Sermons – Grace Evangelical Free Church // Wyoming, MN

This is a sermon on sin and how God’s people are called to respond to it. Trials—including the ones caused by the coronavirus—surface sin. The question that every Christian faces, then, is what to do with the sin we find (whatever causes it to surface). What do we do when our sin shows itself? Paul gives us the answer in Romans 8:13 where he writes, "if you live according to the flesh you will die, but if by the Spirit you put to death the deeds of the body, you will live." In other words, where Christians find sin in our lives, we need to kill it in the power of the Holy Spirit so that it doesn't kill us.

Genesis 4:1-16 Now Adam knew Eve his wife, and she conceived and bore Cain, saying, “I have gotten a man with the help of the LORD.” 2 And again, she bore his brother Abel. Now Abel was a keeper of sheep, and Cain a worker of the ground. 3 In the course of time Cain Read more about Be Killing Sin Or It Will Be Killing You[…]

Genesis 3:20-24 The man called his wife’s name Eve, because she was the mother of all living. 21 And the LORD God made for Adam and for his wife garments of skins and clothed them. 22 Then the LORD God said, “Behold, the man has become like one of us in knowing good and evil. Read more about Paradise Lost[…]

There are very few passages in the bible that are able to explain why your life is like it is as well as this passage. There is no area of your life right now that is not touched by these six verses. On the highest level, it explains why there is so much conflict and struggle and lack in the world. Among other things, on a very individual level it explains why it hurt so much when you had your last child, why you had so many difficulties in your marriage last week, and why your job was so frustrating recently. Again, literally, the things you experience every moment of every day only make sense in light of this passage. It is not an overstatement to say that this passage is a key to unlocking real understanding of your life. The point here is that you should care about this passage because it has massive explanatory power for your life.

Genesis 3:8-13 And they heard the sound of the LORD God walking in the garden in the cool of the day, and the man and his wife hid themselves from the presence of the LORD God among the trees of the garden. 9 But the LORD God called to the man and said to him, Read more about God Sees All Your Sin[…]

The goal here is to see marriage in all its God-infused glory, in order that we might enter into and live out our marriages in such a way as to reveal all of their God-infused glory. In short, the goal is to help us approach marriage in such a way as to bring glory to God—to help us marry and be married in such a way as to help our spouse, our kids, our church, and the world around us see the wisdom, love, power, mercy, grace, goodness, and majesty of God. Have you ever thought of your marriage as designed to accomplish all of that? I hope to help you with that again today.

In Genesis 1:1 we find God's initial act of creation. In v.2 we find the initial condition of creation: good, but formless, empty, and dark. What follows in Genesis 1:3-2:3 is a description of God's ordering, filling, and, as we will see this morning, illuminating. There is so much to see, so much to understand, so much to do, and so much to praise God for in this short, relatively simple passage.

I’d like to share with you all a seven lessons from our sabbatical. None of the lessons are revolutionary. I'd heard of all of them before. I imagine every one of you have heard of every one of them as well. In other words, these aren't lessons, as in new concepts. They are lessons, as in new levels of understanding and appreciation... kind of like moving from premarital counseling to marriage counseling.

This is the question before us: If directly confronted by God, is there anything you would refuse Him? Is there a line you just wouldn’t cross concerning your finances, career, marriage, kids, friends, health, home, or family? Here are the main takeaways: (1) Obedience to God is always right, (2) obedience to God is the only path to true treasure, (3) obedience must be carefully discerned, and (4) Christ obeyed because we did not.

Colossians 1:15-20 He is the image of the invisible God, the firstborn of all creation. 16 For by him all things were created, in heaven and on earth, visible and invisible, whether thrones or dominions or rulers or authorities—all things were created through him and for him. 17 And he is before all things, and Read more about The Preeminence of Christ[…]

My goal this morning is to help us see how Zechariah’s prophecy draws upon imagery from the Old Testament, promising fulfillment through God’s coming to his people through John the Baptist and Jesus Christ, the Son of God. We will then see how Jesus fulfilled these prophecies during his earthly ministry and what this means for us today, in light of Jesus’s promised Second Coming. For we celebrate Jesus’s first advent because we know he is coming again—the advent that we long for, as the Israelites of old, anticipated his first advent.

So we could cross through a litany of passages in the Psalms and see how they point to Christ. That would be going wide. I have chosen to go deep. We are going to drill down into one passage. We will spend our time in Psalm 8 and see how it points to Jesus and his incarnation.

The specific aims of this sermon, a sermon on Jesus in the prophets, are to (1) set the stage for understanding the way the OT describes Jesus (present and promised) and (2) give you a taste of the specific glory of Jesus as told by the OT prophets.

This morning I'm calling and trying to help you to spend the next seven days preparing well to spend the next 30 days preparing well for a birthday party. That's pretty crazy, isn't it? Preparing for a week to prepare for a month to celebrate?! It would take someone of extraordinary significance to warrant such measures. In fact, there is only One of such significance. What I'm calling you to only makes sense for Jesus Christ, for He alone is worthy. But Grace—really hear this—it's the only thing that makes sense for Jesus Christ, for He is glorious beyond measure.

It is my aim in this sermon to highlight the most important aspects of its teaching and their implications for us. Specifically, the biblical keys for us to see are that God rested, God made us to need rest, God commanded us to rest, physical rest points to spiritual rest, and true rest is only found in Christ. And the biblical key for us to do is to rest; in every part of our being, rest; in Jesus, recover, be replenished, be at peace, rest.

Our aims this morning are to help you see (1) God's heart for and actions toward vulnerable children and (2) His charge to us (His people) to join Him in both (His heart and actions), (3) in order that every one of us who are calling on the name of Jesus would gladly work to bless kids who desperately need our blessing.

INTRODUCTION I was born shortly before Jimmy Carter was elected president. I can’t remember politics playing much of a role in my family during my childhood. The first real memory I have of anything political was in 1992 when Al Gore made a speech at a community college near my home. I went because Bill Read more about Christians And Voting[…]

INTRODUCTION John Paton was a missionary to the cannibal tribes of the New Hebrides islands in the 1700s. The amount he gave and lost in the name of Jesus while there is staggering. Perhaps the most poignant picture of this is captured in his recollection of being forced to climb a tree to avoid being Read more about Honoring God With Our Hearts And Lives In Missions[…]

Until Christ returns God means His people to be continually engaged in missions. And with that, the line of thinking that drives my sermons is this: We will never engage as God means us to engage in missions if we don't feel as God means us to feel about missions. And we will never feel as God means us to feel about missions if we don't think as God means us to think about missions. To say it in a slightly different way: right thinking leads to right feelings and right feelings lead to right action.

The main points of this sermon, the main ways to pray, and the main takeaways for us, are: 1) God is eternally greater than you could ever imagine and 2) God means His people to be a light to the world.

Genesis 21:1-21 The LORD visited Sarah as he had said, and the LORD did to Sarah as he had promised. 2 And Sarah conceived and bore Abraham a son in his old age at the time of which God had spoken to him. 3 Abraham called the name of his son who was born to Read more about Just As He Promised[…]

The main points that I want to draw your attention to in all of this are that (1) living by worldly wisdom is always foolish, (2) living according to God’s design is always wise, and (3) God's promises, by God’s grace will never fail.

We find great wickedness in mankind, and even greater mercy in God.

The main point of this passage is that God’s judgment is always just. Let’s pray that God would help us to see His perfect holiness, our sinfulness, and the just judgment that flows from the mingling of those two things. Let’s pray also that God would freshly impress us with His patience, mercy, and grace for those who hope in Him.

God was pleased with Abraham, even as Abraham was pleased with God, and that nothing could stop God from expressing His covenant pleasure in and through Abraham. Thus, while Sarah still had more to learn of the power of God, Abraham seems to truly have grown in faith. Let's pray that we too, by the power of God, might experience the pleasure of God, through our pleasure in God, and that all of that would work out in our inviting others into all of that.

The big ideas in this text/sermon are these: God always keeps His promises, His promises are always better than every alternative, and living wholly/entirely in light of them is the only path to a fresh start and true joy.

The main points of this text/sermon are (once again) that God is King, His commands are always good, His promises are always sure, and consequently patiently living in light of these things is the only thing that makes sense. The main prayer, then, is that God would grant us the grace to acknowledge Him as king, delight in and obey His commands, and trust in His promises and timing.

Genesis 16 Now Sarai, Abram’s wife, had borne him no children. She had a female Egyptian servant whose name was Hagar. 2 And Sarai said to Abram, “Behold now, the LORD has prevented me from bearing children. Go in to my servant; it may be that I shall obtain children by her.” And Abram listened Read more about God Sees And Hears All[…]

The main point of this passage/sermon then is that God made a covenant promise with Abram to bless him and his descendents in spectacular physical and spiritual ways if they would trust in Him. The main prayer is that we'd understand, receive, and share its implications for the world today.

Genesis 15 is one of the most pivotal passages in the entire bible. The second section (7-21; next week) forms the foundation for the Jewish understanding of what it means to be the people of God. For centuries (and even on to today for many) the descendents of Abram put their hope almost exclusively in the covenant God made with Abram in this passage. More importantly, the first section (1-6; this morning) forms the foundation of Paul's argument on salvation in Romans (chapter 4 especially). In particular, v.6 gives one of the first and clearest indications that God's redemption would come by grace alone through faith alone. V.6, Paul argued, because the Jews missed it, is the interpretive key to the covenant; for it defines what it means to be a child of Abram.

This morning we will see that as great as Abram was, there was yet someone greater, outside of his covenant line. The priest-king Melchizedek was Abram’s superior, able to bless Abram and one whom Abram was obliged to give a tenth of the spoils from war. Having Melchizedek established as the superior, we see that there was one to come later, from the seed of Abraham, in the order of Melchizedek that was even greater than Melchizedek—an eternal being, with the power over death, with the power to set aside a former commandment and a change in the law. Abraham recognized God’s work through Melchizedek and humbled himself before this high priest. We should recognize God’s work through Christ, and humble ourselves before our High Priest.

After Abram and Lot separate and dwell in different parts of the land, we get to this story of two groups of warring kings. It almost sounds like a footnote in the Bible until Lot gets pulled into the action and is taken captive. This sets Abram and his small forces to action to rescue Lot. But how do we make sense of it all? Is it just luck, shrewd battle strategy or is something else going on in this passage? The key, as we’ve seen before with Abram, is in his ability to trust the King of King’s promises and receive blessing despite the circumstances around him. We’ll also see this mystery man named Melchizedek and his role related to Abram and blessing.

This week's sermon is called, "The Glory of Leaving Matters in God's Hands." Abram, just like you and me, spent his life coming in and out of both—living faithlessly and faithfully. Last week (12:10-20) we saw that he tried to go his own way. This week, once again, he acts in a way that demonstrates remarkable faith in God. There's a lot that we can learn and grow from as we consider Abram's struggles and successes.

The main point of this passage and sermon is that God’s promises never fail. Though Abram took matters into his own hands—even in the way of deception and abandonment—God preserved Abram, his wife Sarai, and His promise to Abram. God remained faithful even when Abram didn’t. To help you see all of this in our text for this morning we’ll consider a pair of problems that Abram faced along with his “solutions” to those problems. Then we’ll contrast that with God’s unwavering faithfulness.

We’re going to consider three different sections of Genesis this morning. Each serves a different immediate purpose, but all three are ultimately in Genesis for the same reason: to help tell the story of God and His faithfulness to rescue His people. To that end we’ll consider the genealogy of Shem (11:10-26), the brief section on the descendants of Abram’s father, Terah (11:27-32), and finally, God’s call on Abram and Abram’s response (12:1-9). In each of these sections I want to invite you to be on the lookout for glimpses of the glory of God and their implications for us today.

Our passage begins with the whole earth possessing that gift. Because of their fear, idolatry and pride, however, our passage ends with the whole earth forfeiting that gift. To help you understand what happened to bring that about, we'll consider the people's hearts and actions, God's response, and then a few implications for us today.

It’s one of the questions Israel could ask as they sat on the verge of the Promised Land. It could also be a question you’ve asked in the last few weeks. All kinds of people and groups wanting their ways. All kinds of people and groups in conflict. All kinds of people and groups using their own might to ensure it. How did we get here? Like the rest of scripture, Genesis can help us make sense of this world. Genesis 10 shows us how the nations spread from one family and also the futility of man’s desire for glory in his own might.

It ought to surprise us as this scene opens up with Noah passed out in a drunken stupor; and then he followed that up, not with repentance, but with a generational curse on one of his grandson. Obviously that leaves us with a few questions. Let's pray that God would help us truly understand this passage and be duly transformed by it.

In all of this God is unmoved from His throne, recognizing our weakness is always our greatest strength, our prayers are more significant than almost anything else we can do, the power of the cross is sufficient to turn all of this around in a millisecond should God will, and right now the Holy Spirit of God can make you believe God’s promises in such a way as to produce peace that surpasses understanding. I also know that the truths revealed in the bible’s covenants are as relevant for us today as they have ever been.

There are two key features to this section of scripture. The first is that everything in it is the result of God's initiative. God is the only actor Genesis 9:1-17. Every sentence is a declaration of what God did, what God promised to do, what God commanded, and what God determined. God is always the initiator. Though we cannot always see that clearly (in the bible or in the world around us), in this passage we cannot miss it. The second key feature is that this is a passage of remarkable blessing. God initiates to bless Noah, his family, and even the entire world in staggering ways. Just as we were in the Garden immediately after Adam and Eve were created, we're presented here with a scene that is teeming with sweet, divine love and hope and promise.

This morning's sermon has four parts. All of them are important because all flow directly from this passage, but it is in the first and last that we find the heart of the text and sermon. The first part, and the peak of the Flood story, is that God remembered Noah. This is a remarkable expression that has a particular meaning in the OT and one that finds fullness in Jesus. The last part, and the main application for us, is Noah’s response to all that God had done. Perhaps unexpectedly, Noah’s first act on dry land was whole-hearted, sacrificial worship.

I invite you, then, to slow down once again and really consider this story of unfathomable holiness, sin, wrath, justice, violence, mercy, and foreshadowing. And then, having done so, I invite you to rethink your understanding and outworking of Christianity. Among other things, it will force you to consider whether you are living your life based on the authority of God's word and the promises it contains, or something/anything else. This passage is especially good at raising that question by describing the character and actions of a man who, having found God’s favor, radically placed his hope in the word and promises of God.

In the actual text we get a close look at Noah's righteousness, the rest of humanity's violence and corruption, the judgment and justice of God, Noah's role in God's just judgment and undeserved grace, and then the first explicit glimpses of the exclusive way in which God interacts with His people—through covenant. The main point of all of this is that although God would justly judge the earth on account of mankind's complete corruption, he would also provide a means of preservation through Noah. The world, and everything in it would be destroyed by God through a catastrophic flood—everything except that which was brought safely through on a boat by the mercy of God.

Genesis 6:1-8 When man began to multiply on the face of the land and daughters were born to them, 2 the sons of God saw that the daughters of man were attractive. And they took as their wives any they chose. 3 Then the LORD said, “My Spirit shall not abide in man forever, for Read more about Total Sin And Inextinguishable Grace[…]

Probably none of us are naturally fired up when we come to genealogies in the bible. Most likely skim (or skip) right over them. And yet, rightly understood, there’s great glory in them. Once again, I hope to help you with that today. That is, I hope to help all of you reread this passage in a way that allows you to see the glory that is in it, in order that we might all grow in our praise of and obedience to God.

What a strange mix of emotions this day and this service bring. We grieve that we are not able to gather together, that we're not able to eat lots of Suanne and Kris's egg bakes and ham, that we're not able to greet and hug one another in person, and that we're not able to hear one another's voices praise our risen King. Never before in our lifetime has anyone at Grace experienced anything like this. There's real tragedy and sadness in those things. And yet, swallowing up that grief like a giant, unstoppable tidal wave is the good news of Jesus' resurrection from the dead! Oh disease or distance or death, where is your sting!? For Jesus Christ is alive! Lift up your hearts, Grace Church. Do not be dismayed. One day, whether in this life or the next, we will be together again to eat and drink and sing and pray and talk with one another because, as Easter Sunday reminds us, Jesus overcame every obstacle to everlasting fellowship with God and one another when he came out of the tomb.

What is clear in this passage is that life outside of the garden continued to decline even as glimpses of God’s redemptive plan remained. And because that’s the focus of this passage, that is the focus of this sermon.

What does it mean to kill sin? Or, how do we do it? Answering that question is the very practical point of today's sermon.

In this passage, another voice comes onto the scene and it brings about very different results. Please pay attention this morning to the subtle attack of the serpent on the sovereignty and goodness of God, the catastrophic effect of even slightly twisting the words of God, the equally devastating effect of active and passive sin, and the foolish temptation to try to improve upon God's plan. And please pray with me that God would help us to avoid these errors by fixing our eyes on the perfection and sufficiency of Jesus.

... my aim in all of this is to share God’s design for marriage, the most foundational of all human relationships, in the hope that an increasingly godly understanding of marriage would lead to increasingly godly marriages. That is, it is my prayer that as a result of this sermon God might be pleased to increasingly fill Grace Church with the kind of marriages that are built upon the word of God, for the glory of God, and are satisfying, fulfilling, and redemptive.

Genesis 2:18-25 Then the LORD God said, “It is not good that the man should be alone; I will make him a helper fit for him.” 19 So out of the ground the LORD God formed every beast of the field and every bird of the heavens and brought them to the man to see Read more about The First Marriage[…]

Last week, from Genesis 2:15, I drew your attention to God’s commission to Adam to “work” and “keep” the garden in Eden. I also mentioned that the implications of this commission were nothing short of profound. What I didn’t mention was what I meant by that and for whom. And that brings me to the main aim of this sermon today: to help you to see how profound this commission truly is for all of God’s people; including you and me. In other words, my aim in this sermon is to help you see that the seeds of the answer to our question (how do we honor God in our work?) are found in Genesis 2:15, while its mature form is found throughout the rest of the bible.

As we saw last week, Genesis 2:4-7 expands on the sixth day of creation (Genesis 1:24-31). In particular, it focuses in on the creation of the man, Adam. Our passage for this morning picks up where that passage left off. Thus, having made man in His image and having filled the earth with everything man needed, we're left wondering where God would place man. On all the earth, where would man live? The answer comes quickly in our text. Adam (and as we will soon see, his wife Eve,) would live in a garden in Eden. This was no ordinary garden, though. It was a very special garden.

There is a lot going on, on the surface of this passage. There's a lot more going on below the surface. For the glory of God and for help for us to live as God intends, we'll consider some of the specific issues raised by this passage, the heart, and then the implications of the passage. The heart of this passage, I believe, consists of three key truths: (1) God is not one god among many, (2) God sovereignly rules over every aspect of creation, and (3) Mankind has a special place in creation. And the main takeaway, I believe is this: If we are to live lives of significance and satisfaction we must learn to live with God in a manner consistent with who He is, who He made us to be, and the reality of the world He made for us to live in.

What we have here is a truly remarkable passage; a truly remarkable end to the creation week. As we work through the text we'll see three awesome aspects of this seventh day: (1) God finished making new kinds of things, having done so (2) God rested from his work, and (3) God blessed the seventh day of the week and made it holy. In the end, I mean to offer a handful of implications and applications for us to take home. Ultimately, my charge to you all from this text is to learn spend your days working in the strength of Jesus for the glory of Jesus and then to come to Jesus for the rest your body and soul need.

This morning, then, we're on the final sermon of the final day of the final act of creation week. In our passage (vs.28-31) we'll learn even more about God's design for his people. In particular we'll see three aspects of God's blessing on mankind, a bit more of God's commission (the dominion mandate) to mankind, a bit more about God's provision for mankind, and God's final verdict on all that he had made. Please pray with me that God would help us to understand and love and live in light of all that is in this passage. And please pray with me that we'd see how this passage fits within this chapter, how this chapter fits within Genesis, and how Genesis fits within the whole of God's story of salvation.

We're going to cover a lot of ground this morning. We're going to consider God's creation of the land animals. Insodoing we'll see again the power of the word of God, new distinctions within God's creation, and the goodness of God's creative work. We'll also consider the beginning of God's creation of mankind. And in that we'll see a hint concerning the triune nature of God, the uniqueness of mankind among creation, part of man's purpose, and part of man's nature.

Genesis 1:20-23 And God said, “Let the waters swarm with swarms of living creatures, and let birds fly above the earth across the expanse of the heavens.” 21 So God created the great sea creatures and every living creature that moves, with which the waters swarm, according to their kinds, and every winged bird according Read more about Day Five: Filling the Seas and Sky[…]

On the fourth day we begin to notice the divinely-inspired structure of Genesis 1 (which I explained in my last Genesis sermon). There are parallels between the first and forth days (just as there are parallels between the second and fifth, and third and sixth days of creation) which we can't miss.

This week I wanted to look at a larger passage from Mark’s gospel. If you’re even sort of familiar with the Bible, you’ve probably heard these stories before. But how do they relate to one another? My hope this morning is to take these two familiar passages and look at them in a slightly different way, a way that I think Mark wanted his readers to see. A young man wants to know what he can do to be good and James and Andrew want to know how to be great. And the answer to both is found in the world-flipping reality of the cross. Only through Jesus Christ’s life, death and resurrection can anyone be good enough. Only through following Jesus in a life of self-denial is kingdom greatness achieved. And as we will see, it’s only through the work and power of God that impossible things are possible. Last will be first, the first will be slaves of all. Please pray that we would see the path to following Jesus goes exactly where Jesus went first.

Once again, in order to help you see God's call on your life to join him in fighting for the cause of the fatherless, I want to begin by taking you through a scripture-saturated journey. God's word is the place where we find God's mind and heart for all things, including this. By my count there are around 20 key passages in the bible from which we learn the will of God for the fatherless. And from those 20 passages we learn six main principles.

Genesis 1:11-13 And God said, “Let the earth sprout vegetation, plants yielding seed, and fruit trees bearing fruit in which is their seed, each according to its kind, on the earth.” And it was so. 12 The earth brought forth vegetation, plants yielding seed according to their own kinds, and trees bearing fruit in which Read more about Day Three: Filling According To Kind[…]

The aim of this sermon, at the end of missions week, is to help you see the indispensable, vital role all of us play in supporting workers of the truth in other places of the world. If you are lacking in a desire and in an effort for the gospel to spread to Asia, North Africa, Thailand, Guatemala, Panama, Germany, Haiti; our missionaries will be lacking in their ability to effectively get that gospel to those who need it. You play an indispensable part in supporting fellow workers of truth. I hope that desire burns in your heart, and if it doesn’t, may God use his Word this morning to fan a spark that would ignite fire in your soul to be a faithful sender and supporter here at Grace Church.

God saves us and makes us his treasured possession. Then we represent God’s name to the nations.

Mark 6:30-44 30 The apostles returned to Jesus and told him all that they had done and taught. 31 And he said to them, “Come away by yourselves to a desolate place and rest a while.” For many were coming and going, and they had no leisure even to eat. 32 And they went away Read more about Rest That You May Run[…]

Genesis 1:6-10 And God said, “Let there be an expanse in the midst of the waters, and let it separate the waters from the waters.” 7 And God made the expanse and separated the waters that were under the expanse from the waters that were above the expanse. And it was so. 8 And God Read more about Days Two and Three: Forming the Waters[…]

In essence, the traditional reading of Genesis 1:1-2 is that v.1 is the actual act of creation (there was nothing outside of the triune God himself before v.1 and then v.1 declares God's creation of time and space). V.2 then describes the original and good (though unformed and unfilled) creation of God, with 1:3-2:3 describing the good forming and filling of the earth.

When I began to study Genesis over the summer, the number of translation, grammatical, exegetical, literary, historical, and theological questions surrounding the first two verses of Genesis alone really caught me off guard. What seems so simple at first is swirling with necessary and difficult decisions just below the surface.

Due to the length of Genesis 1:1-2:3, rather than including the entire passage here, we encourage you to read it in your own bible, or elsewhere online. INTRODUCTION I wonder what comes to your mind when you think of the book of Genesis. I imagine that some of you think of the age of the Read more about Our Place In God’s Plan[…]

Philippians 4:14-23 Yet it was kind of you to share my trouble. 15 And you Philippians yourselves know that in the beginning of the gospel, when I left Macedonia, no church entered into partnership with me in giving and receiving, except you only. 16 Even in Thessalonica you sent me help for my needs once Read more about Gospel Generosity and Kingdom Economics[…]

Philippians 4:10-13 I rejoiced in the Lord greatly that now at length you have revived your concern for me. You were indeed concerned for me, but you had no opportunity. 11 Not that I am speaking of being in need, for I have learned in whatever situation I am to be content. 12 I know Read more about The Secret Of Contentment[…]

Philippians 4:1-9 Therefore, my brothers, whom I love and long for, my joy and crown, stand firm thus in the Lord, my beloved. 2 I entreat Euodia and I entreat Syntyche to agree in the Lord. 3 Yes, I ask you also, true companion, help these women, who have labored side by side with me in Read more about Citizens of Peace[…]

Philippians 3:12-21 Not that I have already obtained this or am already perfect, but I press on to make it my own, because Christ Jesus has made me his own. 13 Brothers, I do not consider that I have made it my own. But one thing I do: forgetting what lies behind and straining forward Read more about The Spiritually Mature Mind[…]

Philippians 3:1-11 Finally, my brothers, rejoice in the Lord. To write the same things to you is no trouble to me and is safe for you. 2 Look out for the dogs, look out for the evildoers, look out for those who mutilate the flesh. 3 For we are the circumcision, who worship by the Read more about The Supreme Worth Of Jesus[…]

Philippians 2:19-30 I hope in the Lord Jesus to send Timothy to you soon, so that I too may be cheered by news of you. 20 For I have no one like him, who will be genuinely concerned for your welfare. 21 For they all seek their own interests, not those of Jesus Christ. 22 Read more about Examples of Grace[…]

As we preach our way through Philippians, this Sunday we find ourselves in chapter 2 of Paul’s letter. Here he writes the most famous words regarding our responsibility to God's sovereign grace, “work out your own salvation.” Our text comes on the heels of an exhortation to live gospel-worthy lives and a dramatic description of Christ’s humiliation. Paul uses those wonderful truths to give us hope and motivation for this seemingly impossible command. Our obedience is an act of worship to God and it is his power and promise that uphold our obedience, otherwise, we would surely fail. God will accomplish his plan through our active worship for his purpose and pleasure.

Philippians 2:5-11 Have this mind among yourselves, which is yours in Christ Jesus, 6who, though he was in the form of God, did not count equality with God a thing to be grasped, 7but emptied himself, by taking the form of a servant, being born in the likeness of men. 8And being found in human Read more about The Mind of Christ in the Life of Christ[…]

Philippians 1:27-2:4 Only let your manner of life be worthy of the gospel of Christ, so that whether I come and see you or am absent, I may hear of you that you are standing firm in one spirit, with one mind striving side by side for the faith of the gospel, 28 and not Read more about Striving Side By Side For The Faith Of The Gospel[…]

Philippians 1:18-26 Yes, and I will rejoice, 19 for I know that through your prayers and the help of the Spirit of Jesus Christ this will turn out for my deliverance, 20 as it is my eager expectation and hope that I will not be at all ashamed, but that with full courage now as Read more about A Christ-Honoring Life[…]

Philippians 1:12-18 12 I want you to know, brothers, that what has happened to me has really served to advance the gospel, 13 so that it has become known throughout the whole imperial guard and to all the rest that my imprisonment is for Christ. 14 And most of the brothers, having become confident in Read more about Gospel Advance Through Circumstances[…]

This morning we will look at the verses 3-11 of Philippians. Paul begins his letter to the Philippians with a prayer that sets the table for the rest of what he has to say. He begins by encouraging the Philippians and has them fix their eyes on their partnership in the gospel. As we look Read more about An Enduring Partnership[…]

As you probably figured out we are going to spend the Summer going through Paul’s letter to the Philippians. Philippians is a great book. It’s only four chapters but it’s rich. It’s filled with a clear picture of the gospel and how that is the power for enduring. If you have been a Christian for Read more about Joyfully Following Jesus Together ‘Til The End[…]

This Sunday the sermon was given by guest pastor Dave Linde. We don’t have a transcript of the sermon, but the audio is available as usual. Mark 9:14-29 And when they came to the disciples, they saw a great crowd around them, and scribes arguing with them. 15 And immediately all the crowd, when they Read more about Overcoming Satan’s Opposition Through a Life of Prayer[…]

Romans 12:3-8 For by the grace given to me I say to everyone among you not to think of himself more highly than he ought to think, but to think with sober judgment, each according to the measure of faith that God has assigned. 4 For as in one body we have many members, and Read more about You Are An Indispensable Link[…]

Romans 12:1-2 I appeal to you therefore, brothers, by the mercies of God, to present your bodies as a living sacrifice, holy and acceptable to God, which is your spiritual worship. 2 Do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewal of your mind, that by testing you may discern what Read more about What is God’s Will for your life?[…]

Ruth 4:18-22 Now these are the generations of Perez: Perez fathered Hezron, 19 Hezron fathered Ram, Ram fathered Amminadab, 20 Amminadab fathered Nahshon, Nahshon fathered Salmon, 21 Salmon fathered Boaz, Boaz fathered Obed, 22 Obed fathered Jesse, and Jesse fathered David. INTRODUCTION After a couple of months in this remarkable book, this will be the Read more about Lessons On The Winding Path Of Glory From Ruth[…]

Ruth 4:13-17 So Boaz took Ruth, and she became his wife. And he went in to her, and the LORD gave her conception, and she bore a son. 14 Then the women said to Naomi, “Blessed be the LORD, who has not left you this day without a redeemer, and may his name be renowned Read more about A Greater Obed[…]

Ruth 4:7-12 Now this was the custom in former times in Israel concerning redeeming and exchanging: to confirm a transaction, the one drew off his sandal and gave it to the other, and this was the manner of attesting in Israel. 8 So when the redeemer said to Boaz, “Buy it for yourself,” he drew Read more about The Glorious Goodness of God[…]

So she lay at his feet until the morning, but arose before one could recognize another. And he said, “Let it not be known that the woman came to the threshing floor.” 15 And he said, “Bring the garment you are wearing and hold it out.” So she held it, and he measured out six Read more about Righteousness From The Heart[…]

1 Then Naomi her mother-in-law said to her, “My daughter, should I not seek rest for you, that it may be well with you? 2 Is not Boaz our relative, with whose young women you were? See, he is winnowing barley tonight at the threshing floor. 3 Wash therefore and anoint yourself, and put on Read more about The Wings of the Redeemer[…]

Ruth 2:17-23 So she gleaned in the field until evening. Then she beat out what she had gleaned, and it was about an ephah of barley. 18 And she took it up and went into the city. Her mother-in-law saw what she had gleaned. She also brought out and gave her what food she had Read more about My Heart Is Filled with Thankfulness[…]

Ruth 1:22 – 2:16 So Naomi returned, and Ruth the Moabite her daughter-in-law with her, who returned from the country of Moab. And they came to Bethlehem at the beginning of barley harvest. 2:1 Now Naomi had a relative of her husband’s, a worthy man of the clan of Elimelech, whose name was Boaz. 2 Read more about The Heart of a Godly Man[…]

Ruth 1:19-22 So the two of them went on until they came to Bethlehem. And when they came to Bethlehem, the whole town was stirred because of them. And the women said, “Is this Naomi?” 20 She said to them, “Do not call me Naomi; call me Mara, for the Almighty has dealt very bitterly Read more about Five Truths For Your Suffering[…]

Ruth 1:6-18 Then she arose with her daughters-in-law to return from the country of Moab, for she had heard in the fields of Moab that the LORD had visited his people and given them food. 7 So she set out from the place where she was with her two daughters-in-law, and they went on the Read more about The Heart Of A Godly Woman[…]

Ruth 1:1-6 In the days when the judges ruled there was a famine in the land, and a man of Bethlehem in Judah went to sojourn in the country of Moab, he and his wife and his two sons. 2 The name of the man was Elimelech and the name of his wife Naomi, and Read more about When Tragedy Strikes[…]

This Sunday morning I mean to introduce Ruth by giving you a brief bit on the background and then focusing on the three main themes of the book. It is my hope that both the background and themes will remain in the front of our minds as we work our way through Ruth in order that we might get out of it all that God has put into it. With that, let's pray that God would help us to clearly see his glory in Ruth and that the clear view of glory would strengthen our trust in God every minute of every day.

Welcome to the end of Hosea.  You made it.  Next week I'll begin preaching through Ruth, but this week we have one more verse to consider.  The verse is actually an invitation (perhaps a command) to remind ourselves of the entirety of Hosea's prophecies and to obey them.  For that reason, we'll look at the message of v.9 and then the message of Hosea.  Let's pray that God would make the message even more clear and obedience to it even more eager.

We’ve come to the final verses in Hosea and in them we find the promise of not one, not two, not three, not four, not five, not ten, but fourteen amazing gifts from God; the kind of gifts that make everything else we’ve ever received—as good as they may have been—absolutely pale in comparison. There are few passages in the entire bible in which God offers more to his people. Let’s pray that God would help us to appreciate the truly remarkable nature of the gifts he offers, and that we’d all actually receive them—all 14 of them, and the countless others mentioned throughout the rest of the bible—in faith.

Grace, God is kind to us in including Hosea 14 in the bible, for in that chapter he answers two critical questions.  In fact, it seems as if answering them is the primary point of chapter 14.  The first three verses (which we'll look at this morning) answer the first question (what exactly constitutes genuine repentance?).  Verses 4-8 (which we'll look at next week) answer the second question (how does God respond to genuine repentance?).  The final verse (v.9, which we'll consider two weeks from now in what will likely be the final sermon in Hosea) deals with the superiority of a life lived according to the wisdom of God above all other paths. Would you pray with me, then, that God would make this passage clear to us, that as a result we might become people of genuine repentance, and that God would deal with us as he promised the Israelites he would should they do so?  

This Sunday morning we'll look at the final three of Hosea's chapter 13 prophecies. Insodoing, we'll see that the Israelites wrongly and fatally built their lives upon their power, blessing, rulers (9-11), wisdom (12-14), and fruitfulness (14-16). These five things have been among the most common and deadly foundations that mankind has built his life upon from the beginning of time. Israel's misplaced trust in them was the norm, not the exception. Again, then, if God grants us eyes to see, we will certainly find that portions of our life have been built upon them as well. Let's pray that God would reveal the parts of our lives that have been built on anything but him. And as he does, let's be quick to shift the weight of our trust back on the one thing that can bear it: God himself.