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We are in the fourth week this morning of a sermon series through the New Testament book known as Philippians, which I am calling “To live is Christ and to die is gain,” a line which Paul writes in chapter 1, verse 21 of this letter. Philippians is a letter written by the Apostle Paul sometime between 60-64 AD to a church in Philippi that he had a deep affection for, which he had started about 10-15 years earlier. This morning we will be in verses 12-19 of chapter 1, but to set the context, let me start at the beginning, reminding you of what we’ve read and looked at the past three weeks:   Philippians 1:1-19 - Paul and Timothy, servants of Christ Jesus, To all the saints in Christ Jesus at Philippi, together with the overseers and deacons:  2 Grace and peace to you from God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ.  3 I thank my God every time I remember you.  4 In all my prayers for all of you, I always pray with joy  5 because of your partnership in the gospel from the first day until now,  6 being confident of this, that he who began a good work in you will carry it on to completion until the day of Christ Jesus.  7 It is right for me to feel this way about all of you, since I have you in my heart; for whether I am in chains or defending and confirming the gospel, all of you share in God's grace with me.  8 God can testify how I long for all of you with the affection of Christ Jesus.  9 And this is my prayer: that your love may abound more and more in knowledge and depth of insight,  10 so that you may be able to discern what is best and may be pure and blameless until the day of Christ,  11 filled with the fruit of righteousness that comes through Jesus Christ-- to the glory and praise of God.  12 Now I want you to know, brothers, that what has happened to me has really served to advance the gospel.  13 As a result, it has become clear throughout the whole palace guard and to everyone else that I am in chains for Christ.  14 Because of my chains, most of the brothers in the Lord have been encouraged to speak the word of God more courageously and fearlessly.  15 It is true that some preach Christ out of envy and rivalry, but others out of goodwill.  16 The latter do so in love, knowing that I am put here for the defense of the gospel.  17 The former preach Christ out of selfish ambition, not sincerely, supposing that they can stir up trouble for me while I am in chains.  18 But what does it matter? The important thing is that in every way, whether from false motives or true, Christ is preached. And because of this I rejoice. Yes, and I will continue to rejoice,  19 for I know that through your prayers and the help given by the Spirit of Jesus Christ, what has happened to me will turn out for my deliverance.   Paul begins this section in verse 12 by talking about “what has happened to me.” He wants to encourage them that good things are happening as a result of what has happened to him, that the gospel is advancing. So, what is it that has happened to Paul? In the next couple of verses, we find out: Paul is in prison. He is writing this letter from jail, most likely from Rome as he awaits a trial for the false accusation of inciting an insurrection or uprising. If he is indeed writing from Rome, church history tells us that he is never going to be a free man again, that he will be executed.  

We are in the third week this morning of a sermon series through the New Testament book known as Philippians, which I am calling “To live is Christ and to die is gain,” a line which Paul writes in chapter 1, verse 21 of this letter. Philippians is a letter written by the Apostle Paul while he was in prison, most likely in Rome, sometime between 60-64 AD, to a church in Philippi that he had started about 10-15 years earlier.   I’m going to begin reading from the beginning, but we will be focusing this morning on verses 9-11, Paul’s prayer for the Philippians:   Philippians 1:1-11 - Paul and Timothy, servants of Christ Jesus, To all the saints in Christ Jesus at Philippi, together with the overseers and deacons:  2 Grace and peace to you from God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ.  3 I thank my God every time I remember you.  4 In all my prayers for all of you, I always pray with joy  5 because of your partnership in the gospel from the first day until now,  6 being confident of this, that he who began a good work in you will carry it on to completion until the day of Christ Jesus.  7 It is right for me to feel this way about all of you, since I have you in my heart; for whether I am in chains or defending and confirming the gospel, all of you share in God's grace with me.  8 God can testify how I long for all of you with the affection of Christ Jesus.  9 And this is my prayer: that your love may abound more and more in knowledge and depth of insight,  10 so that you may be able to discern what is best and may be pure and blameless until the day of Christ,  11 filled with the fruit of righteousness that comes through Jesus Christ-- to the glory and praise of God.   This is an incredible prayer for something that we could all use answered in our own lives, so let’s turn to the Lord and ask for His insight this morning.   Of all the things Paul could have chosen to focus on in his prayer for the Philippians, he chooses to pray for the quality of their love. He asks God to give them a love that is continually growing in knowledge and depth of insight, because he says that this will have three results: they will be able to discern what is best, they will be pure and blameless, filled with the fruit of righteousness that comes through Jesus Christ, and they will bring glory and praise to God.   Do you understand how amazing it would be to have this prayer answered in your life, to have the ability to love in a way that is full of knowledge and depth of insight that can discern what is best? Let me just lay out seven scenarios:   You pull up to a stoplight and there is a woman begging for money with a sign that says “homeless mother, please help.” What is the loving thing to do?   Your adult 25-year-old son or friend is struggling with a drug addiction or serious mental illness and is asking you for money or to live with you. What is the loving thing to do?

Last week, I began a new sermon series through the New Testament book known as Philippians, which I am calling “To live is Christ and to die is gain,” a line which Paul writes in chapter 1, verse 21 of this letter. Philippians is a letter written by the Apostle Paul while he was in prison, most likely in Rome, sometime between 60-64 AD, to a church in Philippi that he had started about 10-15 years earlier.   Last week we looked at the first two verses and why Paul, or anyone for that matter, would willingly see their primary identity as that of a servant of Jesus Christ. This morning I’ll read those first two verses again and we’ll go all the way up to verse 8:   Philippians 1:1-8 - Paul and Timothy, servants of Christ Jesus, To all the saints in Christ Jesus at Philippi, together with the overseers and deacons:  2 Grace and peace to you from God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ.  3 I thank my God every time I remember you.  4 In all my prayers for all of you, I always pray with joy  5 because of your partnership in the gospel from the first day until now,  6 being confident of this, that he who began a good work in you will carry it on to completion until the day of Christ Jesus.  7 It is right for me to feel this way about all of you, since I have you in my heart; for whether I am in chains or defending and confirming the gospel, all of you share in God's grace with me.  8 God can testify how I long for all of you with the affection of Christ Jesus.   Let’s pray.   I would say that one of the first things that jump off the page is the intense and sincere affection which Paul feels for the people of this church. He thanks God for them. He prays with joy. He is confident of good things for them. He has them in his heart. And he longs for all of them with the affection of Christ Jesus. These are not just clever words that Paul is sharing for the purpose of manipulating them towards some selfish end. They are welling up from within him because of experiences that he has shared with the people of the Philippian church. So what is it that aroused such affection in Paul, and what can we learn from it about our own faith and relationships?   I think there are two levels to the answer, so let me start with the lower level before moving up a level. Think about the people in your life that you would call your friends. What is it that separates a genuine friend from a fair-weather friend? I think the distinction between the two is revealed when you go through difficult times, when friendship becomes something that costs the friend something: time, money, energy. You may have 1000 friends on Facebook, but how many of them would be there for you in a time of crisis?

This morning, I am beginning a new sermon series through the New Testament book known as Philippians, which I am calling “To live is Christ and to die is gain,” a line which Paul writes in chapter 1, verse 21 of this letter. Philippians is a letter written by the Apostle Paul while he was in prison, most likely in Rome, sometime between 60-64 AD, to a church in Philippi that he had started about 10-15 years earlier, which you can read about in Acts 16. And if you’re interested, you can listen to the sermon I preached on Acts 16 on July 31st of last year.   The approach to this series is going to be to read shorter sections and to dive deep, to suck the marrow out of every passage, so to speak, to truly consider what it means to not just be hearers of the word but doers as well. Because we believe that these words are not only Paul’s words, but are God’s words as the Holy Spirit inspired Paul. Trust me, even if you have read or studied this book before or even if you’ve memorized it, there is always something new that God wants to teach you, and His desire is that you would not just know this book but know and love and trust and obey Him more fully.   This morning we are going to read the two introductory verses. I encourage you to always have a Bible with you, as well as something to write with and something to write on.   Philippians 1:1-2 - Paul and Timothy, servants of Christ Jesus, To all the saints in Christ Jesus at Philippi, together with the overseers and deacons:  2 Grace and peace to you from God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ.   Let’s pray.   How do you describe yourself? If a stranger were to say to you, “Tell me about yourself,” where would you begin? Maybe you would talk about your family – I’m married with three children, or I live with my parents and siblings. Maybe you would talk about what you do for work – I’m an accountant, or I’m a teacher. Maybe you would talk about where you live or where you’ve come from – I’ve lived in Wethersfield for 15 years, or I grew up in New York. Maybe you would talk about your personality – I’m an easygoing guy, I’m an adventurous woman. Or maybe you would talk about your hobbies – I love to cook, I love to ride my bike. What is your fundamental identity, the first thing that you would say when asked who you are?

Happy New Year! Next week we begin a series going through Philippians. This Sunday I want to briefly share something related to New Year’s and then give an opportunity for you to share a testimony as we look back at the past year and look ahead to the year to come. You should always have a Bible, something to write with, and something to write on, so that you can take note of those things you feel God is impressing on your heart.   In Matthew 5-7 is a long collection of Jesus’ sayings known as the Sermon on the Mount. Halfway through, Jesus says these words to the gathered crowd:   Matthew 6:24-34 - "No one can serve two masters. Either he will hate the one and love the other, or he will be devoted to the one and despise the other. You cannot serve both God and Money.  25 "Therefore I tell you, do not worry about your life, what you will eat or drink; or about your body, what you will wear. Is not life more important than food, and the body more important than clothes?  26 Look at the birds of the air; they do not sow or reap or store away in barns, and yet your heavenly Father feeds them. Are you not much more valuable than they?  27 Who of you by worrying can add a single hour to his life?  28 "And why do you worry about clothes? See how the lilies of the field grow. They do not labor or spin.  29 Yet I tell you that not even Solomon in all his splendor was dressed like one of these.  30 If that is how God clothes the grass of the field, which is here today and tomorrow is thrown into the fire, will he not much more clothe you, O you of little faith?  31 So do not worry, saying, 'What shall we eat?' or 'What shall we drink?' or 'What shall we wear?'  32 For the pagans run after all these things, and your heavenly Father knows that you need them.  33 But seek first his kingdom and his righteousness, and all these things will be given to you as well.  34 Therefore do not worry about tomorrow, for tomorrow will worry about itself. Each day has enough trouble of its own.   This is not Bobby McFerrin’s “Don’t worry, be happy.” Yes, Jesus tells them not to worry, but there is a call to do more than just stop worrying. Jesus tells the listening crowd that he knows that they are anxious about having material things, but that the antidote to worrying is not to try to stop worrying, but to seek first God’s kingdom and his righteousness, to prioritize God and His will in your life and in this world. He tells them that people everywhere are so worried about food and drink and clothing, about providing for themselves or their family, but that God loves us and knows what we need. And if we will put God first and live for Him, then He will take care of our needs. Once again, the promise is: you put God first, and He will take care of your needs.

Advent Candle. Hope, Peace, Joy and Faith. But the greatest of these is love. The love that Jesus brings. After all, love was the motivation behind the first Christmas.   John 3:16 - For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life.   He came out of love, above all else. Out of love for you.   A love that would sacrifice everything for you   Philippians 2:6-8 - Who, being in very nature God, did not consider equality with God something to be used to his own advantage; 7 rather, he made himself nothing, taking the very nature of a servant, being made in human likeness.  8 And being found in appearance as a man, he humbled himself by becoming obedient to death-- even death on a cross!    Gave up the comfort of heaven to save you.   Hebrews 12:1-2 - Therefore, since we are surrounded by such a great cloud of witnesses, let us throw off everything that hinders and the sin that so easily entangles, and let us run with perseverance the race marked out for us.  2 Let us fix our eyes on Jesus, the author and perfecter of our faith, who for the joy set before him endured the cross, scorning its shame, and sat down at the right hand of the throne of God.   What do you get the God who has everything? The joy set before him was the only thing he did not have, and that was you. He came into our world out of love for you. Christmas is the greatest love story ever told, the one who came for you.   A love that knows you fully and never rejects you   Romans 5:6-8  You see, at just the right time, when we were still powerless, Christ died for the ungodly.  7 Very rarely will anyone die for a righteous man, though for a good man someone might possibly dare to die.  8 But God demonstrates his own love for us in this: While we were still sinners, Christ died for us.   When you were at your worst, Christ died for you. And he will never leave you   Romans 8:1,38-39 - Therefore, there is now no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus…  For I am convinced that neither death nor life, neither angels nor demons, neither the present nor the future, nor any powers,  39 neither height nor depth, nor anything else in all creation, will be able to separate us from the love of God that is in Christ Jesus our Lord.   This love lasts even beyond the grave.   A love that heals you and makes you a better person   2 Corinthians 3:17-18  Now the Lord is the Spirit, and where the Spirit of the Lord is, there is freedom.  18 And we, who with unveiled faces all reflect the Lord's glory, are being transformed into his likeness with ever-increasing glory, which comes from the Lord, who is the Spirit.

This morning, we are in the fourth week of an Advent series that will draw its themes from the four Advent candles: Hope, peace, joy, and faith. This morning, we will look at the faith that Jesus gives us. Let’s begin by reading Matthew’s account of the Christmas story.   Matthew 1:18-25 - This is how the birth of Jesus Christ came about: His mother Mary was pledged to be married to Joseph, but before they came together, she was found to be with child through the Holy Spirit.  19 Because Joseph her husband was a righteous man and did not want to expose her to public disgrace, he had in mind to divorce her quietly.  20 But after he had considered this, an angel of the Lord appeared to him in a dream and said, "Joseph son of David, do not be afraid to take Mary home as your wife, because what is conceived in her is from the Holy Spirit.  21 She will give birth to a son, and you are to give him the name Jesus, because he will save his people from their sins."  22 All this took place to fulfill what the Lord had said through the prophet:  23 "The virgin will be with child and will give birth to a son, and they will call him Immanuel"--which means, "God with us."  24 When Joseph woke up, he did what the angel of the Lord had commanded him and took Mary home as his wife.  25 But he had no union with her until she gave birth to a son. And he gave him the name Jesus. Matthew 2:1-6  After Jesus was born in Bethlehem in Judea, during the time of King Herod, Magi from the east came to Jerusalem  2 and asked, "Where is the one who has been born king of the Jews? We saw his star in the east and have come to worship him."  3 When King Herod heard this he was disturbed, and all Jerusalem with him.  4 When he had called together all the people's chief priests and teachers of the law, he asked them where the Christ was to be born.  5 "In Bethlehem in Judea," they replied, "for this is what the prophet has written:  6 "'But you, Bethlehem, in the land of Judah, are by no means least among the rulers of Judah; for out of you will come a ruler who will be the shepherd of my people Israel.'"   Next Sunday is Christmas, and Christmas is of course famous for two competing, hard-to-believe narratives that bring a lot of joy and wonder to many. The first narrative is about Santa Claus, a large man who lives year-round at the North Pole with his wife and a number of elves. Every Christmas Eve, so the story goes, he gets on his sleigh, pulled by 8 flying reindeer, and goes around the world delivering toys to boys and girls by sliding down their chimneys. The second narrative is about a baby who, as we just read, was born to a virgin teenager in a stable or cave, surrounded by animals, visited by shepherds and Magi. And oh, did I mention that this baby was God in human form, come to save humanity from their sins and to reconcile them to a right relationship with God.

This morning, we are in the third week of an Advent series that will draw its themes from the four Advent candles: Hope, peace, joy, and faith. This morning, we will look at the joy that Jesus gives us.   Luke 2:1-20 - In those days Caesar Augustus issued a decree that a census should be taken of the entire Roman world.  2 (This was the first census that took place while Quirinius was governor of Syria.)  3 And everyone went to his own town to register.  4 So Joseph also went up from the town of Nazareth in Galilee to Judea, to Bethlehem the town of David, because he belonged to the house and line of David.  5 He went there to register with Mary, who was pledged to be married to him and was expecting a child.  6 While they were there, the time came for the baby to be born,  7 and she gave birth to her firstborn, a son. She wrapped him in cloths and placed him in a manger, because there was no room for them in the inn.  8 And there were shepherds living out in the fields nearby, keeping watch over their flocks at night.  9 An angel of the Lord appeared to them, and the glory of the Lord shone around them, and they were terrified.  10 But the angel said to them, "Do not be afraid. I bring you good news of great joy that will be for all the people.  11 Today in the town of David a Savior has been born to you; he is Christ the Lord.  12 This will be a sign to you: You will find a baby wrapped in cloths and lying in a manger."  13 Suddenly a great company of the heavenly host appeared with the angel, praising God and saying,  14 "Glory to God in the highest, and on earth peace to men on whom his favor rests."  15 When the angels had left them and gone into heaven, the shepherds said to one another, "Let's go to Bethlehem and see this thing that has happened, which the Lord has told us about."  16 So they hurried off and found Mary and Joseph, and the baby, who was lying in the manger.  17 When they had seen him, they spread the word concerning what had been told them about this child,  18 and all who heard it were amazed at what the shepherds said to them.  19 But Mary treasured up all these things and pondered them in her heart.  20 The shepherds returned, glorifying and praising God for all the things they had heard and seen, which were just as they had been told.   What brings you joy? What gives you pleasure or delight? What do you go back to again and again to put a smile on your face.

Guest preacher Eric Hesselbach: The peace Jesus brings - December 4, 2022

Isaiah 9:1-7 - Nevertheless, there will be no more gloom for those who were in distress. In the past he humbled the land of Zebulun and the land of Naphtali, but in the future he will honor Galilee of the Gentiles, by the way of the sea, along the Jordan--  2 The people walking in darkness have seen a great light; on those living in the land of the shadow of death a light has dawned.  3 You have enlarged the nation and increased their joy; they rejoice before you as people rejoice at the harvest, as men rejoice when dividing the plunder.  4 For as in the day of Midian's defeat, you have shattered the yoke that burdens them, the bar across their shoulders, the rod of their oppressor.  5 Every warrior's boot used in battle and every garment rolled in blood will be destined for burning, will be fuel for the fire.  6 For to us a child is born, to us a son is given, and the government will be on his shoulders. And he will be called Wonderful Counselor, Mighty God, Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace.  7 Of the increase of his government and peace there will be no end. He will reign on David's throne and over his kingdom, establishing and upholding it with justice and righteousness from that time on and forever. The zeal of the LORD Almighty will accomplish this.   This morning, I am beginning an Advent series that will draw its themes from the four Advent candles: Hope, peace, joy, and faith. This morning, we will look at the hope that Jesus gives us.   If you are unfamiliar with the book of Isaiah, it is a collection of prophecies by Isaiah the prophet from the 8th century before Christ. God raised up prophets as His spokespeople when the nation of Israel was violating the covenant that had been set up at Mt. Sinai. At the time of Isaiah, Israel was in moral decay – idolatry, empty worship, and social injustice. Isaiah came to warn them that if they would not repent, that judgment was coming. But instead of trusting in God, Israel’s King, King Ahaz, turned to Assyria for help and protection. And in chapter 8, we see that the people are turning to mediums and spiritists instead of to God. Eventually Assyria would turn on Israel and they would be taken off into captivity.   Listen again to the words used to describe the emotional climate in Israel in the passage we just read. Gloom, distress, darkness, shadow of death. Defeat, yoke that burdens them, rod of their oppressor, battle, blood. Listen to the language of war, oppression, despair. Life is hard and full of suffering and tragedy. Where is the hope?   But in the midst of this oracle of judgment comes this hope:    6 For to us a child is born, to us a son is given, and the government will be on his shoulders. And he will be called Wonderful Counselor, Mighty God, Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace.  7 Of the increase of his government and peace there will be no end. He will reign on David's throne and over his kingdom, establishing and upholding it with justice and righteousness from that time on and forever. The zeal of the LORD Almighty will accomplish this.

This morning, we are celebrating 30 years as a church. As I considered what to share on today to mark this occasion, I believe the Lord wanted me to share with you some encouragement from Hebrews 12:1-3. We do not know who wrote Hebrews, but we know that it is a letter written to the church made up of Jewish Christians in Rome, encouraging them to remain faithful to Jesus in the midst of suffering. In the first three verses of chapter 12, we read this exhortation:     NIV Hebrews 12:1Therefore, since we are surrounded by such a great cloud of witnesses, let us throw off everything that hinders and the sin that so easily entangles, and let us run with perseverance the race marked out for us.  2 Let us fix our eyes on Jesus, the author and perfecter of our faith, who for the joy set before him endured the cross, scorning its shame, and sat down at the right hand of the throne of God.  3 Consider him who endured such opposition from sinful men, so that you will not grow weary and lose heart.    Therefore – what is it there for? Follows Hebrews 11, the hall of faith, a long list of people found in the Old Testament who followed God by faith. Hebrews 11 begins with this explanation of what faith is:   NIV Hebrews 11:1-3 - Now faith is being sure of what we hope for and certain of what we do not see.  2 This is what the ancients were commended for.  3 By faith we understand that the universe was formed at God's command, so that what is seen was not made out of what was visible.   Look at the words he uses to describe faith: sure, certain. NOT blind, guessing, believing in something contrary to the evidence. The first example he gives is of God creating the universe – that out of what was unseen, God brought something tangible. This is what faith is like, according to the author. It is being sure of something that you do not yet have, believing it is true even if the fulfillment is not going to happen until some unknown future time.

This morning I am finishing up a series I’ve entitled “The Practical Gospel.” My goal for this series has been to examine what the implications are of the gospel for various areas of our life. In this way I am essentially trying to put into practice what Paul said in Philippians 2:12-13, where he told the Philippians to “work out your salvation with fear and trembling, for it is God who works in you to will and to act according to his good purpose.” Now that you have been saved, now that you have believed the gospel, work out the implications of the gospel into every area of your life as God works in you. Not “work for your salvation” but “work out the implications of your salvation.”   So far we have looked at the gospel and your love life, parenting & family, work, money, personal growth, and community and friendships. This morning, I want to finish up the series by asking what difference the gospel makes for your relationship with the world. How must we be different because of the gospel?   Here is the gospel summary statement I will be using this series: “We are sinners who have been saved and justified by grace, learning to live as new creations according to God’s will, trusting in a certain and glorious eternal hope and future.”   If you read that statement closely, you will recognize that it has a past, present, and future dimension. Let me unpack those three aspects and examine what the implications are for the world. For this sermon, I want to work backwards, beginning with the last part of that statement.   We are sinners who have been saved and justified by grace

This morning I am continuing in a series I’ve entitled “Practical Christianity.” My goal for this series is to examine what the implications are of the gospel for various areas of our life. In this way I am essentially trying to put into practice what Paul said in Philippians 2:12-13, where he told the Philippians to “Therefore my dear friends, continue to work out your salvation with fear and trembling, for it is God who works in you to will and to act according to his good purpose.” Now that you have been saved, now that you have believed the gospel, work out the implications of the gospel into every area of your life as God works in you. Not “work for your salvation” but “work out the implications of your salvation.”   Here is the gospel summary statement I will be using this series: “We are sinners who have been saved and justified by grace, learning to live as new creations according to God’s will, trusting in a certain and glorious eternal hope and future.”   If you read that statement closely, you will recognize that it has a past, present, and future dimension. Let me unpack those three aspects and examine what the implications are for community – your friends and church.                                                   We are sinners who have been saved and justified by grace.   We are sinners means that we are separated from a holy God, so full of wickedness that we can not save ourselves by our own good deeds. But we have been saved and justified by grace. The second part means that God loves us so much that His Son, Jesus, died for us, to rescue us from our sins. This humbles us into realizing we are no better than anyone else, and it lifts us up to realize just how loved we are. We are justified, declared not guilty, perfect in the sight of God, not because of anything we did, but because of what Jesus did for us. There is no condemnation and nothing can separate us from the love of God.   Ephesians 2:8-9 - For it is by grace you have been saved, through faith-- and this not from yourselves, it is the gift of God--  9 not by works, so that no one can boast.   The more the gospel shapes our identity, how does this affect our friendships and community?

We are in the fourth week of a sermon series I’ve entitled “The Practical Gospel,” we are learning to put into practice what Paul said in Philippians 2:12-13, where he told the Philippians to “work out your salvation with fear and trembling, for it is God who works in you to will and to act according to his good purpose.” Now that you have been saved, now that you have believed the gospel, work out the implications of the gospel into every area of your life as God works in you. Not “work for your salvation,” because we are saved by the grace of God and not by anything we have done, but rather “work out the implications of your salvation.” In other words, think through how the gospel shapes the different aspects of your life and allow God’s transformative power to do its work?   The gospel summary statement I will be using this series: “We are sinners who have been saved and justified by grace, learning to live as new creations according to God’s will, trusting in a certain and glorious eternal hope and future.”   If you read that statement closely, you will recognize that it has a past, present, and future dimension. Today, we are going to use those three aspects as our framework and examine what the implications of the gospel are for your relationship to money and possessions.   We are sinners who have been saved and justified by grace.   We are sinners means that we are separated from a holy God, so full of wickedness that we can not save ourselves by our own good deeds. But we have been saved and justified by grace. The second part means that God loves us so much that His Son, Jesus, died for us, to rescue us from our sins. This humbles us into realizing we are no better than anyone else, and it lifts us up to realize just how loved we are. We are justified, declared not guilty, perfect in the sight of God, not because of anything we did, but because of what Jesus did for us. There is no condemnation and nothing can separate us from the love of God. The more the gospel shapes our identity, how does this affect our relationship with money and possessions?

We are in the fourth week of a sermon series I’ve entitled “The Practical Gospel,” we are learning to put into practice what Paul said in Philippians 2:12-13, where he told the Philippians to “work out your salvation with fear and trembling, for it is God who works in you to will and to act according to his good purpose.” Now that you have been saved, now that you have believed the gospel, work out the implications of the gospel into every area of your life as God works in you. Not “work for your salvation,” because we are saved by the grace of God and not by anything we have done, but rather “work out the implications of your salvation.” In other words, think through how the gospel shapes the different aspects of your life and allow God’s transformative power to do its work?   The gospel summary statement I will be using this series: “We are sinners who have been saved and justified by grace, learning to live as new creations according to God’s will, trusting in a certain and glorious eternal hope and future.”   If you read that statement closely, you will recognize that it has a past, present, and future dimension. Today, we are going to use those three aspects as our framework and examine what the implications of the gospel are for your relationship to money and possessions.   We are sinners who have been saved and justified by grace.   We are sinners means that we are separated from a holy God, so full of wickedness that we can not save ourselves by our own good deeds. But we have been saved and justified by grace. The second part means that God loves us so much that His Son, Jesus, died for us, to rescue us from our sins. This humbles us into realizing we are no better than anyone else, and it lifts us up to realize just how loved we are. We are justified, declared not guilty, perfect in the sight of God, not because of anything we did, but because of what Jesus did for us. There is no condemnation and nothing can separate us from the love of God. The more the gospel shapes our identity, how does this affect our relationship with money and possessions?

We are in the third week of a sermon series that I have entitled “The practical gospel,” learning to put into practice what Paul said in Philippians 2:12-13, where he told the Philippians to “work out your salvation with fear and trembling, for it is God who works in you to will and to act according to his good purpose.” Now that you have been saved, now that you have believed the gospel, work out the implications of the gospel into every area of your life as God works in you. Not “work for your salvation,” because we are saved by the grace of God and not by anything we have done, but rather “work out the implications of your salvation.” In other words, think through how the truths of the gospel should shape the different aspects of your life and allow the transformative power of the Holy Spirit to do His work.   The past two weeks, we have looked at the implications of the gospel for our love life and for parenting and family. This week, we will look at the implications of the gospel for work. More specifically, the gospel and vocation, because work implies what you do to make money. Vocation, from the Latin “Vocare,” to call, is not a Biblical word but a theological word, defined on dictionary.com as “a divine call to God's service or to the Christian life” or “a function or station in life to which one is called by God.” The word vocation communicates the idea that there is someone else who has called you to your station in life, whether it is as a student, a homemaker, an engineer, a teacher, a grandparent, or anything else. Once again, this sermon is not about “7 tips for being the best employee ever”; this is thinking out the implications of the gospel for every area of your life. If you want to go further, I highly recommend the book “Every Good Endeavor: Connecting your work to God’s work” by Tim Keller and Katherine Leary Alsdorf. But for this morning, what difference does it make to your vocation that you believe the gospel?   The gospel summary statement I will be using this series is this: “We are sinners who have been saved and justified by grace, learning to live as new creations according to God’s will, trusting in a certain and glorious eternal hope and future.”   If you read that statement closely, you will recognize that it has a past, present, and future dimension. Today, we are going to use those three aspects as our framework and examine what the implications of the gospel are for your work life, for your vocation?

We are in the second week of a sermon series that I have entitled “The practical gospel,” learning to put into practice what Paul said in Philippians 2:12-13, where he told the Philippians to “work out your salvation with fear and trembling, for it is God who works in you to will and to act according to his good purpose.” Now that you have been saved, now that you have believed the gospel, work out the implications of the gospel into every area of your life as God works in you. Not “work for your salvation,” because we are saved by the grace of God and not by anything we have done, but rather “work out the implications of your salvation.” In other words, think through how the truths of the gospel should shape the different aspects of your life and allow the transformative power of the Holy Spirit to do His work.   The gospel summary statement I will be using this series: “We are sinners who have been saved and justified by grace, learning to live as new creations according to God’s will, trusting in a certain and glorious eternal hope and future.”   If you read that statement closely, you will recognize that it has a past, present, and future dimension. Today, we are going to use those three aspects as our framework and examine what the implications of the gospel are for your parenting.   Please understand this is not “7 steps to becoming the most awesomest parent ever,” but a look at the practical differences believing the gospel makes in your parenting. It is born out of the conviction that the gospel is the power for our lives. It is not just the door into the kingdom, and then we learn and follow principles for living. The more deeply we believe the gospel and apply its truths to every area of our lives, the better we will be. Even if you are not a parent, my hope is that this will still be valuable for you if you have young people in your life or are in any sort of mentoring role.   We are sinners who have been saved and justified by grace.

This morning I am beginning a new series entitled “The Practical Gospel.” The idea for this series comes from what Paul said in Philippians 2:12-13, where he told the Philippians to “work out your salvation with fear and trembling, for it is God who works in you to will and to act according to his good purpose.” In other words, now that you have been saved, now that you have believed the gospel, and now that God is working in you through His Holy Spirit, who you received when you put your faith in Jesus, work out the implications of the gospel into every area of your life as God works in you. Not “work for your salvation” but “work out the implications of your salvation.” My goal in this series is to examine what the implications are of the gospel for various areas of our life – love life, parenting, work, money, friends, church, personal growth, and the world.   The gospel summary statement I will be using in this series is this: “We are sinners who have been saved and justified by grace, learning to live as new creations according to God’s will, trusting in a certain and glorious eternal hope and future.”   If you read that statement closely, you will recognize that it has a past, present, and future dimension. Today, we are going to use those three aspects as our framework and examine what the implications of the gospel are for your love life.   We are sinners who have been saved and justified by grace.   We are sinners means that we are all rebels against a holy God, separated from Him and staring at an eternity of separation from God and all that is good. And we are so full of wickedness that we can not save ourselves by our own good deeds, can not make ourselves right with God on our own. But the good news is that Jesus lived the perfect life we could not live and died a sacrificial death on the cross in our place, to take the punishment we deserve, to save us from the penalty of our sins, and to restore us to a right relationship with God. To be justified means that we are declared not guilty before a holy God. And this is all a gift of God’s grace, an undeserved gift given by an unobligated giver.   Ephesians 2:8-9 - For it is by grace you have been saved, through faith-- and this not from yourselves, it is the gift of God--  9 not by works, so that no one can boast.

We are finishing up Acts this morning. Last week, we saw Paul and his fellow travelers shipwrecked on an island called Malta as they were on their way to Rome for Paul’s trial. After some time there, they finally board a new ship for Rome. Let’s pick up the end of Acts, beginning in verse 16:   Acts 28:16-31 - When we got to Rome, Paul was allowed to live by himself, with a soldier to guard him.  17 Three days later he called together the leaders of the Jews. When they had assembled, Paul said to them: "My brothers, although I have done nothing against our people or against the customs of our ancestors, I was arrested in Jerusalem and handed over to the Romans.  18 They examined me and wanted to release me, because I was not guilty of any crime deserving death.  19 But when the Jews objected, I was compelled to appeal to Caesar-- not that I had any charge to bring against my own people.  20 For this reason I have asked to see you and talk with you. It is because of the hope of Israel that I am bound with this chain."  21 They replied, "We have not received any letters from Judea concerning you, and none of the brothers who have come from there has reported or said anything bad about you.  22 But we want to hear what your views are, for we know that people everywhere are talking against this sect."  23 They arranged to meet Paul on a certain day, and came in even larger numbers to the place where he was staying. From morning till evening he explained and declared to them the kingdom of God and tried to convince them about Jesus from the Law of Moses and from the Prophets.  24 Some were convinced by what he said, but others would not believe.  25 They disagreed among themselves and began to leave after Paul had made this final statement: "The Holy Spirit spoke the truth to your forefathers when he said through Isaiah the prophet:  26 "'Go to this people and say, "You will be ever hearing but never understanding; you will be ever seeing but never perceiving."  27 For this people's heart has become calloused; they hardly hear with their ears, and they have closed their eyes. Otherwise they might see with their eyes, hear with their ears, understand with their hearts and turn, and I would heal them.'  28 "Therefore I want you to know that God's salvation has been sent to the Gentiles, and they will listen!"  29   30 For two whole years Paul stayed there in his own rented house and welcomed all who came to see him.  31 Boldly and without hindrance he preached the kingdom of God and taught about the Lord Jesus Christ. 

We have been going through the book of Acts since the beginning of the summer, looking at the story of the early church that formed after Jesus’ death, resurrection, and ascension to heaven. We are almost done, and today we will be looking at the next to last chapter, chapter 27. The second half of Acts focuses mainly on Paul, a converted Jewish Pharisee who becomes the leading missionary of the early church, preaching the gospel to Jews and Gentiles all over the Roman Empire. Unfortunately, he also faces intense opposition everywhere he goes, and as a result, in ch. 27 he is on a ship with his friends Luke and Aristarchus, along with 273 other people, on his way to Rome as a prisoner to stand trial before Caesar, even though he is not guilty of any crime. In this chapter they experience a storm that threatens to destroy them, and I want to use this account to consider the storms we face in our lives and where God is in the midst of them.   I’m going to begin in v. 8, as much of Luke’s writing here reads like the original travel blog, as the ship makes its way through very windy weather.   Acts 27:8-44 - We moved along the coast with difficulty and came to a place called Fair Havens, near the town of Lasea.  9 Much time had been lost, and sailing had already become dangerous because by now it was after the Fast. So Paul warned them,  10 "Men, I can see that our voyage is going to be disastrous and bring great loss to ship and cargo, and to our own lives also."  11 But the centurion, instead of listening to what Paul said, followed the advice of the pilot and of the owner of the ship.  12 Since the harbor was unsuitable to winter in, the majority decided that we should sail on, hoping to reach Phoenix and winter there. This was a harbor in Crete, facing both southwest and northwest.  13 When a gentle south wind began to blow, they thought they had obtained what they wanted; so they weighed anchor and sailed along the shore of Crete.  14 Before very long, a wind of hurricane force, called the "northeaster," swept down from the island.  15 The ship was caught by the storm and could not head into the wind; so we gave way to it and were driven along.