Christ Redeemer Church » Sermons

QUOTES FOR REFLECTION“Too many think lightly of sin, and therefore think lightly of the Savior.”~Charles Spurgeon, Reformed Baptist Minister (1834-1892) “People do not drift toward Holiness. Apart from grace-driven effort, people do not gravitate toward godliness, prayer, obedience to Scripture, faith, and delight in the Lord. We drift toward compromise and call it tolerance; we drift toward disobedience and call it freedom; we drift toward superstition and call it faith. We cherish the indiscipline of lost self-control and call it relaxation; we slouch towards prayerlessness and delude ourselves into thinking we have escaped legalism; we slide toward godlessness and convince ourselves we have been liberated.”~D.A. Carson, Author and New Testament Scholar “A significant majority of Americans were agreed that the following are sins: Adultery 81%, Racism 74%, Using ‘hard' drugs such as cocaine, heroine, meth, LSD, etc. 65%, Not saying anything if a cashier gives you too much change back 63%, Having an abortion 56%… Not reporting some income on your tax returns 52%.”~Ellison Research Poll 2008 “Sin is believing the lie that you are self-created, self-dependent and self-sustained.”~Augustine, theologian and pastor in Africa (354-430) “Happiness won't arrive, it has to be cultivated. Only behavior and its consequences will make you happy. Being happy requires you to work your ‘how' muscles and to be aware; you need to consciously focus on the good things and not the bad. This is not to bury your head in the sand, some things need to be faced up to, but you need to focus on those things you can have agency over.”~Psychology Today 2021 “It's a sin, a sin the way I love you, because I know our love could never be. It's a sin to say that I don't miss you, When silence proves that you've forgotten me.”~Marty Robbins, country singer (1925-1984). “The consciousness of sin was formerly the starting point of all preaching; but today it is gone. Characteristic of the modern age, above all else, is a supreme confidence in human goodness; the religious literature of the day is redolent of that confidence. Get beneath the rough exterior of men, we are told, and we shall discover enough self-sacrifice to found upon it the hope of society; the world's evil, it is said, can be overcome with the world's good; no help is needed from outside the world.”~J. Gresham Machen, Author and Theologian (1881-1937)SERMON PASSAGEMicah 2:1-11, 3:1-12 (ESV)Micah 21 Woe to those who devise wickedness   and work evil on their beds!   When the morning dawns, they perform it,   because it is in the power of their hand.2 They covet fields and seize them,   and houses, and take them away;   they oppress a man and his house,   a man and his inheritance.3 Therefore thus says the Lord:   behold, against this family I am devising disaster,   from which you cannot remove your necks,   and you shall not walk haughtily,   for it will be a time of disaster.4 In that day they shall take up a taunt song against you   and moan bitterly, and say, “We are utterly ruined;   he changes the portion of my people;   how he removes it from me!   To an apostate he allots our fields.”5 Therefore you will have none to cast the line by lot   in the assembly of the Lord.6 “Do not preach”—thus they preach—   “one should not preach of such things;   disgrace will not overtake us.”7 Should this be said, O house of Jacob?   Has the Lord grown impatient? Are these his deeds?   Do not my words do good to him who walks uprightly?8 But lately my people have risen up as an enemy;   you strip the rich robe from those who pass by trustingly   with no thought of war.9 The women of my people you drive out   from their delightful houses;   from their young children you take away   my splendor forever.10 Arise and go, for this is no place to rest,   because of uncleanness that destroys   with a grievous destruction.11 If a man should go about and utter wind and lies,   saying, “I will preach to you of wine and strong drink,”   he would be the preacher for this people!Micah 31  And I said: Hear, you heads of Jacob   and rulers of the house of Israel!   Is it not for you to know justice?—2  you who hate the good and love the evil,Micah 21 Woe to those who devise wickedness   and work evil on their beds!   When the morning dawns, they perform it,   because it is in the power of their hand.2 They covet fields and seize them,   and houses, and take them away;   they oppress a man and his house,   a man and his inheritance.3 Therefore thus says the Lord:   behold, against this family I am devising disaster,   from which you cannot remove your necks,   and you shall not walk haughtily,   for it will be a time of disaster.4 In that day they shall take up a taunt song against you   and moan bitterly, and say, “We are utterly ruined;   he changes the portion of my people;   how he removes it from me!   To an apostate he allots our fields.”5 Therefore you will have none to cast the line by lot   in the assembly of the Lord.6 “Do not preach”—thus they preach—   “one should not preach of such things;   disgrace will not overtake us.”7 Should this be said, O house of Jacob?   Has the Lord grown impatient? Are these his deeds?   Do not my words do good to him who walks uprightly?8 But lately my people have risen up as an enemy;   you strip the rich robe from those who pass by trustingly   with no thought of war.9 The women of my people you drive out   from their delightful houses;   from their young children you take away   my splendor forever.10 Arise and go, for this is no place to rest,   because of uncleanness that destroys   with a grievous destruction.11 If a man should go about and utter wind and lies,   saying, “I will preach to you of wine and strong drink,”   he would be the preacher for this people!Micah 31  And I said: Hear, you heads of Jacob   and rulers of the house of Israel!   Is it not for you to know justice?—2  you who hate the good and love the evil,who tear the skin from off my people   and their flesh from off their bones,3 who eat the flesh of my people,   and flay their skin from off them,   and break their bones in pieces   and chop them up like meat in a pot,   like flesh in a cauldron.4 Then they will cry to the Lord,   but he will not answer them;   he will hide his face from them at that time,   because they have made their deeds evil.5 Thus says the Lord concerning the prophets   who lead my people astray,   who cry “Peace”  when they have something to eat,   but declare war against him   who puts nothing into their mouths.6 Therefore it shall be night to you, without vision,   and darkness to you, without divination.   The sun shall go down on the prophets,   and the day shall be black over them;7 the seers shall be disgraced,   and the diviners put to shame;   they shall all cover their lips,   for there is no answer from God.8 But as for me, I am filled with power,   with the Spirit of the Lord,   and with justice and might,   to declare to Jacob his transgression   and to Israel his sin.9 Hear this, you heads of the house of Jacob   and rulers of the house of Israel,   who detest justice  and make crooked all that is straight,10 who build Zion with blood   and Jerusalem with iniquity.11 Its heads give judgment for a bribe;   its priests teach for a price;   its prophets practice divination for money;   yet they lean on the Lord and say,   “Is not the Lord in the midst of us?   No disaster shall come upon us.”12 Therefore because of you   Zion shall be plowed as a field;   Jerusalem shall become a heap of ruins,   and the mountain of the house a wooded height.

QUOTES FOR REFLECTION“I wrote this story for you, but when I began it I had not realized that girls grow quicker than books. As a result you are already too old for fairy tales, and by the time it is printed and bound you will be older still. But some day you will be old enough to start reading fairy tales again.”~C.S. Lewis (1898-1963), Author & Theologian “It is the mark of a good fairy-story, of the higher or more complete kind, that however wild its events, however fantastic or terrible the adventures, it can give to child or man that hears it, when the ‘turn' comes, a catch of the breath, a beat and lifting of the heart, near to (or indeed accompanied by) tears, as keen as that given by any form of literary art, and having a peculiar quality.”~J.R.R. Tolkien (1892-1973), Author “But wait, I haven't even told you the best part yet.You see - as if there wasn't enough here already to impress you -The best part about this story is this story is true.The only fairytale that's not a fairytale.”~“The Damsel and the Villain” by Jimmy Needham “What does Christmas feel like for me? It feels like I'm in a courtroom where my life hangs in the balance. The prosecuting attorney is the unassailable law of God, and the defense attorney does not exist. There is no defense. It is manifest to everyone in the courtroom that all evidence is against me, and the judge, the son of the king of the realm, brings down the gavel: ‘Guilty.' I'm sentenced to execution and everlasting ruin. And as they leave the courtroom with me in bonds, the son-judge follows me out, pulls me aside, and says, ‘I'm going to take your condemnation… I love you.'”~John Piper (1946-Present), Pastor & Author “Long lay the world in sin and error pining,‘Till he appeared and the soul felt its worth.A thrill of hope the weary world rejoices,For yonder breaks a new and glorious morn.”~“O Holy Night” by Adolphe AdamSERMON PASSAGEMicah 1:1-7; 7:18-20 (ESV)Micah 1 1 The word of the Lord that came to Micah of Moresheth in the days of Jotham, Ahaz, and Hezekiah, kings of Judah, which he saw concerning Samaria and Jerusalem.2 Hear, you peoples, all of you;  pay attention, O earth, and all that is in it, and let the Lord God be a witness against you,  the Lord from his holy temple.3 For behold, the Lord is coming out of his place,  and will come down and tread upon the high    places of the earth.4 And the mountains will melt under him,  and the valleys will split open, like wax before the fire,  like waters poured down a steep place.5 All this is for the transgression of Jacob  and for the sins of the house of Israel. What is the transgression of Jacob?  Is it not Samaria? And what is the high place of Judah?  Is it not Jerusalem?6 Therefore I will make Samaria  a heap in the open country,a place for planting vineyards,  and I will pour down her stones into the valley   and uncover her foundations.7 All her carved images shall be beaten to pieces,   all her wages shall be burned with fire,   and all her idols I will lay waste,  for from the fee of a prostitute  she gathered them,  and to the fee of a prostitute they shall return. Micah 718 Who is a God like you, pardoning iniquity   and passing over transgression   for the remnant of his inheritance?  He does not retain his anger forever,   because he delights in steadfast love.19 He will again have compassion on us;   he will tread our iniquities underfoot.   You will cast all our sins   into the depths of the sea.20 You will show faithfulness to Jacob   and steadfast love to Abraham,   as you have sworn to our fathers   from the days of old.

QUOTES FOR REFLECTION“You may be tempted to believe that God has changed because your circumstances have, but if that were the case, he wouldn't be God. He'd be you.”~Jackie Hill Perry in Holier Than Thou: How God's Holiness Helps Us Trust Him “We should challenge the relativism that tells us there is no right or wrong, when every instinct of our mind knows it is not so, and is a mere excuse to allow us to indulge in what we believe we can get away with. A world without values quickly becomes a world without value.”~Jonathan Sacks (1948-2020), former Chief Rabbi in the UK “If we don't re-enact Jesus's dying and rising, then justification by faith can become a feel good formula…. The Gospel turns in on itself and becomes one more thing to make us feel good about ourselves.”~Paul Miller in The J-Curve “On and on the rain will fallLike tears from a star like tears from a starOn and on the rain will sayHow fragile we are how fragile we are.”~from “Fragile” by Sting “Look, if someone wrote a play, to glorify what's stronger than hate,Would they not arrange the stage, to look as if the hero came too late?He's almost in defeat; it's looking like the evil side will win,So, on the edge of every seat; from that moment the whole thing begins.”~from “Show the Way” by David Patrick Wilcox “When through the deep waters I call you to go,The rivers of sorrow shall not overflow,For I will be with you your troubles to blessAnd sanctify to you your deepest distress. “When through fiery trials thy pathway shall lie,My grace, all sufficient, shall be thy supply;The flame shall not hurt thee; I only designThy dross to consume, and thy gold to refine.”~from the hymn “How Firm a Foundation”SERMON PASSAGEDeuteronomy 8:1-10 (ESV) Deuteronomy 8 1  “The whole commandment that I command you today you shall be careful to do, that you may live and multiply, and go in and possess the land that the Lord swore to give to your fathers. 2 And you shall remember the whole way that the Lord your God has led you these forty years in the wilderness, that he might humble you, testing you to know what was in your heart, whether you would keep his commandments or not. 3 And he humbled you and let you hunger and fed you with manna, which you did not know, nor did your fathers know, that he might make you know that man does not live by bread alone, but man lives by every word that comes from the mouth of the Lord. 4 Your clothing did not wear out on you and your foot did not swell these forty years. 5 Know then in your heart that, as a man disciplines his son, the Lord your God disciplines you. 6 So you shall keep the commandments of the Lord your God by walking in his ways and by fearing him. 7 For the Lord your God is bringing you into a good land, a land of brooks of water, of fountains and springs, flowing out in the valleys and hills, 8 a land of wheat and barley, of vines and fig trees and pomegranates, a land of olive trees and honey, 9 a land in which you will eat bread without scarcity, in which you will lack nothing, a land whose stones are iron, and out of whose hills you can dig copper. 10 And you shall eat and be full, and you shall bless the Lord your God for the good land he has given you. Hebrews 12 3 Consider him who endured from sinners such hostility against himself, so that you may not grow weary or fainthearted. 4 In your struggle against sin you have not yet resisted to the point of shedding your blood. 5 And have you forgotten the exhortation that addresses you as sons? “My son, do not regard lightly the  discipline of the Lord,   nor be weary when reproved by him. 6 For the Lord disciplines the one he loves,  and chastises every son whom he receives.” 7 It is for discipline that you have to endure. God is treating you as sons. For what son is there whom his father does not discipline? 8 If you are left without discipline, in which all have participated, then you are illegitimate children and not sons. 9 Besides this, we have had earthly fathers who disciplined us and we respected them. Shall we not much more be subject to the Father of spirits and live? 10 For they disciplined us for a short time as it seemed best to them, but he disciplines us for our good, that we may share his holiness. 11 For the moment all discipline seems painful rather than pleasant, but later it yields the peaceful fruit of righteousness to those who have been trained by it.

QUOTES FOR REFLECTION“Gratitude is riches. Complaint is poverty.”~Doris Day “...God's command to be thankful is not the threatening demand of a tyrant. Rather, it is the invitation of a lifetime—the opportunity to draw near to Him at any moment of the day.”~Nancy DeMoss Wolgemuth “...God isn't asking you to be thankful. He's asking you to give thanks. There's a big difference. One response involves emotions, the other your choices, your decisions about a situation, your intent, your step of faith.”~Joni Eareckson Tada “Let us thank God heartily as often as we pray that we have His Spirit in us to teach us to pray. Thanksgiving will draw our hearts out to God and keep us engaged with Him; it will take our attention from ourselves and give the Spirit room in our hearts.”~Andrew Murray “It's one thing to be grateful. It's another to give thanks. Gratitude is what you feel. Thanksgiving is what you do.”~Tim Keller “Gratitude is the ability to experience life as a gift. It liberates us from the prison of self-preoccupation.”~John Ortberg “If you fail to carry around with you a heart of gratitude for the love you've been so freely given, it is easy for you not to love others as you should.”~Paul David TrippSERMON PASSAGEColossians 3:12-17, Philippians 4:6-8 (ESV)Colossians 3 12 Put on then, as God's chosen ones, holy and beloved, compassionate hearts, kindness, humility, meekness, and patience, 13 bearing with one another and, if one has a complaint against another, forgiving each other; as the Lord has forgiven you, so you also must forgive. 14 And above all these put on love, which binds everything together in perfect harmony. 15 And let the peace of Christ rule in your hearts, to which indeed you were called in one body. And be thankful. 16 Let the word of Christ dwell in you richly, teaching and admonishing one another in all wisdom, singing psalms and hymns and spiritual songs, with thankfulness in your hearts to God. 17 And whatever you do, in word or deed, do everything in the name of the Lord Jesus, giving thanks to God the Father through him. Philippians 4 6 do not be anxious about anything, but in everything by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known to God. 7 And the peace of God, which surpasses all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus. 8 Finally, brothers, whatever is true, whatever is honorable, whatever is just, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is commendable, if there is any excellence, if there is anything worthy of praise, think about these things.

QUOTES FOR REFLECTION“Clean shirt, new shoesAnd I don't know where I am goin' toSilk suit, black tieI don't need a reason whyThey come runnin' just as fast as they can‘Cause every girl's crazy ‘bout a sharp-dressed man.”~ZZ Top, “Sharp Dressed Man” “[One] realizes that without his clothes a man would be nothing at all; that the clothes do not merely make the man, the clothes are the man; that without them he is a cipher, a vacancy, a nobody, a nothing… There is no power without clothes.”~Mark Twain, “The Czar's Soliloquy” “And yet another man can be so beautiful,he looks like an immortal, but his wordsare empty of all grace. That's how you are.Your appearance is extremely handsome—a god could hardly make that any finer—but your mind is empty.”~Odysseus to Euryalus in Homer's The Odyssey, Book VIII “We can, perhaps, train ourselves to ask more and more often how the thing which we are saying or doing (or failing to do) at each moment will look when the irresistible light streams in upon it; that light which is so different from the light of this world and yet, even now, we know just enough of it to take it into account. Women sometimes have the problem of trying to judge by artificial light how a dress will look by daylight. That is very like the problem of all of us: to dress our souls not for the electric lights of the present world but for the daylight of the next. The good dress is the one that will face that light. For that light will last longer.”~C.S. Lewis, The World's Last NightSERMON PASSAGEGalatians 3:23-29, Colossians 3:9-11, Romans 13:11-14 (ESV)Galatians 3 23 Now before faith came, we were held captive under the law, imprisoned until the coming faith would be revealed. 24 So then, the law was our guardian until Christ came, in order that we might be justified by faith. 25 But now that faith has come, we are no longer under a guardian, 26 for in Christ Jesus you are all sons of God, through faith. 27 For as many of you as were baptized into Christ have put on Christ. 28 There is neither Jew nor Greek, there is neither slave nor free, there is no male and female, for you are all one in Christ Jesus. 29 And if you are Christ's, then you are Abraham's offspring, heirs according to promise. Colossians 39 Do not lie to one another, seeing that you have put off the old self with its practices 10 and have put on the new self, which is being renewed in knowledge after the image of its creator. 11 Here there is not Greek and Jew, circumcised and uncircumcised, barbarian, Scythian, slave, free; but Christ is all, and in all. Romans 13 11 Besides this you know the time, that the hour has come for you to wake from sleep. For salvation is nearer to us now than when we first believed. 12 The night is far gone; the day is at hand. So then let us cast off the works of darkness and put on the armor of light. 13 Let us walk properly as in the daytime, not in orgies and drunkenness, not in sexual immorality and sensuality, not in quarreling and jealousy. 14 But put on the Lord Jesus Christ, and make no provision for the flesh, to gratify its desires.

QUOTES FOR REFLECTION“We must never look at any sin in our past life in any way except that which leads us to praise God and to magnify His grace in Christ Jesus.”~D. Martyn Lloyd-Jones (1899-1981) in Spiritual Depression “What we hunger for perhaps more than anything else is to be known in our full humanness, and yet that is often just what we fear more than anything else. It is important to tell at least from time to time the secret of who we truly and fully are … because otherwise we run the risk of losing track of who we truly and fully are and little by little come to accept instead the highly edited version which we put forth in hope that the world will find it more acceptable than the real thing.”~Frederick Buechner (1926-2022) in Telling Secrets “The Christian is righteous and a sinner at the same time, holy and profane, an enemy of God and a child of God. Only those who understand the true meaning of justification will understand this apparent paradox.”~Martin Luther (1483-1546) in Second Lectures on Galatians “[T]he moment you begin to have faith, you learn that all things in you are altogether blameworthy, sinful and damnable. When you have learned this, you will know that you need Christ, who suffered and rose again for you, so that if you believe in him, you may, through faith become a new man… [Y]our sins are forgiven, and you are justified by the merits of another, namely of Christ alone.”~Martin Luther in The Freedom of a Christian “We obey God not because we are afraid of what He will do to us if we do not. Rather, we obey Him because we are moved by all that He has done for us in Jesus Christ. He has lovingly elected us and sprinkled us with the sin-forgiving, grace-abounding blood of Jesus.”~Anthony J. Carter, pastor and author “Of all the things the serpent could come for, it is our faith he attacks most.” “You may be tempted to believe that God has changed because your circumstances have, but if that were the case, he wouldn't be God. He'd be you.”~Jackie Hill Perry in Holier Than Thou: How God's Holiness Helps Us Trust HimSERMON PASSAGE Galatians 3 15 To give a human example, brothers: even with a man-made covenant, no one annuls it or adds to it once it has been ratified. 16 Now the promises were made to Abraham and to his offspring. It does not say, “And to offsprings,” referring to many, but referring to one, “And to your offspring,” who is Christ. 17 This is what I mean: the law, which came 430 years afterward, does not annul a covenant previously ratified by God, so as to make the promise void. 18 For if the inheritance comes by the law, it no longer comes by promise; but God gave it to Abraham by a promise. 19 Why then the law? It was added because of transgressions, until the offspring should come to whom the promise had been made, and it was put in place through angels by an intermediary. 20 Now an intermediary implies more than one, but God is one. 21 Is the law then contrary to the promises of God? Certainly not! For if a law had been given that could give life, then righteousness would indeed be by the law. 22 But the Scripture imprisoned everything under sin, so that the promise by faith in Jesus Christ might be given to those who believe. 23 Now before faith came, we were held captive under the law, imprisoned until the coming faith would be revealed. 24 So then, the law was our guardian until Christ came, in order that we might be justified by faith. 25 But now that faith has come, we are no longer under a guardian, 26 for in Christ Jesus you are all sons of God, through faith. 27 For as many of you as were baptized into Christ have put on Christ. 28 There is neither Jew nor Greek, there is neither slave nor free, there is no male and female, for you are all one in Christ Jesus. 29 And if you are Christ's, then you are Abraham's offspring, heirs according to promise. Genesis 3 14 The Lord God said to the serpent,“Because you have done this, cursed are you above all livestock and above all beasts of the field; on your belly you shall go, and dust you shall eat all the days of your life.15       I will put enmity between you and the woman,and between your offspring and her offspring;he shall bruise your head,and you shall bruise his heel.”

QUOTES FOR REFLECTION“Better to have a small role in God's story than to cast yourself as the lead in your own fiction.”~Lecrae, singer, songwriter, and producer “[T]he moment you begin to have faith, you learn that all things in you are altogether blameworthy, sinful and damnable. When you have learned this, you will know that you need Christ, who suffered and rose again for you, so that if you believe in him, you may, through faith become a new man, in so far as your sins are forgiven, and you are justified by the merits of another, namely of Christ alone.”~Martin Luther (1483-1546) in The Freedom of a Christian “…to fulfill the law means to do its work eagerly, lovingly and freely, without the constraint of the law; it means to live well and in a manner pleasing to God, as though there were no law or punishment. It is the Holy Spirit, however, who puts such eagerness of unconstrained love into the heart…. That is why faith alone makes someone just and fulfills the law; faith it is that brings the Holy Spirit through the merits of Christ. The Spirit, in turn, renders the heart glad and free, as the law demands. Then good works proceed from faith itself.” “Lord Jesus, You are my righteousness; I am Your sin. You took on You what was mine, yet set on me what was Yours. You became what You were not, that I might become what I was not.”~Martin Luther (1483-1546) from various writingsNothing either great or small—Nothing, sinner, no;Jesus did it, did it all,Long, long ago. “It is finished!” yes, indeed,Finished every jot:Sinner, this is all you need—Tell me, is it not?Till to Jesus' work you clingBy a simple faith,“Doing” is a deadly thing—“Doing” ends in death. Cast your deadly “doing” down—Down at Jesus' feet;Stand in Him, in Him alone,Gloriously complete. ~James ProctorSERMON PASSAGEGalatians 3:1-14 (ESV)Galatians 3 (ESV) 1 O foolish Galatians! Who has bewitched you? It was before your eyes that Jesus Christ was publicly portrayed as crucified. 2 Let me ask you only this: Did you receive the Spirit by works of the law or by hearing with faith? 3 Are you so foolish? Having begun by the Spirit, are you now being perfected by the flesh? 4 Did you suffer so many things in vain—if indeed it was in vain? 5 Does he who supplies the Spirit to you and works miracles among you do so by works of the law, or by hearing with faith— 6 just as Abraham “believed God, and it was counted to him as righteousness”? 7 Know then that it is those of faith who are the sons of Abraham. 8 And the Scripture, foreseeing that God would justify the Gentiles by faith, preached the gospel beforehand to Abraham, saying, “In you shall all the nations be blessed.” 9 So then, those who are of faith are blessed along with Abraham, the man of faith. 10 For all who rely on works of the law are under a curse; for it is written, “Cursed be everyone who does not abide by all things written in the Book of the Law, and do them.” 11 Now it is evident that no one is justified before God by the law, for “The righteous shall live by faith.” 12 But the law is not of faith, rather “The one who does them shall live by them.” 13 Christ redeemed us from the curse of the law by becoming a curse for us—for it is written, “Cursed is everyone who is hanged on a tree”— 14 so that in Christ Jesus the blessing of Abraham might come to the Gentiles, so that we might receive the promised Spirit through faith. Numbers 6 (ESV)22 The Lord spoke to Moses, saying, 23 “Speak to Aaron and his sons, saying, Thus you shall bless the people of Israel: you shall say to them,24 The Lord bless you and keep you;25 the Lord make his face to shine upon you    and be gracious to you;26 the Lord lift up his countenance upon you    and give you peace.27  “So shall they put my name upon the people of Israel, and I will bless them.” Romans 8 (NASB95) 1 Therefore there is now no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus. 2 For the law of the Spirit of life in Christ Jesus has set you free from the law of sin and of death. 3 For what the Law could not do, weak as it was through the flesh, God did: sending His own Son in the likeness of sinful flesh and as an offering for sin, He condemned sin in the flesh, 4 so that the requirement of the Law might be fulfilled in us, who do not walk according to the flesh but according to the Spirit.

QUOTES FOR REFLECTION“Tell the young, tell the poor, tell the aged, tell the ignorant, tell the sick, tell the dying — tell them all about Christ. Tell them of His power, and tell them of His love; tell them of His doings, and tell them of His feelings; tell them what He has done for the chief of sinners; tell them what He is willing to do until the last day of time; tell it to them over and over again. Never be tired of speaking of Christ. Say to them broadly and fully, freely and unconditionally, unreservedly and undoubtingly, ‘Come unto Christ, as the penitent thief did; come unto Christ, and you shall be saved.'”~J.C. Ryle “Unless we're very intentional about meditating on these truths [that show God's love], they slip from our thoughts like misty dreams that evaporate in the morning light. That's why Luther said we must ‘take heed then, to embrace...the love and kindness of God...[and to] daily exercise [our] faith therein, entertain no doubt of God's love and kindness.'”~Elyse M. Fitzpatrick “In Christ, there is nothing I can do that would make You love me more and nothing I have done that makes You love me less.”~J.D. Greear “[N]obody can produce new evidence of your depravity that will make God change his mind. For God justified you with (so to speak) his eyes open. He knew the worst about you at the time when he accepted you for Jesus' sake; and the verdict which he passed then was, and is, final.”~J.I. Packer “Jesus does not divide the world into the moral ‘good guys' and the immoral ‘bad guys'. He shows us that everyone is dedicated to a project of self-salvation, to using God and others in order to get power and control for themselves. We are just going about it in different ways.”~Tim Keller “Don't ever degenerate into giving advice unconnected to the good news of Jesus crucified, alive, present, at work and returning.”~David Powlison “This life is not godliness, but growth in godliness; not health, but healing; not being, but becoming; not rest, but exercise. We are not now what we shall be, but we are on the way; the process is not yet finished, but it has begun; this is not the goal, but it is road; at present all does not gleam and glitter, but everything is being purified.”~Martin LutherSERMON PASSAGEGalatians 3:1-6 (ESV)Galatians 2 15 We ourselves are Jews by birth and not Gentile sinners; 16 yet we know that a person is not justified by works of the law but through faith in Jesus Christ, so we also have believed in Christ Jesus, in order to be justified by faith in Christ and not by works of the law, because by works of the law no one will be justified. 17 But if, in our endeavor to be justified in Christ, we too were found to be sinners, is Christ then a servant of sin? Certainly not! 18 For if I rebuild what I tore down, I prove myself to be a transgressor. 19 For through the law I died to the law, so that I might live to God. 20 I have been crucified with Christ. It is no longer I who live, but Christ who lives in me. And the life I now live in the flesh I live by faith in the Son of God, who loved me and gave himself for me. 21 I do not nullify the grace of God, for if righteousness were through the law, then Christ died for no purpose. Galatians 3 1 O foolish Galatians! Who has bewitched you? It was before your eyes that Jesus Christ was publicly portrayed as crucified. 2 Let me ask you only this: Did you receive the Spirit by works of the law or by hearing with faith? 3 Are you so foolish? Having begun by the Spirit, are you now being perfected by the flesh? 4 Did you suffer so many things in vain—if indeed it was in vain? 5 Does he who supplies the Spirit to you and works miracles among you do so by works of the law, or by hearing with faith— 6 just as Abraham “believed God, and it was counted to him as righteousness”?

QUOTES FOR REFLECTION“It is better to be hurt by the truth than to be comforted with a lie.”~Khaled Hosseini, Afghan-born novelist and physician “We shall never be clothed with the righteousness of Christ except that we first know assuredly that we have no righteousness of our own.”~John Calvin (1509-1564), Genevan reformer “Take heart sinner, and do not despair. Hope in him whom you fear, flee to him from whom you have fled…. Dear name…of delight, name of comfort to the sinner, name of blessed hope. For what is Jesus except to say Savior? So, Jesus, for your own sake, be to me Jesus.”~Anselm of Canterbury (1033/4-1109), monk, theologian, and archbishop “We obey God not because we are afraid of what He will do to us…. Rather, we obey Him because we are moved by all that He has done for us in Jesus Christ.”~Anthony J. Carter, pastor and author “To see the law by Christ fulfilled, and hear His pardoning voice,Changes a slave into a child, and duty into choice.”~William Cowper (1730-1800), poet and hymnwriter “I don't believe it is wise or truthful to the power of the gospel to identify oneself by the sins of one's past or the temptations of one's present….”~Jackie Hill Perry, writer and hip-hop artist “Justification by faith alone frees me to love my neighbor…for his or her own sake…. Since we no longer have to carry around the intolerable burden of self-justification, we are free ‘to be Christs unto one another,' as Luther put it, to expend ourselves on behalf of one another, even as Christ also loved us and gave Himself for us.”~Timothy George & John Woodbridge in The Mark of Jesus “My grand objection to the religious system still held by many… is, that it tends to render Christianity… a system of prohibitions rather than of privilege and hopes, and thus the injunction to rejoice, so strongly enforced in the New Testament, is practically neglected, and Religion is made to wear a forbidding and gloomy air and not one of peace and hope and joy.”~William Wilberforce (1759-1833), British politician and slavery abolitionistSERMON PASSAGEGalatians 2:11-21 (ESV) 1 Then after fourteen years I went up again to Jerusalem with Barnabas, taking Titus along with me. 2 I went up because of a revelation and set before them (though privately before those who seemed influential) the gospel that I proclaim among the Gentiles, in order to make sure I was not running or had not run in vain. 3 But even Titus, who was with me, was not forced to be circumcised, though he was a Greek. 4 Yet because of false brothers secretly brought in—who slipped in to spy out our freedom that we have in Christ Jesus, so that they might bring us into slavery— 5 to them we did not yield in submission even for a moment, so that the truth of the gospel might be preserved for you. 6 And from those who seemed to be influential (what they were makes no difference to me; God shows no partiality)—those, I say, who seemed influential added nothing to me. 7 On the contrary, when they saw that I had been entrusted with the gospel to the uncircumcised, just as Peter had been entrusted with the gospel to the circumcised 8 (for he who worked through Peter for his apostolic ministry to the circumcised worked also through me for mine to the Gentiles), 9 and when James and Cephas and John, who seemed to be pillars, perceived the grace that was given to me, they gave the right hand of fellowship to Barnabas and me, that we should go to the Gentiles and they to the circumcised. 10 Only, they asked us to remember the poor, the very thing I was eager to do. 11 But when Cephas came to Antioch, I opposed him to his face, because he stood condemned. 12 For before certain men came from James, he was eating with the Gentiles; but when they came he drew back and separated himself, fearing the circumcision party. 13 And the rest of the Jews acted hypocritically along with him, so that even Barnabas was led astray by their hypocrisy. 14 But when I saw that their conduct was not in step with the truth of the gospel, I said to Cephas before them all, “If you, though a Jew, live like a Gentile and not like a Jew, how can you force the Gentiles to live like Jews?” 15 We ourselves are Jews by birth and not Gentile sinners; 16 yet we know that a person is not justified by works of the law but through faith in Jesus Christ, so we also have believed in Christ Jesus, in order to be justified by faith in Christ and not by works of the law, because by works of the law no one will be justified.17 But if, in our endeavor to be justified in Christ, we too were found to be sinners, is Christ then a servant of sin? Certainly not! 18 For if I rebuild what I tore down, I prove myself to be a transgressor. 19 For through the law I died to the law, so that I might live to God. 20 I have been crucified with Christ. It is no longer I who live, but Christ who lives in me. And the life I now live in the flesh I live by faith in the Son of God, who loved me and gave himself for me. 21 I do not nullify the grace of God, for if righteousness were through the law, then Christ died for no purpose.

QUOTES FOR REFLECTION“[A]ccording to the world, life is like a ladder. At the top of the ladder is success, and at the bottom of the ladder is failure. Apart from Christ, we all naturally see life through this lens.”~Katharine Roberts, director and founder of Verity Fellowship “And amid such uncertainty [about our self-identity], we typically turn to the wider world to settle the question of our significance. We seem beholden to affections of others to endure ourselves. Our ‘ego' or self-conception could be pictured as a leaking balloon, forever requiring the helium of external love to remain inflated, and ever vulnerable to the smallest pinpricks of neglect.”~Alain de Botton, Swiss-born philosopher and writer “Craving human affirmation is a no-win proposition. Those who don't receive it are miserable. Those who do receive it only want more.”~Shai Linne, native Philadelphian, recording artist, and author “To have a faith, therefore, or a trust in anything where God has not promised is plain idolatry and a worshipping of your own imagination instead of God.”~William Tyndale (c. 1494-1536), biblical scholar and linguist “He Himself took on Him the burden of our iniquities, He gave His own Son as a ransom for us, the holy One for the transgressors, the blameless One for the wicked, the righteous One for the unrighteous, the incorruptible One for the corruptible, the immortal One for them that are mortal. For what other thing was capable of covering our sins than His righteousness? By what other one was it possible that we, the wicked and ungodly, could be justified, than by the only Son of God? O sweet exchange! O unsearchable operation! O benefits surpassing all expectation! that the wickedness of many should be hid in a single righteous One, and that the righteousness of One should justify many transgressors!”~The Epistle of Mathetes to Diognetus (c. 150 A.D.) “Faith is like an empty, open hand stretched out toward God, with nothing to offer and everything to receive.”~John Calvin (1509-1564), Genevan reformerSERMON PASSAGEGalatians 2:11-21 (ESV) 1 Then after fourteen years I went up again to Jerusalem with Barnabas, taking Titus along with me. 2 I went up because of a revelation and set before them (though privately before those who seemed influential) the gospel that I proclaim among the Gentiles, in order to make sure I was not running or had not run in vain. 3 But even Titus, who was with me, was not forced to be circumcised, though he was a Greek. 4 Yet because of false brothers secretly brought in—who slipped in to spy out our freedom that we have in Christ Jesus, so that they might bring us into slavery— 5 to them we did not yield in submission even for a moment, so that the truth of the gospel might be preserved for you. 6 And from those who seemed to be influential (what they were makes no difference to me; God shows no partiality)—those, I say, who seemed influential added nothing to me. 7 On the contrary, when they saw that I had been entrusted with the gospel to the uncircumcised, just as Peter had been entrusted with the gospel to the circumcised 8 (for he who worked through Peter for his apostolic ministry to the circumcised worked also through me for mine to the Gentiles), 9 and when James and Cephas and John, who seemed to be pillars, perceived the grace that was given to me, they gave the right hand of fellowship to Barnabas and me, that we should go to the Gentiles and they to the circumcised. 10 Only, they asked us to remember the poor, the very thing I was eager to do. 11 But when Cephas came to Antioch, I opposed him to his face, because he stood condemned. 12 For before certain men came from James, he was eating with the Gentiles; but when they came he drew back and separated himself, fearing the circumcision party. 13 And the rest of the Jews acted hypocritically along with him, so that even Barnabas was led astray by their hypocrisy. 14 But when I saw that their conduct was not in step with the truth of the gospel, I said to Cephas before them all, “If you, though a Jew, live like a Gentile and not like a Jew, how can you force the Gentiles to live like Jews?”15 We ourselves are Jews by birth and not Gentile sinners; 16 yet we know that a person is not justified by works of the law but through faith in Jesus Christ, so we also have believed in Christ Jesus, in order to be justified by faith in Christ and not by works of the law, because by works of the law no one will be justified.17 But if, in our endeavor to be justified in Christ, we too were found to be sinners, is Christ then a servant of sin? Certainly not! 18 For if I rebuild what I tore down, I prove myself to be a transgressor. 19 For through the law I died to the law, so that I might live to God. 20 I have been crucified with Christ. It is no longer I who live, but Christ who lives in me. And the life I now live in the flesh I live by faith in the Son of God, who loved me and gave himself for me. 21 I do not nullify the grace of God, for if righteousness were through the law, then Christ died for no purpose.

QUOTES FOR REFLECTION“Truth is now considered malleable, by opinion and by zero-sum endgames…. But the truth, the truth is sacred. Unalterable. Chiseled into the stone and the foundation of our republic.”~Tom Hanks at Harvard's Commencement (May 2023) “Christianity began not as an institution, not even as a creed, but first as an event…. [T]he gospel arrived in history as a kind of convulsive disruption of history….”~David Bentley Hart, philosopher and scholar “The commands of God must outweigh all authority and example of men.”~St. Jerome (d. 420 A.D.), scholar and theologian “There are no men on earth so soon entangled, and so easily conquered by error, as proud souls. Oh, it is dangerous to love to be wise….”~Thomas Brooks (1608-1680), English Puritan minister and author “The true soldier fights not because he hates what is in front of him, but because he loves what's behind him.”~G.K. Chesterton (1874-1936), English writer and literary critic “The same Bible that condemned me held in it the promises that could save me. I just had to believe it.”~Jackie Hill Perry, writer and hip-hop artist “God accepts my imperfect faith as perfect righteousness for Christ's sake….”~Martin Luther (1483-1546) in his Galatians Commentary “Without the Gospel, I am only projecting behavioral modification. Changes of the heart must trump mere change of behavior. Therefore, the goodness of God through the gospel must trump all other philosophies….” “The gospel is supposed to bring people together who wouldn't naturally be together.”~Eric Mason, Philadelphia-based pastorSERMON PASSAGEGalatians 2:1-10 (ESV)Galatians 1 11 For I would have you know, brothers, that the gospel that was preached by me is not man's gospel. 12 For I did not receive it from any man, nor was I taught it, but I received it through a revelation of Jesus Christ. 13 For you have heard of my former life in Judaism, how I persecuted the church of God violently and tried to destroy it. 14 And I was advancing in Judaism beyond many of my own age among my people, so extremely zealous was I for the traditions of my fathers. 15 But when he who had set me apart before I was born, and who called me by his grace, 16 was pleased to reveal his Son to me, in order that I might preach him among the Gentiles, I did not immediately consult with anyone; 17 nor did I go up to Jerusalem to those who were apostles before me, but I went away into Arabia, and returned again to Damascus.18 Then after three years I went up to Jerusalem to visit Cephas and remained with him fifteen days. 19 But I saw none of the other apostles except James the Lord's brother. 20 (In what I am writing to you, before God, I do not lie!) 21 Then I went into the regions of Syria and Cilicia. 22 And I was still unknown in person to the churches of Judea that are in Christ. 23 They only were hearing it said, “He who used to persecute us is now preaching the faith he once tried to destroy.” 24 And they glorified God because of me.Galatians 21 Then after fourteen years I went up again to Jerusalem with Barnabas, taking Titus along with me. 2 I went up because of a revelation and set before them (though privately before those who seemed influential) the gospel that I proclaim among the Gentiles, in order to make sure I was not running or had not run in vain. 3 But even Titus, who was with me, was not forced to be circumcised, though he was a Greek. 4 Yet because of false brothers secretly brought in—who slipped in to spy out our freedom that we have in Christ Jesus, so that they might bring us into slavery— 5 to them we did not yield in submission even for a moment, so that the truth of the gospel might be preserved for you. 6 And from those who seemed to be influential (what they were makes no difference to me; God shows no partiality)—those, I say, who seemed influential added nothing to me. 7 On the contrary, when they saw that I had been entrusted with the gospel to the uncircumcised, just as Peter had been entrusted with the gospel to the circumcised 8 (for he who worked through Peter for his apostolic ministry to the circumcised worked also through me for mine to the Gentiles), 9 and when James and Cephas and John, who seemed to be pillars, perceived the grace that was given to me, they gave the right hand of fellowship to Barnabas and me, that we should go to the Gentiles and they to the circumcised. 10 Only, they asked us to remember the poor, the very thing I was eager to do.

QUOTES FOR REFLECTION“…the number-one rule of acting is, ‘Do not seek approval from the audience.' People don't realize that. You can't do stuff to get applause. You have to live in the truth.”~Chadwick Boseman (1976-2020), award-winning actor When we “think we are most free, we are most coerced by the dominant beliefs of our own culture. For it is a powerful cultural fiction that we not only can, but must, make up our deepest beliefs in the isolation of our private selves.”~Robert Bellah (1927-2013), UC Berkley professor of sociology “Christianity is the only major faith built entirely around a single historical claim. It is, however, a claim quite unlike any other ever made, as any perceptive and scrupulous historian must recognize. Certainly, it bears no resemblance to the vague fantasies of witless enthusiasts or to the cunning machinations of opportunistic charlatans…. [For Saul of Tarsus] it is the report of a man who had never known Jesus before the crucifixion, and who had once persecuted Jesus' followers, but who also believed that he had experienced the risen Christ, with such shattering power that he too preferred death to apostasy. And it is the report of countless others who have believed that they also—in a quite irreducibly personal way—have known the risen Christ.”~David Bentley Hart, philosopher and scholar, in The Atheist Delusion “God accepts only the forsaken, cures only the sick, gives sight only to the blind, restores life to only the dead, sanctifies only the sinners, gives wisdom only to fools. In short, He has mercy only on those who are wretched…. Therefore, no proud saint, no wise or just person, can become God's material, and God's purpose cannot be fulfilled in him. He remains in his own work and makes a fictitious, pretended, false, and painted saint of himself, that is, a hypocrite.”~Martin Luther (1483-1546), German reformer “Like wheat and tares, true ideas and false ideas have grown together throughout church history, and it's up to faithful Christians to be watchful and diligent to compare every idea with the Word of God and see if it lines up.”~Alisa Childers in her book Another Gospel? “We need the gospel…. We need the life-giving, identity-establishing, purpose-defining gospel of Jesus Christ.”~Eric Mason, Philadelphia-based pastorSERMON PASSAGEGalatians 1:1-5, 11-24 (NASB) 1 Paul, an apostle (not sent from men nor through the agency of man, but through Jesus Christ and God the Father, who raised Him from the dead), 2 and all the brethren who are with me, 3 Grace to you and peace from God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ, 4 who gave Himself for our sins so that He might rescue us from this present evil age, according to the will of our God and Father, 5 to whom be the glory forevermore. Amen. 6 I am amazed that you are so quickly deserting Him who called you by the grace of Christ, for a different gospel; 7 which is really not another; only there are some who are disturbing you and want to distort the gospel of Christ. 8 But even if we, or an angel from heaven, should preach to you a gospel contrary to what we have preached to you, he is to be accursed! 9 As we have said before, so I say again now, if any man is preaching to you a gospel contrary to what you received, he is to be accursed! 10 For am I now seeking the favor of men, or of God? Or am I striving to please men? If I were still trying to please men, I would not be a bond-servant of Christ. 11 For I would have you know, brethren, that the gospel which was preached by me is not according to man. 12 For I neither received it from man, nor was I taught it, but I received it through a revelation of Jesus Christ. 13 For you have heard of my former manner of life in Judaism, how I used to persecute the church of God beyond measure and tried to destroy it; 14 and I was advancing in Judaism beyond many of my contemporaries among my countrymen, being more extremely zealous for my ancestral traditions. 15 But when God, who had set me apart even from my mother's womb and called me through His grace, was pleased 16 to reveal His Son in me so that I might preach Him among the Gentiles, I did not immediately consult with flesh and blood, 17 nor did I go up to Jerusalem to those who were apostles before me; but I went away to Arabia, and returned once more to Damascus. 18 Then three years later I went up to Jerusalem to become acquainted with Cephas, and stayed with him fifteen days. 19 But I did not see any other of the apostles except James, the Lord's brother. 20  (Now in what I am writing to you, I assure you before God that I am not lying.) 21 Then I went into the regions of Syria and Cilicia. 22 I was still unknown by sight to the churches of Judea which were in Christ; 23 but only, they kept hearing, “He who once persecuted us is now preaching the faith which he once tried to destroy.” 24 And they were glorifying God because of me.

QUOTES FOR REFLECTION “As Christ has a Gospel, Satan has a gospel too; the latter being a clever counterfeit of the former. So closely does the gospel of Satan resemble that which it parades, multitudes of the unsaved are deceived by it.”~A. W. Pink “False teachers invite people to come to the Master's table because of what's on it, not because they love the Master.”~Hank Hanegraaff “We have somehow got hold of the idea that error is only that which is outrageously wrong; and we do not seem to understand that the most dangerous person of all is the one who does not emphasize the right things.”~Martyn Lloyd-Jones “What is the best safe-guard against false teaching? Beyond all doubt the regular study of the word of God, with prayer for the teaching of the Holy Spirit. The Bible was given to be a lamp to our feet and a light to our path (Psalm. 119:105). The man who reads it aright will never be allowed greatly to err. It is neglect of the Bible which makes so many a prey to the first false teacher whom they hear. They would have us believe that ‘they are not learned, and do not pretend to have decided opinions.' The plain truth is that they are lazy and idle about reading the Bible, and do not like the trouble of thinking for themselves. Nothing supplies false prophets with followers so much as spiritual sloth under a cloak of humility.”~J.C. Ryle “It is a remarkable fact that all the heresies which have arisen in the Christian Church have had a decided tendency to dishonor God and to flatter man.”~Charles Spurgeon “The Gospel, if it is really believed, removes neediness - the need to be constantly respected, appreciated, and well regarded; the need to have everything in your life go well; the need to have power over others. All of these great, deep needs continue to control you only because the concept of the glorious God delighting in you with all His being is just that - a concept and nothing more. Our hearts don't believe it, so they operate in default mode. Paul is saying that if you want to really change, you must let the Gospel teach you - that is to train, discipline, coach you - over a period of time. You must let the Gospel argue with you. You must let the Gospel sink down deeply into your heart, until it changes your motivation and views and attitudes.”~Tim KellerSERMON PASSAGEGalatians 1:1-9 (ESV) 1 Paul, an apostle—not from men nor through man, but through Jesus Christ and God the Father, who raised him from the dead— 2 and all the brothers who are with me, To the churches of Galatia: 3 Grace to you and peace from God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ, 4 who gave himself for our sins to deliver us from the present evil age, according to the will of our God and Father, 5 to whom be the glory forever and ever. Amen. 6 I am astonished that you are so quickly deserting him who called you in the grace of Christ and are turning to a different gospel— 7 not that there is another one, but there are some who trouble you and want to distort the gospel of Christ. 8 But even if we or an angel from heaven should preach to you a gospel contrary to the one we preached to you, let him be accursed. 9 As we have said before, so now I say again: If anyone is preaching to you a gospel contrary to the one you received, let him be accursed.

QUOTES FOR REFLECTION“The Holy Spirit is the bond by which Christ efficaciously unites us to himself.”~John Calvin “O Holy Spirit, descend plentifully into my heart. Enlighten the dark corners of this neglected dwelling and scatter there your cheerful beams.”~St. Augustine “So, then, the world had not eternal life, because it had not received the Spirit; for where the Spirit is, there is eternal life; for the Spirit Himself it is Who effects eternal life.”~Ambrose, German theologian (374-397) “The story of Christian reformation, revival, and renaissance underscores that the darkest hour is often just before the dawn, so we should always be people of hope and prayer, not gloom and defeatism. God the Holy Spirit can turn the situation around in five minutes.”~Os Guiness “Secular humanism does not recognize the spirit world. It leads to a kind of blindness to what is actually going on in the spiritual world. Consequently, it leads to powerless Christianity.”~Dr. Don McCurry, founder of the Zwemer Institute of Muslim Studies “Some 62% of self-identified born-again Christians contend that the Holy Spirit is not a real, living being but is merely a symbol of God's power, presence or purity.”~Results from a 2017 Barna pollSERMON PASSAGEJohn 14:15-27; Galatians 4:1-7 (NIV)John 14 15 “If you love me, keep my commands. 16 And I will ask the Father, and he will give you another advocate to help you and be with you forever— 17 the Spirit of truth. The world cannot accept him, because it neither sees him nor knows him. But you know him, for he lives with you and will be in you. 18 I will not leave you as orphans; I will come to you. 19 Before long, the world will not see me anymore, but you will see me. Because I live, you also will live. 20 On that day you will realize that I am in my Father, and you are in me, and I am in you. 21 Whoever has my commands and keeps them is the one who loves me. The one who loves me will be loved by my Father, and I too will love them and show myself to them.” 22 Then Judas (not Judas Iscariot) said, “But, Lord, why do you intend to show yourself to us and not to the world?” 23 Jesus replied, “Anyone who loves me will obey my teaching. My Father will love them, and we will come to them and make our home with them. 24 Anyone who does not love me will not obey my teaching. These words you hear are not my own; they belong to the Father who sent me. 25 “All this I have spoken while still with you. 26 But the Advocate, the Holy Spirit, whom the Father will send in my name, will teach you all things and will remind you of everything I have said to you. 27 Peace I leave with you; my peace I give you. I do not give to you as the world gives. Do not let your hearts be troubled and do not be afraid. Galatians 4 1 What I am saying is that as long as an heir is underage, he is no different from a slave, although he owns the whole estate. 2 The heir is subject to guardians and trustees until the time set by his father. 3 So also, when we were underage, we were in slavery under the elemental spiritual forces of the world. 4 But when the set time had fully come, God sent his Son, born of a woman, born under the law, 5 to redeem those under the law, that we might receive adoption to sonship. 6 Because you are his sons, God sent the Spirit of his Son into our hearts, the Spirit who calls out, “Abba, Father.” 7 So you are no longer a slave, but God's child; and since you are his child, God has made you also an heir.

QUOTES FOR REFLECTION“We are all revolutionaries now, addicts of change…. In our society, daily experience teaches the individual to want and need a never-ending supply of new toys and drugs…. The contemporary climate is therapeutic…. People today hunger…for the feeling, the momentary illusion, of personal well-being, health, and psychic security.”~Christopher Lasch (1932-1994), American historian and social critic “According to [Dr. Jean] Twenge [co-author of The Narcissism Epidemic and professor of psychology at San Diego State University] …rates of anxiety and depression have…risen in tandem with self-esteem. Why is this? … ‘People who feel like they're unusually special end up alienating those around them,' Twenge says. ‘They don't know how to work on teams as well or deal with limits…. They don't like being told by a boss that their work might need improvement, and they feel insecure if they don't get a constant stream of praise….'”~“How to Land Your Kid in Therapy” by Lori Gottlieb in The Atlantic Monthly Much of the American Christianity has been overrun by the “prophets of self-fulfillment and gurus of self-love at the expense of the equally important teaching that every human soul is fatally corrupted by original sin. Absent the latter emphasis, religion becomes a license for egotism and selfishness, easily employed to justify what used to be consider deadly sins. The result is a society where pride becomes ‘healthy self-esteem,' vanity becomes ‘self-improvement,' adultery becomes ‘following your heart,' greed and gluttony become ‘living the American dream.'”~Ross Douthat in his book Bad Religion “Meaninglessness does not come from being weary of pain. Meaninglessness comes from being weary of pleasure.”~G.K. Chesterton (1874-1936), writer and literary critic “It is better to be hurt by the truth than to be comforted with a lie.”~Khaled Hosseini, Afghan-born novelist and physician “…the natural condition of the human ego: that it is empty, painful, busy and fragile.” “...the essence of gospel-humility is not thinking more of myself or thinking less of myself, it is thinking of myself less.”~Timothy Keller (1950-2023), The Freedom of Self ForgetfulnessSERMON PASSAGEJude Jude 1 Jude, a servant of Jesus Christ and brother of James, To those who are called, beloved in God the Father and kept for Jesus Christ: 2 May mercy, peace, and love be multiplied to you. 3 Beloved, although I was very eager to write to you about our common salvation, I found it necessary to write appealing to you to contend for the faith that was once for all delivered to the saints. 4 For certain people have crept in unnoticed who long ago were designated for this condemnation, ungodly people, who pervert the grace of our God into sensuality and deny our only Master and Lord, Jesus Christ. 5 Now I want to remind you, although you once fully knew it, that Jesus, who saved a people out of the land of Egypt, afterward destroyed those who did not believe. 6 And the angels who did not stay within their own position of authority, but left their proper dwelling, he has kept in eternal chains under gloomy darkness until the judgment of the great day— 7 just as Sodom and Gomorrah and the surrounding cities, which likewise indulged in sexual immorality and pursued unnatural desire, serve as an example by undergoing a punishment of eternal fire.8 Yet in like manner these people also, relying on their dreams, defile the flesh, reject authority, and blaspheme the glorious ones. 9 But when the archangel Michael, contending with the devil, was disputing about the body of Moses, he did not presume to pronounce a blasphemous judgment, but said, “The Lord rebuke you.” 10 But these people blaspheme all that they do not understand, and they are destroyed by all that they, like unreasoning animals, understand instinctively. 11 Woe to them! For they walked in the way of Cain and abandoned themselves for the sake of gain to Balaam's error and perished in Korah's rebellion. 12 These are hidden reefs at your love feasts, as they feast with you without fear, shepherds feeding themselves; waterless clouds, swept along by winds; fruitless trees in late autumn, twice dead, uprooted; 13 wild waves of the sea, casting up the foam of their own shame; wandering stars, for whom the gloom of utter darkness has been reserved forever. 14 It was also about these that Enoch, the seventh from Adam, prophesied, saying, “Behold, the Lord comes with ten thousands of his holy ones, 15 to execute judgment on all and to convict all the ungodly of all their deeds of ungodliness that they have committed in such an ungodly way, and of all the harsh things that ungodly sinners have spoken against him.” 16 These are grumblers, malcontents, following their own sinful desires; they are loud-mouthed boasters, showing favoritism to gain advantage. 17 But you must remember, beloved, the predictions of the apostles of our Lord Jesus Christ. 18 They said to you, “In the last time there will be scoffers, following their own ungodly passions.” 19 It is these who cause divisions, worldly people, devoid of the Spirit. 20 But you, beloved, building yourselves up in your most holy faith and praying in the Holy Spirit, 21 keep yourselves in the love of God, waiting for the mercy of our Lord Jesus Christ that leads to eternal life. 22 And have mercy on those who doubt; 23 save others by snatching them out of the fire; to others show mercy with fear, hating even the garment stained by the flesh. 24 Now to him who is able to keep you from stumbling and to present you blameless before the presence of his glory with great joy, 25 to the only God, our Savior, through Jesus Christ our Lord, be glory, majesty, dominion, and authority, before all time and now and forever. Amen. Ephesians 4 11 And he gave the apostles, the prophets, the evangelists, the shepherds and teachers, 12 to equip the saints for the work of ministry, for building up the body of Christ, 13 until we all attain to the unity of the faith and of the knowledge of the Son of God, to mature manhood, to the measure of the stature of the fullness of Christ, 14 so that we may no longer be children, tossed to and fro by the waves and carried about by every wind of doctrine, by human cunning, by craftiness in deceitful schemes. 15 Rather, speaking the truth in love, we are to grow up in every way into him who is the head, into Christ, 16 from whom the whole body, joined and held together by every joint with which it is equipped, when each part is working properly, makes the body grow so that it builds itself up in love.

QUOTES FOR REFLECTION“[Y]our brain can instinctively trust people simply because they sound as if they know what they're talking about…. Put another way, ‘Whom we trust is not only a reflection of who is trustworthy, but also a reflection of who we are'….”~Tim Herrera, journalist with The New York Times “Religion used to be the opium of the people….  But now, we are witnessing a transformation, a true opium of the people is the belief…that for our betrayals, our greed, our cowardice, our murders, we are not going to be judged.”~Czesław Miłosz (1911-2004), Polish-American poet and Nobel Laureate, regarded as one of the great poets of the 20th century “A God without wrath brought men without sin into a kingdom without judgment through the ministrations of a Christ without a cross.”~H. Richard Niebuhr (1894-1962), Yale professor, describing the religion of many American churches “The trouble with human nature is that we are born with a heart that loves ourselves over and above everything else in this world, including God. In short, we are born slaves to the lust for self-gratification, i.e., concupiscence. That's why, if left to ourselves, we will always love those things that make us feel good about ourselves, even as we depart more and more from God and his ways. Therefore, God must intervene in our lives in order to bring salvation.~Dr. Ashley Null, English Reformation scholar and author Sin “is irrational…. Sin deceives and destroys.”~Thabiti Anyabwile, pastor and author God “is not there to conform to us; we must conform to him. He summons us from outside of ourselves to know him. We do not go inside of ourselves to find him…. He is not known on our terms. This summons is heard in and through his Word. It is not heard through our intuitions.”~David F. Wells, professor and author in God in the Whirlwind “Recognizing who we are in Christ is the ultimate self-care because the Word of God doesn't reinvent itself along with a constantly changing culture.”~Alisa Childers, author and singer-songwriterSERMON PASSAGEJude 1-16 (ESV) 1 Jude, a servant of Jesus Christ and brother of James, To those who are called, beloved in God the Father and kept for Jesus Christ: 2 May mercy, peace, and love be multiplied to you. 3 Beloved, although I was very eager to write to you about our common salvation, I found it necessary to write appealing to you to contend for the faith that was once for all delivered to the saints. 4 For certain people have crept in unnoticed who long ago were designated for this condemnation, ungodly people, who pervert the grace of our God into sensuality and deny our only Master and Lord, Jesus Christ. 5 Now I want to remind you, although you once fully knew it, that Jesus, who saved a people out of the land of Egypt, afterward destroyed those who did not believe. 6 And the angels who did not stay within their own position of authority, but left their proper dwelling, he has kept in eternal chains under gloomy darkness until the judgment of the great day— 7 just as Sodom and Gomorrah and the surrounding cities, which likewise indulged in sexual immorality and pursued unnatural desire, serve as an example by undergoing a punishment of eternal fire.8 Yet in like manner these people also, relying on their dreams, defile the flesh, reject authority, and blaspheme the glorious ones. 9 But when the archangel Michael, contending with the devil, was disputing about the body of Moses, he did not presume to pronounce a blasphemous judgment, but said, “The Lord rebuke you.” 10 But these people blaspheme all that they do not understand, and they are destroyed by all that they, like unreasoning animals, understand instinctively. 11 Woe to them! For they walked in the way of Cain and abandoned themselves for the sake of gain to Balaam's error and perished in Korah's rebellion. 12 These are hidden reefs at your love feasts, as they feast with you without fear, shepherds feeding themselves; waterless clouds, swept along by winds; fruitless trees in late autumn, twice dead, uprooted; 13 wild waves of the sea, casting up the foam of their own shame; wandering stars, for whom the gloom of utter darkness has been reserved forever.14 It was also about these that Enoch, the seventh from Adam, prophesied, saying, “Behold, the Lord comes with ten thousands of his holy ones, 15 to execute judgment on all and to convict all the ungodly of all their deeds of ungodliness that they have committed in such an ungodly way, and of all the harsh things that ungodly sinners have spoken against him.” 16 These are grumblers, malcontents, following their own sinful desires; they are loud-mouthed boasters, showing favoritism to gain advantage.

QUOTES FOR REFLECTION“Home isn't where you're from, it's where you find light when all grows dark.”~Pierce Brown, Golden Son “Christianity teaches that, contra fatalism, suffering is overwhelming; contra Buddhism, suffering is real; contra karma, suffering is often unfair; but contra secularism, suffering is meaningful. There is a purpose to it, and if faced rightly, it can drive us like a nail deep into the love of God and into more stability and spiritual power than you can imagine.”~Tim Keller, Walking with God through Pain and Suffering“The Christian, however, must bear the burden of a brother. He must suffer and endure the brother. It is only when he is a burden that another person is really a brother and not merely an object to be manipulated. The burden of men was so heavy for God Himself that He had to endure the Cross. God verily bore the burden of men in the body of Jesus Christ. But He bore them as a mother carries her child, as a shepherd enfolds the lost lamb that has been found. God took men upon Himself and they weighted Him to the ground, but God remained with them and they with God. In bearing with men God maintained fellowship with them. It was the law of Christ that was fulfilled in the Cross. And Christians must share in this law.”~Dietrich Bonhoeffer, Life Together“I thank my God in all my remembrance of you, always in every prayer of mine for you all making my prayer with joy, because of your partnership in the gospel from the first day until now. And I am sure of this, that he who began a good work in you will bring it to completion at the day of Jesus Christ. It is right for me to feel this way about you all, because I hold you in my heart, for you are all partakers with me of grace, both in my imprisonment and in the defense and confirmation of the gospel. For God is my witness, how I yearn for you all with the affection of Christ Jesus. And it is my prayer that your love may abound more and more, with knowledge and all discernment, so that you may approve what is excellent, and so be pure and blameless for the day of Christ, filled with the fruit of righteousness that comes through Jesus Christ, to the glory and praise of God.”~Philippians 1:3-11 (ESV)SERMON PASSAGEPhilippians 4:4-20 (ESV) 4 Rejoice in the Lord always; again I will say, rejoice. 5 Let your reasonableness be known to everyone. The Lord is at hand; 6 do not be anxious about anything, but in everything by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known to God. 7 And the peace of God, which surpasses all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus. 8 Finally, brothers, whatever is true, whatever is honorable, whatever is just, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is commendable, if there is any excellence, if there is anything worthy of praise, think about these things. 9 What you have learned and received and heard and seen in me—practice these things, and the God of peace will be with you. 10 I rejoiced in the Lord greatly that now at length you have revived your concern for me. You were indeed concerned for me, but you had no opportunity.11 Not that I am speaking of being in need, for I have learned in whatever situation I am to be content. 12 I know how to be brought low, and I know how to abound. In any and every circumstance, I have learned the secret of facing plenty and hunger, abundance and need. 13 I can do all things through him who strengthens me.14 Yet it was kind of you to share my trouble. 15 And you Philippians yourselves know that in the beginning of the gospel, when I left Macedonia, no church entered into partnership with me in giving and receiving, except you only. 16 Even in Thessalonica you sent me help for my needs once and again. 17 Not that I seek the gift, but I seek the fruit that increases to your credit. 18 I have received full payment, and more. I am well supplied, having received from Epaphroditus the gifts you sent, a fragrant offering, a sacrifice acceptable and pleasing to God. 19 And my God will supply every need of yours according to his riches in glory in Christ Jesus. 20 To our God and Father be glory forever and ever. Amen.

QUOTES FOR REFLECTION“If physical objects please you, praise God for them, but turn back your love to their Creator, lest, in those things which please you, you displease him.” ~Confessions by St. Augustine (354-430), bishop in North Africa “But the most obvious fact about praise – whether of God or anything – strangely escaped me. I thought of it in terms of compliment, approval, or the giving of honor. I had never noticed that all enjoyment spontaneously overflows into praise… I think we delight to praise what we enjoy because the praise not merely expresses but completes the enjoyment; it is its appointed consummation. It is not out of compliment that lovers keep on telling one another how beautiful they are; the delight is incomplete till it is expressed. It is frustrating to have discovered a new author and not to be able to tell anyone how good he is; to come suddenly, at the turn of the road, upon some mountain valley of unexpected grandeur and then to have to keep silent because the people with you care for it no more than for a tin can in the ditch; to hear a good joke and find no one to share it with.”~C.S. Lewis, Reflections on the Psalms “If a psalm was ever written round the promises to Abraham that he would be both blessed and made a blessing, it could well have been such as this.”~ Derek Kidner, Psalms “Judge not the Lord by feeble sense,But trust Him for His grace;Behind a frowning providenceHe hides a smiling face.”~ “God Moves in a Mysterious Way” by William CowperSERMON PASSAGEPsalm 67 (ESV)1 May God be gracious to us and bless us  and make his face to shine upon us, Selah2 that your way may be known on earth,  your saving power among all nations.3 Let the peoples praise you, O God;  let all the peoples praise you! 4 Let the nations be glad and sing for joy,  for you judge the peoples with equity  and guide the nations upon earth. Selah5 Let the peoples praise you, O God;  let all the peoples praise you! 6 The earth has yielded its increase;  God, our God, shall bless us.7 God shall bless us;  let all the ends of the earth fear him!

QUOTES FOR REFLECTION“Man is literally split in two: he has an awareness of his own splendid uniqueness in that he sticks out of nature with a towering majesty, and yet he goes back into the ground a few feet in order blindly and dumbly to rot and disappear forever.”~Ernest Becker (1927-1974) in The Denial of Death “Religion used to be the opium of the people. To those suffering humiliation, pain, illness, and serfdom, religion promised the reward of an afterlife. But now, we are witnessing a transformation, a true opium of the people is the belief in nothingness after death, the huge solace, the huge comfort of thinking that for our betrayals, our greed, our cowardice, our murders, we are not going to be judged.”~Czesław Miłosz (1911-2004), Polish-American poet and Nobel Laureate, regarded as one of the great poets of the 20th century “The final dignity of a thing is its glory—that is, the realizing of its built-in potential for good…. The true glory of all objects appears when they do what they were made to do.”~J.I. Packer & Thomas Howard in Christianity: The True Humanism “The glory of God is man fully alive, and the life of man is the vision of God.” ~Irenaeus (c.130-c.202), early Christian leader in Against Heresies “Living according to the truth is the most authentic way to live because it's what we were made for.”~Alisa Childers, singer-songwriter and author “…a Christian lives not in himself, but in Christ and in his neighbor…. He lives in Christ through faith, in his neighbor through love. By faith he is caught up beyond himself into God. By love he descends beneath himself into his neighbor.”~Martin Luther (1483-1546), German reformerSERMON PASSAGEselected passages (ESV)John 14 – The Words of Jesus18 “I will not leave you as orphans; I will come to you. 19 Yet a little while and the world will see me no more, but you will see me. Because I live, you also will live. 20 In that day you will know that I am in my Father, and you in me, and I in you. John 15 – The Words of Jesus4 Abide in me, and I in you. As the branch cannot bear fruit by itself, unless it abides in the vine, neither can you, unless you abide in me. 5 I am the vine; you are the branches. Whoever abides in me and I in him, he it is that bears much fruit, for apart from me you can do nothing. Colossians 26 Therefore, as you received Christ Jesus the Lord, so walk in him, 7 rooted and built up in him and established in the faith, just as you were taught, abounding in thanksgiving.8 See to it that no one takes you captive by philosophy and empty deceit, according to human tradition, according to the elemental spirits of the world, and not according to Christ. 9 For in him the whole fullness of deity dwells bodily, 10 and you have been filled in him, who is the head of all rule and authority. 11 In him also you were circumcised with a circumcision made without hands, by putting off the body of the flesh, by the circumcision of Christ, 12 having been buried with him in baptism, in which you were also raised with him through faith in the powerful working of God, who raised him from the dead. 13 And you, who were dead in your trespasses and the uncircumcision of your flesh, God made alive together with him, having forgiven us all our trespasses, 14 by canceling the record of debt that stood against us with its legal demands. This he set aside, nailing it to the cross. 15 He disarmed the rulers and authorities and put them to open shame, by triumphing over them in him.

QUOTES FOR REFLECTION“Man is the only creature who refuses to be what he is.”~Albert Camus (1913-1960), French journalist and philosopher “Man cannot endure his own littleness unless he can translate it into meaningfulness on the largest possible level.”~Ernest Becker (1924-1974), in The Denial of Death “…over the past few decades, people have lost a sense of their own sinfulness. Children are raised amid a chorus of applause. Politics has become less about institutional restraint and more about giving voters whatever they want at that second. Joe DiMaggio didn't ostentatiously admire his own home runs, but now athletes routinely celebrate themselves as part of the self-branding process.”~David Brooks in The New York Times “‘You are enough' is a message that enslaves people…. It burdens them with the obligation of being the source of their own joy, contentment, and peace.” “You are not enough, but when your trust is placed in Jesus, his enough-ness is transferred to you.”~Alisa Childers, singer, songwriter, and author “The true penitent, though he dreads punishment, much more dreads sin…”~Charles Spurgeon (1834-1892) “Modern secularism (which insists on keeping faith private) and modern pietism (which keeps Jesus safely contained in the hearts of individual believers) are usually assumed to be adversaries. But this feud is ultimately a battle between brothers. They share conceptual DNA with Marcion and the Gnostics.”~Ken Myers, contemporary Christian thinker “It is not a question of whether we worship, but what we worship.” “We are what we love. And love takes practice.”~James K. A. Smith, Canadian-born contemporary philosopher “The glory of God is man fully alive, and the life of man is the vision of God.”~Irenaeus (c.130-c.202), early Christian leader in Against HeresiesSERMON PASSAGEselected passagesJohn 1 (ESV) 1 In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God…. 14 And the Word became flesh and dwelt among us, and we have seen his glory, glory as of the only Son from the Father, full of grace and truth. 1 John 3 (ESV) 1 See what kind of love the Father has given to us, that we should be called children of God; and so we are. The reason why the world does not know us is that it did not know him. 2 Beloved, we are God's children now, and what we will be has not yet appeared; but we know that when he appears we shall be like him, because we shall see him as he is. 3 And everyone who thus hopes in him purifies himself as he is pure. 4 Everyone who makes a practice of sinning also practices lawlessness; sin is lawlessness. 5 You know that he appeared in order to take away sins, and in him there is no sin. 6 No one who abides in him keeps on sinning; no one who keeps on sinning has either seen him or known him. 7 Little children, let no one deceive you. Whoever practices righteousness is righteous, as he is righteous. 8 Whoever makes a practice of sinning is of the devil, for the devil has been sinning from the beginning. The reason the Son of God appeared was to destroy the works of the devil. 9 No one born of God makes a practice of sinning, for God's seed abides in him; and he cannot keep on sinning, because he has been born of God. 10 By this it is evident who are the children of God, and who are the children of the devil: whoever does not practice righteousness is not of God, nor is the one who does not love his brother. John 17 (ESV) – The Words of Jesus 22 The glory that you have given me I have given to them…. 24 Father, I desire that they also, whom you have given me, may be with me where I am, to see my glory that you have given me because you loved me before the foundation of the world. 25 O righteous Father, even though the world does not know you, I know you, and these know that you have sent me. 26 I made known to them your name, and I will continue to make it known, that the love with which you have loved me may be in them, and I in them. Colossians 3 (NASB95) 1 Therefore if you have been raised up with Christ, keep seeking the things above, where Christ is, seated at the right hand of God. 2 Set your mind on the things above, not on the things that are on earth. 3 For you have died and your life is hidden with Christ in God. 4 When Christ, who is our life, is revealed, then you also will be revealed with Him in glory.

QUOTES FOR REFLECTION“…God does not let himself be surpassed in generosity, but surpasses our generosity in endless ways.”~Martin Luther (1483-1546) in Annotations on Ecclesiastes “Unbelief doesn't see God as the ultimate good. So it can't see sin as the ultimate evil.”~Jackie Hill Perry, writer and hip-hop artist “Sin is a deep interior dislocation of the soul.”~Dorothy L. Sayers (1893-1957), English writer and poet “Be killing sin or it will be killing you.” “…longing, breathing, and panting after deliverance is a grace in itself, that hath a mighty power to conform the soul into the likeness of the thing longed after.”~John Owen (1616-1683), English academic and theologian “The Christian's motto should not be ‘Let go and let God' but ‘Trust God and get going.'”~J.I. Packer (1926-2020), English-born Canadian theologian God declares us righteous “…upon the justice of Christ given and imputed to us, and not upon the holiness and grace that is inherent in us.” ~Gasparo Contarini (1483-1542), Italian Diplomat and Cardinal “Because faith alone justifies… publicans and prostitutes will be first in the kingdom of heaven.”~Hilary of Poitiers, key 4th century Christian leader “If you look at the world, you'll be distressed. If you look within, you'll be depressed. But if you look at Christ you'll be at rest.”~Corrie Ten Boom (1892-1983), Dutch watchmaker and Holocaust survivorSERMON PASSAGEselected passagesJohn 17 (ESV) 22 The glory that you have given me I have given to them…. 26 I made known to them your name, and I will continue to make it known, that the love with which you have loved me may be in them, and I in them. Colossians 3 (NASB95) 1 Therefore if you have been raised up with Christ, keep seeking the things above, where Christ is, seated at the right hand of God. 2 Set your mind on the things above, not on the things that are on earth. 3 For you have died and your life is hidden with Christ in God. 4 When Christ, who is our life, is revealed, then you also will be revealed with Him in glory. 5 Therefore consider the members of your earthly body as dead to immorality, impurity, passion, evil desire, and greed, which amounts to idolatry. 6 For it is because of these things that the wrath of God will come upon the sons of disobedience, 7 and in them you also once walked, when you were living in them. 8 But now you also, put them all aside: anger, wrath, malice, slander, and abusive speech from your mouth. 9 Do not lie to one another, since you laid aside the old self with its evil practices, 10 and have put on the new self who is being renewed to a true knowledge according to the image of the One who created him…John 8 (NASB95) 34 Jesus answered them, “Truly, truly, I say to you, everyone who commits sin is the slave of sin. 35 The slave does not remain in the house forever; the son does remain forever. 36 So if the Son makes you free, you will be free indeed. 1 John 2 (NASB95) 15 Do not love the world nor the things in the world. If anyone loves the world, the love of the Father is not in him. 16 For all that is in the world, the lust of the flesh and the lust of the eyes and the boastful pride of life, is not from the Father, but is from the world. 17 The world is passing away, and also its lusts; but the one who does the will of God lives forever. 1 John 3 (NASB95) 1 See how great a love the Father has bestowed on us, that we would be called children of God; and such we are. For this reason the world does not know us, because it did not know Him. 2 Beloved, now we are children of God, and it has not appeared as yet what we will be. We know that when He appears, we will be like Him, because we will see Him just as He is.

QUOTES FOR REFLECTION“Sadly, many of the things that undermine our joy and happiness, we create ourselves. Often it comes from the negative tendencies of the mind or emotional reactivity…”~Desmond Tutu & Dalai Lama “Unbelief doesn't see God as the ultimate good. So it can't see sin as the ultimate evil. It instead sees sin as a good thing and thus God's commands as a stumbling block to joy. In believing the devil, I didn't need a pentagram pendant to wear, neither did I need to memorize a hex or two. All I had to do was trust myself more than God's Word. I had to believe that my thoughts, my affections, my rights, my wishes, were worthy of absolute obedience and that in laying prostrate before the flimsy throne I'd made for myself, that I'd be doing a good thing.”~Jackie Hill Perry “I sometimes wonder whether all pleasures are not substitutes for joy.”~C.S. Lewis “As the early church fathers delighted in saying, Christ took what was ours so that we might receive what was His.”~Sinclair B. Ferguson “The Christian Gospel is that I am so flawed that Jesus had to die for me, yet I am so loved and valued that Jesus was glad to die for me. This leads to deep humility and deep confidence at the same time. It undermines both swaggering and sniveling. I cannot feel superior to anyone, and yet I have nothing to prove to anyone. I do not think more of myself nor less of myself. Instead, I think of myself less.”~Tim Keller “There is a marvelous medicinal power in joy. Most medicines are distasteful; but this, which is the best of all medicines, is sweet to the taste, and comforting to the heart. This blessed joy is very contagious. One dolorous spirit brings a kind of plague into the house; one person who is wretched seems to stop all the birds from singing wherever he goes . . . [But] the grace of joy is contagious. Holy joy will oil the wheels of your life's machinery. Holy joy will strengthen you for your daily labor. Holy joy will beautify you and give you an influence over the lives of others.”~Charles SpurgeonSERMON PASSAGEPhilippians 2:1-11 (ESV)1 So if there is any encouragement in Christ, any comfort from love, any participation in the Spirit, any affection and sympathy, 2 complete my joy by being of the same mind, having the same love, being in full accord and of one mind. 3 Do nothing from selfish ambition or conceit, but in humility count others more significant than yourselves. 4 Let each of you look not only to his own interests, but also to the interests of others. 5 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.

QUOTES FOR REFLECTION“Men come and go; leaders, teachers, thinkers speak and work for a season, and then fall silent and impotent. He abides. They die, but He lives. They are lights kindled, and, therefore, sooner or later quenched; but He is the true light from which they draw all their brightness, and He shines for evermore.”~Alexander MacLaren “If when I am able to discover something which has baffled others, I forget Him who revealeth the deep and secret things, and knoweth what is in the darkness and showeth it to us; if I forget that it was He who granted that ray of light to His most unworthy servant, then I know nothing of Calvary love.”~Amy Carmichael “May not a single moment of my life be spent outside the light, love and joy of God's presence and not a moment without the entire surrender of myself as a vessel for Him to fill full of His Spirit and His love.”~Andrew Murray “This is the message we have heard from him and proclaim to you, that God is light, and in him is no darkness at all.”~1 John 1:5. “I have come into the world as light, so that whoever believes in me may not remain in darkness.”~John 12:46 “And this is the judgment: the light has come into the world, and people loved the darkness rather than the light because their works were evil. For everyone who does wicked things hates the light and does not come to the light, lest his works should be exposed. But whoever does what is true comes to the light, so that it may be clearly seen that his works have been carried out in God.”~John 3:19–21SERMON PASSAGELuke 19:1-10; John 1:4-5, 3:19-21, 8:12 (ESV)Luke 19 1 He entered Jericho and was passing through. 2 And behold, there was a man named Zacchaeus. He was a chief tax collector and was rich. 3 And he was seeking to see who Jesus was, but on account of the crowd he could not, because he was small in stature. 4 So he ran on ahead and climbed up into a sycamore tree to see him, for he was about to pass that way. 5 And when Jesus came to the place, he looked up and said to him, “Zacchaeus, hurry and come down, for I must stay at your house today.” 6 So he hurried and came down and received him joyfully. 7 And when they saw it, they all grumbled, “He has gone in to be the guest of a man who is a sinner.” 8 And Zacchaeus stood and said to the Lord, “Behold, Lord, the half of my goods I give to the poor. And if I have defrauded anyone of anything, I restore it fourfold.” 9 And Jesus said to him, “Today salvation has come to this house, since he also is a son of Abraham. 10 For the Son of Man came to seek and to save the lost.”  John 1 4 In him was life, and the life was the light of men. 5 The light shines in the darkness, and the darkness has not overcome it. John 3 19 And this is the judgment: the light has come into the world, and people loved the darkness rather than the light because their works were evil. 20 For everyone who does wicked things hates the light and does not come to the light, lest his works should be exposed. 21 But whoever does what is true comes to the light, so that it may be clearly seen that his works have been carried out in God.” John 8 12 Again Jesus spoke to them, saying, “I am the light of the world. Whoever follows me will not walk in darkness, but will have the light of life.”

QUOTES FOR REFLECTION“Americans are turning to wellness trends, podcasts, and life coaches to piece together a spiritual tool kit tailored specifically to them. The aim isn't salvation so much as optimization: better sleep, inner peace, and profitable entrepreneurship.”“Our epidemic of isolation — the feeling that life is a restless, stumbling circle rather than a path with a clear goal — is the legacy of that same noble intellectual tradition to which we owe so much. American culture fetishizes the individual through a very narrow idea of freedom as the absence of restraint…Operating as if our primary task were to achieve happiness — and defining happiness as freedom from duties and obligations, seeing them as burdens rather than as opportunities — lands us in a place that's out of touch with human nature, a place of anxiety and loneliness and the constant pressure to find fulfillment. This leads to the dopamine hits of social media and the incredibly fragile egos that depend on them to develop a sense of self.”~Molly Worthen (1981-present), journalist and professor of history at UNC-Chapel Hill“People who end up not just the happiest but the healthiest are the people who have more social connections and warmer social connections. Connections of all kinds—not just intimate partners, but friends and work colleagues and casual relationships. All of that adds up to a happier and healthier life as you get older.”~Robert Waldinger (1951-present), Harvard professor of psychiatry“If you are selfish, and make yourself and your own private interests your idol, God will leave you to yourself, and let you promote your own interests as well as you can. But if you do not selfishly seek your own, but do seek the things that are Jesus Christ's, and the things of your fellow-beings, then God will make your interest and happiness his own charge, and he is infinitely more able to provide for and promote it than you are. The resources of the universe move at his bidding, and he can easily command them all to subserve your welfare. So that, not to seek your own, in the selfish sense, is the best way of seeking your own in a better sense. It is the directest course you can take to secure your highest happiness.”~Jonathan Edwards (1703-1758), Puritan theologian and pastor “Cheap grace means grace as a doctrine, a principle, a system. It means forgiveness of sins proclaimed as a general truth.”~Dietrich Bonhoeffer (1906-1945), German theologian, pastor, and Nazi dissidentSERMON PASSAGEGenesis 3:1-15 (ESV) 1 Now the serpent was more crafty than any other beast of the field that the Lord God had made.  He said to the woman, “Did God actually say, ‘You shall not eat of any tree in the garden'?” 2 And the woman said to the serpent, “We may eat of the fruit of the trees in the garden, 3 but God said, ‘You shall not eat of the fruit of the tree that is in the midst of the garden, neither shall you touch it, lest you die.'” 4 But the serpent said to the woman, “You will not surely die. 5 For God knows that when you eat of it your eyes will be opened, and you will be like God, knowing good and evil.” 6 So when the woman saw that the tree was good for food, and that it was a delight to the eyes, and that the tree was to be desired to make one wise, she took of its fruit and ate, and she also gave some to her husband who was with her, and he ate. 7 Then the eyes of both were opened, and they knew that they were naked. And they sewed fig leaves together and made themselves loincloths.  8 And they heard the sound of the Lord God walking in the garden in the cool of the day, and the man and his wife hid themselves from the presence of the Lord God among the trees of the garden. 9 But the Lord God called to the man and said to him, “Where are you?” 10 And he said, “I heard the sound of you in the garden, and I was afraid, because I was naked, and I hid myself.” 11 He said, “Who told you that you were naked? Have you eaten of the tree of which I commanded you not to eat?” 12 The man said, “The woman whom you gave to be with me, she gave me fruit of the tree, and I ate.” 13 Then the Lord God said to the woman, “What is this that you have done?” The woman said, “The serpent deceived me, and I ate.”  14 The Lord God said to the serpent,      “Because you have done this,     cursed are you above all livestock     and above all beasts of the field;     on your belly you shall go,     and dust you shall eat     all the days of your life. 15         I will put enmity between you and the woman,     and between your offspring and her offspring;     he shall bruise your head,     and you shall bruise his heel.”

QUOTES FOR REFLECTION“When the apostles preached, they could assume even in their Pagan hearers a real consciousness of deserving the Divine anger… It was against this background that the Gospel appeared as good news. It brought news of possible healing to men who knew they were mortally ill.”~C.S Lewis, Author & Theologian, in The Problem of Pain “I found a place where the past was forgivenWhere my mistakes met a grace I couldn't earnAnd so I piled up my excuses and defenses in the nightThen I lit a match, stepped back and watched them burn.”~“Carry Me” by NeedtoBreathe“God is so faithful. He says, ‘If you bring me your sin, if you uncover it before me, I will cover it. I will do the very thing that you're trying to do in your own strength and power.'”~Juan Sánchez, Pastor & Author“If one is not genuinely offended by one's sin, there is no repentance. Repentance is painful, but it is a sweet pain. It demands brokenness of heart but always with a view to healing and restoration and a renewed vision of the beauty of Christ and forgiving grace.”~Sam Storms, Pastor & AuthorSERMON PASSAGEPsalm 32 (ESV)1 Blessed is the one whose transgression is forgiven,   whose sin is covered.2 Blessed is the man against whom the Lord counts no iniquity,   and in whose spirit there is no deceit. 3 For when I kept silent, my bones wasted away   through my groaning all day long.4 For day and night your hand was heavy upon me;   my strength was dried up as by the heat of summer. Selah 5 I acknowledged my sin to you,   and I did not cover my iniquity;   I said, “I will confess my transgressions to the Lord,”   and you forgave the iniquity of my sin. Selah 6 Therefore let everyone who is godly   offer prayer to you at a time when you may be found;   surely in the rush of great waters,   they shall not reach him.7 You are a hiding place for me;   you preserve me from trouble;   you surround me with shouts of deliverance. Selah 8 I will instruct you and teach you in the way you should go;   I will counsel you with my eye upon you.9 Be not like a horse or a mule, without understanding,   which must be curbed with bit and bridle,   or it will not stay near you. 10 Many are the sorrows of the wicked,    but steadfast love surrounds the one who trusts in the Lord.11 Be glad in the Lord, and rejoice, O righteous,   and shout for joy, all you upright in heart!

QUOTES FOR REFLECTION“Sin is a deep interior dislocation of the soul.”~Dorothy L. Sayers (1893-1957), English writer and poet Gospel “…repentance…is a gracious principle and habit implanted in the soul by the Spirit of Christ, in the exercise of which a regenerate and believing sinner, deeply sensible of the exceeding sinfulness and just demerit of his innumerable sins is truly humbled and grieved before the Lord…. This godly sorrow for sin and this holy abhorrence of it arise from a spiritual discovery of pardoning mercy with God in Christ, and from the exercise of trusting in His mercy.”~John Colquhoun (1748-1827), Scottish pastor “Cheap grace is the deadly enemy of our Church. We are fighting today for costly grace…. Cheap grace means the justification of sin without the justification of the sinner…. [Costly grace] is costly because it cost God the life of his Son.”~Dietrich Bonhoeffer (1906-1945) in The Cost of Discipleship “The only sin that you can have any victory over is a forgiven sin.”~John Piper, theologian and author 24 There is one who scatters, and yet increases all the more,And there is one who withholds what is justly due, and yet it results only in want.25 The generous man will be prosperous,And he who waters will himself be watered.26 He who withholds grain, the people will curse him,But blessing will be on the head of him who sells it.27 He who diligently seeks good seeks favor,But he who seeks evil, evil will come to him.28 He who trusts in his riches will fall,But the righteous will flourish like the green leaf.~Proverbs 11 (NASB95) “The most selfish thing you can do is to help other people.”~Brian Mullaney, entrepreneur and philanthropist “He is no fool who gives what he cannot keep to gain that which he cannot lose.”~Jim Elliot (1927-1956), missionary and martyrSERMON PASSAGEJohn 17 (ESV)22 The glory that you have given me I have given to them…. 26 I made known to them your name, and I will continue to make it known, that the love with which you have loved me may be in them, and I in them. Ephesians 1 (ESV)3 Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who has blessed us in Christ with every spiritual blessing in the heavenly places, 4 even as he chose us in him before the foundation of the world, that we should be holy and blameless before him. In love 5 he predestined us for adoption to himself as sons through Jesus Christ, according to the purpose of his will, 6 to the praise of his glorious grace, with which he has blessed us in the Beloved. 7 In him we have redemption through his blood, the forgiveness of our trespasses, according to the riches of his grace, 8 which he lavished upon us, in all wisdom and insight 9 making known to us the mystery of his will, according to his purpose, which he set forth in Christ 10 as a plan for the fullness of time, to unite all things in him, things in heaven and things on earth.11 In him we have obtained an inheritance, having been predestined according to the purpose of him who works all things according to the counsel of his will, 12 so that we who were the first to hope in Christ might be to the praise of his glory.2 Thessalonians 2 (ESV)13 But we ought always to give thanks to God for you, brothers beloved by the Lord, because God chose you as the firstfruits to be saved, through sanctification by the Spirit and belief in the truth. 14 To this he called you through our gospel, so that you may obtain the glory of our Lord Jesus Christ. 2 Corinthians 9 (NASB95)6 Now this I say, he who sows sparingly will also reap sparingly, and he who sows bountifully will also reap bountifully. 7 Each one must do just as he has purposed in his heart, not grudgingly or under compulsion, for God loves a cheerful giver. 8 And God is able to make all grace abound to you, so that always having all sufficiency in everything, you may have an abundance for every good deed; 9 as it is written,“He scattered abroad, he gave to the poor, His righteousness endures forever.”10 Now He who supplies seed to the sower and bread for food will supply and multiply your seed for sowing and increase the harvest of your righteousness; 11 you will be enriched in everything for all liberality, which through us is producing thanksgiving to God.

QUOTES FOR REFLECTION“The triune God is…not a God who hoards his life, but one who gives it away, as he would show in that supreme moment of his self-revelation on the cross. The Father finds his very identity in giving his life and being to the Son; and the Son images his Father in sharing his life with us through the Holy Spirit.”~Michael Reeves in his book Delighting in the Trinity “All that exists is God's gift to man, and it all exists to make God known to man, to make man's life communion with God.” ~Alexander Schmemann (1921-1983) in his book For the Life of the World “…the ideas of freedom and social solidarity, of…human rights and democracy, [are] the direct heir of the Judaic ethic of justice and the Christian ethic of love. This legacy, substantially unchanged, has been the object of continual critical appropriation and reinterpretation. To this day, there is no alternative to it. And in light of the current challenges…, we continue to draw on the substance of this heritage. Everything else is just idle postmodern talk.”~Jürgen Habermas, German philosopher and social-critical theorist “Today is mine. Tomorrow is none of my business. If I peer anxiously into the fog of the future, I will strain my spiritual eyes so that I will not see clearly what is required of me now.”          ~Elisabeth Elliot (1926-2015), missionary, author, and speaker “People treat God's sovereignty as a matter of controversy, but in Scripture it is a matter of worship.”~J.I. Packer (1926-2020), English-born Canadian theologian “Worship must be the heart of the church because Christ is the head of the church.”~H.B. Charles, Jr., pastor and authorSERMON PASSAGEJohn 17 and selected passages (NASB95)John 17 1 Jesus spoke these things; and lifting up His eyes to heaven, He said, “Father, the hour has come; glorify Your Son, that the Son may glorify You, 2 even as You gave Him authority over all flesh, that to all whom You have given Him, He may give eternal life. 3 This is eternal life, that they may know You, the only true God, and Jesus Christ whom You have sent…. 4 I glorified You on the earth, having accomplished the work which You have given Me to do. 5 Now, Father, glorify Me together with Yourself, with the glory which I had with You before the world was…. 22 The glory which You have given Me I have given to them, that they may be one, just as We are one; 23 I in them and You in Me, that they may be perfected in unity, so that the world may know that You sent Me, and loved them, even as You have loved Me….  26 and I have made Your name known to them, and will make it known, so that the love with which You loved Me may be in them, and I in them.” Colossians 3 1 Therefore if you have been raised up with Christ, keep seeking the things above, where Christ is, seated at the right hand of God. 2 Set your mind on the things above, not on the things that are on earth. 3 For you have died and your life is hidden with Christ in God. 4 When Christ, who is our life, is revealed, then you also will be revealed with Him in glory.Mark 8 34 And [Jesus] summoned the crowd with His disciples, and said to them, “If anyone wishes to come after Me, he must deny himself, and take up his cross and follow Me. 35 For whoever wishes to save his life will lose it, but whoever loses his life for My sake and the gospel's will save it. Romans 5 1 Therefore, having been justified by faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ, 2 through whom also we have obtained our introduction by faith into this grace in which we stand; and we exult in hope of the glory of God. 3 And not only this, but we also exult in our tribulations, knowing that tribulation brings about perseverance; 4 and perseverance, proven character; and proven character, hope; 5 and hope does not disappoint, because the love of God has been poured out within our hearts through the Holy Spirit who was given to us. Romans 8 15 For you have not received a spirit of slavery leading to fear again, but you have received a spirit of adoption as sons by which we cry out, “Abba! Father!” 16 The Spirit Himself testifies with our spirit that we are children of God, 17 and if children, heirs also, heirs of God and fellow heirs with Christ, if indeed we suffer with Him so that we may also be glorified with Him. 18 For I consider that the sufferings of this present time are not worthy to be compared with the glory that is to be revealed to us.

***Please note: there were some technical difficulties with this recording. We apologize for the lower-quality audio this week. QUOTES FOR REFLECTION“The glory of God is man fully alive, and the life of man is the vision of God.”~Irenaeus (c.130-c.202), early Christian leader in Against Heresies “…Christian vision illuminates the whole of our experience with incomparable splendor. Far from beckoning us away from raw human experience, this vision opens up to us its full richness, depth, and meaning.” “The final dignity of a thing is its glory—that is, the realizing of its built-in potential for good…. The true glory of all objects appears when they do what they were made to do.” “To the Christian, every human being has intrinsic and inalienable dignity by virtue of being made in God's image and realizes and exhibits the full potential of that dignity only in the worship and service of the Creator.”~J. I. Packer and Thomas Howard, in Christianity: The True Humanism Q: What is the main purpose of mankind?A: Mankind's main purpose is to glorify God and to enjoy him forever.~Westminster Shorter Catechism (1647), Question 1 “To please God … to be a real ingredient in the divine happiness … to be loved by God, not merely pitied, but delighted in as an artist delights in his work or a father in a son—it seems impossible, a weight or burden of glory which our thoughts can hardly sustain. But so it is.”~C.S. Lewis (1898-1963) in The Weight of Glory “Recognizing who we are in Christ is the ultimate self-care because the Word of God doesn't reinvent itself along with a constantly changing culture.”~Alisa Childers, singer-songwriter and author “If you look at the world, you'll be distressed. If you look within, you'll be depressed. But if you look at Christ you'll be at rest.”~Corrie Ten Boom (1892-1983), Dutch watchmaker and Holocaust survivorSERMON PASSAGEselected passages (NASB95)John 171 Jesus spoke these things; and lifting up His eyes to heaven, He said, “Father, the hour has come; glorify Your Son, that the Son may glorify You…. 4 I glorified You on the earth, having accomplished the work which You have given Me to do. 5 Now, Father, glorify Me together with Yourself, with the glory which I had with You before the world was….6 “I have manifested Your name to the men whom You gave Me out of the world; they were Yours and You gave them to Me, and they have kept Your word…. 13 But now I come to You; and these things I speak in the world so that they may have My joy made full in themselves…. 20 I do not ask on behalf of these alone, but for those also who believe in Me through their word…. 22 The glory which You have given Me I have given to them, that they may be one, just as We are one…. 26 and I have made Your name known to them, and will make it known, so that the love with which You loved Me may be in them, and I in them.”Romans 51 Therefore, having been justified by faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ, 2 through whom also we have obtained our introduction by faith into this grace in which we stand; and we exult in hope of the glory of God.Romans 814 For all who are being led by the Spirit of God, these are sons of God. 15 For you have not received a spirit of slavery leading to fear again, but you have received a spirit of adoption as sons by which we cry out, “Abba! Father!” 16 The Spirit Himself testifies with our spirit that we are children of God, 17 and if children, heirs also, heirs of God and fellow heirs with Christ, if indeed we suffer with Him so that we may also be glorified with Him.18 For I consider that the sufferings of this present time are not worthy to be compared with the glory that is to be revealed to us.Colossians 31 Therefore if you have been raised up with Christ, keep seeking the things above, where Christ is, seated at the right hand of God. 2 Set your mind on the things above, not on the things that are on earth. 3 For you have died and your life is hidden with Christ in God. 4 When Christ, who is our life, is revealed, then you also will be revealed with Him in glory.1 John 31 See how great a love the Father has bestowed on us, that we would be called children of God; and such we are. For this reason the world does not know us, because it did not know Him. 2 Beloved, now we are children of God, and it has not appeared as yet what we will be. We know that when He appears, we will be like Him, because we will see Him just as He is.

QUOTES FOR REFLECTION“We must accept finite disappointment, but never lose infinite hope.”~Marin Luther King, Jr. (1929-1968), Baptist minister and civil rights activist “Don't dig up in doubt what you planted in faith.” “Leave it all in the Hands that were wounded for you.”~Elisabeth Elliot (1926-2015), missionary, author, and speaker “Correction does much, but encouragement does more.”~Johann Wolfgang von Goethe (1749-1832), poet, playwright, and novelist “…a Christian lives not in himself, but in Christ and in his neighbor. Otherwise, he is not a Christian. He lives in Christ through faith, in his neighbor through love. By faith he is caught up beyond himself into God. By love he descends beneath himself into his neighbor. Yet he always remains in God and in his love, as Christ says in John 1[:51], ‘Truly, truly, I say to you, you will see heaven opened, and the angels of God ascending and descending upon the Son of man.'”~Martin Luther (1483-1546), German reformer “Our chief want is someone who will inspire us to be what we know we could be.”~Ralph Waldo Emerson (1803-1882), American philosopher and essayist “…the Christian needs another Christian who speaks God's Word to him. He needs him again and again when he becomes uncertain and discouraged, for by himself he cannot help himself without belying the truth. He needs his brother man as a bearer and proclaimer of the divine word of salvation. He needs his brother solely because of Jesus Christ. The Christ in his own heart is weaker than the Christ in the word of his brother; his own heart is uncertain, his brother's is sure.”~Dietrich Bonhoeffer (1906-1945), German pastor-theologian executed for his opposition to the NazisSERMON PASSAGEHebrews 10:19-25 (ESV)Hebrews 10 19 Therefore, 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. 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. John 15 26 But when the Helper comes, whom I will send to you from the Father, the Spirit of truth, who proceeds from the Father, he will bear witness about me. 27 And you also will bear witness, because you have been with me from the beginning.

QUOTES FOR REFLECTION“The noble-minded encourage what is beautiful in people and discourage what is ugly in them. Little people do just the opposite.”~Confucius (c. 551-c. 479 BC), Chinese philosopher “Our chief want is someone who will inspire us to be what we know we could be.”~Ralph Waldo Emerson (1803-1882), American philosopher and essayist “Don't let the muggles get you down.”~J.K. Rowling in Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban “A real friend is one who walks in when the rest of the world walks out.”~Walter Winchell (1897-1972), journalist and broadcaster “But God is the God of the waves and the billows, and they are still His when they come over us; and again and again we have proved that the overwhelming thing does not overwhelm. Once more by His interposition deliverance came. We were cast down, but not destroyed.”~Amy Carmichael (1867-1951), Irish-born missionary and writer “Everything will be okay in the end. If it's not okay, then it's not the end.”~singer-songwriter Ed Sheeran “…God has put his Word into the mouth of men in order that it may be communicated to other men. When one person is struck by the Word, he speaks it to others. God has willed that we should seek and find His living Word in the witness of a brother, in the mouth of a man. Therefore, the Christian needs another Christian who speaks God's Word to him. He needs him again and again when he becomes uncertain and discouraged, for by himself he cannot help himself without belying the truth. He needs his brother man as a bearer and proclaimer of the divine word of salvation. He needs his brother solely because of Jesus Christ. The Christ in his own heart is weaker than the Christ in the word of his brother; his own heart is uncertain, his brother's is sure.”~Dietrich Bonhoeffer (1906-1945), German pastor-theologian executed for his opposition to the Nazis.SERMON PASSAGEHebrews 10:19-25 (ESV)Hebrews 10 19 Therefore, 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. 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. 1 Thessalonians 2 11 For you know how, like a father with his children, 12 we exhorted each one of you and encouraged you and charged you to walk in a manner worthy of God, who calls you into his own kingdom and glory. 1 Thessalonians 5 8 But since we belong to the day, let us be sober, having put on the breastplate of faith and love, and for a helmet the hope of salvation. 9 For God has not destined us for wrath, but to obtain salvation through our Lord Jesus Christ, 10 who died for us sothat whether we are awake or asleep we might live with him. 11 Therefore encourage one another and build one another up, just as you are doing. 12 We ask you, brothers, to respect those who labor among you and are over you in the Lord and admonish you, 13 and to esteem them very highly in love because of their work. Be at peace among yourselves. 14 And we urge you, brothers, admonish the idle, encourage the fainthearted, help the weak, be patient with them all. 2 Thessalonians 3 11 For we hear that some among you walk in idleness, not busy at work, but busybodies. 12 Now such persons we command and encourage in the Lord Jesus Christ to do their work quietly and to earn their own living. 1 Timothy 5 1 Do not rebuke an older man but encourage him as you would a father, younger men as brothers…. John 15 26 But when the Helper comes, whom I will send to you from the Father, the Spirit of truth, who proceeds from the Father, he will bear witness about me. 27 And you also will bear witness, because you have been with me from the beginning.

QUOTES FOR REFLECTION“When he saw the crowds, he had compassion for them, because they were harassed and helpless, like sheep without a shepherd.”~Matthew 9:36 (ESV) “Jesus is the only shepherd who knows what it's like to be a sheep.”~Tim Keller, American Pastor and Author “And He that is the shepherd of the whole flock is Himself a lamb, and goes before them in heaven as such.”~Jonathan Edwards, American Pastor and Theologian “I was right not to be afraid of any thief but myself, who will end by leaving me nothing.”~Katherine Anne Porter, American Author from her short story “Theft” (1928) “God intended from before the foundation of the world that you and I and all people, from the greatest to the least, would always be sheep. His purpose from the beginning and for all time is that all human beings would always be sheep in need of a Shepherd. He never intended that we would be sheep for a season and then cease being sheep and become something less needy, less dependent. We will always be sheep by God's design.”~John Piper, American Pastor and Author “For the Lamb in the midst of the throne will be their shepherd, and he will guide them to springs of living water, and God will wipe away every tear from their eyes.”~Revelation 7:17 (ESV)SERMON PASSAGEJohn 10:1-18 (ESV) 1 “Truly, truly, I say to you, he who does not enter the sheepfold by the door but climbs in by another way, that man is a thief and a robber. 2 But he who enters by the door is the shepherd of the sheep. 3 To him the gatekeeper opens. The sheep hear his voice, and he calls his own sheep by name and leads them out. 4 When he has brought out all his own, he goes before them, and the sheep follow him, for they know his voice. 5 A stranger they will not follow, but they will flee from him, for they do not know the voice of strangers.” 6 This figure of speech Jesus used with them, but they did not understand what he was saying to them. 7 So Jesus again said to them, “Truly, truly, I say to you, I am the door of the sheep. 8 All who came before me are thieves and robbers, but the sheep did not listen to them. 9 I am the door. If anyone enters by me, he will be saved and will go in and out and find pasture. 10 The thief comes only to steal and kill and destroy. I came that they may have life and have it abundantly. 11 I am the good shepherd. The good shepherd lays down his life for the sheep. 12 He who is a hired hand and not a shepherd, who does not own the sheep, sees the wolf coming and leaves the sheep and flees, and the wolf snatches them and scatters them. 13 He flees because he is a hired hand and cares nothing for the sheep. 14 I am the good shepherd. I know my own and my own know me, 15 just as the Father knows me and I know the Father; and I lay down my life for the sheep. 16 And I have other sheep that are not of this fold. I must bring them also, and they will listen to my voice. So there will be one flock, one shepherd. 17 For this reason the Father loves me, because I lay down my life that I may take it up again. 18 No one takes it from me, but I lay it down of my own accord. I have authority to lay it down, and I have authority to take it up again. This charge I have received from my Father.”

QUOTES FOR REFLECTION “The Christian Gospel is that I am so flawed that Jesus had to die for me, yet I am so loved and valued that Jesus was glad to die for me. This leads to deep humility and deep confidence at the same time. It undermines both swaggering and sniveling. I cannot feel superior to anyone, and yet I have nothing to prove to anyone. I do not think more of myself or less of myself. Instead, I think of myself less.”~Tim Keller“Our efforts after Christian growth seem only a succession of failures, and, instead of rising into the beauty of holiness, our life is a daily heart-break and humiliation.”~Henry Drummond“Jesus Christ became Incarnate for one purpose, to make a way back to God that man might stand before Him as He was created to do, the friend and lover of God Himself.”~Oswald Chambers“Christ is building His kingdom with earth's broken things. Men want only the strong, the successful, the victorious, the unbroken, in building their kingdoms; but God is the God of the unsuccessful, of those who have failed. Heaven is filling with earth's broken lives, and there is no bruised reed that Christ cannot take and restore to glorious blessedness and beauty. He can take the life crushed by pain or sorrow and make it into a harp whose music shall be all praise. He can lift earth's saddest failure up to heaven's glory.”~J.R. Miller“You will run out of sin before He runs out of mercy.”~Pastor Charlie Dates“If God called us to a task, He will then qualify us for the job.”~Jack Hyles“Have you been holding back from a risky, costly course to which you know in your heart God has called you? Hold back no longer. Your God is faithful to you, and adequate for you. You will never need more than He can supply, and what He supplies, both materially and spiritually, will always be enough for the present.”~J. I. PackerSERMON PASSAGELuke 22:24-32, John 21:15-24 (ESV)Luke 22 24 A dispute also arose among them, as to which of them was to be regarded as the greatest. 25 And he said to them, “The kings of the Gentiles exercise lordship over them, and those in authority over them are called benefactors. 26 But not so with you. Rather, let the greatest among you become as the youngest, and the leader as one who serves. 27 For who is the greater, one who reclines at table or one who serves? Is it not the one who reclines at table? But I am among you as the one who serves. 28 “You are those who have stayed with me in my trials, 29 and I assign to you, as my Father assigned to me, a kingdom, 30 that you may eat and drink at my table in my kingdom and sit on thrones judging the twelve tribes of Israel. 31 “Simon, Simon, behold, Satan demanded to have you, that he might sift you like wheat, 32 but I have prayed for you that your faith may not fail. And when you have turned again, strengthen your brothers.”John 2115 When they had finished breakfast, Jesus said to Simon Peter, “Simon, son of John, do you love me more than these?” He said to him, “Yes, Lord; you know that I love you.” He said to him, “Feed my lambs.” 16 He said to him a second time, “Simon, son of John, do you love me?” He said to him, “Yes, Lord; you know that I love you.” He said to him, “Tend my sheep.” 17 He said to him the third time, “Simon, son of John, do you love me?” Peter was grieved because he said to him the third time, “Do you love me?” and he said to him, “Lord, you know everything; you know that I love you.” Jesus said to him, “Feed my sheep. 18 Truly, truly, I say to you, when you were young, you used to dress yourself and walk wherever you wanted, but when you are old, you will stretch out your hands, and another will dress you and carry you where you do not want to go.” 19 (This he said to show by what kind of death he was to glorify God.) And after saying this he said to him, “Follow me.” 20 Peter turned and saw the disciple whom Jesus loved following them, the one who also had leaned back against him during the supper and had said, “Lord, who is it that is going to betray you?” 21 When Peter saw him, he said to Jesus, “Lord, what about this man?” 22 Jesus said to him, “If it is my will that he remain until I come, what is that to you? You follow me!” 23 So the saying spread abroad among the brothers that this disciple was not to die; yet Jesus did not say to him that he was not to die, but, “If it is my will that he remain until I come, what is that to you?” 24 This is the disciple who is bearing witness about these things, and who has written these things, and we know that his testimony is true.

QUOTES FOR REFLECTION“Regardless of what anyone may personally think or believe about him, Jesus of Nazareth has been the dominant figure in the history of western culture for almost twenty centuries.... It is from his birth that most of the human race dates its calendars, it is by his name that millions curse and in his name that millions pray.”~Jaroslav Pelikan (1923-2006), historian at Yale University “…never in the gospels do the disciples catch a single fish without help from Jesus.”~Reynolds Price (1933-2011), poet, novelist, and English professor at Duke “Sometimes you need to feel the pain and sting of defeat to activate the real passion and purpose that God predestined inside of you.”~Chadwick Boseman (1976-2020), award-winning actor “‘You are enough' is a message that enslaves people to the false idea that they are responsible to be the mastermind of their current circumstances and future realities—even when they feel overwhelmed. It burdens them with the obligation of being the source of their own joy, contentment, and peace.” “You are not enough, but when your trust is placed in Jesus, his enough-ness is transferred to you.”~Alisa Childers, singer, songwriter, and author “Pride combined with wealth leads to idleness because you falsely feel that God just wants you to have fun…. [I]f unchecked, we become bold in our sin and feel entitled to live selfish lives fueled by the twin values of our culture: acquiring and achieving.”~Rosaria Butterfield, former Women's Studies professor at Syracuse “We desperately need the church for love, for maturity and preparedness, for spiritual care. It is arrogant, rebellious, self-reliant, God-indicting pride to conclude that the church is an optional extra to the Christian life. We need everything God designs for us. Everything. To reject what God designs for His glory and our good is spiritual suicide.”~Thabiti Anyabwile, pastor and writerSERMON PASSAGEJohn 21:1-14 (ESV) 1 After this Jesus revealed himself again to the disciples by the Sea of Tiberias, and he revealed himself in this way. 2 Simon Peter, Thomas (called the Twin), Nathanael of Cana in Galilee, the sons of Zebedee, and two others of his disciples were together. 3 Simon Peter said to them, “I am going fishing.” They said to him, “We will go with you.” They went out and got into the boat, but that night they caught nothing. 4 Just as day was breaking, Jesus stood on the shore; yet the disciples did not know that it was Jesus. 5 Jesus said to them, “Children, do you have any fish?” They answered him, “No.” 6 He said to them, “Cast the net on the right side of the boat, and you will find some.” So they cast it, and now they were not able to haul it in, because of the quantity of fish. 7 That disciple whom Jesus loved therefore said to Peter, “It is the Lord!” When Simon Peter heard that it was the Lord, he put on his outer garment, for he was stripped for work, and threw himself into the sea. 8 The other disciples came in the boat, dragging the net full of fish, for they were not far from the land, but about a hundred yards off. 9 When they got out on land, they saw a charcoal fire in place, with fish laid out on it, and bread. 10 Jesus said to them, “Bring some of the fish that you have just caught.” 11 So Simon Peter went aboard and hauled the net ashore, full of large fish, 153 of them. And although there were so many, the net was not torn. 12 Jesus said to them, “Come and have breakfast.” Now none of the disciples dared ask him, “Who are you?” They knew it was the Lord. 13 Jesus came and took the bread and gave it to them, and so with the fish. 14 This was now the third time that Jesus was revealed to the disciples after he was raised from the dead.

QUOTES FOR REFLECTION “A faith without some doubts is like a human body with no antibodies 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 she failed over the years to listen patiently to her own doubts, which should only be discarded after long reflection.”~Tim Keller “Let's remember that Jesus didn't leave Thomas to suffer without the blessing of faith and confidence; he gave him the evidence he required. That is typical of Jesus's approach to doubt; he responded to honest doubters in the way he knew best, the way that would help them to move from doubt to knowledge.”~Dallas Willard “We are not necessarily doubting that God will do the best for us; we are wondering how painful the best will turn out to be.”~C.S. Lewis “Trust God with your doubts. He can handle it.”~Jackie Hill Perry “Come boldly, O believer, for despite the whisperings of Satan and the doubtings of thine own heart, thou art greatly beloved… Prayer is doubts destroyer, ruin's remedy, the antidote to all anxieties.”~C.H. Spurgeon“His authority on earth allows us to dare to go to all the nations. His authority in heaven gives us our only hope of success. And His presence with us leaves us no other choice.”~John Stott“The Great Commission is not an option to be considered; it is a command to be obeyed.”~Hudson Taylor “I have said these things to you, that in me you may have peace. In the world you will have tribulation. But take heart; I have overcome the world.”~John 16:33SERMON PASSAGEJohn 20:19-31 (ESV) 19 On the evening of that day, the first day of the week, the doors being locked where the disciples were for fear of the Jews, Jesus came and stood among them and said to them, “Peace be with you.” 20 When he had said this, he showed them his hands and his side. Then the disciples were glad when they saw the Lord. 21 Jesus said to them again, “Peace be with you. As the Father has sent me, even so I am sending you.” 22 And when he had said this, he breathed on them and said to them, “Receive the Holy Spirit. 23 If you forgive the sins of any, they are forgiven them; if you withhold forgiveness from any, it is withheld.” 24 Now Thomas, one of the twelve, called the Twin, was not with them when Jesus came. 25 So the other disciples told him, “We have seen the Lord.” But he said to them, “Unless I see in his hands the mark of the nails, and place my finger into the mark of the nails, and place my hand into his side, I will never believe.” 26 Eight days later, his disciples were inside again, and Thomas was with them. Although the doors were locked, Jesus came and stood among them and said, “Peace be with you.” 27 Then he said to Thomas, “Put your finger here, and see my hands; and put out your hand, and place it in my side. Do not disbelieve, but believe.” 28 Thomas answered him, “My Lord and my God!” 29 Jesus said to him, “Have you believed because you have seen me? Blessed are those who have not seen and yet have believed.” 30 Now Jesus did many other signs in the presence of the disciples, which are not written in this book; 31 but these are written so that you may believe that Jesus is the Christ, the Son of God, and that by believing you may have life in his name.

QUOTES FOR REFLECTION“Christians, at their best, are the fools who dare believe in God's power to call dead things to life.”~Esau MacCaulley, professor, author, and opinion writer for the New York Times “There is something indefinitely first-hand about it…. Is there anything quite like it in all of ancient literature?”~C.H. Dodd (1884-1973), Oxford scholar and professor, on the Gospel of John “I have been reading poems, romances, vision literature, legends, myths all my life. I know what they are like. I know that none of them is like this…. The reader who doesn't see this has simply not learned how to read.”~C.S. Lewis (1898-1963), Oxford scholar and professor, on the Gospel of John “I accept the resurrection of Jesus not as an invention of the community of disciples, but as an historical event."~Pinchas Lapide (1922-1997), Jewish scholar and historian “We are laid open to infinityFor Easter love has burst His tomb and ours.Now nothing shelters us from God's desire –Not flesh, not sky, not stars, not even sin.Now glory waits so he can enter in. Now does the dance begin.”~Elizabeth Rooney (1924-1999), Smith College graduate and poet “Make no mistake: if He rose at all, it was as His body;if the cells' dissolution did not reverse, the molecules reknit,the amino acids rekindle, the Church will fall. The stone is rolled back, not papier-mâché, not a stone in a story,But the vast rock of materiality that in the slowgrinding of time will eclipse for each of us the wide light of day.”~John Updike (1932-2009) in “Seven Stanzas at Easter” “The human being is only a reed, the most feeble in nature; but he is a thinking reed…. But when the universe crushes him, the human being becomes still more noble than that which kills him, because he knows that he is dying…. The universe, it does not have a clue.”~Blaise Pascal (1623-1662), French mathematicianSERMON PASSAGEJohn 20:1-18 (ESV)John 19 38 After these things Joseph of Arimathea, who was a disciple of Jesus, but secretly for fear of the Jews, asked Pilate that he might take away the body of Jesus, and Pilate gave him permission. So he came and took away his body. 39 Nicodemus also, who earlier had come to Jesus by night, came bringing a mixture of myrrh and aloes, about seventy-five pounds in weight. 40 So they took the body of Jesus and bound it in linen cloths with the spices, as is the burial custom of the Jews. 41 Now in the place where he was crucified there was a garden, and in the garden a new tomb in which no one had yet been laid. 42 So because of the Jewish day of Preparation, since the tomb was close at hand, they laid Jesus there. John 20 1 Now on the first day of the week Mary Magdalene came to the tomb early, while it was still dark, and saw that the stone had been taken away from the tomb. 2 So she ran and went to Simon Peter and the other disciple, the one whom Jesus loved, and said to them, “They have taken the Lord out of the tomb, and we do not know where they have laid him.” 3 So Peter went out with the other disciple, and they were going toward the tomb. 4 Both of them were running together, but the other disciple outran Peter and reached the tomb first. 5 And stooping to look in, he saw the linen cloths lying there, but he did not go in. 6 Then Simon Peter came, following him, and went into the tomb. He saw the linen cloths lying there, 7 and the face cloth, which had been on Jesus' head, not lying with the linen cloths but folded up in a place by itself. 8 Then the other disciple, who had reached the tomb first, also went in, and he saw and believed; 9 for as yet they did not understand the Scripture, that he must rise from the dead. 10 Then the disciples went back to their homes. 11 But Mary stood weeping outside the tomb, and as she wept she stooped to look into the tomb. 12 And she saw two angels in white, sitting where the body of Jesus had lain, one at the head and one at the feet. 13 They said to her, “Woman, why are you weeping?” She said to them, “They have taken away my Lord, and I do not know where they have laid him.” 14 Having said this, she turned around and saw Jesus standing, but she did not know that it was Jesus. 15 Jesus said to her, “Woman, why are you weeping? Whom are you seeking?” Supposing him to be the gardener, she said to him, “Sir, if you have carried him away, tell me where you have laid him, and I will take him away.” 16 Jesus said to her, “Mary.” She turned and said to him in Aramaic, “Rabboni!” (which means Teacher). 17 Jesus said to her, “Do not cling to me, for I have not yet ascended to the Father; but go to my brothers and say to them, ‘I am ascending to my Father and your Father, to my God and your God.'” 18 Mary Magdalene went and announced to the disciples, “I have seen the Lord”—and that he had said these things to her.

Please note: Due to technical difficulties, sermon starts abruptly (2-3 minutes into the sermon). We apologize for the inconvenience. QUOTES FOR REFLECTION“Sin is not a mistake. A mistake is taking the wrong exit on the highway. A sin is treason against a Holy God. A mistake is a logical misstep. Sin lurks in our hearts and grabs us by the throat to do its bidding.”~Rosaria Champagne Butterfield, English professor and author “Little sins often slide into the soul, and breed, and work secretly and undiscernibly in the soul, till they come to be so strong as to trample upon the soul, and to cut the throat of the soul. There is oftentimes greatest danger to our bodies in the least diseases that hang upon us, because we are apt to make light of them, and to neglect the timely use of means for removing of them, till they are grown so strong that they prove mortal to us. So there is most danger often in the least sins.” “Death is the heir of the least sin…. In a strict sense, there is no little sin, because no little God to sin against.”~Thomas Brooks (1608-1680) in Precious Remedies Against Satan's Devices “…to set our will against the will of God is to dethrone God and make ourselves supreme in the little kingdom of [self]. This is sin at its evil root.”~A.W. Tozer (1897-1963) in Knowledge of the Holy “Unbelief doesn't see God as the ultimate good. So it can't see sin as the ultimate evil.”~Jackie Hill Perry, writer and hip-hop artist “Grace changes the nature of [a person], but nothing can change the nature of sin.”~John Owen (1616-1683), English theologian and Oxford academic “Before we can begin to see the cross as something done for us, we have to see it as something done by us.”~John Stott (1921-2011), English clergyman and theologian “Where sin multiplied, grace multiplied all the more.”~Romans 5:20SERMON PASSAGEJohn 19:28-42 (ESV)John 1928 After this, Jesus, knowing that all was now finished, said (to fulfill the Scripture), “I thirst.” 29 A jar full of sour wine stood there, so they put a sponge full of the sour wine on a hyssop branch and held it to his mouth. 30 When Jesus had received the sour wine, he said, “It is finished,” and he bowed his head and gave up his spirit.31 Since it was the day of Preparation, and so that the bodies would not remain on the cross on the Sabbath (for that Sabbath was a high day), the Jews asked Pilate that their legs might be broken and that they might be taken away. 32 So the soldiers came and broke the legs of the first, and of the other who had been crucified with him. 33 But when they came to Jesus and saw that he was already dead, they did not break his legs. 34 But one of the soldiers pierced his side with a spear, and at once there came out blood and water. 35 He who saw it has borne witness—his testimony is true, and he knows that he is telling the truth—that you also may believe. 36 For these things took place that the Scripture might be fulfilled: “Not one of his bones will be broken.” 37 And again another Scripture says, “They will look on him whom they have pierced.”38 After these things Joseph of Arimathea, who was a disciple of Jesus, but secretly for fear of the Jews, asked Pilate that he might take away the body of Jesus, and Pilate gave him permission. So he came and took away his body. 39 Nicodemus also, who earlier had come to Jesus by night, came bringing a mixture of myrrh and aloes, about seventy-five pounds in weight. 40 So they took the body of Jesus and bound it in linen cloths with the spices, as is the burial custom of the Jews. 41 Now in the place where he was crucified there was a garden, and in the garden a new tomb in which no one had yet been laid. 42 So because of the Jewish day of Preparation, since the tomb was close at hand, they laid Jesus there. Zechariah 12-1310 “And I will pour out on the house of David and the inhabitants of Jerusalem a spirit of grace and pleas for mercy, so that, when they look on me, on him whom they have pierced, they shall mourn for him, as one mourns for an only child, and weep bitterly over him, as one weeps over a firstborn….1 “On that day there shall be a fountain opened for the house of David and the inhabitants of Jerusalem, to cleanse them from sin and uncleanness….”

QUOTES FOR REFLECTION“As Christ struggled up Calvary's hill and bled upon it, His aim was to eradicate self-love and implant the love of God in the hearts of men. One can only increase as the other decreases.”~Walter J. Chantry “The Christian community is a community of the cross, for it has been brought into being by the cross, and the focus of its worship is the Lamb once slain, now glorified. So the community of the cross is a community of celebration, a eucharistic community, ceaselessly offering to God through Christ the sacrifice of our praise and thanksgiving. The Christian life is an unending festival. And the festival we keep, now that our Passover Lamb has been sacrificed for us, is a joyful celebration of his sacrifice, together with a spiritual feasting upon.”~John Stott “But far be it from me to boast except in the cross of our Lord Jesus Christ, by which the world has been crucified to me, and I to the world.”~Galatians 6:14 “If we want proof of God's love for us, then we must look first at the Cross where God offered up His Son as a sacrifice for our sins. Calvary is the one objective, absolute, irrefutable proof of God's love for us.”~Jerry Bridges “Only in the Cross of Christ will we receive power when we are powerless. We will find strength when we are weak. We will experience hope when our situation is hopeless. Only in the Cross is there peace for our troubled hearts.”~Michael Youssef “Is it not wonderful news to believe that salvation lies outside ourselves?”~Martin Luther “Looking to Jesus, the founder and perfecter of our faith, who for the joy that was set before him endured the cross, despising the shame, and is seated at the right hand of the throne of God.”~Hebrews 12:2SERMON PASSAGEJohn 19:14-30 (ESV) 14 Now it was the day of Preparation of the Passover. It was about the sixth hour. He said to the Jews, “Behold your King!” 15 They cried out, “Away with him, away with him, crucify him!” Pilate said to them, “Shall I crucify your King?” The chief priests answered, “We have no king but Caesar.” 16 So he delivered him over to them to be crucified. So they took Jesus, 17 and he went out, bearing his own cross, to the place called The Place of a Skull, which in Aramaic is called Golgotha. 18 There they crucified him, and with him two others, one on either side, and Jesus between them. 19 Pilate also wrote an inscription and put it on the cross. It read, “Jesus of Nazareth, the King of the Jews.” 20 Many of the Jews read this inscription, for the place where Jesus was crucified was near the city, and it was written in Aramaic, in Latin, and in Greek. 21 So the chief priests of the Jews said to Pilate, “Do not write, ‘The King of the Jews,' but rather, ‘This man said, I am King of the Jews.'” 22 Pilate answered, “What I have written I have written.” 23 When the soldiers had crucified Jesus, they took his garments and divided them into four parts, one part for each soldier; also his tunic. But the tunic was seamless, woven in one piece from top to bottom, 24 so they said to one another, “Let us not tear it, but cast lots for it to see whose it shall be.” This was to fulfill the Scripture which says, “They divided my garments among them,   and for my clothing they cast lots.” So the soldiers did these things, 25 but standing by the cross of Jesus were his mother and his mother's sister, Mary the wife of Clopas, and Mary Magdalene. 26 When Jesus saw his mother and the disciple whom he loved standing nearby, he said to his mother, “Woman, behold, your son!” 27 Then he said to the disciple, “Behold, your mother!” And from that hour the disciple took her to his own home. 28 After this, Jesus, knowing that all was now finished, said (to fulfill the Scripture), “I thirst.” 29 A jar full of sour wine stood there, so they put a sponge full of the sour wine on a hyssop branch and held it to his mouth. 30 When Jesus had received the sour wine, he said, “It is finished,” and he bowed his head and gave up his spirit.

QUOTES FOR REFLECTION“It is of no use to say to men, ‘Let not your heart be troubled,' unless you finish the verse and say, ‘Believe in God, believe also in Christ.'”~Alexander MacLaren “By its very nature, hate destroys and tears down; by its very nature, love creates and builds up.”~Martin Luther King Jr. “He came the first time to die; He is coming again to raise the dead. When He came the first time, they questioned whether He was King; the next time the world will know that He is King of kings and Lord of lords. The first time He wore a crown of thorns; the next time He will be wearing a crown of glory. The first time He came in poverty; the next time He is coming in power. The first time He had an escort of angels; the next time He will come with ten thousands of His saints. The first time He came in meekness; He is coming again in majesty.”~Adrian Rogers “God had one son on earth without sin, but never one without suffering.”~Augustine “Jesus Christ is not a problem; He is the solution to every problem for life, for death, and for eternity.”~Harry Ironside “When Jesus came to earth, demons recognized him, the sick flocked to him, and sinners doused his feet and head with perfume. Meanwhile he offended pious Jews with their strict preconceptions of what God should be like. Their rejection makes me wonder, could religious types be doing just the reverse now? Could we be perpetuating an image of Jesus that fits our pious expectations but does not match the person portrayed so vividly in the Gospels?”~Philip Yancey “When old companions, old lusts, and sins crowd in upon you, and when you feel that you are ready to sink, what can save you, sinking sinner? This alone - I have a high priest in heaven, and he can support in the hour of affliction. This alone can give you peace - I have a high priest in heaven. When you are dying - when friends can do you no good - when sins rise up like specters around your bed - what can give you peace? This – ‘I have a high priest in heaven.'”~Robert Murray McCheyneSERMON PASSAGEJohn 18:37-19:17 (ESV)John 1837 Then Pilate said to him, “So you are a king?” Jesus answered, “You say that I am a king. For this purpose I was born and for this purpose I have come into the world—to bear witness to the truth. Everyone who is of the truth listens to my voice.” 38 Pilate said to him, “What is truth?”After he had said this, he went back outside to the Jews and told them, “I find no guilt in him. 39 But you have a custom that I should release one man for you at the Passover. So do you want me to release to you the King of the Jews?” 40 They cried out again, “Not this man, but Barabbas!” Now Barabbas was a robber. John 191 Then Pilate took Jesus and flogged him. 2 And the soldiers twisted together a crown of thorns and put it on his head and arrayed him in a purple robe. 3 They came up to him, saying, “Hail, King of the Jews!” and struck him with their hands. 4 Pilate went out again and said to them, “See, I am bringing him out to you that you may know that I find no guilt in him.” 5 So Jesus came out, wearing the crown of thorns and the purple robe. Pilate said to them, “Behold the man!” 6 When the chief priests and the officers saw him, they cried out, “Crucify him, crucify him!” Pilate said to them, “Take him yourselves and crucify him, for I find no guilt in him.” 7 The Jews answered him, “We have a law, and according to that law he ought to die because he has made himself the Son of God.” 8 When Pilate heard this statement, he was even more afraid. 9 He entered his headquarters again and said to Jesus, “Where are you from?” But Jesus gave him no answer. 10 So Pilate said to him, “You will not speak to me? Do you not know that I have authority to release you and authority to crucify you?” 11 Jesus answered him, “You would have no authority over me at all unless it had been given you from above. Therefore he who delivered me over to you has the greater sin.”12 From then on Pilate sought to release him, but the Jews cried out, “If you release this man, you are not Caesar's friend. Everyone who makes himself a king opposes Caesar.” 13 So when Pilate heard these words, he brought Jesus out and sat down on the judgment seat at a place called The Stone Pavement, and in Aramaic Gabbatha. 14 Now it was the day of Preparation of the Passover. It was about the sixth hour. He said to the Jews, “Behold your King!” 15 They cried out, “Away with him, away with him, crucify him!” Pilate said to them, “Shall I crucify your King?” The chief priests answered, “We have no king but Caesar.” 16 So he delivered him over to them to be crucified. So they took Jesus, 17 and he went out, bearing his own cross, to the place called The Place of a Skull, which in Aramaic is called Golgotha.