Sunday's Sermon - Feb 27

Scripture: John 3:1-21

Sermon: This Is How God Loved

Last week Jim talked about Nicodemus and his meeting with Jesus. How Nicodemus was an important leader and teacher within the Jewish community. And how he just couldn't wrap his head around the idea of spiritual birth, and the need for God to work a new thing within us in order to be truly saved.

That covers the first half of this passage. I suspect that he'll be focusing on the last half of this passage this week.

¹⁶"For God so loved the world, that he gave his only Son, that whoever believes in him should not perish but have eternal life. ¹⁷For God did not send his Son into the world to condemn the world, but in order that the world might be saved through him. ¹⁸ Whoever believes in him is not condemned, but whoever does not believe is condemned already, because he has not believed in the name of the only Son of God. ¹⁹ And this is the judgment: the light has come into the world, and people loved the darkness rather than the light because their works were evil. ²⁰ For everyone who does wicked things hates the light and does not come to the light, lest his works should be exposed. ²¹But whoever does what is true comes to the light, so that it may be clearly seen that his works have been carried out in God."

The other day Justin and I were reading the story of Adam and Eve and how they listened to Satan instead of God. I asked Justin...what do you think you would have done?

His response: "I would have listened to God mommy. Why didn't they want to listen to God mommy?"

me : "It's sin buddy, no ever really wants to listen to God unless he helps them listen to him."

Him "oh" (but you could see little wheels turning)

me:" you know how I turn you to look at me sometimes when I tell you something? ... that's me helping you listen to me. God helps us just like that...but inside of us."

Him : "oh"

I don't mind the "oh's"...means he's listening and means that sometime he'll come back with a question. he's a thinking boy which I like. Though at times he surprises me how long he'll think about something and I'm left scrambling with ... where did that come from?!?! :)

Anyways, this passage just brings me back to that conversation because it says "people loved the darkness rather than the light". It's so true isn't it? It is often so much easier to do something bad than it is to do something good. Easier to gossip than to point out that people handle things differently. Easier to let something slide than to do something that goes against the crowd. It's something I have to be on guard against when I go to Subway.

I look forward to seeing what Jim has to say about this passage on Sunday.

Water to Wine

Jim's sermon this morning was on Jn 2:1-11 where Jesus turned the water into wine.
Justin and I did the video, the lad is learning how to control the sound. Soon enough I think he'll be running it himself! :) Anyways, I appreciated how Jim pointed out that all the stories about things that Jesus did in John are told so that we can see the eventual glory of Christ.

So how Jesus shows himself in this story as the future bridegroom who will provide everything a bridegroom is supposed to provide when the future glory comes. It was also interesting to see how the context fits into all this and explains why it was important. Middle Eastern hospitality is very important, and to not be able to be a effectual host is NOT a good thing. For Jesus to help out the bridegroom in this Miracle story was an important thing. But more importantly, it shows us more about who Christ is, so that we can more fully believe in him.

What else?
This afternoon we went tobogganing at the Pinery. We even went down the "BIG HILL" three times. I would NOT let Justin go down using his Zipfy as he's too young to control it going down such a big hill, but we had fun going down on my toboggan. But we mostly had fun on the smaller hill.

Today's Sermon: Come and See

Right now Pastor Jim is preaching through the book of John. It's been quite interesting.

John 1:35-51

Well. I was going to link you to biblegateway but the computer seems to have trouble loading some pages this morning, others it has no issue with. Go figure.

So hold on, I need to find a bible with a big enough font to read in low light. I'll put the link up later.

Anyways, this passage has two sections in it and I imagine that Jim will probably preach on the first section about Jesus choosing the first disciples of Jesus, though he might do both as they are well connected. :) Verses 35-42 are on "the first disciples of Jesus" when John the Baptist (I think) was there with two of his disciples. Verses 43-50 was the following day when Jesus got a couple more disciples.

John called Jesus "the Lamb of God". This led to a conversation between his disciples and Jesus that lasted all day. Andrew was one of those disciples and his first action was to bring his brother Simon (Peter) to meet Jesus. Andrew told Simon "We have found the Messiah!" I find it fascinating that Jesus renamed Simon - Peter as soon as he met him. It's like who does that? Only God of course. I don't find instances in the bible of people renaming people, and when God renames people, it has significance.

The next day when Jesus went to Galilee he met Philip. "Come follow Me" Jesus says and first thing Philip does is introduce Nathanael to Jesus. And that led to an interesting discussion as well, where Jesus tells Nathanael that he saw him under the fig tree...and that information is enough to convince Nathanael that Jesus is God's son and the King of Israel.

So Jesus now has his first four disciples: Andrew, Simon (that is Peter), Philip and Nathanael.

I shall endeavor this afternoon to put up my notes from the sermon. No guarantees though, I try to stay off "the beast" on Sundays.

John the Baptizer

Jim had a good sermon this morning on John the Baptizer.

Really pointed out how John consistently pointed people to Christ and away from himself.

Encouraged me to think.

Today's Sermon - Seeing Things Differently

I heard not a word of it...other then "amen" when Jim finished his message this morning.

For the last few services Jim has preached on James, spending lots of time in the first few verses, today he moved on to James 1:9-11

⁹Let the lowly brother boast in his exaltation, ¹⁰and the rich in his humiliation, because like a flower of the grass he will pass away. ¹¹For the sun rises with its scorching heat and withers the grass; its flower falls, and its beauty perishes. So also will the rich man fade away in the midst of his pursuits.

The larger context of course is vv 2-18

Count it all joy, my brothers, when you meet trials of various kinds, 3for you know that the testing of your faith produces steadfastness. 4And let steadfastness have its full effect, that you may be perfect and complete, lacking in nothing.

5 If any of you lacks wisdom, let him ask God, who gives generously to all without reproach, and it will be given him. 6But let him ask in faith, with no doubting, for the one who doubts is like a wave of the sea that is driven and tossed by the wind. 7For that person must not suppose that he will receive anything from the Lord; 8 he is a double-minded man, unstable in all his ways.

9Let the lowly brother boast in his exaltation, 10and the rich in his humiliation, because like a flower of the grass he will pass away. 11For the sun rises with its scorching heat and withers the grass; its flower falls, and its beauty perishes. So also will the rich man fade away in the midst of his pursuits.

12 Blessed is the man who remains steadfast under trial, for when he has stood the test he will receive the crown of life, which God has promised to those who love him. 13Let no one say when he is tempted, "I am being tempted by God," for God cannot be tempted with evil, and he himself tempts no one. 14But each person is tempted when he is lured and enticed by his own desire. 15Then desire when it has conceived gives birth to sin, and sin when it is fully grown brings forth death.

16Do not be deceived, my beloved brothers. 17 Every good gift and every perfect gift is from above, coming down from the Father of lights with whom there is no variation or shadow due to change. 18 Of his own will he brought us forth by the word of truth, that we should be a kind of firstfruits of his creatures.

But let this quiet moment be my worship time....Jim's off to find some food to eat. I had no idea what to do for a meal, nothing appealed to me, nothing appealed to him....so he's figuring out his thing and I'm munching...not good for a Sunday..but that's life tonight. This quietness won't last long, we do live in a small town....

Anyways, .... ⁹Let the lowly brother boast in his exaltation, ¹⁰and the rich in his humiliation, because like a flower of the grass he will pass away. ¹¹For the sun rises with its scorching heat and withers the grass; its flower falls, and its beauty perishes. So also will the rich man fade away in the midst of his pursuits.

These three verses follow a section where the wise go to God in faith for anything that they lack. And here we find the lowly boast in their exultation and the rich in their humiliation and knowing that none of it matters because it will all fade away anyways. The days come and go, the seasons pass, and as they go...so do the rich.

I have to admit....how does one preach on this for 20 minutes?? :) Makes me wish I could have heard it instead of minding a preschooler Jim often pulls things out and all together that makes me go AH>>> cool. oh...change, growth.... and such like. :)

I suppose though it is a comfort to know that it doesn't really matter about the rich...they do all eventually pass away. Things have a time and season. And I have everything that I need if I come to God in faith. He will supply all that I need. The rest is just chaff to blow away in the wind. I grew up on a farm....I know what the chaff dust looks like. It can make a body cough, and looks horrid on the wind, but once the wind dies down....it's just gone. Good to remember that. Good to remember that reliance on God is indeed where it is at for the believer.

Jim doesn't have it posted on line yet, when he does you'll find it at his page here. He's been a bit lax lately on this....but in time it will be there. :)

Fallen into Sin, and Cast Out from God's Presence

So we are staying home from Church today, Justin and I.

Jim will be preaching with a sore throat on Genesis 3:1-24 .

1Now the serpent was more crafty than any other beast of the field that the LORD God had made.

He said to the woman, "Did God actually say, 'You shall not eat of any tree in the garden'?" 2And the woman said to the serpent, "We may eat of the fruit of the trees in the garden, 3but God said, 'You shall not eat of the fruit of the tree that is in the midst of the garden, neither shall you touch it, lest you die.'" 4 But the serpent said to the woman, "You will not surely die. 5For God knows that when you eat of it your eyes will be opened, and you will be like God, knowing good and evil." 6So when the woman saw that the tree was good for food, and that it was a delight to the eyes, and that the tree was to be desired to make one wise, she took of its fruit and ate, and she also gave some to her husband who was with her, and he ate. 7 Then the eyes of both were opened, and they knew that they were naked. And they sewed fig leaves together and made themselves loincloths.

8And they heard the sound of the LORD God walking in the garden in the cool of the day, and the man and his wife hid themselves from the presence of the LORD God among the trees of the garden. 9But the LORD God called to the man and said to him, "Where are you?" 10And he said, "I heard the sound of you in the garden, and I was afraid, because I was naked, and I hid myself." 11He said, "Who told you that you were naked? Have you eaten of the tree of which I commanded you not to eat?" 12The man said, "The woman whom you gave to be with me, she gave me fruit of the tree, and I ate." 13Then the LORD God said to the woman, "What is this that you have done?" The woman said, "The serpent deceived me, and I ate."

14The LORD God said to the serpent,

"Because you have done this,
cursed are you above all livestock
and above all beasts of the field;
on your belly you shall go,
and dust you shall eat
all the days of your life.
15I will put enmity between you and the woman,
and between your offspring and her offspring;
he shall bruise your head,
and you shall bruise his heel."

16To the woman he said,

"I will surely multiply your pain in childbearing;
in pain you shall bring forth children.
Your desire shall be for your husband,
and he shall rule over you."

17And to Adam he said,

"Because you have listened to the voice of your wife
and have eaten of the tree
of which I commanded you,
'You shall not eat of it,'
cursed is the ground because of you;
in pain you shall eat of it all the days of your life;
18thorns and thistles it shall bring forth for you;
and you shall eat the plants of the field.
19By the sweat of your face
you shall eat bread,
till you return to the ground,
for out of it you were taken;
for you are dust,
and to dust you shall return."

20The man called his wife’s name Eve, because she was the mother of all living. 21And the LORD God made for Adam and for his wife garments of skins and clothed them.

22Then the LORD God said, "Behold, the man has become like one of us in knowing good and evil. Now, lest he reach out his hand and take also of the tree of life and eat, and live forever—" 23therefore the LORD God sent him out from the garden of Eden to work the ground from which he was taken. 24He drove out the man, and at the east of the garden of Eden he placed the cherubim and a flaming sword that turned every way to guard the way to the tree of life.

Jim entitled his sermon: Fallen into Sin, and Cast Out from God's Presence.

A crafty serpent.

People who chose to listen to the crafty beast instead of to God.

People choosing to make something else more important than God their king.

Sin entered the world.

God, despite of our actions, chose to promise us deliverance.

To him be all the glory!

Jesus is the Good News - Sunday Sermon

Isaiah 61

1 The Spirit of the Lord GOD is upon me,
because the LORD has anointed me
to bring good news to the poor;
he has sent me to bind up the brokenhearted,
to proclaim liberty to the captives,
and the opening of the prison to those who are bound;
2 to proclaim the year of the LORD’s favor,
and the day of vengeance of our God;
to comfort all who mourn;
3to grant to those who mourn in Zion—
to give them a beautiful headdress instead of ashes,
the oil of gladness instead of mourning,
the garment of praise instead of a faint spirit;
that they may be called oaks of righteousness,
the planting of the LORD, that he may be glorified.
4 They shall build up the ancient ruins;
they shall raise up the former devastations;
they shall repair the ruined cities,
the devastations of many generations.

Isaiah 61:8-11

8 For I the LORD love justice;
I hate robbery and wrong;
I will faithfully give them their recompense,
and I will make an everlasting covenant with them.
9Their offspring shall be known among the nations,
and their descendants in the midst of the peoples;
all who see them shall acknowledge them,
that they are an offspring the LORD has blessed.

10 I will greatly rejoice in the LORD;
my soul shall exult in my God,
for he has clothed me with the garments of salvation;
he has covered me with the robe of righteousness,
as a bridegroom decks himself like a priest with a beautiful headdress,
and as a bride adorns herself with her jewels.
11For as the earth brings forth its sprouts,
and as a garden causes what is sown in it to sprout up,
so the Lord GOD will cause righteousness and praise
to sprout up before all the nations.

So are read the words from this Sunday's message.

I have to admit...I'm having a hard time connecting the sermon title with the scripture passage this morning. I'm thinking I'm brain dead.....

It's just not there at all!

I see the promise of hope.
I see what we are called to do by the Spirit of God within us.
I see the salvation offered/given by God.
I see how God cares for his people. That justice is important to him.

I just this morning can't see more than that in this passage. I'll let it sit a spell and see if more comes to me. This is frustrating.

Sunday Sermon

Today is the day of prayer for the persecuted church. The one day out of the year when we as believers (as part of the visible church) have a chance to concentrate our prayers on the needs of our fellow believers suffering for their faith in our Lord God. Today we really get to pray for them.

NOT saying we can't or even shouldn't pray other days. We should, but today as a whole church we can pray. The prayers of the faithful matter much to God.

So Jim's sermon today is called "How Should Christians Respond To Persecution" And his text is Psalm 83. It reads as follows:

A Song. A Psalm of Asaph.

1O God, do not keep silence;
do not hold your peace or be still, O God!
2For behold, your enemies make an uproar;
those who hate you have raised their heads.
3They lay crafty plans against your people;
they consult together against your treasured ones.
4They say, "Come, let us wipe them out as a nation;
let the name of Israel be remembered no more!"
5For they conspire with one accord;
against you they make a covenant—
6the tents of Edom and the Ishmaelites,
Moab and the Hagrites,
7 Gebal and Ammon and Amalek,
Philistia with the inhabitants of Tyre;
8 Asshur also has joined them;
they are the strong arm of the children of Lot.
Selah

9Do to them as you did to Midian,
as to Sisera and Jabin at the river Kishon,
10who were destroyed at En-dor,
who became dung for the ground.
11Make their nobles like Oreb and Zeeb,
all their princes like Zebah and Zalmunna,
12who said, "Let us take possession for ourselves
of the pastures of God."

13O my God, make them like whirling dust,
like chaff before the wind.
14As fire consumes the forest,
as the flame sets the mountains ablaze,
15so may you pursue them with your tempest
and terrify them with your hurricane!
16 Fill their faces with shame,
that they may seek your name, O LORD.
17Let them be put to shame and dismayed forever;
let them perish in disgrace,
18that they may know that you alone,
whose name is the LORD,
are the Most High over all the earth.

This is prayer to God. A cry that God remember his people. That God won't remain silent in the face of all that his people are going through. A cry that God will act against the people who are enemies of his children. WHY? So that "they may know that you alone ... are the Most High over all the earth." So not just for the benefit of God's children...but so that GOD might be truly seen by those who oppose him.

I have to admit, I hope Justin is quiet for church today. I would like to be able to actually hear the sermon today.

And it was very good

This Sunday's Sermon will be based on Genesis 1:26-31.

26Then God said, "Let us make man in our image, after our likeness. And let them have dominion over the fish of the sea and over the birds of the heavens and over the livestock and over all the earth and over every creeping thing that creeps on the earth."
27So God created man in his own image,
in the image of God he created him;
male and female he created them.

28And God blessed them. And God said to them, "Be fruitful and multiply and fill the earth and subdue it and have dominion over the fish of the sea and over the birds of the heavens and over every living thing that moves on the earth." 29And God said, "Behold, I have given you every plant yielding seed that is on the face of all the earth, and every tree with seed in its fruit. You shall have them for food. 30And to every beast of the earth and to every bird of the heavens and to everything that creeps on the earth, everything that has the breath of life, I have given every green plant for food." And it was so. 31 And God saw everything that he had made, and behold, it was very good. And there was evening and there was morning, the sixth day.

The world has been made. :) God spoke the words and thus it was so.

Now we come to the creation of mankind. Here we have introduced the idea of "us" as God. God isn't a "one" he is an "us". The implies plurality in the midst of oneness. The bible doesn't specifically talk about a trinity/triunity, but it does talk about God the father, God the spirit and God the son. We know that God is one, so the differences show God's uniqueness...how he can be three in one. Don't ask me to explain it, it's one of those mysteries of God that I can't fully explain, I just know it to be true. :) We see all three aspects present at Jesus' baptism.

But God said "Let us make man in our image, after our likeness." And so he did.

And this is the charge that God gave to man

• Be fruitful and multiply and fill the earth
• subdue it
• have dominion over the fish of the sea and over the birds of the heavens and over every living thing that moves on the earth
• plants were given as food

Hmm...hadn't really noted this before, but God also gave plants as food to every creature that moved on the earth as well. Any thing that had the breath of life in it had plants (and what plants produce) as food.

Hmm.....That makes me think some. God created all creatures, so you're talking cats, dogs, pandas, dinasours, chickens, rabbits etc..... God made them so they could survive on food. YET these animals will eat meat as well....well...I'm not sure about pandas as they do the bamboo thing, but they eat meat. Is that then the result of sin in the world? Those advocates of raw-feeding for dogs and cats who insist it has to be meat and meat alone for their animals, are they in actuality doing less by their pets to not feed them plants material at all? OR has sin so intrinsically changed the animals that God created so that they MUST have meat in order to live? Has sin permeated their very genetic code?

I know that people sin as a matter of being. That sinful behaviour has been part of us since the day Adam and Eve rebelled against God's own word. I've just never seriously thought about that in regards to animals so much. hmmm......just makes me think....and is it something then we aught to as believers work against? I have to admit though I just can't fathom putting Sassy on an all plant diet. I just don't see her going for it.

ANYWAYS, God made man and he said "it is very good". He added that word. Everything else he made it said it was good. But for mankind...it is very good. We were/we are the pinnacle of his creative abilities. :) He made the world ready for us, and then he pronounced it all very good. I don't know, but somehow I just really liked reading that today.

I welcome your thoughts.

And God said.....so it happened

Jim's passage for this week Sunday is Genesis 1:14-25

14And God said, "Let there be lights in the expanse of the heavens to separate the day from the night. And let them be for signs and for seasons, and for days and years, 15and let them be lights in the expanse of the heavens to give light upon the earth." And it was so. 16And God made the two great lights—the greater light to rule the day and the lesser light to rule the night—and the stars. 17And God set them in the expanse of the heavens to give light on the earth, 18to rule over the day and over the night, and to separate the light from the darkness. And God saw that it was good. 19And there was evening and there was morning, the fourth day.

20And God said, "Let the waters swarm with swarms of living creatures, and let birds fly above the earth across the expanse of the heavens." 21So God created the great sea creatures and every living creature that moves, with which the waters swarm, according to their kinds, and every winged bird according to its kind. And God saw that it was good. 22And God blessed them, saying, "Be fruitful and multiply and fill the waters in the seas, and let birds multiply on the earth." 23And there was evening and there was morning, the fifth day.

24And God said, "Let the earth bring forth living creatures according to their kinds—livestock and creeping things and beasts of the earth according to their kinds." And it was so. 25And God made the beasts of the earth according to their kinds and the livestock according to their kinds, and everything that creeps on the ground according to its kind. And God saw that it was good.

And God said....Let there be light. Light to show the seasons. Light for the night. Light for the day. Light and Dark were separated. And it was so.

And God said....Let there be water creatures. Let there be air creatures. And it was so.

And God said... Let there be earth creatures. And it was so.

God said it. It happened.
I just think it's so cool. God's word was sufficient.

And God saw that IT WAS GOOD.

And it is, isn't it? When you look at the world around you, can't you see the goodness of God. Despite the effects of sin, it is good isn't it?

I am sometimes amazed at the sheer creativity that God displayed.
Who would have imagined a platypus? Or a giraffe? Whales? Frogs that can change their sex? It's just amazing.

Birds that can fly!
Fish that can swim down so far and NOT be crushed by the water above them.
Animals that can live in harmony with each other.
Ants.... Justin's into a book in ants right now. Seeing how they work together and are busy all the time. Who would have created ants?

And it was all God's doing. He said let there be....and there was. It's just very cool.

How to see God in All?

So as you know, I've decided to study the Sunday's sermons passage before church. Wow...certainly helped me listen better since I knew the basic gist of what he was going to talk about. Even missing the first five minutes due to Justin having to get some crayons which were SUPPOSED to be in my church bag but somehow weren't I still followed the sermon fairly well.

ANYWAYS>>>>>
One of the things Jim mentioned was that we need to focus on God ALL the time. To look for him in things. To make it a point of doing so. It helps us to know God better and therefore to boast in him and our knowledge of him. (I am paraphrasing).

That got me thinking.
As some of you know, we plan to homeschool Justin. A part of Jim's sermon was that folks in school need to think about how God fits in with their schooling. When taking a college course...how do you see God in your art class?

I'm thinking it would behoove me to figure out how to get Justin NOW and throughout his schooling to think about how God figures into it all. I really want to help Justin develop a solidly Christian world-view, so that means helping him figure out how God fits into his world in every way that I can think of, help him shape his thinking.

So now I have to figure out, how can I do that?
It's more I think than using scripture in study - whether that be copywork, or memorization or whatever. Though that's part of it, because the more Justin knows the word of God, the more hopefully he'll learn of it and become drawn to God more as I pray that God will draw Justin to himself. (I probably said that poorly).

But how do I teach him to really think about how God fits in with it all? That's my query. I am NOT a hugely critical thinker. Jim is WAY more discerning about things than I am. I can get the thought that something isn't right, but Jim tends to pinpoint it really quickly. :) I'm quicker at saying where I see God in something, but I don't know..... I feel somewhat unprepared for this aspect of things and want to figure out how to feel more "prepared" to help my boy in this important aspect of knowing and loving God.

Jim's Sunday Sermon

Jim had a GOOD sermon this morning. Made all kinds of little things click in my little old brain this morning. He'll be pleased. :)

Based on Gal. 3:10-14

10For all who rely on works of the law are under a curse; for it is written, "Cursed be everyone who does not abide by all things written in the Book of the Law, and do them." 11Now it is evident that no one is justified before God by the law, for "The righteous shall live by faith." 12But the law is not of faith, rather "The one who does them shall live by them." 13Christ 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"— 14so that in Christ Jesus the blessing of Abraham might come to the Gentiles, so that we might receive the promised Spirit through faith.

Do you see it in verse 10? For all who RELY on works of the law are under a curse.

It's the word reliance that made my little old brain click.

See.....faith is what our salvation is based on. Faith in Christ alone. That's it. BUT we are commanded of God to also work out our salvation. James tells us that faith without works is dead. So works and how we live out our faith is VERY important. it's part of being a Christian.

So I OFTEN feel like a complete failure as a Christian as I so often just see all the things that I don't do good enough, or I have false motives, or..... you know how it goes.

So then my questioning my faith is reinforced so to speak. I know that I love God. I know that he's an integral part of my life, but so often I feel like I'm possibly missing something somewhere along the line and I'm in a way just deluding myself....hence I want to "do more or at least DO better." Nasty cycle.

Anyways....Jim this morning in his sermon made a point of reinforcing this concept. that it's the reliance on obeying the law, it's the reliance of works which is the curse. We MUST not rely on the law. All that really matters is that we have faith in Christ. The rest is just window-dressing so to speak (MY words, not his). Every single part of us is infected with sin, so our works are as well....so when it really comes down to it. all that ever really ever matters is whether we have faith in the saving work of Christ.

CLICK CLICK CLICK went my little old brain. :) My faith is enough. :)

Hymn : thou art the way

We sang this hymn in church this morning. Lyrics come courtesy of the Trinity Hymnal.

Thou art the Way: to thee alone
From sin and death we flee;
And he who would the Father seek
Must seek him, Lord, by thee.

Thou art the Truth: thy Word alone
True wisdom can impart;
Thou only canst inform the mind,
And purify the heart.

Thou art the Life: the rending tomb
Proclaims thy conquering arm,
And those who put their trust in thee
Nor death nor hell shall harm.

Thou art the Way, the Truth, the Life:
Grant us that Way to know,
That Truth to keep, that Life to win,
Whose joys eternal flow.

This song was written by George Washington Doane. Factmaster tells us that he was an

Episcopal bishop of New Jersey (1832–59), b. Trenton, N.J. He acted as rector of St. Mary's Church, Burlington, N.J., and there he established a school for girls, St. Mary's Hall, and Burlington College for boys. A leading high churchman, Bishop Doane was also the author of a number of hymns, including “Softly Now the Light of Day” and “Fling Out the Banner, Let It Float.”

For more information on this man, check out the Online Encyclopedia and other sources.

This hymn tied in really well with Pastor Jim's sermon. Based on John 13:31-14:11, the sermon was entitled "I AM the way, the truth and the life".

One of the things that struck me most in this sermon as the response that Jesus gives to his people. When we come to him saying how we messed up again with this or that sin, Jesus' basic response to us is, Come to me, You are not the way, I AM.

That just sums it up doesn't it?

We have to come through Jesus to reach God the Father. His words, not mine. No other way will suffice.

Of First Importance

For the last two Sundays Pastor Jim has preached on 1 Corinthians 15:1-11. That passage, in the ESV reads as follows

1Now I would remind you, brothers, of the gospel I preached to you, which you received, in which you stand, 2and by which you are being saved, if you hold fast to the word I preached to you--unless you believed in vain.

3For I delivered to you as of first importance what I also received: that Christ died for our sins in accordance with the Scriptures, 4that he was buried, that he was raised on the third day in accordance with the Scriptures, 5and that he appeared to Cephas, then to the twelve. 6Then he appeared to more than five hundred brothers at one time, most of whom are still alive, though some have fallen asleep. 7Then he appeared to James, then to all the apostles. 8Last of all, as to one untimely born, he appeared also to me. 9For I am the least of the apostles, unworthy to be called an apostle, because I persecuted the church of God. 10But by the grace of God I am what I am, and his grace toward me was not in vain. On the contrary, I worked harder than any of them, though it was not I, but the grace of God that is with me. 11Whether then it was I or they, so we preach and so you believed.

Last week Pastor Jim made the point of stressing that Paul was teaching the Corinthian people (and therefore us) that the gospel is complete. It is the gospel by which they stand. It is the gospel that we must hold fast to. If you change the Gospel in any way, then you are trusting in something that is not true.

Today he further explained what that gospel is exactly.
The gospel is
1. What was given to Paul. He didn't make it up. He didn't create it. It was given to him, and he has given us what he received. He didn't add to it. He didn't take away from it. He didn't change it. He gave what he received.
2. What Paul received was
a. Christ died a physical death. It was a nasty death crucifixion was.
b. Christ CHOSE to die. He didn't have to die. He committed no sin. He did not deserve death. Death would not come for him UNLESS he chose it.
c. Christ died FOR US. He chose to die for us. That's the only reason why he died.
d. God cannot look upon sin. He is so holy, that he can't just "let it go". Sin is something that is deserving of punishment.
e. As sinners, and we are all born in sin, we all deserve punishment. We all deserve death.
f. BUT if we truly believe in Christ. If we truly believe that he died for our sins. for what WE did, then our punishment has already been meted out.
g. Christ rose from the dead. yes he did. Paul made the challenge to the Corinthians clear. If you don't believe me, go ask one of the many others who saw him raised. Most of them were still living at the time. Christ was seen. His resurrection is real.

So what we need to decide is this.
Do we really trust this gospel?

Do YOU really trust this gospel?

If you don't trust these fundamentals, then as much as you want to call yourself a believer, you really aren't. You must trust the fundamentals before you can really say, yes, I am a believer in our living Lord, the Resurrected Jesus Christ.