Gospel Hope Church: Recent Episodes
Gospel Hope Church
We exist as a church to glorify God by making gospel-centered, grace-saturated disciples of Jesus Christ.
Luke 8:26-39Jesus casts a legion of demons out of a man and is asked to leave; Jesus continues His ministry by sending the now clean man back to his home town.
Luke 8:1-3, 40-56Luke highlights the women who followed Jesus; Jesus heals a bleeding woman and raises Jairus' daughter from death.
Luke 8:22-25Jesus calms a raging storm in life to demonstrate He can do the same in our hearts.
Luke 8:1-21Jesus travels with women supporting the ministry; the parable of the sower; the parable of the lamp.
Luke 7:36-50Jesus has dinner at a Pharisee's house and a woman is forgiven for her many sins.
Luke 7:18-35John the Baptist struggles with his faith and asks Jesus if He's the messiah. Jesus responds with praises for John.
Luke 7:1-17Jesus heals the servant of a Roman Centurion who has more faith in Him than God's chosen people, then raises a widow's son from the dead.
Luke 6:37-49Continuing Jesus' "Sermon On The Plain," He warns against judging other and hypocrisy. With two more illustrations, He tells us to not only listen to what He says, but to live it!
Luke 6:17-36Blessings, warnings, and loving your enemies. The real Golden Rule - God loved you when you were still a sinner, you do the same to others.
Luke 6:1-19Jesus and his disciples grab some fast food on the sabbath, the pharisees complain. Jesus heals a man's hand on the sabbath, the pharisees get enraged.
Acts 8A Baptism. Persecution leads to God spreading His word to the ends of the earth. Phillip admonishes Simon the sorcerer, then explains the Good News of Jesus to the treasurer of Ethiopia.
Luke 5:16-39Jesus heals a paralyzed man, then calls and eats with Matthew and "sinners."
Luke 4:14-44Jesus reads from Isaiah in his hometown of Nazareth and despite all the proof He is rejected and thrown out. Meanwhile, Capernaum embraces Him
Luke 3:21-38Evangeline Sanders from the Salt Lake Pregnancy Resource Center speaks on the Sanctity of Life. Pastor Danny Brooks follows with the earthly family tree of Jesus and how Luke shows us that Jesus is both one of us and the beloved Son of God.
Isaiah 59, Mark 4 The Redeemer will come to Zion,to those in Jacob who repent of their sins,”declares the Lord.
Luke 2:1-20 Jesus' birth is announced to the most unlikely people. Glory to God in the highest!
Luke 1:1-25, 57-80 God breaks His silence and shows His grace and mercy to ordinary people.
Ecclesiastes 8 ...there is nothing better for a person under the sun than to eat and drink and be glad.
He has made everything beautiful in its time. He has also set eternity in the human heart; yet no one can fathom what God has done from beginning to end.
The Epiphany of God our Savior and the Counter-Cultural Life of the Believer - Titus 3:1-8
The Ordination Service of Paul Fulks - with Danny Brooks, Steve Fulks, Patrick Odle and Matt Parker
This is the first lesson in a new series on Philippians during our Equip hour.
The video mentioned at the beginning of the lesson can be viewed at: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-Q3MEdF3G9s
What kind of authority does Jesus Christ possess? In Mark 1:21-39 Jesus enters the local synagogue on a Sabbath morning and teaches with an authority that amazes His hearers. So disturbing is the authoritative teaching of Jesus that a man with an unclean spirit cries out in a defensive move against Jesus. "Are you come to destroy us?" is the demon's question. He recognizes that Jesus has authority not only to teach and command a following, but also to pronounce the final judgment on those who rebel against Him. The unclean spirit is terrified. Jesus commands him to be quiet and to vacate the man he's held under his control. In a final act of hostility, the spirit convulses the man, shrieks in defeat and departs. The synagogue is astonished. Rightly, they see Jesus' authority over the spirit-world as an affirmation that what He teaches is authoritative.
Jesus then proceeds to heal Peter's mother-in-law. No words are recorded in this account, just the touch of His hand. It's an immediate and complete recovery. She begins to serve her house guests. He has authority over disease. The word spreads and by sundown the whole town is at the front door of Peter's house to have Jesus deliver them of demons and heal them of diseases. Jesus Christ, the Son of God, has authority over all things. And when He calls you to repent and believe or to leave everything behind and follow Him, you must.
Jesus is God's unique Son and Anointed One. He's calling you to repent, believe, and follow Him. Live in submission to and confidence in His authority. There's no place of greater blessing than to be living your life according to His gospel and under His care.
John Muir, the well-known naturalist was once overcome by the beauty of Yosemite and famously said, "The mountains are calling and I must go." Have you ever felt called by something? Has it struck a chord so deeply inside of you that you knew you had to act?
As the Gospel of Mark begins to unfold, Jesus first issues a general call for anyone who is listening to repent and believe the good news (Mark 1:15). But then he goes deeper, calling a number of specific people - 5 to be exact - to drop everything in life and follow him fully.
His call is short and powerful, "Follow me, and I will make you become fishers of men." It's a personal call, a purposeful call, and a call that demands a response from each of us as we encounter Jesus. Will we follow him?
Jesus did not come primarily to educate, to motivate, to feed and heal, or even to set a good example of commendable living. He came to save sinners like us, to transform our lives, and to teach us how to reach other sinners with the good news too! Do you hear him calling?
It is good news that Jesus Christ, the Son of God has entered the world. The Gospel of Mark shows us that coming from Nazareth, Jesus is of humble earthly origin and by participating in John’s baptism clearly identifies himself with repenting people. Though He had no sin that needed to be confessed, His baptism in the Jordan river was a powerful statement of His saving purpose for sinners. How extraordinary that the sinless Jesus would willingly identify with people like us! Jesus’ baptism was also a powerful moment of anointing by the Holy Spirit. Jesus would live out His earthly days in the power of the Spirit. Whether battling the devil’s temptation along the way, casting out demons, healing the sick, rebuking the self-righteous religious leaders of Israel, or preaching the gospel, Jesus was empowered by the Spirit to accomplish all that the Father had sent Him to do. The same Holy Spirit empowers people like us for service. What an encouragement to see the gospel record of what a Spirit-anointed life can accomplish. Jesus’ baptism was also a powerful moment of approval by God the Father. “This is my beloved Son in whom I am well pleased!” was the testimony from heaven. This declaration would sustain the Son of God through the intense years of ministry, temptation, conflict, suffering, and crucifixion. All that Jesus did was the perfect delight of God the Father’s heart. For the believer being united to Jesus Christ through salvation means that we also have the approval of the Father. Though we have not lived a sinless life, Jesus did for us. Though we have not fulfilled all righteousness, Jesus did for us. And now being united to Jesus by faith, we also have the eternal approval of God the Father. Trust, hope, and rest in this relationship with the Son of God!
Don't you long to hear some good news? Whether it's through the national media outlets or from a long lost friend, we love to hear good news. Problem is, most of what we hear and pass along tends to be not-so-good news. The second book of the New Testament is titled "The Gospel of Mark," but it could just as easily be titled "The Good News of Jesus Christ, the Son of God." Mark was a close associate of the Apostle Peter, a ministry companion of Paul and Barnabas, and very likely the son of a wealthy woman who hosted Jesus and His disciples in her home. In his writing Mark draws upon each of these relationships to give us a fast-paced, detailed, personal account of the life and ministry of Jesus Christ. Throughout our study of the Gospel of Mark we'll be challenged to personally answer the question, "Who is Jesus?" His true identity as the Son of God places a deep and personal call upon all of us to follow Him as true disciples. With His authority as King, Jesus calls us to believe in Him, openly profess our faith in Him, and to obey all that He commands.
Overwhelmed much? In the constant barrage of information and expectation that most people face daily, it's easy to be overwhelmed with life. Maybe you've even felt that way in church or as you tried to wrap your mind around the 1000+ pages in the Bible.
And it is real, there are lifetimes of truth to learn in the depths of the Bible. Truth about God, about people, about human life and beyond. But God does not intend His truth to be overwhelming. He wants to teach you His ways, and even as children, God's ways can be grasped and understood.
That's why Jesus came - God in a human body. So that we could see firsthand what God is like. So that He would live perfectly, die on the cross taking our punishment for sin, and rise again.
And that's why there are single verses and small chapters in the Bible that boil life down for us into simple and easy to understand terms. "Believe on the Lord Jesus Christ and you will be saved." "Love God & Love Others." "Live justly, love mercy, and walk humbly with your God." "Fear God and keep his commandments, for this is the whole duty of man."
Proverbs 3 is one of those simple yet powerful sections of the Bible. And it teaches us that God's way, the path of wisdom is simple yet profound: Trust God. Fear God. Honor God.
God is full of compassion and power for healing all that weakens and debilitates us whether physically or spiritually. He intends the church to be a place where people can find healing for the greatest and deepest needs of our lives. The body of Christ is designed to be a place of comfort and safety, of genuine sympathy and understanding, of personal care and healing. And He has equipped us with the powerful tool of prayer for one another. Whether we are the ones suffering or see others around us suffering, God's call is for us to pray for one another in order that we may be healed. Let's commit ourselves to being the kind of church family that quickly sympathizes and surrounds the hurting ones with powerful prayers for healing.
We're in need of healing. Every one of us. For some, this includes the healing of physical illness, but for all, it includes our spiritual faults, weaknesses, and sins. That's why the Holy Spirit moved James to include both kinds of needs in this very important "one another." God is full of compassion and power for healing all that weakens and debilitates us whether physically or spiritually. He intends the church to be a place where people can find healing for the greatest and deepest needs of our lives. The body of Christ is designed to be a place of comfort and safety, of genuine sympathy and understanding, of personal care and healing. And He has equipped us with the powerful tool of prayer for one another. Whether you are suffering or see suffering around you, God's call is for us to pray for one another in order that we may be healed. Let's commit ourselves to being the kind of church family that quickly sympathizes and surrounds the hurting ones with powerful prayers for healing.
What is the worst storm you’ve ever been through? What was your response? Does it ever feel like God is sleeping or numb to the situation you are in? This question stirs up fearful thoughts. But, “ why are you so afraid?” This is the question Jesus asked His disciples while in the boat during the storm in Mark 4.
Though the mountains fall or the oceans roar, God is our refuge and strength a very present help in trouble (Psalm 46). Our loving God promises to be with us and to never leave us. The truth that needs to be applied to our lives its that Jesus LEADS us “through the valley of the shadow of death”, we should fear no evil, for HE IS WITH US. We can truly rest in faith during any storm. So, in what areas of your life are you tempted to respond with fear rather than faith? We must ask Jesus to give us His rest of faith, and worship the One who commands all manner of winds and waves.
The heart of God the Father is more gracious and compassionate than we can imagine. To illustrate this truth and to correct the self-righteous grumbling of the Pharisees over Christ's friendship with sinners, He told a series of three parables about lost things: a sheep, a coin, and a son. In the third parable, Jesus masterfully crafts a storyline that amazes sinners and scandalizes the self-righteous. The younger son dishonors his father by recklessly squandering his portion of the inheritance and the family's livelihood. He dishonors his Jewish heritage and violates the law of Moses by his immoral and profane lifestyle. He reaches a point where he is starving to death, tending pigs, and longing for home. He comes to his senses and heads home in the hope that his father would hire him on as a common laborer. He knows he's no longer worthy to be called a son. Remarkably, the father welcomes him with open arms and tender heart. The father throws a lavish celebration because the lost son, who has been as good as dead, has been found. The father is a beautiful picture of God in Heaven. Truth is we're all in need of God's compassion and restorative grace. There is not one of us who has walked the straight and narrow perfectly. Every one of us has abandoned God the Father in acts of treasonous rebellion. But for those who turn to Him, there is not only forgiveness, there is a robe from His closet, a ring from His treasure, and celabratory feast to be enjoyed. God the Father rejoices over His children who come home.
The book of Hebrews can be read in about 45 minutes. Throughout the book, the reader encounters the tension of being exhorted to persevere in faith and be encouraged that God will faithfully preserve those that are His. The focus of the Christian's faith must be Jesus Christ. The author of Hebrews reminds the reader that Jesus is better. As we look at the life of Abraham and Sarah, we are reminded to press on. But we are not of those who shrink back and are destroyed, but of those who have faith and preserve their souls.
Most of us enter marriage with the hope and expectation that life with our spouse will be better than ever. But then life happens and our hopes are diminished and our expectations are deflated. It’s not that we expected every day to be a fairytale experience, we just never expected love to be so challenging and marriage to be such hard work. And why is it sometimes so painful and disappointing that we want to walk away? In the beginning it wasn’t this way. In the beginning God created one man and one woman in His image and joined them together in such a holy and intimate union that they were “one flesh.” They were created to exercise dominion side by side and bring the earth under their wise and perfect care. Together they were tasked by God to be fruitful, multiply and fill the earth with more image-bearers. Perfect people in a perfect world enjoying a perfect relationship with God. When Adam and Even rebelled against the Lord and ate the forbidden fruit, the holy union was damaged. Sin brought pain to both of them as producers. Sin alienated them from God and from one another. Now Eve’s desires would be contrary to Adam’s and Adam’s desire would be to rule over her. The divinely created partners were now competing for control and prominence. The marriage was in crisis and they needed a rescuer. Jesus Christ is that rescuer. By His perfect life and substitutionary death He not only saves us from sins, but also our marriages. He renews us in love and reorients us from competitors to partners living for Him. Men who once ruled their wives in tyranny now love them as Christ loves the Church. Women who once set themselves in opposition to their husbands now submit in a powerful portrayal of the Church’s submission to Christ. It’s a miraculous “new birth” for marriages and a totally different mission from what many of us imagined when we said “I do.” From the beginning of history to the end of the age marriage was designed by God to proclaim truth about Him.
As we’ve been learning through the “Love One Another Series,” sacrificial love is what marks a community of faith like our church. But Ephesians 5:25-32 shows us that sacrifice “now finds a more specific application in the husband’s role in contributing to marital harmony” (Andrew Lincoln). While superheroes and cowboys in white hats might tend to think of taking a bullet as an example of laying down their lives, very few wives think of a husband giving up himself for her in that way. Giving up our lives as husbands is best demonstrated in the little daily sacrifices that show a tangible, personal love for our wives. This kind of love is desperately needed in our world. The world’s concept of love is self-centered and self-fulfilling. It asks, “What can I get out of it?” And for many people, when they cease to get something out of their marriage they close it down, much like we close down bank accounts. And we shop elsewhere. Christ calls husbands to sacrificing, sanctifying, and strengthening love. A christian husband's love for his wife needs to show a Christ-like, cross-revealing love. Marriage is not ultimately about a man and a woman coming together in matrimony, but is designed by God to reveal the mystery of Christ's eternal union for the Church.
Why can’t we all just get along? Why is conflict so prevalent in most areas of our lives? Even with those we love most and would consider closest, friction can be the norm. And it feels like we are never on the exact same page for very long.
The Bible gives a very simple answer: Pride. Proverbs 13:10 says, “Only by pride comes contention.”
So when Paul pleads for Christian people, who are so prone to conflict, to think the same things, love the same things, be fully aligned, and of one mind, he’s actually asking for something big. How is this kind of unity possible in any human relationship, let alone relationships that involve tens and maybe hundreds of other people?
The answer is simple too: Humility. We must learn to “count others more significant than ourselves.”
This approach to life takes careful thought. It is counter-intuitive. But when we learn to lower our own perceived value and raise the value of others, something amazing happens. We stop chasing recognition and engaging in constant conflict. We really care for others. We reflect Jesus, God brings the kind of deep unity we desire, and ultimately it is glorious.
Our society places great value on personal autonomy and freedom. Some believe that it is one of the ultimate personal values. We fight for it, defend it, and make every effort to preserve it. And while personal freedom is a great privilege, it sometimes becomes a sovereign idol commanding and governing the ambitions and motives of our hearts. Like all idols, personal autonomy is a cruel master. It breeds an ugly self-centeredness that manifests itself in self-righteousness, self-promotion, and self-protection. Inevitably the idol of autonomy leads us into isolation, damages the dearest of relationships, and destroys our souls.The abuse and misuse of personal freedom is proof that God never intended us to worship at the altar of autonomy. Jesus Christ is the only good and trustworthy Sovereign. As we learn to submit to Him, we also find that He teaches us to submit to one another, arranging our lives so as to esteem others as more important than ourselves and to eagerly serve the best interests of others. Biblical submission does not mean becoming another person's doormat, but rather following the example and teaching of Jesus Christ who said, "I seek not my own will but the will of him who sent me." As Christ's people, we stand ready to submit ourselves one to another, renouncing our autonomous will for the benefit and blessing of others. We do so that Jesus Christ might be reverenced in all His glory as our Creator, Redeemer, and King.
When we come to the Lord’s Table, we participate with Christ and one another in a significant moment of personal fellowship. Paul wrote in 1 Corinthians 10:16 “The cup of blessing that we bless, is it not a participation in the blood of Christ? The bread that we break, is it not a participation in the body of Christ?” While the cup doesn’t turn to actual blood or the bread to the actual body, there is a genuine participation in spiritual realities. We are saying as one body, “Jesus Christ is ours and we are His!” How sacred and holy is the Lord’s Table!
We are also pledging a partnership in Christ for the gospel. Jesus Christ brings us together and in Him, the many become one. Pretty amazing isn’t it? That means it is important for us not only to affirm our faith in Jesus, but to separate from anything that defiles us and makes us impure. Paul also wrote in 1 Corinthians 11:28–29, “Let a person examine himself, then, and so eat of the bread and drink of the cup. For anyone who eats and drinks without discerning the body eats and drinks judgment on himself.” The Lord’s Table causes us to consider the condition of our hearts. We cannot regard sin lightly and honor the Lord at His Table.
Finally, we anticipate a future kingdom with Christ at the Lord’s Table. 1 Corinthians 11:26 reminds us, “For as often as you eat this bread and drink the cup, you proclaim the Lord’s death until he comes.” Because Jesus died and rose again, we know that we too have victory over sin and the promise of eternal life. Even Jesus awaits that great day, for He promised the disciples, “I tell you I will not drink again of this fruit of the vine until that day when I drink it new with you in my Father’s kingdom” (Matthew 11:29). That’s amazing! The Lord of Heaven and Earth is practicing a kind of self-imposed fast until His beloved Bride, the Church, arrives in heaven. O, how this Savior loves and longs to be with us! This is part of our joy as we come to His Table and part of the motivation to live purely until we see Him. Praise Jesus for His Table!
Today we’re taking a break from the “One Another” series and taking a brief journey into the mountain range of God’s majesty. Peter uses the term “majesty” in our morning’s text to describe both the visible glory of Jesus Christ as He was transfigured on the mountain before Peter, James, and John and also as a title for God the Father, The Majestic Glory. The majesty of God has reference to His greatness and the wonder He inspires in those who encounter Him in His glory. Such an experience and first-hand knowledge is life changing. For Job it brought him to a place of deep humility and profound worship. For Isaiah it became the single greatest motivation for his years of hard and challenging ministry. For Peter, James, and John, seeing the unveiled majesty of Christ was overwhelming. Theologian John Murray wrote: “The deeper [a believer’s] apprehension of the majesty of God, the greater the intensity of his love to God, the more persistent his yearning for the attainment of the prize of the high calling of God in Christ Jesus, the more conscious will he be of the gravity of the sin that remains and the more poignant will be his detestation of it … Was this not the effect in all the people of God as they came into closer proximity to the revelation of God’s holiness?” We tend to think of ourselves as being pretty great. Our ideas, our plans, our dreams and ambitions often run unchecked because we live as if we are the center of the universe. God reveals Himself to us as the majestic Creator and Redeemer. He calls us to submit our lives completely to Him. The irony is that in our submission to Him we actually gain the greatest blessing, while our refusal to submit to Him leads us to ruin and destruction. The Majestic God must be worshiped and served by all of His creation and that includes people like us. May our apprehension of the majesty of God deepen our understanding of His greatness and inspire us to humble, faithful, fervent service. Only God, the Majestic Glory, is worthy of our submission and service.
How do we deal with pain in the church? Not misery delivered by some outside party, but self-inflicted wounds from other members of the body - like irritating habits, unintended hurts, or intentional sin against us.
The natural human instincts of fight or flight are not God’s answers to internal pain. Neither is self-effort to fix other people’s tormenting behaviors. Instead God calls us to a new way of living – to “bearing with one another” and to “forgiving one another” (Colossians 3:12-13).
Bearing with one another (i.e. patiently enduring) is an underdeveloped muscle in the Christian body. But each member of the Godhead marvelously models this quality by “bearing with us” in our own salvation and spiritual growth. And by God’s grace we too can learn a new way of living – a way of loving endurance together, even when it hurts.
God has issued a divine summons to those who put their faith in Jesus Christ. It is a summons of salvation to freedom. We’re free from the guilt of sin, free from the slavery of our flesh, free from pursuing a righteousness that comes by the Law, and free to do all the Holy Spirit leads us into. But freedom doesn’t mean that we can now do whatever we want to do. We’re never free to sin. Paul says plainly in Galatians 5:13-15 that our freedom should never be used as an occasion for self-centered or worldly living. Rather, this newfound freedom in Christ is intended to be a platform for loving service to others. Imagine that! We’ve been set free in order that we might now choose to make ourselves servants and slaves to one another. Happily and humbly we look for ways that we can do good for and bless one another. We guard our hearts and tongues against the kind of biting and devouring that ultimately destroys one another. The church is not comprised of perfect people, but it is made up of servants who are free to love one another. Let’s continue asking God to grow us into a unified body of believers whose love for one another is exactly what Jesus called and commanded. By this will all people know that you are my disciples if you love one another (John 13:34).
Throughout history culture after culture and person after person has created gods and idols in a failing attempt to meet the variety of needs and situations people face on a daily basis. Our culture has its gods and idols too. We may think ourselves to be a little more sophisticated than civilizations that put their faith in sun and moon gods or wooden and stone idols, but we still pursue things like security and acceptance away from Jesus Christ. Anything we look to more than we look to Christ is, in actuality, a god or an idol. But God has a better way for us. Everything we could ever need or want is found in Him alone. He is the one true God. And part of His design is to bring people together into one body and then gift us by His Spirit so that as we serve and love one another through the variety of gifts, we experience a bountiful good our hearts long for. Because God values and honors each of us, we in turn care for one another and share life together. Even those people that others might deem to be weaker or an embarrassment, Christ values. And so do we. Our individual sorrows and joys become the shared experiences in the body of Christ. Even the honors we receive or the disappointments we experience become those of the entire church. Everything we need we find in Christ and through the Spirit's work in us. What a privilege to be members of His body!
It is natural to expect that gathering together as Christians will be a positive experience: that it will be good for us, for our family, for others, and maybe even “good for God.” We’ll be better off for having attended. We especially think this way about times the church gathers together for special occasions – like celebrating communion. And yet in I Corinthians 11:17-34, God warns us that not all Christian gatherings are good. Christians can gather together “not for the better, but for the worse.” We can come together in such a corrupted way that God’s church is disgraced, His people are shamed, and we come under His chastening discipline. How can this tragic type of gathering be avoided? By living in loving toward one another. By remembering the selfless model of Jesus at the Last Supper, by expectantly waiting so that everyone can be included, and by meeting our own needs in advance so that we are free to meet the needs of others. In that sort of harmony, the church gathers to “proclaim the Lord’s death until He comes.”
In that same way that Christ has welcomed us as an act of humility and love, so we are called to welcome one another. That means that despite our strong differences of opinion, we pursue harmony with one another even while we seek to honor the Lord by the way we live the Christian life. There will be significant differences of opinion as to what honoring God looks like, but we don't have to and shouldn't judge the spiritual motives of those who practice their faith differently than we do. More than just making room for those differences, Jesus actually calls us to clear the path for others to live out their faith, taking care that we don't put stumbling blocks in their way as they walk in faith. That's a tall and inconvenient order sometimes, but not if we are truly walking in love toward one another. God makes room for our differences of opinion, even in matters of conscience, and so should we. Paul writes, "live in such harmony with one another, in accord with Christ Jesus, that together you may with one voice glorify the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ." As a congregation we find this "one voice" not by reaching unanimous agreement on every issue or resolving every difference of opinion or matter of Christian practice. We find this "one voice" by receiving one another into our hearts and into our fellowship for Christ's sake. Our visible love for one another despite our differences becomes a powerful witness to the grace of Christ at work in our souls. And this love, like Christ's love for us, will bear the beautiful fruit of salvation for others.
Some of the most challenging words I've read of late come from a book written by Andy Naselli and J.D. Crowley titled, Conscience: What It Is, How to Train It, and Loving Those Who Differ. They write: "Ponder this. The Son of God, who was not a Jew (Christ “became” one), left his complete freedom in heaven and became a good little Jewish boy, and then a good, law-keeping Jewish man. The whole time he perfectly obeyed the very laws that he himself had given at Mount Sinai 1500 years before—even obeying laws that he knew were temporary because he designed them to be temporary (e.g., don’t eat pork, and worship only in Jerusalem). The only laws he pushed back against were those that the Pharisees and others had added or completely misunderstood. “Jesus in his life practiced what he later preached through Paul in Romans 14. He became a servant to a people who were different from him. He submitted himself to a culture that was foreign to him. He welcomed Jewish culture. He fit into Jewish culture. He wasn’t some counter-culture hippy who railed against everything traditional. He wasn’t a weird outsider or misanthrope. He went to synagogue with his parents, and to the temple in Jerusalem when he was twelve. He regularly celebrated Passover and other feasts in Jerusalem. He rested on the Sabbath and attended synagogue service. He became a servant to the Jews and their culture. “What happens when people do things like that? What did the Son of God purpose to accomplish when he, for the glory of God, voluntarily became what he was not—a servant to a particular culture that was not originally his own?" Romans 15:1-13 tells us that in living such a life, Jesus showed the truthfulness of God, fulfilled all the promises made by God, and opened the way for the Gentiles to know eternal life. These truths are at the heart of the next "One Another" command to "welcome one another as Christ has welcomed you." Our willingness to serve one another and welcome one another is a significant measure of our experience and understanding of the gospel. Let's think hard about what Christ has done for us and then determine to serve one another with the same kind of welcome He has shown to us.
We are created for meaningful relationships with others. Families and communities are the visible demonstration of our natural bent toward doing life together. Sin continually drives us apart from one another. But through the work of Jesus Christ and by the power of the Holy Spirit, God the Father is building a new community of people. The true children of God are those who believe in Jesus Christ, repent of their sins, and follow Him. God's intention for us as a community of faith is that we distinguish ourselves as true disciples by our love one for another. As we go deeper into Romans 12 we see Paul instructing us in very practical terms about this love. Our love for one another should be a genuine, family-like love, a love that seeks to honor others while displaying a sweet harmony. Clearly this has to be a work of God in us because these are not our normal tendencies. But the same grace that saved us from our sins is the grace that powerfully transforms us from what we once were to what God wants us to be. How good it is to be the children of God and know His power at work in us! Is your love characterized by these same things? Do others experience this kind of love from you in the daily routines and responsibilities of life? Let's ask our God and Savior to grow this kind of love within us that it would be powerfully displayed around us.
Paul writes to the Church at Rome, For there is no distinction between Jew and Greek; for the same Lord is Lord of all, bestowing his riches on all who call on him. For “everyone who calls on the name of the Lord will be saved" (Romans 10:12-13). The gospel is freely offered to all. A believer's identity is not connected to an ethnic identification such as Jew or Greek. A believer's identity is not created by participation in ordinances or rituals like circumcision or baptism. Rather, the spiritual identity of God’s children is actually a condition of the heart. Through the new birth God creates a new people, a new ethnic community for Himself. And we are born again as we exercise our faith in Jesus Christ, believing that He is the Son of God sent into the world to save us from our sins. As a central point of our identity, Paul describes us as members of Christ’s body. And as members of His body, we express our love for one another in some very specific ways. Romans 12 shows us a mindset of humility, not thinking of ourselves more highly than we ought to think. At the same time, we are reasonable in how we think about ourselves, recognizing that God has gifted us by His grace in order to serve and bless the community of faith. Being "one body in Christ" also means that we share a special unity with one another, a unity expressed in mutual dependence and service. Having a place in Christ's body is a grand privilege. Never should we take this privilege for granted, but enjoy it as we build relationships with others, serve one another in love, and experience the blessings of Christ as members of His body. What a blessing to know Jesus Christ as our God and Savior!
We're people created to love and be loved, yet we often find ourselves frustrated, disappointed and lonely. And sometimes it is the people we are closest to who create the greatest pain and frustration. When God saves us and begins the process of remaking us, an essential part of His plan is to bring us into healthy, loving relationship with other believers. In John 13:34-35 Jesus commands us to "love one another: just as I have loved you, you also are to love one another. By this all people will know that you are my disciples, if you have love for one another." Our love for one another is the distinguishing mark of genuine discipleship. In John 15:12-13 Jesus teaches us that the greatest expression of love is personal sacrifice, laying down one's life for another. The sacrifice of Christ's life on the cross is the greatest expression of this kind of love and we are called to follow His example. With the cross of Jesus Christ as our personal experience and example of this love, we commit ourselves to loving one another. We express that love in acceptance, patience, forgiveness, comfort, and service. There are over fifty particular "one another" commands in the New Testament! And when a church actively loves one another with Christ's kind of love, each of us experiences a powerful, transformational kind of living and our gospel witness is supported with a strong, vibrant credibility. Let's ask God to help us learn what this love is truly like and to give us the ability to love one another as Christ has loved us.
When God raised Jesus Christ from the dead, He signaled that the work of salvation was accomplished. Through the shed blood of Jesus Christ on the cross forgiveness has been secured. The individual record of debt which stood against sinners has been taken out of the way. The rulers and authorities of darkness have been disarmed. And Jesus Christ has openly triumphed over them by His cross. When God raised Jesus Christ from the dead, He signaled the beginning of a new era. His work of salvation includes making all of His people to be holy, blameless, and without reproach. He is fully committed to our transformation. Presently, knowing God is the believer's first priority and greatest blessing. Paul prayed for the Ephesian believers to experience God's enlightening work so they might know Him. Knowing the hope of His eternal, saving call secures us in this present age. Knowing that He considers the saints to be His glorious, cherished inheritance protects us against the doubts and fears that paralyze us in the journey of life. Knowing that the same resurrection power that brought Jesus from the dead is the very power that God exercises in our lives make us hopeful in the face of even the greatest earthly difficulties. O, how He loves His Church, His bride, His people! O, how He loves you!
There is more to the name Gospel Hope Church than just a fresh start with a new sign out front and a new website online. There is actually important biblical truth behind it that is good news for the life we're all trying to live. In Colossians 1:23 Paul encourages believers to continue in the faith, stable and steadfast, not shifting from the hope of the gospel. The hope he refers to is tied directly to what he has just written about Jesus Christ: that He is preeminent over all things in heaven and earth and that He has actually reconciled us to God through His shed blood on the cross. Sin has fractured everything we know, but chiefly our relationship with God. By His death on the cross Jesus Christ has intervened to bring God and mankind together again. Paul deepens our hope by stating that Christ's divine purpose is to transform us and one day present us to Himself as holy, blameless, and above reproach. It's not up to us to fix ourselves before coming to God. We come to Christ that He may work this amazing transformation in us. That's really good news for people struggling with their own brokenness in a broken world. That's a really good reason to have hope. It's gospel hope.
Have you ever felt like you couldn't shake those nagging feelings of guilt and failure? Do you sometimes feel overwhelmed with the thought of death and how the end might play out for you? These thoughts and feelings are common to the human race. And sometimes these thoughts arise from the powers of darkness. Satan is called "the accuser of the brothers" and "the one who has the power of death." That is until Christ triumphed over him in the cross. Christ not only made a way for God to justly forgive all our sins by His death on the cross, but He actually disarmed the powers of darkness, stripping them of their weapons and openly humiliating them. Believers are called to live in this reality that their confidence, joy, and hope might abound. It is sometimes difficult to believe and see, but the life we now live and the life that is to come are part of Christ's victory parade. He is the conquering, celebrating King and we are privileged to have a share in the victory.
Have you ever wished that you could hit the reset button of life? Sometimes life is so frustrating and messy that we wish we could call a do-over. The good news of God's word is that in Christ there is not just an opportunity for a reset of the old life, but for an altogether new life. As we are spiritually united to Jesus in His death and in His resurrection, a "new us" is born. In God's kindness and mercy, the past record of our sin that haunts us and the shame that hounds us is wiped clean. Through the suffering and death of Jesus Christ on the cross, God cancels the record of our sin and triumphs over our enemies who have long dogged us with fear and accusation. The empty tomb is not only a sign that Jesus Christ triumphed over death and the grave, but that an entire generation of spiritually dead people has been resurrected with Him. The gospel is the good news of Christ's triumph in the cross.