Trails Church

As we prepared ourselves for our gathering (where we examined Psalm 20), we encouraged our church to spend some time reading over and trying to understand the main theme and rhythm of Psalm 18.Why? Well, the reason for doing so is that David, in Psalm 18, reflects upon how God has delivered him from all of his enemies. Then, in Psalm 20, David builds upon what he has already said and turns to ask God to deliver King Jesus in similar ways. Thus, the themes of these two Psalms are tied together under the banner of deliverance for the King, with David asking God to do for King Jesus (Psalm 20) what God did for him (Psalm 18). As such, Psalm 20 is often referred to as a Royal Psalm; sung about the coming promised King who would fulfill the promise of God given to David in 2 Samuel 7. Therefore, it is a song of faith on the day of trouble, remembering how God saved David and pointing to how Jesus would be delivered on His day of greatest trouble. Through it all, we see how God never fails to do all that He has promised.

It's getting warmer outside.The flowers are bursting forth and filling our city with wonderful colours.We hear the old familiar sound of lawn mowers on Saturday mornings.And we have busy schedules around ballfields.Which means … Summer has arrived … well, almost, we are in Canada, after all

In this sermon, we will be finishing out our study of the book of Titus by looking at all of ch.3. There Paul once again focuses on the importance our good works being the fruit of the Christian life. Throughout Titus we have seen how sound doctrine is the root which produces good works. Just as fruit adorns or beautifies a tree, our good works should beautify the gospel we preach.Before listening, consider how the relationship between our theology and obedience relate to one another. How do you understand the way in which your love and service to others is part of your witness to your transformation by Christ? Pray that God will give each of us the spiritual vitality needed to be vibrant fruit-bearing trees we ought to be. And in doing so, pray that many would see how these good works bear witness to the transformative power of sound doctrine.

Have you ever noticed, when teaching teens to drive, that what is instinctive for you … isn't instinctive for them?You want them to be aware what's going on around the car at all times. One of the times when they don't instinctively do this is when changing lanes. So, you have to remind them that, if they want to change lanes, they need to physically turn around and check their blind spots to avoid accidents.They have to turn and look backward in order to go forward.In our text this week, we see Paul reminding us to do the same thing.He calls us to look backward and to remember the first time that God's grace appeared, bringing salvation (the life, ministry, death, burial and resurrection of Jesus). Then, he calls us to look forward to Jesus' Second Coming in hope.In this, we see a wonderful explanation of God's grace available to any who would come to Jesus. We also see how that grace trains us to leave behind who we once were and to live out our new identities as Jesus' people.We are to be an expectant people, a hopeful people, looking forward to the day when our Great God and Saviour Jesus Christ will return in glory. On that day, everything sad becomes untrue. Every broken heart is mended. Until then, we wait … expectantly. And as we wait, we do so remembering our new identity in Jesus as those who have been redeemed from lawlessness and purified, washed clean, by Jesus. We really are a people of His own possession.And we long for His coming when our faith will be turned to sight.

Making disciples.These are words that we might see on a church website and it's definitely ones that Pastors or Missionaries like.But, if we are honest, most of us have no clue what it means to be apart of “making” someone a disciple of Jesus.Well, this weekend, we are going to flesh out what this means as we study Titus 2:1-10.And what we will discover is that, for a church to be healthy it must not only have Pastors committed to teaching sound doctrine and living out their faith; no, many unhealthy churches can have that.A healthy church must have more.It must have godly men and women committed to living out their identity as disciples and their calling to make disciples. But, again, what does this mean?  Is it a 10 step program?  A course offered at Millar College?  A seminar we attend?This weekend, we want to explain how we practically live out this calling and explain what we mean when we use biblical phrases like this.For, if we are to be faithful to Jesus' commands, we have to know what a disciple is, and then, becoming convinced we have a role to play in helping other to follow Jesus, we need to know who to prioritize in discipleship and how to practically do this out. Honestly, our goal this weekend is to de-mystify disciplemaking and show you how you can get off the bleachers and into the game that God created you to be apart of so that we can be faithful to Jesus, who commanded us to go and make disciples (Matthew 28:19-20).

In this sermon, we discuss Titus 1:6-19 and how to spot faithful and faithless elders. For more information about The Trails, please visit: trailschurch.ca

What does a church need to be healthy? How can you tell if a church is healthy or unhealthy?For many of us our answer to that will be more informed by our experience in the church more than what God's word makes clear. And thankfully, it is not quiet on the subject. We will see throughout the letter of Titus what Paul teaches is necessary for the health of a local church. It's not what we may think, nor has the prescription changed in the last 2000 years.We are excited to get into the book of Titus together!

Who is this “righteous” person who has power to heal when they pray?Is it me?  Is it you?  Is it some “super holy person”?And, are we guaranteed healing as Christians?If we gather the elders together and they anoint you with oil, is that the trick to guarantee a healing?Is the reason you're sick because of uncobfessed sin?There are so many HUGE questions in our text for this weekend and we can't wait to dive into them as we bring our study of James to a close.

This is a time of year with a lot of questions about Jesus, like:- Who was He?- What did He do?- Why was (is) He important?- Why in the world is He so influential today?There are answers to these questions all around us: magazines at grocery store check-outs, reels or shorts on social, schools give their answers and politicians this time of year have to decide what to write in their tweets as they seek to acknowledge the holiday around Jesus' death, burial and resurrection.In examining the questions that people give, it's clear that there is a lot of debate around Jesus. Some think Him a mystic teacher in the wrong place at the wrong time.Others think him a revolutionary who spoke truth to power.Still others think Him a prophet who spoke on behalf of God.But what do you say?  What do your Neighbours and coworkers say?This weekend, we are diving into John's Gospel as a church to answer these questions, landing on John 1:1-18 to see Jesus' identity and then shifting to John 3:14-21 to see how Jesus explained you and I can enter into the kingdom of heaven … and that's specifically why he came and that's why he's so important for us to believe upon. We can't wait to gather together to celebrate the risen Saviour this weekend.Be praying for those being invited to church gatherings for the first time - and pray that those who have heard the gospel hundreds of times would have hearts that are made soft by the Spirit.

What you believe about the future shapes how you live in the present.For example, how do you respond when the rich and powerful take advantage of you and seem to get away with it? When you experience unjust suffering, do you do so with an eternal perspective?Well, one of the foundational principles of theology is that what we believe shapes how we live. And James calls us to believe that Jesus is coming soon and when he does he will establish justice.And because we know Jesus is coming to bring justice, that changes EVERYTHING. Specifically, in James 5:1-11, with this perspective in mind we are commanded to live with patient endurance.As you read our text for today, spend some time considering how the return of Christ transforms how you live your Christian life. How should the reality of our future deliverance transform how we endure suffering in the present?Pray that God would form us into a people who live with patient endurance. That our view of the end would transform how we live in the present.

Do your words demonstrate someone whose life has been transformed by Jesus?Our text this Sunday, James 4:11-17, picks up on this theme and it's a continuation of James' admonition that we've seen earlier in this book for believers to tame our tongues.In short, James' desire is for the believer's life and actions to be consistent with the new identity and new life they have in Christ.Having just called believers to repent and humble themselves before God, James now turns his attention to humility in speech.  James calls us to fight the temptation to exalt ourselves in the way we speak. James takes aim at how we speak of those around us.  Our brothers, sisters, and neighbours. Some of the questions that arise in this text would be: Do we see ourselves as superior to others and talk down to them?  And how do we plan and speak of our future?  Are we presumptuous in our planning?  Do we boast in our own abilities?  Will we humbly submit our plans to God? Do we speak in humility looking to God to exalt us or do we speak in arrogance, exalting ourselves?James wants to remind us that the manner of our speech reveals the condition of our heart. What we say exposes what or who we worship. As Christians, we must speak truthfully and humbly from the overflow of a heart and affections that have been transformed by and are consistent with the Gospel of Jesus Christ.A heart of humility is the antidote to self-exalting speech.The question we must ask ourselves is this: When you speak, who is being exalted?

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Would you describe yourself as “wise”? That seems like a trick question, right?I mean, you'd probably need to know what the definition of “wise” is before you'd respond.  That's what we'd suggest doing as we walk into this weekend.As we come to James 3:13-18, we see that there are two different sketches given; one of the wise person (who has wisdom from above) and what their life is like and then one of the unwise person (who has … demonic wisdom).  In these verses, we see different heart motivations, characteristics, and effects (what is produced) from their lives.And they are polar opposites.

Accents. You know, those funny little ways that we learned how to say certain words which are dead ringers that we come from a certain country, people group, or family.  This weekend, we are spending time in the book of James considering how our words are like accents - dead giveaways as to what family we belong to - and they are indicators of what is going on inside of our hearts.Our words have this unique ability to externally demonstrate whether we have been internally transformed by the Gospel … or not.  Whether we have true saving faith … or whether we are deceived.Can't wait to, Lord willing, join with you all tomorrow and divo into James 3:1-12

Do you have saving faith?A kind of faith that makes its way out into your everyday life in ways that can be seen by those around you as evidence that you are a new creation in Christ?Would those in your workplace or neighbourhood see evidence of your faith in how you make decisions, spend your time, and steward your finances?Does your faith work?Or would your faith be described more as “inoperative,” “dead,” or “useless”?You might claim to have faith, but … if you had someone probe a bit into your life, they wouldn't see any evidence of the faith you claim to have?That's what James is turning our attention to this weekend in James 2:14-26.  He wants us to see the importance of putting our money where our mouths are.  He wants us to get some skin in the game in loving and serving those around us who have physical and urgent needs that God calls us to meet as the evidence of our faith put into action.In this section, James' hard hitting words aren't meant to knock us down, but to open our eyes by God's grace to see areas of our lives where we haven't been walking in faithfulness to God's commands.We are so excited to be in this study of James and would love to invite you to join us as we study this incredible portion of Scripture.See you soon!

In this sermon, we study James 2:1-13, discussing the sin of partiality or what other translations call “favouritism.” We commit the sin of favouritism when we judge people according to what is external, treating one person better and another worse. In modern words, James explains that it is sinful for Christians to treat the man in the suit and tie well when we treat the homeless man in rags dishonorably.Our hope in listening to this sermon is that you might consider how you might be tempted to judge people based on external factors and prone towards this sin. As we know, we can make these sinful judgments for any number of reasons: status, ethnicity, age, what they wear, how they talk, or anything else for that matter.James reminds us that if we are to live consistently holy lives we must love our neighbors as ourselves, not with favoritism. Pray that God would make us people marked by mercy and compassion. That we would love with an impartial love!

What difference does Jesus make in your every, practical, ordinary life and in the world around you? Any?James lets us know in James 1:19-27 that He should make a huge difference in:- Our anger and speech- Our humble reception of the Bible and our faithful living out of its' commands- Our bridling of our tongues- Our practical care for widows and orphans- Our personal holinessThese verses that we are covering this week contain some of the most famous passages that Christians might know from this book and they get to the heart of how our faith ought to practically shape our lives, decisions, finances, schedules, habits, and anger.

In this sermon, we take a one week break in our James sermon study due to illness. however, this pit stop is well worth the delay as we studied Matthew 11:1-19

Ever been deceived?It's not fun.You think that something is true until the rug gets pulled out from under you and you feel foolish.. That's one kind of deception. Yet, another kind of deception is when we are self-deceived. When we convince ourselves of something that isn't true or when we avoid facing uncomfrtable truths. This is the kind of deception that James says we are all prone towards in times of suffering or as we walk through various trials in our lives.As we face these external pressures, we are prone towards believing lies internally; specifically lies about God, the situation that we are in, and our own purity of heart and desire. However, for our good and maturity as Christians, James shines a spotlight onto the darkest parts of our hearts so that we might not be deceived. He also gives us some truths to fight this self-deception so that we remember the goodness of God as we walk through suffering.The only question is: are we ready to face some of these uncomfortable truths about ourselves? It won't be fun, but it will lead to our joy.Towards this end, we'd love to invite you to listen in this weekend as we discuss James 1:13-18.

This Sunday we are diving into the book of James! This letter is so much more than a compilation of nuggets of wisdom. James calls Christians to pursue holiness in all of life. To have a faith that works!We dare not be hypocrites; people who say one thing and then do the opposite. James desires us to live with a consistent holiness of both speech and action. Faith must be shown in our actions!How can we do this? And how do we do it when life is a whirling stormcloud??? There are blessings attached to the pursuit of holiness that enable us to have joy in any circumstance. That's what we will see tomorrow in James 1:1-12.We'd encourage you to read or listen to the whole book of James. It's nice and short! I would even challenge you to read through James each week as we study it. In that repetition you will notice the rich connections James weaves throughout his poetic prose.Better yet, pick a few verses of James to memorize as a family or as a couple during these next few months. The first several verses of chapter 1 would be an excellent place to start.

God pursues guilty sinners …… and He does so with grace in His eyes.This is the shocking thing that we see unfold in Genesis 3 as our first parents break relationship with God and feel deep shame that leads them to take cover from one another and to hide from God. Into this terrible situation, God comes to the Garden, making Himself known, calling out their sinful rebellion, and then, surprisingly, makes a new covenant (He restores their relationship) and provides clothing to cover their shame. Thus, what we learn about God from this chapter is foundational for us to understand the God of the Bible.He is not a God who stays in the heavens and demands that we seek Him out or prove how worthy we are by our moral or religiously motivated works. No, He comes to us when we would not and could not pursue Him. He enters into this broken world in order to redeem and restore.Listen along to this sermon as we wrap up our Genesis 1-3 study and see how the God Who Pursues Adam and Eve is the same God who pursues you and I and who is at work pursuing others in the world around us

Something is broken.Everyone knows it.The question is: how did we get here? And what's the solution to the brokenness we experience in this life?At our core, the question we have to process through in order to understand the root of what is broken is this: What is sin? What effects does it have upon us? And what's God's response to it?If we were to ask some of our neighbors or coworkers to define “sin,” they'd come up with loads of answers that focus on problems that aren't the root issue. They are symptoms of the Fall, but not the root of the issue. And if we polled Christians around us about the nature of sin, we'd discover all kinds of misconceptions about sin mixed into their understanding as well.It seems that there is a lot of confusion around sin.The question we will be tackling is: what does the Bible say about sin? That's what we are after this week as we examine Genesis 3. This foundational chapter helps us understand the first sin and how things became broken … ultimately, it helps us understand God, His character and nature, and also see His passionate pursuit of justice and also the surprising nature of grace available to guilty sinner who deserve His judgment.

What does it mean to be human? There aren't many questions more important to life than that.One of the most essential truths of the Christian worldview is that all people are made in the image of God. From this reality we understand our purpose in this world. God made us in his image to represent his rule in his kingdom, to exist in relationship with him, and to reveal his character and glory to the world.This is not just an important theological concept, the image of God has massive implications for our lives and relationships. It teaches us why we exist: to display God's glory in his rule. It shows us how we ought to live in relationship with other image-bearers, in mutual dignity, honor, and reverence. And it points us to the one we are made for, the full revelation of God's image, Jesus Christ. 

God Made Everything

Have you ever been given a promise by someone that has been a “game changer” your life?The promise of a financial partnership?The promise of an angel investor?The promise of a loan to help with that new kitchen remodel?Whatever it is, as you wait for the fulfillment of that promise, you might check you email or bank account daily, expectant to receive what it promised. Then, when it comes, there is a sigh of relief. You can do the things you were planning on doing. The mission that you are accomplishing (that business venture or that home remodel) can now come to fruition.In our text for this week, Jesus' disciples are ready for Jesus' Kingdom to be consummated. I mean, Jesus has risen from the dead and has been teaching them for the last 40 days about His coming kingdom. With everything unfolding around them, they are naturally anticipating the immediate coming of His kingdom. They are thinking about the thrones they are going to be sitting on, just as Jesus promised. They are expectant.However, when they ask Jesus if His kingdom is coming soon, they hear that their timing is a bit off. It won't be coming when they thought. In fact, no timeline is given to them. As such, they were a bit sorrowful. They thought that everything would be coming to fruition really soon. However, into their temporary sadness, Jesus gives them a powerful promise.It's a promise that isn't only for them, but for all Christians as we await the coming of Jesus' Kingdom upon the earth.Join us this in this sermon as we unpack Acts 1:6-8.

This Christmas Eve, we unpacked the Christmas story from the Gospel of Luke and talked about the importance of Jesus' coming (to reveal God to us and to save us from our sins). For more information about The Trails, please visit: trailschurch.ca

This Advent season we want to behold our Servant-King Jesus. And by doing so, we learn more about who he is and what he came to accomplish. For Advent is more than just a countdown to Christmas, it is a time to intentionally form in us a growing expectation and longing for God's presence with us. So in this prophetic text we will have another glimpse at the character of our Messiah and his mission, that he was sent by the Father to bring justice to the nations. And in beholding Jesus we pray that God would also grow in us a desire and longing to live like him.As you read these passages, take note of what we learn about the character of the Lord and his Servant. Consider also what the text says of your great need for him. And lastly, this Christmas, pray that God would give you the gift of growth in Christlike character and an ever-burning desire to live like our Servant-King.

✨ The Promised Light ✨As the darkness of night comes earlier and earlier at this time of year, it makes us all more aware of our need for light: headlights on wintry nights as we navigate the roads and play the infamous “am I on the road?” game, Christmas lights fill our houses in the evenings, and the light from fires both warm us on these cold nights as they give their light.In these times, we are reminded that light overwhelms and swallows up even the darkest of nights. This theme of darkness and light is what we are going to be studying this weekend, a theme very common in the Bible. As we do, we will start back in the Garden once again to see how darkness first came into the world and how the Bible unpacks God's plans for darkness to be eradicated. We will see this played out in Israel's history at a specific time (Isaiah 1-8) and how God promises His people (as they are about to experience his discipline for their sin) that a son will come, whose kingdom will be marked by light (Isaiah 9), culminating in Jesus ✨This is one of those prophecies that we are used to reading during Advent and when we understand it in its original context, it brings great hope, comfort, and joy

✨ The Promised King ✨Have you noticed in Christmas songs that Jesus' Kingship is a BIG deal?In fact, the more we study the Old and New Testament, we see this theme highlighted over and over again, coming to a mountain peak of a chapter in 2 Samuel 7.This, as we count up the promises of God as we count down until Christmas, we are going to spend some time tracing this theme of Kingship throughout the Bible, beginning in Genesis and tracing our way throughout the Bible, especially highlighting Deuteronomy 17 and 2 Samuel 17, as we see how God progressively reveals how Kingship will become a defining theme in the coming of Jesus.As we will see: Jesus being the Promised King changes everything.

✨ A Foundational Promise ✨When we think about texts in the Bible that shape this season of waiting, we might not immediately think about Genesis 12:1-3, right? I mean, we see no new covenant and no virgin birth, so why would this be a good place for us to start our study?

In this sermon, we wrap up our study in the Gospel of John by examining the public and private conversation that Jesus had with Peter. In this discussion, we learn of Peter's restoration, his call to ministry, his call to death, and the call to Follow Jesus. In this conversation, we learn something about the character and nature of God and the cost of discipleship. For more information about The Trails, please visit: trailschurch.ca

Have you ever thought about God's concern for both our spiritual and practical needs as His people?In our text this week (John 21:1-14), we see how Jesus reveals Himself for the third and final time after His resurrection in the Gospel of John. As He does so, we see how He richly provides for the disciples after their fruitless toiling and invites them into the warmth of fellowship with Him. In this meal, He provides everything they need and all they must do is obey His command to sit and eat.In this sermon, we examine this wonderful text and see the invitation given to us in it: an invitation to come and dine and an invitation for you and I to make the best use of our time as we await His immanent return.

In this sermon, we continue our study in the Gospel of John and finish out John chapter 20. For more information about The Trails, please visit: trailschurch.ca

He is Risen!He is Risen, Indeed!This Resurrection Sunday greeting is a vital part of the foundation of Christian belief. Because Jesus is alive, we know that we are forgiven for our sins because the payment for our sin was made to the Father. Because Jesus is alive, we know Jesus is not a liar (He said He's die and rise back from the dead). Because Jesus is alive, we are justified. Because Jesus is alive, we can have a future hope that we, too, will receive Resurrection Bodies and spend eternity future with the Risen Christ. Fear is gone. Hope is won. Salvation is secured.But did Christians always believe that Jesus rose, bodily from the dead? Wasn't that just something that was agreed upon a few hundred years later by Rome to consolidate power? I mean, nobody really believed that Jesus bodily rose from the dead until hundreds of years later. Right?In this sermon, we dive into these topics (and more) tomorrow as we gather to study John 20:1-18 together. As we do, we will dip our toes into 1 Corinthians 15 and Hebrews 8, so if you wanted to read through those chapters before listening, it'd be incredibly beneficial.

The Death of the Son of God. No amount of words could adequately summarize the significance of this one event. Nothing is more important in the history of the world. And yet, do we live day to day with a familiarity of the cross that leads us to treat it with trite normality? May we be astounded by the cross, knowing the inestimable beauty of "It is finished." Pray that, as you listen, the Spirit of God would move through our church causing us to marvel at the beauty of the cross. Pray that the Lord would spark new life in the hearts of those that join us. And may "It is finished" fly as a banner over lives forever.

Why was Jesus sent by the Father?This is a question we've been trying to answer all along in our study through the Gospel of John. If googled, you'd find lots of differing answers, but in the Gospel of John, one clear answer comes to the surface: Jesus was sent by the Father to stand condemned as the true and better, substitutionary, Passover-fulfilling Lamb of God.In this sermon, we take a look at John 19:16b-27 and see the obedience of Jesus to the Father's will in the crucifixion. As we do, we will see how John quickly diverts our attention from the man on the cross to two items: a sign and a tunic. In these, we see the Father's sovereign plans unfolding, reminding us that none of what takes place here is apart form the Father's will. We then see how Jesus, as He makes provision for our eternal security, also secures earthly provision for his mom. As such, we see the tender care of God, who saves our eternal souls and also who cares about our daily provisions and relationships.This leads us to examine our personal and corporate identity as the people of God and consider how we are to live our lives in light of these glorious truths.

Who is Jesus?Pilate isn't sure.The chief priests think they know and they want Jesus dead.John has been writing so that we might know who Jesus is, why He came, and so that we might believe Him to be the Christ, the Son of God.But what do you say? Is He your King? And, if so, what does it mean for Jesus to be your King? What practical implications does this have on our lives?Join us as we dive into John 19:1-16a.

Defilement.It's that feeling of being “unclean” or “dirty.”It's this godly recognition that we are those who are not clean, righteous enough, to approach God based on our own merits.When we feel defiled or unclean, however, we respond in interesting ways.Some of us seek to make ourselves clean by good works, religious effort, or generosity. We try to earn forgiveness through “penance.”True cleanness, however, can never come through human effort; no, we must be washed, cleansed, made holy by God - and this is why Jesus has come. He has come so that we who are in the shackles of sin, convicted of sin and awaiting judgment, that we might be set free, declared innocent, washed white as snow.Jesus comes to take our place.That we, who are defiled, might be declared clean.This is what we are going to be talking about in John 18:28-40 today.

Have you ever tried to be grateful for your greatest failure? Our failures are often things we wish we could forget, but should that be our desire? Instead, we ought to consider how Jesus uses even our greatest failures to accomplish his purposes for us and in us. In John 18:15-27 Jesus is questioned by the corrupt former high priest, Annas, at a trial that is a far cry from fair or just. And yet, what we see of Jesus is that even in his darkest hours his strength is unwavering. At the same time we see Peter's strength fail on the day of his greatest failure, denying Jesus three times. Though it may be painful, consider those failures that you too wish you could forget, especially those that you committed as a disciple of Jesus. Remember, that when your strength has failed and will fail again, Jesus was strong in your place. What fills your heart when you consider these things? Pray that God would grant you eyes to see the grandeur of his work in you, that even our greatest failures are used for our good in Christ as we gather and study this text.

Betrayed.Arrested.Bound.This week, we dive back into our study of John and begin to see in John 18:1-14 how Jesus walks through one of the darkest nights of his life … and all of human history.Yet, we need not think Him a victim of circumstances beyond His control. Rather, step after step, Jesus demonstrates His mastery over the place of His arrest, the soldiers themselves, and even assures the security of His disciples as He gives commands to the soldiers … and they obey Him … even after Peter takes a swing at Malchus' ear

Promises. They are the one thing that we are used to hearing from people around us: politicians, spouses, children, employers, friends, etc. But we also know that promises have context surrounding them. If someone promises a wonderful pool party, they aren't in charge of the rain. We get that. The same is true with promises in the Bible. We have to understand the promise and the context around that promise. As we do, we can understand the real promise and hope of the promise being made. That's what we are going to talk about in this sermon: two foundational promises that are made by Jesus in John 6:37 and how they are incredibly important for every Christian, and equally important for those considering Jesus.

We are stuck in the losing game of comparisons. The temptation to compare our lives to others is ever-present, and the envy and jealousy it creates makes us miserable. And since it is hard enough to fight comparison when things are going well, how much harder is it when we experience unfair difficulty and suffering? David's praying in Psalm 17 helps us to learn how to play the Comparison Game a completely different way. In this prayer David cries out to the Lord for justice, favor, and deliverance as he is suffering unjustly at the hands of his enemies.

Even though he had already been anointed by the prophet Samuel as the new king of Israel, David lived on the run, his life constantly in danger from Saul and his men. Even so, David refused to harm Saul. Instead, he patiently and prayerfully waited for God to deliver him from death and raise him to the promised throne. If you were king David, how would you pray when you learned of Saul's death? The men who used to seek your life would do so no longer. You would now know God's blessing, his delight, and his victory. How would you process your sudden salvation?Psalm 18 is a lengthy prayer of David when the Lord finally gave him victory over King Saul and all his other enemies (we will return to Psalm 17 next week). In it, David credits his salvation to the God who delights to purify, uphold, and show mercy to the humble, even as he opposes the crooked and prideful – a simple enough biblical truth. Yet between David's references to the Exodus and the conquest of Canaan, and the use of this Psalm by both the prophet Jonah and the Apostle Paul, this psalm reverberates throughout the Scriptures as a radical and misunderstood manifesto of the principles and extent of salvation: God saves and purifies the humble, no matter how far from his grace they seem. What wonderful news for any of us who can admit we desperately need a God who rescues!

No man is an island

Who is it who gets to enjoy the presence of God?Simply put: the righteous. But who are the righteous?This Sunday, we are going to be processing through Psalm 15 and beginning to see who the righteous are: what their character is like, what makes up their relationships, who is their conduct, and how they relate to money. As we do so, we will see a completely different presentation from the wicked that we've seen in Psalm 3-14. As we do, we will ask: am I righteous? Do I measure up? Do I match the qualifications that God gives for the righteous? For, if not, Jesus says: “unless your righteousness exceeds that of the scribes and Pharisees, you will never enter the kingdom of heaven.”As we are approaching Psalm 15, spend some time thinking through the requirements that God gives and honestly assess your life to see how you measure up to God's requirements. As you do so, think about how someone who doesn't match up to God's requirements could ever possibly expect to be welcomed to God's table.This is also a good reminder of the Gospel; for we all only deserve the eternal judgment of God, yet we receive mercy and grace because Jesus was righteous in our place. Spend some time thinking about Jesus' righteous life and how His righteousness is given to you, by faith. Then, think about how your life should look differently because of what Jesus has done for you. Spend some time in prayer, asking God to reveal areas of your life that are not being lived in conformity with holiness and ask Him to convict you of your sin so that you might turn from sin and live out your new identity as a Christian. All of this is the beautiful reminder of Psalm 15 that the Lord calls us to live righteously

“God does not exist.”The central claim of atheism was a familiar one in David's world, just as it is in ours. If there is no God, the afflicted people of God have no reason to hope. Instead, all they can look forward to is a life of pain without remedy or rescue. The corruption they see all around them wins in the end, and the wicked will get away with all their evil.Did you know there is a Psalm that deals with the atheistic claim directly? In Psalm 14, we find king David fully admitting the problem of human corruption and the suffering it brings to all people, including the people of Israel. But we also get to listen in as God interrogates and refutes the apparent atheism of his deniers. By the time this short Psalm is done, we are offered a compelling reason to have hope, corrupt and afflicted as we are.

Frustrated at the timeline, yet confident in God.Ever been there?David has … in fact, that's what Psalm 13 is all about. As we've seen over the last few weeks, David is confident that the Lord will rescue him from his enemies and bring them under His judgment for their treason against David.But David still isn't seeing the Lord do what He has promised; thus, Psalm 13 is written. Yet this isn't a depressing song, nor is it one filled with accusations against God. Rather, David petitions the Lord to act in covenant faithfulness. David is confident that the Lord will provide, but he is still looking at the enemies at the gate and wondering when God will move.The question of, “How long?” that fills our hearts is one that is a common theme throughout the Bible - in fact, it goes all the way back to the heartbreak of Genesis 3, traces its way through Israel's history, crescendos in the coming of Jesus, and is, even now, the song that we sing as Christians as we long for the second coming of Jesus. Thus, Psalm 13 is a song that ought to fill our mouths as God's people, as we long for Jesus and strive to live in holiness as we wait for Him. 

Often we are dismayed and even fearful about what we see around us in a culture in moral/spiritual decline. David saw the same in his day: liars multiplying and the faithful diminishing. Psalm 12 gives us the reorientation our hearts need when this is all we see around us.

Half full or half empty?That's the age old question which helps us see that there are two main ways of viewing the exact same situation. Well, these two responses are also exactly what we see in Psalm 11.The situation? Assassins are shooting arrows, enemies are quickly approaching, and the wicked are trying to demolish the foundations of David's life and kingship (look at verses 2-3).The responses? Varied. One group is troubled and wants David to flee like a little birdie before his enemies. David, however, sees the same situation through the eyes of faith as he looks to what he knows about the character and nature of God (look at verses 4-7) and decides to run for refuge ... but not to the mountains. No, he runs to the Lord for refuge (vs. 1). As such, David pens this song and rehearses why he knows he can run to the Lord for refuge. This evening (or morning) before gathering with us, take some time to consider the reasons for David's undaunted trust in the Lord. What, specifically, fills his heart (and his mouth through this song that he wrote) with confidence? What, specifically, drives him to God as a refuge? And we, as Christians, covered with Jesus' righteousness, how ought these same truths fill us with confidence? How ought our lives look differently as we examine all things through the lens of faith given to us by Jesus? Spend some time before you gather with us reading Psalm 11 and thinking about such things and, as you do, ask God to help you understand this beautiful Psalm and how you might apply it into your life.

Psalm 10 is one of those beautiful Psalms of the Bible that expresses our raw, authentic times when we walk through unjust suffering. When we ask questions like, "Where is God in times like this?" This is a Psalm for us when we struggle to believe that God is with us. As such, it is an immensely hopeful Psalm that gives us words to pray. For more information about The Trails, please visit: trailschurch.ca

In this sermon, we wrap up our Guest Preacher's Sermon Series with a look at Ephesians 2:1-10 and discuss what it means to be "saved". For more information about The Trails, please visit: trailschurch.ca