Sermons

Be firm in the faith.

King Ahaz was weak in the faith, and so he was unwilling to trust God. Even when God through the prophet Isaiah offered him the assurance of any sign he chose, he refused. He got one anyway. “Hear then, O house of David!: Therefore the Lord himself will give you a sign. Behold, the virgin shall conceive and bear a son, and shall call his name Immanuel.”

Over seven hundred years later those words from the original prophecy were fulfilled in a new and unexpected way. Where Ahaz had been weak, Mary was strong; she accepted the angelic pronouncement made in her visitation; she was willing to bear the Son of God. Where Ahaz had been fearful, Joseph was courageous; he willingly shouldered the responsibility accorded him in his dream.

Today, if we are not firm in the faith, we will not be firm at all. Let us remain willing to trust God. He gave us his beloved son; He will surely give us all things.

The Way of Holiness

Isaiah prophecied that God would make a way in the desert, a highway of holiness, and that those who follow it would see the Glory of the Lord, and never be led astray. That prophecy was fulfilled by The Way himself, Jesus Christ, who has made our desert blossom by the water of life. And we who follow him celebrate with joy and singing as we travel on the way, for He came and has saved us.

And a little child shall lead them.

Through this promise, God gave Jew and Gentile the same instruction, encouragement and hope – hope in the distant promise that a child would be born who would lead us home to the Father. His kingdom is here now, and will continue to increase until the earth becomes full of the knowledge of the Lord. In that day peace will reign – a peace so profound that none shall hurt or destroy in all his holy mountain.

Flowing Toward the Mountain

The words of Isaiah 2:2-3 speak of believers who are living or have lived in this present day, which day began over two millennia ago with the resurrection of the Lord Jesus Christ. All who belong to him are in fact those who “go up to the mountain of the Lord, to the house of the God of Jacob that he may teach us his ways and that we may walk in his paths.” We come from all nations, we who continue to “flow” to him there. “Oh house of Jacob, come, let us walk in the light of the Lord.”

Though we die, we will not perish.

Only the sacrifice of our Lord’s innocent blood could make our peace with God. It is only because he died that we who believe will live. This surpassing act of love was finished upon that cross. Glory to God in the Highest!

Lift up your heads

Do not be led astray.
Do not be terrified.
Do not worry how to answer your interrogators.
Do not be surprised should family and friends turn against you.
You will be hated.
You will be persecuted.
Some of you will be killed.
But you will not perish. Your redemption is near. Lift up your heads! For by your faithful endurance in trust, you will gain your eternal lives.

The Angel of the Lord

Who is The Angel of the Lord?
Nothing less than the manifestation of God himself in the form of the preincarnate Christ.

λευκός στολαῖς / Leukos Stolés / Radiant Robes

We *know* that when he appears we shall be like him, because we shall see him *as he is*. Praise and thanksgiving for our washing in the blood of Christ, for we will all shine with pure brilliance, clothed in the Righteousness of God Himself…sheltered in his presence…eternally rejoicing!

Five Solas

Salvation comes through faith in Christ by God’s grace as revealed uniquely in Scripture. All glory belongs to God alone.
————

Sola Scriptura (“Scripture Alone”) – The Bible alone is the highest and final authority for faith and practice.

Sola Fide (“Faith Alone”) – Salvation is received through faith alone in Jesus Christ, not by works.

Sola Gratia (“Grace Alone”) – Salvation is entirely by God’s grace, a free gift, not through human merit.

Solus Christus (“Christ Alone”) – Jesus Christ alone is the Lord, Savior, and mediator for salvation.

Soli Deo Gloria (“To the Glory of God Alone”) – All of life and salvation exist for God’s glory alone.

Engage

Fleeing one enemy by running toward another, Jacob finally came to the end of himself that night at Peniel. His years of scheming and deceiving had come to nothing at long last. Here he was alone and fearful – desperate. And to make matters worse, a man attacked him! Fighting through the night, Jacob refused to yield even when exhaustion and serious injury had taken their toll. “The grabber” hung on to the man he knew was no mere man. “Let me go!” “Not until you bless me!” And so God did, giving him a new name and declaring him to have prevailed with God and men. Isra El prevailed by *engaging* with God, and was blessed for it. So it shall be with us all.