Tag: christianity

Palm Sunday

by Laurin, posted in Uncategorized

Alan spoke last Sunday on Palm Sunday and two important questions we must ask ourselves. To listen to this message, simply click play on the audio player below. I’ve also included some notes and links to Scripture he references.

Palm Sunday / Triumphal Entry Sunday / The Beginning of Holy Week

  • There are two important questions we should ask ourselves:
    • Who is Jesus?
    • What kind of Jesus do we really want in life?
      • the crowd in Jerusalem began the week shouting, “Hosanna!” and ended it shouting, “Crucify Him!” – Jesus wasn’t the Messiah they were expecting.
  • Matthew 21:1-17
    • The people were expecting a Messiah who would save them from Roman oppression – a conquering king on a white horse, rather than a prophet from Nazareth on a donkey (the suffering servant)
      • He brought a kingdom, not of military might, but a kingdom of:
        • peace
        • forgiveness
        • love
        • justice
        • righteousness
    • They shouted “Hosanna!”
      • a mix of two words
        • yasha (defend, deliver, help, preserve, rescue)
        • na (I beseech, I pray)
      • “Deliver us” – from Roman oppression
      • Jesus came for a bigger issue – sin
        • deliverance from the penalty of sin
        • by the cross & the resurrection
      • Jesus gives us so much more!
        • do you ever feel oppressed, tangled up?
        • YHWH – breath
          • the idea in the OT was that salvation was the loosening of things that bind you so that you can breathe more easily.
      • They wanted a kingdom of earthly power.
        • Jesus brought a kingdom of heavenly power
        • the Beatitudes teach us how to live a kingdom life
      • Jesus showed the ultimate humility
  • The God we, as Christians, worship:
    • He is a God of love.
    • He is also a God of wrath.
    • He is a triune God:
      • Father
      • Son (subject to the Father)
      • Holy Spirit (subject to the Son)
    • Jesus is a keeper of His Father’s temple (Matthew 21:13)
      • He and the Father are one.
      • John 17 – to know what Jesus wants for you in this life
  • Hebrews 1:1-9
    • Jesus is a deliverer, a king of a heavenly kingdom
      • Turn your eyes upon Jesus. Look full in His wonderful face, and the things of earth will grow strangely dim in the light of His glory and grace.
        • Why do you sometimes feel oppressed/depressed?
          • You’re looking at the world more than at Jesus.
    • v. 1 – God (the triune God)
      • 1 in essence; 3 in personality
      • We tend to make God in our image, rather than realizing He made us in His image.
      • God spoke the Word – Jesus is God the Father speaking to us.
        • the final Word
        • Jesus represented God the Father exactly as God the Father was
        • Romans 3:23
          • in our thoughts and actions, we all miss the mark
          • Jesus never missed the mark!
    • v. 2 – Appointed heir & creator of all things
      • In Greek, this is in the aorist tense, meaning once and for all time.
        • heir of ALL things
        • we are heirs & co-heirs with Christ (Romans 8:17)
          • must be a son or daughter to be an heir
          • those who believe in Him have the right to become children of God (John 1:12)
          • we are born children of Adam, but through Christ we are adopted by God
      • Jesus is the blueprint of all that has ever happened
        • “worlds” in vs. 2 is better translated as “ages”
    • v. 3 – Sustainer
      • everything is sustained by the Word
      • John 1:14 – we beheld His glory
        • we only reflect His glory
        • Jesus IS the glory of God
      • Upholds
        • Jesus is the one who keeps everything going
        • Colossians 1:17
        • If He holds the universe together, can you trust Him to hold your life together?
      • Redeemer
        • He purged our sins
    • v. 4 – Ascended
      • at the right hand of the Father in majesty
      • intercedes on our behalf
      • He is our High Priest (Hebrews 8:1-2)
  • He is Alive!
    • Who is He? He is…
      • Creator
      • Revealer
      • Sustainer
      • Redeemer
      • Intercessor
      • King
      • the Prince of Peace
      • the Humble Servant
      • Everything

Communion & Our Purpose

by Laurin, posted in Sunday Message

Alan is back and began his spring/summer teaching by giving a message on Communion and Our Purpose. To listen to this message, simply click play on the audio player below. I’ve also included some notes and link to Scripture he references.

Communion & Our Purpose

  • Intro: The Westminster Shorter Catechism is a tradition that was to be used by fathers to teach their children the important parts of the faith. It can still help us understand our purpose today.
    • What is the chief end of mankind?
      • to glorify God & to enjoy Him forever
        • we glorify Him by enjoying Him
        • what & who do we love most in life?
        • to glorify God is to love Him/to enjoy Him more than anything else in life
  • John 21
    • Peter had denied the Lord 3x; this story is now post-resurrection
    • v. 10-17
      • v. 15 – what are “these”
        • maybe the other men
        • maybe more than the other men do
        • maybe the fish (Peter’s profession/career)
        • Peter says that he has phileo (brotherly affection) for Jesus
      • How does Jesus ask Peter to show love?
        • Feed the sheep – serve
        • Peter served by becoming the leader of the Roman Church
    • v. 18 -25
      • serve, follow, sacrifice
        • how we glorify God
      • how much will you sacrifice for Him?
  • How do we glorify God & enjoy Him?
    • serve, follow, sacrifice
    • can’t do it of our own accord
      • doing it on our own is outward show – Pharisaical
      • empowerment through Christ living in you is the only way you can function in the image in which you were created
        • like a glove – without a hand in it, it has no purpose
  • When we take communion, we say we are taking in Christ.
    • The only one who ever lived as mankind was intended to live is Jesus.
    • Christ in us is the only way to live as God intended us to live.
    • common – union / communion teaches us that Jesus is the hand in the glove that leads us to function as we are supposed to function
      • the cup
        • Matthew 26:36-46
          • prayed 3x
          • what is the cup?
          • Jesus took the cup of God’s wrath upon Himself
            • spiritual death is separation from God
            • Jesus was separated from God so we could be reunited with Him
        • Luke 22:20
          • the New Covenant in My blood
          • the Old Covenant (Mosaic Covenant) – the Law
            • sacrifices to temporarily atone for sin
            • Jesus was the once-for-all sacrifice (Hebrews 10)
              • we don’t have to sacrifice animals or do penance
              • repentance (new covenant)
              • the law is written on your heart (Jeremiah 31:31-40)
  • John 17:3 – Eternal Life is to know Jesus and the Father who sent Him
    • what is to know Him?
      • not just knowing about Him
      • communing with Him
  • John 6:53-65 – the visual of communion
    • Our purpose in life is to love Him above all else but we can’t do that without having Him in us – that is the point of communion.

True Christianity, pt. 1-3

by Laurin, posted in Sunday Message

Hello! Terry has begun a series, entitled “True Christianity,” to explore the Sermon on the Mount from Matthew 5-7. The first three parts of this series are included below, with both audio and written notes. Praying this series blesses you, whether you can be with us in person or over the internet.

True Christianity, part. 1

Intro: What does true Christianity look like? Jesus tells us.

  • Jesus’ Ministry Begins
    • Matthew 4:17 is where Jesus begins to preach (His earthly ministry)
    • Jesus taught in Galilee (Matthew 4:23-25)
      • People came from all over (see map)
    • Three-Fold Ministry of Christ
      • teaching
      • proclaiming
      • healing
  • Jesus Prepares for Teaching (Matthew 5:1)
    • sees the multitudes
    • goes up a mountain
      • mountains are places where God meets His faithful
    • disciples come to Him
    • people wanted to know how to get into the Kingdom of God
      • Pharisees & teachers of the law each set their own standards of external righteousness & requirements were different depending on which teacher you followed (called the “yoke” of the law).
  • Jesus Begins to Teach (Matthew 5:2)
    • these attributes are what God will begin to manifest in the life of a believer
    • Matthew 11
  • Poor in Spirit (Matthew 5:3)
    • spiritually destitute apart from the Lord
      • recognizing you have nothing without Him, that you desperately need a Savior
      • opposite of what the world believes
      • Romans 7:18
        • you can’t obtain righteousness apart from God
        • James 1 – the anatomy of sin
      • Ezekiel 36
        • to be in the Kingdom of God, He must first exchange your heart of stone for a heart of flesh
      • Jesus is all we need (the “I am” statements of Jesus – John 6:35, 8:12, 10:9, 10:11, 11:25. 14:6, 15:5)
    • when we recognize our spiritual destitution/poverty, we turn to God for His grace and mercy
    • the reward for those who are poor in spirit
      • entrance into the Kingdom of God/eternal life
  • Those Who Mourn (Matthew 5:4)
    • we mourn for the things that break God’s heart, that grieve Him
      • is a spiritual mourning that comes when we see how sinful we are apart from Him, coming short of what God expects of us
    • shall be comforted
      • only the Lord can comfort and strengthen a broken heart
      • spiritual mourning should lead us to truly care about all the people who are hurting around us
        • take the focus off of self and put it on loving others
  • Conclusion
    • As we draw closer to the Lord (as He prepares us to join Him in eternity), we turn towards the cross & put our backs to the world more and more.

True Christianity, pt. 2

  • Introduction: Biblical Christianity means denying yourself, taking up your cross, & following Christ.
  • Matthew 5:3 – what’s important is our relationship to God through Jesus
    • The “Blessing Sandwich:
      • joy on earth comes through right relationship with God
      • joy in heaven comes from eternity with God
    • Humility – the lower you go, the closer you come to God
      • 1 Peter 5:6
      • Matthew 10:39
      • Philippians 3 – let go to take hold
        • don’t just add Jesus into your life
        • get rid of the old, grab onto the new
      • David’s sin with Bathsheba & murder of Uriah (2 Samuel 11) led him to humility
        • Psalm 51, esp. verse 17
        • the word “contrite” in Hebrew (daka) can mean “deflated” or “crushed”
      • We need to see our spiritual bankruptcy before God.
        • Isaiah 64:6
        • Acts 26:18
        • Our life apart from the Lord is like a cup with a big rock in it. That rock is our pride, filling up the cup. We must empty it out (humble yourself) before we can fill it up with Christ.
  • Matthew 5:4 – mourn over the things God mourns about
    • the sin in my life
    • the hell-destined world filled with transgression against a holy God
  • Matthew 5:5 – meekness does not equal weakness
  • Luke 18:9-14 – The Parable of the Pharisee and the Publican (Tax Collector)
    • Pharisee
      • compares himself to other people around him
      • thinks he’s better than they are
      • filled with selfishness & pride
      • self-exaltation
      • external religion
    • Publican
      • stands far off
      • wouldn’t even lift his eyes
      • beat his chest
      • “Be merciful to me, for I am a sinner.”
      • All signs of a broken and contrite heart
    • Jesus notes that the lowly, contrite tax collector was declared justified/righteous
  • Conclusion: We have been given a way to be right with God.

True Christianity, pt. 3

  • Intro: Being/becoming a true Christian is an ongoing work of the Holy Spirit in our lives. It is a self-less life, modeled for us by Jesus Christ.
    • To be blessed is to:
      • have God in your heart
      • yield to Him daily to do His will for His glory
    • John 10:10
    • The lower we go in emptying ourselves, the higher God will raise us (1 Peter 5:6).
  • The Meek (Gentle/Humble) – Matthew 5:5
    • They will inherit the earth!
    • often overlooked/looked down on by the world
      • praised by God
    • opposite of what the world expects of successful people
    • characterized by joy & peace that can only come from God
    • can’t be shaken by the world/the enemy
      • secure in Christ
      • untouchable by the powers of darkness
  • The Beatitudes are a spiritual progression
    • recognize your need for a Savior
    • then mourn over the things God mourns
    • then we become humble
    • then we hunger & thirst for righteousness
    • etc.
  • The Hungry & Thirsty – Matthew 5:6
    • Jeremiah 29:13
      • must desire to find God & be willing to set aside the useless things of the world to yield to Him
    • We all have a God-shaped hole that only He can fill.
      • He wants us to know Him.
    • The closer we walk with Him, the more insatiable becomes our hunger & thirst to walk right with Him.
    • Matthew 6:33
    • We will be satisfied to the degree with which we hunger & thirst.
  • The Merciful – Matthew 5:7
    • We are not merciful apart from God.
    • God has unending mercy for us
      • 1 Corinthians 13:12
        • trying to figure out who this God is
      • We deserve His wrath, but He extends us mercy.
    • Keep short accounts
      • confess
      • be thankful
      • don’t hinder your rest by holding onto grudges
  • The Pure in Heart – Matthew 5:8
    • live at peace with others
      • let offenses go
      • don’t hold onto grudges
    • keep the world from defiling your heart
    • be clean spiritually
  • The Peacemakers – Matthew 5:9
    • come in the middle of those who are at odds with each other & help restore peace
      • in the world
      • in the workplace
      • in the home
      • in the heart
    • the biggest peace a believer can offer anyone is peace with God
      • we are all caught up in spiritual warfare
      • the unbeliever is at war with God
      • when we offer salvation, when someone accepts relationship with Christ, peace floods in
    • Jesus is the door (John 10:7)
      • all sin has been atoned for
        • when you accept Christ, that atonement is applied to you
    • be a peacemaker, led by God
  • The Persecuted – Matthew 5:10
    • persecuted for the sake of following Christ
      • when you are walking closely with Christ, Satan & his minions will oppose you
      • persecution (Greek: dioko – persecuted) -to pursue after; to inflict suffering
      • Jesus said that they hated Him, they hated His Father before they hated Him, and they are going to hate us (John 15).
  • The Insulted & Persecuted – Matthew 5:11-12
    • If we’re going to be His disciples, we can expect to be insulted, persecuted, and spoken falsely about.
    • Rejoice over being persecuted for living righteously, for His name’s sake (James 1).
      • great is your reward
        • not on earth, in this life
        • in the heavenly realm for eternity
    • Persecution has been happening to the people of God since He first created us.
  • Stand firm!

The Faith-Rest Life

by Laurin, posted in Uncategorized

We had a few weeks of mission reports and a special musical service before Pastor Alan began a short series on the Faith-Rest Life. Unfortunately, the first message (“Living the Sabbath Principle”) did not get recorded, but I’ve included Alan’s outline with a few notes below. The second and third messages, with their recordings, are below that, each with its outline. Praying these messages bless you.

Living the Sabbath Principle (The Faith-Rest Life)

  1. Introduction
    • Genesis 1:27-2:3
      • Adam & Eve were created on the 6th day; God rested on the 7th day.
      • Adam & Eve entered into God’s rest; sin took them out of that rest.
  2. Sabbath Principle – what is it?
  3. Four passages of scripture with Sabbath implications.
    • Exodus 17:1-6
      • God had just delivered the Israelites from Egypt, and they grumbled. He has delivered us from so much more, and yet we still grumble.
      • Key truth: God puts us in testing circumstances, the “no water” places. Will we respond in faith or fear? To not respond in faith is to in effect believe God isn’t present.
    • Numbers 20:1-13
      • This is God’s grace. He gives us living water, even when we don’t deserve it.
      • Key truth: We often will blame others, or God, and want to escape a testing circumstance. We will miss God’s blessing if we don’t follow his instruction.
    • Hebrews 3:7-13
      • Key truth: What we hear can determine how we respond to life’s tests. Do we hear God’s promises and act in faith or do we hear all kinds of other voices? If we don’t hear, we will never rest, and it’s hard to hear if we aren’t still.
      • What keeps us from being able to be at peace in life’s stormy tests? This passage says there are 5 things:
        1. An evil heart of unbelief
        2. Departing (standing off) from God
        3. Deceitfulness of sin
        4. Wandering hearts
        5. Ignorance of God’s ways
    • Hebrews 4:1-16 (Next Sunday)
  4. Conclusion
    • We can live in Sabbath rest or circumstantial chaos. There’s a choice to be made.

Sabbath Rest (The Faith-Rest Life)

Hebrews 4:1-12

  1. The dynamics of living the Sabbath rest (Faith-Rest Life)
    • God’s rest is a standing promise to stand upon. vs 1
    • God’s rest must be entered into by faith. vs 1
    • God’s rest can be missed. vs 2, vs 5
    • God’s rest if rejected angers God. vs 3a
    • God’s rest is based on His resting. vs 3b-4a
    • God’s rest, if rejected is an act of disobedience. vs 6
    • God’s rest is a time sensitive offer. vs 7-8
    • God’s rest is a rest from work as we know work. vs 10
    • God’s rest involves an effort. vs 11
    • God’s rest involves God’s word as a revealing source. vs 12
  2. Conclusion: Living the faith-rest life is available through actively resting on God’s promises. The time to start living is now.

Great Necessities for Sabbath Rest
Hebrews 4:12-16, Isaiah 40

  1. Introduction: Sabbath is not a day of rest; it is resting on the promises of God. Faith-rest is not based on our feelings, but on His promises. You’re never going to be able to say, “It is well with my soul,” if you carry around the baggage of the past.
  2. The necessity of evaluating life by God’s word.
    • Men do what is right in their own eyes.
      • This leads to unrest, anxiety, and fear.
    • The only way we know if we are obeying in faith or disobeying in unbelief, is by the evaluating power of God’s word.
    • Hebrews 4:12-13
    • God’s word has evaluating power because it is:
      1. Alive
      2. Powerful
      3. Cutting
      4. Penetrating
      5. Judging
  3. The necessity of holding to one’s profession of faith by holding on to our high priest, Jesus.
    • Hebrews 4:14-15
    • There are trials and temptations that test our faith. We can look at how Jesus responded.
      • He used the Sword of the Spirit to battle temptation
        • Three ways Satan tempts (1 John 2:26):
          1. lust of the eyes
          2. lust of the flesh
          3. pride of life
  4. The necessity of prayer.
    • Oh, what needless pain we bear…
    • We often look at prayer as a last resort.
    • Hebrews 4:16
      1. Pray with confidence (James 1:2-8)
      2. Pray for grace and mercy (Luke 18:13)
      3. Acknowledge your need!
  5. The necessity of waiting on God in dependent trust.
    • Isaiah 40:28-31
    • The idea of waiting on God has many aspects in the Hebrew language.
      • It means to believe God is reliable and can be leaned on. The Hebrew word “amen” carries this aspect.
      • It means you can throw your cares on God.
      • It can mean taking refuge in God by fleeing to Him.
      • It can mean trusting God for deliverance from pain.
    • All of these things can be involved in waiting for God. The outcome of waiting on God is we exchange the limited resources of our strength for His divine power.
  6. The necessity of trusting in God instead of idols of our own making.
    • Isaiah 40:18-20
    • How many things in our life do we put our trust in that will just topple over?
    • What makes you think you can run with the horses? (Jeremiah 12:5)
  7. Conclusion: The faith-rest life is still offered; will we enter in?

God Is Coming, pt. 8

by Laurin, posted in Uncategorized

The last Sunday in November in his overview of the Book of Revelation, Terry took us through the end of chapter 6 and all through chapter 7. If you have missed any of these messages and want to hear them from the beginning, check out the archives on the right of this post. The first message was in October 2023. All of the teachings include notes and links to BibleGateway for any Scriptures referenced in his message. Simply click on the audio player below to hear this message. Enjoy!

God Is Coming, pt. 8

Introduction: The entire Bible is the story of Jesus and of God making a way for fallen, sinful man to come back to Him. Isaiah 45:22 – salvation begins by looking (turning) to God. God’s wrath will be poured out on those who reject Jesus.

Review: Revelation 6 begins the time of God’s judgment on rebellion.

  • Revelation 6:1-11
    • The first five seals
      • 1st seal – White Horse = Antichrist
        • Isaiah 14:12-15; Ezekiel 28:11-19 (who the devil is)
        • The devil is a counterfeiter of the things of God. Just as the Father sent His Son, the devil will send his son – the Antichrist, the False Messiah
      • 2nd seal – Red Horse = Worldwide War
      • 3rd seal – Black Horse = famine
        • famine/scarcity always comes on the heels of warfare
      • 4th seal – Pale Horse = Death & Hades
        • 1/4 of the world’s population will die during the first 4 seals (That’s around 2 billion people!)
      • 5th seal – the martyrs
  • Revelation 6:12-17
    • The 6th seal – judgment against creation
      • v. 12
        • super powerful earthquake
        • sun darkened
        • moon turned to blood-red
      • v. 13
        • stars fall to the earth
      • v. 14
        • sky/atmosphere rolled back like a scroll
        • mountains & islands moved
        • CATACLYSMIC event
      • v. 15 – reaction of all the remaining people on earth
        • the great men
        • commanders
        • rich
        • strong
        • slaves
        • free men
        • all categories of people
          • all hide themselves in caves and among rocks
      • v. 16 – tremendous fear
        • They are not crying out for salvation/help.
        • They are desiring death.
        • Want to hide from the face of the Lord & the wrath of the Lamb
          • They aren’t bewildered – they know exactly why these cataclysmic events are happening
          • They don’t want to repent of their sin – prefer the fires of hell to the wrath of the Lamb
      • v. 17 – the great day of God’s wrath is come
        • Who can stand?
  • Revelation 7
    • Answers the question in Revelation 6:17
      • v. 1 – John saw 4 angels
        • tasked with holding back the winds
        • the winds are a judgment to come on the land, sea, and trees
      • v. 2 – John saw another angel
        • angels carry out the will of God
        • this angel has the seal of the living God
      • v.3 – What the angel says
        • tells the 1st 4 angels to hold their judgment
          • don’t harm the earth, sea, or trees
        • until God’s people have been sealed
          • they will be supernaturally protected in the midst of His judgment
            • just like Noah’s family during the flood
            • just like the Hebrew people during the Egyptian plagues
            • just like Rahab & her family in the destruction of Jericho
        • This answers the question of Rev. 6:17
          • Who is able to stand?
          • Those sealed by God.
      • v. 4 – the remnant of Israel
        • 144,000 sealed
      • v. 5-8 – 12,000 from each tribe
      • v. 9 – John saw a great multitude
        • A number impossible to count of people who come to believe during the Tribulation & are then martyred, from all:
          • nations
          • tribe
          • peoples
          • tonuges
        • Standing before the throne – resurrected
          • clothed in white (righteousness)
          • waving palm branches (victory)
      • v. 10 – Praising God & the Lamb
      • v. 11 – Another worship service begins
        • This is what God desires: to know, love, and worship Him
        • Those who fall down in awe & begin to praise
          • the innumerable angels around the throne
          • the 24 elders
          • the 4 living creatures
      • v. 12 – Praise
        • Amen
        • blessing
        • glory
        • wisdom
        • thanksgiving
        • honor
        • power
        • might
        • all to God
        • for eternity
      • v. 13 – one of the elders speaks to John
        • Who are these in white?
      • v. 14 – John gives the best answer & the elder speaks again
        • John turns the question back to the elder:
          • “My lord, you know.”
        • The elder explains:
          • These are the martyrs
      • v. 15-17 – the continued explanation
        • their martyrdom is why they get to be before the throne
        • they serve Him
        • they will have no more:
          • hunger
          • thirst
          • heat from the sun beating on them
        • the Lamb is their shepherd
          • will guide them to living water
        • God will wipe every tear from their eyes
          • not that they won’t cry, but that they will be comforted
      • Amen!