Sermons

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.
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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.

On The Way

Jesus responded to the lepers who called out to him by saying “go and show yourselves to the priests”. Likely somewhat bewildered at first, they must have been ecstatic to see the transformation occuring even as they were on the way. As we are on our way through life, let us remember how precious was our cleansing from sin the hour we first believed. And like the one leper who came back, let us praise, and give thanks to God for Jesus The Way. Alleluia!

Rebuking to the Point of Forgiveness

“Pay attention to yourselves! If your brother sins, rebuke him, and if he repents, forgive him, and if he sins against you seven times in the day, and turns to you seven times, saying, ‘I repent,’ you must forgive him.”

The Gospel of Moses & the Prophets

Both Law and Gospel appear throughout both the Old and New Testaments. In the Old Testament, hope of salvation is portrayed not only as the expectation of deliverance from earthly afflictions, enemies, and captivity, but with a deeper eschatological hope centered on the coming Messiah who would redeem us from sin and restore our relationship with God. This lends special significance to the final sentence Abraham spoke in the parable of the the rich man & Lazarus: “If they do not hear Moses and the Prophets, neither will they be convinced if someone should rise from the dead.” If the five brothers of the rich man would not “hear” the hope of salvation promised through Moses & the Prophets, neither would they be convinced by the resurrection of Salvation Himself!