:1–4:11
Speaker: Josiah Boyd
Although we now experience the pain of uncertain times, we have a certain hope for the future.
Key Passage: Romans 8:18-27
Speaker: Andrew Longmire
Many Christians are well versed in the teaching of God forgiving our sins. We also know about the teaching of forgiving one another, but there is also confusion in the way that is done. Dr. Jim Rennie teaches on this topic using selected passages in Matthew.
Key Passage: Matthew 18:21–35
Speaker: Dr. Jim Rennie
In Luke 17 we find the account of Jesus healing ten lepers but then finding only one returning to thank and worship him. They had been given a new lease on life and yet 90-percent, for whatever reason, never thought to show gratitude.
Likewise (but to a greater extent), believers have been given new life in Christ—by his grace we’ve passed from death to life, darkness to life. Today, on this thanksgiving weekend, we want to make sure that we’re “turning back” together, running to the Giver of life to express worshipful thanksgiving for such a precious gift.
Key Passage: Ephesians 2:1-10
Speaker: Josiah Boyd
As we come to the final chapter of the book of Jonah, we look back and remember to what we, as God’s people, have been called: To reflect God’s compassionate character to the world around us and to do so obediently (chapter 1), consistently (chapter 2), and indiscriminately (chapter 3). And, no doubt, we want to do those things!
So, what stops us? Why do we still struggle from time-to-time like Jonah—with disobedience, with self-righteousness, and with biased love? Chapter 4 reveals what was at the root of the prophet’s battle, and what could be at the root of ours as well. In this concluding section of the book we find that what we, as God’s people have, is often not an understanding problem (a lack of information or clarity) but a submission problem (a lack of willingness to sacrifice).
Key Passage: Jonah 4
Speaker: Josiah Boyd
The Apostle James describes the Bible as a mirror into which God’s people are to look, see their ungodliness rightly reflected, and be motivated to change (James 1:22–25). In other words, Scripture is given, not for mere information but for application and life transformation.
Having looked for a couple of weeks into the mirror of Jonah, we’ve been forced to ask ourselves some difficult questions. In chapter one, seeing a prodigal prophet running from God, we asked Do I reflect God’s compassionate character obediently? In chapter two, watching the pious prophet praying against God, we asked Do I reflect God’s compassion consistently?
As we now come to chapter three we find a pedestrian prophet speaking for God and we’re forced to look into that mirror again and, this time, ask ourselves Do I reflect God’s compassionate character indiscriminately?
Key Passage: Jonah 3
Speaker: Josiah Boyd
Just as a diary or journal can provide a “window into the soul” of its writer, so too prayers can reveal the heart of the pray-er. How we pray, when we pray, and what we pray for often showcases what we truly believe about God, ourselves, and life a pilgrims in a fallen world.
The second chapter of Jonah gives us an inspired eavesdropping session on the prayers of the prophet. And by listening we learn a lot about him as we find a hypocritical prayer marked by self-preservation, self-exoneration, and self-righteousness, characteristics that are especially disagreeable when contrasted with the character of the God to whom the prayers are being directed; a God who is generous, patient, and compassionate.
This prayer gives us a look into Jonah’s heart and invites you and I to examine our own.
Key Passage: Jonah 2
Speaker: Josiah Boyd
While obviously preferring obedience, there are times when parents allow their children to experience the consequences of their disobedience. So it is with God and his children. He has been clear in his parental instruction, inviting us to enjoy the abundant life he offers and warning us against activities that will rob us of it. And when we disobey—and we do disobey, don’t we?—there are times he wisely and lovingly allows us to experience the consequences of our disobedience.
As we begin our study of the book of Jonah, we find an example of just that. Jonah disobeys the Lord and is then allowed to experience the consequences of that rebellion. So, this prophet ends up serving as a negative example to us and a reminder as to what’s at stake when God calls you and I to obey his voice.
Key Passage: Jonah 1:1–17
Speaker: Josiah Boyd
Join us for a second week of Jude, part of the Biblical Postcard Series!
Key Passage: Jude 17-25
Speaker: Dr. Jim Rennie
Join speaker Jim Rennie as we take a look at the book of Jude, part of Oakridge's summer series, Biblical Postcards.
Key Passage: Jude 1–16
Speaker: Dr. Jim Rennie
As has always been the case, our culture today demands people be on “the right side of history” regarding any number of issues. The implication is, you don’t want to get left behind clinging to archaic, outdated ways of thinking. “The world is progressing,” they say. “Keep pace, keep quiet, and make sure you align yourself, your mind, and your actions with our demands.”
Today we’re going to be reminded from the book of Obadiah that the only right side of any issue is God’s side and that any time we oppose to him, his people, his work, or his word we are putting ourselves in the crosshairs of his perfect and pending justice.
Key Passage: Obadiah 1–21
Speaker: Josiah Boyd
Welcome to our fourth and final week as Lew wraps up the book of Ruth
Key Passage: Ruth 4
Speaker: Lew Worrad
Week 3 of our Biblical Postcards series focusing on the book of Ruth!
Key Passage: Ruth 3
Speaker: Lew Worrad
Join Lew as his continues with the second week of the book of Ruth!
Key Passage: Ruth 2
Speaker: Lew Worrad
Continuing on with our summer series, join Lew as he takes on a new book of the bible - Ruth!
Key Passage: Ruth 1
Speaker: Lew Worrad
Many people today are engaged in the relentless DIY project of personal holiness, busily trying to construct lives that are good enough, worthy enough, and acceptable enough, often not knowing what “enough” actually is and not realizing that not a single one of us is equipped for the task. Instead, we need to call the Professional with a capital “P.” The people in Haggai’s time were wrestling with the same prideful issue—trying unsuccessfully to cultivate, manage, and distribute their own holiness. But, in our text today, we’re going to find God correcting them and lovingly calling them, and you and I as well, to the only Source of true, lasting holiness: Himself.
Key Passage: Haggai 2:10–23
Speaker: Josiah Boyd
Life in a fallen world includes obstacles, circumstances, and happenings that can threaten to deflate, frustrate, and exhaust God’s people. Even the most faithful Christian is not immune to these potentially discouraging and joy-stealing realities. How can we possibly endure? How does God equip us to make it through?
Key Passage: Haggai 2
Speaker: Josiah Boyd
As our world slowly emerges from its COVID-imposed isolationism, many wrestle with the changes they see and the rebuilding that needs to take place. Interestingly, God’s people faced a similar reality as they returned to the Promised Land from Babylonian exile. Life was different now and they had to work toward restoration. Perhaps, as God’s people today, we can learn something from their experience.
Key Passage: Haggai
Speaker: Josiah Boyd
While in his second letter, the Apostle John warned the church against showing hospitality to the bad guys (vv. 10, 11), in his third letter he encourages hospitality for the good guys. In so doing, John describes four archetypal characters that exist in every work of the gospel—the professors, the providers, the prohibitors, and the preachers—and invites you and I to ask ourselves: Which one am I?
Key Passage: 3 John
Speaker: Dr. Jim Rennie
Short doesn’t necessitate insignificance. Brevity doesn’t mean a lack of gravity. Today we begin our series, “Biblical Postcards,” in which we are studying some of the shortest—and, thus, oft overlooked—books of the Bible. First up is Second John, a brief note from the Apostle to a church family encouraging them to follow Christ’s commands to love according to the truth.
Key Passage: 2 John
Speaker: Andrew Longmire
God’s people are blessed to be a blessing. That’s been the over-arching theme of the Joseph narrative and its a main thrust of Genesis as a whole. So, it comes as no surprise that, as we now arrive at the final three chapters of the book, the same message is highlighted in unmistakable fashion.
Key Passage: Genesis 48-50
Speaker: Josiah Boyd
The world in which we live is marred by hurt and fear, imperfection and injustice, brokenness and frustration. Some people don’t merely notice this, they experience it. So, the big question is, how does God invite us to change it?
Key Passage: Genesis 46-47
Speaker: Josiah Boyd
God’s people have been given a number of difficult tasks—assignments that, at times, appear overwhelming and nearly unachievable. However, as we study them in the pages of Scripture, without exception we see that, along with said charges, God provides resources to assist and promises rewards to incentivize.
Key Passage: Genesis 44-45
Speaker: Josiah Boyd
As the Joseph narrative arrives at one of its climactic moments, the spotlight lands on the brothers. While, back in chapter 37, these men had schemed and lied to get rid of Joseph, now, by God’s providence, they find themselves face to face with him who they betrayed. How will they respond when confronted and convicted by their past sins? And, what can you and I learn from their example?
Key Passage: Genesis 42-43
Speaker: Josiah Boyd
While the battle with fear and anxiety is not unique to the days in which we’re living, our current cultural reality has exposed and exacerbated these struggles in many. What does God say about a “spirit of fear” and how are we to, by His power, defeat such a foe?
Key Passage: 2 Timothy 1:7
Speaker: Dr. Jim Rennie
It’s a question that all of God’s people must ask and answer for themselves: Is the God we serve and worship worthy of our trust even when it seems he’s nowhere to be found?
Key Passage: Genesis 40 & 41
Speaker: Josiah Boyd
God’s people are agents of divine blessing when we demonstrate, share, and defend the life-giving, thirst-quenching water of the Gospel of Jesus Christ. What happens, though, if our personal water reservoirs, our lives, becomes polluted? What happens to my ability to be a conduit of God’s blessing if I use my life as a waste disposal site for ungodly living, fleshly thought-patterns, and justified sin habits? Genesis 39 explains the importance of integrity to the call of God upon the lives of the people of God.
Key Passage: Genesis 39
Speaker: Josiah Boyd
If a Christian remains exposed to the harsh elements of sin for an extended period of time, signs of the life we have in Christ can all but fade from detection. We become less pliable, less useful, and less sanctifiable. And yet, dealing with sin is an inevitability for us all. Is there hope for the believer caught in sin? Can God resuscitate and use a once-unrepentant heart for his glory?
Key Passage: Genesis 38
Speaker: Josiah Boyd
Hope is a powerful thing. It's the hope of getting a driver's license that motivates repetitive practice. It's the hope of graduation that promotes the diligence of tedious study – even when we don't feel like it. The hope of an approaching wedding day brings joyful anticipation. The hope of the arrival of a child, or the eventual independence of said child, prompts excitement. The hope of a promotion activates loyalty and long hours. The hope of retirement allows for peaceful endurance and optimism in the things ahead. The hope of being able to see one another again 3D inspires joy and fortitude. If it is true generally that hope is a powerful thing, then how much more so should it be for followers of Jesus Christ – who are each promised an incredible, unfading, untarnished, and everlasting future in the presence of God himself? Join Pastor Josiah Boyd as he teaches from the final chapter in our series on 2 Peter.
Key Passage: 2 Peter 3:1–18
Speaker: Josiah Boyd
Peter's clear: False teachers are not only coming, they're here! How God’s people respond depends on how we identify the wolves, how seriously we take the threat, and what plan of action we have in place to deal with their knocking.
Key Passage: 2 Peter 2:1-22
Speaker: Josiah Boyd
In light of recent events, we wanted to take a few moments to talk about fear, anxiety and worry. For many, when those topics are mentioned, our minds immediately go to Philippians 4. Pastor Josiah walks through verses 6 to 9 of this chapter, discussing how we can prepare a Planned Biblical Response for fear, anxiety and worry.
Want to go deeper? Listen to Pastor Josiah and Pastor Andrew Longmire discuss the sermon in the first episode of our Word Processing podcast: Five P's in a Peaceful Pod.
Key Passage: Philippians 4:6-9
Speaker: Josiah Boyd
If you have ever spent significant time around children you’ve probably, at one time or another, been caught in the time-stopping vortex of unrelenting questions: Why? Why? How? What? Why? When? Oh, and Why? While this dizzying spiral can be overwhelming, it can simultaneously serve as a wonderful indicator of a developing young mind and a curious spirit. In the first half of the opening chapter of Second Peter, the Apostle called for his audience to move from spiritual childhood to spiritual maturity by pointing out that God has provided the resources to use, has prescribed the route to take, and has promised the results to anticipate should they comply. Arriving now at the second half of that same chapter, we find Peter anticipating some follow-up questions from these growing-but-still-immature spiritual infants, inquiries the Apostle sets out to preemptively address.
Key Passage: 2 Peter 1:12–21
Speaker: Josiah Boyd
We rightly expect children to grow up. We expect them to develop at a particular rate, along an expected and proven trajectory, and with predictable and visible results. So anticipatory is their maturation, in fact, that, when it fails to occur, there’s often sadness, disappointment, or concern. As Christians, we need to understand that what we expect for our physical children God likewise expects for his spiritual children. To this end, the Bible contains multiple calls to spiritual growth and development (see, for example, 1 Corinthians 13:11; 14:20; Hebrews 5:12–13). Once an individual is saved and adopted into the household of God by means of trusting Jesus Christ for eternal life they are then expected to begin the lifelong process of God-dependant, God-equipped spiritual maturation. And, as Peter begins his second letter, this is exactly the topic he tackles.
Key Passage: 2 Peter 1:1-11
Speaker: Josiah Boyd
Every faithful Christian church is comprised of believers who are called to engage the culture in which they have been providentially placed for the glorious purposes of the gospel of Jesus Christ. The Lord himself said, “Let your light shine before others” (Matt 5:16), “Go and make disciples” (Matt 28:19), and “you will be my witnesses” (Acts 1:8). As individual Christians, we are to go, witness, and proclaim the beautiful and saving message of the gospel. But as we go, we do so knowing dangers await—some seen, some unseen—and we need to prepare ourselves to endure with conviction and trust. The question is, How do we do that? How can we be faithful to our divine directives in spite of opposition? In the closing chapter of his first letter, the Apostle Peter is going to provide us some guidance, guidance that leads us into the protective borders of a godly church family.
Key Passage: 1 Peter 5:1-14
Speaker: Josiah Boyd
Our world and our lives can be difficult, often filled with suffering, grief, persecution, and confusion. We need a source of strength and comfort to get us through. David, one who was not a stranger to suffering, penned Psalm 27. It takes us on the journey of his mental and spiritual process, trusting in God, seeking His presence; and yet still calling out to Him in times of fear and difficulty. We're going to follow on David's poetic journey looking at six C's as we progress through the Psalm.
Key Passage: Psalm 27
Speaker: Andrew Longmire
The opening stanza of the popular “Serenity Prayer” is as wise as it is hope-filled: “God grant me the serenity to accept the things I cannot change, courage to change the things I can, and wisdom to know the difference.” The circumstances of life are as varied as the people who experience them. Some we can change and control, asking God for the courage necessary. Other times, however, we face circumstances we simply cannot change—experiences beyond the scope of our control—and we’re forced to ask God for the strength to accept the limits of our personal power and, instead, endure with trust. Peter reminds Christians that suffering can often be of the latter variety—uncontrollable, inevitable, and unavoidable. And, while we can’t always control the suffering itself, what we can control is how we endure that suffering.
Key Passage: 1 Peter 3:13–4:19
Speaker: Josiah Boyd
When we read the Bible, there are things we are commanded to do. And whether because of our immaturity, the culture around us, or our sinful nature (or most likely a combo of the three), we often find ourselves asking "why"? As we continue to study the words of Peter to the scattered church of first century believers, we're going to see two pairs of imperatives or commands that Peter has for his readers: one pair focused on their personal lives and relationship with God, and one about their communal lives and relationships with others. But rather than leave them wondering or guessing, he immediately takes time to follow both up with an explanation, both of which are rooted in the foundational truth of their identity thanks to the gospel of Christ.
Key Passage: 1 Peter 1:13-2:10
Speaker: Andrew Longmire
The Bible is realistic as it explains the hardships we will endure in life - but there is good news in Christ! Pastor Josiah Boyd walks through 1 Peter 1:1-12 to show how even in the midst of trials, we can have confidence, hope, joy and thanksgiving through faith in Jesus Christ.
Key Passage: 1 Peter 1:1-12
Speaker: Josiah Boyd