24
Oct '20
All for Jesus
24
Oct '20
This poem from the pen of the English missionary C.T. Studd is not only a tremendous challenge and blessing, but will prepare our hearts for tomorrow’s message from Mark 14:1-11.
Two little lines I heard one day,
Traveling along life’s busy way;
Bringing conviction to my heart,
And from my mind would not depart;
Only one life, twill soon be past,
Only what’s done for Christ will last.
Only one life, yes only one,
Soon will its fleeting hours be done;
Then, in ‘that day’ my Lord to meet,
And stand before His Judgement seat;
Only one life,’twill soon be past,
Only what’s done for Christ will last.
Only one life, the still small voice,
Gently pleads for a better choice
Bidding me selfish aims to leave,
And to God’s holy will to cleave;
Only one life, ’twill soon be past,
Only what’s done for Christ will last.
Only one life, a few brief years,
Each with its burdens, hopes, and fears;
Each with its clays I must fulfill,
living for self or in His will;
Only one life, ’twill soon be past,
Only what’s done for Christ will last.
When this bright world would tempt me sore,
When Satan would a victory score;
When self would seek to have its way,
Then help me Lord with joy to say;
Only one life, ’twill soon be past,
Only what’s done for Christ will last.
Give me Father, a purpose deep,
In joy or sorrow Thy word to keep;
Faithful and true what e’er the strife,
Pleasing Thee in my daily life;
Only one life, ’twill soon be past,
Only what’s done for Christ will last.
Oh let my love with fervor burn,
And from the world now let me turn;
Living for Thee, and Thee alone,
Bringing Thee pleasure on Thy throne;
Only one life, “twill soon be past,
Only what’s done for Christ will last.
Only one life, yes only one,
Now let me say,”Thy will be done;
And when at last I’ll hear the call,
I know I’ll say “twas worth it all;
Only one life,’twill soon be past,
Only what’s done for Christ will last.”
Follow this link (click here) to read the church bulletin for tomorrow.
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06
May '20
Would You Bow Down?
06
May '20
Everybody lives by faith in something or someone. The difference between a true believe and an unbeliever is not the presence of faith but the object of their faith. Daniel 3 is the text for today’s study and this evening’s sermon. There we find that leaders and influencers from across the great Babylonian Empire were assembled to worship the 90′ high and 9′ wide golden image that King Nebuchadnezzar had erected. He wanted to unify his diverse empire by means of religion and fear. The more things change, the more they stay the same.
Faith Tried by Fire
Trials are used by God to develop our faith. The same trials are used by the enemy to destroy us. During such times we will either be drawn closer to the Lord or further away from him.
The Babylonian authorities showed up because of the King’s commands. They all stood up for the image’s dedication. When the music played they all bowed down. All except for three. Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego refused to break God’s Law. They had already proven a willingness to cooperate with their new pagan leaders, but they would not compromise the clear commands of scripture. Instead, they were willing to pay the price that comes with trusting God.
I wonder if the Apostle Peter had these three men in mind when he wrote 1 Peter 1:7; 4:12:
That the trial of your faith, being much more precious than of gold that perisheth, though it be tried with fire, might be found unto praise and honour and glory at the appearing of Jesus Christ: Beloved, think it not strange concerning the fiery trial which is to try you, as though some strange thing happened unto you:
Shadrach, Mechach, and Abednego were confident in the Lord’s control of their situation. They stood tall when everyone else bowed low.
Would you bow down?
That is a question to ask and answer as we work through Daniel 3 tonight at 7pm.
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19
Apr '20
Keeping the Faith
19
Apr '20
Daniel is a marvelous book of prophecy. But do not forget that Daniel was a real man. So were Hananiah, Mishael, and Azariah, and all the other players mentioned in this book. Daniel experienced real visions from God. The Holy Spirit inspired him to record those visions during real-life situations. As you read through the book, the difficulty of those real-life situations is immediately and consistently apparent. I believe it’s safe to suggest that, much like Daniel, Hananiah, Mishael, and Azariah, we are living during challenging times, and not just because of COVID-19. Like those four men, we are living in a faithless age. We are to be faithful. Just as they were.
The prophetic teaching of Daniel begins in earnest with chapter 7. From there through chapter 12 we learn of God’s sovereign power and rule over future events. The evidence of God’s sovereign power and rule over past and current events is what gives weight to those future claims. God’s ruling and over-ruling past and current events is what we find in Daniel 1-6. In those first six chapters we are reminded in dramatic fashion how God intervenes on behalf of His people for His glory, which is always for their good. We also see that His intervention takes shape both in the form of discipline and blessing.
This morning our text will be Daniel 1. We will be encouraged by examples of men from the past who kept their faith in the same God we serve during their own difficult days. May we do likewise. The livestream will begin at 11am.
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05
Apr '20
Timeless Truth for Temporary Troubles
05
Apr '20
2 Corinthians 4:16-18, “For which cause we faint not; but though our outward man perish, yet the inward man is renewed day by day. For our light affliction, which is but for a moment, worketh for us a far more exceeding and eternal weight of glory; While we look not at the things which are seen, but at the things which are not seen: for the things which are seen are temporal; but the things which are not seen are eternal.”
Times are tough right now. COVID-19 is easily transmitted, is highly contagious, and attacks the lungs. All of these reasons make the virus particularly virulent for seniors or anyone with a compromised immune system. This disease is serious. We know that much, and that’s about all we know.
Not knowing creates discomfort and anxiety. We want our questions satisfactorily answered. There is much we don’t know about COVID-19 and will never know. But there was a lot we didn’t last year at this time, and that will be true next year at this time. We are limited.
The problem isn’t with our limitations or with our questions. There is no shame in having questions. What we do with the questions is the issue. Don’t allow difficult life situations to cause you to forget what we do know. “Never doubt in the darkness what God has taught you in the light.”
Psalm 27:13-14 says, “I had fainted, unless I had believed to see the goodness of the Lord in the land of the living. Wait on the Lord: be of good courage, and he shall strengthen thine heart: wait, I say, on the Lord.”
Isaiah 45:22 says, “Look unto me, and be ye saved, all the ends of the earth: for I am God, and there is none else.”
Our temporary troubles will be overcome by God’s timeless truths. Trust God’s Word. That will be our focus this morning during our 11am livestream. Here are your options for viewing the broadcast:
- Follow this link to view the livestream directly from our Vimeo page.
- Click the “Watch Video” button on the church’s Facebook page.
- Watch us on Facebook Live
- Watch us on YouTube
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29
Mar '20
This Sunday’s Sermon
29
Mar '20
We are making our way through Mark on Sunday mornings. Today we will walk in 9:38-50. As we work through this text we should learn about…
- the folly of misplaced zeal,
- the seriousness of discipleship,
- the necessity to deal drastically with your own sin, and
- the fact that we are called to be salty rather than sinful Christians.
As Sinclair Ferguson writes in Let’s Study Mark:
“Our Lord’s point is that unless we maintain the purity of our own lives and are purified by the flames of testing, and remain faithful to Christ, our lives will have no preserving influence on this corrupt world. If we begin to fall into the same patterns of life as those which are characteristic of the world, we will never be able to point men and women to another world.”
Sin is serious. Discipleship is, too, and both must be treated as such. Dealing seriously with sin will enable continued spiritual growth. That will produce increased joy, no matter the circumstances. This is serious and for our joy.
We will not gather for worship today, but the sermon will be live-streamed. Follow this link to watch the video feed.
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