Lord's Day Sermon, February 21, 2021: "To Fulfill All Righteousness: The Baptism of Jesus"

Matthew 3:13-17

Bart W. Newton, Preaching Minister

In the first message of the series “The Ministry of Jesus: From the Jordan River to Pentecost,” we examine the baptism of Jesus and how closely, in many ways, our baptism as Christians relates to His.

To view a simple online worship service of “Word, Communion and Prayer,” and please click on the the following link: "To Fulfill All Righteousness: The Baptism of Jesus".

(Unless otherwise noted, Scripture quotations taken from The Holy Bible: The English Standard Version.)

Today we begin a new sermon series: “The Ministry of Jesus: From the Jordan River to Pentecost”

• In our first lesson we will consider the baptism of Jesus. Next Lord’s Day, Lord willing, the temptations of Jesus during His 40 days of prayer and fasting in the wilderness.

• Then during the Sundays that follow we’re going to spend time learning about Jesus’ table ministry—the times He spent feeding people, times of table fellowship He had with others, including the Last Supper, and even His time around a table with others between His resurrection from the dead until the He ascended back to the right hand of the Father.

• By that time we’ll take another look at Jesus’ triumphal entry into Jerusalem on the Sunday before His Thursday crucifixion (Palm Sunday).

• Early on Easter morning, we’ll gather outside, weather permitting, for a simple sunrise service. Then at 10:00 our Easter worship service we’ll celebrate the Resurrection of King Jesus.

• Then between Easter and May 23, we’ll learn about Jesus’ post-resurrection appearances, His ascension back to the right hand of the Father from where He now rules as King and Lord, and finally Pentecost in Acts 1-2.

• So back to today. When you think about Jesus’s baptism by John the Baptist, what comes to your mind? Why do you think Jesus was baptized? Is Jesus’s baptism related to Christian baptism?

• If you have been immersed into Christ, have you ever thought about the similarities between His baptism and your baptism other than that they were both in water and by immersion?

• Depending on many believers’ experience and faith tradition, we tend to think of baptism in one of two ways. 1) We were baptized to receive Christ so our sins would be forgiven and we would go to heaven. Or 2) we were baptized as a symbol that prior to our baptism we received Christ and our sins were forgiven and this is our first act of obedience as a born again believer.

• Both of those understandings of baptism are lacking.

• John Mark Hicks and Greg Taylor wrote an excellent book on baptism titled Down in the River to Pray: Revisioning Baptism as God’s Transforming Power.

• I highly recommend that book.

• Their opening statement is this: “Baptism is more important than you think but not for the reasons you suppose.” --John Mark Hicks and Greg Taylor, Down in the River to Pray: Revisioning Baptism as God’s Transforming Power.

• Regardless of your and my church background, most of us have a less than complete understanding and appreciation for what God does during the baptism of a confessing, repentant believer in Christ.

• And, regardless of your and my church background, most of us have a less than complete understanding of what we were receiving, surrendering to, committing to, and professing during our baptism.

• What we’re going to learn or be reminded of today isn’t all that Scripture teaches about baptism. But, Jesus’ baptism teaches us far more than most of us have considered.

• So let’s take look-see.

Matthew 3:1-17:

In those days John the Baptist came preaching in the wilderness of Judea, 2 “Repent, for the kingdom of heaven is at hand.” 3 For this is he who was spoken of by the prophet Isaiah when he said,

“The voice of one crying in the wilderness:

‘Prepare the way of the Lord;

make his paths straight.’”

4 Now John wore a garment of camel's hair and a leather belt around his waist, and his food was locusts and wild honey. 5 Then Jerusalem and all Judea and all the region about the Jordan were going out to him, 6 and they were baptized by him in the river Jordan, confessing their sins.

7 But when he saw many of the Pharisees and Sadducees coming to his baptism, he said to them, “You brood of vipers! Who warned you to flee from the wrath to come? 8 Bear fruit in keeping with repentance. 9 And do not presume to say to yourselves, ‘We have Abraham as our father,’ for I tell you, God is able from these stones to raise up children for Abraham. 10 Even now the axe is laid to the root of the trees. Every tree therefore that does not bear good fruit is cut down and thrown into the fire.

11 “I baptize you with water for repentance, but he who is coming after me is mightier than I, whose sandals I am not worthy to carry. He will baptize you with the Holy Spirit and fire. 12 His winnowing fork is in his hand, and he will clear his threshing floor and gather his wheat into the barn, but the chaff he will burn with unquenchable fire.”

13 Then Jesus came from Galilee to the Jordan to John, to be baptized by him. 14 John would have prevented him, saying, “I need to be baptized by you, and do you come to me?” 15 But Jesus answered him, “Let it be so now, for thus it is fitting for us to fulfill all righteousness.” Then he consented. 16 And when Jesus was baptized, immediately he went up from the water, and behold, the heavens were opened to him, and he saw the Spirit of God descending like a dove and coming to rest on him; 17 and behold, a voice from heaven said, “This is my beloved Son, with whom I am well pleased.”

Prayer

13 Then Jesus came from Galilee to the Jordan to John, to be baptized by him.

• Specifically, we know from the Gospels of Mark and John that Jesus had traveled from the town of Nazareth in Galilee to the Jordan River near Bethany (Mark 1:9; John 1:28).

• Jesus’s trip was intentional with a specific purpose: to be immersed by John the Baptist in the Jordan River.

• John the Baptist wasn’t so keen on the Lord’s desire:

14 John would have prevented him, saying, “I need to be baptized by you, and do you come to me?”

• If you recall up in verse 11, John the Baptist had told the crowds being baptized by him:

• Matthew 3:11: “I baptize you with water for repentance, but he who is coming after me is mightier than I, whose sandals I am not worthy to carry. He will baptize you with the Holy Spirit and fire.” –John the Baptist

• So John is questioning, “Why should the Greater be baptized by the Lesser?”

• And not only that, but what kind of water baptism was John’s?

• Matthew 3:6:…and they were baptized by him [John] in the river Jordan, confessing their sins.

• Luke 3:3: And he went into all the region around the Jordan, proclaiming a baptism of repentance for the forgiveness of sins.

• Jesus was without sin, therefore He had no sins to confess and therefore no sins from which to turn. Confession and repentance was not needed by Jesus.

15 But Jesus answered him, “Let it be so now, for thus it is fitting for us to fulfill all righteousness.” Then he consented.

• Righteousness has to do with doing what’s right in God’s eyes. Righteousness is related to obedience to God’s will, right?

• How did Jesus’ baptism fulfill all righteousness? Well, consider:

• Hebrews 10:5-7: 5 Consequently, when Christ came into the world, he said,

“Sacrifices and offerings you have not desired,

but a body have you prepared for me;

6 in burnt offerings and sin offerings

you have taken no pleasure.

7 Then I said, ‘Behold, I have come to do your will, O God,

as it is written of me in the scroll of the book.’” ( See Psalm 40:6-8)

• What was God’s will for Jesus in His coming to the earth as a human being with a body just like yours and mine? Was it not to bear our sins as His own as a sacrifice for our sins?

• Hebrews 10 tells us that it is impossible for the blood of bulls and goats to take away sins. But when Christ paid for our sins on the cross it was a once and for all sacrifice sufficient to pay for the sins of the world. (Hebrews 10:8-14)

• Let me ask you: When Jesus who was without sin bore our sins on His body, was He identifying with sinful humanity? Yes!

• When Jesus who was without sin received John’s baptism of repentance unto the forgiveness of sins, was He identifying with sinful humanity? Yes!

• Think about what Isaiah prophesied in Isaiah 53:12 which is what Jesus quoted regarding His own impending death in Luke 22:37: It is written: ‘And he was numbered with the transgressors’; and I tell you that this must be fulfilled in me. Yes, what is written about me is reaching its fulfillment.” (NIV)

• This was fulfilled at His crucifixion when He was crucified between two thieves and at the same time bore our sins in His body.

• But at his baptism, even though Jesus was sinless, He was also numbered among the transgressors who were confessing their sins and being baptized for the forgiveness of their sins.

• Just as the sinless Jesus identified with sinful humanity during His crucifixion, so too did Jesus identify with sinful humanity at His baptism.

16 And when Jesus was baptized, immediately he went up from the water, and behold, the heavens were opened to him,

• Mark’s gospel says the heavens were “torn open.”

…and he saw the Spirit of God descending like a dove and coming to rest on him;

• Gospel of Luke gives a little more detail:

• Luke 3:21-22: 21 …when Jesus also had been baptized and was praying, the heavens were opened, 22 and the Holy Spirit descended on him in bodily form, like a dove;

• At Jesus’s baptism, He experienced something those receiving John’s baptism did not experience and would not until Pentecost—the anointing of the Holy Spirit.

• The apostle Peter speaks of this when he was preaching the Gospel to the household of the Gentile Cornelius:

• Acts 10:37-38: 37 ‘You know what happened throughout Judea, beginning in Galilee, after John began preaching his message of baptism. 38 And you know that God anointed Jesus of Nazareth with the Holy Spirit and with power. Then Jesus went around doing good and healing all who were oppressed by the devil, for God was with him.’ (NLT)

• With the anointing of the Holy Spirit came also God the Father’s affirmation of Jesus’ identity:

17 and behold, a voice from heaven said, “This is my beloved Son, with whom I am well pleased.”

• V. 17 is the fusing together of two OT Scriptures:

• Psalm 2:7: I will tell of the decree:

The Lord said to me, “You are my Son;

today I have begotten you.

• Isaiah 42:1: Behold my servant, whom I uphold,

my chosen, in whom my soul delights;

I have put my Spirit upon him;

he will bring forth justice to the nations.

• God the Father was saying, “This is my Son and Servant with whom I am well pleased.”

• John 1:29-31: 29… [John the Baptist] said, “Behold, the Lamb of God, who takes away the sin of the world! 30 This is he of whom I said, ‘After me comes a man who ranks before me, because he was before me.’ 31 I myself did not know him, but for this purpose I came baptizing with water, that he might be revealed to Israel.”

• Unlike the rest of the Jews (and Gentiles) who were sinners and needed forgiveness, Jesus from the start was in a true relationship with God the Father.

• What did Jesus do after His baptism? He was led by the Holy Spirit by Whom He had just been anointed out into the wilderness where He prayed and fasted for 40 days and nights and was also tempted by the devil.

• After that He began preaching, “Repent for the kingdom of heaven is at hand.” (Matthew 4:17).

• It was at Jesus’ baptism that He embraced His mission and begins His ministry.

• Here at the Jordan River, during a great national repentance in expectation for the Messiah and His kingdom, Jesus was leading them across the Jordan again as Joshua had. But this time, not into a new land, but a new age!

Does our baptism have anything to do with Jesus’s baptism? Is there any relationship between the two?

Just as John’s baptism was a baptism of repentance for the forgiveness of sins, so was ours:

• Acts 2:38: Peter replied, “Each of you must repent of your sins and turn to God, and be baptized in the name of Jesus Christ for the forgiveness of your sins. Then you will receive the gift of the Holy Spirit. (NLT)

Just as Jesus was immersed in water, anointed by the Spirit, and affirmed by God the Father as a beloved child at His baptism, so are we:

• Acts 2:38: Peter replied, … Then you will receive the gift of the Holy Spirit. (NLT)

• Galatians3:26-27: 26 So in Christ Jesus you are all children of God through faith, 27 for all of you who were baptized into Christ have clothed yourselves with Christ. (NIV)

• 1 John 3:1a: See how very much our Father loves us, for he calls us his children, and that is what we are! (NLT)

• Just as Jesus is God’s Son and Servant, so too are we made by God upon our repentance and baptism.

Just as Jesus encountered God during His baptism, so did we during ours:

• Romans 6:4: For we died and were buried with Christ by baptism. And just as Christ was raised from the dead by the glorious power of the Father, now we also may live new lives. (NLT)

• At Jesus’s baptism was the participation of the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit.

• Jerome wrote, “The mystery of the Trinity is revealed in the baptism.”

• Just as Jesus embraced the mission and ministry of the kingdom of God at His baptism, so do we.

• When Jesus was immersed by John, He surrendered His life to the purposes of God—to fulfill all righteousness—to do what was God’s will, to obey.

• At the end of Jesus’s earthly ministry, just before His ascension, He got the apostles together urged that His followers be baptized in the name of the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit and embrace the ministry of God’s kingdom!

• We did this too! Matthew 28:18-20: 18 When Jesus came near, he spoke to them. He said, “All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to me. 19 So wherever you go, make disciples of all nations: Baptize them in the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit. 20 Teach them to do everything I have commanded you. “And remember that I am always with you until the end of time.” (GW)

• When we are baptized we are declaring our allegiance to Christ as His followers.

• Just as Jesus obeyed the Father’s will all the way to death, so too are we to practice such allegiance.

• Luke 9:23: Then he said to them all: “Whoever wants to be my disciple must deny themselves and take up their cross daily and follow me. (NIV)

• You can look back and forth through the NT and you’ll never find a hint of believers baptized into a consumer Christianity. In fact there are warnings about people looking for teachers who will say what their itching ears want to hear. And they’ll follow them from town to town if they have to.

• As John Mark Hicks points out:

• Jesus’s baptism is a pattern for Christian baptism.

• Repentance; forgiveness of sins; fulfillment of all righteousness; mark of sonship and pledge of the gift of the Spirit; and it’s the beginning of our own ministry as God’s children.

• “When I remember my baptism, I remember the baptism of Jesus. I remember that I committed myself to the way of the cross, the mission of God, and to the ministry of the kingdom. I remember that God poured out the Spirit upon me. I remember that God sang over me in that moment. God announced that despite all my failures and faults—‘You are my child,’ ‘You are loved,’ and ‘I am delighted with you!’ God, even with my sins, celebrated me then and continues to rejoice over me now.” –John Mark Hicks, Enter the Water, Come to the Table: Baptism and Lord's Supper in the Bible's Story of New Creation, p. 46

• This is an experience we bring with us to the Lord’s Table each Lord’s Day.

• 1 John 5:6-8: 6 And Jesus Christ was revealed as God’s Son by his baptism in water and by shedding his blood on the cross—not by water only, but by water and blood. And the Spirit, who is truth, confirms it with his testimony. 7 So we have these three witnesses— 8 the Spirit, the water, and the blood—and all three agree. (NLT)

• Jesus is God’s Son, the Lamb of God who takes away the sins of the world.

• When we were plunged into the water we were washed by the blood of the Lamb and we received the blessed Holy Spirit.

• It seems quite natural to think of our baptism when we receive communion. We were baptized into Christ’s death and raised to newness of life. And at communion we remember Christ’s death and resurrection until He comes again.

• And, we are reminded that together we share in the ministry and mission of the kingdom of God.

Lord's Day Sermon, February 14, 2021: "Living Faithfully in the Mystery of the Day by Loving One Another"

1 John 4:7-11; 3:11-24; 5:1-5

Bart W. Newton, Preaching Minister

To view a simple online worship service of “Word, Communion and Prayer,” and please click on the the following link: "Living Faithfully in the Mystery of the Day” Part 5

Summary: In part 5 of the series "Living Faithfully in the Mystery of the Day, we learn from 1 John 4:7-21 that those who know and love God are to love one another. Neutrality is not an option. A Christian either loves his/her brothers and sisters or hates them. Gratefully, followers of Jesus are empowered to obey this commandment.

Basic Outline:

Five weeks ago, we began this sermon series “Living Faithfully in the Mystery of the Day.”

• Part 1: Living Faithfully in the Mystery of the Day by the Power & Promises of Jesus (2 Peter 1:3-11)

• Part 2: Living Faithfully in the Mystery of the Day with the Humility & Obedience of Jesus (Philippians 2:1-13)

• Part 3: Living faithfully in the mystery of the day by remembering we are strangers and exiles in this world.

• Part 4: Living faithfully in the mystery of the day requires practicing Christian hospitality by every believer to whatever degree he or she can do it.

• Remember: Biblical hospitality primarily means using our homes and places of worship to show friendly, brotherly affection to strangers in need by providing meals and/or a temporary lodging in the name of Christ especially to those who have no way of offering hospitality in return.

• In today’s passage, we are reminded of a 5th way to live faithfully in the mystery of the day.

1 John 4:7-21: 7 Beloved, let us love one another, for love is from God, and whoever loves has been born of God and knows God. 8 Anyone who does not love does not know God, because God is love. 9 In this the love of God was made manifest among us, that God sent his only Son into the world, so that we might live through him. 10 In this is love, not that we have loved God but that he loved us and sent his Son to be the propitiation for our sins. 11 Beloved, if God so loved us, we also ought to love one another. 12 No one has ever seen God; if we love one another, God abides in us and his love is perfected in us.

13 By this we know that we abide in him and he in us, because he has given us of his Spirit. 14 And we have seen and testify that the Father has sent his Son to be the Savior of the world. 15 Whoever confesses that Jesus is the Son of God, God abides in him, and he in God. 16 So we have come to know and to believe the love that God has for us. God is love, and whoever abides in love abides in God, and God abides in him. 17 By this is love perfected with us, so that we may have confidence for the day of judgment, because as he is so also are we in this world. 18 There is no fear in love, but perfect love casts out fear. For fear has to do with punishment, and whoever fears has not been perfected in love. 19 We love because he first loved us. 20 If anyone says, “I love God,” and hates his brother, he is a liar; for he who does not love his brother whom he has seen cannot love God whom he has not seen. 21 And this commandment we have from him: whoever loves God must also love his brother. (ESV)

So, we are to live faithfully in the mystery of the day by loving one another.

• The apostle John speaks often of God’s love. In 1, 2, & 3 John, “love” is used 62 times out of 310 occurrences in the New Testament. That’s 1/5 in these few pages.

• In the Gospel of John, “love” is used 62 times in 21 chapters compared to 63 times in the 7 chapters of Johns three letters!

• The phrase “love one another” is found 13 times in the NT. Ten of them are in John’s writings—4 times in John’s Gospel, 5 times in 1 John, and 1 time in 2 John.

• Two times we find the phrase “love for one another” (John 13:35; 1 Thessalonians 3:12).

• When we talk about loving one another, don’t think that the apostle John isn’t concerned about what we believe about God the Father, God the Son, and God the Holy Spirit and what it means to live faithfully as His children.

• John insists on both right belief and right behavior. What we believe should determine what we do.

• But let’s do like John and take our cue from Jesus:

• John 13:34-35: 34 A new commandment I give to you, that you love one another: just as I have loved you, you also are to love one another. 35 By this all people will know that you are my disciples, if you have love for one another.”

• The #1 way to identify followers of Christ is supposed to be our love demonstrated to one another. Sadly, we’ve not always taken Jesus up on that.

• Partly, I think it’s because in our culture, we’ve taken what Jesus said about love and made it a feeling, an emotion.

• But the reason Jesus can command us to love one another is because the love He commands is not an emotion but a choice. It’s a verb. It’s something we do.

• In fact, sometimes, it is not until after we choose to love that we experience the feelings of peace, contentment, and joy.

• So, let’s look at this more closely.

7 Beloved, let us love one another, for love is from God, and whoever loves has been born of God and knows God.

Loving one another is evidence of experiencing the new birth into God’s family (vv. 7-8).

• Because God is love He is the Source of love. Therefore, if we have been born again love should be in our spiritual DNA.

• The “love apple” shouldn’t fall far from the tree!

• Love should be a common trait among His kids.

• If it’s a common trait, then we ought to be able to extend love to each other.

• 1 John 3:14: We know that we have passed out of death into life, because we love the brothers.

• 1 John 5:1: Everyone who believes that Jesus is the Christ has been born of God, and everyone who loves the Father loves whoever has been born of him.

• John says that if this isn’t the case, then you don’t know God as your Father because He is love:

8 Anyone who does not love does not know God, because God is love.

If you do not love your brothers and sisters then you do not know God. If you don’t know God, then you have another father who is the devil.

• 1 John 3:10: 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.

If you do not love your brothers and sisters in Christ then you are no better off than an unforgiven murderer (1 John 3:12, 14-15).

• 1 John 3:12, 14-15: 12 We should not be like Cain, who was of the evil one and murdered his brother. And why did he murder him? Because his own deeds were evil and his brother's righteous….14 We know that we have passed out of death into life, because we love the brothers. Whoever does not love abides in death. 15 Everyone who hates his brother is a murderer, and you know that no murderer has eternal life abiding in him.

9 In this the love of God was made manifest among us, that God sent his only Son into the world, so that we might live through him. 10 In this is love, not that we have loved God but that he loved us and sent his Son to be the propitiation for our sins…19 We love because he first loved us.

The basis for our love for one another is that before we loved God the Father, He proved His love for us by sending His Son to the earth as a payment to satisfy His wrath against our sins (vv. 9-10, 19).

• This truth ought to motivate us to love one another:

11 Beloved, if God so loved us, we also ought to love one another.

• If God loves me, I ought to love you. If God loves you, you ought to love me.

• But what if it’s difficult for you to love me? What if I find it challenging to love you?

• Think about it from our heavenly Father’s point of view. He sacrificed His Son in order to make a way for you and me to be right with Him and experience new life which includes loving His other kids.

• Think about every offense you ever committed again God, every vile thought, word, deed. Think about every good thing He wanted you to do in His name and yet you failed to obey through lack of awareness, forgetfulness or simply choosing not to obey. And yet He forgave you and He forgave me and loves us. Can we not strive to love one another, too?

• Well, let’s think about this together. Does it not make sense in light of the Gospel to follow Jesus’ example when He was in the garden, wrestling with the thought of paying for your sins and mine? What did He pray?

• Matthew 26:39: 39 And going a little farther he fell on his face and prayed, saying, “My Father, if it be possible, let this cup pass from me; nevertheless, not as I will, but as you will.” (ESV)

• Three times He prayed that prayer. And then He obeyed.

• Maybe we need to pray, “Jesus, give me Your love for this person I cannot love on my own! Thy will be done!”

• But this love must be shown in concrete ways:

• 1 John 3:16-18: 16 By this we know love, that he laid down his life for us, and we ought to lay down our lives for the brothers. 17 But if anyone has the world's goods and sees his brother in need, yet closes his heart against him, how does God's love abide in him? 18Little children, let us not love in word or talk but in deed and in truth.

Additional ways Christians are to show our love to one another:

• 1 Peter 4:9: Be hospitable to one another without complaining. (CSB)

• Romans 12:16: Live in harmony with one another.

• Romans 15:14: …able to instruct one another.

• 2 Corinthians 13:11: …comfort one another…

• Galatians 5:13: …serve one another.

• Ephesians 4:2: …bearing with one another in love

• Ephesians 4:32: Be kind to one another, tenderhearted, forgiving one another, as God in Christ forgave you.

• Ephesians 5:21: …submitting to one another out of reverence for Christ

• Colossians 3:16: …teaching and admonishing one another in all wisdom…

• 1 Thessalonians 5:11: Therefore encourage one another and build one another up…

• 1 Thessalonians 5:15: See that no one repays anyone evil for evil, but always seek to do good to one another and to everyone.

• Hebrews 3:13: But exhort one another every day…

• Hebrews 10:24: And let us consider how to stir up one another to love and good works…

• James 4:11: Do not speak evil against one another, brothers…

• James 5:9: Do not grumble against one another…

• James 5:16: Therefore, confess your sins to one another and pray for one another, that you may be healed…

• 1 Peter 5:5b: Clothe yourselves, all of you, with humility toward one another, for “God opposes the proud but gives grace to the humble.”

12 No one has ever seen God; if we love one another, God abides in us and his love is perfected in us.

• On this side of the new heaven and earth, we cannot see God and survive. But if we love one another, God’s character is seen abiding in and through us. How?

13 By this we know that we abide in him and he in us, because he has given us of his Spirit.

Our love for one another is an expression of God’s presence made possible by the Holy Spirit that lives in us (vv. 12-13).

• Acts 2:38: Peter replied, “Each of you must repent of your sins and turn to God, and be baptized in the name of Jesus Christ for the forgiveness of your sins. Then you will receive the gift of the Holy Spirit. (NLT) (underlining added)

• 1 Peter 1:22: You were cleansed from your sins when you obeyed the truth, so now you must show sincere love to each other as brothers and sisters. Love each other deeply with all your heart. (NLT)

14 And we have seen and testify that the Father has sent his Son to be the Savior of the world.

• John and the rest of the apostles spent 3 ½ years being discipled by Jesus, listening to His teachings, witnessing His miracles. Peter, James and John witnessed Jesus’ transfiguration.

• John witnessed His crucifixion. He saw Jesus after His resurrection. He witnessed Jesus’ ascension up into the sky to return to His Father where He now reigns as Lord and King.

• John had witnessed Jesus’ ministry, the crucifixion, and the resurrected Jesus. But you don’t have to have had the same privilege as John and the apostles for God to abide in you:

15 Whoever confesses that Jesus is the Son of God, God abides in him, and he in God. 16 So we have come to know and to believe the love that God has for us. God is love, and whoever abides in love abides in God, and God abides in him.

17 By this is love perfected with us, so that we may have confidence for the day of judgment, because as he is so also are we in this world.

• V. 17, NLT: 17 And as we live in God, our love grows more perfect. So we will not be afraid on the day of judgment, but we can face him with confidence because we live like Jesus here in this world.

18 There is no fear in love, but perfect love casts out fear. For fear has to do with punishment, and whoever fears has not been perfected in love. 19 We love because he first loved us.

If we accept God and His love for us and reciprocate by loving others as Christ does, we have nothing to fear on Judgment Day (vv. 17-19).

• It has to be this way because:

20 If anyone says, “I love God,” and hates his brother, he is a liar; for he who does not love his brother whom he has seen cannot love God whom he has not seen. 21 And this commandment we have from him: whoever loves God must also love his brother.

I cannot love God and not love my brothers and sisters in Christ (vv. 20-21).

• I either love my fellow Christians or I hate them. There is no neutral ground.

• But through allegiance to Jesus and the presence of the Holy Spirit, you and I can obediently love one another.

• 1 John 3:23-24 23 And this is his commandment, that we believe in the name of his Son Jesus Christ and love one another, just as he has commanded us. 24 Whoever keeps his commandments abides in God, and God in him. And by this we know that he abides in us, by the Spirit whom he has given us.

• I know I love God when I love His children. I know I love His other children when I obey Him.

• 1 John 5:2-3: 2 By this we know that we love the children of God, when we love God and obey his commandments. 3 For this is the love of God, that we keep his commandments. And his commandments are not burdensome.

• I. Howard Marshall writes, “God’s love is expressed perfectly in obedient people.” New Testament Theology, p. 534

Don’t be shocked if non-believers hate you.

• 1 John 3:13: Do not be surprised, brothers, that the world hates you.

Respond to hatred in two ways:

• Prove to Whom you belong by loving them and praying for them:

• Matthew 5:43-45: 43 “You have heard that it was said, ‘You shall love your neighbor and hate your enemy.’ 44 But I say to you, Love your enemies and pray for those who persecute you, 45 so that you may be sons of your Father who is in heaven. For he makes his sun rise on the evil and on the good, and sends rain on the just and on the unjust.

• In a description of Christians in the 2nd Century Letter to Diognetus (c. 125-200): “They dwell in their own countries only as sojourners…They pass their days on earth, but they are citizens of heaven. They obey the prescribed laws, and at the same time, they surpass the laws by their lives. They love all men and are persecuted by all.” (A Dictionary of Early Christian Beliefs, David W. Bercot, Editor, p. 133)

• Remain loyal to Jesus the Overcomer:

• 1 John 5:44-5: 4 For everyone who has been born of God overcomes the world. And this is the victory that has overcome the world—our faith. 5 Who is it that overcomes the world except the one who believes that Jesus is the Son of God?

• John 16:33b: In the world you will have tribulation. But take heart; I have overcome the world.”

Lord's Day Sermon, February 7, 2021: "Living Faithfully in the Mystery of the Day" Part 4

“Living Faithfully in the Mystery of the Day by Practicing Biblical Hospitality”

Hebrews 13:1-2

Bart W. Newton, Preaching Minister

To view a simple online worship service of “Word, Communion and Prayer,” and please click on the the following link: "Living Faithfully in the Mystery of the Day” Part 4 .

Summary: In part four of the series "Living Faithfully in the Mystery of Day" we're reminded of the importance of practicing Biblical hospitality and how, as a key aspect of the Gospel, it is a powerful way to demonstrate the love of Christ to those we may not know well or at all.

Basic Outline:

• Four weeks ago we began a sermon series titled “Living Faithfully in the Mystery of the Day.”

• Part 1: Living Faithfully in the Mystery of the Day by the Power & Promises of Jesus (2 Peter 1:3-11)

• Part 2: Living Faithfully in the Mystery of the Day with the Humility & Obedience of Jesus (Philippians 2:1-13)

• Part 3: Living faithfully in the mystery of the day by remembering we are strangers and exiles in this world.

• You see for the Christian, our citizenship is in heaven. Jesus rules as our King.

• Jesus told Pilate as recorded in John 18:36: …“My kingdom is not of this world. If my kingdom were of this world, my servants would have been fighting, that I might not be delivered over to the Jews. But my kingdom is not from the world.” (ESV)

• So, we are to live with the same allegiance to King Jesus while we are here as we would if we were with Him at the right hand of His Father.

• I remember a time or two when a couple in their 50s demonstrated one aspect of living with allegiance to King Jesus.

• I’d just finished Air Force basic training at Lackland AFB in TX and begun six months of technical training at Chanute AFB next to Rantoul, IL. Deloris and I wouldn’t be married for another two or three months, so I was still by myself. I was lonely.

• One Sunday morning I decided to visit a fairly small Christian church on the other side of Rantoul. It was an enjoyable and edifying time of worship. But what really made a big difference happened after the service. As I was getting ready to leave the church building, a man who I’d seen on the AF base but never met personally introduced himself and his wife to me. And then he said those wonderful words that a lonely military person away from home likes to hear: “Would you like to come to our house for Sunday dinner?”

• What do you think I said? “Sure!” So I followed them to their nice home and enjoyed beef pot roast, potatoes, carrots and gravy. (It would not have mattered if we’d had peanut butter sandwiches and potato chips.)

• I found out the wife was an elementary school teacher in Rantoul. He was a civil service instructor of electronic principles on the air base and if my memory is correct, he was also one of the elders of the church. Their Christian hospitality shown to a lonely stranger made such an impact on me as a young Christian man of 18.

• Every Sunday that I hadn’t come back home to visit I worshiped with that congregation. And when Deloris and I married that same couple had us over to their home a couple of times for Sunday dinner before we left a few months later to go to Ellsworth AFB, SD where we experienced the same type of hospitality from the members of Rapid City First Christian Church.

• What I shared with you isn’t all there is to biblical hospitality, but it’s an example of one aspect of it. And I’m here to tell you this: Living faithfully in the mystery of the day requires practicing Christian hospitality by every believer to whatever degree he or she can do it.

• Sadly, in many of America’s Christian churches, biblical hospitality has fallen by the wayside. It’s a spiritual discipline, blessing, and demonstration of the love of Christ that needs resurrecting desperately.

• Now, when it’s more challenging to demonstrate than ever due to the Coronavirus and so many have experienced and are experiencing loneliness, it is all the more reason for us to begin to be reminded of what God has to say about it and start finding ways to do it. So let’s start to touch on it today by considering our Bible passage:

Hebrews 13:1-2: Let brotherly love continue. 2 Do not neglect to show hospitality to strangers, for thereby some have entertained angels unawares. (ESV)

If we know Jesus, we are empowered to demonstrate brotherly love (v.1)

1Let brotherly love continue.

• 1 Peter 1:22: You were cleansed from your sins when you obeyed the truth, so now you must show sincere love to each other as brothers and sisters. Love each other deeply with all your heart. (NLT)

• One way to demonstrate brotherly love is in v. 2:

2 Do not neglect to show hospitality to strangers, for thereby some have entertained angels unawares.

• What is hospitality? The word itself is related to the phrase “brotherly love.”

• Brotherly love = Philadelphia

• Hospitality = philoxenia = (love of strangers)

• It is the opposite of xenophobia (the fear of strangers).

Hospitality means using our homes and places of worship to show friendly, brotherly affection to strangers in need by providing meals and/or a temporary lodging in the name of Christ.

• According to Hebrews 13:2, sometimes when we obey this, without even realizing it at the time, we host angels like Abram and Sarah with their three visitors or like Lot did with his two visitors.

• Hebrews 13:2, Amplified Version: Do not neglect to extend hospitality to strangers [especially among the family of believers—being friendly, cordial, and gracious, sharing the comforts of your home and doing your part generously], for by this some have entertained angels without knowing it.

• The Message Bible puts it like this: Be ready with a meal or a bed when it’s needed.

• 1st Century hotels were infamous for being not only expensive but places of filth and immorality. Christians traveling had to be able to count on brothers and sisters in Christ to open their homes to them, especially for evangelists traveling from town to town. (They often carried letters of reference with them.)

• The secular world was astonished by this since the believers often not only helped other believers but also non-believers.

• But not all Christians were always so into it:

• 1 Peter 4:9: Be hospitable to one another without complaining. (CSB)

• The reason they might complain wasn’t because they didn’t want to serve coffee and cake and give up an hour two of an evening or Sunday afternoon. It was because hospitality often meant feeding and/or providing temporary lodging for those in genuine need, sometimes for more than just a day or two. Caution and discernment was required.

• But Paul said that finding ways to be hospitable was worth going after: Romans 12:13: When God’s people are in need, be ready to help them. Always be eager to practice hospitality. (NLT)

• Both the OT and NT make a big deal about God’s children practicing hospitality to the degree they are equipped.

• Being a practitioner of hospitality was and is a mark of maturing Christian character:

• 1 Timothy 5:9-10: 9 No widow is to be enrolled on the list for support unless she is at least sixty years old, has been the wife of one husband, 10 and is well known for good works—that is, if she has brought up children, shown hospitality, washed the saints’ feet, helped the afflicted, and devoted herself to every good work. (CSB)

• It’s a characteristic that church shepherds are to possess:

• 1 Timothy 3:2: …Therefore an overseer must be … hospitable… (ESV)

• 1 Timothy 3:2:…He must enjoy having guests in his home… (NLT)

• Remember, Hebrews 13:2 was written to Christians many of whom had lost most of their possessions due to persecution. And yet they are still to offer hospitality as best they could.

• Commenting on Hebrews 13:2 around the very beginning of the 3rd Century Chrysostom wrote: “If others have plundered your property, display your hospitality out of such things as you have. What excuse, then, shall we have, when they, even after the spoiling of their goods, were thus admonished?” (On the Epistle to the Hebrews, quoted in Ancient Christian Commentary, V. X, Hebrews, p. 229)

• At least half of Deloris’ and my experiences of being recipients of others’ hospitality has been by people who lived in simple, modest, often very small homes.

• Maybe a good place for most of us to start is in our church buildings.

• Right now we can’t shake hands. Even though we cannot see faces clearly, we can find ways to be hospitable: “Air” handshake or speaking more loudly so we can be heard through our masks.

• Right now, we need to take our hospitality to others in whatever ways possible. Have you reached out with telephone calls, cards, even texts and emails are better than nothing, to members of FCC who may be especially isolated now? What about those of our flock in the nursing homes?

• Do you know one of the things that made the hospitality shown to me by the married couple in Rantoul, IL? Living in the barracks and just starting out I had little opportunity for showing them hospitality in return.

Followers of Jesus ought to make an effort to extend hospitality to those who have no way of offering it in return.

• Listen to what Jesus said to a man who hosted him and some others to meal:

• “When you put on a luncheon or a banquet,” he said, “don’t invite your friends, brothers, relatives, and rich neighbors. For they will invite you back, and that will be your only reward. 13 Instead, invite the poor, the crippled, the lame, and the blind. 14 Then at the resurrection of the righteous, God will reward you for inviting those who could not repay you.” (Luke 14:12-14, NLT)

• I don’t believe Jesus is saying not to have gatherings with family and friends. What He’s saying is don’t think that by having family and friends over for big meals is the kind of hospitality He’s concerned about us demonstrating. He was us to reach out to the least, the last and the lost!

• “When you have reached the point where you no longer expect a response, you will at last be able to give in such a way that the other is able to receive, and be grateful.” –Dag Hammarskjöld, Markings, p. 76

• You might be wondering to yourself: “I wonder if I’ve ever entertained angels?” Or, “I wonder if I’ll ever entertain angels?”

• You know what I believe? There is a greater certainty that you will entertain Jesus through hospitality than you will angels.

• You know how I know that to be true? Do you remember the final judgement scene Jesus describes in Matthew 25? What did He say to the sheep? In part:

• Matthew 25:35: For I was hungry, and you fed me. I was thirsty, and you gave me a drink. I was a stranger, and you invited me into your home. (NLT)

• Matthew 25:35: … I was a stranger and you welcomed me…(ESV)

• The “sheep” replied by asking the King when they did those things to Him. The answer:

• Matthew 25:40: “And the King will say, ‘I tell you the truth, when you did it to one of the least of these my brothers and sisters, you were doing it to me!” (NLT)

Two keys to taking the practice of hospitality seriously:

1. Seeing others, including believing and non-believing strangers, as Jesus.

2. Seeing strangers as fellow image-bearers of God.

• Genesis 1:27: So God created man in his own image, in the image of God he created him; male and female he created them.

• We were made in God’s image. Therefore we are His image-bearers. God is hospitable, therefore His image-bearers are to be hospitable.

We are to be hospitable to others because God has been hospitable to us:

• John 1:12: But to all who believed him and accepted him, he gave the right to become children of God. (NLT)

• 1 John 3:1a: See what great love the Father has given us that we should be called God’s children—and we are! (NLT)

• Think about it. We were lost and without a spiritual home. Through faith in Jesus, He cleaned us up by forgiving us. He clothed us with His Son at baptism. He gave us His Holy Spirit showing that He adopted us as His own children! He feeds us spiritually and provides for us physically. He gave us eternal life. He did this by giving His Son as a sacrifice for our sins and gave us the promise of a resurrection unto life because His Son conquered the grave!

The Lord’s Supper

(Matthew 26:26-28)

Now as they were eating, Jesus took bread, and after blessing it broke it and gave it to the disciples, and said,

“Take, eat; this is my body.”

• The body of Christ given for us.

27 And he took a cup, and when he had given thanks he gave it to them, saying,

“Drink of it, all of you, 28 for this is my blood of the covenant, which is poured out for many for the forgiveness of sins.

• The blood of Christ poured out for us.

For as often as you eat this bread and drink the cup, you proclaim the Lord's death until he comes.

King Jesus has died! King Jesus has risen! And King Jesus will come again!

A Way to Read the Longest Chapter of the Bible

At 176 verses, Psalm 119 is the longest chapter in the Bible. When one follows a one-year Bible reading schedule of three to four chapters per day or a monthly reading schedule of Psalms at five chapters per day, Psalm 119 becomes a time challenge to most when it comes around to the day to be read. Its beauty and spiritual value to the reader means it’s worthy of focused attention. What is one to do if trying to follow a Bible reading schedule? Perhaps something I discovered and try to practice most months will be of help to you.

Psalm 119 is made up of 22 strophes (“stanzas”) which is about the same number of week days in most months. On Monday through Friday of each week, I try to begin my morning devotional time by reading and praying one strophe. This is just right since there is an average of eight verses per strophe. By the end of the month, except for February, I’ve thoughtfully read and prayed through the entire psalm. By taking one “bite” from Psalm 119 each week day, I have opportunity to “chew it” slowly so as to savor it. I often underline specific verses in each day’s reading and then incorporate them word-for-word into that day’s written morning prayer. This segmented approach allows me to linger over the Psalm through the course of a month. Instead of reading Psalm 119 one time when it comes up in the Bible reading plan, following this process for 12 months provides a familiar routine and, for me at least, an effective way to begin my quiet time focused.

In my opinion, the nature of Psalm 119’s content makes for an appropriate way to begin the morning’s quiet time with God and to precede any other Scriptures one might read during that time. Consider what it would be like to begin your morning devotions by praying the strophe “He”:

Teach me, O Lord, the way of your statutes;
    and I will keep it to the end.
Give me understanding, that I may keep your law
    and observe it with my whole heart.
Lead me in the path of your commandments,
    for I delight in it.
Incline my heart to your testimonies,
    and not to selfish gain!
Turn my eyes from looking at worthless things;
    and give me life in your ways.
Confirm to your servant your promise,
    that you may be feared.
 Turn away the reproach that I dread,
    for your rules are good.
 Behold, I long for your precepts;
    in your righteousness give me life! (Psalm 119:33-40 ESV)

I’ve considered rotating through three Bible translations per quarter for the entire year. For example, read the English Standard Version in January, the Christian Standard Bible in February, and the New Living Translation in March, then repeating for the next three quarters.

I hope this suggestion for reading Psalm 119 is helpful to at least some. Let me know if it edifies you in any way.

Do you have a suggestion for reading Psalm 119? If so, I’d love to read about it in the comments section.

May the peace of Christ be with you.

From the Heart of Bart

“Unto the Least of These”

While reading an article recently, I was reminded of this truth: In multiple ways, lots of people in our community are suffering and regardless of who the President of the United is he or she is not going to assist them. But you and I actually can help in small and big ways. And if we truly aid them and improve their lives in the name of Christ, God will be pleased, the country will benefit, the kingdom of God will expand and we’ll be blessed no matter what happens in Washington. This isn’t wishful thinking. Paying attention to the least, the last and the lost matters for them and for us. Jesus said so:

“When the Son of Man comes in his glory, and all the angels with him, then he will sit on his glorious throne. Before him will be gathered all the nations, and he will separate people one from another as a shepherd separates the sheep from the goats. And he will place the sheep on his right, but the goats on the left. Then the King will say to those on his right, ‘Come, you who are blessed by my Father, inherit the kingdom prepared for you from the foundation of the world. For I was hungry and you gave me food, I was thirsty and you gave me drink, I was a stranger and you welcomed me, I was naked and you clothed me, I was sick and you visited me, I was in prison and you came to me.’ Then the righteous will answer him, saying, ‘Lord, when did we see you hungry and feed you, or thirsty and give you drink? And when did we see you a stranger and welcome you, or naked and clothe you? And when did we see you sick or in prison and visit you?’ And the King will answer them, ‘Truly, I say to you, as you did it to one of the least of these my brothers, you did it to me.’

“Then he will say to those on his left, ‘Depart from me, you cursed, into the eternal fire prepared for the devil and his angels. For I was hungry and you gave me no food, I was thirsty and you gave me no drink, I was a stranger and you did not welcome me, naked and you did not clothe me, sick and in prison and you did not visit me.’ Then they also will answer, saying, ‘Lord, when did we see you hungry or thirsty or a stranger or naked or sick or in prison, and did not minister to you?’ Then he will answer them, saying, ‘Truly, I say to you, as you did not do it to one of the least of these, you did not do it to me.’ And these will go away into eternal punishment, but the righteous into eternal life” (Matthew 25:31-46 ESV).

The fact that people are saved by grace through faith in Jesus doesn’t mean we can ignore Jesus’ words; it means all the more reason to obey Him. Faith in Jesus equals allegiance to Jesus. Allegiance to Jesus requires obedience to Him out of love for Him in response to God the Father’s love for us. Jesus demonstrated the Father’s love for us by His humble obedience to His Father to the point of death on a cross (John 3:16; Philippians 2:1-11).

In their commentary The Message of 2 Peter & Jude (IVP 1995), Dick Lucas and Christopher Green write,

Without contributing anything to our salvation, the acid test of the genuineness of our faith is that either we make costly life changes on the basis of it, or we treat sin and judgment as irrelevant to a Christian (p. 63).

Part of the beauty of the life changes God brings about in us when we cooperate with Him is that He uses them to help bring about positive life changes in others!

May the peace of Christ be with you all,

Bart W. Newton

Note: This article was first published in the February 2021 print newsletter of Owensville First Christian Church.

Lord's Day Sermon, January 31, 2021: "Living Faithfully in the Mystery of the Day" Part 3

“Living Faithfully in the Mystery of the Day by Remembering We Are Sojourners and Exiles in the World”

1 Peter 2:11-12; Hebrews 11:13-16

Bart Newton, Preaching Minister

To view a simple online worship service of “Word, Communion and Prayer,” and please click on the the following link: "Living Faithfully in the Mystery of the Day” Part 3 .

Summary: In part 3 of the series "Living Faithfully in the Mystery of the Day", the Scriptures remind followers of Christ that since we are citizens of heaven we are strangers and exiles in this world. Living faithfully as such requires that we live distinctly from the world while loving those in the world. Morality, good deeds, a loose grip on material possessions, and hospitality toward strangers are the marks of such a life.

Sermon Outline

 • When was the last time you thought of yourself as a stranger if ever?

• When was the last time you thought of yourself as a stranger within the community you live?

• Three weeks ago we began the series “Living Faithfully in the Mystery of the Day.”

• Part 1: Living Faithfully in the Mystery of the Day by the Power & Promises of Jesus (2 Peter 1:3-11)

• Part 2: Living Faithfully in the Mystery of the Day with the Humility & Obedience of Jesus (Philippians 2:1-13)

• Today we consider this truth: Christians are to live faithfully in the mystery of the day by remembering we are strangers and exiles in this world.

• Within God’s kingdom, both OT and NT, God’s children have always been considered strangers and aliens on this earth in some form or fashion.

• Speaking of when the Jews would be in captivity in Egypt…

• Genesis 15:13: Then the Lord said to Abram, “Know this for certain: Your offspring will be resident aliens for four hundred years in a land that does not belong to them and will be enslaved and oppressed. (CSB)

• Or think about Lord’s instructions to the Hebrew children regarding their parcels of ground in the Promised Land:

• Leviticus 25:23-24: 23 “The land shall not be sold in perpetuity, for the land is mine. For you are strangers and sojourners with me. 24 And in all the country you possess, you shall allow a redemption of the land. (ESV)

• Consider the compassion the Jews were to demonstrate once they were settled in the Promised Land to transients:

• Deuteronomy 10:19: Love the sojourner, therefore, for you were sojourners in the land of Egypt. (ESV)

• Do you remember King David’s prayer in response to the offering given by the Jews to build the temple?

• 1 Chronicles 29:14-15: 14 But who am I, and who are my people, that we could give anything to you? Everything we have has come from you, and we give you only what you first gave us! 15 We are here for only a moment, visitors and strangers in the land as our ancestors were before us. Our days on earth are like a passing shadow, gone so soon without a trace. (NLT)

• Now, under the New Covenant, followers of Jesus are considered strangers and exiles whether of Jewish or Gentile background. Speaking of Gentile (non-Jewish) Christians as foreigners, Paul writes:

• Ephesians 2:11-13, 17-19: 11 Don’t forget that you Gentiles used to be outsiders. … 12 In those days you were living apart from Christ. You were excluded from citizenship among the people of Israel, and you did not know the covenant promises God had made to them. You lived in this world without God and without hope. 13 But now you have been united with Christ Jesus. Once you were far away from God, but now you have been brought near to him through the blood of Christ….17 He brought this Good News of peace to you Gentiles who were far away from him, and peace to the Jews who were near. 18 Now all of us can come to the Father through the same Holy Spirit because of what Christ has done for us. 19 So now you Gentiles are no longer strangers and foreigners. You are citizens along with all of God’s holy people. You are members of God’s family. (NLT)

• Think about this fellow Gentile converts. We were strangers and outsiders to God’s family and God’s kingdom. Through Christ, we became members of God’s household and citizens of His kingdom. Once we received Christ and were adopted as God’s children and became citizens of God’s kingdom, that is citizens of heaven, we then became strangers and exiles to the world.

• But much of the church in America has forgotten that our primary citizenship is in heaven: Philippians 3:20: Our citizenship is in heaven…

• Christians are citizens of the kingdom of heaven—the kingdom of God—and our ultimate allegiance must be to King Jesus!

• And His kingdom is not of this world so His citizens are not to act like citizens of worldly kingdoms!

• When Jesus was before Pilate, He replied to one of his questions like this:

• John 18:36-37: 36 Jesus answered, “My kingdom is not of this world. If my kingdom were of this world, my servants would have been fighting, that I might not be delivered over to the Jews. But my kingdom is not from the world. 37 … 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.” (ESV)

• Much of the American church has not lived as such. Instead of making followers of Christ of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father, and the Son and the Holy Spirit and teaching them for obey all that Christ has taught us, many believers have insisted on a form of Christian nationalism which is unbiblical, impossible, and unwise.

• “Christian nationalism aims to turn the country back to God through the avenues of patriotism and politics. It's a faulty premise from the start because the focus relies far too much on those who crave power first and foremost.”—“The Christian nationalism experiment failed” by Kimberly Ross, January 14, 2021 11:00 PM (Online source:washingtonexaminer.com/opinion/the-christian-nationalism-experiment-failed)

• Article: “Christians in a politically charged climate: Questions to ask as tensions ratchet up”--By Waldemar Kohl (world.wng.org, 1/23/21):

• Kohl asks: “How are we to respond—in this overly sensitive, divided, and politically charged climate—to a society that needs to know Jesus’ love? I think it starts with us doing some serious self-reflection on where our priorities lie, and even where our heart is.”

• Kohl then asks a series of questions for Christians to consider. One question is this:

• “Which kingdom are we pursuing? If we were Christians anywhere else in the world, we would struggle less with the melding of nationalism and faith. As it is, the church in the United States—in my opinion—has a dangerous emotional and spiritual bond with conservative political power. They are not one and the same. Jesus was clear, ‘My kingdom is not of this world.’ If it were, He would have fought more like we’re fighting today—for power and control. Listening to the leaders involved in the Jericho March, you would think that the president is our messiah and we are fighting for his kingdom on earth. Anything that pulls us away from our focus on God’s eternal kingdom, or draws on our passion and energy to preserve worldly possession or influence, plays into the devil’s hands. Let us vote our conscience for the leaders we believe are best able to govern our country. But let our hearts and minds pursue the eternal kingdom, not a kingdom of any kind on earth. (Online Source: world.wng.org/2021/01/christians_in_a_politically_charged_climate)

• So, let us begin to answer this question: How do we live faithfully in the mystery of the day by remembering we are strangers and exiles in the world? The apostle Peter tells us.

• First, he tells us who we are in Christ Jesus by God’s grace:

• 1 Peter 2:9-10: 9 But you are a chosen race, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, a people for his own possession, that you may proclaim the excellencies of him who called you out of darkness into his marvelous light. 10 Once you were not a people, but now you are God's people; once you had not received mercy, but now you have received mercy.

• By grace we have a special identity different than those outside of Christ. To prove it in hostile territory, we must live up to Whose we are:

1 Peter 2:11-12: 11 Beloved, I urge you as sojourners and exiles to abstain from the passions of the flesh, which wage war against your soul. 12 Keep your conduct among the Gentiles honorable, so that when they speak against you as evildoers, they may see your good deeds and glorify God on the day of visitation. (ESV)

• V. 11, NLT: Dear friends, I warn you as “temporary residents and foreigners”…

Living faithfully as strangers and exiles requires followers of Jesus to live a lifestyle that is:

• Moral and holy. (1 Peter 2:11)

• V. 11, The Message: Friends, this world is not your home, so don’t make yourselves cozy in it. Don’t indulge your ego at the expense of your soul.

• V. 11, Amplified: Beloved, I urge you as aliens and strangers [in this world] to abstain from the sensual urges [those dishonorable desires] that wage war against the soul.

Living faithfully as strangers and exiles requires followers of Jesus to live a lifestyle that:

• Demonstrates good conduct and good deeds. (1 Peter 2:12)

• v. 12, Amplified: Keep your behavior excellent among the [unsaved] Gentiles [conduct yourself honorably, with graciousness and integrity], so that for whatever reason they may slander you as evildoers, yet by observing your good deeds they may [instead come to] glorify God in the day of visitation [when He looks upon them with mercy].

• Remember, because we are citizens of another kingdom, we in a sense are guests to our neighbors and must live in a way that they can say nothing bad about us that is valid.

Living faithfully as strangers and exiles requires followers of Jesus to live a lifestyle that:

• Is flexible, sacrificial, long suffering and filled with hope.

• Chapter 11 of Hebrews is the great faith chapter. The writer gives several examples of the OT saints who left their homeland to follow the will of God. They could have gone back to their old stomping grounds but they didn’t. Listen to what the writer of Hebrews says of them:

• Hebrews 11:13-16:13 These all died in faith, not having received the things promised, but having seen them and greeted them from afar, and having acknowledged that they were strangers and exiles on the earth. 14 For people who speak thus make it clear that they are seeking a homeland. 15 If they had been thinking of that land from which they had gone out, they would have had opportunity to return. 16 But as it is, they desire a better country, that is, a heavenly one. Therefore God is not ashamed to be called their God, for he has prepared for them a city. (ESV)

• v. 13c, GW: … they were living as strangers with no permanent home on earth.

• The Hebrew writer goes on to tell of other faithful saints that suffered greatly as strangers and exiles on the earth. Some didn’t live to tell it. Listen to what was known about their faithfulness:

• Hebrews 11:35b-38: But others were tortured, refusing to turn from God in order to be set free. They placed their hope in a better life after the resurrection. 36 Some were jeered at, and their backs were cut open with whips. Others were chained in prisons. 37 Some died by stoning, some were sawed in half, and others were killed with the sword. Some went about wearing skins of sheep and goats, destitute and oppressed and mistreated. 38 They were too good for this world, wandering over deserts and mountains, hiding in caves and holes in the ground. (NLT)

• Faith rebukes materialism and cowardice. Faith inspires heroism, encourages fortitude and awaits fulfilment.

• You see, the writer of Hebrews was trying to encourage Jews who had accepted Jesus as the promised Messiah not to turn away from Him so they wouldn’t be persecuted. Listen to what he writes to them and us in…

• Hebrews 10:32-34: 32 Think back on those early days when you first learned about Christ. Remember how you remained faithful even though it meant terrible suffering. 33 Sometimes you were exposed to public ridicule and were beaten, and sometimes you helped others who were suffering the same things. 34 You suffered along with those who were thrown into jail, and when all you owned was taken from you, you accepted it with joy. You knew there were better things waiting for you that will last forever. (NLT)

• “The description of these heroes of faith challenges our cowardice and rebukes our materialism.”—Raymond Brown, The Message of Hebrews, p. 208

• Now here is where I believe it really gets fascinating, exciting, and challenging. Many of these Christians described in Hebrews had lost most of their material possessions, and maybe even their homes, and he goes on to tell them this. Are you listening?

• Hebrews 13:2: Don’t neglect to show hospitality, for by doing this some have welcomed angels as guests without knowing it. (CSB)

• Hebrews 13:2, Amplified: Do not neglect to extend hospitality to strangers [especially among the family of believers—being friendly, cordial, and gracious, sharing the comforts of your home and doing your part generously], for by this some have entertained angels without knowing it.

• They had little to nothing to share yet in their poverty they were called to still practice hospitality even to strangers!

• We are strangers in the world called to be hospitable to strangers whether or not they are citizens of heaven.

• “Strangers in the strict sense, are those who are disconnected from basic relationships that give persons a secure place in the world. The most vulnerable strangers are detached from family, community, church, work, and polity.” –Christine D. Pohl, Making Room: Recovering Hospitality as a Christian Tradition, p. 13

• Obviously this requires care and discernment. But we can and must offer biblical hospitable more often than we generally do.

• If we will remember that we are sojourners and live like we are sojourners, we will be better at practicing biblical hospitality.

• Historically, biblical hospitality that includes the Gospel message, which we’ll be learning about in the weeks ahead, has done more to demonstrate the love of Christ and make followers of Him than the slickest worship services have ever done!

• Funny, I didn’t realize it at the beginning, but the common theme in the series for us to pay attention to is the certainty of the Second Coming of Jesus our King.

• The one thing that 2 Peter 1:3-11, Philippians 2:3-11, and 1 Peter 2:11-12 all have in common is to live faithfully in the mystery of the day by looking forward to the return of Christ.

• In today’s passage Peter speaks of it as “the day of visitation.”

• Philippians 3:20: Our citizenship is in heaven, and we eagerly wait for a Savior from there, the Lord Jesus Christ. (CSB)

• "Living Faithfully in the Mystery of the Day", reminds us that since we are citizens of heaven, we are strangers and exiles in this world. Living faithfully as such requires that we live distinctly from the world while loving those in the world. Morality, good deeds, a loose grip on material possessions, hospitality and anticipation of the Second Coming of Jesus are the marks of such a life.

A Trustworthy Prayer

“A Trustworthy Prayer”

(Based on 2 Timothy 2:11-13)

Lord Jesus,

If I have died with You, I will also live with you.

Help me die with You.

If I endure, I will also reign with You.

Help me endure.

If I deny You, You also will deny me.

Help me not deny You.

If I am faithless, you remain faithful—for You cannot deny Yourself.

Help me remain faithful.

Amen.

—Bart W. Newton, January 25, 2021

Lord's Day Sermon, January 24, 2021: "Living Faithfully in the Mystery of the Day" Part 2

“Living Faithfully in the Mystery of the Day with the Humility & Obedience of Jesus”

Philippians 2:1-16

Bart Newton, Preaching Minister

To view a simple online worship service of “Word, Communion and Prayer,” and please click on the the following link: "Living Faithfully in the Mystery of the Day” Part 2 . Below is an accompanying basic outline which includes the main points,. Scripture references, and a few quotes.

Philippians 2:1-11: 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. (ESV)

• Living faithfully = living a worthy life; living a life of value according to the Gospel. (See Philippians 1:27)

•“A July 2020 survey by Lifeway Research revealed the top “pressure point” Protestant pastors faced during the pandemic was maintaining unity in their churches and dealing with complaints and conflicts, followed by figuring out how to care for members from a distance. Other top pressure points included ‘personal exhaustion’ and ministry ‘uncertainty.’” “2020’s Church Divide”, World Magazine (12/26/20): Online: Source: https://world.wng.org/2020/12/2020_s_church_divide

• V. 5, CSB: Adopt the same attitude as that of Christ Jesus…
• V. 5, NIV: In your relationships with one another, have the same mindset as Christ Jesus…

• V. 6, NIV: Who, being in very nature God,…
• V. 6, CSB: who, existing in the form of God…
• V. 6, NTL: Though he was God…
• V. 6: GW: Although he was in the form of God and equal with God…

• John 1:1-2: In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. 2 He was with God in the beginning. (CSB)

• And Jesus didn’t consider this equality as something to be “grasped” )v. 6) = to cling to (NLT); something to be used to his own advantage (NIV); as something to be exploited (CSB); take advantage of (GW).

• How did Jesus “empty” himself?
• V. 7a, NLT: Instead, he gave up his divine privileges…
• V. 7a, NIV: rather, he made himself nothing…

• In what way did Jesus “empty himself”? Deny himself of His lordship?
• Did He temporarily forfeit or lay aside certain divine attributes such as His omnipresence (everywhere-presence)?

• Into what did Jesus empty Himself? A human servant. (v. 7)

• John 1:14a: The Word became flesh and dwelt among us. (CSB)

• Isaiah 53:2b: He didn’t have an impressive form
or majesty that we should look at him,
no appearance that we should desire him. (CSB)

• Mark 10:45: For even the Son of Man came not to be served but to serve, and to give his life as a ransom for many.”(ESV)

• Galatians 3:13: 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”—(CSB)


• Acts 3:15: …you killed the Author of life… (ESV)

• 1 Corinthians 2:8: … the rulers of this age …crucified the Lord of glory. (ESV)

• John 18:11: At that, Jesus said to Peter, “Put your sword away! Am I not to drink the cup the Father has given me?” (CSB)

• “[Jesus] looked at himself, at his Father and us, and for obedience’ sake and for sinners’ sake he held nothing back.” –J.A. Motyer, The Message of Philippians, p. 118

• The mind (attitude) of Jesus is one of self-emptying, self-humbling and obeying God the Father’s will!

• Matthew 16:24: Then Jesus told his disciples, “If anyone would come after me, let him deny himself and take up his cross and follow me. (ESV)

• Matthew 16:24: … “If any of you wants to be my follower, you must give up your own way, take up your cross, and follow me. (NLT)

• Matthew 16:24: … “If any of you want to come with me, you must forget yourself, carry your cross, and follow me. (GNT)

• The fact that Jesus is our King should determine our mindset (“heartset”) and behavior! (vv. 12-13)


• “This is not the fear of a lost sinner before the Holy One, but the fear of a true child before the most loving of all fathers; not a fear of what he might do to us, but of the hurt we might do to him.”—J.A. Motyer, The Message of Philippians, p. 128

• “We have burned down our evangelical witness. Burned it to the ground. But here is what I know. I know God can bring beauty from ashes. I believe He will raise up a people purified by the very fires we set. A people defined by Jesus Himself, not denomination nor political party.—Beth Moore 8:36 AM · Oct 19, 2020·Twitter for iPhone

• In the mystery of the day may each of us live a self-denying, humble, obedient life that seeks the approval of the Father and the eternal welfare of others.
• Philippians 2:14-16: 14 Do all things without grumbling or disputing, 15 that you may be blameless and innocent, children of God without blemish in the midst of a crooked and twisted generation, among whom you shine as lights in the world, 16 holding fast to the word of life, so that in the day of Christ I may be proud that I did not run in vain or labor in vain. (ESV)

• Hebrews 2:14-15: 14 Because God’s children are human beings—made of flesh and blood—the Son also became flesh and blood. For only as a human being could he die, and only by dying could he break the power of the devil, who had the power of death. 15 Only in this way could he set free all who have lived their lives as slaves to the fear of dying. (NLT)

Lord's Day Sermon, Jan 17, 2021: "Living Faithfully in the Mystery of the Day"

2 Peter 1:3-11

To view a simple online worship service which includes a sermon and the Lord’s Supper, please click on the the following link: "Living Faithfully in the Mystery of the Day"

In this message, we're reminded that by Jesus' divine power and precious promises we've been given everything we need to live godly lives. Therefore, we are to "make every effort" to grow in Christian virtue so we might live faithfully in the mystery of the day.

Lord's Day Message, January 10, 2021: "Wrestling God for Blessings"

Genesis 32:22-33:4 (Background: Genesis 25-32)

To view a simple online worship service which includes a sermon and the Lord’s Supper, please click on the the following link: “Wrestling God for Blessings"

Welcome to this simple worship service. Today's passage helps us understand how God is patient in bringing our hearts and minds to the place of being ready to receive from Him transformational blessings!

Lord's Day Message, Jan 3, 2021: "Where's God in a Coronavirus World?"

Today’s regular online sermon and communion video is not available. However, as a substitute, we’ve provided a link to an interview and conversation with Dr. John Lennox produced by The Trinity Forum: “Where’s God in a Coronavirus World?”

On this Lord’s Day, as usual and if at all possible, please spend time in prayer, Scripture and communion following the above message. We apologize for any inconvenience.

Lord's Day Sermon, December 13, 2020: Christmas Psalms of Expectation (Part 3)

“Messiah Brings Salvation to All Nations”
Psalm 45; Luke 1:30-33; 2:29-32; Ephesians 3:4-6
Christmas Psalms of Expectation Pt 2
Lord’s Day, December 6, 2020
Bart W. Newton, Preaching Minister
To view simple online worship service which includes a sermon from Psalm 22 and the Lord’s Supper, please click on the the following link: “Messiah Brings Salvation to All People”

(Unless otherwise noted, Scripture quotations taken from The Holy Bible: English Standard Version.)

• We’ve been considering Christmas Psalms of Expectation. In these messages we look at Psalms that speak of the first Advent (coming) of King Jesus, but also encourage the church to look forward to the 2nd Advent (coming) of Jesus.

The superscription at the top tells us it’s a love song.

To the choirmaster: according to Lilies. A Maskil of the Sons of Korah; a love song.
• As one read’s Psalm 45 you can tell that it’s is a royal psalm about a king’s and queen’s wedding.
• If the psalmist is describing a royal wedding of his day, we don’t know for sure who it is.
• We do know, however, that that this love song is a royal wedding psalm that is also prophetic of the Messiah.
• C.H. Spurgeon: “Some here see Solomon and Pharaoh’s daughter only—they are shortsighted; other see both Solomon and Christ—they are cross-eyed; well-focused spiritual eyes see here Jesus only, or if Solomon be present at all, it must be like those hazy shadows of passers-by which cross the face of the camera, and therefore are dimly traceable upon a photographic landscape.” Treasury of David, V.1, p. 315
• The poet is enthusiastic about his verses for the king:

45 1My heart overflows with a pleasing theme;
I address my verses to the king;
my tongue is like the pen of a ready scribe.

• I appreciate Michael Wilcock’s words about this first verse: “These opening lines also remind us that along with [the oral tradition] Bible people valued equally the pen of a skillful writer. So did God, giving us his words through both media, with the vividness of speaking and the permanence of writing.”—Michael Wilcock, The Message of the Psalms, V. 1, p. 161.

• With the exception of handsomeness, everything in verses 2-9 is spoken of King Jesus in the NT though with different words.

The Royal Groom (vv. 2-9)
• Address to the King (vv. 2-5)
2 You are the most handsome of the sons of men;
grace is poured upon your lips;
therefore God has blessed you forever.

• Not long after Jesus began His earthly ministry and after he’d spoken in the synagogue, Luke records: Luke 4:22: And all spoke well of him and marveled at the gracious words that were coming from his mouth. And they said, “Is not this Joseph's son?”

3 Gird your sword on your thigh, O mighty one,
in your splendor and majesty!
4 In your majesty ride out victoriously
for the cause of truth and meekness and righteousness;
let your right hand teach you awesome deeds!
5 Your arrows are sharp
in the heart of the king's enemies;
the peoples fall under you.

• Writing of the 2nd Advent—2nd Coming of King Jesus and the resurrection, Paul tells us in 1 Corinthians 15:23-26: 23 But there is an order to this resurrection: Christ was raised as the first of the harvest; then all who belong to Christ will be raised when he comes back.
24 After that the end will come, when he will turn the Kingdom over to God the Father, having destroyed every ruler and authority and power. 25 For Christ must reign until he humbles all his enemies beneath his feet. 26 And the last enemy to be destroyed is death. (NLT)

• The Groom’s Glory (vv. 6-9)

• Listen carefully to these next two verses:
6 Your throne, O God, is forever and ever.

• The psalmist refers to the King as God!
• “‘The King,’ the God whose throne is for ever and ever, is no mere mortal and his everlasting dominion is not bounded by Lebanon and Egypt’s river.” –C.H. Spurgeon, Treasury of David, V.1, p. 315

The scepter of your kingdom is a scepter of uprightness;
7 you have loved righteousness and hated wickedness.
Therefore God, your God, has anointed you
with the oil of gladness beyond your companions…

• These same two verses are quoted in the NT letter of Hebrews as referring to King Jesus!

• Hebrews 1:8-9: 8 But of the Son he says,
“Your throne, O God, is forever and ever,
the scepter of uprightness is the scepter of your kingdom.
9 You have loved righteousness and hated wickedness;
therefore God, your God, has anointed you
with the oil of gladness beyond your companions.”

8 your robes are all fragrant with myrrh and aloes and cassia.
From ivory palaces stringed instruments make you glad;

• Now there is a transition to thoughts about the queen bride in v. 9:
9 daughters of kings are among your ladies of honor;
at your right hand stands the queen in gold of Ophir.

• Address to the Royal Bride (vv. 10-12):

10 Hear, O daughter, and consider, and incline your ear:
forget your people and your father's house,

• To become a bride of the King means that as a new relationship begins, old ones must be put in their proper place.
• These words are reminiscent of the conversation between Ruth, from whom Christ is a descendent, to Naomi.
• Perhaps you recall the story about Elimelech and his wife Naomi from Bethlehem in Judah?

• Ruth 1:15-16: 15 “Look,” Naomi said to her, “your sister-in-law has gone back to her people and to her gods. You should do the same.”
16 But Ruth replied, “Don’t ask me to leave you and turn back. Wherever you go, I will go; wherever you live, I will live. Your people will be my people, and your God will be my God. (NLT)

• King Jesus makes this clear to all who would follow Him:
• Luke 14:25-26: 25 A large crowd was following Jesus. He turned around and said to them, 26 “If you want to be my disciple, you must, by comparison, hate everyone else—your father and mother, wife and children, brothers and sisters—yes, even your own life. Otherwise, you cannot be my disciple. (NLT)

• Why would Jesus say such a thing? Could it be because when it comes to really following the will of God, people use their family as a reason to say, “Sorry, I cannot!”

11 and the king will desire your beauty.
Since he is your lord, bow to him.

• King Jesus, the groom of the Bride of Christ, is worthy of bowing to Him in recognition of His Lordship. He in turn recognizes the beauty of the church’s loving allegiance to Him.
• Verses 10-11 remind us of the “leave and cleave” words of Genesis 2.
• The Bible tells us that God created male and female, man and woman, Adam and Eve; that it’s not good for man to be alone; that woman is the proper and complementary partner; and being brought to him is the part of the marriage pattern. “In every generation from then on the leaving of one’s parents and the cleaving to one’s spouse bring about a new and permanent relationship.” –Michael Wilcock, Message of Psalms, V. 1, p. 164
• Surely, this passage is a reference to the mystical union between Christ and His church.

• The Glory of the Bride (vv. 13-15)

13 All glorious is the princess in her chamber, with robes interwoven with gold.

• Does this not remind us of the description of the the righteous deeds of the church, the Bride of Christ, in The Revelation?

• Revelation 19:7-8: 7 Let us rejoice and exult
and give him the glory,
for the marriage of the Lamb has come,
and his Bride has made herself ready;
8 it was granted her to clothe herself
with fine linen, bright and pure”—
for the fine linen is the righteous deeds of the saints.

14 In many-colored robes she is led to the king,
with her virgin companions following behind her.
15 With joy and gladness they are led along
as they enter the palace of the king.

• Just as the queen bride was led to the king groom, so the church, which is the bride of Christ, is led and presented to Christ the King:
• 2 Corinthians 11:2b: I promised you to one husband, to Christ, so that I might present you as a pure virgin to him. (NLT)

• Revelation 21:2: And I saw the holy city, the new Jerusalem, coming down from God out of heaven like a bride beautifully dressed for her husband.

Conclusion (vv. 16-17)
• Verses 16-17 return to thoughts of the King:

16 In place of your fathers shall be your sons;
you will make them princes in all the earth.

• Christ’s realm is the entire world:
• Matthew 28:18-20: 18 When Jesus came near, he spoke to them. He said, “All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to me. 19 So wherever you go, make disciples of all nations: Baptize them in the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit. 20 Teach them to do everything I have commanded you. And remember that I am always with you until the end of time.” (GW)

• Faithful, persevering followers of King Jesus are promised to reign with Him:
• 2 Timothy 2:11-12: 11 The saying is trustworthy, for: If we have died with him, we will also live with him;12 if we endure, we will also reign with him (ESV)

• Revelation 5:9-10: 9 And they sang a new song, saying,
“Worthy are you to take the scroll
and to open its seals,
for you were slain, and by your blood you ransomed people for God
from)every tribe and language and people and nation,
10 and you have made them a kingdom and priests to our God,
and they shall reign on the earth.”

17 I will cause your name to be remembered in all generations;
therefore nations will praise you forever and ever.

• The prophecy of the Messiah King was fulfilled to the letter (v. 17).

• The Messiah does bring salvation to all nations!
• Ephesians 3:6: This mystery is that through the gospel the Gentiles are heirs together with Israel, members together of one body, and sharers together in the promise in Christ Jesus. (NLT)
• Not let us briefly go back to the events surrounding the first advent, the first coming of King Jesus:

• Luke 1:30-33: 30 And the angel said to [Mary], “Do not be afraid, Mary, for you have found favor with God. 31 And behold, you will conceive in your womb and bear a son, and you shall call his name Jesus. 32 He will be great and will be called the Son of the Most High. And the Lord God will give to him the throne of his father David, 33 and he will reign over the house of Jacob forever, and of his kingdom there will be no end.”

• And once again the words of Simeon when Jesus was presented at the temple when He was but 8 days old:
• Luke 2:29-32: 25 At that time there was a man in Jerusalem named Simeon. He was righteous and devout and was eagerly waiting for the Messiah to come and rescue Israel. The Holy Spirit was upon him 26 and had revealed to him that he would not die until he had seen the Lord’s Messiah. 27 That day the Spirit led him to the Temple. So when Mary and Joseph came to present the baby Jesus to the Lord as the law required, 28 Simeon was there. He took the child in his arms and praised God, saying,
29 “Sovereign Lord, now let your servant die in peace,
as you have promised.
30 I have seen your salvation,
31 which you have prepared for all people.
32 He is a light to reveal God to the nations,
and he is the glory of your people Israel!”

• King Jesus is faithful. And the bride of Christ, made up of individual followers of Jesus, are called to be faithful in every way to King Jesus, the Bride’s groom.
• Tesh & Zorn (p. 333): “As to the ultimate significance of the psalm, whatever king the psalmist may have been addressing, the Christian sees here the Messiah, the heavenly bridegroom, the bride being the church (that is, the totality of the redeemed and purified). The relationship is stated most clearly by the apostle Paul” in…
• Ephesians 5:25-27: 25 For husbands, this means love your wives, just as Christ loved the church. He gave up his life for her 26 to make her holy and clean, washed by the cleansing of God’s word. 27 He did this to present her to himself as a glorious church without a spot or wrinkle or any other blemish. Instead, she will be holy and without fault. (NLT)


Prayer Guide for the Week of December 6, 2020

NOTE: Except for section headings, bold type indicates the unison response of everyone when praying in a group. Also, many of the Scriptures provided were included in our Dec 6 sermon, the outline of which can be found here: “Jesus: Messiah from the Womb” Use the Scriptures to meditate upon and to help guide your prayers.

Quotes on Prayer

“That Child now fighting the great battle of his life, uses the mercy of his nativity as an argument with God. Faith finds weapons everywhere. He who wills to believe shall never lack reasons for believing”—C. H. Spurgeon, Treasury of David, Vol. 1

”Only a life of prayer and meditation will render a vessel ready for the Master's use.”—George Muller

Adoration: Praise Sovereign God for His attributes, for who He is and what He is like in this passage:

John 1:1-2, 14: In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. 2 He was in the beginning with 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. (ESV)

Philippians 2:9-11: 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. (ESV)

For ________________, Mighty God. We give you praise!

Confession:

Matthew 1:21: She will bear a son, and you shall call his name Jesus, for he will save his people from their sins.” (ESV)

• Ask the Holy Spirit to show you anything in your life that is displeasing to Him and confess it to Him.

I confess ______________, forgiving God. Forgive us our sins. (If prayed aloud with others.)

Thanksgiving: In light of the following passages and anything else the Spirit reminds you of, let us thank God for what he’s done.

2 Corinthians 9:15: Thanks be to God for his inexpressible gift! (ESV)

For _______________, loving God. We give you thanks.

Supplication (Humble Petitions) & Intercession:

Hebrews 5:7: 7In the days of his flesh, Jesus offered up prayers and supplications, with loud cries and tears, to him who was able to save him from death, and he was heard because of his reverence. (ESV)

• Pray to our merciful God about anything/anyone the Spirit puts on your heart to pray.

For _____________, Merciful God. Hear our prayer.

• How might we pray in light of these two verses?

Hebrews 9:27-28: 27 And just as it is appointed for man to die once, and after that comes judgment, 28 so Christ, having been offered once to bear the sins of many, will appear a second time, not to deal with sin but to save those who are eagerly waiting for him. (ESV)

For _____________, Merciful God. Hear our prayer.

Ever felt this way?

Psalm 22:11: Be not far from me,
for trouble is near,
and there is none to help. (ESV)

For _____________, Merciful God. Hear our prayer.

2 Corinthians 9:6-10: 7 You must each decide in your heart how much to give. And don’t give reluctantly or in response to pressure. “For God loves a person who gives cheerfully” 8 And God will generously provide all you need. Then you will always have everything you need and plenty left over to share with others….10 For God is the one who provides seed for the farmer and then bread to eat. In the same way, he will provide and increase your resources and then produce a great harvest of generosity in you.

For _____________, Merciful God. Hear our prayer.

Benediction: The Lord’s Prayer

Our Father which art in heaven,
Hallowed be thy name.
Thy kingdom come,
Thy will be done in earth, as it is in heaven.
Give us this day our daily bread.
And forgive us our debts, as we forgive our debtors.
And lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from evil: For thine is the kingdom, and the power, and the glory, for ever. Amen. (Matthew 6:9-13, KJV)

Lord's Day Sermon, December 6, 2020: Christmas Psalms of Expectation (Part 2)

“Jesus: Messiah from the Womb”
Psalm 2:9-10; Matthew 1:21

Bart W. Newton, Preaching Minister
To view simple online worship service which includes a sermon from Psalm 22 and the Lord’s Supper, please click on the the following link: “Jesus: Messiah from the Womb”

(Unless otherwise noted, Scripture quotations taken from The Holy Bible: English Standard Version.)

• Advent is a time of expectant waiting to celebrate the first coming of the Christ Child, Jesus the Messiah.
• If you don’t believe me, just ask any child brought up in a home that keeps the focus on why we celebrate the birth of Christ and includes the giving and receiving of gifts on Christmas morning.
• Israel had waited for centuries for the first Advent of their Messiah. We read of it in the OT and read of its fulfillment in the NT.
• Last Lord’s Day, the first Sunday of Advent, we began a 4-part series “Christmas Psalms of Expectation.”

• In this series concerning the Messiah’s birth in the Psalms we find the following:
1. The Messiah will come from the lineage of David (Psalm 89:3–4, 29–36; 132:11–17; Matthew 1:1).
2. The Messiah will know His Father from childhood (Psalm 22:9; Luke 2:40).
3. The Messiah will come for all people (Psalm 18:49; Ephesians 3:4–6).
4. Lastly, the one we’re pondering today is the Messiah will be called by God while still in the womb (Psalm 22:10; Luke 1:30–33).

Psalm 22
To the choirmaster: according to The Doe of the Dawn. A Psalm of David.
22:1 My God, my God, why have you forsaken me?
Why are you so far from saving me, from the words of my groaning?
2 O my God, I cry by day, but you do not answer,
and by night, but I find no rest.
3 Yet you are holy,
enthroned on the praises of Israel.
4 In you our fathers trusted;
they trusted, and you delivered them.
5 To you they cried and were rescued;
in you they trusted and were not put to shame.
6 But I am a worm and not a man,
scorned by mankind and despised by the people.
7 All who see me mock me;
they make mouths at me; they wag their heads;
8 “He trusts in the Lord; let him deliver him;
let him rescue him, for he delights in him!”
9 Yet you are he who took me from the womb;
you made me trust you at my mother's breasts.
10 On you was I cast from my birth,
and from my mother's womb you have been my God.
11 Be not far from me,
for trouble is near,
and there is none to help.
12 Many bulls encompass me;
strong bulls of Bashan surround me;
13 they open wide their mouths at me,
like a ravening and roaring lion.
14 I am poured out like water,
and all my bones are out of joint;
my heart is like wax;
it is melted within my breast;
15 my strength is dried up like a potsherd,
and my tongue sticks to my jaws;
you lay me in the dust of death.
16 For dogs encompass me;
a company of evildoers encircles me;
they have pierced my hands and feet—
17 I can count all my bones—
they stare and gloat over me;
18 they divide my garments among them,
and for my clothing they cast lots.
19 But you, O Lord, do not be far off!
O you my help, come quickly to my aid!
20 Deliver my soul from the sword,
my precious life from the power of the dog!
21 Save me from the mouth of the lion!
You have rescued me from the horns of the wild oxen!
22 I will tell of your name to my brothers;
in the midst of the congregation I will praise you:
23 You who fear the Lord, praise him!
All you offspring of Jacob, glorify him,
and stand in awe of him, all you offspring of Israel!
24 For he has not despised or abhorred
the affliction of the afflicted,
and he has not hidden his face from him,
but has heard, when he cried to him.
25 From you comes my praise in the great congregation;
my vows I will perform before those who fear him.
26 The afflicted shall eat and be satisfied;
those who seek him shall praise the Lord!
May your hearts live forever!
27 All the ends of the earth shall remember
and turn to the Lord,
and all the families of the nations
shall worship before you.
28 For kingship belongs to the Lord,
and he rules over the nations.
29 All the prosperous of the earth eat and worship;
before him shall bow all who go down to the dust,
even the one who could not keep himself alive.
30 Posterity shall serve him;
it shall be told of the Lord to the coming generation;
31 they shall come and proclaim his righteousness to a people yet unborn,
that he has done it. (ESV)

• Psalm 22 speaks of a first-hand experience of David.
• Psalm 22 goes from:
• despair (1-21)
• to deliverance (21)
• to jubilation (22-26)
• to anticipation—God’s universal dominion (27-31).

• Did you notice phrases that described not just an experience of King David, but of the Messiah who would sit on David’s throne forever?
• Throughout Psalm 22 do we not read and hear familiar descriptions of the Passion of Christ, of the Suffering Savior on the Cross bearing our sins in His body found in the four Gospels according Matthew, Mark, Luke and John?

• Right out of the gate we read:

1My God, my God, why have you forsaken me?

• Jesus quoted these very words while bearing our sins in His body on the cross:
• Compare v. 1 with Matthew 27:46: And about the ninth hour Jesus cried out with a loud voice, saying, “Eli, Eli, lema sabachthani?” that is, “My God, my God, why have you forsaken me?”(ESV)

• The perfect union between Father and Son suffered a temporary separation due to our sins the innocent Savior carried.
• Other clear references to the cross are found in this psalm:

7 All who see me mock me;
they make mouths at me; they wag their heads;
8 “He trusts in the Lord; let him deliver him;
let him rescue him, for he delights in him!”

• Again, we return to crucifixion of Jesus as Matthew has recorded:

• Matthew 27:39-43: 39 And those who passed by derided him, wagging their heads 40 and saying, “You who would destroy the temple and rebuild it in three days, save yourself! If you are the Son of God, come down from the cross.” 41 So also the chief priests, with the scribes and elders, mocked him, saying, 42 “He saved others; he cannot save himself. He is the King of Israel; let him come down now from the cross, and we will believe in him. 43 He trusts in God; let God deliver him now, if he desires him. For he said, ‘I am the Son of God.’” (ESV)

• And again in Psalm 22:
16 For dogs encompass me;
a company of evildoers encircles me;
they have pierced my hands and feet—
17 I can count all my bones—
they stare and gloat over me…

• This time we go to the apostle John’s gospel account:

• John 19:37: And again another Scripture says, “They will look on him whom they have pierced.” (ESV)

• But notice Psalm 22:18:
18 they divide my garments among them,
and for my clothing they cast lots.

• These very words that described an experience from David’s life, foretold of Jesus’ experience:
• John 19:23-24: 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.” (ESV)

24 For he has not despised or abhorred
the affliction of the afflicted,
and he has not hidden his face from him,
but has heard, when he cried to him.

• These verses are referenced and answered by the writer of the letter to the Hebrews:
• Hebrews 5:7: In the days of his flesh, Jesus offered up prayers and supplications, with loud cries and tears, to him who was able to save him from death, and he was heard because of his reverence. (ESV)

• And then there is Psalm 22:29: All the prosperous of the earth eat and worship;
before him shall bow all who go down to the dust…

• This causes me to think of that beautiful passage from Paul’s letter to the church in Philippi:

• Philippians 2:9-11: 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.

• Even though Psalm 22 reads like a Good Friday and Easter Psalm,…

In Psalm 22:9-10 we also see the Advent and Nativity of Jesus:
9 Yet you are he who took me from the womb;
you made me trust you at my mother's breasts.
10 On you was I cast from my birth,
and from my mother's womb you have been my God.

• Could it be that Jesus’ Nativity experience helped to sustain Him on the cross? Yes!
• Certainly, when Jesus quoted Psalm 22:1 while paying for your sins and mine, “My God, my God! Why have you forsaken me?” He knew the rest of the 22nd Psalm. He knew…

…from my mother's womb you have been my God.

• Jesus, the eternal Word, had been born for this very purpose, just as the angel had told Joseph after he discovered that Mary was with child by way of the Holy Spirit:

• Matthew 1:21: She will bear a son, and you shall call his name Jesus, for he will save his people from their sins.” (ESV)

• Jesus, Son of the Most High God, had known God the Father not just from the time of Mary’s womb, but from before time as we know it. He said so in His prayer in….

• John 17:24: “Father, I want those you have given to me to be with me, to be where I am. I want them to see my glory, which you gave me because you loved me before the world was made” (GW). –Jesus

• Some of you viewing may be thinking that Jesus did not exist until He was conceived. But the truth is, He’s always existed, just not in the flesh of a human body.
• The apostle John opens the Gospel letter that bears his name:
• John 1:1-2, 14: In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. 2 He was in the beginning with 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. (ESV)

• “There is a noble passage in Eusebius, in which he shows the connection between our Lord’s incarnation and his passion: the he might well comfort himself while hanging on the cross by the remembrance that the very same body then ‘marred more than any man, and his form more than the sons of men’ (Isa 43:14), was that which had been glorified by the Father with such singular honour when the Holy Ghost came upon Mary, and the power of the Highest overshadowed her. That this body, therefore, though now so torn and so mangled, as it had once been the wonder, so it would for ever be the joy, of the angels; and having put on immortality, would be the support of his faithful people to the end of time. –J.M. Neale (quoted in C.H. Spurgeon’s Treasury of David, V.1, p. 342)
• In his classic commentary on Psalms, The Treasury of David, C.H. Spurgeon writes, “That Child now fighting the great battle of his life, uses the mercy of his nativity as an argument with God. Faith finds weapons everywhere. He who wills to believe shall never lack reasons for believing” (p. 327).
• We learn from our Savior, as well as Mary and Joseph, John the Baptist, the apostles, martyrs and all those persecuted who remained true to the Christ Child and His Gospel that…

• Faithful allegiance in devotion and service to God does not prevent suffering and rejection, but the ultimate result is success!

• The One who brought us into the world, the same One who enabled us to be born again of water and Spirit will not let His faithful children perish!
• “The psalm begins with ‘My God, my God,’ and here, not only is the claim repeated, but its early date is urged…He who was our God when we left our mother will be with us till we return to mother earth, and will keep us from perishing in the belly of hell.” –C.H. Spurgeon, p. 327
• And so we see even in this suffering Psalms the first Advent of Jesus, His Nativity!

• Just as God kept His Word on the first Advent of Jesus, we can be certain of His second and final Advent on the Day of Judgment, the day all of God’s children await with anticipation:

• Hebrews 9:27-28: 27 And just as it is appointed for man to die once, and after that comes judgment, 28 so Christ, having been offered once to bear the sins of many, will appear a second time, not to deal with sin but to save those who are eagerly waiting for him. (ESV)

• It is this that we are reminded of each time we encounter Christ in communion: For as often as you eat this bread and drink the cup, you proclaim the Lord's death until he comes.

Prayer Guide for the Week of Nov 29, 2020

NOTE: Except for section headings, bold type indicates the unison response of everyone when praying in a group. Also, many of the Scriptures provided were included in our Nov. 29 sermon, the outline of which can be found here: “The Christ Child Comes from the Line of David and He Is King” Use the Scriptures to meditate upon and to help guide your prayers.

Quotes on Prayer
“The value of consistent prayer is not that He will hear us, but that we will hear Him.”—William J. McGill

“Prayer is the way you defeat the devil, reach the lost, restore a backslider, strengthen the saints, send missionaries out, cure the sick, accomplish the impossible, and know the will of God.”—David Jeremiah

Adoration: Praise Sovereign God for His attributes, for who He is and what He is like in this passage:

Revelation 19:11-16: 11 Then I saw heaven opened, and there was a white horse. Its rider is called Faithful and True, and with justice he judges and makes war. 12 His eyes were like a fiery flame, and many crowns were on his head. He had a name written that no one knows except himself. 13 He wore a robe dipped in blood, and his name is called the Word of God. 14 The armies that were in heaven followed him on white horses, wearing pure white linen. 15 A sharp sword came from his mouth, so that he might strike the nations with it. He will rule them with an iron rod. He will also trample the winepress of the fierce anger of God, the Almighty. 16 And he has a name written on his robe and on his thigh: King of Kings and Lord of Lords. (CSB)

For ________________, Mighty God. We give you praise!

Confession:
Hebrews 12:22-24: 22 No, you have come to Mount Zion, to the city of the living God, the heavenly Jerusalem, and to countless thousands of angels in a joyful gathering. 23 You have come to the assembly of God’s firstborn children, whose names are written in heaven. You have come to God himself, who is the judge over all things. You have come to the spirits of the righteous ones in heaven who have now been made perfect. 24 You have come to Jesus, the one who mediates the new covenant between God and people, and to the sprinkled blood, which speaks of forgiveness instead of crying out for vengeance like the blood of Abel. (NLT)

• Ask the Holy Spirit to show you anything in your life that is displeasing to Him and confess it to Him.

I confess ______________, forgiving God. Forgive us our sins. (If prayed aloud with others.)

Thanksgiving: In light of the following passages and anything else the Spirit reminds you of, let us thank God for what he’s done.

Luke 1:31-33: 31 And behold, you will conceive in your womb and bear a son, and you shall call his name Jesus. 32 He will be great and will be called the Son of the Most High. And the Lord God will give to him the throne of his father David, 33 and he will reign over the house of Jacob forever, and of his kingdom there will be no end.”

For _______________, loving God. We give you thanks.

Supplication (Humble Petitions) & Intercession:

• Pray to our merciful God about anything/anyone the Spirit puts on your heart to pray.

For _____________, Merciful God. Hear our prayer.

• In light of this passage, pray regarding who, by grace, Christians are and what we are called to do:

1 Peter 2:4-5, 9-10: 4 As you come to him, a living stone rejected by men but in the sight of God chosen and precious, 5 you yourselves like living stones are being built up as a spiritual house, to be a holy priesthood, to offer spiritual sacrifices acceptable to God through Jesus Christ…9 But you are a chosen race, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, a people for his own possession, that you may proclaim the excellencies of him who called you out of darkness into his marvelous light. 10 Once you were not a people, but now you are God's people; once you had not received mercy, but now you have received mercy. (ESV)

For _____________, Merciful God. Hear our prayer.

• Pray in light of our status and location:

Ephesians 2:6: For [God] raised us from the dead along with Christ and seated us with him in the heavenly realms because we are united with Christ Jesus. (NLT)

For _____________, Merciful God. Hear our prayer.

Benediction: The Lord’s Prayer

Our Father which art in heaven,
Hallowed be thy name.
Thy kingdom come,
Thy will be done in earth, as it is in heaven.
Give us this day our daily bread.
And forgive us our debts, as we forgive our debtors.
And lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from evil: For thine is the kingdom, and the power, and the glory, for ever. Amen. (Matthew 6:9-13, KJV)

Lord's Day Sermon, Nov. 29, 2020: "Christmas Psalms of Expectation" (Part 1)

“The Christ Child Comes from the Line of David and He Is King”
Psalm 132:11-17; Matthew 1:1, 17 (cf. 2 Samuel 6-7)

Preaching Minister, Bart W. Newton
To view a simple worship service which includes the sermon from Psalm 132 followed by celebrating the Lord’s Supper, click on the following link: “The Christ Child Comes from the Line of David and He Is King”

• For many Christians, the four Lord’s Days preceding Christmas is known as Advent, is a time of expectation—time of expectation of the coming of Christmas when we celebrate the birth of the Christ Child, the long awaited arrival of the promised king of Israel as well as the whole world for that matter.
• But as Christians it is also a time of anticipation for another arrival of Christ and the consummation of His Kingdom in the new heaven and new earth, usually referred to as the Second Coming.
• Psalms helps us with both.
• Since we’ve been studying the Psalms together for several weeks now, it seems fitting to continue in them until Christmas.

Concerning the Messiah’s birth in the Psalms we find the following:
1. The Messiah will come from the lineage of David (Psalm 89:3–4, 29–36; 132:11–17; Matthew 1:1).
2. The Messiah will be called by God while still in the womb (Psalm 22:10; Luke 1:30–33).
3. The Messiah will know His Father from childhood (Psalm 22:9; Luke 2:40).
4. The Messiah will come for all people (Psalm 18:49; Ephesians 3:4–6).

Today, we consider the first one: The Messiah would come from the lineage of David (Psalm 89:3–4, 29–36; 132:11–17; Matthew 1:1).

• Psalm 132 is a royal or kingship psalm sometimes classified as a messianic psalm. Historical Background is 2 Samuel 6-7
• Possibly written late in Israel’s history after the Babylonian Exile.
• It celebrates the bringing of the ark of the covenant into Jerusalem and puts into poetry God’s covenant with David as recorded in 2 Samuel 7.
Two major parts
vv. 1-9: Prayer that recalls when David swore an oath to God.
vv. 10-16: The response to David’s prayer when God swore an oath to David.
vv. 17-18: Conclusion

• The first half is a prayer that requests That God remember all King David’s acts of devotion.
• Vv. 1-5: A Call for God to remember His covenant with David.

A Song of Ascents.
132 1Remember, O Lord, in David's favor,
all the hardships he endured,
2 how he swore to the Lord
and vowed to the Mighty One of Jacob,
3 “I will not enter my house
or get into my bed,
4 I will not give sleep to my eyes
or slumber to my eyelids,
5 until I find a place for the Lord,
a dwelling place for the Mighty One of Jacob.”

• David had endured great hardships in his conquering of Jerusalem and bringing into it the ark of the covenant.
• So there is the request that God remember His covenant promise with David

• vv. 6-9: Expectation of the fulfillment of the promise.
6 Behold, we heard of it in Ephrathah;
we found it in the fields of Jaar.
7 “Let us go to his dwelling place;
let us worship at his footstool!”
8 Arise, O Lord, and go to your resting place,
you and the ark of your might.
9 Let your priests be clothed with righteousness,
and let your saints shout for joy.

• Transition: v. 10: A prayer for God’s kingdom to come.

10 For the sake of your servant David,
do not turn away the face of your anointed one.

• vv. 11-16: God swore an oath to David

11 The Lord swore to David a sure oath
from which he will not turn back:
“One of the sons of your body
I will set on your throne.
12 If your sons keep my covenant
and my testimonies that I shall teach them,
their sons also forever
shall sit on your throne.”

• vv. 11-12 is a brief paraphrase of 2 Samuel 7:12-16, but especially note 2 Samuel 7: 16: And your house and your kingdom shall be made sure forever before me. Your throne shall be established forever.’” (ESV)

• The fulfillment of these words of verses 11-12 is in Jesus Christ, the Son of David:

• Matthew 1:1, 17: The book of the genealogy of Jesus Christ, the son of David, the son of Abraham….17 So all the generations from Abraham to David were fourteen generations, and from David to the deportation to Babylon fourteen generations, and from the deportation to Babylon to the Christ fourteen generations. (ESV)

• Perhaps you recall when the angel Gabriel announced to Virgin Mary that she would give birth to the promised Messiah who would sit on David’s throne forever: Luke 1:31-33: 31 And behold, you will conceive in your womb and bear a son, and you shall call his name Jesus. 32 He will be great and will be called the Son of the Most High. And the Lord God will give to him the throne of his father David, 33 and he will reign over the house of Jacob forever, and of his kingdom there will be no end.” (ESV)

• And then, after Jesus death, burial, resurrection, appearances and ascension to heaven to the right hand of the Father where He rules as King and Lord, Peter, baptized and empowered by the Holy Spirit preached on the Day of Pentecost in Acts 2:29-36: 29 “Brothers, I may say to you with confidence about the patriarch David that he both died and was buried, and his tomb is with us to this day. 30 Being therefore a prophet, and knowing that God had sworn with an oath to him that he would set one of his descendants on his throne, 31 he foresaw and spoke about the resurrection of the Christ, that he was not abandoned to Hades, nor did his flesh see corruption. 32 This Jesus God raised up, and of that we all are witnesses. 33 Being therefore exalted at the right hand of God, and having received from the Father the promise of the Holy Spirit, he has poured out this that you yourselves are seeing and hearing. 34 For David did not ascend into the heavens, but he himself says,
“‘The Lord said to my Lord,
“Sit at my right hand,
35 until I make your enemies your footstool.”’
36 Let all the house of Israel therefore know for certain that God has made him both Lord and Christ, this Jesus whom you crucified.”

• Psalm 132 continues:

13 For the Lord has chosen Zion;
he has desired it for his dwelling place:
14 “This is my resting place forever;
here I will dwell, for I have desired it.
15 I will abundantly bless her provisions;
I will satisfy her poor with bread.

• In the NT, we find in that letter to Jewish Christians who were tempted to turn back from following Jesus and commit apostasy, being encouraged by the writer to remain faithful to Jesus. One encouragement is found in…
• Hebrews 12:22-24: 22 No, you have come to Mount Zion, to the city of the living God, the heavenly Jerusalem, and to countless thousands of angels in a joyful gathering. 23 You have come to the assembly of God’s firstborn children, whose names are written in heaven. You have come to God himself, who is the judge over all things. You have come to the spirits of the righteous ones in heaven who have now been made perfect. 24 You have come to Jesus, the one who mediates the new covenant between God and people, and to the sprinkled blood, which speaks of forgiveness instead of crying out for vengeance like the blood of Abel. (NLT)

• And back in Psalm 132:16, God said:
16 Her priests I will clothe with salvation,
and her saints will shout for joy.

• And followers of the King Jesus the promised Messiah are reminded of who we are in Him:
• 1 Peter 2:4-5, 9-10: 4 As you come to him, a living stone rejected by men but in the sight of God chosen and precious, 5 you yourselves like living stones are being built up as a spiritual house, to be a holy priesthood, to offer spiritual sacrifices acceptable to God through Jesus Christ…9 But you are a chosen race, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, a people for his own possession, that you may proclaim the excellencies of him who called you out of darkness into his marvelous light. 10 Once you were not a people, but now you are God's people; once you had not received mercy, but now you have received mercy. (ESV)

• vv. 17-18: Conclusion

17 There I will make a horn to sprout for David;
I have prepared a lamp for my anointed.
18 His enemies I will clothe with shame,
but on him his crown will shine.”

• “God’s word of promise contains the Christian hope in the majesty rule, and dominion of our Lord Jesus Christ who as David’s son will put down all of God’s enemies.” --–Willem a. VanGemeren, Psalms, ZNIVBC, V 2, p. 925

• Revelation 19:11-16: 11 Then I saw heaven opened, and there was a white horse. Its rider is called Faithful and True, and with justice he judges and makes war. 12 His eyes were like a fiery flame, and many crowns were on his head. He had a name written that no one knows except himself. 13 He wore a robe dipped in blood, and his name is called the Word of God. 14 The armies that were in heaven followed him on white horses, wearing pure white linen. 15 A sharp sword came from his mouth, so that he might strike the nations with it. He will rule them with an iron rod. He will also trample the winepress of the fierce anger of God, the Almighty. 16 And he has a name written on his robe and on his thigh: King of Kings and Lord of Lords. (CSB)

• “The oath of David has been matched by the oath of Yahweh and the world has never been the same since. While pilgrims of the post exile looked forward to the ‘anointed one’ who would fulfill these promises, the Christian is able to look back to the death, burial, resurrection, and exaltation of the ‘anointed one,’ Jesus, who now reigns at God’s right hand and sits on David’s throne forever. God fulfills his promises.” Walter D. Zorn, Psalms, V. 2, p. 441

• God is faithful. He keeps His promises!

• As followers of Jesus, Christians, we are to remember that at our confession of faith and baptism, we swore allegiance to King Jesus.

• Each day we must remember our homeland and primary citizenship:

• Ephesians 2:6: For [God] raised us from the dead along with Christ and seated us with him in the heavenly realms because we are united with Christ Jesus. (NLT)

• In no uncertain terms, the apostle Paul tells us in Philippians 3:20-21: 20 But our citizenship is in heaven, and from it we await a Savior, the Lord Jesus Christ, 21 who will transform our lowly body to be like his glorious body, by the power that enables him even to subject all things to himself. (ESV)

• My whole adult Christian life I have identified not as a member of any denomination but simply as a Christian, a disciple of Jesus. In fact, my primary identity is that of a child of God. It is the same for all followers of Jesus.
• And after studying Scripture, prayer, much thought, and reading, I’ve come to the conclusion that since I am a follower of Jesus who is the King of kings and Lord of lords, whose kingdom on earth is now but also not yet, and by grace I am a citizen of the kingdom of heaven, the kingdom of God, then I am to identify not as a Republican or a Democrat but as a Christian.
• Blessed as I am to be a citizen of the USA, I am even more blessed by the grace of God to be a citizen of heaven. Therefore, my heavenly citizenship takes precedence over my citizenship of this nation. In fact, Christianity is its own politic.
• The teachings of Jesus, His prophets, and His apostles are to guide how we think, speak, relate, act, vote, and love regardless of who we might upset whether they be Republican, Democrat, Independent, Socialist, Communist or even others who call themselves Christians.

• Paul Scalia, son of the late Supreme Court justice Antonin Scalia and a Catholic priest at St. James Catholic Church in Falls Church, VA, said last Sunday, “'There is a greater reality than the state, there's a greater reality than politics, and here we proclaim Christ as King.’" (https://justthenews.com/nation/religion/justice-scalias-son-catholic-priest-wary-kamala-harris-tech-giants-freedom-religion)

• This is why we pray what Jesus teaches us to pray:
• Matthew 6:9-10: “Our Father in heaven,
hallowed be your name.
10 Your kingdom come,
your will be done,
on earth as it is in heaven. (ESV)

• When we pray this prayer, we are not just praying for the time when King Jesus’ kingdom comes in its fullness at His return. We are praying that now, in the present, we will keep God’s name holy by living a kingdom lifestyle like it would be lived if we were in heaven.
• We have to pray for His power and the disciple of Christ to do it because to really live out God’s will now, it will be considered scandalous and like Jesus, will suffer for it.

• So we gather each week and the fellowship of the Holy Spirit, King Jesus, and one another, and remember our covenant relationship with God the Father through faith in Jesus.
• The Father promised that when we receive the resurrected Jesus and give Him our loyalty, He forgives us of our sins, makes us right with Him unites and clothes us with His Son, makes us His children, and gives us His Spirit, and begins transforming us into the image of His Son.
• But at communion, we not only rejoice and celebrate the gift of life in Christ Jesus and our new identity made possible by the obedience of Jesus in His death to pay for our sins, we are once again saying that we will continue to be loyal to King Jesus as citizens of His kingdom.

• Prayer

The Lord’s Supper

Luke 22: 19 And he took bread, and when he had given thanks, he broke it and gave it to them, saying,
“This is my body, which is given for you. Do this in remembrance of me.”

• The body of Christ given for us.

20 And likewise the cup after they had eaten, saying,
“This cup that is poured out for you is the new covenant in my blood.

• The blood of Christ poured out for us.

At this time of reflection and celebration, pray for yourself and your brothers and sisters in Christ to be faithful in keeping the New Covenant.

For as often as you eat this bread and drink the cup, you proclaim the Lord's death until he comes.
King Jesus has died. King Jesus has risen. And King Jesus will come again.

Invitation:

 During the message I quotes from a passage in Acts 2, ending at verse 36. I’d like to pick up from there:

·        Acts 2:36-38: 36 Let all the house of Israel therefore know for certain that God has made him both Lord and Christ, this Jesus whom you crucified.” 37 Now when they heard this they were cut to the heart, and said to Peter and the rest of the apostles, “Brothers, what shall we do?” 38 And Peter said to them, “Repent and be baptized every one of you in the name of Jesus Christ for the forgiveness of your sins, and you will receive the gift of the Holy Spirit. (ESV)


Lord's Day Sermon, November 22, 2020: "Properly Thanking God"

Psalm 67
Living the Blessed Life Series, Part 11
First Christian Church, Owensville, IN
(Unless otherwise noted, Scripture quotations taken from The Holy Bible: English Standard Version.)
To view a video of the worship service which includes this sermon, click on the following link: “Properly Thanking God”

• Well, here we are on the Lord’s Day before Thanksgiving.
• Who would have thought last March that we would be gathering virtually this late in the year due to COVID-19?
• Nevertheless, we have much for which to be grateful.
• Some families have a Thanksgiving tradition of giving thanks before dinner in which each family member takes a turn at sharing what he/she is grateful to God for. That’s one of many good ways to demonstrate gratitude to God.
• In fact, as I shared a few weeks ago, the thanksgiving Psalms in the Bible remind us that we haven’t properly thanked God until we tell others what He has done!
• As many of you know, there is a whole category of Psalms referred to as thanksgiving Psalms.
• Psalms of thanksgiving don’t deny trouble. Rather, they give an inventory of real life.
• One distinction of psalms of gratitude is that they declare the specific acts of salvation that God has or will undertake to save the psalmist and/or those with whom he’s concerned about.
• Another interesting thing about Thanksgiving Psalms is that the community is invited to join in the praise.
• For me, one of the highlights of our in-person corporate worship is when we spend time together offering prayers of thanksgiving to God.
• It thrills me to hear simple, spontaneous, one-line prayers of thanksgiving offered up to our loving God, followed by the congregation in unison praying the words, “We give You thanks!”
• Today we’re going to spend some time together considering Psalm 67.

• Psalm 67, is considered to be a psalm of thanksgiving even though it doesn’t follow the outline common to most thanksgiving Psalms.

• So let’s begin.

To the choirmaster: with stringed instruments. A Psalm. A Song.
67 1May God be gracious to us and bless us
and make his face to shine upon us, Selah
2 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. Selah

5 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!

• Psalm 67 is considered a National Psalm of Thanksgiving for Israel.
• The setting in which it might have been sung is during the Feast of Tabernacles that includes praise and thanksgiving over a period of seven days.
• It was a time to thank God for His bountiful harvest and that’s reflected in v. 6: The earth has yielded its increase;
God, our God, shall bless us.

The psalmist prays that Israel be blessed for a purpose (vv. 1-2).

1May God be gracious to us and bless us
and make his face to shine upon us, Selah

• Selah is often understood to mean “stop and think about that.”
• And so the Jew would be taken back to the time of Moses when the priestly blessing was given in…

• Numbers 6:24-26: 24 “May the Lord bless you and protect you;
25 may the Lord make his face shine on you
and be gracious to you;
26 may the Lord look with favor on you
and give you peace.”’ (CSB)

• But why?

2 that your way may be known on earth,
your saving power among all nations.

• So the request for God’s grace and blessing isn’t just for Israel, but for non-Hebrew nations and people groups to come to know God, His way, and His salvation.

• And so the Israelite might refer back further into Hebrew history, to the calling of Abraham in…

• Genesis 12:1-3: The Lord said to Abram:
Go from your land,
your relatives,
and your father’s house
to the land that I will show you.
2 I will make you into a great nation,
I will bless you,
I will make your name great,
and you will be a blessing.
3 I will bless those who bless you,
I will curse anyone who treats you with contempt,
and all the peoples on earth
will be blessed through you. (CSB)

• So, God promised Abraham that not only through His descendants would a great nation form, but that all people groups (all ethnicities, races, nations, etc.) would be blessed.

• And so the psalmist picks up in verses 3-5 a call for universal praise of God:

3 Let the peoples praise you, O God;
let all the peoples praise you!

• I like the wording of the God’s Word translation:

• V. 3, GW: Let the people give thanks to you, O God.
Let all the people give thanks to you.

4 Let the nations be glad and sing for joy,
for you judge the peoples with equity
and guide the nations upon earth. Selah

• Again, the psalmist asks us to give pause to what he’s written.
• Let the nations be joyful for God’s fairness and guidance to all people from all the nations of the earth!
• And then in verse 5 he repeats word for word verse3:

5 Let the peoples praise you, O God;
let all the peoples praise you!

• And then psalmist uses harvest language as he writes of the blessing that will follow (vv. 6-7):

6 The earth has yielded its increase;
God, our God, shall bless us.

So let’s consider what we’ve learned thus far:
• The psalmist has encouraged praise and thanksgiving be given to God by all nations.
• He has requested that God bless Israel in such a way that God, God’s way, and God’s powerful salvation be known (experienced) by all nations, not just them.
• With that in mind, what did Simeon, to whom the Holy Spirit had revealed that he wouldn’t die before He had seen the Lord’s promised Messiah, sing when Mary and Joseph presented Baby Jesus at the temple when He was 8 days old?
• Luke 2:29-32: 29 “Sovereign Lord, now let your servant die in peace,
as you have promised.
30 I have seen your salvation,
31 which you have prepared for all people.
32 He is a light to reveal God to the nations,
and he is the glory of your people Israel!” (NLT)

• “A song of praise from the New Testament, about Christ who is the light, was backed by [a song] from the Old [Testament], about the church which reflects the light. That is the best kind of evangelism. Indeed it is the regular way…in which the field of the world is to be harvested.” –Michael Wilcock, The Message of Psalms 1-72, p. 234.

• You know, in verse 6, when the singing proclaims The earth has yielded its increase; God, our God, shall bless us, he isn’t just thinking about God providing a great harvest of grain. He is pointing to something much larger that ultimately includes all nations.
• What did this Jesus say about harvesting?

• Matthew 9:36-38: 36 When he saw the crowds, he had compassion for them, because they were harassed and helpless, like sheep without a shepherd. 37 Then he said to his disciples, “The harvest is plentiful, but the laborers are few; 38 therefore pray earnestly to the Lord of the harvest to send out laborers into his harvest.” (ESV)

• Just before Jesus ascended to the right hand of the Father in heaven, Jesus told His apostles in Acts 1:8: But you will receive power when the Holy Spirit comes upon you. And you will be my witnesses, telling people about me everywhere—in Jerusalem, throughout Judea, in Samaria, and to the ends of the earth.” (NLT)

• What did Savior Jesus tell the apostles and all who would ever follow Him, including you and me, to do?
• Matthew 28:18-20: 18 When Jesus came near, he spoke to them. He said, “All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to me. 19 So wherever you go, make disciples of all nations: Baptize them in the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit. 20 Teach them to do everything I have commanded you.
“And remember that I am always with you until the end of time.” (GW)
• Jesus tells you and me to be about making disciples of Jesus who make disciples of Jesus wherever we are so that ultimately disciples will be made from all nations and people groups.

• So when the psalmist declares in verse 6 that the earth has yielded its increase, he’s alluding to the great gathering in of the nations through the gospel—the Good News—of Jesus the Christ!

• Look again at verses 1 and 2:
1May God be gracious to us and bless us
and make his face to shine upon us, Selah
2 that your way may be known on earth,
your saving power among all nations.

• What would Jesus grow up to say of Himself?

• John 14:6: Jesus said to him, “I am the way, and the truth, and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me. (ESV)

• Before followers of Jesus were called Christians—whether Jew or Gentile—they were referred to as “The Way” (Acts 9:2; 16:17; 19:9, 23; 24:14).

• Verse 4 speaks of God’s universal rule.

4 Let the nations be glad and sing for joy,
for you judge the peoples with equity
and guide the nations upon earth. Selah

• And verse 7 speaks of God being worshiped by people from all over the globe:

7 God shall bless us;
let all the ends of the earth fear him!

• V. 7, GW:… may all the ends of the earth worship him.

• Fast forward to the Revelation of Jesus Christ given to the apostle John:

Revelation 15:2-4: 2 I also saw something like a sea of glass mixed with fire, and those who had won the victory over the beast, its image, and the number of its name, were standing on the sea of glass with harps from God. 3 They sang the song of God’s servant Moses and the song of the Lamb:
Great and awe-inspiring are your works,
Lord God, the Almighty;
just and true are your ways,
King of the nations.
4 Lord, who will not fear
and glorify your name?
For you alone are holy.
All the nations will come
and worship before you
because your righteous acts
have been revealed. (CSB)

• This psalm “could well become the daily prayer of God’s people!” –Tesh & Zorn, Psalms, p. 447
• In this psalm we give praise and thanks to God that through His Son, Jesus, The Way, people from nations throughout the world have been and will be brought into God’s family by giving allegiance to King Jesus!

• If you know Jesus as both your Savior, Lord and King, have you properly thanked God and continue to properly thank God for His salvation through Christ by telling others?

One of the special aspects of communion is that it’s not only a meal of remembrance, but a meal of thanksgiving in which we thank God for the sacrificial death of Christ that was sufficient to pay for our sins!
• To thank means to testify or proclaim and Paul said: For as often as you eat this bread and drink the cup, you proclaim the Lord's death until he comes.

Lord's Day Sermon, November 8, 2020: "Blessed Is He Whose Help is the God of Jacob: A Hymn"

To listen to an audio recording of today’s sermon, click on the following link: "Blessed Is He Whose Help is the God of Jacob: A Hymn"

Psalm 146
Living the Blessed Life Series, Part 10
Lord’s Day, November 15, 2020
First Christian Church, Owensville, IN
(Unless otherwise noted, Scripture quotations taken from The Holy Bible: English Standard Version.)

• There is a category of Psalms called hymns.

Hymns (like Psalms 8, 19, 96, 98, 100, 103, 113, 117, 135, 146-50) praise God by describing two things:
• Who God is.
• What God has done.

Basic form of a hymn:
• Opening invitation to praise
• Reason for the praise, usually introduced by the word “for.” (description of God’s qualities/attributes; description of God’s regular actions to preserve the cosmos; description of his works in history, especially on behalf of Israel.)
• Renewed call to praise.

Laments dominate the first three books of Psalms while hymns dominate the last two.
• Psalms moves from lament to praise, from suffering to glory.
• Hymns make up about 1/5 of the Psalms.
• Psalms ends with five hymns back to back. (146-150)

• So let’s spend some time in one of these hymns by turning our attention to Psalm 146.

Praise the Lord!
Praise the Lord, O my soul!
2 I will praise the Lord as long as I live;
I will sing praises to my God while I have my being.

3 Put not your trust in princes,
in a son of man, in whom there is no salvation.
4 When his breath departs, he returns to the earth;
on that very day his plans perish.

5 Blessed is he whose help is the God of Jacob,
whose hope is in the Lord his God,
6 who made heaven and earth,
the sea, and all that is in them,
who keeps faith forever;
7 who executes justice for the oppressed,
who gives food to the hungry.

The Lord sets the prisoners free;
8 the Lord opens the eyes of the blind.
The Lord lifts up those who are bowed down;
the Lord loves the righteous.
9 The Lord watches over the sojourners;
he upholds the widow and the fatherless,
but the way of the wicked he brings to ruin.

10 The Lord will reign forever,
your God, O Zion, to all generations.
Praise the Lord!

Commitment to Praise (vv. 1-2)

Praise the Lord!
Praise the Lord, O my soul!

• V. 1b, NLT: Let all that I am praise the Lord.

2 I will praise the Lord as long as I live.
I will sing praises to my God while I have my being.

• V. 2b, NLT: I will sing praises to my God with my dying breath.

• According to Michael Wilcock the force of verse 2 is, “I intend to praise him every day of my life.”

• Do you and I have that kind of intention? Perhaps some here may go days without every praising our God.
• The 17th Century Puritan, Lewis Bayly, writes in his book, The Practice of Piety:

• “As soon as ever thou awakest in the morning, keep the door of thy heart fast shut, that no earthly thought may enter, before that God come in first; and let him, before all others, have the first place there. So all evil thoughts either will not dare to come in, or shall the easier be kept out; and the heart will more savour of piety and godliness all the day after” --Lewis Bayly, The Practice of Piety, (p. 1-2)

• Each day we have many choices to make, the chief of which is in whom are we putting our trust?
• The psalmist begins by saying…

Do Not Trust in Mortal Man (vv. 3-4)

3 Put not your trust in princes (rulers),
in a son of man, in whom there is no salvation.
4 When his breath departs, he returns to the earth;
on that very day his plans perish.

• What has brought the psalmist to this conclusion is unknown.
• It could be that a ruler, a person in an authoritative position, had promised to help, but died before doing so.
• Genesis 2:7: Then the Lord God formed the man out of the dust from the ground and breathed the breath of life into his nostrils, and the man became a living being. (CSB)

• Genesis 3:19: You will eat bread by the sweat of your brow
until you return to the ground,
since you were taken from it.
For you are dust,
and you will return to dust.” (CSB)

• Humans will return to humus. (James Limburg in Zorn, p. 519)

• Regardless of how he came to the conclusion, the point is:
• Don’t put your all your trust in influential (GW), powerful (NLT) people.

• This doesn’t mean that we don’t listen to the wisdom of others. But we must remember their limitations.
• “His praise of God is not to condemn the help one human being may give another. Rather, it is an acknowledgment that God, as our helper, has none of the limitations of mortal man.” –Walter Zorn, Psalms, V. 2, p. 517

• “While the world may lose their collective marbles when an election goes ‘wrong,’ may it never be so for the church of Jesus Christ.”--Adam Mabry in “Citizens and Pilgrims in an Election Season” (Source: world.wng.org/2020/11/citizens_and_pilgrims_in_an_election_season)
Trust Only in the God of Jacob (vv. 5-6)

5 Blessed is he whose help is the God of Jacob,
whose hope is in the Lord his God,

• Remember, Psalms is about living the blessed life. And “blessed” is how the Psalms begin:

• Psalm 1:1-2: Blessed is the man
who walks not in the counsel of the wicked,
nor stands in the way of sinners,
nor sits in the seat of scoffers;
2 but his delight is in the law of the Lord,
and on his law he meditates day and night. (ESV)

• “The person who walks in God’s way is assured of God’s help…It is a call to trust the direction of one’s life, and the care of that life, into the hands of the ‘God of Jacob,’ the living God, for it is through him alone that the truly happy life is attainable.” –Walter Zorn, Psalms, V. 2, p. 520

Reasons for Trusting God’s Help (vv. 6-10a)

6 who made heaven and earth,
the sea, and all that is in them,…

• The Maker of all things is the God of Jacob and He is the One…

…who keeps faith forever;…

• V. 6c, NLT: He keeps every promise forever.

7 who executes justice for the oppressed,
who gives food to the hungry.

The Lord sets the prisoners free;
8 the Lord opens the eyes of the blind.
The Lord lifts up those who are bowed down;
the Lord loves the righteous.
9 The Lord watches over the sojourners;
he upholds the widow and the fatherless,…

• James 1:27: Pure and genuine religion in the sight of God the Father means caring for orphans and widows in their distress and refusing to let the world corrupt you. (NLT)

Did you notice that 5 times God’s name is proclaimed in verses 7-9? (The Lord sets…; the Lord opens…; The Lord lifts up…; the Lord loves…; The Lord watches over …)

• It is the name that dismisses every other name!
• Walter Brueggemann points out that [It is] “the Lord, not Baal; the Lord, not Saddam Hussein; the Lord, not the free-market system nor a Western government; the Lord, not the church organization; the Lord, not my favourite political persuasion.”—Walter Brueggemann
• Where would we be if that wasn’t true?
• Another reason to trust the God of Jacob:

… but the way of the wicked he brings to ruin.

• “One should remember the words of Ezek 33:11: ‘As surely as I live, declares the Sovereign Lord, I take no pleasure in the death of the wicked, but rather that they turn from their ways and live.’ It is not the wicked person God hates; it is his wicked ways. Of all needy souls on earth, none is more needy than the wicked.—Walter D. Zorn, p. 522.

• Unlike rulers whose bodies die and return to dust:
10 The Lord will reign forever,
your God, O Zion, to all generations.

Reasons to praise God:
• God is all-powerful, having made heaven and earth. (6a)
• He is the divine helper, the hope of all and especially the oppressed, hungry, prisoners, blind, bowed down, alien, orphan and widow. (vv. 7-9) (Zorn, p. 517)
• He is a righteous judge (v. 9c)
• He is dependable; forever He rules and remains faithful. (vv. 6b, 10a)

Renewed Call to Praise (v. 10c)

Praise the Lord!

• “And the God of Jacob is our help and hope. There is no-one else to rely on. All the princes of our world, all the people of power and influence, whether we revile them or revere them, in the end return to the ground their plans come to nothing.”—Michael Wilcock, Message of the Psalms, V. 2p. 276

• God proved all of this when the eternal Word took on flesh and came into the world in the Person of Jesus Christ.
• Jesus quoting from Isaiah 61:1-2: Luke 4:16-22: 16 He came to Nazareth, where he had been brought up. As usual, he entered the synagogue on the Sabbath day and stood up to read. 17 The scroll of the prophet Isaiah was given to him, and unrolling the scroll, he found the place where it was written:

18 The Spirit of the Lord is on me,
because he has anointed me
to preach good news to the poor.
He has sent me
to proclaim release to the captives
and recovery of sight to the blind,
to set free the oppressed,
19 to proclaim the year of the Lord’s favor.

20 He then rolled up the scroll, gave it back to the attendant, and sat down. And the eyes of everyone in the synagogue were fixed on him. 21 He began by saying to them, “Today as you listen, this Scripture has been fulfilled.” (CSB)

• 2 Timothy 1:9-10: 9 He has saved us and called us with a holy calling, not according to our works, but according to his own purpose and grace, which was given to us in Christ Jesus before time began. 10 This has now been made evident through the appearing of our Savior Christ Jesus, who has abolished death and has brought life and immortality to light through the gospel. NLT)

Our vision is to be a multiplying family of love-motivated, baptized followers of Jesus learning to daily practice eternal living in His kingdom for God’s glory.

2024 Holy week services

March 28 @ 7:00 p.m. Holy Thursday Communion Service

March 31 @ 6:30 a.m. Easter Sunrise Service (East church parking lot). Continental breakfast following in Fellowship Center

March 31 @ 10:00 a.m. Easter Worship Service & Children’s Church.

regular weekly SERVICE TIMES

Sunday (Lord’s Day)

8:30 a.m. Adult Bible Fellowship Groups & Children’s Sunday School

8:30 a.m. (First Sunday of each month) Prayer Meeting in lieu of Adult Bible Fellowship Groups.

10:00 a.m. Worship Service with Children’s Church (1st three Sundays of each month) & Nursery

(The service may be listened to live from the church parking lot by tuning your radio FM 87.9. The service may be viewed later in the afternoon online via audio/video recording via a link in the church Facebook page, the Connect tab above or at owensvillefirstchristianchurch.sermon.net/main.)

6:00 p.m. Prayer Meeting (except for first Sunday of each month which is at 8:30 a.m.

Wednesday, 6:30 p.m.

Adult Bible Fellowship and Middle/High School Youth Groups

Additional Bible fellowship groups sometimes available at different times during the week

 

 

(812) 724-4181

4680 W SR 168, PO Box 37, Owensville, IN 47665