Anthem Church: Recent Episodes
Anthem Church
Anthem Church is a Gospel-centered, Christ-exalting , Bible-believing, Christian church in Marin County, California. Our anthem is to Make Jesus Known. We do this as a people sent by Jesus, a city within a city, contending for what we believe. We seek to display the glory of God by our faithfulness to His mission, His vision and His purposes in the world.
When we speak to our Father and King in Heaven, we are to do so with earnest, simple, sincere hearts. We are not heard for our many babbling words; we are heard because we have a Father who knows and loves us.
In this teaching on prayer, Jesus warns his followers against a life of spiritual showmanship. We are called to be formed as we abide in God through Jesus, and then we can be the light of the world as we are called to be.
In a time and season of anxiety and unrest, we are dedicated as a community to seeking the kingdom first, that all needs will be added to us (Matthew 6:33). In order to do this, we need to examine what this kingdom is, and perhaps most importantly, we need to know the King of the kingdom. Here we examine posturing ourselves to receive from, to follow, and to love this king.
Our faith is not just for the dark times, and it's not just for the best of times: it is meant to form us, shape us, and fill all of our life. We are called to lives of presence, awe, and trust in God as we walk all our days with him; this is where purpose and joy are found.
As followers of Jesus, we are called the light of the world. What does this mean? How do we live as light? How do we let our light shine before others?
In a world obsessed with position and power, Jesus calls his followers to pursue a truer greatness through radical service to God and others. Not only is Jesus our example of sacrificial service, but the gospel allows us to serve not in our own strength, but with the motivation and power of the Spirit of God.
Generosity is not born out of guilt, coercion, or compulsion; it is born out of receiving and enjoying the incredible generosity of God himself.
If we desire to truly follow Jesus, our Savior tells us plainly what is required: we are called to deny ourselves, take up our crosses, and follow him. God does not require discipline and self-denial for its own sake; it is always a call to give up the lesser that we may gain the greater.
God's intent was always to dwell with his people. The veils have been lifted, the veils have been torn... how do we respond?
We all have a desire to grow, but what does this look like in relationship with Jesus Christ?
God so loved the world that he gave his only Son for us. In him, we have been brought from complete death to new, true, vibrant life.
The triumphal entry of Jesus into Jerusalem on Palm Sunday is an event of extravagant importance. Here he is, the coming king... but is he the king everyone expected? Is he the king we expect him to be today? He is the king that exceeds all our hopes; he is the King of Grace.
The Psalms are wisdom literature, kept for us with timeless insight for our everyday lives. In this sermon, we examine how wisdom is defined, why it is valuable, and (perhaps most importantly) how we obtain it.
Psalm 146 invites the reader to praise the Lord and to do so by an act of trust. We praise God because we can trust him.
Anger in and of itself is not sin; it is one of a number of emotions we have been designed to feel. The command comes to us: be angry and do not sin. What does it look like to be righteously angry, how are we to feel, examine, and offer our anger before the Lord?
Life has a way of working out such a way that it doesn't seem to match what God has promised us. How do we stay steadfast in times of wandering, when we feel like God sees us. Psalm 44 gives us wisdom in what it means to hold on when it feels like God is not with us.
As we begin our lenten series through the Psalms, we start with David's psalm of repentance, Psalm 51. An honest look at our wrongdoing, a humble request for restoration, and a renewed hope in God all make for hearts that can enjoy renewed relationship with God himself.
As he prepares his disciples for his departure to the cross, Jesus informs them that a Helper, the Holy Spirit of God, will come to them. This spirit will reveal the love and truth of God to them in abundance; a true gift from the giver of all things good.
As Jesus prepares his disciples for his departure, it's not unreasonable for them to feel some fear and confusion. If we're honest, that's incredibly relatable for everyone. Jesus has some helpful encouragement for just this situation.
We all experience a tension in life: the gap between where we are and where we want to be. This is not a unique experience, in fact those who walked with Jesus wrestled with the same hardship. What does God have for us in the gap? How can it be used as an opportunity for redemption and growth?
Judas has departed, and now the remaining disciples of Jesus sit and listen to their Rabbi. What will he have to say? Jesus makes it clear: it’s time for something new, a new commandment that will direct and govern them as they begin forming the community of God as the church.
What can we learn from the life and betrayal of Judas Iscariot, one of the twelve disciples of Jesus? God is responsible for our salvation, and we are responsible for our repentance and our pursuit of God in return.
As the new year begins, let us set ourselves apart in Jesus, receiving and serving as we abide in him.
As Jesus ends his public ministry, he cries aloud one last time, sharing the truths that lead to true life in God. Jesus brings light, grace, and life, and those who believe and hold fast to his teaching will be saved from darkness, judgement, and death.
Jesus arrives to Jerusalem with one intention: to follow the Father and die for the sins of the world. Is this gospel good enough for each of us?
Jesus, in the book of John is constantly doing the miraculous, asserting his authority over creation, life and death. As we conclude the narrative of Lazarus' resurrection, we get a window into what gratitude should look to a God who constantly gives us what we don't deserve.
Those who experienced the death and resurrection of Lazarus were forced to make a decision. When we are exposed to Christ and His work, a choice is made to either believe in who He says He is or reject it. As a result of that choice, we must make a choice about who we are in light of that decision. Is Jesus Lord over our life or are we? If the choice is us, our morality becomes self-servicing and thus our choices in life reflect that.
What do we do with the problem of death? Jesus does not just grant resurrection and life; he is the resurrection and the life. What does this mean for those who have placed their faith in him?
Our faith will often lead us to points, moments, or seasons of wrestling with God. When this happens, we can either tap out of the wrestling or let it lead us to deeper communion with God. Our wrestling helps us prioritize Jesus, see more of Jesus, and make more of Jesus in our lives.
Whether or not we have the humility to admit it, all of our souls are in need of shepherding and care. May we hear the voice of the Good Shepherd as he protects us, cares for us, and guides us to green pastures and still waters.
The Old Testament tells of the day that God will send someone to His people and that servant will open the eyes of the blind and set captives free. This week, we examine John 9, where the writer tells us a story in which Jesus shows us that He is that servant. He is both God, and God's foretold servant that would save His people and in so doing, opens the eyes of the blind.
As his current debate with the Pharisees comes to a close, Jesus makes the unmistakable claim that he is God. If Jesus is God, what does that mean for us, especially those of us who follow him?
God is always seeking to adopt sons and daughters, and the assurance of adoption comes as we grow in grace, faith and obedience to the God who loves us. In order to grow, we must be honest with ourselves and others as we line our lives up to the word of God, living out of the grace and love given to us by faith in Jesus.
Jesus had many exchanges with those who oppose him, but his urgent cries are summarized beautifully as he makes the claim that he, and he alone, is the light of the world. Those who follow him will not walk in darkness, but will have the light of life. Is the light of life ours?
In one of the most famous passages in all of Scripture, Christ takes the sins of the religious and the wayward and puts them up against the holiness of God. None of us can meet God’s standard on our own; in Christ we are made righteous and given power to turn from sin and pursue godliness.
This week John wraps up his recounting of Jesus's teaching during the feast of booths. The people there are celebrating God's provision of rain and water and ultimately look forward to the day when, like water, YHWH will pour out His Spirit on all people. Jesus is drawing from this theme when he announces Himself as the giver of living water, that He is the way through which the Spirit will come.
Jesus is loving and inviting, but he also calls all of us to see him truly and to deal with the reality of who he is. It is only in dealing in the reality of sin, the work of Jesus, and the redemption that results from faith in him that we find true life.
As Jesus’ ministry and influence continues to grow, everyone around him has strong opinions about who he should be, how he should act, and what he should do. However, Jesus models complete obedience to his Heavenly Father, and in doing so disappoints and frustrates the expectations of those around him. Are we able to count the same cost as we follow God? Is he worth it to us?
Though the truth of God can be hard, thought our lives can at times stifle our faith, though the voices of the world call to us, it is Jesus who has the words of eternal and abundant life. So we ask, “To whom shall we go?” May we come whole-heartedly to Christ himself for life abundant.
We are all in need of Jesus Christ, the bread of life. However, we need God's help to embrace humility and to see our need for Jesus clearly.
As Jesus’ ministry gains more momentum, he remains clear about his purpose and calling. Jesus, the bread of life, sent by the Father to offer life to the world, is here for all who will come to him. However, it is vitally important that we believe in the one God sent, Christ himself, that we may have access to these promises.
Though the fallen world in which we live is surrounded in darkness, chaos, and fear, Christ comes to calm the seas of our heart.
As strong, smart, and capable as we may be, life has a way of revealing something about ourselves: we are incomplete as people. This can lead us to despondency in our inadequacy or dependence on the God who made us; the latter choice allows us to step into our identity as sons and daughters as we lean into Christ to help us in our need.
The gospel of Jesus Christ is the truth that sets us free. This truth must be clearly shown, thoroughly embraced, and practically lived; this is the invitation of God in Christ for us to know God and be fully known in Him.
As Jesus continues his earthly ministry, he continues to reveal the character of God to those around them. The question posed to the Pharisees is posed to us: what will we do with the authority of Jesus?
When Christ heals, he is always doing some deeper work for the benefit of those around him. Alleviating the pain in our life can be a good thing, but God is always seeking to bring about a deeper healing, the saving and growth of our souls, in each of his followers.
God is good and gracious, working in our lives for our benefit and joy. Sometimes this aligns with what we hope and wish for, but when it doesn’t, we can trust God, knowing that he is still working good in and for us, growing our faith all the while.
Jesus invited his disciples, and invites us, to enter into the work of God and his people, advancing the kingdom of heaven with the Lord’s help. Will we avail ourselves to this labor of love?
What does it mean to worship in spirit and in truth? God reveals our sin and reveals his Son as the remedy for that sin. Engaging with the Spirit and the truth of God allows us to worship with full hearts.
We all have a hunger and a thirst deep within for life itself. The love of God reaches through circumstance, stereotype, and obstacles to offer living water, satisfying our souls.
Every year, we find ourselves caught up in the flurry of December’s activity and expectation. The Christmas story, however, reminds us that the birth of Jesus was far from tidy, convenient, and easy. God entered into the brokenness of humanity, into the mess and darkness, in an unexpected way. May we allow Christ to break into our busy lives, and may we be caught up and distracted by the deepest truth this season offers.
In our experience of this fallen world, we often find that promises are forgotten and our mistakes and sin are remembered. However, with God, he reverses the curse, remembering his promises to his people continually, and in our repentance he forgets our sin forever. Listen in as we celebrate this God, who gave his only Son as the greatest act of mercy to a needy and desperate world.
God satisfies those who are hungry but sends away those who are full of this life. The question is, which are we? And how do we know? If we humble ourselves and prepare room in our hearts, Jesus promises to meet us, feast with us, and fill us with good things.
What does it mean to pursue humility? Is it always bad to be proud? As we examine the next lines of Mary’s Song, we lift our eyes to God, who opposes the proud and gives grace to the humble. Our pride keeps us from the very presence, power, and promises of the God who longs to provide for us and commune with us; may we pursue him in humility today.
We begin our Advent series this week by focusing on hope. Though Mary had many questions and doubts about how God was working in her life, she held on to her humility, and with the help of others recognized her place in relation to her God. She entrusted herself to his goodness and timing, and found comfort and joy in following his lead, one day and one step at a time.
As we conclude the third chapter of John, we examine the end of John the Baptist’s life and ministry as well. What does it look like to live a life surrendered to God?
Our default state as humanity is one of darkness. We are prone to hiding and doing whatever it is that satisfies our flesh and our selves… at least for a while. Jesus Christ came into the world as the light, stepping down into our darkness that we may be rescued from it, filled with the Spirit of God, and sent forth in hope, joy, and healing to love and serve God and others.
We can get used to hearing the good news of Jesus, especially when it is contained within well-known verses like John 3:16-18. However, repetition is good for God’s people, and it is in fact necessary to remind ourselves of the beauty and power of what God has done for us in sending his Son.
Many people claim to be followers of Jesus, but what does his saving grace actually look like in our lives? In John 3, Jesus teaches Nicodemus what it means to be born again; it’s not just about what we know, but where are hearts and eyes are fixed.
How do we ensure that our lives are not “mis-lived?” Jesus, in his love, confronts our worship, our passion, and our hope; he shakes us up where needed to bring us back to a heart of worship and devotion, necessary for a true live lived as image-bearers of God.
Is Jesus big enough to worship as God and also close enough to care for the needs of my life? We wrestle with the reality of a God who can be both, but Jesus shows us in his life that he is able to usher in the kingdom of God and number the hairs on our head, all while loving and serving the people around him.
As Jesus begins his ministry on earth, he begins with the work of building relationships and drawing people to himself. In Jesus we see the power of redeemed relationship, and how God works through a number of means to bring people to himself in truth and love.
We have a deep need to be wanted and to be relevant, but the ways we try to satisfy this want typically bring more death than life. The account of John the Baptist shows us how we can embrace our identity, position, and the work before us, and in doing so we can prepare the way for Jesus to reign in our hearts and in the lives of others.
Jesus came to us, in the fullness and glory of God, to make God known to humanity. He dwells with us and welcomes us - will we heed the call to forgiveness and relationship?
The book of John masterfully weaves old testament themes into the portrait of Jesus' ministry. In John chapter 1, the Apostle picks up these old testament themes to show us one thing: from the very beginning, it's always been Jesus.
We begin our journey through the book of John by examining its chief subject: Jesus Christ. There is a difference between knowing about Jesus and beholding Jesus; it is good and right to know about our Savior, but what does it mean for us to behold him fully?
In order for church community to be good, pleasant, and glorifying to God, it needs to be submitted fully under the banner of Christ’s calling on each of our lives. True fellowship shares in God’s abundance, relief, and blessing as we pursue him together, loving one another as he has called us to in the gospel.
God's grace is a multifaceted characteristic. The Apostle Peter commands us to stand firm in the grace. God's grace invites and commands our obedience by reminding us who we are, what we should expect as Christians and what our responsibility is as the body of Christ.
Are we truly humble? Are we like Jesus? We have a choice before us: we can pursue to the hidden life of God, resting and waiting under his mighty hand, or we can pursue the outer life and all of the prestige the world offers. Only one leads to true life, but will we have the humility to follow Jesus and receive his rest?
All true leadership is about service to others, and in the church, this is the calling for those who shepherd God’s people as we imitate Jesus himself. Pastors are to submit themselves to the leadership of Christ first, and then steward the flock that belongs to God through their service. Finally, all of us are called to lead ourselves, clothing ourselves in humility towards one another as we pursue the way of Jesus together.
When we face trials, we have an invitation from God to let him use them for our growth and his glory. God does not delight in our suffering, but can use anything we have been through as an opportunity for growth, maturity, and a deepening of our faith and relationship with God.
The Scriptures do not command us to things arbitrarily. Instead, God has asked us to follow his way that we might experience and share the life that is attached to his promises. We should always be looking for signs of life in ourselves and in one another… how are things going for you?
One day, we will all be judged by a just and loving God, and for those in Christ we rejoice in the fact that we are hidden and secure in him. Will we live in light of that day with joy and expectation, or will we settle for the approval of those around us? One path leads to death, the other life. Which will you choose today?
What about Christ is compelling to you? He is gentle, kind, patient, and loving; these are all attributes we admire and desire to emulate with the Spirit’s power. But what about his obedience, his humility, and his submission to God the Father? Listen as we examine the power that the risen Christ holds over all creation and what that means for us as his followers.
How do we grow as a community in devotion, prayer, and the secret place of God? Our posture is of the utmost importance; do we see God as distant and demanding, or as a loving Father who desires to give his children good gifts?
If we suffer for doing good, we are blessed, but if we suffer for doing evil, we are burdened. How do we walk in light of God’s calling on our life when things get hard?
Our calling to follow God in all situations continues into our marriages. Men and women are to reflect the goodness of God in the gospel by embracing their calling within this holy union. Too often we look to the broken state of marriage and make conclusions about the goodness of God’s design. What if instead we looked to the goodness of God and allowed it to inform our marriages?
We are called by God himself to submit to the authorities that have been placed over us. How are we supposed to do this when all of creation, even leaders themselves, are corrupted by sin? How do we conduct ourselves in light of the leadership over us, whether it is good or bad? We look to Jesus, who showed us what humility, obedience, and courage looks like; may we honor God as we follow his example in every season life brings us.
When we consider the people of God, what do we see? How can we offer our lives to the body of Christ, to stand as a city on a hill in dark places? We are called to consume what is good, to be built up, to embrace our identity, and to practice discipline, all that God may be glorified in our ordinary lives.
In the midst of a dark world, we all feel to need to practice and experience more transforming love… but how do we do this? As we close chapter 1 of 1 Peter, we see that the author gives us an anatomy of Christ-like love. We are called to be helped with God’s love, and we are called to love others with God’s help.
When you think of God, how do you see his face? Is he a distant deity with a list of tasks and rules? Or is he a loving Father, who desires relationship with each of us through his Son Jesus? How we view God changes how we live. God has hope for you… do you have hope for yourself?
If you’re bored with your faith, that’s a natural place to be… but what do we need to breathe life into our walk with Jesus? Peter here offers us holy, inspired perspective that roots us and moves us to see the excitement in our living and active faith. Will we walk in the work he has prepared for us beforehand?
How can we rejoice in trials of all kinds? While we often settle for shallow answers and hopes, the gospel of Jesus offers us an eternal hope and inheritance that stands in the face of all hardship, giving us living hope. Will we live in this promise?
We have one life to live. How will we spend our days? We will either walk our of an identity of our own choosing, or we will walk in light of God’s love and calling on our lives as his sons and daughters.
How does Jesus give us true hope and endurance? When we’ve had enough of false encouragement, emotional highs, and frail convictions, we long for something more… in other words, we want our hearts to burn with resiliency in the midst of a broken world.
Though we wander, though we stray, though we rebel… God always keeps his promises and his covenant to his people. Are we walking in light of his love and joy?
God doesn’t just want our efforts, intentions, or sacrifices. While these all matter, what he wants most is our heart, and the fruit of his Holy Spirit that follows. Are we abiding in the vine where life can be found?
God shakes people and places, drawing them to himself in Jesus for his glory. Are we available to let him work in and through us as he builds his unshakeable kingdom?
There is no shortage of voices and opinions out there, but to which voices will we listen? When it comes to how we view ourselves, others, and God himself, what shapes our thoughts and actions?
God’s people move for his purposes when they are emptied of their pride and assured of his presence.
As we begin our Lenten series through the book of Haggai, Pastor Andrew asks five examining questions. May we prepare our hearts and lives to join God in the work of building his house, for his glory and our joy.
We were created for affection, created to receive from and worship our Heavenly Father and to give and receive to others in our community. Satan and sin hinder our affection, but how do we move forward into what God has for us? The future of our church will depend on where our affection primarily and consistently lies. Will we love one another as Jesus has loved us?
What if true comfort was just as much about giving as it was receiving? What if we have settled for lesser comforts all along while the true comfort waits for us, ready and able to help us in every season? Listen in as Pastor Allen exhorts Anthem Church to walk alongside the God of all comfort in the years to come.
What are the marks of a healthy transition? How do we face the real emotions tied to change while still moving forward into what God is doing? In this time, we can up and leave, lash out, lean away, or lean into what God is doing; listen in as Pastor Allen exhorts us to the latter option to the glory of God.
Pastor Allen is moving out of God's way in this new season, for a new leader, so God can do a new thing.
As we begin to consider what endemic life might look like, we as the church must begin to ask ourselves how we are to be faithful stewards of this new season. What does it look like to be participatory members of a healthy local church?
When life is hard, sometimes instead of fixing things we need to instead simply meditate on what God has done for us in Christ. What has he given us? Listen in as we examine this beautiful inheritance we have been freely given by the grace of God in Jesus.
The New Year is upon us, so… what now? To what hope do we attach ourselves in a new year? Can Christ really be the durable, trustworthy, ultimately good anchor we need him to be? This year, accept the gift of Christ fully - return to your first love, and in all resolutions, resolve first to abide in the true vine.
Is Christmas a carnival or festival for you? You'll be surprised at how the difference between these two changes everything.
We place hope in this world; it is natural for us as those who were created to hope. But when that expectancy fails us, is there a deeper hope that will anchor and sustain us?
At long last, Joseph is reunited with his brothers in forgiveness and reconciliation. What can this moment teach us about God’s posture towards us in Christ? May we answer his call to come near and to dwell with him.
Joseph’s brothers approach him with fear, uncertainty, and doubt, unsure of what will meet them. They are surprised, amazed even, at the grace, mercy, and feasting they find instead of the wrath they were sure would meet them. How do we approach the throne of grace? In uncertainty or with confidence?
As the famine descends up on the land, Jacob sends his sons to Egypt to obtain grain. When they reach their destination, their lives and hearts are confronted, revealing hearts still racked with guilt and shame. The famine without presses in and reveals their famine within. When life does the same to us, will we turn to the one who truly satisfies?
What is God saying to you in this season? Can you even hear His voice? Would you recognize it if you could? Pastor Allen examines the Bible's framework for hearing the voice of God through a very simple grid.
Listen in as Pastor Emeritus Bill Berry shares his testimony of how the Holy Spirit has grown him in the various seasons of his life.
There are few more frustrating and discouraging experiences than that of feeling stuck. Whether it’s a season of hardship, a hard place, or anything else, our human instinct is to get free, to move forward as quickly as we can. But what if getting out of this prison isn’t possible? Is there hope, purpose, and joy for us in Jesus, even in our stuck seasons?
Pastor Allen covers the distinction between God’s omnipresence and the manifest presence of God and why it’s significant to our lives.
We’ve all experienced guilt, shame, and pain. And so we run… but it is wise to always be asking ourselves: what are we running from? What are we running towards?
Pastor Allen examines a Biblical framework and understanding of hate along with its antidote.
Why is friendship so hard in marriage? How do we get into the 'friend zone'? Pastor Allen takes us through three marriage orientations, along with encouragement for the single, the divorced, and the distressed.
What if what we want out of marriage is right under our nose? Pastor Allen preaches on friendship within the context of marriage.
Marriage has seasons of health and seasons that are hard. But what if the hard seasons are part of producing the healthy ones? Instead of looking for a way out of the hard seasons, maybe it's time to start looking for a way through with our vows in mind. And that's exactly what 'in sickness and in health' means.
As we begin our new series, Pastor Allen examines two paradigms of thinking for marriage: contract or covenant. Our marriage either falsifies or testifies, as a visceral metaphor of the Gospel of Jesus Christ.
Our hearts all long for glory, and we seek it any way we can find it. The question is simply this: do we seek the imperishable or the fading glory?
This world brings pain, loss, and emptiness - so how do we walk as the redeemed in such a broken place? We must embrace, fully, the truest hope of Jesus - a hope that will not put us to shame, but a hope that will be borne as we surrender our lives to our Heavenly Father through Christ.
Sometimes we need to revitalize our faith: we know who God is and what he has done for us, but we find ourselves in a season of apathy or sorrow, stuck and unable to shake ourselves loose. God is there with us, and invites us to return to our first love, remember his faithfulness, and receive our truer names, given to us by Him.
As we look out at the world, it is only natural for us to grieve the injustice rampant everywhere. How do we walk as redeemed people in the midst of an unjust world? How do we walk the line between passive indifference and frenzied vengeance? We look together at Jesus, who has made a way for all of us, in our inadequacies and failures, to be reconciled, forgiven, and freed.
It’s no secret: though there is great joy, love, and peace found in Christ, living out allegiance in this devotion is a challenge in this world. All of us wrestle with choosing God’s way over the world’s way. The question we must all ask ourselves today, in light of what God has done for us, is this: are we on the way that leads to life or death? It’s never too late to put the cross before us and follow God in the better way.
Surrender is not a favored American ideology. But it is a Biblical one. Surrender is the requisite posture to fully realize the promises of God and to fully experience the joy of those promises. However, with surrender comes a lot of fear. Pastor Allen reminds us that fear is the enemy of surrender on our path to raising the white flag of our hearts.
How much do you want to know yourself? How well do you know your desires? To do so is to expose otherwise, seemingly good desires, to the process and motives which may disqualify them. Here's the catch: that's exactly what you're going to have to do to be fully satisfied in this life. So are you ready for the test?
We often wait for our life to be perfectly ordered before we offer words, watchfulness, and faith in our lives and in the lives of others. However, we also know intimately that our lives will never be perfect this side of heaven; we are all imperfect people living in a broken world. So what do we do? By God’s grace towards us in Jesus, we offer what we can, that we may build one another up in the love of Christ.
What is God’s will for my life? Often times this question can cause more angst, anxiety, and discomfort than assurance. In the absence of a clear answer, we can impose our own will, and in so doing we can overlook the truth, overlook others, and overlook consequences. Through the grace of Jesus, our mistakes are forgiven and we are able to humbly submit to his daily will as we wait prayerfully and patiently for him to reveal the larger picture over time.
This Father's Day we examine Abraham's legacy to, his son, Isaac. In doing so, we are reminded that each of us will repeat our father's mistakes, may run-short of our father's success, but most importantly, must reflect on our father's faith.
As we look to follow the leadership of others, there are a number of facets we must consider before pursuing their example. Are they living with a posture of self-sacrifice? Is their conduct worth imitating and learning from? Do they have a legacy of faithfulness? Most importantly, are they pointing us to Jesus?
Though we walk through a broken world, the confidence we have in Christ is God’s fierce faithfulness to his people and his purposes. Our lives have many twists and turns, victories and setbacks, but each moment is an opportunity to press into God and let his Spirit form us into the image of his Son. When our purposes align with His, all things do truly work out for good.
Our God richly disperses common grace to all humanity: goodness, benefit, and prosperity that none of us deserve. As good as common grace is, it’s insufficient. We all need the better grace and the love, fullness, and peace that it alone can provide for us.
The life and legacy of Abraham concludes with a ‘good death’. But what makes for a ‘good death’ these days? A life hallmarked by joyful change and service is a good place to start. But these are not more critical than a life where it is simply a joy to ‘be’.
We are not here to be noticed, to be shallowly connected, or to be complacent - we are here to live lives submitted to God, humbly serving him wherever we are and making the name of Jesus known. In this rich and practical sermon, Allen reminds us of the great I Am, who empowers and equips us to live as those who "are not."
Sarah, Abraham’s wife, has passed away - what can we learn from this? How does Abraham, the father of our faith, walk through this painful season? How does he honor God, his family, and others? A godly life is not certain, but we are called through the grace, mercy, and power of God to live honorably and look forward to our future hope.
God gives us tests, not for his benefit but for ours, that our faith and our affections may be examined. Will the tests find us faithful or fair-weather?
Our world longs for peace with one another. But what kind of peace are we really longing for? Do we just want quiet? Just a lack of conflict? Or do we long for a deeper, truer, more complete peace in our relationships? Pastor Allen gives us three simple takeaways to live at peace with those who are not peaceful to us.
Starting up again in the book of Genesis, we come to the fulfillment of God’s promise to Abraham and Sarah in the birth of Isaac. This grace has much more to do with God’s character than the merit of Abraham and Sarah, and reveals much about the gracious character of God. If our hope is wrongly placed, our laughter is sick and shallow, but when it is rightly placed in God’s unfading promises, our laughter is sweet and sincere, rooted in God’s goodness and faithfulness.
It's been two years since our last in-person Easter together. Today, we take all this pent-up joy and give it full vent in celebration of the risen King Jesus. Pastor Allen provides some clarity on the importance, evidence, and confidence of Easter Sunday.
Every day you wake up, you have four main tasks on your to-do list: keep your mind focused, keep your heart fixed, keep your words free, and keep your hands full.
Our sin and domestication can lead us to be conceited and conflicted. Conversely, a content church preaches revelation over speculation, prioritizes grace over blessing, praises weakness over strength, and promotes Jesus over everything.
In our early days of following Jesus, our faith is more “free-range”; we are excited, motivated, and eager to live to Jesus. Along the way, our faith can become domesticated, not by the gospel but by religious expectation. Jesus didn’t come to make bad people good, he came to make bound people free.
When a Christian reflects on their life, very often, they will find it has been lived in light of three ghosts: (1) the ghosts behind, (2) the ghosts ahead, and (3) the ghost within. Pastor Allen applies this paradigm to the experiences of his own life and brokenness. Through his story, we can see how Jesus can save anye haunted and condemned person because He has been conferred the authority to do so.
On this side of heaven, we all will struggle with persistent sins - it is a reality of loving in a fallen world. The question for us is not whether or not, but HOW, we fight these sins. Will we enter into the help God provides, or strive on our own, overlooking and skirting around sin? Will we allow Jesus to be our grace and strength? Or will we spend our lives saying to ourselves, each time our sin remains the same, “...here we go again...?"
In examining one of the most heartbreaking portions of Scripture, we are faced with difficult but important questions about pain and isolation. How do we get to places where we concede in the most unthinkable ways, and how does Christ provide a way out and forward for us?
Living faith, which distinguishes itself from saving faith, is inexorably linked to the promises of God. And while somedays those promises are hard to believe, they don’t have to be hard to follow. Living faith is outworked day by day, step by step.
While some look to Scripture for positive examples of human behavior, most commonly Scripture shows us the frailty of human will and how God’s grace and mercy works in and through even the worst of circumstances and sin. We are prone to take shortcuts in the journey that God has us on; shortcuts can lead to sin, and sin can lead to sorrow, but ultimately even in the worst of sorrows we are seen by a loving and gracious God, who sent his Son to win us back to him in the end.
Our lives are full of the heartbreak and consequences of broken promises. However, against the backdrop of the pain and disappointment of human failing, God’s promises are full of purpose and power, and he will never fail us, leave us, or forsake us. In God’s covenant with Abram we see the fullness of grace on full display, pointing towards the greatest fulfilled promise of all, the person and work of Jesus Christ. --
Though the age in which we find ourselves calls us to self-preservation, the call of Scripture is toward self-sacrifice. Not only is this the call of Scripture, but it is the model of Christ himself. How, then, do we mitigate risk while still doing good, loving our neighbors, and serving those in need? This sermon in the book of Genesis seeks to provide insight into this predicament, calling us not towards self-preservation or recklessness, but towards godly, biblical self-sacrifice for the glory of God.
The spirit of the age, around the world, is self-preservation. But is this really living? Are we really exempt during this season from a life of purpose and meaning and left to settle for an indefinite pause to our Christian living? Does the Bible offer any relevant answers to the present course of the world? Genesis offers clarity when clarity is needed most.
Receiving God’s call is not about the initiation of the greatness of our plans, it is an invitation into the goodness of God’s promises. As we begin a new year, let us all remember that God’s call for each of us is first to himself, and that it is only through his call that we are set forth to live in the purpose and adventure he has set forth for each of us as we make him known.
Joy is elusive when you can't see, when loss is high, when God seems far, when the world is at war and when seasons fail. An apt description for a majority of 2020. But before your heart goes too far down the road with the narrative that better days are just around the corner in 2021, Pastor Allen reaches a startling conclusion: 2020 had all the joy we could want. Further, 2021 doesn't have any more that we need.
This portion of Scripture deals with the brokenness and fracturing that sin causes in families and generations. Our decisions impact more than our own lives, and our rebellion always catches up with us in the end. However, no matter how dark the days around us, God always preserves a remnant of his people to carry his promise, a promise fully expressed in the person and work of Jesus Christ.
While we often wrestle with our individual “callings” from God, Scripture is abundantly clear that the one calling we have all received is that of obedience to the Lord. In studying the life of Noah in Genesis we learn that obedience is hard to ignite, hard to sustain, and hard to finish; it is a lifelong decision that we live out by God’s grace and with God’s help.
Family is complicated and has always been so, even back to the first family recorded in Scripture. In the story of Cain and Abel we see sin’s crouching, consequences, and continuation. When we sin, we are confronted lovingly with the God of the Bible; we can either acknowledge, repent, and master our sin with the help of God and others, or we can carry on, dealing with the consequences of our rebellion. The choice is ours, and God is always ready to receive humble, contrite hearts through the person and work of Jesus Christ.
In Genesis 3, the very good, perfect landscape of God’s creation is introduced to the presence, power, and penalty of sin. Satan’s empire here expands, focused intently on the destruction of humanity through the discrediting of God’s word and goodness. Condemnation, division, exhaustion, and separation are now the painful legacy of humanity. However, we look forward in hopeful expectation, through the covenant of the gospel, to the crushing of Satan’s head under the bruised heel of Jesus.
One of the primary, significant foci in Genesis 1-2 is the creation and union of man and woman. While certainly these texts provide us with God’s mandate and desire for complementary marriage, they also reveals to us core truths about who we are as image-bearers. It is not good for us to be alone; we were created to live in community, together surrendered to the God who desires good for us under his order and care.
What if our modern tellings of the creation story are wrong? What if the point of "in the beginning" is not primarily about the creation of the universe or the Earth? What if the author of Genesis had a much more profound intent in the opening verses of the first book of Moses? What if there was a way to read this text, so it not only harmonized with our modern, scientific understanding of the world...but it was also Biblically credible, faithful and literal? As Pastor Allen opens our series through Genesis, he offers us this viable perspective.
This week Pastor Andrew turns our attention from the heart of church membership to the hands of church membership, or what it looks like to practically be a member of a church. Deep down we all desire to be a part of a genuine community following Jesus, and as members of such a community we need sacrificial living, renewed minds, holy self-awareness, and genuine service to and for one another.
In the first installment of a two-week series, we examine Paul’s writings to the church regarding involvement and commitment as members of a body. The love of Christ is the prerequisite and the sustaining force in biblical church membership; as we cling to Him, we learn to love, serve, and honor one another in the gospel of Christ.
While the nations rage and the people plot in vain, God sits on his throne, ruling over all. How do we bring this truth into the reality of today’s political firestorm? This sermon by Pastor Allen reminds us to be fully integrated followers of Jesus, letting our theology lead to biblical practice in all we do, from the voting booth to the rest of our lives.
In this strange season we all find ourselves in, it is terribly easy to focus only on all the things we don’t have or on all the things we have lost. While this pain and loss is real, let us not forget to also be grateful for all of the good things we have been given by God himself. We are richly blessed in Christ and in each other.
How do we reconcile an almighty, all-knowing God with the suffering we experience in this world? This homily by Deacon Joel Maginnis reminds us how to rightly view and handle our pain, placing our hope fully in our Redeemer, who lives, loves, and gives us eternal hope.
"Rejoice always" - a beautiful sentiment, and a reality we would all like to experience, but what does this commandment really mean for God's people? Far from a trite cliché, Deacon Cody Bartrug shows us in this homily the great depths of the reality of hope and joy for God's people.
Loving God with all of your heart, soul, strength, and mind, and loving your neighbor as yourself; these are simple commands, but as we all know living them out is a completely different story. In this sermon we confront the true question: what does it mean to be a neighbor to those in need, loving them as we love ourselves?
It is fitting that the conclusion to Colossians emphasizes the need to end well. The Apostle Paul was a fitting model for us all and yet, even he, reminds us we can't do it alone. In the finale to this 12-week series, Pastor Allen introduces us to the Disciple's Dozen: 12 personalities every church member needs to finish well.
Is Jesus king over every sphere of your life? The workplace is one of the areas where we really find out how compartmentalized or comprehensive our faith is. This week, Pastor Allen invites us to fully examine our orientation to those we work for and places we work at.
Children are a blessing from the Lord, but how do we steward this blessing? How do we love them well and prepare them to be men and women who understand and live out the gospel? Scripture guides us in the ways of love, discipline, and the bringing up our children in the way they should go, as families and as a church.
Marriage is already hard without us making it harder. Yet that's exactly what we do, especially in a time when competing views of gender roles abound. And while this topic seems out-of-touch with the culture, it is not out-of-step with God's design for flourishing and joy. Isn't that what we all want? When Jesus is king over our marriage, husband and wife find freedom from harshness and disrespect and are free to love in ways that image the Gospel itself.
The order in which we do things matters, especially when it comes to our growth and our relationships. As it does with all things in our life, the gospel changes us and informs our priorities. We must put our God-given identity before our activity, we must put on initiating love before personal preferences, and we must pursue authenticity with one another before pursuing the benefits of community. Right order ensures right engagement and enjoyment of all of these important aspects of our life and growth.
During this incredibly divisive time, we need to pay careful attention to how we engage with lovingly and truthfully with the world around us. In observing this portion of the book of James, we learn that real kingdom wisdom has real effect in our lives. Are we engaging others with the heart of God or with earthly goals and passions?
Atonement and propitiation - two words that sound big, complicated, and esoteric. However, these words represent beautiful and intimate truths for all of us, truths that bring us true freedom from sin and from slavery to our desires. Our sin is not just covered once and for all by Christ, as incredible as that is, but his very righteousness is given to each of us through faith in him, that we may walk in true faith and freedom as God’s beloved children.
What does it mean for Jesus to be king over our lives, over the way we conduct ourselves? How does his work for us affect our growth? What role do we play in seeking and growing? This passage reveals to us that God has provided us with glorious position, but we have practices that we pursue. We don’t earn any love or salvation with our efforts, but growing towards Christ requires our humble and active engagement; it is into this work that we are graciously called together as the church.
As created beings, we are all designed to worship - to pour out our affection and our devotion on something or someone. The object of this devotion is of the utmost importance, and affects how we view ourselves, treat others, and live our lives. We are reminded in the book of Colossians of the necessity of keeping our affection for Christ foundational in our considerations of ourselves and others. It is easy to focus too intently on external practices, when our true growth and freedom is found as we link ourselves to Christ, the king of true worship.
As we receive Christ and his forgiveness, we learn to then walk in him as well, rooted in him and abounding in gratitude. Walking in Christ requires a watchfulness for false freedom that we may avoid it; walking in Christ also mean our adherence the fullness of the freedom purchased for us. It is only in the love and grace of Christ that true freedom and life, for which our souls crave and ache, is truly found.
In the gospel, God beckons us in Christ into relationship with himself. As we rest in God for our salvation, we lean into him for our further maturation into the image of Christ. Maturity is rooted in the person and work of Christ, is modeled by us and others, and has definitive markers in the life of a believer. May we grow together in maturity, building one another up along the way.
This week’s text (Colossians 1:15-23) is the crown jewel of the book of Colossians, perhaps even of the whole new testament or all of Scripture. It is one of the most powerful and rich descriptions of Christ’s person and work. Texts such as these cause us to stop, to pause, and to marvel at the King of kings. May he reign over us in every way, changing us more and more into his image and filling us more and more with his joy.
If we are all honest with ourselves, we often hold others to standards that we ourselves don’t even meet. We aren’t as far along in our growth as we often think we are, and this in turn affects how we view and treat others. Colossians reminds us that our posture must be marked by patience. We need to thank God as others progress, ask God that others would exceed expectations and limitations, and trust God with their process. In order to see ourselves and others rightly, without unhealthy comparison, we need to first see Jesus rightly, and then our posture towards others will be properly founded.
Colossians reveals to us some of the truest realities of each of our lives: we all have struggles to overcome, we all face villains that need proper opposition, and we all need a hero to cling to. Jesus is the true hero, the one who brings joy when he is properly seated on the throne in each of our lives. God desires our whole heart; may we surrender fully to the only King who is worthy of worship and praise.
As we finish the Foundations series with our final meditation, we turn to a very important question: what do I do with this anxiety that I’m carrying? The most frequent command in Scripture is “fear not,” and far from a cold commandment to diminish our problems, this is an invitation to step into the grace and mercy Christ has purchased for us. We can take our anxiety with confidence to the God who loves us, whose strong and capable hands will take the weight and provide for us a yoke that is light and easy.
We are experiencing a distinct loss of presence during this time. We are physically apart, to be sure, but for all of us the deeper loss of presence is relational, emotional, and spiritual. This separation leads us to ask: where is God? Is he truly near to us in our hardship? The gap between God’s promises and our experience is a real one; in this sermon we examine the meditations that help us bridge this gap and live into the presence, love, hope, and joy afforded us in the good news of Jesus.
This is a season of loss and anxiety for all. As we are present to this suffering, we begin to ask questions as we are faced with ourselves: “Who am I in light of all of this loss?” Christ’s death, burial, and resurrection purchased for us not only forgiveness of sins, but adoption as sons and daughters. As we look at Psalm 131, we can see and meditate on the great privilege it is to be fed, sustained, and welcomed by God though Christ. May we live in light of our holy childhood, dwelling on the peace that surpasses understanding in this turbulent time.
When we believe rightly, when the reality of what God has done for us in Jesus resonates in our hearts, our lives change, and we step into the good works that have been prepared for us beforehand. To what are you devoting yourself in this season? May we believe in what is trustworthy and true, and may our good works flow our of worship and love for our Creator God.
Jesus tells his disciples a parable comparing the kingdom of heaven to a treasure that is hidden in a field that a man finds and sells everything he has to possess the treasure. In this parable Jesus communicates that the value of the kingdom of heaven is incomparable to anything the world has to offer. When we place the appropriate value on the kingdom we find joy in the kingdom even when life is difficult, we live in such a way that reflects our citizenship in the kingdom of heaven, and we serve in our role as ambassadors of Christ proclaiming the good news of the kingdom of heaven.
As we look at the biblical idea of patience in James 5:7-11, we see in verses 10-11 that patience is rounded out by the idea of perseverance and endurance. Those who claim Jesus as Lord can rejoice in suffering; not because we enjoy it or wish for it, but because the Lord can use it to grow us, grow our faith, and grow our hope and love in Him.
The world we live in is warring against the calling and discipline of patience, which we are to have as followers of Christ. Holy patience, however requires that we live in light of God’s presence and love; we also must step into the Spirit’s help to love one another as we have been loved by God himself.
As we conclude our journey through the book of Ecclesiastes, we are reminded of the chief duty of all people: to fear God and to keep his commandments. This lesson, and the many others contained in this rich book, only change us inasmuch as we remember them. We learn when, how, and why to remember, and thereby allow them to work in our lives by the power of God.
The main purpose of humans is to glorify God and enjoy him forever, in light of eternity. However, as we walk in the world under the sun, we find false purpose in the here and now. While our lives in this world are ours to steward and live well, we can’t find joy living solely for the temporal. In these verses, shared as the new year is upon us, Solomon’s inspired words help us thread the needle and find purpose in our Lord as we glorify and enjoy him under the sun.
This Christmas Eve we examined three historically Christmas hymns: O Come, O Come, Emmanuel, O Holy Night, and O Come All Ye Faithful. We learn not only have their origin but examine the good news they communicate regarding the birth of our Redeemer Jesus Christ.
All Christians are leaders and all leadership is contagious. Our lives are not our own and how we lead directly impacts other people. In Ecclesiastes 10:1-18 we examine the errors and consequences of bad leadership as an encouragement to lead others in such a way that reflects and honors Christ.
Though life under the sun often doesn’t play out as we would all expect or hope, God has granted us a precious gift to help us navigate this life: wisdom. The reverence of the Lord is the beginning all wisdom, and all true wisdom is from him, given to those who ask for it. May we humble ourselves before God and before others, that we might cherish and learn from wisdom and live the lives that Christ purchased for us on the cross.
As King Solomon continues in his lessons of wisdom, he begins to repeat important themes in hopes that God's truths will sink into the hearts and minds of his readers. In this portion, we are reminded of the importance of being present to God in the present moment. Tomorrow isn’t promised; we can and should steward our lives, but no fretting over the future will bring our desired peace. Yesterday doesn’t matter; while we all have regret and shame over things done and undone, and the pain of these things is very real, these events are not what define us as God’s beloved children. Today, therefore, should not be wasted. Every moment is holy, therefore we cling to our Lord and live every moment fully, for his glory and our joy.
The world is full of unmet expectations. In an attempt to understand them we easily find ourselves fixating on these things in a way that is unhealthy. Only God can fully understand everything that happens under the sun. Rather than fixating on our unmet expectations be encouraged to meditate on who God is and the grace that he has poured out on us.
Death is a difficult topic of conversation, but it is one that must not be ignored. In Ecclesiastes 8:10-13 Solomon tells us about a burial he witnessed and his thoughts on life as a result of what he had seen. What he saw is people who do not fear God living in sin yet not appearing to face any consequences for their life choices. In light of this perceived injustice Solomon reminds us that there is promised justice. A day is coming when both the righteous, those who fear God, and the wicked, those who do not fear God, will be judged appropriately according to their faith.
Submission to authority is a challenge for all people. Under the sun, authority will always fall short, but in any context it is supposed to serve as an intersection with the kingdom of God and as a reflection of the caring authority that God has over the world. This sermon teaches us how to conduct ourselves under authority of any kind and also reminds us of the limitations and functions of authority under the sun, here in the world in which we live.
Try as we may to control and fix our lives, there are many things that are out of our reach to affect. Properly understanding the sovereignty of God and our inability to fix ourselves helps us to face life’s reality. We so frequently think that we are in control and God is unable, when in fact God is in control, we were made to depend on him, and he desires to “make us upright” - to give us a life recreated through the Gospel of Christ.
Our lives today are full of distractions. While it is easy to go through our days distracting ourselves from our hurts, struggles, and desires, God himself calls us to the contemplative life, a life aware of his presence, his love, and his working. Distraction distorts our desires and impairs our emotions, but a contemplative life is an advantage, a protection, and a preservative; it reminds us of who we truly are, who God truly is, and the richness of life to which he has called his children.
All of us desire rest - not just physical or mental rest, but the deep, abiding rest of the soul. We try to attain this rest under the sun through our past striving, our present searching, and the potential solutions the future might bring. However, all of these efforts fall short. Jesus instead invites us into the present rest offered through faith in Him. He promises true rest today - may we accept his invitation and enjoy this holy provision, taking on the light burden of love.
The church has a long history of unhelpful discussion about money. When we focus too much on practicality, prosperity, or poverty theology, we miss the core of what the Bible teaches about money. Money itself is an amoral resource to be stewarded, but the love of money causes many unnecessary pains. The world tells us that we aren’t happy because of what we don’t have, but Scripture commends to us an alternative: to work hard for God’s glory at something in which we find joy and purpose, and to enjoy the fruits of our labor in light of God’s love and guidance.
Within the church, any church in fact, you will find hypocrites. We all claim to live in light of a love we don’t deserve, and we are all inconsistent in showing that love to one another. We can often be ignorant, rash, and unreliable, but nevertheless we are Christ’s bride; we are all precious in the sight of God, and therefore we should consider one another in this way. When we come to gather, we should draw near to God, be quick to listen, and eager to serve one another.
With the launch of our Gospel Communities for the next year, we are reminded in this sermon that Christ's prayer for the church, for all time, is oneness, just as the Spirit, the Son, and the Father all experience oneness. May we at Anthem step deeper together into this holy calling!
The true fellowship that God desires for his people is an interactive practice. Not only do we need to seek one another out in love, but we also need to open ourselves to truth spoken into our own lives. Fellowship helps us with our incapability, our misery, and our vulnerability. We were never made to live alone; in the weakness of our humanity we are able to bear one another up, attaining the unity for which Christ himself died by the power of the Holy Spirit.
Oppression in all of its forms is a past and present reality for humanity living under the sun. Personal oppression is a spiritual, mental, emotional, or physical burden or impediment weighing heavily on one’s conscience. We as followers of Jesus cannot disengage from this reality, but must consider and engage with oppressed people in a true and thoughtful way. Protection from oppression is by God, in prayer, through others, and as we bear one another’s burdens we fulfill, in truth and love, the law of Christ.
No matter our outlook on how the world should work, we can all agree on one thing: the world is not as it should be. Ecclesiastes agrees with this assessment - where there should be justice and righteousness, we find rampant wickedness. Our nostalgia for Eden can’t be fulfilled through our own efforts, but only through a deep dependence on God, the author and perfecter of our faith and the architect of Eden. Walking dependently with him allows us to walk through this world with purpose, resolve, and hope. One day, the intimacy and peace of Eden that we long for will return, and until then we join God in his work of reconciling all things to himself.
Ecclesiastes 3:1-15 is one of the most well known passages in all of Scripture. The Preacher has experienced everything life has to offer, but to what gain? In this passage we discover that our toil under heaven is both a burden and a gift given by God designed so that people fear Him. God is in complete control over everything at all times. He has a plan of redemption and there nothing anyone can do to stop it. This is a great comfort and should lead us to live our lives joyfully, selflessly, and to the glory of God.
If the wise and the fool both meet the same end of death, what is to be gained from a life of wisdom? Solomon says he hates life - so what’s the point of even trying to do good or to be loving? We are also commended to eat, drink, and be merry - why not just throw in the towel on life and do whatever makes us happy? All of these verses can be taken wildly out of context to do harm - but a redeemed perspective sees the beauty in them. When life is questioned, hated, and enjoyed properly in light of Christ, we see life through an eternal lens and we are encouraged forward, not to a life of despair, but to a life lived fully in God’s grace.
Through thorough examination, Solomon puts before us a difficult reality: while the world offers and promises much, there are truly no new pleasures under the sun. We can either validate the heart and all of its desires and longings, or we can orient our heart to that which truly satisfies. Though the Scriptures commend us to pleasure in this life, we are commended to a deeper and truer pleasure, one that is rooted in the will and love of God. It is here in God that the truest joy and substance is found.
Ecclesiastes reminds us that there are no new formulas under the sun - the “next big thing” never fully delivers in the ways hoped for. The ‘formulaic life” is the naive belief that if we do or know enough we can make life manageable. This lifestyle is exhausting, futile, and depressing; we will either live clinging to formulas for hope and purpose or we will live by faith in the God who cares for us.
As we reintroduce ourselves to the book of Ecclesiastes we are reminded that an important theme found throughout Ecclesiastes is nostalgia. Nostalgia is prominent, deficient, and transient. Ecclesiastes teaches us there is nothing new under the sun and that this life is but a breath through the eyes of eternity. Everything in this world falls short when compared to the life that awaits those who have been redeemed in Jesus Christ.
Closing our series on spiritual disciplines, we focus on a lesser known practice of watchfulness. In Scripture we are commended to be watchful; we are to watch over ourselves and over our relationships, and we are to be looking out for evil and celebrating the good. As we examine ourselves, we keep our eyes on Jesus, the founder and perfecter of our faith, the good shepherd who watches and protects his people
The next spiritual practice we examine together is prayer aimed at fellowship with God. Far from simply a religious ritual, prayer is to be at the heartbeat of our lives as we commune with our loving Father. Though prayer takes a variety of forms and holds a number of purposes, we should always endeavor to spend time praying with holy fellowship in mind, thus strengthening and encouraging our faith.
Continuing our series on spiritual disciplines, we turn our focus to the practice of reading scripture for spiritual transformation. Reading scripture deeper than the surface helps us to see more of Christ, the chief subject of each page. We abide in him, his words abide in us, and we are changed in fullness of joy.
Beginning a series on spiritual practices, or disciplines, we focus first on the discipline of silence and solitude. Learning from the model of Jesus, we see that the practice of silence and solitude provides space, limits distractions, adjusts our priorities, and prepares us for the work God has for each of us. While difficult to implement, especially in this busy day and age, we examined practical steps to weave this practice into our daily lives, providing space to commune with our loving Father.
Guest speaker Dr. Hud McWilliams joined us this Sunday, reminding us the importance of “starting with death.” Our world does all it can to avoid seeing and experiencing death, yet it is a fate that awaits us all. God’s desire for his created people, however, is not death but life, and through his son Jesus he has offered us eternal life. We can now face the reality of death, not with despair but with hope; death shatters pretense, prioritizes our life, and allows us to live more fully in the confidence of a loving Father.
As we conclude the book of Acts, we look back on how this book relays the story of the church’s start, scattering, and subsequent strengthening. We also learn from Paul’s time on Malta and his final arrival to Rome. Paul’s circumstances, while often undesirable, were divinely appointed for the good work God had for him to do in those times and places. The movement and work of God is not always in the ways we hope for, nor does he always work in the things we want him to, but he is always working things in an effort to get us to fix our eyes and affections on him, where true joy and peace rest.
After making his appeal to Caesar, the apostle Paul, along with others, begin the journey to Rome by ship. Along the way they encounter rough sailing conditions that ultimately lead way to a hurricane type storm that lasts two weeks and ends in everyone being shipwrecked on the island of Malta. The storm leaves the crew and passengers losing all hope of survival, and it is in that moment that God chooses to speak through Paul. Paul’s words are an encouragement to those with him and are an encouragement to us to inspire us to engage in God’s community, God’s Word, God’s mission.
Acts chapters 24-26 tell us of the continued trials of Paul the apostle. While he repeatedly finds himself in frustrating, unjust, and dangerous situations, he is always prepared to defend his innocence and to provide a reason for the hope that is within him. As we look at these chapters, we note how Paul prepared himself in term of his conscience, his courage, his content, and his conviction. God has given each of us a purpose, and in pursuing this purpose we will find ourselves in opportunities to make his name known. Will we be prepared to love others as he has loved us?
Many of us consider our lives as sweeping narratives; however, all of our lives are actually made up of many individual moments, both positive and negative. For those who follow Christ, each of these moments is an opportunity for the grace of God to work and move in and through our lives. His grace changes us, encourages us, and is with us in the small details of our life. Our God desires to be near to his people, walking with them each step of the way from now and through eternity.
As Paul is being moved closer and closer to torture and imprisonment, he has opportunities to share his past and experience with those who have captured him. While these may be seemingly simple remarks, Paul shows the power of redeemed experiences in the life of a believer. This text reminds us that our audiences and our experiences can all be used by God. Even our greatest hurts and mistakes can be leveraged for his purposes as we allow him to do his work in and through us.
As Paul stands to make his defense before the people gathered to see him imprisoned or killed, he gives his testimony, the story of how Christ spoke to him, saved him, and set him on a new course. In his words we are given a template for our own testimony, a reminder that our stories can be framed in a meaningful way that put’s God’s goodness on display. Our testimonies, while perhaps boring or mundane to us, can be tools of encouragement and worship in the kingdom of God and can be used for purposes far greater than we can imagine.
At long last, Paul lands in Jerusalem, and he is greeted warmly by the church. However, it doesn’t take long for him to meet opposition; despite efforts made by Paul and the church to protect him, Paul is beaten and arrested for his ministry yet again. Our best intentions and plans to do God’s will don’t always go the way we plan them. However, we can take comfort in the fact that even if things turn out differently than we expected them to, God is not finished with us. Like Paul, he may instead be moving us into the places we need to be to bring him glory and to bring us joy.
Following Paul having to say goodbye to the Ephesian elders he finds himself again surrounded by other Christians having to say goodbye again. As we read through this narrative we can see Paul modeling for us a healthy way of saying goodbye. Prayer, heartbreak and the gospel all play an important role when it comes to saying goodbye. However, as Christians are goodbyes are never really goodbyes; they are farewells.
The role of pastor is a gift from God to the local church. Acts 20:17-38 records a meeting with the Apostle Paul and the Ephesian elders (pastors). This gathering of pastors is an intimate gathering of Christian brothers who are serving the body of Christ. Through examination of the text we get insight into how a pastor should live, how a pastor should speak, and how a pastor’s heart should be motivated by God’s grace. For it is only through God’s grace that the role of pastor has any true value. Paul writes in Acts 20:32, “And now I commend you to God and to the word of his grace, which is able to build you up and to give you the inheritance among all those who are sanctified.”
Picking up in Chapter 20 of Acts, we find Paul journeying great distances while encouraging and equipping the people of God. While his plans were at times thwarted and changed, he was always present to the work in front of him, which even included raising a dead man to life. This passage of Scripture reminds us to be engaged with those we find around us today, to encourage and remind them of the life within them, and to reflect on Christ himself, who came to us in our spiritual death and gave us life again through his finished work.
On Easter Sunday, we are reminded of our own inadequacy: we will never be enough to fully satisfy ourselves and others. However, this solemn fact is confronted with an even greater, more glorious truth - wherever we lack, in whatever we lack, Christ is more than sufficient on our behalf. In his life, death, and resurrection, he is all we could never be, and through our faith in him we receive his sufficiency, filled at last with the glorious Love of God.
Life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness - this is the air that we breathe in our culture. We as persons were created to be joyful, but why doesn’t this joy ever last? Why can’t we find enduring happiness in all the things around us? God is far from indifferent to our joy. He desires his people to delight, rejoice, and find life in him through his Son Jesus. Followers of Christ have the most reason to rejoice, but when we don’t put first things first, we find ourselves farther from the joy we so deeply desire. The stronghold of happiness is a subtle one, but one that can be confronted and conquered with the power of God and the help of others.
Anger is an ever growing concern. According to the American Psychological Association anger is at the root of many mental health disorders, and there is no better place to look than Holy Scripture to how we should confront anger. Proverbs provides many warnings of what can happen when the stronghold of anger takes root in our lives. Knowing that anger can be righteous and unrighteous, this sermon seeks to distinguish between helpful and prideful anger as well as examines where prideful anger comes from and how it can be defeated.
The stronghold of busyness affects our ability to engage in work and rest properly. God intended for us to receive creative, restorative input in our recovery and to produce creative, life-giving output in our work. However, when we don’t rest fully and we engage work in an unhealthy manner, we are unable to recover or produce in sustainable, gospel-centered ways. People, trauma, and environment can all instill a stronghold of business, but the gospel can address all of these unhelpful rhythms and issues as we face them in prayer, with the help of God and others.
The stronghold of laziness is subtle yet powerful. On one hand, God has ordained healthy rest for his people, which is necessary for flourishing and for proper spiritual alignment with our Creator. On the other hand, however, is an abuse or overindulgence in this rest, revealed in an unwillingness or inability to engage in the redeemed life. We are not defined by our failed attempts at discipline or engagement. In Christ, we are beloved, image-bearing sons and daughters of God, set free to pursue the work and life that he has put before each of us.
In our examination of personal comprehensive strongholds, we examine first the stronghold of autonomy, or the unwillingness to be ruled by any authority other than self. In a church community context, this stronghold can lead us to neglect gathering, serving, and giving; while this lack of engagement may feel rewarding in the short term, eventually this isolation catches up to us, to our detriment and to the detriment of the body. We also examined how to defeat autonomy: our enemy desired autonomy and desires to lead others the same way, but our triune, communal God has purchased life, freedom, and relationship for those who call Christ Lord.
A stronghold is a protracted, pervasive, incorrect thinking pattern that informs our affections. These affections lead us to idols, which lead us to sin, death, and destruction. Using 2 Corinthians 10:3-7, we began to uncover the means of defining, deferring, and defeating these strongholds, a process which ultimately, by the grace of God, frees us and unburdens us for lives lives more fully in and for our Lord.
The gospel, detailing the work and love of God through Jesus Christ, is in and of itself an offensive message. The Scriptures are clear: we are sinners unable to save ourselves, despite what we may think. However, Christ isn’t confrontational purposelessly - this work is always intended to help us turn from sin and back towards life abundant, found in the loving arms of God. Listen as we take comfort in the gospel: though the pain and chaos of confronting our idols is real and should not be downplayed, the hope and joy on the other side of this repentance is eternally worthwhile.
We can try to use God for our purposes, or we can empty ourselves to be used for his purposes. We can’t do both, however, and only one of these options has any power, hope, and joy. God can use all things for his purposes, and if we avail ourselves to be so used for his glory, we will find true life.
As followers of Christ, it is important that we distinguish ourselves in healthy, helpful, gospel-centered ways. We do not want to place religious hurdles in front of ourselves or others that aren’t supposed to be there, trying to drum up morality and righteousness by our own strength. Conversely, we don’t want to be vague about our faith, adding further confusion to what God himself wants to make clear to his people. Jesus is the way, the truth, and the life, and no one comes to the Father except through faith in him. We have one Savior, but this one Savior died so that all who believe in him may have abundant, eternal life.
After leaving Corinth, Paul stops by Ephesus on his way back to Jerusalem and Antioch, eventually taking leave of the latter to begin his third missionary journey. He left Priscilla and Aquila in Ephesus, who meet Apollos from Alexandria, a gifted communicator of the Scriptures. With the help of Priscilla and Aquila, Apollos is further equipped to more effectively share the gospel, and he leaves Ephesus for Corinth, to water where Paul has already planted. Looking at this text in Acts, as well as 1 Corinthians 3:1-7, we are reminded that those who plant and water are not worthy of glory, but God alone is worthy, as he is the one who gives growth. However, we as his people should learn to plant and water well, pressing into our gifts and learning from each other that the name of the Lord may be exalted and that many would come to know him.
Paul’s journey brings him and his companions next to Corinth, a city that parallels the Bay Area in a number of ways. Looking both at the text and the past ten years of Anthem’s history, Pastor Allen reflects on 10 hallmarks we desire to cling to as a church during the next ten years. Above all, we desire to make Jesus known, in our own hearts and in the hearts of Marin County; our hope is to share the love of God with all and to be a place and people that honors Christ in word and in action.
Paul’s ministry in Athens is most well known for his sermon at the Areopagus on Mars Hill. However, in addition to his well-crafted message, his ministry to the Athenian people involved patience, listening, immersion in the culture, and a deep dependence on God. This text reminds us that sharing the love of God with those who are far from him is about being present - learning and listening, speaking truth clearly, and trusting God to do what only He can do as we befriend and pray for those far from Him.
The value, efficacy, and power of the word of God is highlighted clearly in this portion of the book of Acts. The bible is not a book that is simply read; it is a book that graciously examines its reader’s very soul. The Scriptures claim timeless truths about themselves, and while those who preach it can be silenced, maligned, or even killed, the word itself goes forth still, and won’t return void. Let us be a people who avail ourselves to the comfort, truth, grace, and power found within these holy pages.
God has a vision for our lives, and God wants us to know what this vision is, but often times our own visions for our lives get in the way of hearing clearly from the Lord. Observing the travels of Paul, we learn important principles regarding how God speaks, why he speaks, and the caution we should take in approaching all of these things. God desires that his people know clearly what he desires for them, that he may be glorified through their bold, Spirit-filled living in his name.
After the Jerusalem Council and the separation of Paul and Barnabas, the book of Acts picks up with Paul’s second missionary journey, where he recruits Timothy and begins his travels to Macedonia. There were a number of events and false starts along the way, but eventually these disciples of Jesus found themselves exactly where God wanted them for their next season of ministry. When we surrender our preferences, our plans, and our power to God himself, he is able to do far more than we could ever imagine for good and his glory – even if it feels like we are lost and wandering, he is working in all things.
As we begin a new year, as we make resolutions, and as we look with hope for a joyful, purpose-filled future… let us not forget to put passionate pursuit of Jesus Christ as the top of our list of priorities. He is all we truly need as we move on to what is next.
In celebration of Christmas, we remember that our God richly gives – salvation, strength, hope, and healing. Try as we may to bring these things into our lives on our own, we are reminded, in Scripture and in life both, that we need help. Luckily for us, and for all of the earth, our God is a giver who desires good for his children.
When it feels like we have been overlooked, forgotten, and neglected by God, we can be left bitter and anxious, uncertain of what the future holds. In these times we need to be reminded of his love and his might, and we need to seek Jesus and the kingdom of God first and foremost.
When making promises there are two primary things that ought to be considered: power and wisdom. As God’s creation we are limited in both power and wisdom and as Christians ought to consider our limited nature before making promises. However, we worship a God who has all power and wisdom. Therefore we ought to have full assurance that when God makes a promise He has all the power and wisdom to fulfill it. During this Advent season we reflect on the promises God made to send a Savior for His people and how He fulfilled his promise through the birth, life, death and resurrection of his only begotten Son, Jesus Christ.
What is Jesus worth to you? On the surface, this is a simple question, but a thorough approach to its answer requires us to take stock of all we hold dear in this life. Whatever we hold as our highest value will influence and affect how we navigate our life. This portion of Isaiah 40 reminds us that nothing in this life can be compared to Christ: he is more significant, he is ultimately sufficient, and he is transcendent from all of the glories and delights of this world. It would do us well, as the people of God, to remember his great worth and love towards us; to let the idols die and to approach him boldly, letting his worth fill and fuel our joy, our service, and our love for others.
All of us need a shepherd - we need provision, peace, and protection. We need to be led by someone who is visible, authoritative, and clear. Most of all, we need to be led by someone who is modeling, in the best of their ability and with the help of the Holy Spirit, the chief Shepherd, Jesus Christ himself. We need God to correct the unhealthy narratives with which we see the world, and we need him to continually love us, protect us, and lead us beside the still waters he desires for us.
Continuing in our journey through Isaiah 40, we come to an important reminder: while there is glory in the existence of mankind, this glory eventually fades away, while the word of the Lord will instead stand forever. The gospel stands forever, the scriptures stand forever, and most importantly, our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ, the Word become flesh, stands eternally. May we behold this enduring Holy One this season and all the days of our life.
Isaiah 40:3-5 speaks of a way being prepared for a victorious God to visit and deliver an imprisoned people. While this message offered hope and healing to its original audience, these verses also serve as a foreshadowing, a prophecy of a man who would come to prepare the way for Christ himself, the hope and healer of the world. In conjunction with the Isaiah text, we discover in Luke 3 more about John the Baptist, his preparation for the Lord, and his message of the hope that repentance and abiding provide.
In our first week of examining Isaiah 40, we see God speaking hope, peace, and comfort into the rebellion, sin, and brokenness or his people. Though they have wandered and disregarded God, he is not yet finished with them, and desires to speak to their heart, forgive their sins, and bring them back to the joy of relationship with him. This text teaches us the meaning of true, abiding comfort, and reminds us that as we are comforted by Christ, we are to comfort others with the same enduring hope we ourselves cherish.
The Church is called to be good stewards of God’s grace. This includes a wide variety of gifts which are dispersed by God in different measurements. Romans 12:3-8 tells us that for us to practice faithful stewardship we must practice humility, embrace diversity within the body of Christ, and finally faithful practice the gifts God has so graciously given us.
After delivering a letter to the church in Jerusalem, Paul expressed a desire to Barnabas that they should visit the believers in the cities where they have proclaimed the gospel to see how they are doing. Barnabas agrees and seeks to include John Mark on their journey, but Paul does not agree with the inclusion of John Mark. The inclusion of John Mark on their journey sparks a strong disagreement between Paul and Barnabas that ultimately has them going different ways. Through this disagreement between Paul and Barnabas we examine five principles in Romans 14 to see how we as believers should handle disagreements over disputable matters.
Throughout history, and even today, followers of Christ have struggled with gospel clarity. Sometimes unintentionally, sometimes intentionally, elements are added or subtracted from the gospel of Jesus Christ, making what is supposed to be good news so untenable that we can give up or rebel out of frustration. Is grace alone through faith alone in Christ alone sufficient? In this examination of Acts 15, we learn that God has prepared us for the gospel so we would depend on the gospel in order that we might be free in the gospel.
Settling into the fifteenth chapter of Acts, we peer into an incredibly important meeting regarding salvation and the future of the church. What does it take to be saved by Jesus Christ? Grace alone, through faith alone in Christ alone? Or does something else need to be added? Some things are worth debating over, and often times we find that there are great benefits in wrestling for clarity, truth, and understanding in the gospel.
While Paul & Barnabas remain in Lystra there are a group of Jews who have traveled from as far as Iconium and Pisidian Antioch for the sole purpose of disrupting the ministry of the apostles. These Jews were able to persuade the crowds, who had just been worshiping Paul, to have Paul stoned, dragged out of the city and left for dead; or so they thought. The disciples in Lystra gather around Paul’s body to find him alive. Paul stands up and returns to Lystra to stay the night before departing to Derbe to continue to preach the gospel. When their work is complete in Derbe Paul and Barnabas begin their return trip to Syrian Antioch traveling back through the towns that they were persecuted in for the purpose of strengthening and encouraging the disciples to remain steadfast in their faith for when persecution comes. This passage in Acts reminds us that we have an enemy who seeks to disrupt the work of the gospel, it highlights the importance of preparing for persecution, and it reminds that we are able to rest in God’s sovereignty when facing persecution.
Paul and Barnabas find themselves in the city of Lystra after fleeing from Iconium. Here Paul heals a crippled man, and the town’s reaction to this miraculous act of God is to treat their visitors as gods themselves, seeking to honor Paul and Barnabas by offering sacrifices to them. When the apostles realize what is going on, they urgently insist that the city members put an end to their vain worship of false gods and turn instead to the living God, creator and sustainer of heaven and earth. Paul and Barnabas confront the idolatry of Lystra, and we as the readers are likewise confronted. We too must turn from the many people, things, and ideas we seek for deliverance, and we must turn instead to the living Christ, who offers us an easy yoke and a restored relationship with our living and loving Father.
In the 14th chapter of Acts, we find Paul and Barnabas at Iconium, in yet another synagogue telling others about the person and work of Christ. The text notes that they “spoke in such a way” that people were stirred up, either to affection for Christ or to bitterness and resentment towards God. These initial verses of chapter 14 demonstrate the power of the practice of preaching. While many have considered preaching an outdated, ineffective means of communicating the gospel, Paul held its practice in high regard (2 Timothy 4:1-2), and it is to this day one of the essential means by which the church is grown, fed, and stirred towards deeper adoration of their Savior.
The next stop on Barnabas and Paul’s missionary journey takes them to Antioch in Pisidia. Here they join a worship gathering on the Sabbath where they are asked to provide a word of encouragement to the people gathered together. The encouragement Paul provides them is the same encouragement we need today, the gospel. True encouragement comes from fearing the Lord. The gospel of Jesus Christ encourages us to be a great people, promises a future inheritance, exceeds all of our worldly expectations and is a free gift from God to all those He calls His children to encourage them in every aspect of their lives.
Focusing again on the church of Antioch at the beginning of chapter 13, we find Saul and Barnabas beginning their first missionary journey, stopping first at the island of Cyprus. Here Saul and Barnabas preach the gospel, confront false teaching, and lead people to the Lord. Just as Saul (now called Paul) was radically changed by the power of God, we too are given a holy calling, a holy identity, and renewed, holy passions as we join the Lord in his work to make all things new.
Why is pride so bad? Scripture is clear that God hates pride, it is the source of all sin, and it always destroys. Pride puts us in opposition to God and in the end it will destroy us. We must daily practice humility to fight the sin of pride that can easily entrap all of us. Practicing humility helps accomplish three things: humility orientate us towards Jesus, not others; humility gives glory and not attention; and humility focuses on self-awareness, not self-image.
We, the Church, are to proceed in community, under the guidance of God’s Spirit, according to our new nature. The result is a people who model love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, gentleness, faithfulness and self-control. However, each of us has latent, residual inclinations to people and events that, unchecked, have the capacity for great corporate harm. The contrasting result is a community whose conduct is more akin to wild animals. Galatians 5 warns us that this feedback loop of biting and devouring can and will consume the entirety of the community, which is exampled to us in Numbers 11. We are most vulnerable, as a church, when our misfortunes are too big, our cravings are too strong and our leaders are too burdened. Thankfully, we are offered some clear, biblical instruction to help get back in-step with the Holy Spirit and avert the church’s consumption.
Fresh out of jail, having just been miraculously freed by God, Peter goes to the house of John Mark’s mother, where there are a number of people praying for him. These people are encouraged by Peter’s story, and he asks them to spread the story to even more apostles and disciples. The power of testimony is great, and as we share the work Christ has done and continues to do in and through us, we build one another up in the gospel, offering encouragement, hope, and confidence in the Lord.
Through Peter’s imprisonment and miraculous escape from prison, we see the power of prayer and the power of God on full display - no matter the opposition, God’s purposes will not be thwarted. We are also reminded of our own spiritual imprisonment - without Christ, we dwelt in darkness and sin. We are freed, however, by grace through faith in Christ himself. It is God who loosens our chains, forgives our sin, and leads us into freedom, that we may enjoy and rejoice in God and join him in liberating others with the news of the gospel.
As the church in the city of Antioch is established, a prophet visits with a word from God: a famine is coming, and the brothers and sisters in Judea will be in need of assistance during this time. The generous response of the Antioch church teaches us valuable lessons in how to share and bless others with the resources we have been given. As we grow personally in our generosity by the power of the Holy Spirit, we become a community that more fully embodies the sacrificial love and giving of Christ himself.
As the news of Christ’s life and work continued to spread beyond the walls of Jerusalem, many people from many regions began to grow in knowledge of grace and truth. One of the cities reached with the gospel was Antioch, where seeds were sown by eager disciples and where Barnabas and Saul worked together to build up and establish a church. From the work and example of these followers we learn some healthy hallmarks of a growing and thriving body of faith. The gospel preached, embodied, and established together with others sets powerful foundations for a dynamic community of God.
As Peter is sharing the gospel with Cornelius and his family and friends, the Spirit descends, salvation occurs, and new members are brought into the family of God. How are we to welcome those who are “outside” into the church, into communion with believers and with the Lord? The text recounts a powerful story of redemption and salvation, and we learn that those on the outside need to hear the gospel, need witnesses to their growth and change, and need a loving and present community, devoted to the Lord in every sense.
This week, the apostle Peter shares the truth that God has revealed to him: God shows no partiality, and His forgiveness through faith in Jesus’ work and present reign is for all people in the world. Peter’s short but effective message breaks down three key components of the Gospel: the truth of who Jesus is, what He did, and what these realities mean for all people, both then and now.
After Cornelius sends for Peter in Joppa, we find Peter, who sees a vision from the Lord, and through wrestling and discerning confirms that the Lord is breaking down barriers for the sake of the gospel. Peter meets with Cornelius and his family and shares the meaning of the vision: no one should call any person common or unclean, unworthy of the grace of God. This vision fans further the flame of the gospel as it spreads beyond its previous walls, to be shared with all people from all nations.
The Acts narrative leads us to man named Cornelius, who Scripture describes as a devout follower of God. Cornelius is told by a vision of an angel to send men to bring Peter to him, an order which he promptly obeys. As important as the events of this passage are to the story, equally important is the attention Luke gives to Cornelius’ character as a husband, father, and disciple. This Father’s Day, we uncovered lessons in godly manhood; men of God fear the Lord, are involved, generous, and humble, and desire to be memorable to God, not to man alone.
In and out of the church, debates and discussions regarding the cause and the purpose of suffering are commonplace. Why do we suffer, and what good is to come from our suffering? Why does the sin in the world often eclipse the good? Because we are all priests in the kingdom, we are called to heal and to help others heal, and this portion of the book of Acts serves as a template from which we learn lessons about healing. All healing, past, present, and future, is for the glory of God, and even in the uncertainty of unhealed, unresolved problems, we can rest assured that God has glorious purposes for every trial we face as his beloved children.
Saul, a violent opponent of the Way of Christ and of the early church, is met unexpectedly on the road to Damascus by Christ himself. Jesus confronts Saul, who then finishes his journey to Damascus and is met by Ananias, a brother in Christ who assists Saul in his early moments of faith. This text shows us that although opponents of Christ may malign, marginalize, and mistreat followers of Jesus, the gospel has the power to change even the hardest of hearts through circumstance and the provision of grace. These individuals can be used in mighty ways for God’s purposes, and thus we must pray and move forward with boldness, trusting the work of the Holy Spirit as we share good news with them in word and deed.
We are surrounded by cultural intersections, and despite the wide array of cultures that surround us, they all share a common point of intersection: the Gospel. In this sermon we reflect on the encounter Philip has with an Ethiopian Eunuch. These are two men from very different cultures who encounter one another with the gospel as the intersection point. In their encounter we see that gospel intersection is always by supernatural process, is sometimes through natural process and we also examine how we might leverage these gospel intersections for maximum impact.
Upon hearing the news of the spreading gospel in Samaria, the apostles Peter and John come to examine the situation and pray that the new believers would receive the Holy Spirit. Simon the magician, amazed and envious of the supernatural ability of the apostles, offers money in exchange for instruction on how to perform this Holy Spirit prayer. In his stern yet loving rebuke, Peter tells Simon that the true gift of God, his presence through the gospel, cannot be bought with silver, but was bought with blood on the cross of Calvary. A closer look at Simon’s heart reveals that he was striving to earn what can’t be paid for and was dwelling in bitterness and evil, but such a heart is never too far gone to repent and to return to the giver of the gift of salvation.
As the early believers were persecuted by Saul in Jerusalem, many of them scattered to nearby regions. As they went, they preached the gospel to those they encountered. Philip, one of the early deacons, found himself in Samaria, where he preached Christ to a people captivated by the work of a magician named Simon. Looking at this text, we learned that the good news of the kingdom of God is for both the deceived audience and the deceiving magician, but in order for either to be liberated the gospel must be shared with them. We are challenged to enjoy Christ himself, but we are also asked to share his love with friend and enemy as redeemed messengers for our Savior.
What are the parameters of a church that is faithful to the good news of the gospel of Jesus Christ as set forth in Scripture? Such a church must hold orthodox views on the members and roles of the Holy Trinity, must believe rightly regarding the authority of God and Scripture, and must believe that liberating grace is obtained through faith alone in Christ alone. This week, we observe Evangelicalism and some of the barriers to maintaining unity with other brothers and sisters in Christ.
What are the parameters of a church that is faithful to the good news of the gospel of Jesus Christ as set forth in Scripture? Such a church must hold orthodox views on the members and roles of the Holy Trinity, must believe rightly regarding the authority of God and Scripture, and must believe that liberating grace is obtained through faith alone in Christ alone. This week, the beliefs of Jehovah's Witnesses are examined within the context of these three areas: the Trinity, Authority, and Liberty.
What are the parameters of a church that is faithful to the good news of the gospel of Jesus Christ as set forth in Scripture? Such a church must hold orthodox views on the members and roles of the Holy Trinity, must believe rightly regarding the authority of God and Scripture, and must believe that liberating grace is obtained through faith alone in Christ alone. This week Mormonism is examined within the context of these three areas: the Trinity, Authority, and Liberty.
What are the parameters of a church that is faithful to the good news of the gospel of Jesus Christ as set forth in Scripture? Such a church must hold orthodox views on the members and roles of the Holy Trinity, must believe rightly regarding the authority of God and Scripture, and must believe that liberating grace is obtained through faith alone in Christ alone. While there are many faithful Christians found within the Catholic Church, Allen’s message this week points out where tradition and biblical inconsistency have led to guilt and effort rather than to the freedom, forgiveness, and rest that Jesus calls us to through the gospel.
Resurrection Sunday is cause for great celebration. We remember today, more than any other day, that our Lord Jesus is alive, and not only is he living and triumphant, but he is the the greatest gift known to man, the present fulfillment of all of our needs. Jesus is the better answer to all our soul longs for, and through the gospel he offers us the chance to cling to him in the light and in the dark, through every hill and through every valley of life.
Concluding our journey through the temptations of Jesus in Matthew 4, we see Jesus encounter the temptation for approval: all of the world’s kingdoms and their glory are offered to him, if he would but fall down and worship the Enemy. Jesus rebukes the tempter, states his firm commitment to worship and serve God alone, and once freed from the presence of the Enemy, is ministered to by angels. This moment teaches us about our own need for approval, which is a present reality, but can only be fully satisfied by the author and perfecter of our faith, God himself. The identity Jesus received as the beloved son, in whom God is well-pleased, is ours to share and enjoy when our faith is in our salvation through Christ alone.
The enemy is continually trying to undermine our identity in Christ. During this season of Lent we examine the temptation of Jesus in Matthew 4. This week we reflect on how the enemy uses false security to lead us away from putting our confidence and value in who Christ says that we are. Paul, in Philippians 3, makes it clear that our flesh only provides us false security, false confidence, and false value. If anyone had the right to claim confidence in the flesh it was Paul. However, he considered everything the world had to offer to be of no value in comparison to the person of Jesus Christ. The only true security, true confidence, and true value we have comes, not from the world, but from Jesus Christ alone.
After his identity as the beloved Son of God is confirmed, Jesus is led out into the wilderness by the Holy Spirit to be tempted by Satan. After fasting for forty days, Jesus was very hungry, and it was at this moment that Satan visited him with his first temptation. Satan asked Jesus to turn stones into loaves of bread, thus confirming his deity and comforting his starving body. Jesus, however, demonstrates his Spirit-empowered allegiance to the Father, quoting Scripture and stating that man does not live only by bread, but by every word that comes from the mouth of God. This week, we reflected on the dire importance of the word of God in each of our lives, and learned that while comfort is a gift from God, it becomes an idol when we seek comfort first in the world around us, and not in Christ and his work on our behalf. The comfort we experience as God’s beloved we are to share with those around us, thus fully knowing and spreading true comfort for weary and restless souls.
During the Lenten season, our Sunday gatherings will be spent observing Jesus’ baptism and subsequent temptation by the Enemy. As we begin this journey, we learn from the incredibly important moment at the start of Jesus’ ministry, when he was baptized, received the Holy Spirit, and was told by God, without any question, that we was the Father’s own beloved Son, in whom he is well pleased. Through our repentance from sin and faith in Christ, our sin is forgiven, and we are given a new identity in which we are hidden in Christ - the Father’s love for Jesus as his beloved son becomes the unconditional, perfect, unending love that is extended to us as his sons and daughters. As we remind ourselves of this identity, we remind ourselves to refrain from settling for the lesser joys and the lies that tempt us, and to find our identity, comfort, approval and security in the true and better source, Jesus Christ himself.
After giving his speech to the Sanhedrin, Stephen is surrounded by angry, frustrated councilmen. After proclaiming that he sees Jesus himself standing at the right hand of God, the council had heard enough; he was taken outside the city and stoned to death. Although gruesome and heartbreaking, these six verses teach us much about our devotion to God and what it takes to likewise remain faithful to the end. A life fixed on Christ remains faithful, draws opposition, and is ultimately changed by the love of God in the gospel.
Stephen has been seized and brought before the Jewish Council for questioning regarding what he was teaching the people. In Stephen’s response to the Jewish Council we can can clearly see that our God is faithful, despite our unfaithfulness. Our God is slow to anger and abounding in steadfast love despite our persistent rejection of Him. Our God is also worthy of all glory as our Creator and the Author of our salvation. God’s grace is unrelenting, unwavering, and unending. If you can repent know that God desires you and do not abuse his patience, but instead, grab a hold of Christ.
This week we learn more about Stephen, one of the first deacons of the church, who was doing great wonders and signs among the people, working full of grace and power. His presence and work caused yet another stirring within the council of Jewish elites. When Stephen was brought before this council, they accused him and questioned him primarily concerning one thought: the claim that Jesus of Nazareth came to destroy the temple and change the customs of Moses. Did Jesus actually say this? Was Stephen saying the same in his preaching? Is Luke, the author of Acts, congruent in his thinking on the matter? Why is this all so important? Listen as we uncover these answers and ultimately turn our affections to Jesus, the true substance of every shadow we find in this life.
At the start of Acts 6, we see the ministry need of the early church growing too great for just the apostles to handle. To aid them in meeting these needs, the apostles set apart qualified, trustworthy, and godly men to attend to these tasks in a faithful manner; these men are likely the first deacons of the church. As we spend time studying and discussing the office of deacon, we learn not only about God’s desire for the church to be served well, but we examine also the true heart of service: Christ came and served us first with love, so we respond through repentance, faith, and service in his name and for his glory.
After the apostles rebuke the Sanhedrin for their unfocused, selfish faith, the council is so enraged that they look to kill these messengers of God. Before they can act, a wise man named Gamaliel steps forth and prevents them. Gamaliel reminds the council that if the efforts of the apostles are indeed manufactured, the movement will cease to exist, but if this movement is from God, there is no way it will be overturned. Taking his advice, the council beats the apostles and charges them, yet again, to not preach the gospel of Christ. As they leave, the apostles rejoice and continue to preach in obedience to their Savior, rejoicing that they have been counted worthy to suffer for Jesus’ sake. This text reminds us of the value of wise and seasoned council, affirms the unshakeable certainty that God’s purposes will never be thwarted, and provides us with deeper insight into what rejoicing through persecution is to look like for followers of Jesus.
After the apostles perform many signs and wonders by the power of God, they are opposed yet again by the high priest and the rest of the Jewish council. After God himself releases them from prison to continue to preach the name of Jesus, the elites try again to contain them, forbidding them to teach in this way. In their retort, the apostles remind them that they are serving God, not any manmade agenda. The push and pull of this passage reminds us that the word of God is not bound in any way - God will achieve his purposes, and no hand of man can stop him. We are also reminded of the slavery of sin, and how Christ, through the gospel, releases us from people pleasing and status-chasing to be free. In our newfound freedom, we learn the challenging joys of obeying the Lord and liberating others with the truths of God’s love.
Acts 5:12-16 tells us of some of the many signs and wonders that regularly occurred in the early church. Residents of Jerusalem and of the surrounding areas brought their sick and afflicted to receive prayer for healing. These signs and wonders are a physical representation of the healing power that God has, incredible acts that bring him glory and pleasure as Lord of all creation. This passage also tells us that at this time, more than ever, believers were added to the Lord, multitudes of both men and women. While we faithfully pray that God is the Great Physician who can heal the physically afflicted, we pray just as boldly for those who are spiritually dead, that God may free them from their sin and draw them into life, which is none other than Jesus Christ himself.
This week, we begin the fifth chapter of Acts. The end of chapter four left us with an image of believers in Christ who, fully surrendered to his love, were living generous lives, giving their all to those in need. Chapter five presents us with two individuals, Ananias and Sapphira, who joined in the generosity, but only in part. Instead of offering wholly what was theirs to give, they kept some of their offering for themselves, to use as they saw fit. Ananias and Sapphira desired only the pretense and image of generosity, without the substance of the God who changes our desires and makes us holy. On the cross, we see Jesus, who gave himself fully for us, that we would be forgiven of sin, reconciled to God to live lives of joy and worship: will we respond only in part, or give ourselves wholly to this great love?
In Acts 4:13-37 the apostles and the other believers are living united in heart and soul. This unity is based on one thing, their fear of the Lord. The fear of the Lord is nothing to be weary of, but it is a gift of God and full of wonderful blessings. Peter and John display their fear of the Lord in speaking the gospel boldly before the Jewish council. When Peter and John join the other believers they all display their fear of the Lord in how they pray. Luke then gives us a third display of the fear of the Lord in action by the incredible generosity of the early church. May 2018 be a year where we grow in our fear of the Lord knowing that those who fear the Lord will be blessed.
After Peter’s sermon regarding the healing of the lame beggar, the Sadducees respond by imprisoning Peter and John and then questioning them: how did this happen? Peter articulates, yet again, it is through Jesus alone that such things are done, and that “there is salvation in no one else, for there is no other name under heaven given among men by which we must be saved.” The Sadducees, eventually finding no fault in these men, release them, but their reactions to the words and deeds of the disciples remind us of some key dimensions of the gospel. The gospel is to be public, demonstrated and explained so that all may be saved. It is pricey, requiring from us a life fully dedicated to Christ, which brings him honor and glory. Finally, the gospel is particular – there is only one name, Jesus Christ, that truly saves, reconciles, and offers new life.
Today’s world tells us that if we have enough information and motivation, we can make changes to our surroundings and to ourselves. Temporary change may indeed come, but what happens when the information needed for change ends up changing itself? What happens when the motivation runs dry? The true, lasting change we desire for ourselves comes not by our own strength or will, but through the power of the name of Jesus Christ. Through Jesus we receive the comfort, approval, and security we long for; his name is the answer to all of our striving, and our responses of repentance, worship, and devotion to his Lordship change us from the inside out. May our selfish strivings cease, and may we fall at the feet of the Author of life, changed by the power of his love.
Grace, while always welcomed in our lives, sometimes doesn’t come to us in the ways we expect. The lame beggar in the third chapter of Acts asked for grace in the only way he knew, and was met instead with God’s might, a moment that changed his life forever. No matter where we come from, the truth of the gospel of grace comes to us in unexpected places, in unexpected ways, and often with power that exceeds our expectations.
In spite of our best efforts to be faithful to the biblical portrayal of the body of Christ, many churches find themselves on one side of a perceived spectrum. Some churches are very inwardly focused, creating followers with depth of knowledge but a devastating lack of awareness of life beyond church walls, while others go all in on service, justice, and love towards the community and the world to the detriment of equipping the saints for the work of ministry. The solution to the swinging is not a both/and approach, but an entirely new focus. As we fully devote ourselves to God, remembering him through scripture, fellowship, sacrament, and prayer, we knit ourselves to him in every way. In so doing, the lives we lead more fully demonstrate his desires, and the church purposed to worship God, edify people, and evangelize the world becomes more completely formed.
The Church is made up of individuals. We, as individuals, are responsible for our relationship with Jesus Christ. However, we, as the Church, are a part of a larger, more complex body. We are to rely on one another to serve God more faithfully. The Church was never designed for people to live their lives as individuals, but as a part of a larger community. The early Church knew this well. Acts 2:42 says that “they devoted themselves to the apostles teaching and the fellowship, to the breaking of bread and the prayers.” By God’s grace and the empowering Holy Spirit we can learn to live life less as individuals and more like a family unit that outdoes loving one another.
In our hearts and lives, we are frequently constructing narratives that affect our relationships and alter our perspectives of our world. In contrast to our tainted views of reality, Jesus in the gospel offers us history, theology, prophecy, and testimony, all pointing us to the deep, abiding truth that God loves us so much that he sent his Son, Jesus Christ, to die in our place and reconcile us back to the Father. The table is set, and the message is given to us, but we must decide: how will we respond?
As the Holy Spirit descends upon the early church, empowering them in their performance and proclamation of “mighty works of God,” opposition arises in the form of mockery and dismissal. Peter, filled with courage and holy power, stands to begin his sermon, defending the work of God and the presence of the Holy Spirit. In his initial words, he reminds us that those who call upon the name of the Lord are called to share the gospel and the works of God, are encouraged and assured of Jesus’ return, and are saved and secured by the gospel.
Upon his ascension, Jesus promised his followers that they would receive power in the form of the Holy Spirit, the God that would fuel them to be witnesses to the gospel across all of the earth. The disciples wait expectantly and faithfully, and at last the Spirit comes, filling them and sending them out to Jerusalem to begin their ministry of sharing Jesus with those around them. This Sunday, we celebrate this event with scripture and song; we remind ourselves that the same power granted to the disciples on the day of Pentecost is in us as believers of Christ, given to us to do God’s will wherever he leads us.
We the people of the 21st century are a people who do not like to wait… for anything. With so much instantaneous gratification at our fingertips, our ability and desire to wait expectantly and hopefully has diminished. After the ascension of Jesus, the disciples themselves were told to wait for the power of the Holy Spirit, promised by Christ himself. While our waiting is often passive as we distract ourselves until the awaited event arrives, we can learn from the disciples and their waiting, which is proactive and expectant. While we often wait for God to move in our lives before we move ourselves, the disciples model a better way to wait: we prepare our hearts, our minds, and our hands, and we begin to move in faith. It is here, in the trusting, prepared movement forward, that the Lord meets us as he promises, complete with power and presence.
When times are hard it is easy to reflect back and desire the good old days. The Apostles were no different. They desired a day when Christ would restore the kingdom of Israel to its previous state of glory. However, returning to the good old days is something Christ never promised. Christ came not to restore us to a better position we once held, but to transform us into something entirely new. In God’s perfect timing, Christ will come again, and fully restore our souls to Himself.
This week, our journey through the book of Acts begins. Written by Luke, a “beloved physician” and a detailed scribe, the first leg of our journey will show us how God’s church is started. This church, we discover, is not just a building or a gathering of people, but God’s ordained vehicle for redemption: the hope of the world. As we embark, we are equipped with the knowledge that Acts is an historical account, detailing true events in history, a local imperative, with holy instructions for living on a loving mission to our surrounding context, and a supernatural movement, empowered by God himself through the Holy Spirit to accomplish his purposes.
Everyone’s understanding of God’s grace is, to some degree, deficient. Each and every day we live our lives, God is intervening in countless ways with amazing grace. This grace manifests over and over again through, sometimes, complex and difficult peculiarities. Our understanding and experience of this grace can become arrested in what Scripture describes as “juvenile” form. This juvenile misconception of grace is heavy and harmful in innumerable and, often, subtle ways. For these reasons, we frequently need to have our grace development kickstarted, repeatedly, so that we may grow in grace (2 Peter 3:18) and our joy may be fresh (Isaiah 29:19).
Each one of us builds our life upon something, a foundation we believe will hold us up on the worst of days. In this concluding portion of the Sermon on the Mount, Jesus warns the listening crowd that those who hear his words and actually follow them will be building upon a firm foundation. Conversely, those who are hearers only and unwilling to apply his teachings are building upon sand, which will wash away when the storms of life rage. Our obedience to our Lord requires divine help, community support, and is covered in God’s grace and forgiveness, but we as followers of Christ must also be diligent and eager to live up to that very name, living lives of courageous obedience and love, honoring our Savior with the fruits of our faith.
The book of Ephesians paints a beautiful picture of a new society - a new society that is made up of all who call and trust in the name of Jesus. This Sunday, we explored the truths that this new society is to display CHARITY through our character and conduct, communal UNITY that arises from the unity within the Trinity, DIVERSITY through our gifts, and MATURITY in our increasing growth. When we grow in obedience to these, the church grows in it’s visible beauty and truly lives as a ‘city on a hill.’
Last week we learned that Jesus rejects the proud and receives the humble. Following the rich young man’s unwillingness to humble himself Peter responds to Jesus, ““See, we have left everything and followed you. What then will we have?” The parable that follows is part of Jesus’s response to the question Peter is asking. In the parable Jesus is addressing the pride that is in the heart of his disciples. The parable illustrates how God’s grace works. Receiving God’s grace has nothing to do with the our works, but has everything to do with Jesus being the one who freely gives it in whatever way brings him the most pleasure.
The sin of pride is always looking for an opportunity to grab hold of us and lead us into more sin. Anger, lust, envy and many other sins are rooted in the sin of pride. Scripture provides warning after warning against the consequences that pride can and will bring. If we are to live according to what God has called us to then we must better practice humility. Just as Christ humbled himself by coming in the form of a man to save us, we too must continue to humble ourselves in service to God.
As we conclude our time in the parable of the prodigal son, we encounter the older brother and observe his reaction to his younger brother’s return. His stubborn anger teaches us about the darkness of our own hearts, and the love of the father towards both sons reveals the heart of our Heavenly Father, a heart that desires for both the religious and licentious to turn from their pride and their selfish desires and towards the love and light of celebration, freedom, and forgiveness. We too are called to forsake our wanderings and our hardened hearts and to turn to Jesus, who heals, forgives, and welcomes us into celebrating our transformation from death to life.
As the younger son returns home, he is welcomed warmly by his father’s forgiveness and love. The father quickly dresses his son ornately, reconciles him to the family, and throws a celebration feast. We see in this story the redemptive heart of God; our Heavenly Father longs to exchange our rags of rebellion with robes of righteousness, forgiveness, and love. He celebrates greatly at our return to him, overflowing with gratitude that his children who were once lost are now alive and found.
In our third week of our journey through the story of the prodigal son, we see the younger son’s return home and his father’s warm welcome. As the younger son is eagerly greeted by his father, so we are gladly accepted and loved by our Heavenly Father when we turn from rebellion and return home to him. We are seen, loved, and embraced, fully forgiven through faith in Jesus.
Continuing in the parable of the prodigal son, we find the younger brother in his moment of realization. He sees the weight and consequences of his actions, he acknowledges that there is no hope far from home, and he makes plans to return to his father. He returns home with a speech prepared, as we often do when we approach a holy God in our sin. This portion of Scripture teaches us much about the nature of repentance - as we continually turn away from self-centered, self-seeking lives, we turn towards a God who sees us in our sin and, because of our faith in Jesus, loves us, forgives us, and makes us new and whole again.
As we begin our time in the parable of the prodigal son, we first observe the heart and the actions of the younger son and his leaving home. We likewise leave home when we seek fulfillment, purpose, and affection from anything else other than the deep, complete love of our Heavenly Father. No matter our wanderings, we can come home, but only through repentance from our lives of reckless living and through faith in Jesus as the only true way home to the love of the Father.
As we are conformed more and more into the image of Christ, we will look less and less like the world around us. And because the darkness hates the light, we are certain to experience persecution and suffering. But, we can take heart and have a supernatural hope knowing Christ also suffered and conquered death and is guarding for us an inheritance in heaven. So we shouldn't be surprised by suffering. Even more, we ought to rejoice in what it produces in and for us and be ready to tell unbelievers why we have such hope in the midst of it.
But you are a chosen race, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, a people for his own possession, that you may proclaim the excellencies of him who called you out of darkness into his marvelous light. - 1 Peter 2:9
God’s purpose in redeeming us is not simply our enjoyment, but that we might glorify him (Emphasis on the word “that…”) Seeking our own eternal well being—right though that is—could never provide a truly satisfying goal for life. The answer to our search for ultimate meaning lies in ‘declaring the excellencies’ of God, for he alone is infinitely worthy of glory. Redemption is ultimately not man-centred but God-centred.
The world has much to say about love, but to understand what real love is, we must understand what God says about it in his Word. The depth, magnitude, and purity of this love must be based on its source, not the object of it. The good news is that we are being saved from being unloving people and are gradually realizing our identity as the loving children of God. We are "growing up into our salvation…,” becoming children who love like our Heavenly Father loves us.
God has saved us by his power, through is son, and for his glory. What a reason to rejoice! And as the redeemed, living for the glory of God, we are made holy. Holy means to be ‘set apart for the purposes of God.’ This doesn’t mean removed from the world, but rather set apart for God amongst the world. Knowing fully who we are, our conduct should be that of a people that reflect the mercies and glory of our great God so that all of those around us would see him and know him. By "preparing our minds for action" and "being sober-minded," we are able to “hope fully on the grace that will be brought to [us] at the revelation of Jesus Christ.
There is a myriad of things that, whether intentionally or not, distract us from embracing our true identity in Christ. But we live under the immensely joyous reality that all those who are in Christ Jesus have been chosen by God the Father. And he who has called us to him will also sustain us. This is the joy Peter is exhorting over the ‘elect exiles’ of 1st Peter.
So when we fail, just like Peter did, we have the utmost confidence that God is for us and will help us endure. We do not have to fret or fear when those around us persecute us, revile us, slander us, or exclude us. Our citizenship in his Kingdom through the atonement found in Jesus is what we cling to. With this joy, we are equipped to live in a way that reflects the goodness and glory of God and show and share the gospel of grace to all around us.
As children of God, we are all called to one thing, purpose, and person; Jesus. We are called to live our lives for the glory of Christ. Therefore, we are all called to Jesus, but He sends us differently according to His will.
Here are a few questions to evaluate in respect to what God has sent you to do: 1. Do you have a long-term vision for what God has sent you to do? 2. Do you find meaning, value, purpose in where you already are and what you are already doing? 3. Do you view adversity and opposition as confirmation? 4. Do you expect other’s to facilitate God’s sending in your life?
No matter who we are, this life brings hardships, struggles, and pains. This difficulty does not hide from those who know and love Jesus: doubt, fear, and uncertainty have their ways of creeping in and haunting us, shaking our confidence and certainty. We must learn, in every circumstance, the practice, discipline, and joy of clinging to Jesus. As we grow closer to Him, we learn to wrestle honestly with our problems, to behold him in all of his beauty, and to wait expectantly for his movement.
What does it mean to be blessed? The word blessed comes from the Old English word for blood. Blessed is a word to describe something or someone that has been marked or consecrated with blood. Therefore, if you have been marked by the blood of the Lamb of God, then you are blessed. A mark of the blessed person is that they delight in and meditate on Scripture. If you are called blessed then your relationship with God's word should be examined.
As we conclude our 'Legacy' series we are reminded of some of the ways we can leave a legacy. While aimed at parents, ‘Legacy’ was not just a series for parents. It was a series for all within the church who are serious about God’s call to consign a generational legacy that will be a blessing to those who follow.
So what will your legacy be?
Genesis tells us that after God worked, he rested. He created an intentional stopping point to be attentive to and acknowledge His created and finished work. Do you rest? Is there margin in your life to reflect and acknowledge the work God has done in your life? Our search for artificial rest actually causes more stress, keeps us out of community, and drives us further from true rest in Jesus. Find margin, stop doing all the things, and enjoy Jesus.
What is your gut reaction when you hear the word 'discipline'? Do you cringe and hide? Do you think, 'what's discipline'? Or do you perhaps feel something in between? Discipline is about shepherding the hearts and souls of others for the glory of God. Just as our Heavenly Father disciplines us because he loves us, we are to discipline our children and those who come after us because we love them and for God's glory. This week we dissect what the Bible says about discipline and how we were designed for it.
A legacy of faithfulness means that those who come after us will know eternal joy in Jesus. Your faithfulness today means that joy is experienced now; we don't have to wait for Heaven because Jesus is here with us today. Our faith in Jesus produces an everlasting joy. The Bible tells us that every meaningful, substantial, and durable joy-producing enterprise is never obtained by taking short-cuts. When you short-cut your faith, you short-cut your joy. And joy requires pain, conviction, and dependence. It may not be the easy road, but it is the faithful one. Every parenting and life endeavor we encounter forces us to make a choice, the faithful one or the short-cut. Which legacy will you leave?
The legacy of being present with those we love is not contingent on our capacity or ability to do so, but on our willingness to be ambitious for family and community and not solely for our own desires and dreams. Just as God is present with us through our betrayals, accusations, denials, and eventual renewals, we too must learn the art and discipline of being emotionally and physically present with our loved ones through good times and hard seasons. God with us means that our fear is futile, our frailty is fortified, and our falling is finite. He will never leave us or forsake us, and is with us always, even to the end of the age. May this ever-present God stir us up, his family, to be ever-present with one another through the victories, failures, and in between moments of our lives.
The human condition naturally gravitates towards the path of least resistance. Sin in the garden inaugurated a new curse toward work, human relationships, and more consequential, our relationship with God.
It's no wonder then that when our flesh is leading, we tend to parent through reacting to events vs. being proactive through the process of our children's sanctification. This week, we dive into Romans 5 and Psalm 51 to explore what leaving a 'Legacy of Process' looks like.
On Easter Sunday, we gather to celebrate resurrection! When Jesus went to the cross on our behalf, our old self and its weak desires and selfish hopes died with him in death. Now, he is resurrected, and through faith in him, we can find true joy as we are offered newness of life. Our old desires are replaced with fuller and deeper passions. Our faith is encouraged as we worship with the billions of other who know Christ. The promises of God come alive in a real, tangible, way. Our lives are filled with hope, purpose, and redemption, knowing that nothing, from the best of days to the very worst, is ever wasted for those who know Christ and are called according to his purpose.
Parenting and discipleship is a long, hard process. Along the journey, we ourselves are hurt by others, and we, in turn, can hurt others in similar or different ways. Repentance is the all-important key to covering past hurts and preventing future pain. As we strive towards leaving a legacy in which repentance is the norm, we must learn to show honor, demonstrate forgiveness, and pay careful attention to our own desires and sinful inclinations. Flourishing comes when God’s dreams for those we are shepherding become our dreams for them, and only a repentant, self-examining, and healing heart can share in these fruitful desires.
As we parent, relate, and grow together as the family of God, the implementation of law is a necessary component of developing our legacy. We need God’s law to guide, inform, and protect us from our sinful hearts and desires, especially when we are younger in age and faith. However, maturity comes when we realize that the law, as helpful as it is, will never produce true heart change. Our lives are to be conformed to the image of Jesus, and while the law points the way, it also reveals our inability to obey in our own power. The law exposes our desperate need for grace and forgiveness. May we, sinful and wayward children, depend on Christ in our failings, and may we turn around and extend the same grace to our own children and families.
When the hardships of life shake our core, what spills forth from us in word and deed? Whatever we have been filling ourselves with, whether helpful or harmful. The grace extended to us by God through faith in Jesus Christ redeems our past and secures our future. However, what we often neglect is the powerful grace accessible to us, the empowering of the Holy Spirit to face life today. As parents, children, and family, the holy grace and power continually extended must be continually before us. We must seek it together, humbly and expectantly, for without it, parenting and shepherding in a way that is to leave a lasting legacy will be impossible.
This week we take a closer look at our identity as we strive to leave a gospel legacy. We are reminded of the dire importance of remembering our identity as the beloved sons and daughters of God, loved eternally through faith in Jesus Christ. This is the legacy we are to live out of and pass on to our children, both biological and spiritual. Any other legacy, fabricated by our own sinful desires, regrets, and misguided passions, will not provide the life and power promised, but will lead us and our children astray, as we seek after that which does not satisfy. May we remember Christ, and may we be emboldened and equipped to live for him, embodying a legacy that is everlasting.
As we begin a new series on parenting and family, we are reminded of the importance of stewarding the mandates given to us by our loving God. We have been given a legacy in Jesus through our adoption as sons and daughters. We reflect this legacy as we honor the covenants that are made with us (to God, through marriage, to each other, etc.), and we multiply this legacy as we share the love of Christ, not only with our direct families, but with one another as the larger family of God. The path is painful, and the cost is often great, but we press forward, empowered by God to leave a legacy centered around Jesus, the one who truly gives life to us as a family.
As we conclude our journey through the book of Judges, we are reminded of the stark differences between genuine and counterfeit Christianity. While true, joy-filled obedience to God produces life and flourishing, shallow religion and half-hearted worship lead to compromise, pain, and destruction. As fallen as we are, our merciful Father is still ever faithful to us, his people. With Christ as our advocate and Savior, let us pursue our loving Father wholeheartedly, worshipping with our whole lives as we receive his love.
Samson’s story, while filled with great feats and exciting narratives, is frequently tempered with defeat and loss. It is a story of highs and lows: a man lifted by God in strength, but also made weak by the same God who granted that power. Samson’s story is a lesson in humility for all of us. God’s grace, poured out onto us undeserving sinners, brings us to our knees, our hearts brimming with gratitude for his kindness. God’s governance inspires acknowledgment of his might, and reminds us that despite our best efforts, intentions, and plans, he is in control over all things. God’s glory, weightier and more magnificent than we could ever imagine, humbles our pride and redirects our worship, for he is worthy to be praised. God revealed produces humility in us as his followers, a gift given to remind us of our limited capacity, yet all the while assuring us of the greatness of the God we serve.
All of us have limitations. As much as we desire differently, we as humans are finite in our ability to fully understand, be present in, and change our circumstances. Our inability to know all produces anxiety, our failure to be be everywhere and do everything well produces regret, and our weakness and powerlessness to control all aspects of our life produces anger. These limitations, however, are meant to lead us to the end of ourselves, to the freeing realization that we can’t know all, be everywhere, and control everything. We are limited, but we serve a limitless God: all knowing, always present, and all powerful, who knows us intimately and desires us to know him more. May our troubled lives be fully submitted to the only one who is able to lead us, empower us, and save us: God the Father, through Jesus, by the power of the Holy Spirit.
Redemption is defined in a variety of ways in our culture, and usually pertains to specifics of rehabilitation and recovery. However, we see throughout Scripture, and particularly here in the story of Jephthah, that God’s redemption is far more powerful and complete. Not a moment of our lives is wasted: our unsuccessful plans, our unexpected pain, the untruthful accusations against us, and the unfinished people in our lives all work to redeem our every circumstance for our deeper joy. Our final redemption is brought about in the gospel, through the plan of God the Father, the pain of God the Son, and the power of God the Holy Spirit. We are redeemed by our salvation through faith in Christ, and we are continually formed into the image of Christ as we live in obedience to him.
What do you value? What makes someone or something worthy in your eyes? As we examine the first half of Jephthah’s story in the bible, we see the timeless truth about perceived value: it is fickle, subjective, and almost always tailored to our changing wants and desires. Inherent value, conversely, is fixed upon us, endowed upon each person by our Creator, and cannot be taken away from us. Because of Christ, we are called the beloved sons and daughters of God, precious in His eyes, and we are reminded as a body to address and consider one another in this way.
Israel, yet again caught up in pursuing what is right in their own eyes, becomes an example of apostasy in this week’s text. Although our God is gracious, loving, and slow to anger, he is equally just and holy, and will not tolerate the blatant abuse of his grace. Such indifference towards sin was a hallmark of Israel in the book of Judges, and lest we take care to examine our own lives, we could unknowingly image the same carelessness. The road to apostasy is paved with resignation and religion, both of which are seldom seen by their object. However, today is a good day… because detours abound in Jesus Christ. When Jesus is enough, worldly sorrow is replaced with genuine contrition, behavior modification is replaced with genuine change, and spiritual pluralism is replaced with genuine fidelity to Jesus.
What can we learn from five short verses in the book of Judges? Tola and Jair, both Judges of Israel, lived different lives, experienced different upbringings, and had very different backgrounds. However, they both inherited a sinful Israel, and were themselves sinners. For all of this mess, both men avoided clinging to second hand issues and lead in a manner pleasing to God. As we find ourselves in this very charged political season, may we be reminded that no politics with solve our greatest need: to be reconciled to God. Only faith in the gospel of Jesus Christ can fill our greatest need, and only after we have received this forgiveness and experience the gospel daily can we rightly view others and the varied issues of our nation and world.
No sermon we will ever hear will be more important than one in which we are blessed to hear the glory of the gospel on full display. We are new creations in Christ, but often times our lives feel a bit off, as if we are missing a key ingredient in living the abundant life promised to us. The second installment of this message provides us with detail and instruction regarding one of the simplest, yet hardest activities of the Christian: submission to the Holy Spirit. As we grow in this vertical submission to God, our horizontal submission, to our brothers and sisters in Christ, grows as well, and our lives begin to bear fruit of the Spirit.
So many of us are prone to getting caught up in what we do (activity) that it inversely taints who we think we are (identity). But the gospel informs a different way. By focusing first on who God is and what he's done, we're able to see who we really are in Christ. When we truly submit to the realities of the gospel, then this new identity orients what we do!
The start of a new year can stir a grand mix of emotions. Some of us feel hopeful and optimistic for the year to come, while others might tend more towards nostalgia, and in some cases, an unhealthy longing for the past. In the book of Ecclesiastes, Solomon admonishes his readers to seek wisdom, and not to dwell on the former days. Jesus Christ has offered us newness of life, forgiveness of sin, healing of past hurts, and a family to share life with. As we face 2017, may we cling to him as the supplier of all we need and glorify him as the king of our hearts and lives.
No sermon we will ever hear will be more important than one in which we are blessed to hear the glory of the gospel on full display. We are new creations in Christ, but often times our lives feel a bit off, as if we are missing a key ingredient in living the abundant life promised to us. While the journey is never easy or painless, we find deepest joy in our Christian life as we submit to one another out of reverence for Christ. Do not distract yourselves, Paul warns, but keep hearts and souls open to the direction and movement of the Holy Spirit, the person who empowers us to live fully devoted to one another, giving and receiving with hearts full of gratitude.
As is often true in the book of Judges, we are not the victims in this story. We are Abimelech. We are hurt, maligned, mistreated, and disrespected, and instead of remembering God, remembering his goodness, remembering that he too suffered just as we have, we strive for the position of security, comfort, or approval that we believe will fill the void in our hearts and lives. We must understand this act of remembering. It is not simply acknowledgment or remembering in the sense that we are accustomed to. It is a recollection, a memorial, a pillar, a reorientation.
How often in life are we just trying to move on? Maybe we’re ready to move on from a hard job, a hard parenting season, or a hard marriage. Today, marks the fourth and last sermon on Gideon in our Judges series. In the previous weeks, we hopefully learned that our decisions should be made with God at the center (not fear, comfort, or pride), and we can be confident and obedient to those decisions through Jesus’ work alone (not our own) through God’s power, purpose, and provision. This week, we will be focusing on how to end well using Judges 8 as an example of what roadblocks often stand in our way of ending well. We are going to focus on three: people, pride, and position.
Gideon is faced with what is an impossible situation. He is going to battle against an army of 135,000 with only 300 men. How do we respond when we are faced with an impossible situation? We look to this story of Gideon to see how he puts his faith into action and trusts in God's plan, God's provision, and God's power.
At first glance, it'd be easy to fault Gideon for having weak faith. After all, God had already given him a sign by consuming the meat and unleavened cakes (6:21) and 'clothing him with the Holy Spirit,' (6:34). But God's positive response to Gideon came free of reprove or condemnation. He willingly condescended himself by giving Gideon the signs through a fleece… A FLEECE!
In so doing, we get a beautiful prototype of what Christ accomplished in his life, death, and resurrection. Christ, too, condescended everything holy that he had full right to claim by stepping into human history, clothing himself in weakness by becoming a man, and dying on a cross. He did this without reprove or condemnation. 'He who knew no sin, became sin, so that in him we might become the righteousness of God,’ (2 Corinthian 5:21).
Christ then becomes the only sign of assurance that we need of God’s total provision for his people. He has become the sign once and for all that no sin, death, or evil will triumph over those who bear the name of Jesus! So may we move onward in confidence and obedience in all that the Lord is calling us to and may we be a light to the world.
*We apologize for some technical difficulties in this week's podcast.
We belong to God, which means all of our decisions belong to God. Therefore, calling is about unqualified people bringing every choice into dependence on Jesus, which qualifies them to be used for other’s deliverance through Jesus.
What are you worshipping? Are you worshipping the idols in your life, those things that you place before God, or does your worship focus rightly and entirely on God? Remember, loved ones, your worship of God will last, your idols will not. So, reflect on this-this week, what are you worshipping?
What does God tell us through Deborah? For starters, she is the only female judge in the Book of Judges. This story, as much as any in the Bible, gives us a glimpse into the role God has for women in His kingdom.
Only one verse? Yes, just one. The scripture tells us a lot in one tiny verse this week. Most of us are going to be known for one verse lives, sung for one verse worth of heroics, and experience one verse kind of excitement. The sooner you embrace that possibility, the sooner you will stop glory-plotting and start glory-plodding.
God uses a man named Ehud to remind us this week that we're never too messy to receive God's grace. Messy grace means messy people, but sanitized grace comes with sanitized expectations of sanitized people in sanitized circumstances. Grace is often often messy because people are messy, we're just never too messy for grace. Remember, the cross was messy.
Given the current climate of our church, we will take a break from our Judges series and address the events of the last week head on, rather than try to tip-toe around them. Quinn Bartrug was born at 25 weeks gestation on Wednesday, September 28th and sadly passed away in the evening on September 29th.
In light of all of this and all of the suffering around you or happening to you, how does God look to you? Are you focused on the 'who' - God? Or are you focusing on the what, when, where and how, hoping he will answer your questions? Is your worship, regardless of your circumstance, directed wholeheartedly at God? You can't wait for the pain and suffering to happen to you to respond in worship to God; rather, you must be chasing him fully right now! Direct your worship to the Creator and focus on Him.
Given the current climate of our church, we will take a break from our Judges series and address the events of the last week head on, rather than try to tip-toe around them. Quinn Bartrug was born at 25 weeks gestation on Wednesday, September 28th and sadly passed away in the evening on September 29th. God does not ask us not to grieve when bad things happen, but rather He wants us to seek him in our grieving. We will not only search the Scriptures to answer ‘why’ this happens but how to best serve those ‘when’ it happens.
We are introduced to our first Judge this week. Othniel, our first judge, is a reminder to us that God is in control and we are not. It can be very easy to forget that God intends to use us for His purposes and His plan for His glory each and every day. Do you feel useful to God? In what ways have you made excuses to limit your usefulness for God's purposes? Remember, you are still useful if you are still breathing.
What legacy are you leaving? As long as you are breathing. it is not too late to leave a Gospel legacy. When you know that the Gospel is enough and it is effective, then you can embody it so others can learn to treasure it. We must leave a better legacy for our churches and our homes.
The Old Testament book of Judges is an incredibly relevant book for us today. Judges is the account of Israel’s history as they enter into the land promised by God, as Abraham’s descendants. While the account in Judges is historical, its chief concern is with respect to God’s person and work within historical events.
In particular, Judges reveals how a faithful God deals with and, even uses, fallen people.
Despite being in a state of total depravity, unable to restore ourselves to right relationship with God, God sent himself, in the form of a man, Jesus Christ, to live the perfect life we could not live, and willingly die the death we should have died. In his resurrection he conquered death and set us free from the wrath of God, so that one day Christ will return and restore us to our originally created state. This is the gospel. This is the good news.
The book of Nahum reveals to us the ferocious nature of God’s love, the severity of his wrath, and just how closely these are intertwined. For those who oppose, persist in sin, or set themselves against God, Nahum is a call to repent and a reminder of God’s fierce hatred for sin and disobedience. For those who have trusted in Christ’s sacrifice on our behalf, the book of Nahum can be a great comfort, reminding us that our heavenly Father is against those who oppose him and his people, and that he ultimately protects his people from the greatest harm, eternal defeat in death.
Opening up Acts 15 shows us what can happen when we try to place barriers or restrictions on the gospel. Though the barriers we set up in the present day may be less obvious than the Judiazers' attempts to require circumcision, they are no less perilous to both us and those whom we are trying to reach with the gospel.
Like the Jerusalem council, we must ensure that we address these false gospels quickly, correctly, and communally. All of this is to be done in faithfulness to Christ and his word in hopes that we might be a people (laos) who show and share the gospel.
In the early days of the church, as Christ centered worship began to emerge, the security and comfort of Israel’s tradition and self perception was threatened. In one of the shortest ministries in the bible, the deacon Stephen reveals the hypocrisy of the present-day Israel, who had accused him of speaking blasphemy; after presenting a history of Israel and its heroes, Stephen reminds them of their own rejection of God’s authority and messengers, most presently Jesus, whom they crucified. Stephen’s speech reminds us to stay alert and mindful and to ask ourselves of the ways we are opposing the leadership and presence of God in our own lives.
God, where are you? God, why are you doing this? These are the two questions the prophet Habakkuk is asking of God. His faith is being tested. Although wrestling with his faith, his faith is not weak, it is getting stronger. The hard things that life throws at us are designed to strengthen our faith in who God is. God’s sovereignty, promises, and power are all meant to spur us on to persevere when life gets hard.
Despite being spoken and written thousands of years ago, the prophet Joel speaks to a very modern dilemma: lost years. Each of us have seasons in life that don’t go anywhere according to plan. We often times ask the question, “What was the purpose of it all?” Joel clearly identifies God’s merciful plan and redeeming work despite lost years that we can hold fast to.
What is mission? People are sent all around the world on "mission trips", but for what purpose? Jesus. Jesus is our mission. Whether on the other side of the world or in your backyard, that is our mission. Mission doesn't involve Jesus, Jesus is the mission. We, the church, are on mission to make disciples of all nations, tribes, peoples, and languages. We submit to his authority daily for his mission in order to spread the good news of the Gospel all around the world.
With this in mind we have exciting news about where God is sending Anthem on mission around the world.
God is light, He sends light, and we (man) are supposed to reflect that light. Jesus says we are the light of the world, which means you need to work out, hold out and pour out God's light...not your own. So how do we do this? We work out our salvation, hold out the word of life, and pour out our lives for Jesus.
We have seen some of the most devastating acts against one another occur in our country in the last month. In lieu of concluding our series, Abandoned, we need to look to Jesus this week to understand that our reconciliation happens first to Him, and second to each other.
We are meant to be one body, reconciled to Him and to have peace amongst all. For it's through Jesus that we know God and are apart of the same family. We were once strangers and are now family in Christ.
Remember, loved ones, our real hope is not in reconciling our differences, rather, our real hope is in the Gospel and being reconciled to Him.
The church at Laodicea found itself being accused of being a tepid church; somewhere between hot and cold...lukewarm. This happens when we surrender God's sufficiency and diminish our depravity. The solution? We need to stop selling out, copping out, and shutting out.
Too often, people live their lives without any acknowledgement of God’s calling. As believers, we each have a calling on our lives. Using Acts 13, Paul gives us a framework of how to not only discern our calling, but also live it out.
This Father's Day we visit the city of Philadelphia in Revelation, chapter 3. This modern, progressive city is a wealthy, fertile, and beautiful place to live.
The church in Philadelphia is praised for it's endurance. But what does it mean to [biblically] endure? Christians, we are promised eternal strength and eternal victory at the end of our days if we endure. And they we endure is by keeping the Word and knowing that His name has power. Are you enduring?
Though Zephania's specific context was to a rebellious Judah, it contains one of the Bible's strongest assurances of God's triumphant love over us. His warning to repent from our sins and idolatry because of the Father's fiercly jealous love AND his reminder that the same God redeems us through Jesus are still pivotal themes in our understanding of the gospel. "Zephaniah’s prophecy is rich in the grace of God that ultimately climaxes with the coming of Jesus and the preaching of the gospel.”
There are areas in all of our lives where we struggle to believe in God’s graciousness. But the promises in Zephaniah 3:9-20 remind us that God is relentless in his love for us. We talked about the 4 G’s on Sunday morning. I’d encourage to you to print this out, make a note on your smart phone, or just memorize these to remind yourself often of his love for you. The 4 G’s:
GOD IS GREAT – so we don’t have to be in control. GOD IS GLORIOUS – so we don’t have to fear others. GOD IS GOOD – so we don’t have to look elsewhere. GOD IS GRACIOUS – so we don’t have to prove ourselves.
The city of Sardis is a seemingly easy place to live. A free Christian society, no roman occupation, nothing questioning, attacking, or criticizing their way of life. But they, like us, need a wake-up call.
It takes a lot of energy to be a Christian, but we have the greatest sustainable source, Jesus. We all must be reminded that our works do not save us, rather we are saved by Christ for the work we do. Christ is the reason for our generosity, fidelity and activity.
Thyatira is a place that serves one main purpose: to protect the capital city of Pergamum to the north. It is a military city that people mostly just pass through, but with so many people wandering through this city, it is one that can easily be changed by the culture around it.
The church in Thyatira is a changing church, one that is being conformed to the culture, not changed by God and this is the people Jesus is addressing this week. Do you desire Jesus or the world around you? If you're desire is for the world, then you need to look to Jesus, for he is unchanging and immovable.
The city of Pergamum is comprised of the well educated, innovative, and spiritually prideful. Jesus addresses this capital city's church body regarding their need to hold fast to him and to not compromise their theology for the culture around them.
Jesus is not blind to where he has put your church or where he has put you. Wherever you are, he's asking you to hold fast to his name. Because a good church confesses to good theology and a good church also contends for good theology. We cannot turn a blind eye to bad theology, because bad theology is life-taking.
We must be both confessors and contenders of good theology for the lives of others, our church, and ourselves.
This week the church at Smyrna is encouraged to stay faithful, even when things are hard and trying.
Are you remaining faithful? Faithfulness is often times marked by poverty, slander, and tribulation in one's life. Although it doesn't sound appealing, that is what Jesus is asking of us as children and as the church; to remain faithful.
This week the church at Ephesus is addressed regarding their lack of love towards Jesus. The church has abandoned its first love and needs to turn back to Jesus lest they fall to ruin.
Have you abandoned your first love? Is Jesus taking a back seat to other things in your life? Would we not be Ephesus loved ones; repent of your old ways, remember what Christ has done for you, and let him renew your hearts so that you might find your love in him again.
Local church attendance is on the decline. Hostility towards Christianity is on the rise. You may be surprised to know that this comes as no shock to Jesus. In the book of Revelation, seven different churches, in seven different cities are singled out for our edification. In doing so, we find seven different reasons a church is brought to ruin. Curiously, none of the reasons have to do with a church’s relevance, but rather a church’s faithfulness.
In this series we learn Jesus never abandons His church, but sometimes the church abandons Jesus.
We are counting down the top five objections to Christianity according to the Resurgence Report; an ambitious cultural study completed in 2013, with focus groups completed in Austin, Boston, Phoenix, and San Francisco.
It is untenable for Christians to embrace the "new" tolerance of today's culture, if for no other reason, because we are to be the visible reflection of the invisible God. God is not passive and doesn't have a "whatever" mindset about us, rather, He is ever-involved in our lives. "New" tolerance, simply put, is intolerant. Christian, be the reflection of the living God to a culture that believes we are intolerant.
We are counting down the top five objections to Christianity according to the Resurgence Report; an ambitious cultural study completed in 2013, with focus groups completed in Austin, Boston, Phoenix, and San Francisco.
This week, we ask, "are we, the church, relevant?" The culture would say no, however our responsibility to the culture remains the same: preach the Gospel. What people need, is not for you to advocate, but what they need is an advocate.
We are counting down the top five objections to Christianity according to the Resurgence Report; an ambitious cultural study completed in 2013, with focus groups completed in Austin, Boston, Phoenix, and San Francisco.
This week, we ask, "how should Christians involve their personal worldview in politics"? Before we can answer that question, we have to ask ourselves; Can we have political views outside the consideration of our Christian faith? No, you cannot, you cannot separate how you vote from who you are.
We are counting down the top five objections to Christianity according to the Resurgence Report; an ambitious cultural study completed in 2013, with focus groups completed in Austin, Boston, Phoenix, and San Francisco.
This week, hypocrite is the word used for the number four objection on the list.
How did Christianity get to be so widely adhered to? The resurrection of Jesus Christ fanned the flames of an obscure group of followers into the largest world religion history has ever seen. This Easter morning we celebrate the single greatest sign, the single greatest verifiable evidence, in support of the exclusivity of Jesus’ person and work.
Good Friday, and the subsequent Christian Life, is an invitation to be changed, either for the first time by Christ's substitutionary death on the cross or for the Christian, once again in those areas of our life in need of sanctification.
Why is Palm Sunday referred to as the "triumphal entry"? What makes it a triumphal entry, is that it is an unexpected entry, one where Jesus triumphs over heart, not our problems.
For twenty-two weeks, John has been inviting us to move past the surface level of Christianity. Abiding in Jesus Christ means a full submersion into the gospel. If you aren't going deeper and abiding, then you aren't understanding the gospel. Will you go deeper and abide?
As this series comes to a conclusion in the next few weeks we want to ask ourselves again, "how do we abide"? Throughout this series, John has lead us through the theme of abiding in Jesus, and as we conclude we will focus on the hallmarks of abiding in the Truth.
Continuing from last week, we dig deeper into what John is teaching us about the Truth. In this week's text John emphasizes that the Truth, Jesus Christ, should change us. Truth produces a full life and anything that you abide in that is not of God, will not give you life. So, are you ready for a change?
God is the author and revealer of what is true in the world. For the believer to reject truth, whether through a messenger or directly in Scripture, the cost is life. Jesus is the Truth and if you don't have truth, you don't have life.
How can we be assured that God loves us? To be assured in our position and perfection in Christ is to be confident that God is working in our lives. Keep praying and abiding in Him, because He is always working in your life.
From the ash we came and to the ash we will return. Thanks be to God for Jesus Christ, is has remade and who is remaking us in His image.
Our entire life is based on the testimony of one man, Jesus Christ, as expressed by many, over thousands of years and documented in one book. The Bible, although composed of many writers and points of view, is the being and testimony of the person and work of Jesus Christ so that we may have eternal life through him, with God the Father. Knowing that these things are good and true, could you make up your mind about God, apart from what everyone else thinks, feels, and speculates? Will you abide in the person and work of Jesus Christ?
What does it mean to have faith? "Having faith" is not as simple as saying it or claiming that you are a Christian, so, then, how do we abide in our faith? We must first understand that faith is both saving (God's work in us) and living (Our work in the world). The fruit of our saving faith is our living faith, therefore, we must continue to let God work through us in the world.
How can we be more generous? This looks different for each of us, but what remains the same is that we are to be generous with others because God is generous with us. Take a look at the generosity in your life; start with sustainable acts and grow from there. Make it a priority to be consistent with your time, talents, and treasures.
What does it mean to be generous? Over the next two weeks, we’re going to look at 10 principles found in two chapters of 2 Corinthians on what it means to be generous.
There is hope in worshiping Christ rightly. In so doing, we proclaim him as the greatest, both to the satisfaction of our souls and the observation of those looking on. In submitting to the Word, we are shaped into disciples who live in their neighborhoods and cities with the full power of the Gospel. We live as a family of believers who are equipped to sharpen one another. This kind of worship, right worship, reflects the fullness and the goodness of Jesus Christ to a lost and dying world. This is our call, church! Take heed to the call to worship God rightly.
Although our circumstances under the sun are not going to change this year, neither is the power and presence of the living God, working in and through the people He loves, even when it seems like He's being very silent.
Love can be hard, it can be difficult to understand, but God's love it perfectly beautiful. Here John is saying, that in a very real sense, we can only see how the wrath of God, the judgement of God, and the fear of God are all coherent and consistent with a loving God; if we are born of God.
Video: By John Piper. ©2015 Desiring God Foundation. Website: desiringGod.org
It has cost a great deal, to a great number of people, for us to be here tonight [Christmas Eve], but nothing more costly than what is cost God for us to see Him tonight.
The only way to know love is to know God. So, lovers (beloved), let us know God's love rightly, because knowing God's love produces right lovers (Sons & Daughters).
If you want to be assured your faith is discernible, then you need to heed the appeal for a discerning faith.
God knows about all of your great sins which result in great doubts deep within your heart. But today He wants to assure you that you have a great God, who went to great lengths, to give you great confidence, that your belief in Jesus Christ is enough.
Do you have a vision of God big enough to sustain your ability to abide in a painful world? Our vision of God must be bigger than our world in order to truly abide in Him.
The Gospel is not just something which you graduate from…and it not just something you celebrate in…it is vital that you come to understand, that it is also something you anticipate on.
There are antichrists among us in the church that have already come to lead us astray. Be confident in your anointing as children of God, for Jesus is the one true messiah.
Your desire concerning God's one and only will for your life starts with your desire for God's one and only Son in your life. When He is all that you desire, you will know what God's will is because you'll already be in it.
Sanctification means that because of God the Son, by God the Spirit, through the means of faith, we are adopted into the household of God as sons and daughters of God. This is our permanent, final position and cannot be changed, but as we traverse our sanctification, we should be absorbing more and more of Jesus who abides in us by God's word.
Every day we are presented with false kings to deliver us from the pain and hardship in our lives; leaders that appear strong, but in the end lead us astray. Jesus is the true king, anointed by God, and is the only one who will love us fully and completely, never leaving or forsaking his people. Which king do you choose?
How often do you respond "I'm fine" when asked 'how you are doing'? If you really took the time to examine how you're really doing, is that true? We need to take the time to self-examine and stop ignoring what's really going on.
This week John reminds us that God is light and in Him there is no darkness. If we're not walking in the light, then we're just talking in the dark.
Are you in the dark? Or are you walking in the light?
Jesus used the word abide when He likened Himself to a grapevine and His followers to its branches:
“Abide in me, and I in you. As the branch cannot bear fruit by itself, unless itabides in the vine, neither can you, unless you abide in me.” (John 15:4).
This portrait, no doubt, is what John had in mind when he penned his three letters on abiding in Christ. It illustrates the vital union between Christians and Jesus Christ.
The word abide basically means “to remain.” Every Christian abides, in that they are inseparably linked to Christ in all areas of life. As we come to know Jesus more and more, we abide more and more. The more we know of His grace and goodness, we abide in joy (1 John 1:4). The more we know of His word and wisdom, we abide in truth (2 John 1:9). The more we know of His purposes and power, we abide in holiness (1 John 3:6).
In short, those who truly and gratefully know Jesus Christ as the source and sustainer of their lives, abide—they won’t tap-out, they won’t be ashamed, they won’t disobey. This doesn’t mean perfection, rather far from it. In fact, John also recognized that abiding involved admitting sins, seeking forgiveness, and depending on Jesus for cleansing from shame and guilt.
So what do you say? Want to know more of Jesus? This series is about getting to know the real Jesus, so that we might abide in real love.
Being missional can be difficult to do through discerning the content and the context. In Acts, Paul paints a clear picture of how to be effective in being missional within a community. As a result, in being missional, we must contextualize skillfully and communicate in a common language without sacrificing the Truth.
We live in a culture that is increasingly polarized. The time of seeming congruence between a biblical worldview and prevailing cultural values is coming to a close. But didn’t Christ call us to be different than the kingdoms this world all along. And if he did, how are we to be different? The sermon series explores Luke 6 beginning in vs. 20. Commonly referred to as the Sermon on the Plain, this section of Luke’s Gospel bears similarities to the Sermon on the Mount but is a distinct and unique. In the Sermon on the Plain Jesus reverses the perceived values of His context and challenges the values of ours.
Jesus praises the poor, calls us to refrain from harsh judgment of others, and demands that we give to everyone who asks. This call to a radically different way of life is central to what it means to be His disciple. His kingdom is always in contrast to the kingdoms of this world.
The Holy Spirit has anointed each of us with gifts that He uses for God's glory. We must remember that we are conduits for God's power, miracles, and glory. It's not about us, it's about Him.
It was on the Day of Pentecost that the Holy Spirit was poured out on 120 followers of Christ gathered together in Jerusalem. When this happened, great power was given to the church to fulfill the commands of Jesus and experience the promises of Jesus. Without the Holy Spirit, the church would have died before it ever started.
To this day, the church is admonished in Scripture to "be filled" with the Holy Spirit (Ephesians 5:18). How is this possible? Who is the Holy Spirit? What is His function within the Godhead? All of these questions and more are readily given to us in Scripture for our good and joy. Pentecost is not a denomination, but rather an experienced fulfillment of God's promises available to all followers of Jesus, even today. And today, just as it was then, this is only possible by the person and work of the Holy Spirit.
The church is facing significant challenges in the western world. In order to confront those challenges we need to see revival. One of the ways that the church will see revival is through fulfilling our purpose together. This sermon explores the purpose of the church through Paul's letter to the Ephesians. Specifically the role of each member of Christ's body in building up one another, attaining unity and growing up together. As the body grows together Christ is more fully represented to the world.
We apologize for technical difficulties experienced during this weeks sermon and any missing content.
We all have roles that different and distinct. By coming together for our common goal, the Gospel, we can bear and live life together for the glorification of Jesus. Revival in the local church occurs when people come together to be used as God has declared, not as we want to be used. Our role in the church is not about personal fulfillment.
We apologize for technical difficulties experienced during this weeks sermon and any missing content.
How do we achieve unity in the church? The answer to this is much simpler than we make it out to be. Simply put: we don't. Unity is not manufactured and achieved by us, it already exists. The Godhead, three-in-one, Trinity; that is our unity. God has already created unity, all we have to do is realize that.
During the first century, the fourth largest city in the known world is Ephesus. Ephesus is a thriving west coast metropolis in Asia Minor with an established political, commericial and religious landscape. It is one of the most modern and influential places in the whole of the Roman empire. It, therefore, seemed like an impossible place for the Apostle Paul to plant a viable church, which would threaten the region’s thriving worldview. Yet, amidst enormous opposition from all sides, and because of the grace of God, that is exactly what Paul managed to do.
However, if the church was going to continue to thrive and mature in such a hostile region, it would need a plan to ensure both its vitality and durability. Nearly a decade after planting the church, Paul reveals such a plan, Jesus’ plan, as part of his Ephesians letter.
Today, we are in desperate need of a similar plan. We once again find ourselves at the epicenter of modernity and influence in the coastal region of Marin County. With vitality and durability threatened, we turn to the timeless and timely instructions of Jesus for help. His surprisingly simply plan for a strong church goes beyond just survival, but…
…revival.
As Christians we have received the gift of God's Spirit but at the same time still live in our flesh. Paul tells us in his letter to the Galatians that is by the Spirit, and the Spirit alone, that we are able to overcome our flesh.
In our work we experience both hardship and joy. These are the raw facts of experience, but in order to understand them we must fit them into a larger narrative. For the Christian that narrative is the gospel story. This sermon explores how to view our work through the story of God's redeeming work.
Work is where most of us spend 8 hours of our day. How do we honor God in and through our jobs? This sermon explores what it means to live out our relationship with God in the context of our work, through the lens of Paul’s instructions in 1 Cor. 7:17-24.
It is the week after Easter, a week after the resurrection of our savior, and yet some of us still seek evidence that HE IS ALIVE! We don’t just do this during this time of year. Throughout all different seasons we seek physical proof of Jesus’ work in our lives. However, our faith in Jesus is not contingent on any physical evidence or even ourselves. Even when we can’t see or experience His work in our lives, He is always there.
Come, come and look in the tomb. See for yourself that our faith in Jesus Christ is not based on personal feelings, but on historical fact. Today, and everyday, we celebrate because our faith is alive, because Jesus LIVES.
What does the cross mean to you? How do you respond to the cross? The symbol of the cross is the most recognized symbol in the world, but it’s more than just a symbol. Today, Good Friday, we remember and relive, as Christians, the day our Savior gave his life for you and me. Remember and respond to the cross, not just as a symbol, rather as the action of our Savior dying for our sins.
Song of Solomon comes to an end towards the end of a beautiful marriage. Both Solomon and his bride are still very much in love and continue to pursue one another. Their active pursuit towards one another is like that of Jesus’ pursuit towards us, and an example of how we should constantly pursue him. Even towards the end of their lives they look at each other with admiration and great joy that they get to keep doing life together. This is how we should look at Jesus. Go after Jesus, pursue him, because he will always be pursuing you.
*We apologize for any technical problems we experienced when recording this podcast.
We live in a culture that has a trade in and trade up mentality. Toys, physical appearance, the next best thing, the next best person -- these are all things that encourage us to go “in with the new and out with the old”. Solomon and his bride are teaching us different. It may not be the most glamorous thing all the time to grow old with someone, but it certainly the most beautiful. Would we endure the test of time and not be tempted to trade in and trade up.
In all relationships we encounter times of frustration, anger, and unmet expectations. Most times our immediate reaction is to fight back with our own hurt fully exposed. This never-ending cycle will only lead to more hurt, damage, and pain. Instead of reacting, we must respond. By taking a step away from the emotions we encounter healing, forgiveness, and reconciliation. If you are in the midst of a fight, don’t wait any longer, go to great lengths to remind one another that you are for them and love them deeply.
In our culture today we have an unhealthy picture of sexual intimacy, but here in Song of Solomon we see a beautiful and healthy picture of how we can intimately love our spouses fully. Solomon takes pleasure in his bride from head to toe, he sets her apart and delights in her, and he loves her fully because she is his standard of beauty. The love displayed on this wedding night is a love we should encounter and be fulfilled by in Jesus everyday. Jesus is the lover of our souls and has set us apart so that he may delight and take great pleasure in us.
When you think of a wedding day your first thought is typically about the bride. However, here in the text we see that the groom (Solomon) is highlighted. Although our focus is usually on her, God wants us to focus on him: who is he? Who are his friends? Will he protect her? Will he provide for her? These are all questions that not only should she be asking, but that he should be asking of himself. Before you (men) marry His daughter you must be ready, willing, and able to gladly seek after Jesus and her, offer physical and spiritual protection, and invest in the durability of your marriage.
All relationships are susceptible to “little foxes”: those things that “are no big deal” when they occur, but as time goes on they turn into huge and potentially damaging “big foxes”. This is true for any of our relationships: with Jesus, your spouse, a friend, whomever. The good news is that all “little foxes” can be prevented, attended to if they sneak in, and reflected upon when you are on the other side. Foxes by nature are sneaky, tricky, and you rarely see them coming. Watch out for the “foxes” in your life, lest they make their way into the depths of your relationships.
We all know and have heard that “patience is a virtue.” Yet we live amongst a culture that praises those who go straight to consummation of anything. Here in Song of Solomon we see the longing, patient, beautiful anticipation for what is to come for these young lovers. The waiting, in this case for one another, can be the hardest part, but denying yourself instant gratification now will lead to greater flourishing in the future. Jesus is in the waiting and makes it all worth it.
God has given us good gifts in the form of relationships. Whether that is a spouse or a friend, we all need to slow down and enjoy those gifts for what they are. The enjoyment of others is a gift that forces us to make choices about how we enjoy one another. You have to tell and show people that you enjoy them, you have to spend time with them, and you have to continue to get to know them. So stop, slow down, and choose to enjoy the gift of people in your life.
Dating and growing in intimacy with another is a process, like tending a vineyard. It is an investigation of a person’s character through and through. We learn from the narrative here in Song of Solomon that these are two people who are engaged in an honest investigation of one another as their relationship grows. The same journey applies to our relationships with Christ. We are constantly learning, growing, and investigating our relationships with Him, but we never have to wonder how He feels about us.
In the opening words of Song of Solomon we see the good and right desire for pursuit between the Shulamite and Solomon. Their story is one of patient observation and honest investigation as they pursue one another.
Out of more than a thousand songs written by the great King Solomon (1 Kings 4:32), the Song of Solomon is his very best. It sings of a great romance between the wisest king who ever lived and the love of his life, a young peasant girl. The Song of Solomon serves two main objectives: To extol the virtues of love between a husband and his wife. The song clearly presents marriage as God’s design between a man and woman. A husband and wife are to live together within this context loving each other spiritually, emotionally, and physically. To correct two extremes: asceticism (the denial of all pleasure) and hedonism (the pursuit of only pleasure). The marriage profiled in Song of Solomon is a model of consideration, dedication, and adoration. This book will resurrect in us a Godly view of romance, intimacy and sexuality. God reveals what a relationship ought to be like through a couple living in a way which honors and brings glory to Him. They do so through every stage of the relationship from the beginning of attraction – through proposal, engagement, wedding, and honeymoon night – to deepening. Along the way, God uses Solomon's love story to Make Jesus Known in displaying the intimate relationship between Jesus and His bride, the church. Song of Solomon adeptly addresses our most intimate desires and God's desired intimacy for us.
Join us in 2015 as we press into the Word and the plan that God has for us here at Anthem. We desire to grow, learn, and play together for the glory of God.
As 2014 comes to a close and 2015 is upon us we resolve to make changes in our lives. What will you get rid of? How much will you exercise? What do you plan to fix? In Hebrews 12, Paul resolves believers to rid ourselves of every weight and sin, shed the resistance so that we may be more effective in running the race for Christ.
We are called to live a life of simplicity when it comes to our investments gifted to us by God. To be stewards of all gifts is for His glory and our good. Those marked by an unchanging appetite for accumulation and preservation lack real faith. When we pursue The Prophet He pays the price for our bad investments.
When deciding what is best for your life what do you rely on? Do you seek the world or do you press into God’s will? Whatever is it that you seek and desire for your life, you must know that decisions made apart from Jesus are arrogant. God has already constructed the means to all our ends. Although we want to know the “what’s” and “whens”, we as Christians must press into the “how’s” that God has already given us. Show the world how to live differently in the face of adversity and submit to His will, not your own.
Jesus is the one who teaches us how to be in the world. Everything he said or did was a reflection of God the Father. This sermon explores Jesus’ interaction with a rich young leader, in order to learn how his followers might interact with and evangelize spiritual seekers in Marin county.
We are called to be like Christ; He is our perfect example and model of how we are to live our lives, even our relationships. Relationships with one another are to be lived out as beloved brothers and sisters, not out of a place of judgment. Judgment of one another’s identity is not ours to be critical of, however, God calls us to make judgments based on each other’s actions, not identity. Unlike our sinful nature judgment, God’s judgment is spiritual, humble, and thorough, and this is how we are called to rebuke and judge one another. We must make judgments only by the Spirit, through the Word, and in community. God has forgiven us all because eternity is at stake.
God made us to feel and have desires just as He does. It is by the grace of God that we see our emotions and desires differently and have been given new desires. We cannot let our unresolved emotions, or desires, have control over our actions on those desires. In His image, that is how we were created; therefore, we should seek to desire what He desires and to let the Holy Spirit work out those new desires in us.
Wisdom is not determined by men. We need a wisdom that is outside of ourselves, for we are meant to be under the authority of God, under His wisdom. Godly wisdom calls us; it wants to be known so that we may share it with the world. Without God's wisdom we are fools. Christians are to think, then feel - in that order. When we let our emotions dictate the outcome of the wisdom we believe a false wisdom. An unwillingness to believe in Gods wisdom will result in counterfeit wisdom; therefore causing us to have bitter jealously and selfish ambition.
Will you decide to know what is true, good, and wise according to what God has said about us?
Words matter. It is important for Christians to say things in the right way out of love. If you talk just like the world, then what good is your faith? When you speak you say one of two things: that of the image of God, which brings life; or that of the image of Satan, which brings death. If there is a problem with yours words then there is a problem with your relationship with Jesus. We can't just change the words, we have to have a change of heart.
Real faith produces the words God desires or repentance when we fail.
True faith in Christ saves, works do not; however works are produced by faith. Faith is succeeded by works and are inseparable. It is in our obedience, that which we do in response to His will, that we believe our faith in God. If not for our works as a response or action of our faith, our faith would not be real. But works alone cannot save and ultimately leads to death.
Our faith changes our posture so that we may manifest, receive, and apply God’s word rightly. Godly anger is just, righteous, and appropriately directed at our sin. The anger that we deserve fell on Jesus when He died for our sins. Therefore, our posture is changed when we take off our old desires by welcoming and applying God’s desires for our lives through His word.
Where do you find your significance? Is it in what you do, what others say you are, what makes you feel good? Or, is it in Christ, the one who humbled himself to exalt you? Real significance has perspective, perseverance, and purpose. Our lives cannot be made more or less than the Gospel; for the world will fade and wither away, but the Gospel will withstand all. Jesus Christ died to claim that your significance would be found in the assurance of the Gospel and that it is all for the glory of God.
*We encountered some technical difficulties this week and parts of the sermon were not recorded. We apologize for missing content.
The Bible is clear: we will meet trials of various kinds. In light of this very important truth, how does authentic faith respond? The culture, at large, would have us believe that our response is to increase the sum total of our own happiness by decreasing the amount of suffering we endure. How is that possible when much of this suffering is not within our control? Instead, the Bible declares such trials should be met with joy as God is refining us into His image. A process which will require wisdom brokered through a single-purposed resolve to remain steadfast. The alternative is a double-minded, artificial faith in which God justly withholds what is required to endure trial.
What if there was a visible way to discern whether one’s faith was legitimate or nothing more than hollow religion? What if God’s grace had ensured genuine belief in Jesus had an outward and discernible manifistation clearly distinguishable from just knowing, saying and doing the right things?
Enter James, Jesus’ intrepid younger brother, whose short letter pierces though the self-deception and lukewarm living all too common among professing Christians. No New Testament book is more influenced by the teachings of Jesus nor more controversial throughout church history, than James’ epistle. So if you have asked the question “how do we know our faith is real”, then this hard-hitting letter from James has the answers you’ve been waiting for.
God has included all who follow Jesus in his mission to bless all nations through the person and work of Jesus Christ, but he hasn’t left us to accomplish the mission on our own power. The first chapter of Acts emphasizes the Holy Spirit’s work in empowering the disciples to bear witness to what they had seen and heard. This sermon explores what it means for us to join in God’s mission, to bear witness to what Christ has done in us, and to be empowered by the Holy Spirit.
Have you ever wondered what purpose God might have in blessing you? In Psalm 67, the psalmist makes an explicit connection between God’s unmerited favor on Israel and all peoples knowing God and experiencing his salvation. This sermon explores God’s mission in the world to bless all of humanity in the person and work of Jesus, and how the church is not the end of God's mission but the witness and conduit for God’s mission.
The truth that only comes from God strengthens us in who we are. God’s truth points us back to Jesus and the good plan of His redemption. We are no longer under God’s wrath or enslaved to sin because of the gospel. Because of God’s wise plan for our lives we all, gentile and jew, are restored in Christ. Because of what Jesus did through his life, death and resurrection we are free to worship and praise the one true wise God.
As the Jewish religious leaders seek to test Jesus a lawyer asks what is the greatest teaching. Jesus points back to the greatest Old Testament teaching. Jesus tells us to love God and the second teaching is to love our neighbor. This message explores what this means for us as we walk with The Lord and neighbors today.
What are you pursuing? We pursue many different things in life hoping they will yield the best possible life. In John 15, Jesus calls for us to abide in Him as a branch abides in the vine. The abiding in Christ enables us to be fruitful (loving others). When we obey this call to bear fruit through abiding (continual, conscious, communion) our joy will be complete.
In the latter half of the story of the Samaritan woman at the well (John 4: 15-30) we see Jesus interact with her in a very real and personal way. Just as Jesus gets at the heart issue, not the external one, we are to share the gospel in the same way. Make Jesus known, for He is the living water.
We swim in the waters of discontentment. Advertisers and the corporation they work with spend billions to make us feel like what we have is not enough. But the scripture says that the real problem is in our hearts. In Philippians 4 Paul teaches us the secret of being content in every circumstance. This sermon explores what it means for us to be content in Christ and how that shapes the way we live.
Jesus' earthly ministry is over and about 30-years have gone by since His ascension. Paul is now Nero’s prisoner in Rome, nearing the end of his life and thinking about his impending death. The book of Philippians could be called “The Believer’s Guide To Joy”. It is a letter written by the Apostle Paul to the established church in Philippi to acknowledge a gift of money from the church, brought to the Apostle by Epaphroditus, one of its members. This is a tender letter to a group of Christians who were especially close to the heart of Paul.
Philippians is a loving reminder, from a loving pastor, to a loving church, about a loving God, and all that He has done for us in Jesus Christ for His glory and our joy.
We live in a world filled with conflict, and the scripture states that conflict is about whats going on in our hearts more than something external. Paul too faced conflict both within the church and outside the church, and yet he commands the Philippians to have joy. This sermon explores how it is possible to rejoice in the face of conflict.
Jesus' earthly ministry is over and about 30-years have gone by since His ascension. Paul is now Nero’s prisoner in Rome, nearing the end of his life and thinking about his impending death. The book of Philippians could be called “The Believer’s Guide To Joy”. It is a letter written by the Apostle Paul to the established church in Philippi to acknowledge a gift of money from the church, brought to the Apostle by Epaphroditus, one of its members. This is a tender letter to a group of Christians who were especially close to the heart of Paul.
Philippians is a loving reminder, from a loving pastor, to a loving church, about a loving God, and all that He has done for us in Jesus Christ for His glory and our joy.
Jesus' earthly ministry is over and about 30-years have gone by since His ascension. Paul is now Nero’s prisoner in Rome, nearing the end of his life and thinking about his impending death. The book of Philippians could be called “The Believer’s Guide To Joy”. It is a letter written by the Apostle Paul to the established church in Philippi to acknowledge a gift of money from the church, brought to the Apostle by Epaphroditus, one of its members. This is a tender letter to a group of Christians who were especially close to the heart of Paul.
Philippians is a loving reminder, from a loving pastor, to a loving church, about a loving God, and all that He has done for us in Jesus Christ for His glory and our joy.
Jesus' earthly ministry is over and about 30-years have gone by since His ascension. Paul is now Nero’s prisoner in Rome, nearing the end of his life and thinking about his impending death. The book of Philippians could be called “The Believer’s Guide To Joy”. It is a letter written by the Apostle Paul to the established church in Philippi to acknowledge a gift of money from the church, brought to the Apostle by Epaphroditus, one of its members. This is a tender letter to a group of Christians who were especially close to the heart of Paul.
Philippians is a loving reminder, from a loving pastor, to a loving church, about a loving God, and all that He has done for us in Jesus Christ for His glory and our joy.
If you live long enough, you will suffer. Too often we avoid the suffering and trials that come our way. The Bible is not surprised by suffering; Jesus hung on a cross to die for our sins. Here in Philippians, Paul, a man in prison at the time of this letter, tells us that our suffering glorifies God. Whatever the pain or hurt or trial is, it has a purpose in your life, it is meant to draw you nearer to the Lord. The question is not when or if you will suffer, because you will, it’s how will you deal with your suffering?
We live in a culture of loneliness that masks itself with false connections, but the gospel provides a basis for breaking through loneliness and isolation and into real friendship. In Paul’s letter to the Philippians, we see a model of friendship that is rooted and grounded in the gospel of Jesus. This sermon explores what a gospel centered friendship looks like.
Jesus' earthly ministry is over and about 30-years have gone by since His ascension. Paul is now Nero’s prisoner in Rome, nearing the end of his life and thinking about his impending death. The book of Philippians could be called “The Believer’s Guide To Joy”. It is a letter written by the Apostle Paul to the established church in Philippi to acknowledge a gift of money from the church, brought to the Apostle by Epaphroditus, one of its members. This is a tender letter to a group of Christians who were especially close to the heart of Paul.
Philippians is a loving reminder, from a loving pastor, to a loving church, about a loving God, and all that He has done for us in Jesus Christ for His glory and our joy.
There are several interpretations of the Genesis creation account, many of which are based on faithful exegetical investigation. However, we will seek to recover an interpretation lost in our modern context, but most likely understood by ancient Near Eastern readers at that time. In our recovery of this understanding, we hope to show that not only does it offer the most natural reading of the hebrew, but many long-standing objections and apparent textual conflicts disappear. In so doing, the origin of creation takes on a new and beautiful dimension relating to the Sinai Covenant as the central theme of the Pentateuch.
Easter is the most exciting season of the whole year for those who love Jesus. First is the solemnity of Good Friday, where we remember the brutal death of a good man on a cross, the God-man, Jesus. Then, on Easter Sunday, we declare that the tomb is empty and that there is a story to tell! Where the cross is a display of God’s love and justice, the resurrection is his victory over all that enslaves us (1 Corinthians 15:55). The fact that Jesus rose from death is the hope of our salvation! The resurrection is why we gather to worship every week and thank the one who conquered Satan, sin, and death
As Jesus is before the Roman soldiers and as he goes to the cross he suffers a great humiliation. Is it humiliation or humility? Humiliation and humility are joined in the God/Man Jesus Christ. He delivers man from the great human humiliation of sin and death, that we may return to the relationship of beloved, humble sons and daughters of the Most High God.
Through the sentencing of Jesus we see his authority, humility, responsibility, sovereignty, and purity displayed. Pilate’s questioning of Jesus serves to show us that he is fully God (authority), he is fully man (humility), he makes a choice (responsibility), he saves (sovereignty), and that there is none but him (purity). The Gospel communicates that Jesus is all of these, but ultimately it is only by him, of him, and through him, that we are in right standing with God. Solus Christus: In Christ alone.
Pilate declared him guilty, yet Christ chose to lay down his life for the sinners (everyone) yelling “Crucify Him.”
Though Judas’ betrayal was a form of apostasy, he certainly wasn’t the only betrayer of Jesus. As we look carefully at the Apostle Peter, we find a form of betrayal much more subtle and something we can identify with. Peter shows us two forms of subtle betrayals often overlooked: (1) when disciples rise up in the strength of their works or (2) when disciples lie down in the weakness of their faith. To avoid further exposure, we approach covered in shams or run in shame. The Gospel is God’s revelation in Christ that He is much more than we’ve believed and we are no less than He’s declared.
“Our communion with God is greatly impacted by our inability to remember all that He’s done for us in Christ. Through the sacrament of the Eucharist (Lord’s Supper), Christ established an Ebenezer for this very reason. The Communion table reminds us of no less than three things so that our relationship with Him and others is brought into harmony as intended. First, we remember Jesus through our obedience as a reminder that we are not autonomous, but rather accountable and dependent on a Holy God. Second, we remember Jesus through our repentance as our fervent cessation from unbelief lest we become hard of heart. Finally, we remember Jesus through joyful response as a reflection of His restoring work in us by way of the cross."
Following Jesus comes with a price, a truism often not communicated in the Gospel narrative. This cost involves the approval of people, the security of prizes, and the comfort of promises. For, in Christ, we are given absolute approval, assured security, and assuaging comfort. Jesus is the true and better Person, the true and better Prize, and the true and better Promise. The cost of following Him will cost us all that we've been living for, in exchange for all that we've been longing for.
Eschatology is the study of the last days, the end of the end. However, our eschatology should serve to point us to the return of Jesus who will set right all that His elect have endured until that day. By enduring the present day, we are faithful to the last day, which will be the best day for those in Christ.
Life is in the Lord and death is the result of our rejecting the Him. The Lord has been patient with Israel, but they continue to reject him. Israel has failed to return to the Lord (repent). In Amos 8-9, the Lord gives Israel what they want; it is not God who abandons Israel, but Israel who abandons God and thus judgment. Israel will not escape it’s judgment. Yet, even with judgment comes a promise of restoration for a remnant.
The Lord does not desire death
God established a covenant with his people. But they turned from trusting Him and began trusting themselves. This sermon explores God’s warning to Israel regarding self reliance, and how that warning is strikingly relevant to the Western Church.
What is just? This is a question we encounter in the everyday and in the abstract. In Amos we will discover that God’s very nature is what constitutes justice and righteousness, and that we as his people have a calling to join God in his mission of pleading for the poor and powerless.
Is God involved when bad things happen? Where is God when natural or personal disasters occur? This is a question that everyone has asked, and in Amos we find an astounding answer. This sermon explores why it is good news that God is sovereign even over tragedies, and how he sovereignly orchestrates all things so that we might return to Him.
Our cultures relationship to judgment is paradoxical. We say that we don’t want anyone to judge us, especially in regard to our personal behavior, and yet we create situations all the time in which we are put ourselves forward to be judged. Beauty patents, Reality TV shows, etc. all reveal our desire for someone else to tell us if we are worthy or unworthy. This sermon explores God’s fair and impartial judgment of the nations recorded in Amos, and calls us to reflect on what God says about us.
Living consistently is futile. We regularly fail to measure up to our own standard, never-mind the perfect standard required of The Law. Attempting to live a consistent life in our own strength according to our own standard proves us to be hypocrites, at best. In Christ, however, we are found consistently blameless and righteousness under The Law . . . all because of Jesus' consistent love of hypocrites, like you and me.
God's plan from the beginning of time was to reveal His glory through the person and work of Jesus Christ. Christmas is the celebration of the incarnation of the promised Messiah, in so doing, revealing to us the character and nature of God. We invite you to stop speculating about Jesus this Christmas season, as the rest of the world does. God has replaced speculation with revelation for our salvation . . . and that's Good News.
Love is not an action as some would exclaim. Nor is it a feeling as most would live out. It is a Person whom we are made in the image and likeness of. Jesus is questioned about the greatest commandment and His response is an invitation to be loved by the one, true God of the Bible. What will you do with the King's love?
Worldview matters. It is the lens through which we interpret circumstances, relationships and the whole of life. However, our natural worldviews are all speculative formed by each and every one of our experiences. Enter Jesus, who seeks to replace speculation with revelation. To do so, we mustn't undervalue the Scriptures nor underestimate God's power.
If you want to have a right worldview, so as to interpret the world rightly, you need to get right with Jesus.
In this passage the Pharisees and Herodians are sent to trap Jesus. They come with their best question. "Is it lawful to pay a poll tax to Caesar?" They believe if Jesus answers the question one way the spiritual leaders will have cause to seize Jesus; if he answers the other way, then the political (material) leaders will have cause to arrest him. Jesus' answer weds as one the spiritual and material world. The spiritual world and the material world are not divided. This is the kingdom of God. The King is like his kingdom and the kingdom is like its king; Spirit and matter are joined as one, God incarnate, fully God, fully man, a virgin and the Holy Spirit. Your life is lived out in such a world.
God the Father is like a patient landowner who sends his beloved Son to mediate reconciliation concerning our unpaid debt. God is patient and slow to anger, but we should not mistake his patience as perpetual nor his anger as mythical. After all, He is the Father of a murdered Son.
You are going to be in authority and under authority for the rest of your life. The question is will you be in authority or under authority the rest of your life? This week's sermon reminds us that only one authority is intrinsic while all others are delegated. Who is this one, true, innate authority? Listen and find out.
We all care about the Economy, because it affects our lives. But how does God’s economy, his way of managing, contrast with our way of managing our lives. Mark describes Jesus judgment of the temple system, and his subsequent discussion with his disciples about faith. This sermon explores how Jesus judgment of our ways of managing, and offers an argument for why the King's economy is much better than ours.
The mercy of God is meant to be deeply satisfying to the soul. So satisfying, in fact, that it should leave us wholly unsatisfied with where we’re at. In the person of Bartimaeus, the blind beggar, we learn that seeing the mercy of Jesus is more than just with our bodily eyes.
In an upwardly mobile, ambitious culture, greatness is something to be achieved for many. However, the Biblical narrative suggests that true greatness is reflected not manufactured. In this sermon, all of our modern models of greatness are challenged and dismantled in favor of a wholly better model we were intended to reflect. In doing so, our measurements for greatness are intrinsically changed, leading to human flourishing.
In a time and context where divorce is common, covenant is foreign, and marriage is misunderstood, Jesus speaks a truism that is as hard today as it was when it was originally spoken. Though the Bible’s assertions about marriage (and therefore divorce) seem antiquated to our modern sensibilities and pursuits of happiness, they nevertheless are intended for both human and marital flourishing, ergo our deeper joy. So if you are finding it hard to like your spouse in this season (if not today, you have or will), Jesus offers us a plan and a purpose to restore our hope that He is still making all things new.
Jesus calls us not only to take sin seriously, but to regularly examine our lives for it. His warning to those who continually persist in sin is a stark reminder of how serious he takes it. So serious that he willingly and sacrificially gave his life for it.
If you don’t know your position, you’ll fight for one. So put your resumé away, the position is yours.
You don’t come to Jesus when your faith is sufficient, He comes to you when it’s insufficient and He’s come to you today.
We are clamoring for someone to answer our questions about life, its meaning, and its trajectory. And we will listen to almost any authority that offers answers. The book of Mark 9:1-13 describes a holy moment, where the unique authority of Jesus as God's only begotten Son to represent God and his Word to us is confirmed by the Father. This sermon explores the meaning of the Transfiguration for Peter, James, John and all who would follow Jesus.
Belief is the gracious gift of a merciful God in what He has done, is doing, and will do. It is not of our own doing and we contribute nothing to it. As a result, we can press deeply into the comfort of His unfailing, unwavering plan for us.
The command to “proclaim the gospel” has much to do with instruction. Jesus expects that we would teach all that He commanded so that others would come to know the truth about His work and person. In contrast, “empty deceit, according to human tradition” seems immediately loving, but is in actuality eternally unloving.
As we open the ‘Vintage’ series, The Great Commission reveals to us timeless truths for timely issues. Beginning with the command to “go therefore and make disciples”, Jesus expects an apostolic, outward-facing mission for the local church. What is Anthem about? And is what we’re about relevant for a modern context?
The interview referenced in the sermon can be watched at http://anthemchurch.onthecity.org/plaza/topics/5c2b5229800c178545953cd97eb9f10ec1f79c3d
Most of us do not like the word obedience when it is applied to us. Obedience is for others. There is no faith in God without obedience. Obedience to God opens the door for us to see God work in our lives, he rewards those who obey.
Money is the god of most people. Life decisions are most often made on the basis of, "Can I afford it?" God challenges us to give generously, demonstrating our trust in Him rather than our money. When we do give, God says he will give bountifully and that we shall reap bountifully. When we give bountifully it is an opportunity for us to see God in a very tangible way, generous, because that is who he is.
Because we are all saved from sin by the same Savior, we have equal standing with each other as we enter the church community. God has equipped each one of us uniquely to bless people and bring Glory to God.
Discipleship conjures up ideas about classes, bible studies, and conferences. We usually think of discipleship as learning something that we don't know. But in Mark 8 Jesus makes it very clear that discipleship is not primarily about learning but conforming to the life, death, and resurrection of the King. This sermon explores the identity of the king, and what it means for us to conform to the self denying and self sacrificing Son of God.
We live in place and age of skepticism. However, most believe the fallacy that understanding and faith are mutually exclusive. In other words, that faith is blind. Many have labored in their demands for a proof-positive sign, hoping to disprove the claims of Jesus once and for all. This was no different in Jesus' day as those who were self-interested regularly failed to have faith in the God-man.
We are moved by many things. Our passion for sports or music means that we won't stop talking about our favorite teams and our favorite bands. We are known for what moves us. In Mark 8 Jesus is moved with compassion for a group of Gentiles, who are not God's covenant people. This sermon explores how we should respond to our friends and neighbors in light of Jesus compassion towards those who seem far off from God.
When something changes our life we want to share it with others. There are evangelists for Apple products, no carb diets, and indie bands who wont stop talking about the things that they love. In Mark 7 Jesus returns to a reigon where he had healed a man who wouldn't stop talking about him and wanted to see the same kind of change. This sermon explores what it means to bear witness to the life changing power of Christ.
Jesus is characterized in many ways in our culture, but we are often surprised when we look at the scriptures and see who Jesus really is. In Mark 7 Jesus speaks to a woman in a way that seems rude and dismissive and yet she pursues him. This sermon explores how we can pursue Jesus even when he seems to say hard things.
We all feel unclean at times. Whether it is the guilt that we carry because of things we have done, or the shame of what others have done to us. In Mark 7 Jesus addresses the unclean condition of our hearts. This sermon explores the unclean human heart and how Jesus death is sufficient to clean us up and make us holy.
Doctrine is really important but can also be a bit confusing. This sermon explains what doctrine is, the role that the Gospel plays in doctrine, and the difference between bad doctrine and sound doctrine.
Sometimes it's hard to remember life isn't just about us. This sermon talks about the difference between living for our glory and living for God's glory and how living for God's glory really is more fulfilling.
Feasting is something we do really well in the U.S.. Whether it's a birthday dinner, a holiday, or a backyard barbeque, we will take any oppertunity we can to feast. But could we be missing the most satisfactory feast of all? One that we could be enjoying on a daily basis? This sermon explores what it means to feast on Jesus and how important that is to our walk with him.
As Christians we hear the words "sin" and "repentance" a lot. This sermon defines those words in a way that is more helpful for living out our walk with Jesus.
The word "calling" is thrown around in the Christian culture a lot. This sermon explores what the Bible says about calling and how that relates to our walk with Jesus.
Everyone can relate to the strangeness of going back to their hometown after leaving. Jesus was no different. Mark tells us that his own hometown couldn't believe his teaching. This sermon explores the scandalizing reality of who Jesus claimed to be.
Since the foundation of the world, God the Father has had a plan for you. That plan Has been realized through God the Son and secured by God the Spirit. A plan where He would seat us with Himself by calling us out of death and darkness, shedding our old nature and desire, for a new one. And none of this is your own doing, but rather his gracious gift to you.
Jesus calls us to have faith like a child. One of the manny names for God is Father. This sermon is all about living life with child-like faith and how we find rest when we submit to God and see him as our Father.
Many of us base our identity on our achievements, where we were born or some other external factor. This sermon explores an alternative. Paul admonishes us to find our life in a deep relationship with Jesus abandoning the alternatives as worthless.
Power plays a big role in society today, but what about in Jesus' time? This sermon talks about the power of God and that the whole point of it is a stronger relationship with Him.
We all experience different levels of affliction at different times in out lives. This sermon talks about all afflictions being spiritual and what living with that mindset looks like.
Our culture values big: Big results, big accomplishments, big venues, and big wins. Many times in our efforts to amplify our significance, we overlook the small things that God is doing that will ultimately produce fruit. Jesus challenged his followers to think small. Looking at two parables from the Gospel of Mark, this sermon asks us to begin small if we want to be part of something substantial.
If you're honest, there are quite a few things you measure out for yourself as you perceive them to be important to your life. People you count on, things you invest in, places you go to. While none of these are inherently wrong, much of the time we find them inproperly positioned in our lives. Whereby matter of default, we place the gospel where its purpose is least powerful. In the parable of the hidden lamp, Jesus catalyzes a discussion on the place, purpose, perception, and power of the gospel in our lives.
When hearing the gospel you fall under one of four different caregories of people. This sermon talks about The Parable of The Sower and how it relates to us today.
Family can be a fun topic for some and a touchy topic for others. Whether you have a great family situation, or a frustrating family situation, we can all admit that no family is perfect. This sermon talks about the fact that along with our birth families God has given us a church family. And what a blessing that is.
Today being a fan of something isn't that big of a deal. We are fans of our favorite sports teams, musicians, and celebrities. In Jesus' day however, the word fan had a different meaning. This sermon talks about what it meant to be a fan back when Jesus was on earth.
Being committed to Jesus is an exhausting life to live. This sermon talks about the difference between being committed in Jesus and being committed to him and how that affects us.
Every day we let feelings like fear, worry, and doubt distract us from the peace of the Lord. This sermon explores what the Bible says about the Sabbath, and what it means to find rest in the peace of God.
We spend millions of dollars a year trying to fix things in our lives through self help. Seeking advice on the best way to improve or to feel better, or to get richer. After a while these things will become a heavy burden. Legalistic religion only weighs us down. Mark records a confrontation between Jesus and the Pharisees concerning this very topic. This sermon explores Jesus posture of grace as opposed to the Pharisees posture of religious duty.
We are often so concerned about our circumstances, that we miss God's provision for us. Mark records the story of a confrontation between Jesus and the Pharisee's. They wanted to know why Jesus disciples weren't fasting in hope of deliverance from Rome, but they didn't recognize God's deliverance was standing right in front of them. This sermon explores how we often miss what God has done and is doing for us, because it doesn't appear the way we thought it would.
We like deciding who is in and who is out. We like separating the sick from the healthy, the cool from the uncool, the holy people from the unholy ones. Mark records the Jesus invitation to a hated, rejected and despised tax collector named Levi Matthew, and the subsequent dinner party, to show us that Jesus preferred the company of the broken and the outcast to those who thought they had everything together. This sermon explores what Marks story means for us today.
At the new year, many of us make resolutions to better ourselves, to pursue a more fulfilling life, or to be more successful. We bring our plans and ideas to God and expect that if he really loves us he will give us what we want. But what we want may not be what we need. Mark records the story of a man who comes to Christ for what he thinks he needs, but gets what he actually needs. How will we approach the savior this year?
Why do we celebrate the birth of a man who lived and died over 2000 years ago? Is it simply a cultural tradition, or is Jesus more significant than that. According to Mark, Jesus is not simply a man, but the son of God, who demonstrates a new way of living through preaching and healing. How will we respond to this Christmas?
Jesus came bringing a new teaching with authority. Authority is something our modern day context has very little tolerance for. However, at the same time we long for something to address our physical and spiritual needs, which contemporary teachings fall short of doing. Come to find out, the Bible claims it is the very authority we spurn that our world actually longs for to satisfy its groaning (Romans 8:22).
We understand our roles in society. We know what it means to be a good employee, a good husband or wife, and a good citizen. We understand the expectations of our families and friends. But what does it mean to be a disciple? What does it involve, and what has to change in order to answer the call to discipleship? This sermon looks at the context in which Jesus called his first disciples to discover how we can respond to his call today.
Who am I really, and where do I fit? Why would someone who lived 2000 years ago matter in answering these questions? Mark introduces Jesus as the son of God. Appearing from the most obscure hometown, Jesus publicly declares his intention to follow the Spirit by being baptized by John. In that moment, God affirms Jesus identity, and reveals what our true identity can be if we come to follow Jesus.
The Gospel of Mark begins with the baptism of Jesus and ends with His resurrection. Mark is a story of action with a great deal of emphasis on the things Jesus did:
• The sick and the lame are healed and restored • Dead men are raised • The blind are able to see • Leprosy is cured • Demons are driven from the oppressed • Nature is brought into submission • The laws of physics are defied
Mark is the oldest of the gospels and the shortest. It is likely that Peter, to whom Mark was an assistant, is responisble for the content of this book. As such, it reflects the memories and the teachings of the apostle Peter. It's emphasis is on where Jesus went and what Jesus did. Mark is a sermon series at Anthem Church intended reveal the true nature of discipleship in the gospels, in turn, making us better disciples of Jesus. Join us Sunday mornings as we explore the First Book of Jesus.
Many anthropologists see enough significant connections between cultures that they have created lists of human universals. These lists include things like family relationships, work, creative expression, and celebration. This sermon uses the framework of human universals to think about what the culture of heaven. The Bible offers us glimpses of what a fully redeemed culture might be like. This sermon explores the questions like "what will we do in heaven," and "will we really reign with Christ?"
Many of us hope to be reunited with loved ones in heaven. Some aspire to meet their heroes. Will this be possible? Will human relationships continue on the new earth? What will they be like? The bible offers some concrete answers and hints at the possibility of a fully redeemed community. This is what has historical been called the communion of the saints. This sermon will explore what the scripture says about the fully redeemed community of heaven.
Many of us long for heaven for all the wrong reasons. We make heaven all about us, when really the point of heaven is being with God. As Paul writes, we will see "face to face" the one we have followed all of our life. The joy of heaven is in the intimacy we will experience with Christ. This sermon explores why we aren't overwhelmed by this reality, and what it might be like to experience this kind of intimacy with Christ.
We live in a culture obsessed with beauty, health, and youth. We try everything from diets to plastic surgery to slow or reverse the aging process. All of this expresses a deep desire to overcome the frailty, sickness, and death that are an inherent part of living in our bodies. This desire points to a greater reality that was demonstrated in Jesus resurrection and is promised to those in Christ. The resurrection of our bodies. This sermon explores the hope of resurrection, and how we should live in light of that promise.
God has promised that he will set things right. The amazing thing is that God does not abandon any part of his creation, but purifies and redeems the whole earth. In Revelation 21, John describes the vision of the new heavens and the new earth. This sermon explores what the new heaven and the new earth might be like, and how we should live in light of this coming reality.
Pastor Allen, in his early 30's, preaches to a chapel full of faculty and students at Golden Gate Theological Seminary on the Apostle Paul's "best advice ever".
What happens when we die? This is question is a cultural obsession. We see portrayals of life after death in movies, books and television. From ghosts and zombies, to ideas about heaven and hell, we are infinitely curious about what dreams may come when once we've shuffled off this mortal coil. The bible reveals God's answer to the question. This sermon explores what happens to those of us who have trusted Christ when we die, and it is good news.
We all long for something more. A home that is lasting. We long for a society that is just. We yearn for a lasting beauty and joy. As we mine the life of Abraham we find that this longing is really for the city which was designed and built by God. This is the place we are created for. This is paradise.
Many of us pursue Christ because we feel a duty or obligation. We give mental assent to the doctrines of the bible, and try to do the right thing, and yet we don't have joy. In Philippians Paul teases out the connection between treasuring Christ and having abiding joy. Our joy has not found it's proper object until we treasure Christ above all else.
We all want to change. We want to break free from patterns of self-destructive behavior, from habits of sin, and emotional brokeness. But every time we set out to do so, we find that sin is lurking just around the corner. This sermon explores the struggle with sin and self and the deliverance we can find in Christ. We can expereince the shalom of God in our lives.
God is glorified when we love those who oppose us. He is glorified when the weak display his power, and He is glorified when we respond in humble faith. As we explore the story of Elisha and Naaman, we will see these ideas demonstrated in a powerful way.
Sometimes we face situations that seem hopeless. Often, its not clear to us how God is going to come through on our behalf. Elisha face a situation that was beyond his abilities: raising the Shunamite woman's son from the dead. But she and Elisha trusted God who has power over life and death. As we look at this narrative we find two models of faith and trust, willing to engage with God in what seems to be impossible.
It's easy to feel dis-empowered in a world filled pain and opposition to God's kingdom. However, we have a God who is able to empower us through his Spirit. This sermon explores the connection between being filled with the Spirit of God, allowing Christ to dwell in you, and being effective for the mission of God.
God has given us a commission to make disciples who make disciples, but with all the distractions in our culture it's easy to drift away from our mission. How do we stay focused on the mission of God? This sermon will help us examine where you are on mission with God, and where we need realignment.
God's provision often comes in unexpected ways. As we examine the life of Elisha, we will see the importance of God's provision through us. We are called to care for the least among us in tangible ways, and point them to the provision of God in Christ. This is how we magnify the glory of God.
Elisha is often overshadow by his predecessor and mentor Elijah. However, Elisha was fully committed to glorifying God with his life, and his life pointed to the coming Messiah, Jesus Christ. Looking at the life of Elisha can help us understand what it means to fully embrace God's call on our lives to glorify Him and enjoy Him forever.
Normally, loyalty is associated with the past. We think of being loyal to those who have gone before, and at best we associate loyalty with the present. We are loyal to our friends, our workplace, etc. However, the biblical understanding of loyalty involves both looking forward and looking back. This sermon explores the idea of loyalty in the context of faith, looking to the accomplishments of those who have gone before with a concern for those who are yet to come.
The second half of the great commandment instructs us to love our neighbors as ourselves. Unfortunately, God has not simply called us to love those with whom we see eye to eye. In this sermon, we explore who God has called us to love, and what it really looks like to love them.
The apostle Paul shows us how both Christ's death and Christ's resurrection are made manifest in his life. He suffers but still lives with hope and is not driven to despair. Through his words we can learn how we can display the life of Christ through our suffering.
Pastor Allen concludes the book of Ruth in redemptive fashion. Keeping to his promise, Boaz settles the matter as Ruth's redeemer, through shrewd legal dealings and total sacrifice. In similar fashion, Jesus settles the matter of our redemption through the legal, sacrificial, substitutionary atonement on the cross. Our ultimate and final redemption has been purchased, announced and witnessed. Jesus' amazing love should remind the Christ follower that our suffering is never without victory.
Now having been blessed by a God who favors her, Ruth steps out in active faith as a response. When our faith is passive, we simply seek to avoid evil. However, Ruth demonstrates a faith that actively seeks to do what is right. How about you? Are you passively trying to avoid evil? Or are you actively pursuing what is right? Likewise, we must understand that Jesus is actively working on our behalf to set things right by way of the cross.
Chapter 2 concludes in start contrast to its opening. Ruth begins the day hoping for blessing and ends the day blessed beyond her imagination. Though God may not bless us circumstantially as we all would like, He has blessed us with everything that matters (Ephesians 1:3). In spite of what our circumstances may tell us, in Christ we are soaked to the bone with the blessings He has rained down on our lives.
Sometimes through pain and suffering it becomes very difficult to see the favor of God. However, if we're willing to examine ourselves and the things we think will bring us pleasure and peace, we will find that we're the problem. To see God's favor on us most clearly requires us to be fully satisfied in Him alone.
The first chapter of Ruth reminds us of God's sovereignty even in our suffering. William Cowper wrote:
". . .behind every frowning providence is a smiling face."
We trust that God is in control over each and every difficulty life can throw at us, as He works out all things for His glory and our greater joy. This is gloriously good news, in spite of how we feel sometimes, because it means all hard things are ultimately redeemed for His people.
The Lord is good and even restores us when we need it. So often, we lean on our own strength and our own remedies. However, the scripture paints a different picture where His children find refuge, solace, and restoration another way. Pastor Allen describes his own journey and need for restoration in his upcoming sabbatical.
Friday begins one of humanity's lowest points in history. Saturday is one of humanity's most hopless points in history. But this is not the end. Sunday is only a day away. We have all thought to ourselves, "this is not how I thought it would end". Pastor Allen takes us through the 3-days of Easter and allows us to connect with the human condition and the hope of a living savior.
Sectarianism is the withdrawal from and letting go of culture. "Visiting sectarian churches is like visiting a museum dedicated to the past. This is because all sectarian churches eventually become dated from being removed from people in the world. Sectarians do not live by the necessary faith in the gospel and therefore believe that evil hearts and sinful actions and worldly social structures are more powerful than God, unable to be redeemed, and therefore are a waste of our energies because they are destined to be meat on God's grill anyway, so why bother?" (Mark Driscoll | Vintage Church)
God has a mission...we don't have a mission. Rather, we are to participate on His. That mission is that we are a sent people, just as Jesus was sent to us. And the mission has a church. Which is what he sends corporately. The local church is a specific group of regenerated believers in a specific place at a specific time. As so, God's mission is always done with expectation of community. In this sermon, we will explore transactional and transformational based communities and which should undergird the missio dei.
Christopher J.H. Wright says, "There is one God at work in the universe and in human history, and ... this God has a goal, a purpose, a mission that will ultimately be accomplished by the power of God's Word and for the glory of God's name. This is the mission of the biblical God."
Not being ashamed of the Gospel means a lot to the believer. Paul's letter to Galatia has been evidence of that. What are you branded to? What do you suffer for? Shadows? You won't ever be able to fully get your arms around the shadow, so what you need is the substance found in the true Gospel of Jesus.
It is Paul's desire to see the Gospel fully formed in the life of the Galatian church. Like a mom who gives birth, it requires a substantial amout of effort, pain and time. First, the Father draws us so that the Gospel might come to bear on our lives and save us from the penalty of sin. Then, it seeks to save us from the power of sin by sanctifying us under the guidance of the Holy Spirit. Finally, we look forward to the day it saves us from the prescence of sin when Christ returns.
When Jesus died 2,000 years ago, did he die for my sins past, present, and future? Sins that I committed last year. Sins that I'll commit today? Sins that I have planned but I've been so busy, I haven't even gotten to them yet? Did Jesus die for those sins? Yes. And when He was on the Cross, his final words were what?
"Finished!" It's completed. It's done. It's over! That's why Paul is arguing so strenuously against this false teaching. What religious people believe is, "Yes, Jesus died, but it's not finished. There's something now you must do. Whatever it is. There's something you must do now to be holy and pleasing to God. When Jesus said, 'It is finished,' that was hyperbole. This is just not true. The grandson of the great Billy Graham, Tullian Tchividjian, said:
JESUS + NOTHING = EVERYTHING.
EVERYTHING - JESUS = NOTHING.
With the Jews, Paul abstained from what was forbidden. With the Gentiles he exercised his freedom. In this passage, it's not so black and white as Paul is dealing with converted believers. Similar contextualization is not necessary, in fact it can be confusing. The issue for Paul with Peter is not one of contextualization, rather hypocrisy. Peter's offense here is weakness with the religious Judaizers. It's not the action that is the problem, but the end. What it communicates in this context is that Jesus does not justify us alone. And this is what happens when legalists push agendas in the church and you want their approval.
In going to different churches, many find disdain for different ministry, music and preaching styles. But if you look around and people are praising the Jesus of the bible and love the Lord, we should rejoice. However, if another gospel is being preached or a compromise of the principles of the Bible, we are obligated to speak clearly the way Paul does to the Galatians.
The right hand of fellowship is a sign of agreement, and in this case, with regards to the Gospel. This is the beautiful thing that promotes real unity. Unity has nothing to do with how often we have services together, get together or even serve together (even though those things are all fine and well). Rather, it has do with the diversity of all those sharing in the work of the Gospel. Methods must change and differ depending on context and calling. Biblical principles are universal and binding. Unfortunately, more often than not we reverse this and, as a result, create division.
What we find about Christianity is that it never makes the claim of being widely popular. It never makes the claim of being academically pleasing. It never makes the claim of keeping your culture or religions or your traditions intact. The one thing that God continually declares through his Word is that it's simply true. It's just the way it is. That's exactly what Paul's claim here in Galatians.
To be a 1st century Jew meant to be in bondage to the law. Jewish commandments covered everything from marriage, to death, to taxes, to sex, to money, to church, to diet...and the list goes on. 613 laws to be exact. The Gospel preached to the church in Galtia was one that freed them from these laws, demanding that faith alone in Jesus was our only means of justification. However, as we'll learn, old habits die hard as the Galtians returned to a Gospel of works. And we do the same . . .
Galatians is more than just "angry Paul". Galatians is examanation of what can go wrong when we are centered on anything other than the Gospel. In this intro to our series, we examine the church in Galatia, how it was started, and the purpose & theme of this letter.
Does God not have the right to be concerned with what He created? As Creator, does He not retain the right to show mercy on whom He sees fit? These are the questions God asks Jonah in our abrupt conclusion to this series. He calls His people to a life of mission, one which we regularly run from. After four weeks, we come to this startling revalation: "WE ARE JONAH".
You're not the point, and the more you think you are the point, the more you will be enslaved to a thousand vices. And the more you will resent the idea of repenting.
The reality of grace is this: If you want to experience God's relenting, you have to stop resenting repenting.
The more you come to grips that it's about God, your natural posture will be repentance, and the full brunt of God's grace for us here and now is experienced.
You have a heavenly Father who listens to the desperate cry, of desperate people, in desperate circumstances, of their own creation. So often we wait until we've been ground up, chewed up and spit up before turning to God. Often, this is because we don't think we deserve His. Due to our actions, inactioins, posture and rebellioin, we tend to think God has no interest in helping us. Though is God is indeed thorough in His discipline, He is also generous in His grace.
In Chapter 1, Jonah is called to go to evil city of Nineveh and preach repentance. Much to our initial disbelief, instead, Jonah makes a run for it in utter rebellion. However, we soon learn that we are much more like Jonah than we are willing to admit.
Charlotte Elliott has written some of the most influential hymns of all time (Just As I Am). She became an invalid around age 30, and remained so for the rest of her life. About her physical condition, Elliott wrote:
My Heavenly Father knows, and He alone, what it is, day after day, and hour after hour, to fight against bodily feelings of almost overpowering weakness and languor and exhaustion, to resolve, as He enables me to do, not to yield to the slothfulness, the depression, the irritability, such as a body causes me to long to in dulge, but to rise every morning determined on taking this for my motto, "If any man will come after me, let him deny himself, take up his cross daily, and follow me."
In Elliott's hymn, "My God, My Father While I Stray", she is qualified to point out that spiritual serenity ought to be cultivated in spite of the shaking mountains and agitated waters. The spiritual calm the Scriptures refer to does not come from a lack of troubles; nor does it come from having discerned God's will in advance.
It derives from a steady, deep reflection on the ways God has intervened in history on behalf of his people. It is "God's past" that provides calm for "our future." Know that he is God! Know it, not merely intellectually, but practically, spiritually, and emotionally. He is your God. He is the ruler of kingdoms of this earth and the all-powerful Creator of the Universe.
Charles Wesley, along with Isaac Watts, are considered the two most influential writers of English hymnody to date. Wesley, an Oxford man, was ordained into the Anglican church and sent to America to stabilize the religious climate of the Georgia colonies and to evangelize Indians with his brother John. On the ship to America, he came across a zealous group of Moravians who were characterized by evangelistic missions and enthusiastic hymn singing.
Charles, and his brother, returned to England unsuccessful and disillusioned. While spending time in Aldersgate, they fell under the influence of another group of Moravians. It was at this time, that Charles recognized he had given himself to ministry, but not to Jesus. On the the 11th anniversary of his Aldersgate conversion, Charles wrote the hymn "O, For A Thousand Tongues". The title's origin was rumored to come from influential Moravian leader and Wesley friend, Peter Bohler who said, "Had I a thousand tongues, I would praise Christ Jesus with all of them."
The original hymn had 19 stanzas and entitled "For the Anniversary Day of One's Conversion". Today, this beloved hymn is still sung in churches worldwide as an anthem of praise for the saving work of God alone.
If you want to start a good argument, begin by attempting to explain the Trinity. There is no such word in the Bible as "trinity" but the concept is most definitely there. The trinity is, in short, the God-head made up of the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit; all being God and yet all being uniquely distinct from the other. Reginal Hebner wrote this hymn for liturgical use on Trinity Sunday, 8-weeks after Easter. The emphasis of this hymn was to reaffirm the doctrine of the triune Godhead and to worship him, as such.
This classic hymn of Isaac Watts based on Galatians 6:14 has often been called the greatest hymn in the English language. Another contemporary of Isaac Watts said of it, "There may be a few others equally great, but there is none greater." All one needs to do to realize the truth of this statement is to sing this majestic hymn.
The contrast is vivid as Paul declared his boasting to be in the Cross of our Lord Jesus Christ. For the Judaizers the Cross was an object of shame; for Paul it was the object of glorying. They gloried in the flesh; he gloried in the Savior. The "Cross" speaks of the atonement of Christ with which Paul was identified and by which the world was crucified to Paul and he to the world. The world system with all its allurements, fleshly displays, and religions of human effort was cast aside by Paul. He looked at the world as if it were on a cross-and the world looked at Paul as though he were on a cross.
The original title of this hymn was "Crucifixion to the World by the Cross of Christ." Later the title was changed to "When I Survey the Wondrous Cross." Watts is credited for leading the way for congregations to sing original music. it is fitting we begin with this great hymn.
When Christian Smith and his fellow researchers with the National Study of Youth and Religion at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill took a close look at the religious beliefs held by American teenagers, they found that the faith held and described by most adolescents came down to something the researchers identified as "Moralistic Therapeutic Deism." --R. Albert Mohler, Jr.
You need to understand that the culture we live in is absolutely, passionately, committed to pouring itself out for created things, rather than the Creator God. People are worshipping everywhere, all the time.
The question is who are you worshipping, what are you worshipping, where are your worshipping, how are you worshipping . . . not if.
Through the grid of the Gospel, we are able to turn generational curses into generational blessings. On Father's Day, we examine how our sin and postures can be imprinted on our children without careful gospel fluency. In addition, those of us on the receiving end can find freedom and wholeness.
Do you know the Gospel? Do you know it isn't just about salvation? Can you articulate it? Can you address everyday issues with the Gospel? We must understand that it is the Gospel, that not only saves us, but strengthens us. That our identity is rooted in Gospel as a constant reminder of the person and work of Jesus Christ.
The Westminster Shorter Catechism sums up our whole purpose: "Man's chief end is to glorify God, and to enjoy him for ever." Solomon is pleading with young men and women not to forget Jesus in the small windows of life that can affect the next 30 years.
Solomon attacks, perhaps what is the biggest global threat to the gospel . . . and America is responsible for it.The prosperity gospel that plagues our churches and lives While wildly unpopular, the true Gospel calls us to sacrifice and suffering much of the time. This goes against the grain of our quick-fix, performance-based cultural currency. Ironically, Solomon's suggested preparation seems all-too-easy. You want depth? You want significance? You want life? You want meaning? Solomon suggests it starts with . . . dinner?
Solomon tells us there are two ways to view the world. The first, says that man's problems are external. Therefore, we possess the ability to create fixes to all of which ails us. Thus, eradicating the need for God. The second view says that man's problems are internal. That our fractured DNA is corrupt by nature and we are unable to provide or create the remedy. If that's true, then this corruption is not only extended on an individual level, but on a collective one, as well.Institutions at large--government, school systems, churches--all fractured. How are we, then, to live?
Solomon reminds us of the reality of sin. It's omnipresence in the world was imputed to us as Adam's legacy. However, in Jesus, we have hope for a different imputation. But first, we need to discern the posture of our heart...
If you are too righteous you will fall into legalism and become like the Pharisees. If you embrace wickedness then you will fall into lawlessness. Both are to be equally to be avoided. But how?
Part 2: Solomon transitions his intensity into true wisdom literature as he gives us some important life advice.
Solomon transitions his intensity into true wisdom literature as he gives us some important life advice.
Chapter six is an exhortation for those of us who are control freaks. Solomon reminds us that we cannot control the future, and even if we could...it would take 1.21 Jigawatts.
What's vanity? Why is Joe at work constantly trying to make you look bad? Why is it so hard to get off of our dependance of foreign oil? Why do small forwards from Cleveland leave their home state for a sweet deal in Miami with no regard for loyalty or roots? How is it that after our tax dollars provide the biggest bailouts in U.S. history, that the recipients of those bailouts still receive bonuses that are 8-digits long? Why do you and I try and make the gospel say something it doesn't so we can hold on to wealth and assets we've worked so hard for?
The answer is money.
One of the great causes of loneliness in our world is the busy schedule. We are working so much, moving so fast that we do not have time for people and relationships. And we wonder why there is the ache of emptiness inside. You were not created to be alone. You were created to share life, to be part of relationships. Your life was created to be integrated with others.
Our DNA is fractured, the gospel call goes out, God awakens the heart to regeneration, to hear, to care, to move, that leads to repentance and faith and salvation , and then the process of sanctification begins until we die.
When you've got money, when you've got food, when you've got health, when your kids are listening and being obedient, when there's laughter, when it's a time to build up, we should be able to drink deeply and enjoy life. Likewise, this passage exhorts us to enjoy life when there's no food and there's no money and health is waning and death is present and children are not being obedient and everything feels so heavy and so exhausting. Jesus is so intimately involved in your design and where He put you and when He placed you, it enables us to let go and trust that He's in control regardless of our circumstances.
There is nothing intrinsic within a man's soul that will allow him lasting enjoyment anywhere on earth. There is nothing intrinsic within the soul of man that will let him,for a long period of time, enjoy any of his work, any of his food, any of his toil. Everybody ascribes to the philosophy that what's going to satisfy us is more of what we already posses.
Even the wisest man couldn't defy the nature of humanity. There was one man after Solomon who was wiser than he. He was offered a crown, power, honor and adoration. But he stayed close to the heart of God. So his life looked remarkably different from Solomon's. He did not spend his life on earthly achievements and personal glory. He resisted temptation and did the unthinkable. With all the privilege that Solomon was afforded, Jesus could have had far more but he chose the Cross.
So how are we supposed to spend our lives?
Jesus is the one who is the difference maker. Jesus is the one who can make sense of that which seems pointless. Jesus is the one who brings clarity. Jesus is the one that is certainty. Jesus is solely, only, totally, thoroughly the beginning and end of wisdom.
Solomon tells us that progress is an illusion. That nothing changes, nothing is new. And if we listen to the spin-zone of progress that culture is trying to sell, we will become intimidated to tell a very old story. A world without Jesus is pointless. You striving after vapor, after wind. No one apart from God can do something NEW or CHANGE the world. But with Jesus, the world has color when for every one else it's black and white. Without Jesus, nothing is change, nothing is new, all is vanity. But with him...their is a different reality.
Vanity is an expository preaching series through the book of Ecclesiastes. In this series of proverbial sayings, we discover that so much in our world doesn't really matter. The vanity of our pursuits leads us to temporary fulfillment in vaporous things. In light of this, the somber Solomon exhorts us to the chief end of life: to obey and glorify God.
We will close out the series on Ephesians as Pastor Allen returns to the pulpit. We'll see Paul's teaching on spiritual warfare which couldn't be better timed with the intense events of the last month.
Jesus is not only Lord of the heavens and the earth; He is also Lord of your cubicle. For many people, faith in Jesus has nothing to do with work. This week, we will see that Jesus has a will about our workplace, and about how we interact with our bosses and co-workers. Whether you're boss is more like Jack Donaghy or Michael Scott, don't miss hearing what the Bible has to say about the workplace.
God's picture for our families is perfect. However, it is made imperfect by those unwilling to embrace (and understand) submission in a biblical context. Submission is a dirty Christian word in desperate need of redeeming, especially in the family. Starting with the day we say "I do", we've stepped into God's metaphor for the Church and its complementary design. On Sunday we will shine some light on why this picture tends to be so controversial and why, instead, it should be celebrated.
What if you were told that by asking one question your entire life could radically change? What if by applying this question to all of life's circumstances you would avoid many of the hardships, pitfalls and frustrations you regularly find yourself in? What if such a question actually existed? Well, it does. So get ready for the greatest question...ever.
Ever wonder if Christianity is only saying a prayer, knowing the right language and voting the right way? Can someone who truly loves Jesus reject the life they were meant to live? This Sunday we will learn that you can say "Christ is Lord" and still be one of the Sons of Disobedience.
Is it possible to grieve the Holy Spirit? Listen in as Paul unfolds this issue in Ephesians 4:26-32.
This Sunday, Anthem will come together as one community at one time. Rather than two services, we will have a combined gathering at 10am. We hope this will be a great time of worship for the entire family. Childcare will only be available for kids 3 and under as we hope this will be a time for the entire family. You will want to be on time, as the order of service will be different and things will start promptly at 10am. So come early, get your kids settled in, grab a cup of coffee and be prepared for this special gathering on "Ephesians".
Paul describes diverse gifts in the church. These come from the ascended Christ. The diversity of gifts serves to bring about the unity of Christ's people. Mature manhood extends the body metaphor used earlier for the church and contrasts with "children". Some people think that the learning of doctrine is inherently divisive, but it is people who divide the church, whereas the knowledge of the Son of God (both knowing Christ personally and understanding all that he did and taught) is edifying and brings about "mature manhood" when set forth in love. The work of the gifted was to proclaim and teach the word centered on Christ rather than on speculative or eccentric teachings of their own measure. Christ Jesus is the standard of the maturity to which the church must aspire.
This week we start Chapter 4 in our Ephesians series. Paul encourages the church to unity based on the truths of the one God and his one work of salvation. We all know unity to be a tricky thing in the church. What is the basis for unity? What holds it together? Are we to create it somehow?
This weekend we recap the first two chapters of Ephesians and dive into Paul's prayer for the church in chapter 3. Paul's prayer for Ephesus is that they would take all the things that God has done for us and live it! We are spiritual millionaires who walk through life like paupers and blame God because we are starving.
This weekend we start chapter 3 of Ephesians. Paul is about to pray for the church and the new unity he has just covered at the end of the previous chapter, when something stops him. Something compels him to continue his discourse on the church. What stopped him? Why did he stop?
Paul continues the theme of the new creation which we introduced at the end of last week (workmanship). Up to now, God had been the main subject of the action, but now a shift in focus to Jesus and his redemption occurs. There is unity and peace in Christ that all may lay hold of. We are no longer separated as Jew and Gentile or circumcised and uncircumcised. All in Christ are victorious.
A few weeks ago we learned why the doctrine of predestination is beautiful and biblical. This weekend we will explore the never-ending argument of "Free Will vs. Predeterminism". More importantly, we will discuss how God has poured his grace on the Saints with His saving initiative. That we have hope with Jesus and disparity without Him.
This weekend we fast forward to chapter 6 of Ephesians as we celebrate Father's Day. What we discover is a context for fatherhood that might surprise you. Just what do the Scriptures tell us make a good dad? What exactly is the godly picture of fatherhood? As we find out the answers to these questions, be prepared and open to rethinking the role of Dad.
In light of last week, Paul now desires that we might enjoy a full experience of our position in Christ. We now know we a new identity as a result of what the Father planned, the Son purchased and the Spirit preserves-we are "saints". Whereas last week Paul gave us insight into what God did in Triune community, this week Paul prays we have a deeper insight into who God is. The response is "thanks." Thanks for His promise, His power and His position. These are the specific themes of this beautiful prayer that we will be unpacking in Ephesians.
Do you believe that God has a plan? Do you believe that plan started in eternity's past? But how often to we stop to look at the true essence of God and his plan that has been unfolding since eternity's past? Do we stop to reflect on the spiritual blessings that we have inherited and offer Him praise?
Acts 19 covers Paul's experience in the city of Ephesus. We will explore the context of the man (Paul) and the city (Ephesus). This is very important in painting the landscape before diving into the book of Ephesians itself.