In our Easter Sunday sermon titled, JOHN’S PERSONAL TESTIMONY, we see the Apostle John’s eyewitness account as to how he first came to believe Jesus had risen from the dead (John 20:1-10). The resurrection of the Lord Jesus Christ is what Easter is all about, and it is also central to the Gospel itself, which states, “…Christ died for our sins… was buried, and… rose again the third day according to the Scriptures” (1 Cor.… Continue reading
In our Palm Sunday sermon titled, JESUS PRESENTS HIMSELF AS KING, we read the Matthew account of that special day when Christ entered Jerusalem before dying for our sins on the cross (Matt. 21:1-11). Prior to this time, Jesus refused to be made Israel’s king (e.g. John 6:15/Matt 14:13; 17:19, etc.), but on this day He orchestrated a public demonstration of His role as “THE KING OF THE JEWS” for all to see (Matt. 27:37; Luke 23:38; Isa 62:11, etc.).… Continue reading
In a message titled, THE CALL TO GIVE (Gal. 6:6), we looked at another way Christians can “fulfill the law of Christ” (Gal. 6:2) when it is done with the right heart motive. In addition to gently helping other believers who are trapped by sin, Christians who “are spiritual” (Gal. 6:1-2) should “provide for their teachers, sharing all good things with them” (Gal. 6:6 NLT). Leaders and missionaries who minister the Word of God, the Bible says, should be highly esteemed in every way to include material sustenance (1 Tim.… Continue reading
In our March 19th sermon titled, THE LAW OF CHRIST, God summarized His call for Christians to walk in the Spirit before going onto some practical applications of how we can live the life (Gal. 5:24-6:5). Christians, whether we realize it or not, “are Christ’s [and] have crucified the flesh” when we first came to faith in Jesus (Gal. 2:20; 5:24, etc.). This is our identity in Christ, by grace through faith, and it is what we are called to continually “reckon” or consider as true- because it is!… Continue reading
Last Sunday we looked at a well-known passage on “THE FRUIT OF THE SPIRIT” (Gal. 5:22-23). When Christians “walk in the Spirit,” God’s life flows out of us- keeping us free to serve Him (Gal. 5:1, 16-18, 22-23, John 10:10; 15:5, Rom. 5:5, etc.). “Fruit” here is singular showing us these nine graces reflect who Christ is. The idea here is to the same extent that there is love, there will be self-control… (2 Cor. 3:18; Phil. 1:9, 21; 3:12, etc.). … Continue reading
Last Sunday, in a message titled, THE COST OF FOLLOWING EVIL (Gal. 5:19-21), we looked at what God says His children can forfeit if we choose to not “walk in the Spirit” (Gal. 5:16-17, 21b). Galatians 5:18 says, “if you are led in the Spirit…” which is conditional (i.e. “if”). Also, the Greek word for “led” here is “agō ” meaning to “guide,” and not “pherō” which means to “drive” or force. … Continue reading
Last Sunday, we continued our study in Galatians with a message titled, WALK IN THE SPIRIT (Gal. 5:14-18). We discovered in this passage that the Law today is actually “fulfilled in us who do not walk according to the flesh but according to the Spirit” (Rom. 8:3-4, etc.). This is done through us when we love God first (Deut. 6:4-5) which then enables us to love others“as ourselves” (Gal. 5:14; Lev. 19:18; Mark 12:28-34, etc.). … Continue reading
YOU WERE RUNNING WELL… (Gal. 5:7-13)
The Scripture never uses the image of a race to tell people how to be justified (i.e. Eph. 2:8-9), but it is only for saved people (Gal. 5:7a; 1 Cor. 9:24-26; Acts 20:24; Heb. 12:1-2, 12-13; 2 Tim. 2:7, etc.). Just like in the Greek games which required citizenship of all its participants, to run for Jesus, you must be a citizen of His kingdom (Col. 1:13-14; Eph. 2:19; Phil. 3:20, John 3:7, etc.). … Continue reading
Last Sunday, we continued our study in Galatians with a message titled, FAITH, THE ONLY WAY TO LOVE (Gal. 5:2-6). In this passage, God continues to call His children who “Christ has [already set]… free” to stay free by avoiding the perils of legalism and also license- to be discussed later in this chapter (Gal. 5:1, 13, etc.). While the act of circumcision in itself is neutral for a child of God today (e.g. Acts 16:1-3), doing that as a means to be put right with God would derail the Galatian Christians’ maturity in Christ and obligate them to a whole system of rules the false teachers in their day advocated (Gal.… Continue reading
In our February 5, 2023 worship service, we held a memorial for our dear Sister Flo who passed away on New Year’s Day at the age of 90. People shared memories from Flo’s life as we rejoiced in the fact that she, as God’s child (by grace through faith), is with Jesus in a place the Scripture says is “far better”than we can imagine (Phil. 1:23; 1 Cor. 2:9-10, etc.). We looked also briefly at 2 Corinthians 5:1-8 and the hope Christians have in the resurrection from the dead. … Continue reading
