Gathering Recap - 11/03/2024 - Philippians 2:12-18 - Working it Out

Call to worship:

129 Your testimonies are wonderful;
    therefore my soul keeps them.
130 The unfolding of your words gives light;
    it imparts understanding to the simple.
131 I open my mouth and pant,
    because I long for your commandments.
132 Turn to me and be gracious to me,
    as is your way with those who love your name.
133 Keep steady my steps according to your promise,
    and let no iniquity get dominion over me.
134 Redeem me from man's oppression,
    that I may keep your precepts.
135 Make your face shine upon your servant,
    and teach me your statutes.
136 My eyes shed streams of tears,
    because people do not keep your law.

Psalm 119:129-136

Gathering Video

Questions for reflection:

What does it look like to “work out your salvation?” What are the personal implications? Public implications?

How can you stir up curiosity and delight in the person and work of Jesus?

How can we “give ourselves utterly to him” this week?

Corporate Prayer:

“Our Father in heaven,
hallowed be your name.
Your kingdom come,
your will be done,
    on earth as it is in heaven.
Give us this day our daily bread,
 and forgive us our debts,
    as we also have forgiven our debtors.
And lead us not into temptation,
    but deliver us from evil. For yours is the kingdom, the power and glory forever

Amen

If you are able to support the church financially, we invite you to give securely by clicking the button below:

Notes//Quotes//Slides:

Philippians 2:12-18 - Kim

Working It Out

“The doctrine of justification concerns God’s gracious judicial verdict in advance of the day of judgment, pronouncing guilty sinners, who turn in self-despairing trust to Jesus Christ, forgiven, acquitted of all charges and declared morally upright in God’s sight.”

- Philip Eveson

Ephesians 2:8&9:

8 For by grace you have been saved through faith. And this is not your own doing; it is the gift of God, 9 not a result of works, so that no one may boast.”

“While the language of sanctification in theological terminology has focused on the progressive aspect of growing holiness in the Christian life, the Bible uses the term sanctification to point towards the status as consecrated and holy that we have in Christ through our union with him.”

- Fred Zaspel

“Just as God assessed and then reacted to the worth of his Son’s life of obedience (verses 9–11), so the Christian must ponder the example of Christ and determine upon a worthy response (verses 12–18).”

- Alec Motyer

Romans 11:33:

 “Oh, the depth of the riches and wisdom and knowledge of God! How unsearchable are his judgments and how inscrutable his ways!”

“If we are to follow Christ, we must continue to call on the name of the Lord Jesus Christ. We must continue to receive God’s grace. We must continue to manifest the fruit of the Spirit. We must continue to be filled with the Holy Spirit. We must continue to come before God in prayer. We must continue not to reject the assembling of ourselves for worship, but we must continue to gather for worship, so that, in all of these things, we are doing just exactly what we are called to do…It means that when we pray the Lord’s Prayer, and it says, “Forgive us our debts, as we forgive our debtors,”that we actually do forgive our debtors. It means that when we are called to be witnesses, that we actually witness. It means that all of the benefits which have been made available to us are being utilized, and all of the responsibilities and challenges to which we are being called are being assumed.” —Alistair Begg

Numbers 11:11-15:

11 Moses said to the Lord, “Why have you dealt ill with your servant? And why have I not found favor in your sight, that you lay the burden of all this people on me? 12 Did I conceive all this people? Did I give them birth, that you should say to me, ‘Carry them in your bosom, as a nurse carries a nursing child,’ to the land that you swore to give their fathers? 13 Where am I to get meat to give to all this people? For they weep before me and say, ‘Give us meat, that we may eat.’ 14 I am not able to carry all this people alone; the burden is too heavy for me. 15 If you will treat me like this, kill me at once, if I find favor in your sight, that I may not see my wretchedness.”

“How can you come to grips with someone giving himself utterly for you, without you giving yourself utterly to him?”

— Timothy Keller

From Communion:
”Because children have abounding vitality, because they are in spirit fierce and free, therefore they want things repeated and unchanged. They always say, "Do it again"; and the grown-up person does it again until he is nearly dead. For grown-up people are not strong enough to exult in monotony. But perhaps God is strong enough to exult in monotony. It is possible that God says every morning, "Do it again" to the sun; and every evening, "Do it again" to the moon. It may not be automatic necessity that makes all daisies alike; it may be that God makes every daisy separately, but has never got tired of making them. It may be that He has the eternal appetite of infancy; for we have sinned and grown old, and our Father is younger than we.” - G.K. Chesterton

Gathering Recap - 10/27/2024 - Philippians 2:1-11 - This is Yours

Call to worship:

121 I have done what is just and right;
    do not leave me to my oppressors.
122 Give your servant a pledge of good;
    let not the insolent oppress me.
123 My eyes long for your salvation
    and for the fulfillment of your righteous promise.
124 Deal with your servant according to your steadfast love,
    and teach me your statutes.
125 I am your servant; give me understanding,
    that I may know your testimonies!
126 It is time for the Lord to act,
    for your law has been broken.
127 Therefore I love your commandments
    above gold, above fine gold.
128 Therefore I consider all your precepts to be right;
    I hate every false way.

Psalm 119:121-128

Gathering Video

Questions for reflection:

How is the good news of Jesus connected to the good life of following Him?

What happens when we disconnect life/morals/ethics from what Jesus has accomplished?

What would it look like to apply the gospel to a current difficulty or roadblock in life? How does the good news apply?

Corporate Prayer:

“Our Father in heaven,
hallowed be your name.
Your kingdom come,
your will be done,
    on earth as it is in heaven.
Give us this day our daily bread,
 and forgive us our debts,
    as we also have forgiven our debtors.
And lead us not into temptation,
    but deliver us from evil. For yours is the kingdom, the power and glory forever

Amen

If you are able to support the church financially, we invite you to give securely by clicking the button below:

Notes//Quotes//Slides:

Philippians 2:1-11

When salvation has taken place in the life of someone under the sovereign hand of God, they are set free from the penalty of sin and its power. In a body without the Spirit, sin is an unshakable king under whose dominion no man can flee. The entire body, with its members, affections, and mind all willfully submit themselves to sin’s rule. But when the Spirit of God takes back the body that He created for Himself, He sets it free from the pathetic master that once held it captive and releases it into the marvelous light of its Savior. It is then able to not only want God, but it is actually able to obey God. And isn’t that what freedom is supposed to be? The ability to not do as I please, but the power to do what is pleasing. Jackie Hill Perry

Romans 12:9-10 -

Gospel doctrine - gospel culture = Hypocrisy

Gospel culture - gospel doctrine = fragility

Gospel doctrine + gospel culture = power

Ray Ortlund

Romans 8:31-32,

2 Peter 1:3-4

“It follows, then, that we cannot start with a definition of God and try to fit Jesus into it. We must look first to Jesus himself, who reveals to us the identity of God. If we want to know what God is like … God is like Jesus" Dean Flemming

What greater mercy is there than this, which caused to descend from heaven the maker of heaven; which reclothed with an earthly body the one who formed the earth; which made equal to us the one who, from eternity, is the equal of the Father; which imposed “the form of a servant” on the Master of the world—such that the Bread itself was hungry, Fullness itself was thirsty, Power itself was made weak, Health itself was wounded, and Life itself was mortal? And that so that our hunger would be satisfied, so that our dryness would be watered, our weakness supported, our love ignited. What greater mercy than that which presents to us the Creator created; the Master made a slave; the Redeemer sold; the One who exalts, humbled; the One who raises the dead, killed? - Augustine

The present passage uniquely unfolds the cross as seen through the eyes of the Crucified, and allows us to enter into the mind of Christ. We tread, therefore, on very holy ground indeed. We do well to remember that this privilege is given to us not to satisfy our curiosity but to reform our lives - Alec Motyer

Gathering Recap - 10/20/2024 - Philippians 1:19-30 - Everything Jesus

Call to worship:

113 I hate the double-minded,
    but I love your law.
114 You are my hiding place and my shield;
    I hope in your word.
115 Depart from me, you evildoers,
    that I may keep the commandments of my God.
116 Uphold me according to your promise, that I may live,
    and let me not be put to shame in my hope!
117 Hold me up, that I may be safe
    and have regard for your statutes continually!
118 You spurn all who go astray from your statutes,
    for their cunning is in vain.
119 All the wicked of the earth you discard like dross,
    therefore I love your testimonies.
120 My flesh trembles for fear of you,
    and I am afraid of your judgments.

Psalm 119:113-120

Gathering Video

Questions for reflection:

How do you relate to the future? Control or anxiety?

In what ways does Paul apply the sovereignty of God to the future possibilities of life?

What does “walking worthy of Jesus” look like today?

Corporate Prayer:

“Our Father in heaven,
hallowed be your name.
Your kingdom come,
your will be done,
    on earth as it is in heaven.
Give us this day our daily bread,
 and forgive us our debts,
    as we also have forgiven our debtors.
And lead us not into temptation,
    but deliver us from evil. For yours is the kingdom, the power and glory forever

Amen

If you are able to support the church financially, we invite you to give securely by clicking the button below:

Notes//Quotes//Slides:

Philippians 1:19-30

An important clue is that Paul’s words, "this will turn out for my salvation," are an exact quotation of Job 13:16 in the Greek Bible. Here Paul’s unmarked quotation evokes clear analogies between the apostle’s present situation and the former plight of Job. In Job 13, Job defends himself against the accusatory arrows of his pious “comforters.” The charge is that his suffering is the direct result of harboring some secret sin. In response, Job pleads his innocence, declaring that ultimately he will be vindicated by God (Job 13:16, 18). Similarly, Paul, in the face of afflictions and the attacks of rival preachers, looks forward to vindication before God in the end. - Dean Flemming

James 4:13-15

“If the biblical story is true, the kind of certainty proper to a human being will be one which rests on the fidelity of God, not upon the competence of the human knower. It will be a kind of certainty which is inseparable from gratitude and trust.” - Lesslie Newbigin

If you are a Christian, you are not a citizen of this world trying to get to heaven; you are a citizen of heaven making your way through this world. - Vance Havner

Gathering Recap - 10/13/2024 - Philippians 1:12-18 - The Sweet Sovereignty of God

Call to worship:

105 Your word is a lamp to my feet
    and a light to my path.
106 I have sworn an oath and confirmed it,
    to keep your righteous rules.
107 I am severely afflicted;
    give me life, O Lord, according to your word!
108 Accept my freewill offerings of praise, O Lord,
    and teach me your rules.
109 I hold my life in my hand continually,
    but I do not forget your law.
110 The wicked have laid a snare for me,
    but I do not stray from your precepts.
111 Your testimonies are my heritage forever,
    for they are the joy of my heart.
112 I incline my heart to perform your statutes
    forever, to the end.

Psalm 119:105-112

Gathering Video

Questions for reflection:

How did the trials of Paul lead to the furthering of the gospel?

What is the process to see the goodness of God in the midst of hardship?

How do we get to the place where we can face anything in life?

Corporate Prayer:

“Our Father in heaven,
hallowed be your name.
Your kingdom come,
your will be done,
    on earth as it is in heaven.
Give us this day our daily bread,
 and forgive us our debts,
    as we also have forgiven our debtors.
And lead us not into temptation,
    but deliver us from evil. For yours is the kingdom, the power and glory forever

Amen

If you are able to support the church financially, we invite you to give securely by clicking the button below:

Notes//Quotes//Slides:

Philippians 1:12-18 - Kim

The Sweet Sovereignty of God

“Rather than detail the hardships he faced, Paul took a divine perspective.” — Richard Malick

“Paul has a definition of life that enables him to face anything. In this passage he is teaching that its not the circumstances of your life, its not whether things go well for you or go ill for you. It’s not the circumstances of your life but the way you define life that will determine whether you stand or fall in this world.”

— Timothy Keller

“And we know that for those who love God all things work together for good, for those who are called according to his purpose.” (Romans 8:28)

Because Romans 8:28 exists, those who love God and are loved by him can have confidence that he is working through all of life’s circumstances to bring good out of bad, light out of darkness, joy out of sorrow. It’s not that God is especially agile, a kind of cosmic PR man adept at manipulating circumstances, but rather that he is the Planner, the Engineer, the Designer who has ordained the means just as much as the end. He ordains the calm and the storm, the darkness and the dawn, the famine and the feast. This being the case, no event is meaningless, no situation purposeless, no condition ultimately hopeless. God is working out his good will not despite dark days, difficult trials, and broken hearts, but through them. Such circumstances are the raw material he uses to form and shape his good plans, his perfect purposes.

God’s specialty is not bringing good from good, but good from bad and Romans 8:28 gently tells me that if I trust him through my tears, he will give me reason to laugh; if I trust him through my pain, he will teach me to praise; if I trust him through my grief, he will afterwards show me all the good that came with it and through it. He will show me the precious flowers in the dry desert, the beautiful blooms against the sharp thorns, the gentle petals beneath the vicious skies. For behind every black cloud is a yellow sun, behind every dark night a bright day, behind every frowning providence a smiling face—the smiling face of the God who works all things for good for those who love him and are called according to his purpose.

—Tim Challies

“God is too good to be unkind and He is too wise to be mistaken. And when we cannot trace His hand, we must trust His heart.”

— Charles Haddon Spurgeon

Gathering Recap - 10/06/2024 - Philippians 1:3-11 - Becoming Who We Are

Call to worship:

97 Oh how I love your law!
    It is my meditation all the day.
98 Your commandment makes me wiser than my enemies,
    for it is ever with me.
99 I have more understanding than all my teachers,
    for your testimonies are my meditation.
100 I understand more than the aged,[h]
    for I keep your precepts.
101 I hold back my feet from every evil way,
    in order to keep your word.
102 I do not turn aside from your rules,
    for you have taught me.
103 How sweet are your words to my taste,
    sweeter than honey to my mouth!
104 Through your precepts I get understanding;
    therefore I hate every false way.

Psalm 119:97-104

Gathering Video

Questions for reflection:

What does Paul show us about prayer?

How does the gospel shape community?

What are the metaphors and encouragements given toward growth?

Corporate Prayer:

“Our Father in heaven,
hallowed be your name.
Your kingdom come,
your will be done,
    on earth as it is in heaven.
Give us this day our daily bread,
 and forgive us our debts,
    as we also have forgiven our debtors.
And lead us not into temptation,
    but deliver us from evil. For yours is the kingdom, the power and glory forever

Amen

If you are able to support the church financially, we invite you to give securely by clicking the button below:

Notes//Quotes//Slides:

Philippians 1:3-11 - Karen

Every other ethical system calls us to the costly effort of becoming what we are not. But in the full salvation already bequeathed to us in Christ, the new nature is already ours, waiting for expression, poised for growth, until its potential is triggered by our obedience to the word of God - Alec Motyer

“A striking feature of this verse is the way that Paul stacks up the words for all and always. The rhetorical impact is strengthened by Paul’s use of alliteration (each word begins with the letter p) and by a play on words with similar sounds (pasē … pantote … pasē … pantōn). This serves to spotlight “the all-inclusiveness of his prayer … None of the Philippians Christians for any reasons whatever was excluded from the apostles’ love and concern” - Dean Flemming

“I coined the word 'eucatastrophe': the sudden happy turn in a story which pierces you with a joy that brings tears which I argued it is the highest function of fairy-stories to produce.The Resurrection is the greatest 'eucatastrophe' possible in the greatest Fairy Story – and produces that essential emotion: Christian joy which produces tears because it is qualitatively so like sorrow, because it comes from those places where Joy and Sorrow are at one, reconciled.” JRR Tolkien

“Paul’s confidence is not in the Christianity of the Christians, but in the God-ness of God, who is supremely trustworthy, able, and committed to finish the work he has begun” Markus Bockmuel

“God is always good and I am always loved. Everything is eucharisteo.” Ann Voskamp

Acts 16:11-15

“We are not to reflect on the wickedness of men but to look to the image of God in them, an image which, covering and obliterating their faults, an image which, by its beauty and dignity, should allure us to love and embrace them.” - John Calvin

“We must understand that God does not "love" us without liking us - through gritted teeth - as "Christian" love is sometimes thought to do. Rather, out of the eternal freshness of his perpetually self-renewed being, the heavenly Father cherishes the earth and each human being upon it. The fondness, the endearment, the unstintingly affectionate regard of God toward all his creatures is the natural outflow of what he is to the core - which we vainly try to capture with our tired but indispensable old word “love” - Dallas Willard

“The word affection (splanchna) originally referred to the inner organs (heart, liver, lungs), which were seen as the seat of human emotions. In the Gospels, it expresses Jesus’ heartfelt compassion toward others. Here Paul says that he loves his dear friends in Philippi with the same affection that Christ has for them. At the same time, Christ loves the Philippians through Paul. This testifies to a “three-way bond” of love between Paul, the Philippians, and Christ” - Dean Flemming

What God desires from us, he graciously forms in us as we grow in our love for him. Ruth Chou Simmons

Gathering Recap - 09/29/2024 - Philippians 1:1-2 - A Bright Book

Call to worship:

89 Forever, O Lord, your word
    is firmly fixed in the heavens.
90 Your faithfulness endures to all generations;
    you have established the earth, and it stands fast.
91 By your appointment they stand this day,
    for all things are your servants.
92 If your law had not been my delight,
    I would have perished in my affliction.
93 I will never forget your precepts,
    for by them you have given me life.
94 I am yours; save me,
    for I have sought your precepts.
95 The wicked lie in wait to destroy me,
    but I consider your testimonies.
96 I have seen a limit to all perfection,
    but your commandment is exceedingly broad.

Psalm 119:89-96

Gathering Video

Questions for reflection:

What’s your experience with the book of Philippians?

Under what circumstances does the “brightness” of the book come?

How are you praying that Jesus would use this book in this next season of your life?

Corporate Prayer:

“Our Father in heaven,
hallowed be your name.
Your kingdom come,
your will be done,
    on earth as it is in heaven.
Give us this day our daily bread,
 and forgive us our debts,
    as we also have forgiven our debtors.
And lead us not into temptation,
    but deliver us from evil. For yours is the kingdom, the power and glory forever

Amen

If you are able to support the church financially, we invite you to give securely by clicking the button below:

Notes//Quotes//Slides:

Philippians 1:1-2

“How is leadership to be exercised? What is the relationship between leaders and led? The one word with provides the answer: ‘… the saints’, writes Paul, ‘… with the bishops and deacons.’ The strong natural leader chooses the easy path of being out front, taking it for granted that all will follow; the low-profile leader ‘plays it cool’, submerges his own identity and takes the risk that the tail will soon wag the dog. The more demanding exercise, the sterner discipline and the more rewarding way are found in companionate leadership, the saints with the overseers and deacons.

This kind of leadership has many facets. It involves realizing that leader and led share the same Christian experience: both are sinners saved by the same precious blood, always and without distinction wholly dependent on the same patient mercy of God. It involves putting first whatever creates and maintains the unity of the Spirit in the bond of peace. It means that leaders see themselves first as members of the body, and only then as ministers. In this way they face every situation from within the local body of Christ and not as people dropped in from outside (or even from above!). It involves patiently waiting for the Holy Spirit to grant unanimity to the church in making and executing plans. It involves open relationships in which the leaders do not scheme to get their own way or play off one against another, but act with transparent integrity. It involves willingness to be overruled, to jettison role-playing and status-seeking, to be ready to cast a single vote with everyone else. It involves putting the welfare of the body of Christ before all personal advantage, success or reputation and it involves co-equal sacrifice for the Lord and his gospel. It is the leadership of those who are content to stand among the saints as those who serve.”

- Alec Motyer

Philippians 2:5–11 “Have this mind among yourselves, which is yours in Christ Jesus, 6 who, though he was in the form of God, did not count equality with God a thing to be grasped, 7 but emptied himself, by taking the form of a servant, being born in the likeness of men. 8 And being found in human form, he humbled himself by becoming obedient to the point of death, even death on a cross. 9 Therefore God has highly exalted him and bestowed on him the name that is above every name, 10 so that at the name of Jesus every knee should bow, in heaven and on earth and under the earth, 11 and every tongue confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father.”

Gathering Recap - 09/22/2024 - Hebrews 13:20-25 - Landing the Plane

Call to worship:

81 My soul longs for your salvation;
    I hope in your word.
82 My eyes long for your promise;
    I ask, “When will you comfort me?”
83 For I have become like a wineskin in the smoke,
    yet I have not forgotten your statutes.
84 How long must your servant endure?[g]
    When will you judge those who persecute me?
85 The insolent have dug pitfalls for me;
    they do not live according to your law.
86 All your commandments are sure;
    they persecute me with falsehood; help me!
87 They have almost made an end of me on earth,
    but I have not forsaken your precepts.
88 In your steadfast love give me life,
    that I may keep the testimonies of your mouth.

Psalm 119:81-88

Gathering Video

Questions for reflection:

As we’ve traveled through Hebrews, what have you seen about God? Yourself? Life today?

How does the author close the book?

What does it look like to discover His will today?

Corporate Prayer:

“Our Father in heaven,
hallowed be your name.
Your kingdom come,
your will be done,
    on earth as it is in heaven.
Give us this day our daily bread,
 and forgive us our debts,
    as we also have forgiven our debtors.
And lead us not into temptation,
    but deliver us from evil. For yours is the kingdom, the power and glory forever

Amen

If you are able to support the church financially, we invite you to give securely by clicking the button below:

Notes//Quotes//Slides:

Hebrews 13:20-25

“The author wants believers to live out God’s will in light of the work of Christ.” - George Guthrie

Here is the sea, great and wide,
 which teems with creatures innumerable,
 living things both small and great. There go the ships,
 and Leviathan, which you formed to play in it. These all look to you,
 to give them their food in due season. When you give it to them, they gather it up;
 when you open your hand, they are filled with good things. When you hide your face, they are dismayed;
 when you take away their breath, they die
 and return to their dust. (Ps. 104:25-29)

Food comes at proper seasons (verse 27) and is gathered (verse 28) yet through all it is God who is giving us food (verse 27). The great sea creatures “frolic” and leap in the air (verse 26) and the swallows perform Ariel acrobatics. While those activities may also have practical purposes, in some deeper sense, these creatures know the joy and freedom of doing what they were “formed" to do by God. We too, can know joy and fulfillment only as we live, according to God's design. At this point, nature has us beat. As Elizabeth Elliot has said, "a clam glorifies God better than we do, because the clam is being everything it was created to be, whereas we are not.”

Prayer: Lord, disobeying you is easy in the short run but hard in the long run because I'm violating my own nature. And so obedience to you can be excruciating to start, but it's wonderful in time, because I become my true self. Oh, help me to remember this when things get hard! Amen. —Timothy Keller with Kathy Keller, The Songs of Jesus

Gathering Recap - 09/15/2024 - Hebrews 13:1-19 - Life and Leadership

Call to worship:

73 Your hands have made and fashioned me;
    give me understanding that I may learn your commandments.
74 Those who fear you shall see me and rejoice,
    because I have hoped in your word.
75 I know, O Lord, that your rules are righteous,
    and that in faithfulness you have afflicted me.
76 Let your steadfast love comfort me
    according to your promise to your servant.
77 Let your mercy come to me, that I may live;
    for your law is my delight.
78 Let the insolent be put to shame,
    because they have wronged me with falsehood;
    as for me, I will meditate on your precepts.
79 Let those who fear you turn to me,
    that they may know your testimonies.
80 May my heart be blameless in your statutes,
    that I may not be put to shame!

Psalm 119:73-80

Gathering Video

Questions for reflection:

How does Christian ethics (love, hospitality, holiness, contentment) connect to the person and work of Christ?

What is the call to people in the church in connection to it’s leaders?

In what ways can we pursue Christ and one another in this current season?

Corporate Prayer:

“Our Father in heaven,
hallowed be your name.
Your kingdom come,
your will be done,
    on earth as it is in heaven.
Give us this day our daily bread,
 and forgive us our debts,
    as we also have forgiven our debtors.
And lead us not into temptation,
    but deliver us from evil. For yours is the kingdom, the power and glory forever

Amen

If you are able to support the church financially, we invite you to give securely by clicking the button below:

Notes//Quotes//Slides:

Hebrews 13:1-19

In friendship, we think we have chosen our peers. In reality a few years' difference in the dates of our births, a few more miles between certain houses, the choice of one university instead of another...the accident of a topic being raised or not raised at a first meeting--any of these chances might have kept us apart. But, for a Christian, there are, strictly speaking no chances. A secret master of ceremonies has been at work. Christ, who said to the disciples, "Ye have not chosen me, but I have chosen you," can truly say to every group of Christian friends, "Ye have not chosen one another but I have chosen you for one another." The friendship is not a reward for our discriminating and good taste in finding one another out. It is the instrument by which God reveals to each of us the beauties of others. - CS Lewis

“Radically ordinary hospitality is this: using your Christian home in a daily way that seeks to make strangers neighbors, and neighbors family of God.” - Rosaria Butterfield

”In any relationship, there will be frightening spells in which your feelings of love dry up. And when that happens you must remember that the essence of marriage is that it is a covenant, a commitment, a promise of future love. So what do you do? You do the acts of love, despite your lack of feeling. You may not feel tender, sympathetic, and eager to please, but in your actions you must BE tender, understanding, forgiving and helpful. And, if you do that, as time goes on you will not only get through the dry spells, but they will become less frequent and deep, and you will become more constant in your feelings. This is what can happen if you decide to love."

Tim Keller

“Church membership, in other words, is not about “additional requirements.” It’s about a church taking specific responsibility for a Christian, and a Christian for a church. It’s about “putting on,” “embodying,” “living out,” and “making concrete” our membership in Christ’s universal body.” - Jonathan Leeman

“The Christian ideal has not been tried and found wanting. It has been found difficult; and left untried.” - GK Chesterton

Gathering Recap - 09/01/2024 - Hebrews 12:1-17 - Endure

Call to worship:

57 The Lord is my portion;
    I promise to keep your words.
58 I entreat your favor with all my heart;
    be gracious to me according to your promise.
59 When I think on my ways,
    I turn my feet to your testimonies;
60 I hasten and do not delay
    to keep your commandments.
61 Though the cords of the wicked ensnare me,
    I do not forget your law.
62 At midnight I rise to praise you,
    because of your righteous rules.
63 I am a companion of all who fear you,
    of those who keep your precepts.
64 The earth, O Lord, is full of your steadfast love;
    teach me your statutes!

Psalm 119:57-64

Gathering Video

Questions for reflection:

How can we look to saints who have gone before us for encouragement?

What sin or weight needs to be discarded to run with more endurance?

How has Jesus strengthened you in suffering? How can you trust that He has a better plan through discipline?

Corporate Prayer:

“Our Father in heaven,
hallowed be your name.
Your kingdom come,
your will be done,
    on earth as it is in heaven.
Give us this day our daily bread,
 and forgive us our debts,
    as we also have forgiven our debtors.
And lead us not into temptation,
    but deliver us from evil. For yours is the kingdom, the power and glory forever

Amen

If you are able to support the church financially, we invite you to give securely by clicking the button below:

Notes//Quotes//Slides:

Hebrews 12:1-17

“It is not so much they who look at us as we who look to them—for encouragement.” - FF Bruce

“In this all-out match against sin, others have suffered far worse than you, to say nothing of what Jesus went through—all that bloodshed! So don’t feel sorry for yourselves. Or have you forgotten how good parents treat children, and that God regards you as his children?” - The Message

“When God wants to drill a man, and thrill a man, and skill a man,

When God wants to mold a man to play the noblest part;

When He yearns with all His heart to create so great and bold a man

That all the world shall be amazed,

Watch His methods, watch His ways!

How He ruthlessly perfects whom He royally elects!

How He hammers him and hurts him, and with mighty blows converts him

Into trial shapes of clay which Only God understands;

While his tortured heart is crying and he lifts beseeching hands!

How He bends but never breaks when his good He undertakes;

How He uses whom He chooses, and with very purpose fuses him;

By every act induces him To try His splendor out—

God knows what He’s about.”

The theme of endurance works as the thread binding 12:1–17 together. In each use of figurative or illustrative material—a race, parental discipline, the foolish Esau—difficult experiences and the struggle of Christian perseverance form the backdrop. The image of the race and that of loving, parental discipline also reveal God as a great redeemer of pain and, therefore, as the God of hope for believers who find themselves in painful circumstances. - George Guthrie

“surely from this period of ten months this is the lesson: never give in, never give in, never, never, never, never-in nothing, great or small, large or petty — never give in except to convictions of honour and good sense. Never yield to force; never yield to the apparently overwhelming might of the enemy. We stood all alone a year ago, and to many countries it seemed that our account was closed, we were finished. Do not let us speak of darker days: let us speak rather of sterner days. These are not dark days; these are great days — the greatest days our country has ever lived; and we must all thank God that we have been allowed, each of us according to our stations, to play a part in making these days memorable in the history of our race.” - Winston Churchill

Gathering Recap - 08/25/2024 - Hebrews 11:32-40 - Roll Call Part 4

Call to worship:

49 Remember your word to your servant,
    in which you have made me hope.
50 This is my comfort in my affliction,
    that your promise gives me life.
51 The insolent utterly deride me,
    but I do not turn away from your law.
52 When I think of your rules from of old,
    I take comfort, O Lord.
53 Hot indignation seizes me because of the wicked,
    who forsake your law.
54 Your statutes have been my songs
    in the house of my sojourning.
55 I remember your name in the night, O Lord,
    and keep your law.
56 This blessing has fallen to me,
    that I have kept your precepts.

Psalm 119:49-56

Gathering Video

Questions for reflection:

How have you seen the sufficiency of Christ in seasons of loss?

In what ways is God’s goodness on display through suffering?

What is the surprising inclusion at the close of Hebrews 11?

Corporate Prayer:

“Our Father in heaven,
hallowed be your name.
Your kingdom come,
your will be done,
    on earth as it is in heaven.
Give us this day our daily bread,
 and forgive us our debts,
    as we also have forgiven our debtors.
And lead us not into temptation,
    but deliver us from evil. For yours is the kingdom, the power and glory forever

Amen

If you are able to support the church financially, we invite you to give securely by clicking the button below:

Notes//Quotes//Slides:

Hebrews 11:32-40 -Faith reading

Roll Call Part 4

Slides Roll Call Part 4

Slide 1

Big Idea

Whether we clearly win or appear to lose, we’re all called to a life of faith.

1) The obvious winners

2) The apparent losers

3) The surprising inclusion

Slide 2

“Notably, most of the individuals mentioned fell into significant sin. Gideon led the people into idolatry at the end of his life (Judges 8:22-28). Barak doubted that the Lord would give him victory over the Canaanite king Jabin (Judges 4:1–9). Samson visited prostitutes and gave the secret of his strength to Delilah (Judges 16:1–22). David committed adultery and had Uriah killed (2 Sam. 11). This sin brought suffering and made the lives of these individuals and their families harder than they needed to be. Nevertheless, Hebrews 11 remembers them for their faith, reminding us that true faith can be exercised by sinners. This encourages us as well. We dare not take the Lord’s grace for granted, but we also should not despair that God overlooks true faith in His sinful people. John Calvin comments, “In all the saints, something reprehensible is ever to be found; yet faith, though halting and imperfect, is still approved by God.

Ligonier.org

Slide 3

Defeatory – A defeat that leads to a victory

Slide 4

“Some were tortured, refusing to accept release, so that they might rise again to a better life. Others suffered mocking and flogging, and even chains and imprisonment. They were stoned, they were sawn in two, they were killed with the sword. They went about in skins of sheep and goats, destitute, afflicted, mistreated— of whom the world was not worthy —wandering about in deserts and mountains, and in dens and caves of the earth.”

Hebrews 11:35-38

Slide 5

“Those on the second half of the list were just as much people of faith as those on the first half! In fact, you could argue that they had greater faith, because it’s not as easy to trust God when you’re being scourged, stoned, or sawn in two as it is when you’re seeing foreign armies put to flight and the dead raised to life. While all of us, if we could, would sign up to be in the first group, we need to recognize that sometimes God is pleased to withhold spectacular results and bless us instead with His grace as our sufficiency in overwhelming trials.”

Steven J Cole

Slide 6

See JPEG sent separately under Files and by email to Jon

Slide 7

You don't answer all my questions

But You hear me when I speak

You don't keep my heart from breakin'

But when it does, You weep with me

You're so close that I can feel You

When I've lost the words to pray

And though my eyes have never seen You

I've seen enough to say

I know that You are good

I know that You are kind

I know that You are so much more

Than what I leave behind

I know that I am loved

I know that I am safe

'Cause even in the fire to live is Christ, to die is gain

I know that You are good

Big Daddy Weave

Slide 8

And all these, though commended through their faith, did not receive what was promised, since God had provided something better for us, that apart from us they should not be made perfect.

Hebrews 11:39-40

Slide 9

“Here, however, it ("made perfect") is used in the corporate sense with the idea of completeness. No part of the true Christian community can be complete without the rest. There is a strong element of solidarity behind this idea … which is also evident in some of the New Testament metaphors for the church, like body or building.”

Donald Guthrie

Slide 10

““’Us’ means us Christians; we who are Christ’s have our place in God’s plan. And that plan provides that the heroes of the faith throughout the ages should not ‘be made perfect’ apart from Christians… Only the work of Christ brings those of OT times and those of the new and living way alike into the presence of God.”

Leon Morris

Slide 11

Concerning this salvation, the prophets who prophesied about the grace that was to be yours searched and inquired carefully, inquiring what person or time the Spirit of Christ in them was indicating when he predicted the sufferings of Christ and the subsequent glories. It was revealed to them that they were serving not themselves but you, in the things that have now been announced to you through those who preached the good news to you by the Holy Spirit sent from heaven, things into which angels long to look.

1 Peter 1:10-12

Slide 12

Big Idea

Whether we clearly win or appear to lose, we’re all called to a life of faith.

Gathering Recap - 08/18/2024 - Hebrews 11:23-31 - Roll Call Part 3

Call to worship:

41 Let your steadfast love come to me, O Lord,
    your salvation according to your promise;
42 then shall I have an answer for him who taunts me,
    for I trust in your word.
43 And take not the word of truth utterly out of my mouth,
    for my hope is in your rules.
44 I will keep your law continually,
    forever and ever,
45 and I shall walk in a wide place,
    for I have sought your precepts.
46 I will also speak of your testimonies before kings
    and shall not be put to shame,
47 for I find my delight in your commandments,
    which I love.
48 I will lift up my hands toward your commandments, which I love,
    and I will meditate on your statutes.

Psalm 119:41-48

Gathering Video

Questions for reflection:

How have you learned faith in the wilderness and seen that the best things take time?

In what ways can we be more “ruthless with our loves” ?

What is God calling you to be obedient to today, and how can you maintain a humble determination to pursue Christ and Him crucified?

Corporate Prayer:

“Our Father in heaven,
hallowed be your name.
Your kingdom come,
your will be done,
    on earth as it is in heaven.
Give us this day our daily bread,
 and forgive us our debts,
    as we also have forgiven our debtors.
And lead us not into temptation,
    but deliver us from evil. For yours is the kingdom, the power and glory forever

Amen

If you are able to support the church financially, we invite you to give securely by clicking the button below:

Notes//Quotes//Slides:

“Faith is not something passive, not something private, not an esoteric interest kept in a corner, brought down, as it were, to be put on display every so often, but actual biblical faith, a decisive decision, and a sustained attitude. Beginning as a man or a woman gives up all dependence upon himself or herself in order to trust in living God.” —Alistair Begg

“You’re only as durable as the thing you love most. If I love something most that can never pass away….I will never pass away. If I can love something most that will lasts forever…I will last forever. But if I love anything that’s vulnerable…then I’m vulnerable.” —Timothy Keller

1. Every person is goal oriented.

2. All goals compete. You can’t live unless you choose one goal as the center of value by which all other goals are judged. One bottom line.

3. “If you choose a finite center of value, you’re always anxious.”

— Thomas Oden

“It might have seemed strange, that Moses should set a few drops of blood, as a remedy, in opposition to God’s vengeance; but being satisfied with God’s word alone, that the people would be exempt from the scourge that was coming on the Egyptians, he did not hesitate.” —John Calvin

10 “When Pharaoh drew near, the people of Israel lifted up their eyes, and behold, the Egyptians were marching after them, and they feared greatly. And the people of Israel cried out to the Lord. 11 They said to Moses, “Is it because there are no graves in Egypt that you have taken us away to die in the wilderness? What have you done to us in bringing us out of Egypt? 12 Is not this what we said to you in Egypt: ‘Leave us alone that we may serve the Egyptians’? For it would have been better for us to serve the Egyptians than to die in the wilderness.” (Exodus 14:10-12)

“You see, we don’t have to worry about how he’s gonna part the sea. We just have to worry about whether we’re prepared to stand with the staff stretched out over the water. And some of us never have the joy of standing, as it were, and seeing the deliverance of God because we’re so worried about how God is gonna manage to take care of it. God says, “Don’t worry about that. I’ll take care of it. You just do what I told you.” “By faith.” By faith! Nothing but persevering faith could enable Moses to do what he did, and then in turn the people to follow him as they did.”—Alistair Begg

1 God moves in a mysterious way

His wonders to perform;

He plants His footsteps in the sea

and rides upon the storm.

2 Deep in unfathomable mines

of never-failing skill;

He treasures up His bright designs,

and works His sov'reign will.

3 Ye fearful saints, fresh courage take;

the clouds ye so much dread

are big with mercy and shall break

in blessings on your head.

4 Judge not the Lord by feeble sense,

but trust Him for His grace;

behind a frowning providence

He hides a smiling face.

5 His purposes will ripen fast,

unfolding every hour;

the bud may have a bitter taste,

but sweet will be the flow’r.

6 Blind unbelief is sure to err,

and scan His work in vain;

God is His own interpreter,

and He will make it plain.

Source: Psalms and Hymns to the Living God #412 by William Cowper

Gathering Recap - 08/11/2024 - Hebrews 11:17-22 - Roll Call Part 2

Call to worship:

33 Teach me, O Lord, the way of your statutes;
    and I will keep it to the end.
34 Give me understanding, that I may keep your law
    and observe it with my whole heart.
35 Lead me in the path of your commandments,
    for I delight in it.
36 Incline my heart to your testimonies,
    and not to selfish gain!
37 Turn my eyes from looking at worthless things;
    and give me life in your ways.
38 Confirm to your servant your promise,
    that you may be feared.
39 Turn away the reproach that I dread,
    for your rules are good.
40 Behold, I long for your precepts;
    in your righteousness give me life!

Psalm 119:33-40

Gathering Video

Questions for reflection:

How can you remind yourself consistently of the promises of God?

What could keep you from finishing well?

Who is around you and how can you be a blessing?

Corporate Prayer:

“Our Father in heaven,
hallowed be your name.
Your kingdom come,
your will be done,
    on earth as it is in heaven.
Give us this day our daily bread,
 and forgive us our debts,
    as we also have forgiven our debtors.
And lead us not into temptation,
    but deliver us from evil. For yours is the kingdom, the power and glory forever

Amen

If you are able to support the church financially, we invite you to give securely by clicking the button below:

Notes//Quotes//Slides:

Hebrews 11:17-22 -

Gathering Recap - 07/28/2024 - Hebrews 11:1-3 - Learning Faith

Call to worship:

17 Deal bountifully with your servant,
    that I may live and keep your word.
18 Open my eyes, that I may behold
    wondrous things out of your law.
19 I am a sojourner on the earth;
    hide not your commandments from me!
20 My soul is consumed with longing
    for your rules at all times.
21 You rebuke the insolent, accursed ones,
    who wander from your commandments.
22 Take away from me scorn and contempt,
    for I have kept your testimonies.
23 Even though princes sit plotting against me,
    your servant will meditate on your statutes.
24 Your testimonies are my delight;
    they are my counselors.

Psalm 119:17-24

Gathering Video

Questions for reflection:

In your walk of faith, what is the next best step with Him?

If we are to approach faith “like a child” - How do you need to grow “younger?”

If working out our faith is like a gym, where are you experiencing the pain of growth and where is patience needed?

Corporate Prayer:

“Our Father in heaven,
hallowed be your name.
Your kingdom come,
your will be done,
    on earth as it is in heaven.
Give us this day our daily bread,
 and forgive us our debts,
    as we also have forgiven our debtors.
And lead us not into temptation,
    but deliver us from evil. For yours is the kingdom, the power and glory forever

Amen

If you are able to support the church financially, we invite you to give securely by clicking the button below:

Notes//Quotes//Slides:

Hebrews 11:1-3

Faith is confidence that results in action carried out in a variety of situations by ordinary people in response to the unseen God and his promises, with various earthly outcomes but always the ultimate outcome of God’s commendation and reward. - George Guthrie

“A man lives by believing something, not by debating and arguing about many things.” - Thomas Carlyle

“God does not expect us to submit our faith to him without reason, but the very limits of our reason make faith a necessity.” Augustine

“A faith without some doubts is like a human body with no antobodies in it. People who blithely go through life too busy or indifferent to ask the hard questions about why they believe as they do will find themselves defenseless against either the experience of tragedy or the probing questions of a smart skeptic. A person's faith can collapse almost overnight if they failed over the years to listen patiently to her own doubts, which should only be discarded after long reflection.” - Tim Keller

Faith is not a distant view but a warm embrace of Christ. - Calvin

2 Peter 1:3-11

Luke 17:5-6 -

“If you’re falling off a cliff, strong faith in a weak branch is fatally inferior to weak faith in a strong branch. Salvation is not finally based on the strength of your faith, but on the object of your faith.” Tim Keller

Matthew 18:2-5

Faith and works should travel side by side, step answering to step, like the legs of men walking. First faith, and then works; and then faith again, and then works again -- until they can scarcely distinguish which is the one and which is the other. - William Boothe

Gathering Recap - 07/21/2024 - Hebrews 10:19-39 - Beyond the Forest

Call to worship:

How can a young man keep his way pure?
    By guarding it according to your word.
10 With my whole heart I seek you;
    let me not wander from your commandments!
11 I have stored up your word in my heart,
    that I might not sin against you.
12 Blessed are you, O Lord;
    teach me your statutes!
13 With my lips I declare
    all the rules of your mouth.
14 In the way of your testimonies I delight
    as much as in all riches.
15 I will meditate on your precepts
    and fix my eyes on your ways.
16 I will delight in your statutes;
    I will not forget your word.

Psalm 119:9-16

Gathering Video

Questions for reflection:

To whom and to what do you have a tendency to draw near and hold fast?

When in crisis, how much time does it take to turn to Christ?

How can we take each other from the “bunker” to the “tower”?

Corporate Prayer:

“Our Father in heaven,
hallowed be your name.
Your kingdom come,
your will be done,
    on earth as it is in heaven.
Give us this day our daily bread,
 and forgive us our debts,
    as we also have forgiven our debtors.
And lead us not into temptation,
    but deliver us from evil. For yours is the kingdom, the power and glory forever

Amen

If you are able to support the church financially, we invite you to give securely by clicking the button below:

Notes//Quotes//Slides:

Hebrews 10:19-39 - Jack A

Title: Beyond The Forrest

19 Therefore, (in other words, if all of this is true) brothers, since we have confidence to enter the holy places by the blood of Jesus, 20 by the new and living way that he opened for us through the curtain, that is, through his flesh, 21 and since we have a great priest over the house of God, 22 let us draw near with a true heart in full assurance of faith, with our hearts sprinkled clean from an evil conscience and our bodies washed with pure water. 23 Let us hold fast the confession of our hope without wavering, for he who promised is faithful. - Hebrews 10:19-23

24 And let us consider how to stir up one another to love and good works, 25 not neglecting to meet together, as is the habit of some, but encouraging one another, and all the more as you see the Day drawing near. - Hebrews 10:24&25

“In the body of Christ, we are looking to relate to each other in such a way that—it prompts us to live out the dynamics of love and good works in the community.”

- Donald Guthrie

31 Let all bitterness and wrath and anger and clamor and slander be put away from you, along with all malice. 32 Be kind to one another, tenderhearted, forgiving one another, as God in Christ forgave you.

- Ephesians 4:31&32

“The person who loves their dream of community will destroy community, but the person who loves those around them will create community.”

- Dietrich Bonhoeffer, Life Together

26 For if we go on sinning deliberately after receiving the knowledge of the truth, there no longer remains a sacrifice for sins, 27 but a fearful expectation of judgment, and a fury of fire that will consume the adversaries. 28 Anyone who has set aside the law of Moses dies without mercy on the evidence of two or three witnesses. 29 How much worse punishment, do you think, will be deserved by the one who has trampled underfoot the Son of God, and has profaned the blood of the covenant by which he was sanctified, and has outraged the Spirit of grace? 30 For we know him who said, “Vengeance is mine; I will repay.” And again, “The Lord will judge his people.” 31 It is a fearful thing to fall into the hands of the living God. - Hebrews 10:26-31

“For by a single offering he has perfected for all time those who are being sanctified.” - Hebrews 10:14

“There is more mercy in Christ than sin in us”

- Richard Sibbes

32 But recall the former days when, after you were enlightened, you endured a hard struggle with sufferings, 33 sometimes being publicly exposed to reproach and affliction, and sometimes being partners with those so treated. 34 For you had compassion on those in prison, and you joyfully accepted the plundering of your property, since you knew that you yourselves had a better possession and an abiding one. 35 Therefore do not throw away your confidence, which has a great reward. 36 For you have need of endurance, so that when you have done the will of God you may receive what is promised.

- Hebrews 10:32-36

Gathering Recap - 07/14/2024 - Hebrews 10:1-18 - Forgiveness

Call to worship:

Blessed are those whose way is blameless,
    who walk in the law of the Lord!
Blessed are those who keep his testimonies,
    who seek him with their whole heart,
who also do no wrong,
    but walk in his ways!
You have commanded your precepts
    to be kept diligently.
Oh that my ways may be steadfast
    in keeping your statutes!
Then I shall not be put to shame,
    having my eyes fixed on all your commandments.
I will praise you with an upright heart,
    when I learn your righteous rules.[b]
I will keep your statutes;
    do not utterly forsake me!

Psalm 119:1-8

Gathering Video

Questions for reflection:

What stories have shaped your view of sin and forgiveness?

Where does Jesus begin to untangle that?

How does the forgiveness of Jesus lead us to be a forgiving people?

Corporate Prayer:

Our Father in heaven,

“Our Father in heaven,
hallowed be your name.
Your kingdom come,
your will be done,
    on earth as it is in heaven.
Give us this day our daily bread,
 and forgive us our debts,
    as we also have forgiven our debtors.
And lead us not into temptation,
    but deliver us from evil. For yours is the kingdom, the power and glory forever

Amen

If you are able to support the church financially, we invite you to give securely by clicking the button below:

Notes//Quotes//Slides:

Hebrews 10:1-18

We should weep; for God has given us the freedom, the forgiveness, the life, which we could not win for ourselves. Our tears are not tears of separation but tears of homecoming; not tears of death but tears of life; not tears of a past but tears falling on a bedrock of hope for the future. Our sins have been taken away and we, through the accomplishment of another, have been brought to the Father and incorporated into his family forever. This is the gospel. George Guthrie

(The secular assumption is that) morality is relative—there are no absolutes. In such a worldview, confession and forgiveness are always something of a sham: Who is to say what a sin is? Why should I feel guilty for something I want to do? Who are you to declare whether I am forgiven or not? - Tim Keller

“Forgiveness is not so much a word spoken, an action performed, or a feeling felt as it is an embodied way of life in an ever-deepening friendship with the Triune God and with others. As such, a Christian account of forgiveness ought not simply or even primarily be focused on the absolution of guilt; rather, it ought to be focused on the reconciliation of brokenness, the restoration of communion—with God, with one another, and with the whole creation.” - L. Gregory Jones

Gathering Recap - 06/30/2024 - Hebrews 9:1-10 - Awe and Integration

Call to worship:

19 Open to me the gates of righteousness,
    that I may enter through them
    and give thanks to the Lord.
20 This is the gate of the Lord;
    the righteous shall enter through it.
21 I thank you that you have answered me
    and have become my salvation.
22 The stone that the builders rejected
    has become the cornerstone.[b]
23 This is the Lord's doing;
    it is marvelous in our eyes.
24 This is the day that the Lord has made;
    let us rejoice and be glad in it.

Psalm 118:19-24

Gathering Video

Questions for reflection:

What is the tabernacle and why is the tabernacle?

How does the tabernacle connect to Christ?

What does it look like to practice awe and integration of our faith?

Corporate Prayer:

Our Father in heaven,

“Our Father in heaven,
hallowed be your name.
10 Your kingdom come,
your will be done,
    on earth as it is in heaven.
11 Give us this day our daily bread,
12 and forgive us our debts,
    as we also have forgiven our debtors.
13 And lead us not into temptation,
    but deliver us from evil. For yours is the kingdom, the power and glory forever

Amen

If you are able to support the church financially, we invite you to give securely by clicking the button below:

Notes//Quotes//Slides:

Hebrews 9:1-10

Lamp Pic // Table // Ark // Tabernacle

Exodus 31:1-6

Corinthians 6:19-20

“Genuine holiness is genuine Christ-likeness, and genuine Christ-likeness is genuine humanness—the only genuine humanness there is. Love in the service of God and others, humility and meekness under the divine hand, integrity of behavior expressing integration of character, wisdom with faithfulness, boldness with prayerfulness, sorrow at people’s sins, joy at the Father’s goodness, and single-mindedness in seeking to please the Father morning, noon, and night, were all qualities seen in Christ, the perfect man.” - JI Packer

It is when we face ourselves and face Christ, that we are lost in wonder, love and praise. We need to rediscover the almost lost discipline of self-examination; and then a re-awakened sense of sin will beget a re-awakened sense of wonder. - Andrew Murray

A child kicks its legs rhythmically through excess, not absence, of life. Because children have abounding vitality, because they are in spirit fierce and free, therefore they want things repeated and unchanged. They always say, “Do it again,” and the grown-up person does it again until he is nearly dead. For grown-up people are not strong enough to exult in monotony. But perhaps God is strong enough.… It is possible that God says every morning, “Do it again,” to the sun; and every evening, “Do it again,” to the moon. It may not be automatic necessity that makes all daisies alike: it may be that God makes every daisy separately, but has never got tired of making them. It may be that He has the eternal appetite of infancy; for we have sinned and grown old, and our Father is younger than we. - GK Chesterton

Gathering Recap - 06/23/2024 - Hebrews 8:1-13 - Paradigm Shift

Call to worship:

14 The Lord is my strength and my song;
    he has become my salvation.
15 Glad songs of salvation
    are in the tents of the righteous:
“The right hand of the Lord does valiantly,
16     the right hand of the Lord exalts,
    the right hand of the Lord does valiantly!”

17 I shall not die, but I shall live,
    and recount the deeds of the Lord.

Psalm 118:14-17

Gathering Video

Questions for reflection:

What are the major paradigm shifts of Hebrews?

What is the essence of the new covenant?

How can we walk as a new covenant community together?

Corporate Prayer:

Our Father in heaven,

We thank you for the presence of Christ and the peace He brings. We are grateful for this grand story that centers on Your Son and shapes the entirety of our lives. May Your Spirit send us from this place with boldness, kindness, compassion, and love.

In the name of Christ we pray,

Amen

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Notes//Quotes//Slides:

Hebrews 8:1-13

The Israelites believed that the Temple in Jerusalem was the place above all where heaven and earth met, quite literally. When you went into the Temple, especially when you went into the holy of holies in the middle of it, you were actually going into heaven itself. “Heaven’ is not, in the Bible, simply a ‘spiritual’, in the sense of ‘non-physical’, dimension; it is God’s space, God’s realm, which interlocks with our realm, our world (‘earth’) in all sorts of ways.” NT Wright

"If "gospel" means good news, then Jeremiah had some for sure. He saw the judgment coming, in horrifying technicolour. But he saw beyond it to the redeeming, restoring grace of God, and indeed he speaks of the "new covenant", which takes us to the heart of the gospel in Christ." ~ Christopher J. H. Wright

Colossians 2:6-7

“One of the tragedies of the contemporary church is that, just when the world seems to be ready to listen, the church often seems to have little or nothing to say. For the church itself is confused; it shares in the current bewilderment, instead of addressing it. The church is insecure; it is uncertain of its identity, mission and message. It stammers and stutters, when it should be proclaiming the gospel with boldness. Indeed, the major reason for its diminishing influence in the West is its diminishing faith” John Stott

Gathering Recap - 06/16/2024 - Hebrews 7:11-28 - Relational Theology

Call to worship:

Out of my distress I called on the Lord;
    the Lord answered me and set me free.
The Lord is on my side; I will not fear.
    What can man do to me?
The Lord is on my side as my helper;
    I shall look in triumph on those who hate me.

Psalm 118:5-7

Gathering Video

Questions for reflection:

What does the writer of Hebrews mean when he says the priesthood of Jesus is perfect, powerful, and permanent?

How are we tempted to disconnect theology from life?

How can we connect the good news of the gospel story to our very lives today?

Corporate Prayer:

Our Father in heaven,

We thank you for the presence of Christ and the peace He brings. We are grateful for this grand story that centers on Your Son and shapes the entirety of our lives. May Your Spirit send us from this place with boldness, kindness, compassion, and love.

In the name of Christ we pray,

Amen

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Notes//Quotes//Slides:

Hebrews 7:11-28

The ‘perfection’ in question could also be translated completeness; it’s what you get when everything has been put into place for the final great purpose to be achieved. What is this great purpose? Nothing less, it seems, than God’s intention for the whole created world. This includes human behaviour, but goes much wider. The world is God’s great project. Just as a bride and bridegroom plan their wedding day, and work to make it perfect, God is working at bringing his world to perfection and doing what is necessary to make it complete. NT Wright

Guthrie Picture

“The adjective in v. 24 is aparabatos (“permanent,”). This word, used only here in the New Testament and rarely elsewhere, was applied in legal contexts in the ancient world to mean “inviolable” or something not to be transgressed. “Permanent” represents a meaning widely attested in ancient literature. The first-century writer Plutarch, for example, used the word to describe the constancy of the sun’s course through the sky. Thus, Jesus’ priesthood may be characterized as “unchangeable,” since he will hold the office forever." - George Guthrie

“In Hebrews 7 God has given us powerful words meant for a relational end. This discourse detailing the superiority of Jesus’ high priesthood is far more than a theoretical treatise. It expresses relational theology, as all true theology is in essence.” - George Guthrie

Gathering Recap - 06/09/2024 - Hebrews 7:1-10 - A Different Kind of High Priest

Call to worship:

Oh give thanks to the Lord, for he is good;
    for his steadfast love endures forever!

Let Israel say,
    “His steadfast love endures forever.”
Let the house of Aaron say,
    “His steadfast love endures forever.”
Let those who fear the Lord say,
    “His steadfast love endures forever.”

Psalm 118:1-4

Gathering Video

Questions for reflection:

How is Jesus a different and better High Priest?

What do you notice about the complex plan of God and how it centers on Christ?

Corporate Prayer:

Our Father in heaven,

We thank you for the presence of Christ and the peace He brings. We are grateful for this grand story that centers on Your Son and shapes the entirety of our lives. May Your Spirit send us from this place with boldness, kindness, compassion, and love.

In the name of Christ we pray,

Amen

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Notes//Quotes//Slides:

Slides Hebrews 7:1-10

Slide 1

“The author of Hebrews was trying to convince people that a religious system of sacrifices, rituals and rules that had been in place for over 1400 years had now been replaced by a better way. He focusses on the supremacy of Jesus Christ, who is the fulfillment of all that had been written by the Jewish prophets. He introduces a theme that is only treated in the book of Hebrews, that Jesus is our High Priest.”

Steven Cole

Slide 2 (Big Idea and outline on the same slide)

Big Idea

God’s plan is incredibly detailed, and it all leads to King Jesus, our great High Priest.

Outline

The Mysterious Person of Melchizedek (7:1-3)

The Superior Priesthood of Melchizedek (7:4-10)

Slide 3

After his return from the defeat of Chedorlaomer and the kings who were with him, the king of Sodom went out to meet him at the Valley of Shaveh (that is, the King's Valley). And Melchizedek king of Salem brought out bread and wine. (He was priest of God Most High.) And he blessed him and said,

“Blessed be Abram by God Most High,

Possessor of heaven and earth;

and blessed be God Most High,

who has delivered your enemies into your hand!”

And Abram gave him a tenth of everything.

Genesis 14:17-20

Slide 4 (Please divide up the verses on the screen)

1 For this Melchizedek, king of Salem, priest of the Most High God, met Abraham returning from the slaughter of the kings and blessed him,

2 and to him Abraham apportioned a tenth part of everything. He is first, by translation of his name, king of righteousness, and then he is also king of Salem, that is, king of peace.

3 He is without father or mother or genealogy, having neither beginning of days nor end of life, but resembling the Son of God he continues a priest forever.

Hebrews 7:1-3

Slide 5 (the attribution of this quote is purposefully left out)

“Abram shows due respect to Melchizedek, but there is no sense of awe or wonder at his appearance on the part of either Abram or the King of Sodom. They merely go about their business, giving no indication that Melchizedek was at all mysterious to them. It is a mistake to attempt to place this mystery back into the context on the basis of one questionable passage. Again, an ironclad case would be needed to support this, and that case does not exist.

Interestingly enough, this author came into the research open-minded, but leaning toward Melchizedek being a preincarnate (appearance of) Christ due to past teaching. While he still sees this as a viable option, research has swayed him. The view that Melchizedek was a man, King of Jerusalem, and priest of Yahweh, appears to be the scripturally correct identification.”

Slide 6

“What is typology? In essence, it is the way that God used history to bring His promises to life. God’s plan of redemption, brought to its fullness in the work of Christ, was not carried through history by the words of prophecy alone. Rather, it touched down in the experience of God’s people as particular individuals and events illustrated the promises of God…. More specifically, the person and work of Jesus Christ was imprinted on the history that led to His incarnation. People and events in Israel’s history offered prophetic glimpses of the coming Savior and His work, reassuring them of the promise of His coming.”

C. J. Williams

Slide 7

“Melchizedek appears in history with no record of a genealogy or ancestral line, no record of his birth, and no record of his death. The point is, Melchizedek appears to transcend earthly existence; this makes him a type of Christ, who truly does transcend earthly existence as the eternal King-Priest who has no predecessor and no successor in His high office.”

S. Michael Houdmann

Slide 8

Abraham > Levi and the Levitical Priesthood

Melchizedek > Abraham

Melchizedek > Levi and the Levitical priesthood

Slide 9

“But the patriarch gave up a tenth of the spoils, thus implicitly acknowledging the superior place of Melchizedek. And Melchizedek proceeded to bless Abraham, accepting the implied superiority. The situation is clear to all parties. There is no need to spell it out. And the author is simply drawing attention to what the narrative clearly implies when he brings out the superior status of Melchizedek. Even when Abraham is seen as the one “who had the promises,” Melchizedek is superior.”

Leon Morris

Slide 10

Big Idea

God’s plan is incredibly detailed, and it all leads to King Jesus, our great High Priest.

Gathering Recap - 06/02/2024 - Hebrews 6:13-20 - The Anchor

Call to worship:

Praise the Lord, all nations!
    Extol him, all peoples!
For great is his steadfast love toward us,
    and the faithfulness of the Lord endures forever.
Praise the Lord!

Psalm 117:1-4

Gathering Video

Corporate Prayer:

Our Father in heaven,

We thank you for the presence of Christ and the peace He brings. We are grateful for this grand story that centers on Your Son and shapes the entirety of our lives. May Your Spirit send us from this place with boldness, kindness, compassion, and love.

In the name of Christ we pray,

Amen

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Notes//Quotes//Slides:

Hebrews 6:13-20 - Faith

“central to the plot and storyline of Scripture are a series of covenants between God and his creation, especially with humans as deputies and stewards of his world.” - Peter J. Gentry

5 “Look toward heaven, and number the stars, if you are able to number them.” Then he said to him, “So shall your offspring be.” 6 And he believed the Lord, and he counted it to him as righteousness.”

Genesis 15:5&6

“Bring me a heifer three years old, a female goat three years old, a ram three years old, a turtledove, and a young pigeon.” 10 And he brought him all these, cut them in half, and laid each half over against the other. But he did not cut the birds in half. 11 And when birds of prey came down on the carcasses, Abram drove them away. 12 As the sun was going down, a deep sleep fell on Abram. And behold, dreadful and great darkness fell upon him. 13 Then the Lord said to Abram, “Know for certain that your offspring will be sojourners in a land that is not theirs and will be servants there, and they will be afflicted for four hundred years. 14 But I will bring judgment on the nation that they serve, and afterward they shall come out with great possessions. 15 As for you, you shall go to your fathers in peace; you shall be buried in a good old age. 16 And they shall come back here in the fourth generation, for the iniquity of the Amorites is not yet complete.”17 When the sun had gone down and it was dark, behold, a smoking fire pot and a flaming torch passed between these pieces. 18 On that day the Lord made a covenant with Abram…

Genesis 15:9-18

“Picturing God passing through that gory path between the carcasses of animals, imagining the blood splashing as he walked, helps us to recognize the faithfulness of God’s commitment. He was willing to express, in terms his chosen people could understand, that he would never fail to do what he promised. And he ultimately fulfilled his promise by giving his own life, his own blood, on the cross.

Because we look at God’s dealings with Abraham as some remote piece of history in a far-off-land, we often fail to realize that we, too, are part of a long line of people with whom God made a covenant on that rocky plain near Hebron. And like those who came before us, we have broken that covenant.

When he walked in the dust of the desert and through the blood of the animals Abraham had slaughtered, God was making a promise to all the descendants of Abraham—to everyone in the household of faith. When God splashed through the the blood, he did it for us.

We’re not simply individuals in relationship to God, we’re part of a long line of people marching back through history, from our famous Jewish ancestor David, Hezekiah, and Peter to the millions of unknown believers; from the ancient Israelites and the Jewish people of Jesus’ day to the Christian community dating from the early church. We’re part of a community of people with whom God established relationship in the dust and sand of the Negev.

But there’s more. When God made covenant with his people, he did something no human being would even have considered doing. In the usual blood covenant, each party was responsible for keeping only his side of the promise. When God made covenant with Abraham, however, he promised to keep both sides of the agreement.

“If this covenant is broken, Abraham, for whatever reason—for My faithfulness or yours—I will pay the price,” said God. “If you or your descendants, for whom you are making this covenant, fail to keep it, I will pay the price in blood.”

And at that moment, Almighty God pronounced the death sentence on his Son Jesus.”

- Ray Vänder Laan

“What he’s going to say, more fully, in the passages to come is that Jesus has gone in, not into the earthly Temple in Jerusalem, but into the true sanctuary, the world of heaven itself, right into the innermost courts and into the very presence of the loving father. And he has gone there on our behalf. We are attached to him as though by a great metal cable. He is there, in the very presence of God, like an anchor.”

— N.T. Wright

15

As for man, his days are like grass;
    he flourishes like a flower of the field;

16 

for the wind passes over it, and it is gone,
    and its place knows it no more.

17 

But the steadfast love of the Lord is from everlasting to everlasting on those who fear him,
    and his righteousness to children's children,

18 

to those who keep his covenant
    and remember to do his commandments.

19 

The Lord has established his throne in the heavens,
    and his kingdom rules over all.

Psalm 103:15-19