Psalm 94 – A Community Lament over Injustice
God is a God of justice. God expects his people to be people of justice. In this community lament the psalmist cries out to God for the way the rich and powerful are treating the powerless in the community. What is most disturbing is that the tone of the psalm points to the fact that the oppressors are actually part of the larger community of the nation. The call is for God to exact his righteous judgment against oppression of the weak.WatchNotesDownloadDateTitle
- Nov 15, 2020Psalm 94 – A Community Lament over Injustice
Psalm 94 – A Community Lament over InjusticeGod is a God of justice. God expects his people to be people of justice. In this community lament the psalmist cries out to God for the way the rich and powerful are treating the powerless in the community. What is most disturbing is that the tone of the psalm points to the fact that the oppressors are actually part of the larger community of the nation. The call is for God to exact his righteous judgment against oppression of the weak.
- Nov 8, 2020Lament over one’s own sin – Psalm 51
Lament over one’s own sin – Psalm 51
Sometimes we exercise the prayer language of lament when we have suffered a personal loss. But what about when we have caused the pain and the loss due to our own sin. Psalm 51 is David’s prayer of lament due to his own sinful acts. When sin empties us, God in his grace still hears us. - Nov 1, 2020Lament – Crying out to God: Psalm 13
Lament – Crying out to God: Psalm 13
No matter who you are, or how strong you believe your faith to be, you have no doubt asked God questions like: “Where are you?” “How can you not see what I am going through?” “Why do you not act more quickly?” These are the questions of Lament. God has given us Lament as a prayer language to put words to our grief and struggles. - Oct 25, 2020Jude: Stay Strong
Jude: Stay Strong
Often times we emphasize the content of one’s teaching and we will warn against false teaching or a false narrative. The book of Jude is also a warning to folks to beware of false teachers. But his approach does not delve into the specific nature of the teaching. Instead he focuses on the character and behaviors of false teachers. The readers in the First Century as well and you and I today are warned to beware of those who use God’s grace as an excuse to be selfish and sinful. - Oct 18, 20203 John: Walk the Walk
3 John: Walk the Walk
God expects us to not just claim to follow him, but that we actually do so. Our actions should support our claims. Another word for it is to be authentic. In this brief letter we are introduced to three men. Two are authentic, they walk the walk and the description of them is refreshing. The third is a man who is all about himself. We can learn much from this brief letter about what it means to be people who walk the walk in following Jesus. - Oct 11, 20202 John: Stay Grounded
2 John: Stay Grounded
How do you know? How can you tell if what someone believes “squares” with what you understand the Bible to teach? In this brief letter, we discover a core reality of our faith that will help us make wise decisions regarding what others teach. One thing that we see in all of John’s writings in the Bible is an emphasis on the love of Christ and how our obedience to his teaching is our best expression of our love for Jesus. - Oct 4, 2020Philemon: Useless to Useful
Philemon: Useless to Useful
Philemon is the most personal letter of the entire New Testament. It is also a very difficult letter in that it deals with a run away slave and for us in the 21st century that brings up a host of emotions. As we look at this letter we will see the compassion of the Apostle Paul and an appeal to Philemon to show unprecedented grace and mercy to one who has wronged him and his household. Forgiveness, compassion, and restoration are among the themes we will see in this letter. - Sep 27, 2020Obadiah: The Foolishness of Pride
Obadiah: The Foolishness of Pride
We know the truth: Pride does come before a fall. We each have, at one time or another, been the unfortunate recipient of the pain caused by the pride of another. And yet we tend to struggle with this most tenacious temptation. If we are honest we all struggle with pride. It rears its ugly head in so many ways. In Obadiah we see what God thinks of pride and how he deals with it. Hopefully, we will be challenged to make some changes in our own lives. - Sep 20, 2020Making One Another Better (Heb. 10:19-25)
Making One Another Better (Heb. 10:19-25)
We have a specific purpose for meeting weekly. Yes it is about expressing our heart to God. Yes it is about learning from God’s Word. But it is also about coming alongside one another. It is about using the brief time we have to make each other better. God expects us each to stir up one another to love and good deeds. God expects us to encourage one another as we gather. Who will you encourage today? - Sep 13, 2020Forbear with and Forgive One Another (Col 3.12-14)
Forbear with and Forgive One Another (Col 3.12-14)
We all have idiosyncrasies that others have to put up with. It stands to reason that we would understand that we should put up with others as they put up with us. We all have hurt or offended someone and longed for their forgiveness. It stands to reason that we would want to grant forgiveness to others. And yet it seems we tend to struggle with granting to others what we desire. Our passage today reminds us of the model of Christ who bears with us and forgives us. - Sep 6, 2020Submit to One Another out of reverence to Christ (Eph. 5:21)
Submit to One Another out of reverence to Christ (Eph. 5:21)
This is one of the “one another” passages that elicits some of the strongest reactions from people. Submission in our world is sometimes equated with weakness and defeat. What we will discover in this passage and the explanatory verses that follow is that when we follow God’s Word and submit to one another, the result is harmony and unity. - Aug 30, 2020Serve One Another in Love (Galatians 5:13-16)
Serve One Another in Love (Galatians 5:13-16)
It is easy to “serve” someone who can return the favor. It is easy to “serve” when there is recognition for the service. But what about serving those who cannot repay you? What about serving when no one else sees? As we look at this one another command we will need to get a broader picture of what it means to serve sacrificially, just as Jesus served us. - Aug 23, 2020“Greet one another with a holy kiss” (Romans 16:16)
“Greet one another with a holy kiss” (Romans 16:16)
This is one of those “one another” passages that causes those of us who have grown up in conservative churches to snicker. That would never happen in our church. Too often we focus on the cultural phrase and miss the importance of the command. What does it mean to greet one another? Why would that be important? How can we live it out in a global pandemic? We will explore these questions and discover how vital it is that we learn to greet one another. - Aug 16, 2020Accept One Another (Romans 15:7)
Accept One Another (Romans 15:7)
This command has more to do with how Christ has received us than it does to just adopt a “live and let live, everything goes lifestyle.” As those who follow Christ we need to be very careful that we do not allow personal preferences to be elevated to the level of divine commands. We will look at what it means from a biblical stand point to accept one another, and how obedience to that command will strengthen the Christ following community. - Aug 9, 2020Living in Harmony With One Another (Romans 12:14-16)
Living in Harmony With One Another (Romans 12:14-16)
When one thinks of harmony from a musical standpoint, one discovers that it gives depth and richness to the musical number. Consider that reality in our personal and community relationships. When we understand and appreciate our differences and learn to work together there is a richness and a depth. This morning we will consider how we as a church can model biblical harmony in our relationships.