April 12 2026

In this episode Middle School Director Jordan Black and High School Director Andrew Randoll host a Q&A discussion with 5 guests

'I solemnly charge you before God and Christ Jesus, who is going to judge the living and the dead, and because of his appearing and season; correct, rebuke, and encourage with great patience and teaching. For the time will come when peaople wil not tolerate sound doctrin, but according to their own desires, will mulitiply teachers for themselves because they have an itch to hear what they want to hear. They will turn aside to myths. But as for you, exercise self-control in everything, endure hardship, do the work of an evangelist, fulfill your ministry. '

2 Timothy 4:1-5

April 05, 2026

Teacher: Pastor Dave Brown

Christ is risen!

He is risen indeed!

Sin is when we live contrary to God’s intention for creation.

1. Our relationship with God
2. Our relationship with others
3. Our relationship with ourselves
4. Our relationship with creation
5. Our relationship with truth

At that moment the curtain of the temple was torn in two from top to bottom. The earth shook, the rocks split and the tombs broke open. The bodies of many holy people who had died were raised to life. They came out of the tombs after Jesus’ resurrection and went into the holy city and appeared to many people. When the centurion and those with him who were guarding Jesus saw the earthquake and all that had happened, they were terrified, and exclaimed, “Surely he was the Son of God!”

— Matthew 27:51-54

We have this hope as an anchor for the soul, firm and secure. It enters the inner sanctuary behind the curtain, where our forerunner, Jesus, has entered on our behalf.

—Hebrews 6:19-20

His consecrating life-blood grants believers access to God in the holy of holies, indexing them as co-high priests, and enables them to participate with Jesus…

— Andrew Rillera

Christ is risen!

He is risen indeed!

April 02, 2026

Teacher: Pastor Dave Brown

“Again the high priest asked him, ‘Are you the Messiah, the Son of the Blessed One?’
‘I am,’ said Jesus. ‘And you will see the Son of Man sitting at the right hand of the Mighty One and coming on the clouds of heaven.’
The high priest tore his clothes. ‘Why do we need any more witnesses?’ he asked. ‘You have heard the blasphemy. What do you think?’
They all condemned him as worthy of death.”

—Mark 14:61–64

“The soldiers led Jesus away into the palace (that is, the Praetorium) and called together the whole company of soldiers.
They put a purple robe on him, then twisted together a crown of thorns and set it on him.
And they began to call out to him, ‘Hail, king of the Jews!’
Again and again they struck him on the head with a staff and spit on him. Falling on their knees, they paid homage to him.”

—Mark 15:16–19

“At noon, darkness came over the whole land until three in the afternoon.”

—Mark 15:33

“At three in the afternoon Jesus cried out in a loud voice, ‘Eloi, Eloi, lema sabachthani?’ (which means ‘My God, my God, why have you forsaken me?’).”

—Mark 15:34

“And when the centurion, who stood there in front of Jesus, saw how he died, he said, ‘Surely this man was the Son of God!’”

—Mark 15:39

March 29, 2026

Teacher: Pastor Dave Brown

The next day the great crowd that had come for the festival heard that Jesus was on his way to Jerusalem. They took palm branches and went out to meet him, shouting, “Hosanna!” “Blessed is he who comes in the name of the Lord!” “Blessed is the king of Israel.” Jesus found a young donkey and sat on it, as it is written: “Do not be afraid, Daughter Zion; see, your king is coming, seated on a donkey’s colt.” At first his disciples did not understand all this. Only after Jesus was glorified did they realize that these things had been written about him and that these things had been done to him. Now the crowd that was with him when he called Lazarus from the tomb and raised him from the dead continued to spread the word. Many people, because they had heard that he had performed this sign, went out to meet him. So the Pharisees said to one another, “See, this is getting us nowhere. Look how the whole world has gone after him!”

— John 12:12-19

Hosanna = please save us!

Jesus didn’t come to bring the kingdom in the way people expected. He came to redefine what God’s kingdom actually meant.

— N.T. Wright

When Pilate heard this, he brought Jesus out and sat down on the judge’s seat at a place known as the Stone Pavement (which in Aramaic is Gabbatha). It was the day of Preparation of the Passover; it was about noon. “Here is your king,” Pilate said to the Jews. But they shouted, “Take him away! Take him away! Crucify him!” “Shall I crucify your king?” Pilate asked. “We have no king but Caesar,” the chief priests answered. Finally Pilate handed him over to them to be crucified.

— John 19:13-16a

Picture of Jesus

Picture of Galilean Man

When we get the story of God wrong, we get our own story wrong as well.

— N.T. Wright

March 22, 2026

Teacher: Pastor Leanne Benton

Summary of “Your Kingdom Come: From Lament to Participation”

(Based on “Lamentations March 22 2026 Final.docx” by Leanne Benton)

The sermon reflects on Lamentations 5 as the closing message in a series on lament, showing how honest grief becomes a pathway to restoration and renewed participation in God’s kingdom.

1. Context of Lamentations

Jeremiah writes after Jerusalem’s destruction in 586 BC. The temple is burned, leaders killed, families exiled, and the monarchy ended. The chapter outlines a progression of losses—inheritance, leadership, dignity, joy, and spiritual strength.

2. Honest Grief Is the Beginning of Restoration

Israel begins their prayer with raw honesty: “Remember, Lord, what has happened to us.”
They recount their losses: land, family security, dignity, joy, and the desolation of Mount Zion.
Lament is described as an act of faith—standing between painful reality and God’s promises.

3. God Still Reigns

In the center of the complaint rises a theological anchor:
“You, Lord, reign forever.”
Empires fall and temples crumble, but God's throne is immovable.
This echoes Psalm 48 and shifts the focus from devastation to divine sovereignty—lament begins turning into hope when we move our eyes from what we see to who God is.

4. Participating in God’s Restoration

The people pray:
“Restore us to yourself… renew our days as of old.”
The sermon emphasizes that restoration starts with returning to God—not rebuilding walls.
Lament leads to acknowledgment of sin, repentance, and a desire for renewal.
A proverb captures the shift from lament to participation: “Pray… and move your feet.”
Believers become agents of justice, hope, and worship as they join God’s restoring work.

5. Surrendered Suffering Softens the Heart

Suffering can either harden or soften a heart.
When surrendered to God, suffering produces perseverance, character, and hope (Romans 5), and matures faith (James 1).
Jesus reminds His followers that trouble is inevitable, but peace is found in Him (John 16).
The sermon underscores that how a person responds to pain determines whether they become bitter or grow deeper in faith.

6. Hope Grows in the Soil of Lament

The sermon highlights the spiritual mystery that when someone grieves without becoming cynical or closed-hearted, hope takes root.
A heart that stays open in seasons of loss becomes softer, more compassionate, and more spacious.
This becomes the very place where hope grows and where a transformative “pivot” in one’s story often occurs.

7. The Larger Biblical Arc

Lamentations ends without closure, offering instead a plea for restoration.
But Israel’s story continues—decades later, the exiles return under Cyrus, the temple is rebuilt, and hope rises again.
The sermon emphasizes that lament is not the end but a doorway through which God’s kingdom enters.

8. Final Invitation

The message ends with a reflective invitation:

Some listeners are in seasons of loss and are reminded that God welcomes their lament.

Others have come through seasons of pain and now carry softer, more compassionate hearts; they are encouraged to move toward others in need.

A closing prayer asks God to meet His people “on the pile of rubble,” helping them grieve honestly, surrender fully, trust deeply, and step into renewed hope and participation in His kingdom.

March 15, 2026

Teacher: Pastor Dave Brown

To ask questions of God is not a lack of faith, but an expression of trust.

Healing begins when hidden pain is brought from darkness into the light of God’s presence and the care of a trustworthy community.

Discovering hope in hardship by intentionally remembering who God truly is.

An essential part of healing involves honest reflection and a return to God.

Who can speak and have it happen if the Lord has not decreed it? Is it not from the mouth of the Most High that both calamities and good things come? Why should the living complain when punished for their sins? Let us examine our ways and test them, and let us return to the Lord. Let us lift up our hearts and our hands to God in heaven, and say: “We have sinned and rebelled and you have not forgiven. “You have covered yourself with anger and pursued us; you have slain without pity. You have covered yourself with a cloud so that no prayer can get through. You have made us scum and refuse among the nations.

— Lamentations 3:37-45

This is what the Lord Almighty, the God of Israel, says: Reform your ways and your actions, and I will let you live in this place. Do not trust in deceptive words and say, “This is the temple of the Lord, the temple of the Lord, the temple of the Lord!” If you really change your ways and your actions and deal with each other justly, if you do not oppress the foreigner, the fatherless or the widow and do not shed innocent blood in this place, and if you do not follow other gods to your own harm, then I will let you live in this place, in the land I gave your ancestors for ever and ever. But look, you are trusting in deceptive words that are worthless. “‘Will you steal and murder, commit adultery and perjury, burn incense to Baal and follow other gods you have not known, and then come and stand before me in this house, which bears my Name, and say, “We are safe”—safe to do all these detestable things? Has this house, which bears my Name, become a den of robbers to you? But I have been watching! declares the Lord.

— Jeremiah 7:3-11

Repentance is part of lamenting: “We have confessed to being followers of Jesus without becoming truly shaped by the values he lived and died for.  We have, in fact, applied our religion in ways that benefit ourselves but bring harm to millions.

— Soong Chan Rah

The sad truth about modern spirituality is that we often avoid feeling our own pain and in the process avoid feeling the pain of others.  When this happens, it’s impossible to do the work of reconciliation…Lament requires us to take seriously the pain we see and feel and to open ourselves to how God might have us respond.

— Rich Villodas

I called on your name, Lord, from the depths of the pit. You heard my plea: “Do not close your ears to my cry for relief.” You came near when I called you, and you said, “Do not fear.” You, Lord, took up my case; you redeemed my life.

— Lamentations 3:55-58

March 08, 2026

Teacher: Pastor Dave Brown

The message explains that many people look forward to Lamentations 3 because it finally introduces hope, but that hope has to be understood within the structure and emotional movement of the entire book. Lamentations doesn’t offer quick fixes or simplistic spiritual answers; instead, it honestly portrays how real grief works.

The book follows a chiastic structure — a literary “mountain” that rises toward a central point and then descends in reverse order. In Lamentations, the structure looks like this:

• A: Devastation
• B: Accusation
• C: Remembrance (the central peak)
• B’: Reflection
• A’: Petition

This structure mirrors how sorrow actually feels: pain → hope struggle → pain again — but the second pain is different because it has been reshaped by remembrance.

To illustrate, the speaker tells a story of a brutal bike climb up Smugglers Notch in Vermont. Reaching the summit felt like it should be the end, but instead the road immediately plunged downward into danger, rain, cold, and exhaustion. The lesson: reaching the “summit” didn’t end the struggle, but it changed everything. That experience parallels the emotional journey of Lamentations 3.

In the chapter, we hear an exhausted “strongman” voice say, “But this I call to mind, and therefore I have hope…” This moment is the theological summit — but the book doesn’t end there. Pain returns in chapters 4–5. The city is still ruined. Exile is still real. But the heart posture has changed. Before remembrance, God felt like an enemy; after remembrance, the people can say, “Restore us, O Lord.”

Hope doesn’t erase hardship — it reorients the heart within it.

Lamentations 3 shows that hope is not automatic. The strongman speaks hope to himself:

• “This I call to mind…”
• “I say to myself…”

Hope is fought for, practiced, and rehearsed, not simply felt.

The passage reveals three essential truths about biblical hope:

Hope is intentional remembrance.
He chooses to recall God’s covenant love.

Hope doesn’t replace lament — it deepens it.
Even after declaring God’s faithfulness, he continues to speak honestly about affliction and waiting.

Hope provides endurance, not instant relief.
Waiting “quietly” for God is active, anchored perseverance.

By the end, the writer’s circumstances remain unchanged — Jerusalem is still in ruins — but something inside him has stabilized. That inner steadying is itself an act of grace.

The message concludes by reminding us that many of us are somewhere on that mountain: climbing, descending, exhausted, or caught in unexpected weather. Lamentations gives permission to tell the truth about pain. Hope is not pretending everything is fine but speaking covenant truths into unfinished stories.

The lament tree in the lobby symbolizes this: a communal place to name sorrow and reach for hope together.

Finally, the message points to Christ, who personally entered lament and suffering. So when we rehearse hope through clenched teeth, we are not failing— we are walking the same honest path God Himself walked. The storm may persist, but God’s mercies remain new every morning, and that is enough.

March 01, 2026

Teacher: Pastor Dave Brown

A healthy spirituality is always an honest spirituality.

Healing begins when hidden pain is brought from darkness into the light of God’s presence and the care of a trustworthy community.

My eyes fail from weeping, I am in torment within; my heart is poured out on the ground because my people are destroyed, because children and infants faint in the streets of the city.

— Lamentations 2:11

What can I say for you? With what can I compare you, Daughter Jerusalem? To what can I liken you, that I may comfort you, Virgin Daughter Zion? Your wound is as deep as the sea. Who can heal you?

— Lamentations 2:13

A healthy spirituality is always an honest spirituality.

The hearts of the people cry out to the Lord. You walls of Daughter Zion, let your tears flow like a river day and night; give yourself no relief, your eyes no rest. Arise, cry out in the night, as the watches of the night begin; pour out your heart like water in the presence of the Lord. Lift up your hands to him for the lives of your children, who faint from hunger at every street corner “Look, Lord, and consider: Whom have you ever treated like this? Should women eat their offspring, the children they have cared for? Should priest and prophet be killed in the sanctuary of the Lord? “Young and old lie together in the dust of the streets; my young men and young women have fallen by the sword. You have slain them in the day of your anger; you have slaughtered them without pity.

— Lamentations 2:18-21

Pray as you can.  Not as you can’t.

— John Chapman

A healthy spirituality is always an honest spirituality.

Laments are prayers that erupt from wounds, burst out of unbearable pain, and bring it to language.  Laments complain, shout, and protest.  They take anger and despair before God and the community.  They grieve.  They argue.  They find fault…Although laments appear disruptive to God’s world, they are acts of fidelity.  In vulnerability and honesty, the cling obstinately to God and demand for God to see, hear, and act.

— Kathleen O’ Conner

God’s silence in Lamentations leaves wounds festering, open to the air and possibly to healing.  The benefit of exposed wounds is that they become visible and unavoidable.  Left exposed, they require us to see, acknowledge, and attend to them, and then perhaps there can be energy to attend to the wounds of the world.

— Kathleen O’ Conner

A healthy spirituality is always an honest spirituality.

For you were once in darkness, but now you are light in the Lord. Live as children of light (for the fruit of the light consists in all goodness, righteousness and truth) and find out what pleases the Lord. Have nothing to do with the fruitless deeds of darkness, but rather expose them. It is shameful even to mention what the disobedient do in secret. But everything exposed by the light becomes visible—and everything that is illuminated becomes a light.

— Ephesians 5:8-12

It is easier to let God heal my sinfulness than it is to let him heal my woundedness.

The light shines in the darkness, and the darkness has not overcome it.

John 1:5

A healthy spirituality is always an honest spirituality.

Healing begins when hidden pain is brought from darkness into the light of God’s presence and the care of a trustworthy community.

February 22, 2026

Teacher: Pastor Daniel Bunn

LAMENTATIONS 1:1-7

Babylonians destroyed Jerusalem (587 B.C.)

Tisha B'Av

Lamentations is meant to be felt.

"How?"

Lamentations names the pain and looks it in the face.

When I kept silent, my bones wasted away through my groaning all day long (Psalm 32:3)

What is hidden cannot be healed.

How long, O LORD? Will you forget me forever? How long will you hide your face from me? (Psalm 13:1)

Lamentations invites us to name our pain before God.

Truthfulness is not the absence of faith. Truthfulness requires deep faith.

Where are you pretending everything is fine?

What would it look like to be a little more honest?

REVELATION 21:1-4

February 15, 2026

Teacher: Pastor Dave Brown

“Ask and it will be given to you; seek and you will find; knock and the door will be opened to you. For everyone who asks receives; the one who seeks finds; and to the one who knocks, the door will be opened. “Which of you, if your son asks for bread, will give him a stone? Or if he asks for a fish, will give him a snake? If you, then, though you are evil, know how to give good gifts to your children, how much more will your Father in heaven give good gifts to those who ask him! So in everything, do to others what you would have them do to you, for this sums up the Law and the Prophets.

— Matthew 7:7-12

The aim is not to get God in on what I think he should be doing. Rather, the aim of prayer is to get us in on what God is doing, become aware of it, join it, and enjoy the fruit of participation.

—Tyler Staton

A few days later, when Jesus again entered Capernaum, the people heard that he had come home. They gathered in such large numbers that there was no room left, not even outside the door, and he preached the word to them. Some men came, bringing to him a paralyzed man, carried by four of them. Since they could not get him to Jesus because of the crowd, they made an opening in the roof above Jesus by digging through it and then lowered the mat the man was lying on. When Jesus saw their faith, he said to the paralyzed man, “Son, your sins are forgiven.”

— Mark 2:1-5

A Christian fellowship lives and exists by the intercession of its members for one another, or it collapses.

— Dietrich Bonhoeffer

Then the Lord relented and did not bring on his people the disaster he had threatened.

— Exodus 32:14

God is not human, that he should lie, not a human being, that he should change his mind.

— Numbers 23:19

Who will bring any charge against those whom God has chosen? It is God who justifies. Who then is the one who condemns? No one. Christ Jesus who died—more than that, who was raised to life—is at the right hand of God and is also interceding for us.

Romans 8:33-34

February 08, 2026

Teacher: Pastor Dave Brown

Ask and it will be given to you; seek and you will find; knock and the door will be opened to you. For everyone who asks receives; the one who seeks finds; and to the one who knocks, the door will be opened. Which of you, if your son asks for bread, will give him a stone? Or if he asks for a fish, will give him a snake? If you, then, though you are evil, know how to give good gifts to your children, how much more will your Father in heaven give good gifts to those who ask him!

— Matthew 7:7-11 (Luke 11:9-13)

3 Reasons for Unanswered Prayers:

1. Not “no” but “not yet”
2. Complex Goods
3. Evil Exists

God does not delay to give what he has promised; rather, by delaying he stretches desire. By stretching desire he enlarges the soul. By enlarging the soul he makes it capable of receiving what he is preparing to give.

— Augustine

God always gives us just what we need, himself.  He even works to stretch our hearts so that we are able to receive what he gives.

Safety and security are two idols we let go unchecked in the American church.

“Safe? ... Who said anything about safe? 'Course he isn't safe. But he's good. He's the King, I tell you”

— C.S. Lewis

Gracious Father,
you are the God of peace,
the sovereign King who gathers one Kingdom from many nations
and calls us to belong wholly to you and to one another;

Teach us to be with you before we strive to do for you.
Quiet our anxious hearts,
loosen our grip on lesser allegiances,
and form in us the mind of Christ.

Where opinions differ, give us charity.
Where fears rise, give us trust.
Where we are tempted to divide, make us one.

As we seek the future of Redeemer Church,
guide us by your Spirit.
Grant us wisdom in discernment,

patience with one another,
and courage to follow wherever you lead.
 

Make us a praying people before we are a decisive people,
that our life together may reflect the peace and unity of your Kingdom.

Through Jesus Christ our Lord,
who lives and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit,
one God, now and forever.
Amen.

February 01, 2026

Teacher: Pastor Dave Brown

Since I myself have carefully investigated everything from the beginning, I too decided to write an orderly account for you, most excellent Theophilus.

— Luke 1:3

As Jesus and his disciples were on their way, he came to a village where a woman named Martha opened her home to him. She had a sister called Mary, who sat at the Lord’s feet listening to what he said. But Martha was distracted by all the preparations that had to be made. She came to him and asked, “Lord, don’t you care that my sister has left me to do the work by myself? Tell her to help me!” “Martha, Martha,” the Lord answered, “you are worried and upset about many things, but few things are needed—or indeed only one. Mary has chosen what is better, and it will not be taken away from her.”

— Luke 10:38-42

The Good Samaritan shows us what love does.

Mary reminds us where love begins.

Prayer teaches us how to stay there.

“Lord, teach us to pray, just as John taught his disciples.”

— Luke 11:1

One day Jesus was praying in a certain place.  When he finished, one of his disciples said to him, “Lord, teach us to pray, just as John taught his disciples.”

— Luke 11:1

“When you pray, say: Father…”

— Luke 11:2

Prayer is about presence before it’s about anything else.  Prayer doesn’t begin with outcomes.  Prayer is the free choice to be with the Father, to prefer his company.  In our desire for certain outcomes or our confusion over not getting certain outcomes, we are tempted to begin there.  But we cannot brush past simply being with the Father and arrive at anything close to the sort of prayer Jesus won back for us.  Prayer starts with presence.

— Tyler Staton

Gracious Father,
you are the God of peace,
the sovereign King who gathers one Kingdom from many nations
and calls us to belong wholly to you and to one another;

Teach us to be with you before we strive to do for you.
Quiet our anxious hearts,
loosen our grip on lesser allegiances,
and form in us the mind of Christ.

Where opinions differ, give us charity.
Where fears rise, give us trust.
Where we are tempted to divide, make us one.

As we seek the future of Redeemer Church,
guide us by your Spirit.
Grant us wisdom in discernment,

patience with one another,
and courage to follow wherever you lead.
 

Make us a praying people before we are a decisive people,
that our life together may reflect the peace and unity of your Kingdom.

Through Jesus Christ our Lord,
who lives and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit,
one God, now and forever.
Amen.

January 18, 2026

Teacher: Pastor Michael White

The golden rule

Matthew 7:12

Intro:

“We are an underwear family”

I need you to get on board with this.

It’s the done thing in our family

I would assume that we are all underwear people, if not, please don’t tell me.

Families have characteristics. 

Ways that they do things, 

things they don’t do, 

values they have. 

When you think about your family, now or in the past, what things characterized your family?

Maybe you’re a camping family

Or maybe you’re a “we watch a movie on Friday night family”

Maybe you’re a “we say grace even in restaurants family”

There are things that you do, that show what your family values.

“Remember who you are!”

You’ve been given an identity.

A set of values

You’re not just you, you represent a group of people.

Super familiar verse

But I want to put it into its context and that’s going to add a layer to its meaning.

Scripture

Matthew 7:12

12 So in everything, do to others what you would have them do to you, for this sums up the Law and the Prophets.

Context is king

This comes at the end of the sermon on the mount, Matthew 5-7

That’s important

What’s the sermon on the mount?

Riff

Jesus greatest concentrated teaching

Important because he starts out with this.

He is defining what his purpose is

Showing what is important to him

For the next 3 years he lives this out

When we get down to our verse…7:12 

Doesn’t really feel related to vv. 7-11.  

7 “Ask and it will be given to you; seek and you will find; knock and the door will be opened to you. 8 For everyone who asks receives; the one who seeks finds; and to the one who knocks, the door will be opened.

9 “Which of you, if your son asks for bread, will give him a stone? 10 Or if he asks for a fish, will give him a snake? 11 If you, then, though you are evil, know how to give good gifts to your children, how much more will your Father in heaven give good gifts to those who ask him! 

Then the golden rule comes and it doesn’t seem to follow.

It goes back to 5:17 

17 “Do not think that I have come to abolish the Law or the Prophets; I have not come to abolish them but to fulfill them. 

That’s the overall rubric, 

What does it look like to fulfill the law and prophets?  

Jesus takes 2 chapters to illustrate how you do that.

then it culminates in the Golden rule

The law and the prophets are fulfilled in how we treat other people.

That’s what the 2 chapters of the sermon on the mount are all about, how Jesus’ disciples should relate to other people.

The proof of a relationship with Jesus is a changed heart that results in changed behavior toward other people

Need to understand 

This is a verse about Christian community, the church

It’s not about being an individual.  

It does affect individual behavior, but in the sense of how we as individuals fit into the group.

This is about how the family behaves.

Just like your family of origin has certain characteristics,

The Golden rule characterizes the family of God

This is how the family behaves as God fulfills his plan and purpose for the world.

The movement of God from the moment sin entered into the world

Until the point where evil is finally defeated once and for all

Story arc that God is making a new creation.  

The church.  

We are living into God’s plan and purpose and 

we do that by acting like the family of God.

It’s fundamentally about redemption.

As people come to know the good news of Jesus, 

God is gathering them/us together, creating a new people, a new community of people who are living into the reality of God’s new creation.  

It’s like this taste of heaven.

Here’s where the Golden Rule comes in

Those people are pointing to a world where only good is done to each other.  

Can you Imagine what that would be like?

People wouldn’t hurt each other

No one would say terrible things to each other

There wouldn’t be any war

No one would need to be afraid

It sounds like heaven…

This is the profound point.

This is the answer to the line of the Lord’s Prayer

Thy kingdom come, thy will be done on earth as it is in heaven

A world where only good is done to each other

That’s the kingdom of God. 

That’s what we point to.

That’s how disciples of Jesus live

Do to others what you would have them do to you.

This is the done thing.  

This is how the family behaves.  

This is how the new community reflects the character of God.

This is how we live into the day when God’s rule is complete.

That’s what the Golden rule is all about

The Golden Rule in history

Nobody really knows how it became known as the “Golden Rule”  

But the story I like best is that the Roman Emperor Severus Alexander 222-35, was so impressed by the saying that he had it inscribed in gold on the wall of his chamber.  

Severus Alexander  

You’ve probably never heard of him, but he has a very famous descendent

Severus Snape

The Golden Rule isn’t original to Jesus.

It exists in Judaism, particularly in Rabbi Hillel, 

I’d show you a photo of him, but he doesn’t have any famous relatives

and many other places, 

Here’s the thing: it is almost always in the negative.  

Don’t do to other people what you don’t want them to do to you.

That’s a great rule. 

Would you like it if someone did that to you?

No?  Then don’t do that to them.

Cutting people off on the freeway.

Jesus takes that rule and does something interesting with it.

Jesus puts it in the positive

Takes it away from being passive

As long as your not doing anything bad, you’re doing fine.

By putting it in the positive makes it more demanding.

Therefore everything you would like others to do to you, your yourselves be doing to them.

It’s proactive

“Hey, here’s this person in this situation.”  

If I was in that situation, I would want someone to do this for me.

You can’t meet everyone’s need.  

It’s impossible.  

But don’t use that as an out.

There will be people God places in your field of vision

Me in the supermarket

You look lost can I help you.

In the negative way of understanding the rule, he didn’t have to do that.  

In the positive sense that Jesus introduces, this was a great way.

It has little implications and it has huge implications.

Maybe it means you open the door for someone who is caring an armful of packages.

Maybe you stop and help someone who looks like they need help.

Maybe you grant charitable assumptions instead of assuming the worst.

Maybe you put yourself into the position of people who are affected by policies and procedures that don’t affect you and ask yourself, what would I want someone to do for me if I was in that situation?

Water at Chautauqua

We take the initiative to love people.

It doesn’t say treat others as they treat you.

We are called to live by a higher standard, a greater righteousness, a deeper ethic than 

“pay each other back in kind”

quid pro quo

Feels like there could be this complex morality.

But Jesus boils down to something super simple.

There are 622 laws in the Old Testament

All the teaching of the sermon on the mount is caught up in this summary.  This one thing…

Whatever you would like other people to do to you be doing that to other people.

Raises issues of identity

Whose family do you belong to?

Maybe the more revealing question is: Whose family do you look like?  

What are the things that characterize your life?

Some of us, need to decide which family we want to belong to.

Others of us, need to decide that we are going to be more serious about reflecting the family priorities.

You can’t just dabble with Jesus

In the public square there are people saying Jesusy things but whose lives don’t reflect anything of the Jesus that I know.

What family are you reflecting?

Whose family do you look like?

Just because you show up at church, doesn’t mean that you are reflecting God’s family.

The biggest problem to be overcome?  Our anger

Inside and outside the church.

We are all Jesusy until something happens that makes us mad or that we don’t like.

Sajan and the capital fund.

We grow.  We get mentored.  We watch other people live

The longer you hang out with the family, the more you figure out what the done thing is.

Which means that some us need to make sure that we are setting a good example and all of us need to continue to grow into the image and likeness of Jesus

This happened in our family.

Brian  

3 criteria

I’m a girl dad

He’s a guy.  

He contacts his parents 3 times a year.

I have heard from Rachel and Allie

Our family is not like that.

Brian has learned

That’s the done thing in our family

I’m sure his parents don’t know he was deployed

They’ll have three kids

But he has learned what our family looks like

We sink our roots in deeply into the family and we participate with the Holy Spirit in the creation of the new community

I am a part of a group.  

I am not just me.  

I am an extension of us.

All about relationships.  

How we treat each other.

How we love God, by loving others

How does this help you make decisions?

The Golden Rule is like a compass.  

It doesn’t address every single situation.  

But, it points you in the right direction.

It might not tell you how long you need to do something or what the exact process should be, but it helps you find the right path.

Friend is dealing with a difficult employee.  

They do just the bare minimum to get by.  

They are passive aggressive.  

They are not actively undermining things.

They seem to know just where the line is and they push it but don’t cross it.

Before you put your management hat on.  

It’s complicated.  

And I haven’t told you the whole story.

The Golden Rule doesn’t tell you when to involve HR, or when to start a performance improvement plan. 

But it does tell you what your posture should be as you approach the situation. 

An application point would be to look at your relationships and ask “Who am I not treating like I would like to be treated?”

Context of the series on missions.  

Uniquely positioned to affect people

Place of hospitality and warmth

Keeping the main thing the main thing.

All sorts of churches who have become characterized by all sorts of things that are not the gospel.

God is inviting everyone into a new community.  That’s the evangelistic opportunity.

We have this to offer people.  

Showing people a different way, a better way.  A way that leads to peace and joy and fulfillment.

We do this by living differently

lives are Characterized by the things that characterized Jesus’ life.

Holding as important what Jesus held iimportant

I want to go back to something I said early about two very important teachings of Jesus.

The Golden Rule and the Lord’s prayer

Desire is in the golden rule 

Do the thing that you would desire other people to do for you.

It’s also key to the Lord’s Prayer

I desire that Your kingdom come, your will be done.

In my life and on earth in the same way it is done in heaven.

Our hearts is a not good judge of what is best.  

But our hearts can be changed to desire the things that God desires.

Encourage us as a group to think about that.  

What are our hearts desiring?

Who or what is forming our heart?  

The gospel or our preferred news outlet?

What would your friends, your children or your grandchildren say forms you more, your commitment to Jesus or your party affiliation?

We have this amazing gift which we have been given that we can offer people.  

Changed lives, changed hearts, a community where we are striving to honor God by faithfully working in our relationships to bring about a kingdom where only good is done.

Sermon question:

Who or what is forming your heart?

Who do you need to treat differently?

How can the golden rule help you make decisions this week?

January 11, 2026

Teacher: Pastor Peter Mutabazi

January 04, 2026

Teacher: Pastor Dave Brown

But you will receive power when the Holy Spirit comes on you; and you will be my witnesses in Jerusalem, and in all Judea and Samaria, and to the ends of the earth.

—Acts 1:8

Witnesses = Martyrs

Our proclamation of the Good News must flow out of a life transformed by that Good News.

The church is the bearer to all the nations of a gospel that announces the kingdom, the reign, and the sovereignty of God.  It calls men and women to repent of their false loyalty to other powers, to become believers in the one true sovereignty, and so to become corporately a sign, instrument, and foretaste of that sovereignty of the one true and living God over all nature, all nations, and all human lives.  It is not meant to call men and women out of the world into a safe religious enclave but to call them out in order to send them back as agents of God’s kingship.

— Leslie Newbigin

“Then the King will say to those on his right, ‘Come, you who are blessed by my Father; take your inheritance, the kingdom prepared for you since the creation of the world. For I was hungry and you gave me something to eat, I was thirsty and you gave me something to drink, I was a stranger and you invited me in, I needed clothes and you clothed me, I was sick and you looked after me, I was in prison and you came to visit me.’ “Then the righteous will answer him, ‘Lord, when did we see you hungry and feed you, or thirsty and give you something to drink? When did we see you a stranger and invite you in, or needing clothes and clothe you? When did we see you sick or in prison and go to visit you?’ “The King will reply, ‘Truly I tell you, whatever you did for one of the least of these brothers and sisters of mine, you did for me.’

— Matthew 25:34-40

The translation of dikaiosyne poses problems, however, at least in English.  It can refer to justification, or to righteousness, or to justice.  Most English New Testament translations reveal a bias toward the second meaning…To find a correct translation is, therefore, crucial.  A wrong translation may in fact prove the aptness of the Italian saying…”The translation is a traitor!”  Perhaps, however, we should not allow ourselves to choose between “righteousness” and “justice” when seeking for the meaning of dikaiosyne.  Our problem may, rather, lie in the fact that the English language is unable to embrace the wide scope of dikaiosyne in one word.  Maybe, then, we should translate it with “justice-righteousness,” in an attempt to hold on to both dimensions.

— David Bosch

Instead of “righteousness,” we should think in terms of “acting-rightly” for us and our neighbors.

2 Parts to “acting-rightly”

1. Spirituality — Loving God
2. Missions — Loving our neighbor

The goal of mission is to ensure that every person, regardless of ethnic or social-economic status, experiences the fullness of the Kingdom of God here and now.

When I think of words to describe deeply formed mission, I have in mind such words as patience, empathy, curiosity, discernment, incarnation, non coercive, invitational, justice, and service.  We need these words to combat a way of doing mission that is is often impatient, transactional, coercive, obtrusive, judgmental, disembodied, and anxious.

— Rich Villodas

December 28, 2025

Teacher: Pastor Leanne Benton

Guest: Amanda Mathes

The Intermission

Be still and know that I am God.

(Psalm 46:10)

BIBLICAL INTERMISSION #1:

Israel Between Egypt and the Promised Land

Remember how the Lord your God led you all the way in the wilderness these forty years, to humble and test you in order to know what was in your heart, whether or not you would keep His commands.

(Deuteronomy 8:2)

He humbled you, causing you to hunger and then feeding you with manna…to teach you that man does not live on bread along but on every word that comes from the mouth of the Lord.

(Deuteronomy 8:2)

The wilderness was not punishment.

It was preparation!

BIBLICAL INTERMISSION #2:

Elijah After the Mountaintop

The Lord said, “Go out and stand on the mountain in the presence of the Lord, for the Lord is about to pass by.” Then a great and powerful wind tore the mountains apart and shattered the rocks before the Lord, but the Lord was not in the wind. After the wind there was an earthquake, but the Lord was not in the earthquake. After the earthquake came a fire, but the Lord was not in the fire. And after the fire came a gentle whisper.

(I Kings 19:11-12)

BIBLICAL INTERMISSION #3:

Jesus Between Birth and Ministry

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.

(Isaiah 9:6)

And Jesus grew in wisdom and stature, and in favor with God and man.

(Luke 2:52)

In their hearts humans plan their course,

But the Lord establishes their steps.

(Proverbs 16:9)

He who began a good work in you

Will carry it on to completion.

(Philippians 1:6)

INTERMISSION #4: Redeemer Church

December 24, 2025

Teacher: Pastor Dave Brown

Joy turns into rejoicing.

Look, Charlie, let's face it. We all know that Christmas is a big commercial racket. — Lucy van Pelt 

In those days Caesar Augustus issued a decree that a census should be taken of the entire Roman world. (This was the first census that took place while Quirinius was governor of Syria.) And everyone went to their own town to register. 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. He went there to register with Mary, who was pledged to be married to him and was expecting a child. While they were there, the time came for the baby to be born, and she gave birth to her firstborn, a son. She wrapped him in cloths and placed him in a manger, because there was no guest room available for them. 

And there were shepherds living out in the fields nearby, keeping watch over their flocks at night. An angel of the Lord appeared to them, and the glory of the Lord shone around them, and they were terrified. But the angel said to them, “Do not be afraid. I bring you good news that will cause great joy for all the people. Today in the town of David a Savior has been born to you; he is the Messiah, the Lord. This will be a sign to you: You will find a baby wrapped in cloths and lying in a manger.” 

Suddenly a great company of the heavenly host appeared with the angel, praising God and saying, 

“Glory to God in the highest heaven,
and on earth peace to those on whom his favor rests.” 

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.” 

So they hurried off and found Mary and Joseph, and the baby, who was lying in the manger. When they had seen him, they spread the word concerning what had been told them about this child, and all who heard it were amazed at what the shepherds said to them. But Mary treasured up all these things and pondered them in her heart. The shepherds returned, glorifying and praising God for all the things they had heard and seen, which were just as they had been told. — Luke 2:1-20 

I bring you good news that will cause great joy for all the people. — Luke 2:10 

The good news is that the one true God has now taken charge of the world…The ancient sickness that had crippled the whole world, and humans with it, has been cured at last, so that new life can rise up in its place. Life has come to life and is pouring out like a mighty river into the world, in the form of a new power, the power of love. The good news was, and is, that all this has happened in and through Jesus; that one day it will happen, completely and utterly, to all creation; and that we humans, every single one of us, whoever we are, can be caught up in that transformation here and now. — N.T. Wright 

Joy turns into rejoicing. 

The shepherds returned, glorifying and praising God for all the things they had heard and seen, which were just as they had been told. — Luke 2:20 

Feelings are great liars. If Christians worshipped only when they felt like it, there would be precious little worship. We think that if we don’t feel something there can be no authenticity in doing it. But the wisdom of God says something different: that we can act ourselves into a new way of feeling much quicker than we can feel ourselves into a new way of acting. Worship is an act that develops feelings for God, not a feeling for God that is expressed in an act of worship. — Eugene Peterson

December 21, 2025

Teacher: Pastor Dave Brown

We all long to be known and to be loved.

You have made us for yourself, O Lord, and our hearts are restless until they find rest in you.

— St. Augustine

I pray that you, being rooted and established in love, may have power, together with all the Lord’s holy people, to grasp how wide and long and high and deep is the love of Christ, and to know this love that surpasses knowledge—that you may be filled to the measure of all the fullness of God.

— Ephesians 3:17-19

“Wide” illustrates his accepting love.

“Long” reveals his lasting love.

“High” proclaims his exalting love.

“Deep” displays his sacrificial love.

You have made us for yourself, O Lord, and our hearts are restless until they find rest in you.

— St. Augustine

God wasn’t hiding from us.  We were hiding from God, so God came to find us.

This is how the birth of Jesus the Messiah came about: His mother Mary was pledged to be married to Joseph, but before they came together, she was found to be pregnant through the Holy Spirit. Because Joseph her husband was faithful to the law, and yet did not want to expose her to public disgrace, he had in mind to divorce her quietly. 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. 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.” All this took place to fulfill what the Lord had said through the prophet: “The virgin will conceive and give birth to a son, and they will call him Immanuel”(which means “God with us”).

— Matthew 1:18-23

Immanuel — God with us.

God

The Holy Spirit will come on you, and the power of the Most High will overshadow you. So the holy one to be born will be called the Son of God.

— Luke 1:35

With

Us

For I am convinced that neither death nor life, neither angels nor demons, neither the present nor the future, nor any powers, 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.

— Romans 8:38-39

December 14, 2025

Teacher: Pastor Dave Brown

Joy

And there were shepherds living out in the fields nearby, keeping watch over their flocks at night. An angel of the Lord appeared to them, and the glory of the Lord shone around them, and they were terrified. But the angel said to them, “Do not be afraid. I bring you good news that will cause great joy for all the people. Today in the town of David a Savior has been born to you; he is the Messiah, the Lord.

—Luke 2:8-1

What’s the difference between happiness and joy?

Happiness is an emotional response to our external circumstances. Joy is a deeper reality that flows from the core of our being.

I have told you this so that my joy may be in you and that your joy may be complete.

— John 15:11

Joy cannot by bought, nor can we just flip a switch will ourselves to be joyous. Joy must be cultivated.

Joy is not a requirement of Christian discipleship; it is a consequence.  It is not what we have to acquire in order to experience life in Christ; it is what comes to us when we are walking in the way of faith and obedience.

— Eugene Peterson

December 07, 2025

Introduction: Pastor Dave Brown

Teacher: Glen Peterson

The Story we live in..... is the Story we live out. 

“The people walking in darkness have seen a great light; on those living in the land of deep darkness a light has dawned. You have enlarged the nation and increased their joy; they rejoice before you as people rejoice at the harvest, as warriors rejoice when dividing the plunder. 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. Every warrior’s boot used in battle and every garment rolled in blood will be destined for burning, will be fuel for the fire. 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…” Isaiah 9:2-6 (niv)

The Kingdom of God-Life in God's presence and God's power-has now become available to ordinary people like you and me.

Its right here, right now.

“Son of man, can these dry bones live?” “Sovereign Lord, you alone know."

“Non-discipleship costs abiding peace, a life penetrated throughout by love, faith that sees everything in the light of God’s overriding governance for good, hopefulness that stands firm in the most discouraging of circumstances, power to do what is right and withstand the forces of evil. In short, it costs exactly that abundance of life Jesus said he came to bring (John 10:10).” Dallas Willard

November 30, 2025

Teacher: Pastor Dave Brown

The season of advent is marked by hope filled waiting.

Christ has died.

Christ is risen.

Christ will come again.

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. Of the greatness 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.

— Isaiah 9:6-7

Then I saw “a new heaven and a new earth,”for the first heaven and the first earth had passed away, and there was no longer any sea. I saw the Holy City, the new Jerusalem, coming down out of heaven from God, prepared as a bride beautifully dressed for her husband. And I heard a loud voice from the throne saying, “Look! God’s dwelling place is now among the people, and he will dwell with them. They will be his people, and God himself will be with them and be their God. ‘He will wipe every tear from their eyes. There will be no more death’ or mourning or crying or pain, for the old order of things has passed away.” He who was seated on the throne said, “I am making everything new!”

— Revelation 21:1-5a

Christ has died.

Christ is risen.

Christ will come again.

A waiting person is a patient person.  The word “patience” means the willingness to stay where we are and live the situation out to the full in the belief that something hidden there will manifest itself to us.  Impatient people are always expecting the real thing to happen somewhere else and therefore want to go elsewhere. The moment is empty.  But patient people dare to stay where they are.  Patient living means to live actively in the present and wait there.  Waiting, then, is not passive.  It involves nurturing the moment, as a mother nurtures the child that is growing in her womb.

— Henri Nouwen

What God does in us as we wait is just as important as what we’re waiting for.

Christ has died.

Christ is risen.

Christ will come again

Jesus's resurrection is the beginning of God's new project not to snatch people away from earth to heaven but to colonize earth with the life of heaven.

— N.T. Wright

In this season, we might not wait well.  We might become impatient and disgruntled and lose hope.  But, dear friend, the good news of Advent is not that we are faithful in our waiting; it’s that God is faithful in his coming.

— Rich Villodas

Christ has died.

Christ is risen.

Christ will come again

November 23, 2025

Introduction: Pastor Dave Brown

Teacher: Pastor Hess Hester

Kingdom Culture: Shake and Shine!

Matthew 5: 13-17 (NIV) 

      “You are the salt of the earth. But if the salt loses its saltiness, how can it be made salty again? It is no longer good for anything, except to be thrown out and trampled underfoot.

    14 “You are the light of the world. A town built on a hill cannot be hidden. 15 Neither do people light a lamp and put it under a bowl.  Instead they put it on its stand, and it gives light to everyone in the house. 16 In the same way, let your light shine before others, that they may see your good deeds and glorify your Father in heaven.  

Salt only has an impact when it is in contact with the object of need.

Who in the circles of influence of your life needs Jesus Christ?

Live and speak in such a way as to create spiritual thirst in the hearts and souls of others.

1 Peter 3:15, Always be prepared to give an answer to everyone who asks you to give the reason for the hope that you have. But do this with gentleness and respect. 

Matthew 5: 13b, c (NIV) “But if the salt loses its saltiness, how can it be made salty again? It is no longer good for anything, except to be thrown out and trampled underfoot.” 

Matthew 5:14, “You are the light of the world.”

Even the smallest of lights can make a huge impact.  There is no darkness so thick that the light of Christ cannot penetrate it. 

Matthew 5:14b-15, A town built on a hill cannot be hidden. 15 Neither do people light a lamp and put it under a bowl. Instead they put it on its stand, and it gives light to everyone in the house. 

Don’t hide your light! 

Matthew 5:16, “In the same way, let your light shine before others, that they may see your good deeds and glorify your Father in heaven.”   

John 17: 20-23 (NLT); “I am praying not only for these disciples but also for all who will ever believe in me through their message. 21 I pray that they will all be one, just as you and I are one—as you are in me, Father, and I am in you. And may they be in us so that the world will believe you sent me.   22 “I have given them the glory you gave me, so they may be one as we are one. 23 I am in them and you are in me. May they experience such perfect unity that the world will know that you sent me and that you love them as much as you love me.  

One of the greatest ways we shine the light of Christ is by the unity we display.

November 16, 2025

Teacher: Pastor Dave Brown

Kingdom Culture: Formation

The goal of discipleship is not information transfer.  The goal of discipleship is to develop the type of relationship with Jesus that forms our character.

Whoever wants to be my disciple must deny themselves and take up their cross daily and follow me. For whoever wants to save their life will lose it, but whoever loses their life for me will save it. What good is it for someone to gain the whole world, and yet lose or forfeit their very self?

— Luke 9:23-25

Whoever wants to save their life will lose it.

I denied myself nothing my eyes desired; I refused my heart no pleasure.  My heart took delight in all my labor; and this was the reward for all my toil.  Yet when I surveyed all that my hands had done and what I had toiled to achieve, everything was meaningless, a chasing after the wind; nothing was gained under the sun.

— Ecclesiastes 2:10-11

The work God wants to do in us requires us to look within: to look deeper and be deeply formed.  Why? Because we are covertly and consistently being formed by a culture fashioned by shallowness.  In short, we are being shallowly formed.

—Rich Villodas

Enter through the narrow gate. For wide is the gate and broad is the road that leads to destruction, and many enter through it. But small is the gate and narrow the road that leads to life, and only a few find it.

— Matthew 7:13-14

…but whoever loses their life for me will save it.

The way of following Jesus requires a steadfast refusal to get caught up in the pace, power, and priorities of the world around us.  We are called to have our lives shaped by a different kind of power, pace, and priorities offered to us by God.

— Rich Villodas

The 3 Steps to Breaking a Bad Habit

1. Truth
2. Practice
3. Community

Although obeying rules does not lead to salvation, it can lead to formation.
 

3 Essential Practices for Re-formation

1. Sabbath
2. Examination
3. Service

Whoever wants to be my disciple must deny themselves and take up their cross daily and follow me. For whoever wants to save their life will lose it, but whoever loses their life for me will save it. What good is it for someone to gain the whole world, and yet lose or forfeit their very self?

— Luke 9:23-25

November 09, 2025

Teacher: Pastor David Nunn

Kingdom Culture: Bringing Heaven to Earth

How the Kingdom Shapes Community

Text: John 13:34–35; Acts 2:42–47

Welcome to week two of “Kingdom Culture: Bringing Heaven to Earth.”

Last week Pastor Dave Brown spoke about the way Jesus kind of “flips the script” on what we tend to believe a blessed life looks like. A blessed life according to Matthew 5, is one of humility, mercy, gentleness, sorrow, and dependance on the LORD. It involves persecution, rather than accomplishment, fame, or wealth. I would suggest to you that bringing the kingdom of heaven to earth will never be accomplished through powerful political movements, or even through great spiritual awakenings. That is not to say that the Spirit of God doesn’t miraculously move through great populations of people. There have been several such movements in Christian history, beginning with Pentecost which we’ll discuss in a moment. However, these great spiritual awakenings are the exception, not the norm.

The norm for bringing the Kingdom of God in earth as it is in heaven is for groups of committed disciples of Christ to live and witness to their faith in a way that touches the community around them. When the world sees disciples loving each other and loving their neighbors in the same way that Christ loves them, then unbelieving hearts and minds are refocused with a desire to understand the source of that love.

That is a process that is not built on great preaching, exciting worship, or big evangelical events that draw huge crowds. It happens as believers build humble, loving relationships in their homes, neighborhoods, workplaces and communities, and through those relationships we witness to the life-changing presence of Christ in our lives. The key to growing a kingdom culture is welcoming and joining the presence of our King within our community.

At its core, Christianity is not a religion based on rules of conduct, or commitment to a list of tenets of faith. Jesus never taught His disciples to go and establish a correct moral standard for rest of the world to follow. We are not called to be moral police for the world. We have enough trouble policing our individual, personal morality.

Again, as Pastor Dave reminded us a few weeks ago we shouldn’t be wasting time trying to manage sin; not our own, and certainly not someone else’s sin. That’s like trying to hide the darkness. It’s not possible. Instead, we should just turn on the light. How do we do that?

Romans 12:1 Therefore, I urge you, brothers and sisters, in view of God’s mercy, to offer your bodies as a living sacrifice, holy and pleasing to God—this is your true and proper worship.

When we give ourselves wholly to God, we invite Him to bless us with His presence, His power, and His holiness. When you invite the presence of God into your life, it flips on the light that overcomes darkness. Again, to cite the teaching of Pastor Dave Brown, repentance is not just a change of behavior, it’s a change of direction. It’s a moment-by-moment choice to follow Jesus, which is all He ever asks any of His disciples to do. When we do that, Jesus doesn’t change our behavior. He changes our nature.

2 Cor 5:17 Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, the new creation has come: The old has gone, the new is here!

This new creation is the result of “abiding in Christ.” Does that sound familiar? It should. We spent the months of September and October talking about abiding in Christ. It is only through the presence of Christ that any of us can experience this life-changing outcome.

So, if this newly created nature comes through a relationship with Jesus Christ, what other relationships are formed as a result?

The model prayer is “Your kingdom come on Earth as it is in Heaven.” So, we’re talking about establishing God’s Kingdom culture in a way that impacts the culture of the rest of the world.

One person can’t do that. It requires community. Even Jesus didn’t try to change the world’s culture by Himself. Many believed that He would. They expected Him to miraculously overthrow the Roman’s, declare Himself King, and establish His reign on Earth. Instead, He recruited and taught a small community of believers who were committed to following Him. In the book of Acts, Luke shares the history of this group of 120 believers who, over the course of the first century, made a fundamental cultural impact on the entire Roman world, and beyond. In fact, the impact of that tiny congregation is still being felt 2000 years later, on the other side of the world in Redeemer Church in Tulsa, OK. That’s the power of a community of people who are committed to following Christ wherever and however He leads.

I would submit to you today that the power to alter a culture through the establishment of God’s Kingdom happens only through a community of faith. It is never the result of a single individual, no matter how gifted he/she may be.

Let’s see how God moved through that first Christian community. After the ascension of Jesus, we are told in Acts 1:15 that about 120 followers of Christ were constantly gathering to pray as they followed Jesus’ final instruction to wait in Jerusalem for the promised Holy Spirit to arrive. As they gathered on the Day of Pentecost the promise was fulfilled.

Acts 2:4 All of them were filled with the Holy Spirit and began to speak in other tongues as the Spirit enabled them.

Note, they gathered as a community. They had been meeting and praying together for the last ten days. When the Holy Spirit came, they were together as a community, and how many of them were filled with the Holy Spirit? ALL of them. And together they began to speak to the people outside their gathering place. They raised such a ruckus that a crowd gathered to see what was happening. At this point Peter stood up and addressed the crowd. Now you may say, “Look! Peter’s just one man, acting on his own.”

Acts 2:14 Then Peter stood up with the Eleven, raised his voice and addressed the crowd:

Peter wasn’t alone. He stood with His fellow apostles, and they stood with the support of the other 108 believers who were witnessing to the crowd.

People often note the courage of Peter on that day. This was the man who denied that he even knew Christ on the eve of the crucifixion. Now he’s standing up and telling this massive crowd not only was Jesus the prophesied Messiah, but he accused the crowd of crucifying their Messiah. In fact, He ended his message with these words.

Acts 2:36 “God has made this Jesus, whom you crucified, both Lord and Messiah.”

We wonder what happened? What changed in Peter to give him the courage that was lacking just a few weeks earlier, and of course we point out that He was filled with power of the Holy Spirit. I don’t want to, in any way, lessen the importance of the Holy Spirit in Peter’s courageous preaching, but I would suggest that there is at least one other important factor: Peter was NOT alone. In the garden outside the house of the high priest none of Peter’s fellow disciples were present. When he preached at Pentecost he stood as one of twelve apostles who were supported by a community of 120, who had spent the last 10 days in constant prayer together. Can you see the strength and power of a community, even a small one, when they stand together to preach the gospel to the masses who gathered in Jerusalem to celebrate Pentecost that day? Had Peter been alone, he would not have been able to even get the attention of that crowd. The Holy Spirit worked through the empowerment of the entire group. Not just one or an impowered few. ALL were empowered, and ALL went into the streets to preach the gospel.

So, what happened next? At the end of the day around 3000 people were added to their number. That was an extraordinary day. A powerful movement of the Spirit that brought thousands into the fellowship of the church. We recognize that as an extraordinary day. As I said earlier, that is NOT the normal flow of Kingdom growth. It was an exceptional outpouring of the Holy Spirit on the entire community of faith. Again, it was a community movement. It wasn’t Peter acting alone. God chose to work through a community. That’s what He always does. Look what happened next.

Acts 2:42-47 They devoted themselves to the apostles’ teaching and to fellowship, to the breaking of bread and to prayer. Everyone was filled with awe at the many wonders and signs performed by the apostles. All the believers were together and had everything in common. They sold property and possessions to give to anyone who had need. Every day they continued to meet together in the temple courts. They broke bread in their homes and ate together with glad and sincere hearts, praising God and enjoying the favor of all the people. And the Lord added to their number daily those who were being saved.

In this passage, I believe we see what the norm for the growth of Kingdom culture in the world should be. Note the verbs that describe how this brand-new church acted:

They met together in the temple courts. This was the only place large enough for 3000 people to meet, but they weren’t just meeting. The Greek word used here actually means they continued together in one accord: as one mind. What do you think they were doing together in the temple? I think they were learning how to follow Christ.

They devoted themselves:  Again, the literal translation is “steadfastly continued.” What were they continuing in doing?  They spent time and effort, listening to, learning, so that they could follow the teaching of the Apostles. This is most likely why they met together in the temple. Like Jesus, the apostles were using this common gathering place to teach the people. These new converts were devoted to gathering daily and continuously learning and following the apostles teaching.

They were also devoted (steadfastly continued) to fellowship, the breaking of bread, and prayer. Where do you think that took place?

They broke bread: In their homes. Breaking bread refers to sharing communion together as Jesus had taught the apostles. They met together in homes, ate together, and shared communion together with glad and sincere hearts.

So, they met together in the temple, not every Sunday, but every day, and they also gathered in homes sharing meals and fellowship and praying together in smaller groups throughout the week. This was not a “see you next Sunday” kind of congregational event. These people actually spent time together during the week. They were not just devoted to learning and following the teaching of the apostles, they were devoted to each other. They were devoted to being together with one another.

We in the ECC pride ourselves on our devotion to God’s Word. Some like to refer to us as people of the book. That’s good. The church in Jerusalem shows that devotion to knowing and following the teaching of Christ is fundamental to our spiritual formation, but that’s not enough. They also devoted themselves to one another. What was the evidence of that devotion?

In verse 44 we are told that the believers were together and had everything in common. The Greek word for believers is actually a verb meaning “having believed.” So Young’s literal translation says,

“all those believing were at the same place, and had all things common.”

Because they shared a common, foundational belief in Jesus Christ as their LORD, they saw each other as a family, holding everything in common. They didn’t use the pronouns my/mine, but our/ours. One of the hallmarks of a functional family is that they share. Even from a legal point of view family property is held jointly. So, these 3000 new converts didn’t just accept Jesus as LORD, they were adopted and assimilated into a brand-new family; a family built upon their shared commitment to Jesus as LORD.

So, they were devoted to learning and following the teachings of Jesus from the apostles, and they were devoted to each other; sharing with one another, caring for one another, finding opportunities to simply be together, share a meal, share communion with other members of the family. What was the result of this two-fold devotion?

v. 47 And the Lord added to their number daily those who were being saved.

That’s how kingdom culture spreads through a lost world. God works through His family. God has given us three fundamental tools to guide us through our spiritual formation. He has given us His Spirit, His Word, and His Church. What we see in the example of this first church is that all three are essential to both personal spiritual formation and kingdom growth. Too many of us who profess Christ as our LORD tend to neglect the importance of personal devotion to our community of faith. Let me just put it to you as simply and plainly as I can. If you aren’t devoted to this family that we call church, it’s because you aren’t fully devoted to Christ.

Jesus, Himself said, “By this everyone will know that you are my disciples, if you love one another.” John 13:35

November 02, 2025

Teacher: Pastor Dave Brown

Culture eats strategy for breakfast.

— Peter Drucker

From that time on Jesus began to preach, “Repent, for the kingdom of heaven has come near.”

— Matthew 4:17

In those days John the Baptist came, preaching in the wilderness of Judea and saying, “Repent, for the kingdom of heaven has come near…People went out to him from Jerusalem and all Judea and the whole region of the Jordan. Confessing their sins, they were baptized by him in the Jordan River. But when he saw many of the Pharisees and Sadducees coming to where he was baptizing, he said to them: “You brood of vipers! Who warned you to flee from the coming wrath? Produce fruit in keeping with repentance. And do not think you can say to yourselves, ‘We have Abraham as our father.’ I tell you that out of these stones God can raise up children for Abraham.

— Matthew 3:1-2, 5-9

Repentance was what Israel must do if her exile is to come to an end.

— N.T. Wright

If repentance carries the tone of ‘what Israel must do if her fortunes are to be returned’, it can also have a much more down-to-earth ring: to abandon revolutionary zeal.

— N.T. Wright

The repentance for which Jesus called, then, was not at all like the regular repentance of individual sinners when they recognized their sin and underwent the normal Jewish practices for restitution.  That could take place, in principle, at any time in Israel’s history…Jesus’ summons was more radical by far…Jesus was urging his compatriots to abandon a whole way of life, and to trust him for a different one.

— N.T. Wright

He is to lay both hands on the head of the live goat and confess over it all the wickedness and rebellion of the Israelites—all their sins—and put them on the goat’s head. He shall send the goat away into the wilderness in the care of someone appointed for the task. The goat will carry on itself all their sins to a remote place; and the man shall release it in the wilderness.

— Leviticus 16:21-22

At the end of seven days the word of the Lord came to me: “Son of man, I have made you a watchman for the people of Israel; so hear the word I speak and give them warning from me. When I say to a wicked person, ‘You will surely die,’ and you do not warn them or speak out to dissuade them from their evil ways in order to save their life, that wicked person will die for[a] their sin, and I will hold you accountable for their blood. But if you do warn the wicked person and they do not turn from their wickedness or from their evil ways, they will die for their sin; but you will have saved yourself. “Again, when a righteous person turns from their righteousness and does evil, and I put a stumbling block before them, they will die. Since you did not warn them, they will die for their sin. The righteous things that person did will not be remembered, and I will hold you accountable for their blood. But if you do warn the righteous person not to sin and they do not sin, they will surely live because they took warning, and you will have saved yourself.”

— Ezekiel 3:17-21

From that time on Jesus began to preach, “Repent, for the kingdom of heaven has come near.”

— Matthew 4:17

The good news is about the living God overcoming all the powers of the world to establish his rule of justice and peace, on earth as in heaven, Not in heaven later on.  And that victory is won not by superior power of the same kind but by a different sort of power altogether…The kingdoms of the world run on violence.  The kingdom of God, Jesus declared, runs on love.

— N.T. Wright

Stop trying to bring about the promises of God through your own effort and worldly means.

“Blessed are the poor in spirit, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven. Blessed are those who mourn, for they will be comforted. Blessed are the meek, for they will inherit the earth. Blessed are those who hunger and thirst for righteousness, for they will be filled. Blessed are the merciful, for they will be shown mercy. Blessed are the pure in heart, for they will see God. Blessed are the peacemakers, for they will be called children of God. Blessed are those who are persecuted because of righteousness, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven. “Blessed are you when people insult you, persecute you and falsely say all kinds of evil against you because of me. Rejoice and be glad, because great is your reward in heaven, for in the same way they persecuted the prophets who were before you.

— Matthew 5:3-12

October 26, 2025

Teacher: Pastor Dave Brown

You are my friends if you do what I command. I no longer call you servants, because a servant does not know his master’s business. Instead, I have called you friends, for everything that I learned from my Father I have made known to you. You did not choose me, but I chose you and appointed you so that you might go and bear fruit—fruit that will last—and so that whatever you ask in my name the Father will give you. This is my command: Love each other.

— John 15:14-17

I call you friends…but this is my command?

Perhaps we may now hazard a guess why Scripture uses Friendship so rarely as an image of the highest love.  It is already, in actual fact, too spiritual to be a good symbol of Spiritual things.

— C.S. Lewis

Appreciative love gazes and holds its breath and is silent, rejoices that such a wonder should exist even if not for him, will not be wholly dejected by losing her, would rather have it so than never to have seen her at all.

— C.S. Lewis

Now and forever more, we are friends of God.  We just don’t always act like it.

A friend loves at all times, and a brother is born for a time of adversity.

— Proverbs 17:17

Savior AND Lord

We hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men are created equal, that they are endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable Rights, that among these are Life, Liberty and the pursuit of Happiness.

— Declaration of Independence

It is impossible for any created good to constitute man’s happiness.  For happiness is the perfect good, which lulls the appetite altogether…This is to be found, not in any creature, but in God alone…God alone constitutes man’s happiness.

— Aquinas

It would seem that Our Lord finds our desires not too strong, but too weak. We are half-hearted creatures, fooling about with drink and sex and ambition when infinite joy is offered us, like an ignorant child who wants to go on making mud pies in a slum because he cannot imagine what is meant by the offer of a holiday at the sea. We are far too easily pleased.

— C.S. Lewis

This is my command: Love each other.

— John 15:17

When spiritual vitality is measured by sin-avoidance, we deceive ourselves into thinking that we are following Jesus faithfully. But following Jesus is to be measured by love—love for God expressed in love for neighbor. This is the good, beautiful, and kind life. It took me some years to realize this. In fact, I need to be reminded of it often.

— Rich VIllodas

Life has no better gift to give.

— C.S. Lewis

October 19, 2025

Teacher: Pastor Leanne Benton 

LOVE Each Other

NOTES

John 15:12–13

My command is this: Love each other as I have loved you. Greater love has no one than this: to lay down one’s life for one’s friends. 

“To love someone is to will their good, to promote their flourishing – and sometimes that means laying something down.” ~ Dallas Willard

1. The model of love Jesus gives.

2. The meaning of laying down our life.

3. The mission of love.

——————————————————————————

1. The model of love Jesus gives.

“Jesus didn’t love in general. He loved in particular.” ~John Ortberg

A new command I give you: Love one another. As I have loved you, so you must love one another. By this, everyone will know that you are my disciples, if you love one another.

(John 13:34-35)——————————————————————————

2. The meaning of laying down our life.

In your relationships with one another, have the same mindset as Christ Jesus: Who, being in very nature God…humbled himself, becoming obedient to death — even death on a cross.

(Philippians 2:5-8)

I have told you this so that my joy may be in you, and that your joy may be complete.

(John 15:11)

——————————————————————————

3. The mission of love.

You are my friends if you do what I command.

(John 15:14)

This is how we know what love is: Jesus Christ laid down his life for us. And we ought to lay down our lives for one another.

(I John 3:16)

October 12, 2025

Teacher: Pastor Dave Brown  

As the Father has loved me, so have I loved you. Now remain in my love. If you keep my  

commands, you will remain in my love, just as I have kept my Father’s commands and remain  

in his love. I have told you this so that my joy may be in you and that your joy may be  complete.

— John 15:9-11

As the Father has loved me, so have I loved you. Now remain in my love.

— John 15:9

My prayer is not for them alone. I pray also for those who will believe in me through their  

message, that all of them may be one, Father, just as you are in me and I am in you. May they  

also be in us so that the world may believe that you have sent me. I have given them the glory  

that you gave me, that they may be one as we are one— I in them and you in me—so that they  

may be brought to complete unity. Then the world will know that you sent me and have loved  

them even as you have loved me.

—John 17:20-23

One with the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit

He became what we are so that we might become what He is.

—Irenaeus

In all of Jesus’ teaching, what we call God is, in a mysterious but beautiful way, a flow of love  

between the Father and the Son and the Holy Spirit. God is a community of self-giving love;  

each member of the Trinity is distinct yet somehow still one. To be with the Spirit is to be with  

Jesus, and to be with Jesus is to be with the Father. It’s to enter the flow of love within the  

inner life of God himself.

— John Mark Comer

Agape  

God is love. Whoever lives in love lives in God, and God in them.  

— 1 John 4:16b

In God there is no hunger that needs to be filled, only plenteousness that desires to give…God,  

who needs nothing, loves into existence wholly superfluous creatures in order that He may love  

and perfect them. He creates the universe, already foreseeing the buzzing cloud of flies about  

the cross, the flayed back pressed against the uneven stake, the nails driven through the  

medial nerves, the repeated incipient suffocation as the body droops, the repeated torture of  

back and arms as it is time after time, for breathes sake, hitched up. If I may dare the  

biological image, God is a “host” who deliberately created His own parasites; causes us to be  

that we may exploit and take advantage of Him. Herein is love. This is the diagram of Love  

Himself, the inventor of all loves.

— C.S. Lewis

The Four Loves  

If you keep my commands, you will remain in my love, just as I have kept my Father’s  

commands and remain in his love.

— John 15:10

Jesus’ Commands Are All About Love

Hear, O Israel: The Lord our God, the Lord is one. Love the Lord your God with all your heart  

and with all your soul and with all your strength.

— Deuteronomy 6:4

Do not seek revenge or bear a grudge against anyone among your people, but love your  

neighbor as yourself.

— Leviticus 19:18

The foreigner residing among you must be treated as your native-born. Love them as yourself,  

for you were foreigners in Egypt.

— Leviticus 19:34

Know therefore that the Lord your God is God; he is the faithful God, keeping his covenant of  

love to a thousand generations of those who love him and keep his commandments.

— Deuteronomy 7:9

“Teacher, which is the greatest commandment in the Law?” Jesus replied: “‘Love the Lord your  

God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind.’ This is the first and  

greatest commandment. And the second is like it: ‘Love your neighbor as yourself.’ All the Law  

and the Prophets hang on these two commandments.”

— Matthew 36-40

I have told you this so that my joy may be in you and that your joy may be complete.

— John 15:1

October 5, 2025

Teacher: Pastor Dave Brown
Prayer
This week, Pastor Dave Brown continues our Life in the Vine series with a message titled “Prayer,” from John 15:7–8.
Jesus says: “If you remain in me and my words remain in you, ask whatever you wish, and it will be done for you. This is to my Father’s glory, that you bear much fruit, showing yourselves to be my disciples.” (John 15:7–8 NIV)

Prayer
Prayer is about love, and that means it cannot be sustained on fluttery feelings, good intentions, and spontaneous moments alone. It needs a container…a set of practices or rituals within which that love can grow, mature, and blossom. — Tyler Staton 

Jesus prayed spontaneously and routinely, alone and with others, pouring out his emotions in his own words and guided by the psalms at fixed hours in the temple. Jesus prayed like a wild, unruly monk. — Tyler Staton

Prayers about presence… 

One thing I ask from the Lord, this only do I seek: that I may dwell in the house of the Lord all the days of my life, to gaze on the beauty of the Lord and to seek him in his temple. —Psalms 27:1

“Begin where you are.” — C.S. Lewis 

In reality, the church has led the way in the art of enjoyment and pleasure. New Testament scholar Ben Witherington points out that it was the church, not Starbucks, that created coffee culture. Coffee was first invented by Ethiopian monks—the term cappuccino refers to the shade of brown used for the habits of Capuchin monks of Italy. Coffee is born of extravagance, an extravagant God who formed extravagant people, who formed a craft out of the pleasures of roasted beans and frothed milk. — Tish Harrison Warren

Prayers about fruit… 

A shoot will come up from the stump of Jesse; from his roots a Branch will bear fruit. The Spirit of the Lord will rest on him—the Spirit of wisdom and of understanding, the Spirit of counsel and of might, the Spirit of the knowledge and fear of the Lord— and he will delight in the fear of the Lord. He will not judge by what he sees with his eyes, or decide by what he hears with his ears; but with righteousness he will judge the needy, with justice he will give decisions for the poor of the earth. —Isaiah 11:1-4

But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, forbearance, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness and self-control. Against such things there is no law. — Galatians 5:22-23

Most of the “fruit of the Spirit” are explicitly outward facing: love, obviously, then greatheartedness, kindness, generosity, faithfulness, gentleness. Not only do these require other people if they are to be practiced, they are specifically looking out into the wider world and community…They orient the person towards others. — N.T. Wright

Prayers for Redeemer Church

Unity, Peace, and Wisdom

September 28, 2025

Teacher: Pastor Dave Brown
Remain
This week, Pastor Dave Brown continues our Life in the Vine series with a message titled “Remain,” from John 15:4–6.
Jesus says: “Remain in me, as I also remain in you… I am the vine; you are the branches. If you remain in me and I in you, you will bear much fruit; apart from me you can do nothing.” (John 15:4–5 NIV)

What Does It Mean to Remain?
The word “remain” means to dwell or make your home in. Pastor Dave reminded us that we’re all abiding in something—whether it’s comfort, worry, work, or distraction. The question is: what are you abiding in? Jesus calls us to make Him our true home. Abiding in Christ doesn’t mean retreating from life but living every moment with Him—whether cooking dinner, commuting to work, or caring for your family. It’s turning your life into a dwelling place for God.

The Fruit of Remaining
Branches can’t bear fruit apart from the vine. In the same way, we wither without Jesus. But when we remain in Him, His life flows through us, producing fruit—love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, and self-control (Galatians 5:22–23). Remaining in Jesus means letting His life and love flow through us, transforming us and blessing those around us.

Reflection Questions
* Where do you naturally “abide” when you’re not paying attention?
* How can you invite Jesus into your daily routines this week?
* What fruit is growing in your life right now?

September 21, 2025

Teacher: Pastor Dave Brown

September 14, 2025

Teacher: Pastor Adam Barnett

John 15:1-17 – Remain in Christ, the true Vine, the source of purposeful fruit and true joy, and the means by which the love of God is embodied in the church and declared to the world.

He cuts off every branch in me that bears no fruit, while every branch that does bear fruit he prunes so that it will be even more fruitful. – John 15:2 (NIV)

He cuts off every branch of me that doesn’t bear grapes. And every branch that is grape-bearing he prunes back so it will bear even more. – John 15:2 (MSG)

Every branch in Me that does not bear fruit, He takes away; and every branch that continues to bear fruit, He [repeatedly] prunes, so that it will bear more fruit [even richer and finer fruit]. – Jn. 15:2 (AMP)

1. God removes fruitless branches.

37 All those the Father gives me will come to me, and whoever comes to me I will never drive away. 38 For I have come down from heaven not to do my will but to do the will of him who sent me. 39 And this is the will of him who sent me, that I shall lose none of all those he has given me, but raise them up at the last day. – John 6:37-39

28 I give them eternal life, and they shall never perish; no one will snatch them out of my hand. 29 My Father, who has given them to me, is greater than all; no one can snatch them out of my Father’s hand. - John 10:28-29

“… there are some of you who do not believe.” – John 6:64

Abiding in the vine does not make you a true disciple. It proves you are one.

When Jesus says, “in me,” He is describing a close, personal relationship and revealing that mere association without genuine faith and obedience is insufficient.

1. God prunes fruitful branches.

   A. Trials and hardship.

   B. Loss or change.

   C. Discipline.

   D. Conviction of sin.

E. Scripture.

F. Focus.

G. Delays.

1. God’s aim is more fruitfulness.

Leader: Father, You are the Gardener, and we are the branches.
People: Lord, teach us to abide in you.

Leader: At times Your pruning feels painful, but we know it comes from Your love.
People: Lord, we trust Your hand, even when it cuts.

Leader: You prune away what is dead, what distracts, and what hinders growth.
People: Lord, remove what does not belong, and make us more like Jesus.

Leader: In seasons of loss, waiting, or discipline, remind us that You are near.
People: Lord, help us remain in You, knowing You are faithful.

Leader: Prune us so that our lives may bear fruit that brings glory to Your name.
People: Lord, make us fruitful for Your kingdom—more love, more joy, more peace. Amen.

September 7, 2025

Teacher: Pastor Adam Barnett

John 15:1-17 – Remain in Christ, the true Vine, the source of purposeful fruit and true joy, and the means by which the love of God is embodied in the church and declared to the world.

John 15:1-17… 1 “I am the true vine, and my Father is the gardener. 2 He cuts off every branch in me that bears no fruit, while every branch that does bear fruit he prunes so that it will be even more fruitful. 3 You are already clean because of the word I have spoken to you. 4 Remain in me, as I also remain in you. No branch can bear fruit by itself; it must remain in the vine. Neither can you bear fruit unless you remain in me.

5 “I am the vine; you are the branches. If you remain in me and I in you, you will bear much fruit; apart from me you can do nothing. 6 If you do not remain in me, you are like a branch that is thrown away and withers; such branches are picked up, thrown into the fire and burned. 7 If you remain in me and my words remain in you, ask whatever you wish, and it will be done for you. 8 This is to my Father’s glory, that you bear much fruit, showing yourselves to be my disciples.

9 “As the Father has loved me, so have I loved you. Now remain in my love. 10 If you keep my commands, you will remain in my love, just as I have kept my Father’s commands and remain in his love. 11 I have told you this so that my joy may be in you and that your joy may be complete. 12 My command is this: Love each other as I have loved you. 13 Greater love has no one than this: to lay down one’s life for one’s friends. 14 You are my friends if you do what I command. 15 I no longer call you servants, because a servant does not know his master’s business. Instead, I have called you friends, for everything that I learned from my Father I have made known to you. 16 You did not choose me, but I chose you and appointed you so that you might go and bear fruit—fruit that will last—and so that whatever you ask in my name the Father will give you. 17 This is my command: Love each other.

1 “I am the true vine, and my Father is the gardener. - John 15:1

6 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 by 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! - Philippians 2:6-8

“With the words, ‘I Am,’ Jesus presents himself as the object of the world’s desires and longing… that he is the ‘true vine’ means that the true life that man seeks and longs for can only be found in association with Jesus.” – R. Bultmann

Remaining in Christ begins with acknowledging and remembering that He – and no other person or thing - is our true source of life and spiritual growth.

“You have made us for yourself, O Lord, and our hearts are restless until they rest in you.” – St. Augustine

Leader: Lord Jesus, You are the true vine, and we are the branches.
People: Keep us rooted in You, for apart from You we can do nothing.

Leader: Father, You are the gardener who prunes us with care.
People: Cut away what is fruitless, and shape us for Your glory.

Leader: Spirit of God, nourish us with Your life and power.
People: Teach us to remain, to rest, and to trust in Christ.

Leader: May our joy be found not in striving, but in staying with You.
People: In abiding love, we remain in Christ. Amen.

August 31, 2025

Teacher: Pastor Leanne Benton

August 24, 2025

Teacher: Dave Brown & Amy Cenea

August 17, 2025

Teacher: Adam Barnett

“Where there is no vision, the people perish.” — Proverbs 29:18

Redeemer exists to see Christ exalted in our church, community, and world.

Philippians 2:1–11
Therefore if you have any encouragement from being united with Christ, if any comfort from his love, if any common sharing in the Spirit, if any tenderness and compassion, then make my joy complete by being like-minded, having the same love, being one in spirit and of one mind. Do nothing out of selfish ambition or vain conceit. Rather, in humility value others above yourselves, not looking to your own interests but each of you to the interests of the others. In your relationships with one another, have the same mindset as Christ Jesus: Who, being in very nature God, did not consider equality with God something to be used to his own advantage; rather, he made himself nothing by taking the very nature of a servant, being made in human likeness. And being found in appearance as a man, he humbled himself by becoming obedient to death—even death on a cross! Therefore God exalted him to the highest place and gave him the name that is above every name, that at the name of Jesus every knee should bow, in heaven and on earth and under the earth, and every tongue acknowledge that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father.

1 - Christ Exalted in Our Church

2 - Christ Exalted in Our Community

3 - Christ Exalted in Our World

The Lord has sought out a man after his own heart and appointed him ruler of his people.
— 1 Samuel 13:14

Why is David called a man after God’s own heart?

“But who am I, and who are my people, that we should be able to give as generously as this? Everything comes from you, and we have given you only what comes from your hand. We are foreigners and strangers in your sight, as were all our ancestors. Our days on earth are like a shadow, without hope. Lord our God, all this abundance that we have provided forbuilding you a temple for your Holy Name comes from your hand, and all of it belongs to you. I know, my God, that you test the heart and are pleased with integrity. All these things I have given willingly and with honest intent. And now I have seen with joy how willingly your people who are here have given to you. Lord, the God of our fathers Abraham, Isaac and Israel, keep these desires and thoughts in the hearts of your people forever, and keep their hearts loyal to you. And give my son Solomon the wholehearted devotion to keep your commands, statutes and decrees and to do everything to build the palatial structure for which I have provided.”
— 1 Chronicles 29:14-19

Our choices become our habits, our habits become our character, and our character is our destiny.
— Charles Duhigg

We make our decisions, and then our decisions make us. In the beginning we have a choice, but eventually, we have a character.
— John Mark Comer

Every time you make a choice you are turning the central part of you, the part of you that chooses, into something a little different from what it was before. And taking your life as a whole, with all your innumerable choices, all your life longyou are slowly turning this central thing either into a heavenly creature or into a hellish creature.
— C.S. Lewis

1 HUMILITY
Everything comes from you, and we have given you only what comes from your hand.
— 1 Chronicles 29:14b

Humility is not thinking less of yourself; it is thinking of yourself less.
— Rick Warren

2 INTEGRITY
I know, my God, that you test the heart and are pleased with integrity.
— 1 Chronicles 29:17

Whoever is careless with the truth in small matters cannot be trusted with important matters.
— Albert Einstein

3 LOYALTY
I have seen with joy how willingly your people who are here have given to you… keep these desires and thoughts in the hearts of your people forever, and keep their hearts loyal to you.
— 1 Chronicles 29:17b-18

4 LEGACY
Give my son Solomon the wholehearted devotion to keep your commands, statutes and decrees.
— 1 Chronicles 29:19

Teacher: David Nunn

Faith is trusting what you believe enough to act upon it.

Satan rose up against Israel and incited David to take a census of Israel. So David said to Joab and the commanders of the troops, “Go and count the Israelites from Beersheba to Dan. Then report back to me so that I may know how many there are.” 
But Joab replied, “May the Lord multiply his troops a hundred times over. My lord the king, are they not all my lord’s subjects? Why does my lord want to do this? Why should he bring guilt on Israel?” The king’s word, however, overruled Joab; so Joab left and went throughout Israel and then came back to Jerusalem.
1 Chronicles 21:1-4

Again the anger of the Lord burned against Israel, and he incited David against them, saying, “Go and take a census of Israel and Judah.”
2 Samuel 24:1

When tempted, no one should say, “God is tempting me.” For God cannot be tempted by evil, nor does he tempt anyone;
James 1:13

Now this I know: The Lord gives victory to his anointed. He answers him from his heavenly sanctuary with the victorious power of his right hand. Some trust in chariots and some in horses, but we trust in the name of the Lord our God.
Psalm 20:6-7

But Joab did not include Levi and Benjamin in the numbering, because the king’s command was repulsive to him. This command was also evil in the sight of God; so he punished Israel.
1 Chronicles 21:6

“I have sinned greatly by doing this. Now, I beg you, take away the guilt of your servant. I have done a very foolish thing.”
1 Chronicles 21:8

THREE CHOICES FOR PUNISHMENT
Three years of famine
Three months of being routed by his enemies
Three days of plague in Israel

David said to Gad, “I am in deep distress. Let me fall into the hands of the Lord, for his mercy is very great; but do not let me fall into human hands.”
1 Chronicles 21:13

So the Lord sent a plague on Israel, and seventy thousand men of Israel fell dead.  And God sent an angel to destroy Jerusalem. But as the angel was doing so, the Lord saw it and relented concerning the disaster and said to the angel who was destroying the people, “Enough! Withdraw your hand.”
1 Chronicles 21:14

Trust in the Lord with all your heart and lean not on your own understanding.
Proverbs 3:5

JUST TRUST THE LORD!

Teacher: Dave Brown

A.C.T.S. OF PRAYER
Adoration
Confession
Thanksgiving
Supplication

WHY PRAY?
Prayer is not a magic formula to crack so that we can get what we want. If that’s our understanding of prayer, we will always be disappointed.

Prayer is about presence before it’s about anything else. Prayer doesn’t begin with outcomes. Prayer is the free choice to be with the Father, to prefer his company.
— Tyler Staton

Prayer is about intimacy and identity.

1 - INTIMACY
David sang to the Lord the words of this song when the Lord delivered him from the hand of all his enemies and from the hand of Saul.
— 2 Samuel 22:1

The Lord said, “Go out and stand on the mountain in the presence of the Lord, for the Lord is about to pass by.” Then a great and powerful wind tore the mountains apart and shattered the rocks before the Lord, but the Lord was not in the wind. After the wind there was an earthquake, but the Lord was not in the earthquake. After the earthquake came a fire, but the Lord was not in the fire. And after the fire came a gentle whisper.
— 1 Kings 19:10-12

Maybe God whispers not because he’s evasive but because he’s intimate. Maybe he whispers because it’s the only way to get what he wants most. What was lost in Eden—to walk with you and I in the cool of the day. To know him and discover ourselves fully known in his presence.
— Tyler Staton

God invites us to meet him in the intimacy of the whisper. When we try to fabricate a mountaintop experience to meet with God, all we end up building is a tower of Babel.

2 - GOD’S IDENTITY
The Lord is my rock, my fortress and my deliverer; my God is my rock, in whom I take refuge, my shield and the horn of my salvation. He is my stronghold, my refuge and my savior.
— 2 Samuel 22:2-3a

3 - OUR IDENTITY
You, Lord, are my lamp; the Lord turns my darkness into light. With your help I can advance against a troop; with my God I can scale a wall… It is God who arms me with strength and keeps my way secure. He makes my feet like the feet of the deer; he causes me to stand on the heights. He trains my hands for battle; my arms can bend a bow of bronze. You make your saving help my shield; your help has made me great.
— 2 Samuel 22:29-30; 33-36

Nothing but prayer will ever reveal you to yourself, because only before God can you see and become your true self… Prayer is learning who you are before God and giving him your essence.
— Timothy Keller

4 - PRAYER IS A PRACTICE

2 Samuel 16:5-8 – As King David approached Bahurim, a man from the same clan as Saul’s family came out from there. His name was Shimei son of Gera, and he cursed as he came out. He pelted David and all the king’s officials with stones, though all the troops and the special guard were on David’s right and left. As he cursed, Shimei said, “Get out, get out, you murderer, you scoundrel! The Lord has repaid you for all the blood you shed in the household of Saul, in whose place you have reigned. The Lord has given the kingdom into the hands of your son Absalom. You have come to ruin because you are a murderer!”

“Few offenses plunge deeper into our flesh than false accusations, particularly when they’re hurled at us when we are vulnerable.” – Charles Swindoll

Can you relate to David in this story… because you’ve been mistreated and falsely accused?

2 Samuel 16:9-12 – Then Abishai son of Zeruiah said to the king, “Why should this dead dog curse my lord the king? Let me go over and cut off his head.” But the king said, “What does this have to do with you, you sons of Zeruiah? If he is cursing because the Lord said to him, ‘Curse David,’ who can ask, ‘Why do you do this?’” David then said to Abishai and all his officials, “My son, my own flesh and blood, is trying to kill me. How much more, then, this Benjamite! Leave him alone; let him curse, for the Lord has told him to. It may be that the Lord will look upon my misery and restore to me his covenant blessing instead of his curse today.”

Can you relate to Abishai… because your instinct in a situation was to retaliate?

2 Samuel 16:13-14 – So David and his men continued along the road while Shimei was going along the hillside opposite him, cursing as he went and throwing stones at him and showering him with dirt. The king and all the people with him arrived at their destination exhausted. And there he refreshed himself.

2 Samuel 19:15, 18b-23 – Then the king returned and went as far as the Jordan. When Shimei son of Gera crossed the Jordan, he fell prostrate before the king and said to him, “May my lord not hold me guilty. Do not remember how your servant did wrong on the day my lord the king left Jerusalem. May the king put it out of his mind. For I your servant know that I have sinned, but today I have come here as the first from the tribes of Joseph to come down and meet my lord the king.” Then Abishai son of Zeruiah said, “Shouldn’t Shimei be put to death for this? He cursed the Lord’s anointed.” David replied, “What does this have to do with you, you sons of Zeruiah? What right do you have to interfere? Should anyone be put to death in Israel today? Don’t I know that today I am king over Israel?” So the king said to Shimei, “You shall not die.” And the king promised him on oath.

Can you relate to Shimei in this story… because you’ve hurt someone and need to make it right?

1 Kings 2:8-9 (paraphrased) – “And remember, you have with you Shimei … who called down bitter curses on me … When he came down to meet me at the Jordan, I swore to him by the Lord: ‘I will not put you to death by the sword.’ But now, do not consider him innocent. You are a man of wisdom; you will know what to do to him. Bring his gray head down to the grave in blood.”

Can you relate to David, because you’re holding on to bitterness for hurt you’ve experienced?

“David at his best, and at his worst, is one of ourselves. David is a man of like passions with ourselves. David held back his bad passions at Saul, and at Shimei, and at Joab, occasion after occasion, until we were almost worshipping David. But, all the time, and all unknown to us, they were there.” – Alexander Whyte

1 - EXPECT FOR PEOPLE TO THROW STONES
Galatians 1:10 – Am I now trying to win the approval of human beings, or of God? Or am I trying to please people? If I were still trying to please people, I would not be a servant of Christ.

2 - BE CAREFUL WHO YOU LISTEN TO

3 - FORGIVENESS IS ALWAYS A GOOD CHOICE
Colossians 3:13 – Bear with each other and forgive one another if any of you has a grievance against someone. Forgive as the Lord forgave you.

“When you forgive the person who hurt you deeply and unfairly, you perform a miracle that has no equal.” – Lewis Smedes

THE SIX MOVEMENTS OF REPENTANCE

1 - SIN RECOGNITION
In the Christian life our primary task isn’t to avoid sin, which is impossible anyway, but to recognize sin. The fact is that we’re sinners. But there’s an enormous amount of self-deception in sin. When this is combined with devil-deception, the task of recognition is compounded.
— Eugene Peterson

Sin is the word we use to designate the perverseness of will by which we attempt being our own gods, or making for ourselves other gods. Sin isn’t essentially a moral term, designating items of wrongdoing; it’s a spiritual term, designating our God-avoidance and our god-pretensions.
— Eugene Peterson

2 - CONFESSION

3 - CONTRITION
“My sacrifice, O God, is a broken spirit; a broken and contrite heart you, God, will not despise.”
— Psalm 51:17

Attrition is being sorry that we were caught.
Contrition requires humility, sincerity, and a desire to change.

4 - FORGIVENESS

5 - CONSEQUENCES
Our sins have unpleasant consequences for us and those around us.

6 - ACTION
The great thing is to prevent his doing anything. As long as he does not convert it into action, it does not matter how much he thinks about this new repentance. Let the little brute wallow in it. Let him write a book about it; that is often an excellent way of sterilizing the seeds which the Enemy plants in a human soul. Let him do anything but act. No amount of piety in his imagination and affections will harm us if we can keep it out of his will.
— C.S. Lewis

“From that time on Jesus began to preach, ‘Repent, for the kingdom of heaven has come near.’”
— Matthew 4:17

Repenting of any vice means going in the opposite direction, to practice the virtues most directly opposed to it.
— J.I. Packer

When tempted, no one should say, “God is tempting me.” For God cannot be tempted by evil, nor does he tempt anyone; but each person is tempted when they are dragged away by their own evil desire and enticed. Then, after desire has conceived, it gives birth to sin; and sin, when it is full-grown, gives birth to death.  - James 1:13-15

One evening David got up from his bed and walked around on the roof of the palace. From the roof he saw a woman bathing. The woman was very beautiful, and David sent someone to find out about her. The man said, “She is Bathsheba, the daughter of Eliam and the wife of Uriah the Hittite. Then David sent messengers to get her. She came to him, and he slept with her. (Now she was purifying herself from her monthly uncleanness.) Then she went back home.  - 2 Samuel 11:2-4

“Satan does not fill us with hatred of God, but with forgetfulness of God.”  - Dietrich Bonhoeffer

The woman conceived and sent word to David, saying, “I am pregnant.”  - 2 Samuel 11:5

When Uriah’s wife heard that her husband was dead, she mourned for him. After the time of mourning was over, David had her brought to his house, and she became his wife and bore him a son. But the thing David had done displeased the Lord.  – 2 Samuel 11:26-27

1 - Idleness opens the door to temptation.

So, if you think you are standing firm, be careful that you don’t fall!  - 1 Corinthians 10:12

2 - Sin should be confessed, not covered up.

If we confess our sins, **he is faithful and just** and will **forgive us our sins** and **purify us** from all unrighteousness.  – 1 John 1:9

Whoever conceals their sins does not prosper, but the one who confesses and renounces them **finds mercy**.  – Proverbs 28:13

Then I acknowledged my sin to you and did not cover up my iniquity. I said, “I will confess my transgressions to the Lord.” And you **forgave the guilt of my sin**.  – Psalm 32:5

3 - Invite the accountability of trusted friends. 

“Here I am, living in a house of cedar, while the ark of God remains in a tent.” -2 Samuel 7:2

Nathan replied to the king, “Whatever you have in mind, go ahead and do it, for the Lord is with you.” -2 Samuel 7:3

“Go and tell my servant David, ‘This is what the Lord says: Are you the one to build me a house to dwell in? I have not dwelt in a house from the day I brought the Israelites up out of Egypt to this day. I have been moving from place to place with a tent as my dwelling. Wherever I have moved with all the Israelites, did I ever say to any of their rulers whom I commanded to shepherd my people Israel, “Why have you not built me a house of cedar?”’” -2 Samuel 7:5-7

“‘...and have done ever since the time I appointed leaders over my people Israel. I will also give you rest from all your enemies. The Lord declares to you that the Lord himself will establish a house for you: When your days are over and you rest with your ancestors, I will raise up your offspring to succeed you, your own flesh and blood, and I will establish his kingdom. He is the one who will build a house for my Name, and I will establish the throne of his kingdom forever.’” -2 Samuel 7:11-13

"Saying no helps children learn how to delay gratification, manage impulses, and develop self-control — qualities essential for success in life.” -Dr. David Walsh

HOW DO WE DISCERN WHEN GOD IS SAYING NO?

There’s No Way Through

There’s No Peace Within

There’s No Counsel Confirming It

GOD’S WAYS ARE GENERATIONAL

Then King David went in and sat before the Lord, and he said: “Who am I, Sovereign Lord, and what is my family, that you have brought me this far?” -2 Samuel 7:18

When they came to the threshing floor of Nakhon, Uzzah reached out and took hold of the ark of God because the oxen stumbled. The Lord’s anger burned against Uzzah because of his irreverent act; therefore God struck him down, and he died there beside the ark of God.

— 2 Samuel 6:6-7

What comes into our minds when we think about God is the most important thing about us… We tend by a secret law of the soul to move toward out mental image of God. This is true not only of the individual Christian, but of the company of Christians that composes the Church. Always the most revealing thing about the Church is her idea of God, just as her most significant message is what she says about Him or leaves unsaid, for her silence is often more eloquent than her speech.

— A.W. Tozer

Holy Scripture posts Uzzah as a danger sign for us: “Beware the God.” It’s especially important to have such a sign posted in places designated for religious worship and learning. We enter a church or school to learn God, be trained in knowledge and obedience and prayer. And we get what we came for—truth that centers, words that command and comfort, rituals that stabilize, work that has purpose, a community of relationships that strengthen, forgiveness that frees. We find God. We change our ways. We repent and believe and follow. We rearrange our circumstances and reestablish our routines around what now gives meaning and hope. We take on responsibilities in the wonderful new world of worship and work. We advance in the ranks, and before we know it we’re telling others what to do and how to do it. All this is good and right. And then we cross a line—we get bossy and cranky on behalf of God. We begin by finding in God a way to live rightly and well, and then along the way we take over God’s work for him and take charge of making sure others live rightly and well. We get the idea that we’re important, self-important, because we’re around the Important. Religion is a breeding ground for this kind of thing. Not infrequently these God-managing men and women work themselves into positions of leadership. Over the years the basics with which they began, the elements of reverence and awe, the spirit of love and faith, erode and shrivel. Finally there’s nothing left. They’re dead to God. Uzzah is a warning. If we think and act as he did, we’ll be dead men and women, soon or late. Dead in our spirits. Dead to the aliveness of God.

— Eugene Peterson

In olden days men of faith were said to “walk in the fear of God” and to “serve the Lord with fear.” However intimate their communion with God, however bold their prayers, at the base of their religious life was the conception of God as awesome and dreadful. This idea of God transcendent rims through the whole Bible and gives color and tone to the character of the saints. This fear of God was more than a natural apprehension of danger; it was a nonrational dread, an acute feeling of personal insufficiency in the presence of God the Almighty. Wherever God appeared to men in Bible times the results were the same-an overwhelming sense of terror and dismay, a wrenching sensation of sinfulness and guilt.

—A.W. Tozer

Fear is no longer the word I use to describe how I feel about God. Now I use words like reverent intimacy. I still fear God, and I pray that I always will. The Bible emphasizes the importance of fearing God…Our culture severely lacks the fear of God, and many of us are plagued with amnesia. But for a long time, I narrowly focused on His fearsomeness to the exclusion of His great and abounding love.

— Francis Chan

So David went to bring up the ark of God from the house of Obed-Edom to the City of David with rejoicing. When those who were carrying the ark of the LORD had taken six steps, he sacrificed a bull and a fattened calf. Wearing a linen ephod, David was dancing before the Lord with all his might, while he and all Israel were bringing up the ark of the Lord with shouts and the sound of trumpets.

— 2 Samuel 6:12b-15

"‘Now I hear that it is sheep-shearing time. When your shepherds were with us, we did not mistreat them, and the whole time they were at Carmel nothing of theirs was missing. Ask your own servants and they will tell you. Therefore be favorable toward my men, since we come at a festive time. Please give your servants and your son David whatever you can find for them.’”  - 1 Samuel 25:7-8

David said to his men, “Each of you strap on your sword!” So they did, and David strapped his on as well. About four hundred men went up with David, while two hundred stayed with the supplies.  – 1 Samuel 25:13  

Unchecked anger leads to destructive choices (which could include permanent consequences).

32 David said to Abigail, “Praise be to the Lord, the God of Israel, who has sent you today to meet me. 33 May you be blessed for your good judgment and for keeping me from bloodshed this day and from avenging myself with my own hands. 34 Otherwise, as surely as the Lord, the God of Israel, lives, who has kept me from harming you, if you had not come quickly to meet me, not one male belonging to Nabal would have been left alive by daybreak.” 35 Then David accepted from her hand what she had brought him and said, “Go home in peace. I have heard your words and granted your request.”  - 1 Samuel 25:32-35

38 About ten days later, the Lord struck Nabal and he died. – 1 Samuel 25:38

When conflict occurs, put down your sword and trust the Lord.  

Revenge is the act of hurting or punishing someone in return for something they did to you.

Before you embark on a journey of revenge, dig two graves.

-Confucius

After Saul returned from pursuing the Philistines, he was told, “David is in the Desert of En Gedi.” So Saul took three thousand able young men from all Israel and set out to look for David and his men near the Crags of the Wild Goats. He came to the sheep pens along the way; a cave was there, and Saul went in to relieve himself. David and his men were far back in the cave.

The men said, “This is the day the Lord spoke of when he said to you, ‘I will give your enemy into your hands for you to deal with as you wish.’” Then David crept up unnoticed and cut off a corner of Saul’s robe.

-1 Samuel 24:4

David chose restraint over revenge

Opportunity is not permission

Afterward, David was conscience-stricken for having cut off a corner of his robe. He said to his men, “The Lord forbid that I should do such a thing to my master, the Lord’s anointed, or lay my hand on him; for he is the anointed of the Lord.” With these words David sharply rebuked his men and did not allow them to attack Saul. And Saul left the cave and went his way.

-1 Samuel 24:5-7

David’s character was developed in the cave

The Lord is my light and my salvation; Who shall I fear?

The Lord is the strength of my life; Of whom shall I be afraid?

He continues singing:

One thing I ask from the Lord, this only do I seek: that I may dwell in the house of the Lord all the days of my life, to gaze on the beauty of the Lord and to seek him in his temple. For in the day of trouble he will keep me safe in his dwelling; he will hide me in the shelter of his sacred tent and set me high upon a rock.

-Psalm 27:1; 4-5

Then David went out of the cave and called out to Saul, “My lord the king!” When Saul looked behind him, David bowed down and prostrated himself with his face to the ground. He said to Saul, “Why do you listen when men say, ‘David is bent on harming you’? This day you have seen with your own eyes how the Lord delivered you into my hands in the cave. Some urged me to kill you, but I spared you.

-1 Samuel 24:8-10

May the Lord judge between you and me. And may the Lord avenge the wrongs you have done to me, but my hand will not touch you. As the old saying goes, “From evildoers come evil deeds,” so my hand will not touch you.

-1 Samuel 24:12-13

The Lord is our Judge

The Lord is our Defender

The Lord is our Avenger

When David finished saying this, Saul asked “Is that your voice, David, my son?” And he wept aloud. “You are more righteous than I,” he said. “You have treated me well, but I have treated you badly…I know that you will surely be king and that the kingdom of Israel will be established into your hands. Now swear to me by the Lord that you will not kill off my descendants or wipe out my name from my father’s family.” So David gave his oath to Saul.”

-1 Samuel 24:16-22

I remain confident of this: I will see the goodness of the Lord in the land of the living. Wait for the Lord; be strong and take heart and wait for the Lord.

-Psalm 27:13-14

If you’ve got it in you, get along with everybody. Don’t insist on getting even; that’s not for you to do. “I’ll do the judging,” says God. “I’ll take care of it.”

-Romans 12:18-19 - MSG

We make choices all the time without even being aware of the fact we are doing this… to brood over something…to clutch on to something… to hide. We sin and then we justify not confessing our sin or making things right. Then we find a way to bury that thought so that we forget. Sin after sin compounds, moment after moment, like some kind of terrible interest on our souls.

Saul had a spear in his hand and he hurled it, saying to himself, “I’ll pin David to the wall.” But David eluded him twice.  - 1 Samuel 18:10b-11

David took his men with him and went out and killed two hundred Philistines and brought back their foreskins. They counted out the full number to the king so that David might become the king’s son-in-law. Then Saul gave him his daughter Michal in marriage. – 1 Samuel 18:27

“What have I done? What is my crime? How have I wronged your father, that he is trying to kill me?” – 1 Samuel 20:1

“Even though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I will fear no evil, for You are with me.”  - Psalm 23:4

Even as a fugitive, David was not forsaken. God blessed him with a friend.

After David had finished talking with Saul, Jonathan became one in spirit with David, and he loved him as himself. From that day Saul kept David with him and did not let him return home to his family. And Jonathan made a covenant with David because he loved him as himself. Jonathan took off the robe he was wearing and gave it to David, along with his tunic, and even his sword, his bow and his belt.  – 1 Samuel 20:1-4

1 - Jonathan's soul was bound together with David’s soul.

“Jonathan saw that David viewed life from the same divine perspective (God is sovereign and does as He pleases, and all of life is to be lived for Him). And when he saw this, his soul reflexively clung to David’s. Christian friendship exceeds anything that exists between nonbelievers — for such a friendship is founded on a supernatural mutuality of soul. The Holy Spirit makes your souls chorus the same cries. You assent to the same authority. You know the same God. You are going the same way. You long for the same things. You dream mutual dreams. You yearn for the same experiences of holiness and worship. Jonathan’s soul bound itself to David’s soul. You know when this happens, and it is wonderful." – Kent Hughes

2 - Jonathan put spiritual kinship over personal gain.

“True friends don’t compete. They complete.”  - Tim Keller

3 - Jonathan’s love was sacrificial and dangerous.

“Greater love has no one than this, that someone lay down his life for his friends.” — John 15:13

Saul has slain his thousands, and David his tens of thousands.

—1 Samuel 18:7; 21:11

Saul was very angry; “they have credited David with tens of thousand,” he though, ‘but me with only thousands. What more can he get but the kingdom?” And from that time on Saul kept a close eye on David.

— 1 Samuel 18:8-9

David went to Nob, to Ahimelek the priest. Ahimelek trembled when he met him, and asked, “Why are you alone? Why is no one with you?” David answered Ahimelek the priest, “The king sent me on a mission and said to me, ‘No one is to know anything about the mission I am sending you on.’ As for my men, I have told them to meet me at a certain place.”

— 1 Samuel 21:1-2

The king ordered Doeg, “You turn and strike down the priests.” So Does the Edomite turned and killed eighty-five men who wore the linen ephod. He also put to the sword Nob, the town of the priests, with its men and women, its children and infants, and its cattle, donkeys and sheep.

— 1 Samuel 22:18-19

But one son of Ahimelek…named Abiathar, escaped and fled to join David. He told David that Saul had killed the priests of the Lord, Then David said to Abiathar, “That day, when Doeg the Edomite was there, I knew he would be sure to tell Saul. I am responsible for the death of your whole family.

— 1 Samuel 22:20-22

If the world hates you, keep in mind that it hated me first. If you belonged to the world, it would love you as its own. As it is, you do not belong to the world, but I have chosen you out of the world. That is why the world hates you.

— John 15:18-20

The story of David isn’t set before us as a moral model to copy. David isn’t a person whose actions we’re inspired to imitate. In the company of David we don’t feel inadequate because we know we could never do it that well. Just the opposite; in the company of David we find someone who does it as badly as, or worse than, we do, but who in the process doesn’t quit, doesn’t withdraw from God.

— Eugene Peterson

God’s will for our lives can be divided into two parts:

1 - General will — Loving God and loving others

2 - Specific will — “The place were your deep gladness and the world’s deep hunger meet.”

David isn’t an ideal life bit an actual life. We imaginatively enter the company of David not to improve our morals but to deepen our sense of human reality: this is what happens in the grand enterprise of being human. Reentering through my believing imagination the world of David, I’m more myself—free to be myself and able find God in the middle of what’s going on right now.

— Eugene Peterson

A champion named Goliath, who was from Gath, came out of the Philistine camp. His height was six cubits and a span. He had a bronze helmet on his head and wore a coat of scale armor of bronze weighing five thousand shekels; on his legs he wore bronze greaves, and a bronze javelin was slung on his back. His spear shaft was like a weaver’s rod, and its iron point weighed six hundred shekels. His shield bearer went ahead of him.   - 1 Samuel 17:4-7

Goliath stood and shouted to the ranks of Israel, “Why do you come out and line up for battle? Am I not a Philistine, and are you not the servants of Saul? Choose a man and have him come down to me. If he is able to fight and kill me, we will become your subjects; but if I overcome him and kill him, you will become our subjects and serve us.”   - 1 Samuel 17:8-9

On hearing the Philistine’s words, Saul and all the Israelites were dismayed and terrified.    - 1 Samuel 17:11

David said to Saul, “Let no one lose heart on account of this Philistine; your servant will go and fight him.”    - 1 Samuel 17:32

Saul replied, “You are not able to go out against this Philistine and fight him; you are only a young man, and he has been a warrior from his youth.”  - 1 Samuel 17:33

But David said to Saul, “Your servant has been keeping his father’s sheep. When a lion or a bear came and carried off a sheep from the flock, I went after it, struck it and rescued the sheep from its mouth. When it turned on me, I seized it by its hair, struck it and killed it. Your servant has killed both the lion and the bear; this uncircumcised Philistine will be like one of them, because he has defied the armies of the living God. The Lord who rescued me from the paw of the lion and the paw of the bear will rescue me from the hand of this Philistine.” Saul said to David, “Go, and the Lord be with you.”  - 1 Samuel 17:32-37

He looked David over and saw that he was little more than a boy, glowing with health and handsome, and he despised him. He said to David, “Am I a dog, that you come at me with sticks?” And the Philistine cursed David by his gods. “Come here,” he said, “and I’ll give your flesh to the birds and the wild animals!”   - 1 Samuel 17:41-44

David said to the Philistine, “You come against me with sword and spear and javelin, but I come against you in the name of the Lord Almighty, the God of the armies of Israel, whom you have defied. This day the Lord will deliver you into my hands, and I’ll strike you down and cut off your head. This very day I will give the carcasses of the Philistine army to the birds and the wild animals, and the whole world will know that there is a God in Israel. All those gathered here will know that it is not by sword or spear that the Lord saves; for the battle is the Lord’s, and he will give all of you into our hands.”  - 1 Samuel 17:45-47

As the Philistine moved closer to attack him, David ran quickly toward the battle line to meet him. Reaching into his bag and taking out a stone, he slung it and struck the Philistine on the forehead. The stone sank into his forehead, and he fell facedown on the ground. So David triumphed over the Philistine with a sling and a stone; without a sword in his hand he struck down the Philistine and killed him. David ran and stood over him. He took hold of the Philistine’s sword and drew it from the sheath. After he killed him, he cut off his head with the sword. When the Philistines saw that their hero was dead, they turned and ran.  – 1 Samuel 17:48-51

1) Life guarantees giants.  

2) Battles require faith.

The story of David and Goliath is about keeping spiritual perspective and acting in faith.

2A) David remembered the past.

2B) David trusted in the present.

3) Prayer is our best weapon.

For our struggle is not against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the authorities, against the powers of this dark world and against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly realms. – Ephesians 6:12

Do not be anxious about anything, but in every situation, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God. And the peace of God, which transcends all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus.  - Philippians 4:6-7

“Through writing and reflecting, journaling keeps you alert to God’s presence and activity in, around, and through me.” – Adele Calhoun

“David’s story isn’t a stain-glassed window of a saint, but a cracked mirror in which we see ourselves and the God who loves us anyway.”  - Eugene Peterson

But Samuel replied: “Does the Lord delight in burnt offerings and sacrifices as much as in obeying the Lord? To obey is better than sacrifice, and to heed is better than the fat of rams. - 1 Samuel 15:22

“Because you have rejected the word of the Lord, he has rejected you as king.”  - 1 Samuel 15:23b

Then Saul said to Samuel, “I have sinned. I violated the Lord’s command and your instructions. I was afraid of the men so I gave in to them.” – 1 Samuel 15:24

Samuel said to him, “The Lord has torn the kingdom of Israel from you today and has given it to one of your neighbors—to one better than you.”  - 1 Samuel 15:28

Until the day Samuel died, he did not go to see Saul again, though Samuel mourned for him. And the Lord regretted that he had made Saul king over Israel.  – 1 Samuel 15:35

The Lord said to Samuel, “How long will you mourn for Saul, since I have rejected him as king over Israel? Fill your horn with oil and be on your way; I am sending you to Jesse of Bethlehem. I have chosen one of his sons to be king.” But Samuel said, “How can I go? If Saul hears about it, he will kill me.” The Lord said, “Take a heifer with you and say, ‘I have come to sacrifice to the Lord.’ Invite Jesse to the sacrifice, and I will show you what to do. You are to anoint for me the one I indicate.” – 1 Samuel 16:1-3

But the Lord said to Samuel, “Do not consider his appearance or his height, for I have rejected him. The Lord does not look at the things people look at. People look at the outward appearance, but the Lord looks at the heart.”  - 1 Samuel 16:7

So he asked Jesse, “Are these all the sons you have?” “There is still the youngest,” Jesse answered. “He is tending the sheep.” Samuel said, “Send for him; we will not sit down until he arrives.” So he sent for him and had him brought in. He was glowing with health and had a fine appearance and handsome features. Then the Lord said, “Rise and anoint him; this is the one.” So Samuel took the horn of oil and anointed him in the presence of his brothers, and from that day on the Spirit of the Lord came powerfully upon David. Samuel then went to Ramah.  – 1 Samuel 16:11-13

Brothers and sisters, think of what you were when you were called. Not many of you were wise by human standards; not many were influential; not many were of noble birth. But God chose the foolish things of the world to shame the wise; God chose the weak things of the world to shame the strong. God chose the lowly things of this world and the despised things—and the things that are not—to nullify the things that are, so that no one may boast before him.  – 1 Corinthians 1:26-29

1. David loved God – “The Lord has sought out a man after his own heart…”  - 1 Samuel 13:14

2. David was faithful – Whoever can be trusted with very little can also be trusted with much. – Luke 16:10

3. David had integrity – He chose David his servant and took him from the sheep pens; from tending the sheep he brought him to be the shepherd of his people Jacob, of Israel his inheritance. And David shepherded them with integrity of heart; with skillful hands he led them.  – Psalm 78:70-72

“David’s story isn’t a stain-glassed window of a saint, but a cracked mirror in which we see ourselves and the God who loves us anyway.” – Eugene Peterson

In God’s kingdom, people purposefully resist isolation and intentionally prioritize community.

1) Isolation contradicts the nature of love.  

Dear friends, let us love one another, for love comes from God. Everyone who loves has been born of God and knows God. Whoever does not love does not know God, because God is love. Dear friends, since God so loved us, we also ought to love one another. No one has ever seen God; but if we love one another, God lives in us and his love is made complete in us.  – 1 John 4:7-8; 11-12

2) Isolation makes you vulnerable to sin.

“Your enemy the devil prowls around like a roaring lion looking for someone to devoir.  – 1 Peter 5:8b

3) Isolation hinders your spiritual fervor.

And let us consider how we may spur one another on toward love and good deeds, not giving up meeting together, as some are in the habit of doing, but encouraging one another—and all the more as you see the Day approaching.  -  Hebrews 10:24-25

1) Community fosters growth and maturity.

Proverbs 27:17, “As iron sharpens iron, so one person sharpens another.”

2) Community strengthens our purpose and mission.

Calling the Twelve to him, he began to send them out two by two… - Mark 6:7a

3) Community offers practical support and compassion.

Carry each other’s burdens, and in this way you will fulfill the law of Christ.  – Galatians 6:2

Responsibility – the state or fact of having a duty (an obligation requiring loyalty and faithfulness).

We carry the responsibility of sharing God’s love and truth with others (through word and deed).

We are therefore Christ’s ambassadors, as though God were making his appeal through us. - 2 Corinthians 5:20a

An ambassador is the highest-ranking diplomatic officer, designated by a government as its resident representative in a foreign land.

"But you will receive power when the Holy Spirit has come upon you, and you will be my witnesses in Jerusalem, in all Judea and Samaria, and to the ends of the earth."

1) Promise: you will receive power.

2) Person: the Holy Spirit.

Before God sent the Church into the world, He sent his Spirit into the Church.

"Trying to do the Lord’s work in your own strength is the most confusing, exhausting, and tedious of all work. But with the Holy Spirit, the ministry of Jesus just flows out of you."  - Corrie ten Boom

“Without the power of the Holy Spirit, our work will be drudgery. With it, it becomes a joyful task, a refreshing service.” - D.L. Moody

3) Purpose: to be a witness.

“The church is closed today due to lack of power.”

4) Place: intentional and spontaneous.

But in your hearts revere Christ as Lord. Always be prepared to give an answer to everyone who asks you to give the reason for the hope that you have. But do this with gentleness and respect. - 1 Peter 3:15

5) Prayer: trust God with the outcome.

I planted the seed, Apollos watered it, but God has been making it grow. So neither the one who plants nor the one who waters is anything, but only God, who makes things grow. - 1 Corinthians 3:6-7

He was despised and rejected by mankind, a man of suffering, and familiar with pain. Like one from whom people hide their faces he was despised, and we held him in low esteem. Surely he took up our pain and bore our suffering, yet we considered him punished by God, stricken by him, and afflicted. But he was pierced for our transgressions, he was crushed for our iniquities; the punishment that brought us peace was on him, and by his wounds we are healed.   - Isaiah 53:3-5

Mark 15:25 - It was nine in the morning when they crucified him.

After the Sabbath, at dawn on the first day of the week, Mary Magdalene and the other Mary went to look at the tomb. There was a violent earthquake, for an angel of the Lord came down from heaven and, going to the tomb, rolled back the stone and sat on it. His appearance was like lightning, and his clothes were white as snow. The guards were so afraid of him that they shook and became like dead men.

The angel said to the women, “Do not be afraid, for I know that you are looking for Jesus, who was crucified. He is not here; he has risen, just as he said. Come and see the place where he lay. Then go quickly and tell his disciples: ‘He has risen from the dead and is going ahead of you into Galilee. There you will see him.’ Now I have told you.”

So the women hurried away from the tomb, afraid yet filled with joy, and ran to tell his disciples. Suddenly Jesus met them. “Greetings,” he said. They came to him, clasped his feet and worshiped him. Then Jesus said to them, “Do not be afraid. Go and tell my brothers to go to Galilee; there they will see me.”  - Matthew 28:1-10

“The resurrection completes the inauguration of God’s kingdom… it is the decisive event demonstrating that God’s kingdom really has been launched on earth as it is in heaven. The message of Easter is that God’s new world has been unveiled in Jesus Christ and that you’re now invited to belong to it.” – N.T. Wright

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. For God did not send his Son into the world to condemn the world, but to save the world through him.  - John 3:16-17

Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, the new creation has come: The old has gone, the new is here! - 2 Corinthians 5:17

Jesus, I believe in you. I believe you died on the cross for me. I believe you resurrected from the dead. I give my life to you. I am sorry for my sins. Please forgive me. I welcome you to live in my heart and to fill me with your Holy Spirit. I want to live this life, and the life to come, with you. Through the name of Jesus, my Lord and Savior, I pray. Amen!

As the time approached for him to be taken up to heaven, Jesus resolutely set out for Jerusalem. - Luke 9:51

After Jesus had said this, he went on ahead, going up to Jerusalem. As he approached Bethphage and Bethany at the hill called the Mount of Olives, he sent two of his disciples, saying to them, “Go to the village ahead of you, and as you enter it, you will find a colt tied there, which no one has ever ridden. Untie it and bring it here. If anyone asks you, ‘Why are you untying it?’ say, ‘The Lord needs it.’”  Those who were sent ahead went and found it just as he had told them. As they were untying the colt, its owners asked them, “Why are you untying the colt?” They replied, “The Lord needs it.” - Luke 19:28-34

Rejoice greatly, Daughter Zion! Shout, Daughter Jerusalem! See, your king comes to you, righteous and victorious, lowly and riding on a donkey, on a colt, the foal of a donkey.  — Zechariah 9:9

They brought it to Jesus, threw their cloaks on the colt and put Jesus on it. As he went along, people spread their cloaks on the road. When he came near the place where the road goes down the Mount of Olives, the whole crowd of disciples began joyfully to praise God in loud voices for all the miracles they had seen: “Blessed is the king who comes in the name of the Lord!”“Peace in heaven and glory in the highest!”  - Luke 19:35-38

1 - Jesus embodied peace.

Romans 5:1 – “Therefore, since we have been justified by faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ.”

“Our sin has put wrath between us and God, and a mere ceasefire will never suffice—we are not meant to live under the cloud of an uneasy standoff with God. Instead, Jesus became incarnate, died, and rose so that believers might be adopted into God’s own family and eat at the table with him in unbroken fellowship forever.”  - R.T. France

Luke 19:41-42… But as he came closer to Jerusalem and saw the city ahead, he began to weep. “How I wish today that you of all people would understand the way to peace.”

2 - Jesus embodied healing.

“The blind and lame came to him at the temple, and he healed them.”  - Matthew 21:14

3 - Jesus embodied hope.

The crowds that went ahead of him and those that followed shouted, “Hosanna to the Son of David!” “Blessed is he who comes in the name of the Lord!” “Hosanna in the highest heaven!” - Matthew 21:9

Therefore we do not lose heart. Though outwardly we are wasting away, yet inwardly we are being renewed day by day. For our light and momentary troubles are achieving for us an eternal glory that far outweighs them all.  – 2 Corinthians 4:16-17

Despair: Utter loss of hope.

— Merriam-Webster Dictionary

Why is light given to those in misery, and life to the bitter of soul, to those who long for death that does not come, who search for it more than for hidden treasure, who are filled with gladness and rejoice when they reach the grave? Why is life given to a man whose way is hidden, whom God has hedged in? For sighing has become my daily food; my groans pour out like water. What I feared has come upon me; what I dreaded has happened to me. I have no peace, no quietness; I have no rest, but only turmoil.

— Job 3:20-26

3 Types of Despair:

1 - Spiritual Despair

2 - Emotional Despair

3 - Physical Despair

Covert despair—repressed hopelessness characterizes the spiritual condition of North American culture. Unlike the despair of the poor and afflicted around the globe who know too well their true condition, the despair of the dominant culture of North America is a denied despair, not merely hidden by wealth and power but forcibly refused It is the kind of repressive posture that must lie to itself constantly that ends in destructive behavior more devastating than the negating realities it fears to acknowledge.

— Kathleen O’Conner

The Spirit of the Lord is on me, because he has anointed me to proclaim good news to the poor. He has sent me to proclaim freedom for the prisoners and recovery of sight for the blind, to set the oppressed free, to proclaim the year of the Lord’s favor.

—Luke 4:18-19

Without lament our hearts remain devoid of the light of Christ.

Lament is an essential practice for moving to hope.

Prayers that erupt from wounds, burst out of unbearable pain, and bring it to language. Laments complain, shout, and protest. They  anger and despair before God and the community. They grieve. They argue. The find fault…Although laments appear disruptive of God’s world, they are acts of fidelity. In vulnerability and honesty, they cling obstinately to God and demand for God to see, hear, and act.

— Kathleen O’Conner

Hope: To cherish a desire with anticipation.

— Merriam-Webster Dictionary

3 Kinds of Christian Hope:

1 - Spiritual Hope

2 - Emotional Hope

3 - Physical Hope

To hope for a better future in this world—for the poor, the sick, the lonely and depressed, for the slaves, the refugees, the hungry and homeless, for the abused, the paranoid, the downtrodden and despairing, and in fact for the whole wide, wonderful, and wounded world— is not something else, something extra, something tacked on to the gospel as an afterthought.

— N.T. Wright

The whole point of what Jesus was up to was that he was rescuing people from the corruption and decay of the way the world presently is so they could enjoy, already in the present, that renewal of creation which is God’s ultimate purpose—and so they could thus become colleagues and partners in that larger project.

— N.T. Wright

When the woman saw that the fruit of the tree was good for food and pleasing to the eye, and also desirable for gaining wisdom, she took some and ate it. She also gave some to her husband, who was with her, and he ate it. Then the eyes of both of them were opened, and they realized they were naked; so they sewed fig leaves together and made coverings for themselves. Then the man and his wife heard the sound of the Lord God as he was walking in the garden in the cool of the day, and they hid from the Lord God among the trees of the garden. – Genesis 3:6-8

When he lies, he speaks his native language, for he is a liar and the father of lies. – John 8:44b

There is now no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus. – Romans 8:1

“My grace is sufficient for you, for my power is made perfect in weakness.” – 2 Corinthians 12:9a

“Grace is love that seeks you out when you have nothing to give in return. Grace is love coming at you that has nothing to do with you. Grace is being loved when you are unlovable… Grace has everything to do with the lover, not the beloved. It reflects a decision on the part of the giver, the one who loves, in relation to the receiver, the one who is loved, that negates any qualifications the receiver may personally hold. Grace is the most dangerous, expectation-wrecking, smile-creating, counterintuitive reality there is. Grace is one-way love.” - Paul Zahl

So what do we do? Keep on sinning so God can keep on forgiving? I should hope not! If we’ve left the country where sin is sovereign, how can we still live in our old house there? Or didn’t you realize we packed up and left there for good? That is what happened in baptism. When we went under the water, we left the old country of sin behind; when we came up out of the water, we entered into the new country of grace—a new life in a new land! – Romans 6:1-3 (MSG)

Take My yoke upon you and learn from Me [following Me as My disciple].
— Matthew 11:29

For at least several decades the churches of the Western world have not made discipleship a condition of being a Christian. One is not required to be, or to intend to be, a disciple in order to become a Christian, one may remain a Christian without any signs of progress toward or in discipleship…Churches are filled with “undisciplined disciples”…Of course there is in reality no such thing. Most problems in contemporary churches can be explained by the fact that members have never decided to follow Christ.
—Dallas Willard, The Great Omission

Disciple says we are people who spend our lives apprenticed to our master, Jesus Christ. We are in a growing-learning relationship, always. A disciple is a learner, but not in the academic setting of a schoolroom, rather at the work site of a craftsman. We do not acquire information about God but skills in faith.
— Eugene Peterson, A Long Obedience in the Same Direction

1 - Be with Jesus
2 - Become Like Jesus
3 - Do as Jesus Did

1 - Be with Jesus

3 Places to Experience God’s Presence
1 - Scripture
2 - Creation
3 - People

2 - Become Like Jesus

Sanctify them by the truth; your word is truth. As you sent me into the world, I have sent them into the world. For them I sanctify myself, that they too may be truly sanctified.
— John 17:17-18

In our kind of culture anything, even news about God, can be sold if it is packaged freshly; but when it loses its novelty, it goes on the garbage heap. There is a great market for religious experience in our world; there is little enthusiasm for the patient acquisition of virtue, little inclination to sign up for a long apprenticeship in what earlier generations of Christians called holiness.
— Eugene Peterson, A Long Obedience in the Same Direction

3 - Do as Jesus Did

The Spirit of the Lord is on me, because he has anointed me to proclaim good news to the poor. He has sent me to proclaim freedom for the prisoners and recovery of sight for the blind, to set the oppressed free, to proclaim the year of the Lord’s favor.
—Luke 4:18-19

Our tendency today is to define “the poor” economically, on a scale of annual household income or with reference to an established, national or international poverty line. But this is only another reflection of our tendency to read our own world back into Luke’s…Luke is concerned above all with a category of people ordinarily defined above all by their dishonorable status, their exclusion.
— Joel Green, The Theology of the Book of Luke

“Come to me, all you who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest. Take my yoke upon you and learn from me, for I am gentle and humble in heart, and you will find rest for your souls. For my yoke is easy and my burden is light.” - Matthew 11:28-30

“Come to Me, all who are weary and heavily burdened [by religious rituals that provide no peace], and I will give you rest [refreshing your souls with salvation]. Take My yoke upon you and learn from Me [following Me as My disciple], for I am gentle and humble in heart, and you will find rest (renewal, blessed quiet) for your souls. For My yoke is easy [to bear] and My burden is light.” - Matthew 11:28-30 (AMP)

A) Our families
B) Our jobs
C) Our minds
D) Our bodies
E) Our stress

1 - Come to Jesus.

2 - Take his yoke upon you.

To take his yoke expresses trust and relinquishes control over to Jesus.

3 - Learn from him.

Learn one thing from Jesus every day.

4 - Find Rest.

This is what the Lord says: “Stand at the crossroads and look; ask for the ancient paths, ask where the good way is, and walk in it, and you will find rest for your souls.” – Jeremiah 6:16

“For those who live under the yoke, there is absolutely no better way to live. Who in their right mind would go back to the gods of Self, Money, Lust and Power? Who would return on bended knee to the shrines of pious performance and judgmentalism? Is not love better than hate, purity better than lust, reconciliation better than retaliation? And is not ‘better’ really ‘easier’ when measured in character rather than convenience, rest for the soul rather than selfish pride?
– Doug Webster

Choose your yoke.

“Jesus didn’t actually say much about the kingdom of heaven in the sense that we normally mean it. When he spoke of heaven’s kingdom, he wasn’t talking about a place called heaven to which people might or might not go after they die. He was talking about something that would become a reality ‘as in heaven, so on earth’ (Matt. 6:10). So instead of suggesting that we could escape the earth to go to heaven, Jesus’ good news was about heaven coming to earth.” – N.T. Wright

Then Thomas (called Didymus) said to the rest of the disciples, “Let us also go, that we may die with him.” - John 11:16

διστάζω – to waver, hesitate, to be uncertain.

19 On the evening of that first day of the week, when the disciples were together, with the doors locked for fear of the Jewish leaders, Jesus came and stood among them and said, “Peace be with you!” 20 After he said this, he showed them his hands and side. The disciples were overjoyed when they saw the Lord. 21 Again Jesus said, “Peace be with you! As the Father has sent me, I am sending you.” 22 And with that he breathed on them and said, “Receive the Holy Spirit. 23 If you forgive anyone’s sins, their sins are forgiven; if you do not forgive them, they are not forgiven.” 24 Now Thomas (also known as Didymus), one of the Twelve, was not with the disciples when Jesus came. 25 So the other disciples told him, “We have seen the Lord!” But he said to them, “Unless I see the nail marks in his hands and put my finger where the nails were, and put my hand into his side, I will not believe.” 26 A week later his disciples were in the house again, and Thomas was with them. Though the doors were locked, Jesus came and stood among them and said, “Peace be with you!” 27 Then he said to Thomas, “Put your finger here; see my hands. Reach out your hand and put it into my side. Stop doubting and believe.” 28 Thomas said to him, “My Lord and my God!” 29 Then Jesus told him, “Because you have seen me, you have believed; blessed are those who have not seen and yet have believed.” - John 20:19-29

1 - Share with others.

2 - Wait on the Lord.

Wait for the Lord; be strong, and let your heart take courage; wait for the Lord! - Psalm 27:14

3 - Pray and confess.

“Doubt is a form of rebellion. It is a refusal to relate to God on his own terms.” – Stan Harstine

“Repent for the kingdom of heaven has come near.”
— Matthew 4:17

Blessed are the poor in spirit for theirs is the kingdom of heaven.
— Matthew 5

The kingdom of heaven is like…

Sin may be comprehensively defined as a lack of conformity to the law of God in act, habit, attitude, outlook, disposition, motivation, and mode of existence.
— J.I. Packer

I reared children and brought them up, but they have rebelled against me. The ox knows its master, the donkey its owner’s manger, but Israel does not know, my people do not understand. Woe to the sinful nation…
— Isaiah 1:2

Cross over to the coasts of Cyprus and look, send to Cedar and observe closely; see if there has ever been anything like this: Has a nation ever changed its gods? (Yet they are not gods at all.) But my people have exchanged their glorious God for worthless idols.
— Jeremiah 2:10-11

Son of man, I am sending you to the Israelites, to a rebellious nation that has rebelled against me; they and their ancestors have been in revolt against me to this very day.
— Ezekiel 2:3

Community sins are devastating.

Sin breaks the created order, which results first in slavery, then in death.

When we sin we trade places and powers with something that God created to serve us.

Repent means to stop what we are doing, to turn around, and to go the other way.

The good news is about the living God overcoming all the powers of the world to establish his rule of justice and peace, on earth as in heaven… And that victory is won not by superior power of the same kind but by a different sort of power altogether… The kingdoms of the world run on violence. The kingdom of God, Jesus declared, runs on love.
— N.T. Wright, Simply Good News

The elder, To my dear friend Gaius, whom I love in the truth.

Dear friend, I pray that you may enjoy good health and that all may go well with you, even as your soul is getting along well. It gave me great joy when some believers came and testified about your faithfulness to the truth, telling how you continue to walk in it. I have no greater joy than to hear that my children are walking in the truth.

Dear friend, you are faithful in what you are doing for the brothers and sisters, even though they are strangers to you. They have told the church about your love. Please send them on their way in a manner that honors God. It was for the sake of the Name that they went out, receiving no help from the pagans. We ought therefore to show hospitality to such people so that we may work together for the truth.

I wrote to the church, but Diotrephes, who loves to be first, will not welcome us. So when I come, I will call attention to what he is doing, spreading malicious nonsense about us. Not satisfied with that, he even refuses to welcome other believers. He also stops those who want to do so and puts them out of the church. Dear friend, do not imitate what is evil but what is good. Anyone who does what is good is from God. Anyone who does what is evil has not seen God. Demetrius is well spoken of by everyone—and even by the truth itself. We also speak well of him, and you know that our testimony is true.

I have much to write you, but I do not want to do so with pen and ink. I hope to see you soon, and we will talk face to face. Peace to you. The friends here send their greetings. Greet the friends there by name. – 3 John 1:1-15

“3 John is a treasure that provides a glimpse into early church dynamics, provides a much-needed exhortation to Christians today, and makes a significant theological claim about where the truth of the gospel of Jesus Christ is to be found.” – Karen Jobes

1 - Walk in the truth.

“If we were on trial for being a Christian, would there be enough evidence to convict us?” - Josh McDowell

2 - Practice hospitality.

When we extend hospitality, we make our faith visible.

3 - Imitate good.

Dear friend, do not imitate what is evil but what is good. Anyone who does what is good is from God. Anyone who does what is evil has not seen God. – 3 John 1:11

Who has influence in my life, and is their example one I should imitate?

1 The elder, to the lady chosen by God and to her children, whom I love in the truth—and not I only, but also all who know the truth— 2 because of the truth, which lives in us and will be with us forever:

3 Grace, mercy and peace from God the Father and from Jesus Christ, the Father’s Son, will be with us in truth and love.

4 It has given me great joy to find some of your children walking in the truth, just as the Father commanded us. 5 And now, dear lady, I am not writing you a new command but one we have had from the beginning. I ask that we love one another. 6 And this is love: that we walk in obedience to his commands. As you have heard from the beginning, his command is that you walk in love.

“Truth without love is harshness; it gives us information but in such a way that we cannot really hear it. Love without truth is sentimentality; it supports and affirms us but keeps us in denial about our flaws." - Tim Keller

The great “truth” unveiled in the gospel is that the powerful, redeeming love of God is the motor that drives the cosmos. - N. T. Wright

3 Grace, mercy and peace from God the Father and from Jesus Christ, the Father’s Son, will be with us in truth and love.

4 It has given me great joy to find some of your children walking in the truth, just as the Father commanded us. 

Biblical orthodoxy without compassion is surely the ugliest thing in the world. - Francis Schaeffer

Behavior is a reflection of belief.

5 And now, dear lady, I am not writing you a new command but one we have had from the beginning. I ask that we love one another. 6 And this is love: that we walk in obedience to his commands. As you have heard from the beginning, his command is that you walk in love.

When other’s look at us, will they see a life shaped by the truth of the Kingdom of God and the love of Jesus?

Dear children, keep yourself from idols. – 1 John 5:21

Exodus 20:3 – You shall have no other gods before me.

1. An idol is anything or anyone more important to you than God.

   “Idolatry is robbery and perversion. It’s robbery because we take what is due to God and give it to something else. And it’s perversion because we give the devotion God rightly deserves to other things.” - Erik Raymond

2. Idols interfere with our identity.

3. Is there anything or anyone more important to you than God?

   Search me, O God, and know my heart; test me and know my anxious thoughts. Point out anything in me that offends you, and lead me along the path of everlasting life. – Psalm 139:23-24 (NLT)

   More anything else, I love / want / need / trust / desire / fear ___________________.

   Don’t just remove idols – replace them.

   Idols can kill your worship; worship can kill your idols.

Dear friends, let us love one another, for love comes from God. Everyone who loves has been born of God and knows God. Whoever does not love does not know God, because God is love. This is how God showed his love among us: He sent his one and only Son into the world that we might live through him. This is love: not that we loved God, but that he loved us and sent his Son as an atoning sacrifice for our sins. Dear friends, since God so loved us, we also ought to love one another. No one has ever seen God; but if we love one another, God lives in us and his love is made complete in us.
— 1 John 4:7-12

“The English word love is trying to do so many different jobs at the same time that someone really ought to sit down with it and teach it how to delegate.”
— N.T. Wright

For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son…
— John 3:16

This is love: not that we loved God, but that he loved us and sent his Son as an atoning sacrifice for our sins.
— 1 John 4:10

Love is not just something God does. It is who God is.

Whoever does not love does not know God, because God is love.
— 1 John 4:8

Love is the language they speak in God’s world, and we are summoned to learn it against the day when God’s world and ours will be brought together forever. It is the music they make in God’s courts, and we are invited to learn it and practice it in advance. Love is not a 'duty,' even our highest duty. It is our destiny.
— N.T. Wright, After You Believe

Love is a disciple, a practice, an act of the will.

Love is patient, love is kind. It does not envy, it does not boast, it is not proud. It does not dishonor others, it is not self-seeking, it is not easily angered, it keeps no record of wrongs. Love does not delight in evil but rejoices with the truth. It always protects, always trusts, always hopes, always perseveres. Love never fails.
— 1 Corinthians 13:4-8a

The great thing to remember is that, though our feelings come and go, His love for us does not. It is not wearied by our sins, or our indifference; and, therefore, it is quite relentless in its determination that we shall be cured of those sins, at whatever cost to us, at whatever cost to Him.
— C.S. Lewis, Mere Christianity

1 John 2:28-29; 3:1a
And now, dear children, continue in him, so that when he appears we may be confident and unashamed before him at his coming. If you know that he is righteous, you know that everyone who does what is right has been born of him. See what great love the Father has lavished on us, that we should be called children of God! And that is what we are!

John 1:12-13
Yet to all who did receive him, to those who believed in his name, he gave the right to become children of God—13 children born not of natural descent, nor of human decision or a husband’s will, but born of God.

To be “born of God” specifies the origin of our identities, impulses, motivations, and attitudes.

1 - God’s children do not live in sin

1 John 3:6, 9
No one who lives in him keeps on sinning. No one who continues to sin has either seen him or known him. No one who is born of God will continue to sin, because God’s seed remains in them; they cannot go on sinning, because they have been born of God.

6 No one who lives (Greek: menōn = to remain, abide, stay) in him keeps on sinning.

2 - God’s children love one another

1 John 3:11
For this is the message you heard from the beginning: We should love one another.

"A failure to love others is symptomatic of a failure to love God."
-Karen Jobes

1 John 3:16-18
This is how we know what love is: Jesus Christ laid down his life for us. And we ought to lay down our lives for our brothers and sisters. If anyone has material possessions and sees a brother or sister in need but has no pity on them, how can the love of God be in that person? Dear children, let us not love with words or speech but with actions and in truth.

To lay down your life is to express love through sacrificial and compassionate actions.

3 - God’s children are confident before the Father

1 John 3:19-24
This is how we know that we belong to the truth and how we set our hearts at rest in his presence: If our hearts condemn us, we know that God is greater than our hearts, and he knows everything. Dear friends, if our hearts do not condemn us, we have confidence before God and receive from him anything we ask, because we keep his commands and do what pleases him. And this is his command: to believe in the name of his Son, Jesus Christ, and to love one another as he commanded us. The one who keeps God’s commands lives in him, and he in them. And this is how we know that he lives in us: We know it by the Spirit he gave us.

“John says that we can set our hearts at rest whenever they condemn us… for God understands us better than our own hearts know us, and in his omniscience, he knows that our often weak attempts to obey his commands spring from true allegiance to him.”
-Howard Marshall

If you know God, you must obey Him and live as Jesus did.

We know that we have come to know him if we keep his commands. Whoever says, “I know him,” but does not do what he commands is a liar, and the truth is not in that person. But if anyone obeys his word, love for God is truly made complete in them. This is how we know we are in him: Whoever claims to live in him must live as Jesus did. - 1 John 2:3-6

Do I take God’s commands seriously and do I repent when I fall short?

1 - You must not hate your brother.

Anyone who claims to be in the light but hates a brother or sister is still in the darkness. Anyone who loves their brother and sister lives in the light, and there is nothing in them to make them stumble. But anyone who hates a brother or sister is in the darkness and walks around in the darkness. They do not know where they are going, because the darkness has blinded them. – 1 John 2:9-11

2 - You must not love the world.

Do not love the world or anything in the world. If anyone loves the world, love for the Father is not in them.
For everything in the world—the lust of the flesh, the lust of the eyes, and the pride of life—comes not from
the Father but from the world. The world and its desires pass away, but whoever does the will of God lives
forever. – 1 John 2:15-17

Worldliness – an affection for that which is unlike God and contrary to his will.

Is there anything you possess or desire that interferes with your devotion to God?

3 - You must not listen to false teaching.

As for you, see that what you have heard from the beginning remains in you. If it does, you also will remain in the Son and in the Father. And this is what he promised us—eternal life. I am writing these things to you about those who are trying to lead you astray. – 1 John 2:24-26

This is the message we have heard from him and declare to you: God is light; in him there is no
darkness at all. If we claim to have fellowship with him and yet walk in the darkness, we lie and
do not live out the truth. But if we walk in the light, as he is in the light, we have fellowship with
one another, and the blood of Jesus, his Son, purifies us from all sin. If we claim to be without
sin, we deceive ourselves and the truth is not in us. If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just
and will forgive us our sins and purify us from all unrighteousness. If we claim we have not
sinned, we make him out to be a liar and his word is not in us. My dear children, I write this to
you so that you will not sin. But if anybody does sin, we have an advocate with the Father—
Jesus Christ, the Righteous One. He is the atoning sacrifice for our sins, and not only for ours
but also for the sins of the whole world. —1 John 1:5-2:2

1. Fellowship

2. Light versus Dark

3. Truth versus Lie

4. Sin, Confession, Forgiveness

5. Atonement

1. Consumerism/Materialism

2. Nationalism

3. Stewardship/Ecology

4. Sexuality

5. Security

The people stood in the holy place and spoke the current religious cliche and supposed that
everything was just fine. They were in the right place, and they said the right words—but they
were not right…Religion is not a matter of arrangements or places or words, but of life and
love, of mercy and obedience, of persons in a passion of faith. —Eugene Peterson

God of grace and truth, in Jesus Christ you came among us as light shining in darkness. We
confess that we have not welcomed the light, or trusted good news to be good. We have
closed our eyes to glory in our midst, expecting little and hoping for less. Forgive our doubt
and renew our hope, so that we may receive the fullness of your grace and live in the truth of
Christ the Lord. Amen.

Who?
The Apostle John

What?
A pastoral exhortation on truth, obedience, and love.

When?
AD 90-95.

Where?
Ephesus (and surrounding churches)

Why?
The truth was under attack.

1 John 1:5 (NIV)

1 John 1:5 (AMP)

“All the darkness in the world cannot extinguish the light of a single candle.” - St. Francis

Jeremiah 29:11

Proverbs 15:22

Psalm 33:11

The Infinite Infant Entered Our Timeline

What Will We Do When God Disrupts The Plan?

Proverbs 16:9

Proverbs 19:21

The Story of Christmas is Not About What We Want But What We Need

What Will We Do When God Changes Our Plan, A Holy Disruption?

Philippians 1:6

What Will We Do When Our Plans Come to a Place of Disruptive Disappointment?

James 1:2-4

Psalm 23:?

John 1:?

Philippians 3:13-14

John 16:33

Isaiah 9:6

Isaiah 7:14

Matthew 1:22-23

1 - God was with us (past event).

Matthew 1:18-21

2 - God is with us (present reality).

God is ALWAYS with you and will NEVER leave you.

Galatians 2:20

3 - God will be with us (future hope).

Isaiah 9:6

Peace is not the absence of conflict.

Luke 2:12-14

Luke 2:14

1 - Peace with God.

Romans 5:10

“Our sin has put wrath between us and God, and a mere ceasefire will never suffice—we are not meant to live under the cloud of an uneasy standoff with God. Instead, Jesus became incarnate, died, and rose so that believers might be adopted into God’s own family and eat at the table with him in unbroken fellowship forever.” – R.T. France

2 - Peace within.

Philippians 4:6-7

3 - Peace with others.

Romans 12:18

“Lord, make me an instrument of your peace. Where there is hatred, let me sow love.” – St. Francis

Can we agree to disagree, and focus on being loving instead of being right?

Isaiah 9:6

Psalm 90:2

Jesus was born, but he did not begin.

John 1:3 - Through him all things were made; without him nothing was made that has been made.

The infant is infinite.

Philippians 2:6-7

John 14:9

Christmas – God got on our level.

“You have made us for yourself, O Lord, and our hearts are restless until they rest in You.” - Augustine

Isaiah 9:6

Isaiah 9:1-5

Isaiah 9:6-7

Isaiah 9:2-7, MSG

Mighty God - El Gibbor

1 - Jesus is God.

Philippians 2:6-7

“He took to himself what he was not, while remaining what he was … he continued to be what he is, while appearing to us as what we are.” – Augustine

2 - Jesus is a Warrior.

Luke 1:46-51

3 - Jesus sees your battles and cares.

Isaiah 9:6-7

Wonderful Counselor
Mighty God
Everlasting Father
Prince of Peace

Jesus has cognitive and practical mastery of every phase of reality: physical, moral, and spiritual. He is master only because he is Maestro. “Jesus is Lord” can mean little in practice for anyone who has to hesitate before saying, “Jesus is smart.” He is not just nice, he is brilliant. He is the smartest man who ever lived. He is now supervising the entire course of world history (Rev. 1:5) while simultaneously preparing the rest of the universe for our future role in it (John 14:2). He always has the best information on everything and certainly also on the things that matter most in human life.
—Dallas Willard

Colossians 2:2-3

The soul is the perceiver and revealer of truth… We know truth when we see it, from opinion, as we know when we are awake that we are awake.
—Ralph Waldo Emerson

The only way we can ever know what is right for us is that it feels better subjectively than any alternative…what tastes good is also, in the growth sense, better for us.
— Abraham Maslow

The counsel is that we can arrive at our full humanness by gratifying our desires. It has been a recipe for misery for millions.
—Eugene Peterson

Matthew 7:24

We don’t become whole persons by merely wanting to become whole, by consulting the right prophets, by reading the right book. Intentions must mature into commitment if we are to become persons with definition, with character, with substance.
— Eugene Peterson

Matthew 23:36-40

Relationship with God is not something added on after we complete our basic growth, it is the essential core of that growth. Take that core out, and there is no humanity at all but only a husk, the appearance, but not the substance of the human.
—Eugene Peterson

Teacher: Daniel Dennison

Mark 10:17-22

“An idol is anything in our life that takes the place of God. It is anything in our life other than God that gives us meaning, acceptance, and purpose.”- Tim Keller

Matthew 6:25-26

Teacher: Dave Brown

“In the past few years, I’ve observed an epidemic of sorts: patient after patient suffering from the same condition. The symptoms of this condition include fatigue, irritability, insomnia, anxiety, headaches, heartburn, bowel disturbances, back pain, and weight gain. There are no blood tests or X-rays diagnostic of this condition, and yet it’s easy to recognize. The condition is excessive busyness.” - Dr. Susan Koven

Mark 4:35-41…
That day when evening came, he said to his disciples, “Let us go over to the other side.” Leaving the crowd behind, they took him along, just as he was, in the boat. There were also other boats with him. A furious squall came up, and the waves broke over the boat, so that it was nearly swamped. Jesus was in the stern, sleeping on a cushion. The disciples woke him and said to him, “Teacher, don’t you care if we drown?” He got up, rebuked the wind and said to the waves, “Quiet! Be still!” Then the wind died down and it was completely calm. He said to his disciples, “Why are you so afraid? Do you still have no faith?” They were terrified and asked each other, “Who is this? Even the wind and the waves obey him!”

“Margin is the space that once existed between our load and our limits. Margin is the space between vitality and exhaustion. It is our breathing room, our reserves, our leeway. It is the opposite of overload. When Jesus went to the back of the boat, he was practicing margin.” - Richard Swenson

If Jesus needed to stop, then so do we.

“Maybe the greatest enemy of the life you want is the life you are living.” – Craig Groeschel

“To walk with Jesus is to walk with a slow, unhurried pace. Hurry is the death of prayer.” - Walter Adams

"Every one of us needs half an hour of prayer a day; except when we are busy. Then, we need an hour.” - St. Francis

Jesus wants to infuse our lives with purpose, but not through full schedules and hurried lives.

Do I need to slow down in order to catch up with God?

1. Schedule time with God.

2. Learn to say no.

3. Quit something.

4. Adopt new disciplines.

5. Resist social acceptability.

6. Turn notifications off.

7. Practice Sabbath.

Teacher: Dave Brown

/> We who are Jews by birth and not sinful Gentiles know that a person is not justified by the works of the law, but by faith in Jesus Christ. So we, too, have put our faith in Christ Jesus that we may be justified by faith in Christ and not by the works of the law, because by the works of the law no one will be justified.
—Galatians 2:15-17

/> Since in much Western theology “justification” and “salvation” have regularly been confused, sometimes even conflated, it has been easy to strip out the “Jew and gentile” aspect of these verses and read them simply as saying, “To be saved, it isn’t a matter of keeping moral rules; it’s just a matter of believing.”
—N.T. Wright

/> Legalism is the distortion of obedience that can never produce truly good works. Its first fault is that is skews motive and purpose, seeing good deeds as essentially ways to earn more of God’s favor than one has at the moment. Its second fault is arrogance. Belief that one’s labor earns God’s favor begets contempt for those who do not labor in the same way. Its third fault is lovelessness in that its self-advancing purpose squeezes humble kindness and creative compassion out of the heart.
—J.I. Packer

/> Our beliefs about legalism and grace direct affect how we view God and how we view ourselves.

/> Grace does not do away with holiness, righteousness, and obedience.

/> The Christian ideal had not been tried and found wanting. It has been found difficult; and left untried.
—G.K. Chesterton

Teacher: Tim Mannin

/> 1 Peter 1:1 (NIV) To God’s elect, exiles scattered throughout the provinces…
Mark 12:28-31 (Message) “Which is most important of all the commandments?” Jesus said, “The first in importance is, ‘Listen, Israel: The Lord your God is one; so love the Lord God with all your passion and prayer and intelligence and energy."

/> 1 Peter 4:1-3 (NIV) Therefore, since Christ suffered in his body, arm yourselves also with the same attitude, because whoever suffers in the body is done with sin. 2 As a result, they do not live the rest of their earthly lives for evil human desires, but rather for the will of God. For you have spent enough time in the past doing what pagans choose to do—living in debauchery, lust, drunkenness, orgies, carousing and detestable idolatry.

/> GOD IS NOT LOOKING FOR PERFECT, HE’S LOOKING FOR PASSIONATE
PREPARE YOUR PASSION IN PRIVATE SO GOD CAN USE YOU TO SLAY GIANTS IN PUBLIC.

/> 1 Peter 4:1-4 (NIV) Therefore, since Christ suffered in his body, arm yourselves also with the same attitude, because whoever suffers in the body is done with sin. 2 As a result, they do not live the rest of their earthly lives for evil human desires, but rather for the will of God. 3 For you have spent enough time in the past doing what pagans choose to do—living in debauchery, lust, drunkenness, orgies, carousing and detestable idolatry. 4 They are surprised that you do not join them in their reckless, wild living, and they heap abuse on you.

/> 1 Peter 4:5-7 (NIV) They will have to give account to him who is ready to judge the living and the dead. 6 For this is the reason the gospel was preached even to those who are now dead, so that they might be judged according to human standards in regard to the body, but live according to God in regard to the spirit. 7 The end of all things is near. Therefore be alert and of sober mind so that you may pray.

/> 1 Peter 4:8-11 (NIV) Above all, love each other deeply, because love covers over a multitude of sins. 9 Offer hospitality to one another without grumbling. 10 Each of you should use whatever gift you have received to serve others, as faithful stewards of God’s grace in its various forms. 11 If anyone speaks, they should do so as one who speaks the very words of God. If anyone serves, they should do so with the strength God provides, so that in all things God may be praised through Jesus Christ. To him be the glory and power for ever and ever. Amen!

/> WE ARE TIRED OF MEDIOCRE VERSIONS OF FAITH, SO WE ARE OVER THE TOP PASSIONATE ABOUT THE PURSUIT OF THE LIVING GOD.

/> Hebrews 12:1-3 (Message) Do you see what this means—all these pioneers who blazed the way, all these veterans cheering us on? It means we’d better get on with it. Strip down, start running—and never quit! No extra spiritual fat, no parasitic sins. Jesus, who both began and finished this race we’re in. Study how he did it. Because he never lost sight of where he was headed—that exhilarating finish in and with God—he could put up with anything along the way: Cross, shame, whatever. And now he’s there, in the place of honor, right alongside God. When you find yourselves That will shoot adrenaline into your souls

Teacher: Adam Barnett

/> Poison #1: My phone controls me.

/> “We are formed in the image of what we habitually gaze at.” – Justin Earley, Habits of the Household

/> Antidote: 1 Corinthians 6:12. “I have the right to do anything,” you say—but not everything is beneficial. “I have the right to do anything"—but I will not be mastered by anything.

/> True freedom comes not from permission to do everything, but from not being enslaved to anything.

/> Action Step: Delete a time-consuming, unnecessary app (right now).

/> Poison #2: My phone defines my worth.

/> Other people’s words (positive or negative) don’t define my worth.

/> Antidote: 1 Peter 2:9 and Ephesians 2:10. You are God’s special possession … God’s handiwork.

/> Action Step: Memorize 1 Peter 2:9 and Ephesians 2:10.

/> Poison #3: My phone is a weapon.

/> Antidote: James 1:19-20. Let every person be … slow to speak.

/> Action Step: Be nice and say you’re sorry.

/> Hear, O Israel: The Lord our God, the Lord is one. Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your strength. These commandments that I give you today are to be on your hearts. Impress them on your children. Talk about them when you sit at home and when you walk along the road, when you lie down and when you get up. - Deuteronomy 6:4-7

Teacher: Leanne Benton

/> We were created for connection, but we can easily drift or be pushed toward isolation!

/> Genesis 2:18 "Then the Lord God said, “It is not good for the man to be alone.”

/> John 10:10 "The thief comes only to steal and kill and destroy; I have come that they may have life and have it to the full."

/> "People began to tell me they felt isolated, invisible, and insignificant. Even when they couldn’t put their finger on the word “lonely,” time and time again, people of all ages and socioeconomic backgrounds, from every corner of the country, would tell me, “I have to shoulder all of life’s burdens by myself,” or “if I disappear tomorrow, no one will even notice.”

/> I Peter 5:8, "Be alert and of sober mind. Your enemy the devil prowls around like a roaring lion looking for someone to devour."

/> Our very identity is discovered and uncovered in community.

/> Hebrews 10:24-25, "Let us think of ways to motivate one another to acts of love and good works. And let us not neglect our meeting together, as some people do, but encourage one another, especially now that the day of his return is drawing near."

/> James 5:16, "Confess your sins to each other and pray for each other so that you may be healed. The earnest prayer of a righteous person has great power and produces wonderful results."

/> Galatians 6:1-3, "Dear brothers and sisters, if another believer is overcome by some sin, you who are godly should gently and humbly help that person back onto the right path. And be careful not to fall into the same temptation yourself. Share each other’s burdens, and in this way obey the law of Christ."

Teacher: Adam Barnett

/> Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your strength. – Deuteronomy 6:5

/> Matthew 18:21 Then Peter came to Jesus and asked, “Lord, how many times shall I forgive my brother or sister who sins against me? Up to seven times?” 22 Jesus answered, “I tell you, not seven times, but seventy-seven times. 23 “Therefore, the kingdom of heaven is like a king who wanted to settle accounts with his servants. 24 As he began the settlement, a man who owed him ten thousand bags of gold was brought to him. 25 Since he was not able to pay, the master ordered that he and his wife and his children and all that he had be sold to repay the debt.

/> 3.12e10

/> Matthew 18:26 “At this the servant fell on his knees before him. ‘Be patient with me,’ he begged, ‘and I will pay back everything.’ 27 The servant’s master took pity on him, canceled the debt and let him go.

/> Matthew 18:28 “But when that servant went out, he found one of his fellow servants who owed him a hundred silver coins. He grabbed him and began to choke him. ‘Pay back what you owe me!’ he demanded. 29 “His fellow servant fell to his knees and begged him, ‘Be patient with me, and I will pay it back.’ 30 “But he refused. Instead, he went off and had the man thrown into prison until he could pay the debt. 31 When the other servants saw what had happened, they were outraged and went and told their master everything that had happened.

/> Matthew 18:32 “Then the master called the servant in. ‘You wicked servant,’ he said, ‘I canceled all that debt of yours because you begged me to. 33 Shouldn’t you have had mercy on your fellow servant just as I had on you?’ 34 In anger his master handed him over to the jailers to be tortured, until he should pay back all he owed. 35 “This is how my heavenly Father will treat each of you unless you forgive your brother or sister from your heart.”

/> The kingdom of heaven is a forgiving place!

/> Be kind and compassionate to one another, forgiving each other, just as in Christ God forgave you. - Ephesians 4:32

/> Colossians 3:1212 Therefore, as God’s chosen people, holy and dearly loved, clothe yourselves with compassion, kindness, humility, gentleness and patience. 13 Bear with each other and forgive one another if any of you has a grievance against someone. Forgive as the Lord forgave you.

Teacher: Scott Johnson

/> You have a job – and work to do – for God’s kingdom!

/> GUILT is a counterproductive shame you feel over something in your past that cannot be changed (it’s there, alright!) and for which you have already been forgiven by Christ. Guilt interferes with your present and future – sometimes in very subtle ways.

/> CONVICTION is an invaluable gift from the Holy Spirit, a tug or nudge in your conscience to help you turn from a pattern of sinful behavior or a sinful choice you are considering, or move positively in a direction God is leading you. Unlike guilt, which springs from events in your past that cannot be changed, conviction is a very present sense of right vs. wrong. Heeding it will help you make the right choice in a current circumstance that affects your future path.

/> 1. You are an ambassador for Christ – and you have work to do!
/> 2. Guilt is a counterproductive obstruction in doing the work God has just for you.
/> 3. We need to stop looking back, live with a view to the future, and go for it!
/> 4. Conviction is a gift from the Holy Spirit, guidance to help us steer clear of sinful behaviors, actively move toward what God wants us to do, and make the best of our short time here!

Teacher: Pastor Dave Brown

/> Tradition helps us remember God’s faithfulness.

/> This is a day you are to commemorate; for the generations to come you shall celebrate it as a festival to the LORD—a lasting ordinance…Celebrate the Festival of Unleavened Bread, because it was on the this very day that I brought your division out of Egypt…Obey these instructions as a lasting ordinance for you and your descendants.  When you enter the land that the LORD will give you as he promised, observe this ceremony.  And when your children ask you, “What does this ceremony mean to you?” Then tell them, “It is the Passover sacrifice to the LORD, who passed over the houses of the Israelites in Egypt and spared our homes when he struck down the Egyptians.

—Exodus 12:14, 17, 24-28

/> One thing we can learn from this is the importance the Bible places on ritual.  The Old Testament repeatedly refers to teaching Israelite children who God is and what he has done.

—Peter Enns

/> Tradition gives us anchors for belief.

/> Repetition and familiarity work.  What is repeated becomes familiar, and this becomes a part of us…Far too many equate ritual with spiritual dryness.  True, ritual and liturgy can be dead but only when the significance and power of those rituals are forgotten.  Spiritual death is not a property of ritual itself.  To the contrary, ritual has always been and will always be a means of securing for future generations the power and reality of the gospel…Ritual breeds familiarity.  It seeps into one’s subconscious and, however subtly, begins to exert a formative influence.

—Peter Enns

/> Tradition “gets in the way” when we misunderstand the why behind it.

/> Stop bringing meaningless offerings! Your incense is detestable to me. New Moons, Sabbaths and convocations—I cannot bear your worthless assemblies. Your New Moon feasts and your appointed festivals I hate with all my being.They have become a burden to me; I am weary of bearing them. When you spread out your hands in prayer, I hide my eyes from you; even when you offer many prayers, I am not listening. Your hands are full of blood! Wash and make yourselves clean. Take your evil deeds out of my sight; stop doing wrong. Learn to do right; seek justice. Defend the oppressed. Take up the cause of the fatherless; plead the case of the widow.

—Isaiah 1:13-17

/> As with the Israelites, our worship practices and religious activities are intended to be symbolic of deeper realities.  There is no necessary connection between these and the realities.  But there is a direct connection between those realities and our ethical behavior.  We can be very religious and yet be living our lives for ourselves.  We can give the appearance of obedience and yet be living a self-centered life that is nothing but rebellion.

— John Oswalt

/> Tradition “gets in the way” when it no longer accomplishes its why.

/> Certain people came down from Judea to Antioch and were teaching the believers: “Unless you are circumcised, according to the custom taught by Moses, you cannot be saved.”

—Acts 15:1

/> Now then, why do you try to test God by putting on the necks of Gentiles a yoke that neither we nor our ancestors have been able to bear?  No! We believe it is through the grace of our Lord Jesus that we are saved, just as they are…It is my judgement therefore that we should not make it difficult for the Gentiles who are turning to God.

—Acts 15:10-11, 19

Teacher: Dr. Dennis Edwards

/> Unity requires living as heavenly citizens

/> Unity means engaging in Spiritual Warfare together

/> Unity require humility

Teacher: Adam Barnett

/> 1.    Jesus demands our ultimate allegiance. 

/> Anyone who loves a father or mother more than me is not worthy of me, and anyone who loves a son or daughter more than me is not worthy of me.  - Matthew 10:37-38

/> My Christian identity is superior to my political affiliation.

/> 2.    My peace and hope are in Jesus, not the Oval Office.

/> Christ and _____________ is not the gospel of Jesus Christ.

/> 6 I am astonished that you are so quickly deserting the one who called you to live in the grace of Christ and are turning to a different gospel—7 which is really no gospel at all. Evidently some people are throwing you into confusion and are trying to pervert the gospel of Christ. 8 But even if we or an angel from heaven should preach a gospel other than the one we preached to you, let them be under God’s curse! 9 As we have already said, so now I say again: If anybody is preaching to you a gospel other than what you accepted, let them be under God’s curse! 10 Am I now trying to win the approval of human beings, or of God? Or am I trying to please people? If I were still trying to please people, I would not be a servant of Christ.  – Galatians 1:6-10

/> 3.    No matter what, God is in control. 

/> God reigns over the nations; God is seated on his holy throne.   Psalms 47:8

/> Then Jesus came to them and said, “All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to me. – Matthew 28:18

/> 4.    This is not our home, but it still matters.

/> And work for the peace and prosperity of the city where I sent you into exile. Pray to the Lord for it, for its welfare will determine your welfare.  - Jeremiah 29:7

/> 5.    Allow the Bible to influence your vote.

/> … But the word of the Lord endures forever.– 1 Peter 1:25

/> 6.    Choose your words wisely. 

/> “Do not let any unwholesome talk come out of your mouths, but only what is helpful for building others up according to their needs, that it may benefit those who listen.”   - Ephesians 4:29   

/> 7.    Pray for our next President.

Teacher: Adam Barnett

/> The thief comes only to steal and kill and destroy; I have come that they may have life, and have it to the full.  – John 10:10

/> Satan wants to secretly, casually, quickly, and fully destroy the superabundant life Jesus wants for you. 

/> Therefore, there is now no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus.  - Romans 8:1

Teacher: Leanne Benton

/> 1. Worship forms our memory.

/> When we worship, we remember God’s faithfulness.

/> 2. Worship awakens our expectation.

/> Boldness in action outside the church began with boldness of prayers inside the church.

/> When we worship together, we are actually experiencing God’s presence.

/> 3. Worship grounds our hope.

/> When we worship, we foretaste the future.

Teacher: Dave Brown

/> The centrality of the Word of God

/> All Scripture is God-breathed and is useful for teaching, rebuking, correcting and training in righteousness, so that the servant of God may be thoroughly equipped for every good work.

2 Timothy 3:16-17

/> The Evangelical Covenant Church affirms the Holy Scriptures, the Old and New Testament, as the Word of God and the only perfect rule for faith, doctrine, and conduct.

/> Where is it written?

/> The necessity of new birth

/> Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, the new creation has come:[a] The old has gone, the new is here!

— 2 Corinthians 5:17

/> A commitment to the whole mission of the church

/> He has shown you, O mortal, what is good. And what does the Lord require of you?
To act justly and to love mercy and to walk humbly with your God.

—Micah 6:8

/> The church as a fellowship of believers

/> They devoted themselves to the apostles’ teaching and to fellowship, to the breaking of bread and to prayer.

Acts 2:42

/> Compelling Christian Community

/> Mission Friends

/> A conscious dependence on the Holy Spirit

/> An unconscious independence

/> …you will receive power when the Holy Spirit comes on you; and you will be my witnesses in Jerusalem, and in all Judea and Samaria, and to the ends of the earth.

—Acts 1:8

/> The reality of freedom in Christ

/> We major on the major and minor on the minors

/> Covenanters have understood that God’s Word is sovereign over every human interpretation of it, including their own.  And understanding this, they have been free to allow for differences of opinion where the biblical record itself can be differently read.

—Committee on Covenant Doctrine

Covenant Affirmations

Teacher: Adam Barnett

/> Vision is seeing where you are going and knowing how to get there.

/> Where there is no vision, the people perish.  - Proverbs 29:18

/>Redeemer Church exists to see Christ exalted in our church, community, and world.

/> WORSHIP:Redeemer will be a community of corporate worship where people can express their 

love for God and observe the sacraments, and where God is worshipped and glorified.

/> COMMUNITY: Redeemer will be a community where followers of Jesus experience love, support, encouragement, and grace from one another.

/> DISCIPLESHIP: Redeemer will be a community where followers of Jesus mature into Christlikeness and exhibit character consistent with one who has a personal relationship with Him.

/> “Spiritual formation is the process of the transformation of the heart (that is, the will and spirit). The heart is being formed in such a way that its natural expression comes to be the deeds of Christ done in the power of Christ.”– Dallas Willard

/> MISSION:Redeemer will be a community committed to the Great Commission, serving as Christ’s witnesses in our church, community, and world. 

/> Acts 1:8 - But you will receive power when the Holy Spirit comes on you; and you will be my witnesses in Jerusalem, and in all Judea and Samaria, and to the ends of the earth.

/> STEWARDSHIP: Redeemer will be a community that honors God with our resources and time

Teacher: Adam Barnett

/> We are not called to SAMENESS. We are called to ONENESS. 

/> I have brought you glory on earth by finishing the work you gave me to do.  – John 17:4

/> Holy Father, protect them by the power of your name—the name you gave me—so that they may be one as we are one.  – John 17:11

/> “My prayer is not for them alone. I pray also for those who will believe in me through their message,that all of them may be one, Father, just as you are in me and I am in you.May they also be in us so that the world may believe that you have sent me. I have given them the glory that you gave me,that they may be one as we are one—I in them and you in me—so that they may be brought to complete unity. Then the world will know that you sent meand have loved themeven as you have loved me.  – John 17:20-23

/> 1.    Unity is from the Holy Spirit, not us.

/> The Holy Spirit is THE ONE who can MAKE US ONE.

/> 2.    Unity is a witness of God’s love to the world. 

/> 3.    Unity is not an avenue to agreement.

/> Unity is not an avenue to agreement. So, take a deep breath and relax.  

/> I am sorry. I was wrong. Please forgive me. I love you. 

Teacher: Alison Myers

/> “You can make a strong case that of all the practices of Jesus, the two most important are SILENCE & SOLITUDE, and COMMUNITY. Because they are the two containers that hold all of the others. As a general rule, our best moments of healing and freedom and breakthrough and experience or encounter with Jesus, are either when we are alone with him in the quiet, or when we are together in community.” 

– John Mark Comer 

/> Jesus was formed spiritually.

/> Jesus was formed in community.
/> Jesus formed others in community.

/> Community is something we must practice.

/> We’re lonely but we’re afraid of intimacy. 

/>“And so from social networks to social robots we’re designing technologies that will give us the illusion of companionship, without the demands of friendship. We turn to technology to help us feel connected in ways we can comfortably control.” 

/> "This expression is very difficult to render in English, but we could translate it by saying, ‘A person is a person through other persons.’ We need other human beings for us to learn how to be human, for none of us comes fully formed into the world. … I can be me only if you are fully you. I am because we are, for we are made for togetherness, for family. …I have gifts that you don’t have, and you have gifts that I don’t have. We are different in order to know our need of each other. To be human is to be dependent.” 

/> Soon the house where he was staying was so packed with visitors that there was no more room, even outside the door. While he was preaching God’s word to them. -Mark 2:2

/> Seeing their faith, Jesus said to the paralyzed man, “My child, your sins are forgiven. -Mark 2:5

Teacher: Adam Barnett

/>  Evangelism – to bring (declare or show) the good news of Jesus Christ.  

/> “The harvest is plentiful, but the workers are few. Ask the Lord of the harvest, therefore, to send out workers into his harvest field.” – Luke 10:2

/> 1 Corinthians 9:19-23… Though I am freeand belong to no one, I have made myself a slave to everyone,to win as many as possible.
/> Our personal rights and preferences must be put aside for the sake of evangelism.

/> 20 To the Jews I became like a Jew, to win the Jews.To those under the law I became like one under the law (though I myself am not under the law),so as to win those under the law.21 To those not having the law I became like one not having the law (though I am not free from God’s law but am under Christ’s law),so as to win those not having the law.22 To the weak I became weak, to win the weak.I have become all things to all peopleso that by all possible means I might save some.

/> 23 I do all this for the sake of the gospel, that I may share in its blessings. 

/> 1.    Pray. 

/> 2.    Build, not burn bridges. 

/> 3.    Start with love, not truth. 

/> 4.    Seek dialogue, not a monologue.

/> 5.    Avoid Christianese.

/> 6.    Slow down. 

/> Sharing starts with seeing. 

/> 7.    Be patient, yet persistent.

Teacher: David Nunn

/>  Luke 24:50-53   When he had led them out to the vicinity of Bethany, he lifted up his hands and blessed them. While he was blessing them, he left them and was taken up into heaven. Then they worshipped him and returned to Jerusalem with great joy. And they stayed continually at the temple, praising God.       

/> Acts 1:24-25  Then they prayed, "Lord, you know everyone's heart. Show us which of these two you have chosen to take over this apostolic ministry, which Judas left to go where he belongs."  

/> Acts 4:29-30   “Now, Lord, consider their threats and enable your servants to speak your word with great boldness. Stretch out your hand to heal and perform signs and wonders through the name of your holy servant Jesus.”        
>/ Acts 1:14  They all joined together constantly in prayer, along with the women and Mary the mother of Jesus, and with his brothers.  

>/ Acts 2:46-47      Every day they continued to meet together in the temple courts. They broke bread in their homes and ate together with glad and sincere hearts, praising God and enjoying the favor of all the people. And the Lord added to their number daily those who were being saved.           

>/ Acts 4:32-34   All the believers were one in heart and mind. No one claimed that any of their possessions was their own, but they shared everything they had. With great power the apostles continued to testify to the resurrection of the Lord Jesus, and God’s grace was so powerfully at work in them all that there were no needy persons among them.  NIV
>/ Ephesians 4:3 says, “Make every effort to keep yourselves united in the Spirit, through the bond of peace.”

>/ Acts 13:2-3 While they were worshiping the Lord and fasting, the Holy Spirit said, "Set apart for me Barnabas and Saul for the work to which I have called them."              

>/ Acts 14:23 "Paul and Barnabas appointed elders for them in each church and, with prayer and fasting, committed them to the Lord, in whom they had put their trust."

>/ Acts 21:5  All the disciples and their wives and children accompanied us out of the city, and there on the beach we knelt to pray.             

>/ Attitude of Prayer

>/ 1.              Desire of and acceptance of God’s will.

>/ 2.              Stillness

>/ 3.              Expectancy

>/ Psalm 138:7-8  "Though I walk in the midst of trouble, you preserve my life; you stretch out your hand against the wrath of my enemies, and your right hand delivers me. The Lord will fulfill his purpose for me; your steadfast love, O Lord, endures forever."

Teacher: Dave Brown

/>  We must shift America from a needs to a desire culture…People must be trained to desire, to want new things, even before the old have been entirely consumed.  We must shape a new mentality.  Man’s desires must overshadow his needs.

—Paul Mazur

>/ The conscious and intelligent manipulation of the organized habits and opinions of the masses is an important element in democratic society.  Those who manipulate this unseen mechanism of society constitute an invisible government which is the true ruling power of our country.  We are governed, our minds are molded, our tastes formed, our ideas suggested, largely by men we have never heard of.

—Edward Bernays

>/ “Do not store up for yourselves treasures on earth, where moths and vermin destroy, and where thieves break in and steal. But store up for yourselves treasures in heaven, where moths and vermin do not destroy, and where thieves do not break in and steal. For where your treasure is, there your heart will be also. “The eye is the lamp of the body. If your eyes are healthy, your whole body will be full of light. But if your eyes are unhealthy, your whole body will be full of darkness. If then the light within you is darkness, how great is that darkness!

>/ “No one can serve two masters. Either you will hate the one and love the other, or you will be devoted to the one and despise the other. You cannot serve both God and money.

— Matthew 6:19-24

>/ Contemporary culture is plagued by the passion to possess.  The unreasoned boast abounds that the good life is found in accumulation, that “more is better.”  Indeed, we often accept this notion without question, with the result that the lust for affluence in contemporary society has become psychotic: it has completely lost touch with reality…Christian simplicity frees us from this modern mania.  It brings sanity to our compulsive extravagance, and peace to our frantic spirit….It allow us to see material things for what they are—goods to enhance life, not to oppress life.  People once again become more important than possessions.

—Richard Foster

>/ The goal is to live with a high degree of intentionality around what matters most, which, for those of us who apprentice under Jesus, is Jesus himself and his kingdom.

—John Mark Comer

>/ 1. Before you buy something, ask yourself, what is the true cost of this item?

>/ 2. Never impulse buy.

>/ 3. When you do buy, buy quality over quantity.

>/ 4. Start giving things away.

>/ 5. Live by a budget

>/ 6. Spend more time in nature

>/ 7. Learn to enjoy the simple things in life.

Teacher: Dave Brown

/>  Ultimately, nothing in this life, apart from God, can satisfy our desires.  Tragically, we continue to chase after our desires ad infinitum.  The result? A chronic state of restlessness or, worse, angst, anger, anxiety, disillusionment, depression—all of which lead to a life of hurry, a life of business, overload, shopping, materialism, careerism, a life of more…which in turn makes us even more restless.  And the cycle spirals our of control.

—John Mark Comer

/> “Observe the Sabbath day by keeping it holy, as the Lord your God has commanded you. Six days you shall labor and do all your work, but the seventh day is a sabbath to the Lord your God. On it you shall not do any work, neither you, nor your son or daughter, nor your male or female servant, nor your ox, your donkey or any of your animals, nor any foreigner residing in your towns, so that your male and female servants may rest, as you do. Remember that you were slaves in Egypt and that the Lord your God brought you out of there with a mighty hand and an outstretched arm. Therefore the Lord your God has commanded you to observe the Sabbath day.

—Deuteronomy 5:12-15

/> The Deuteronomy reason for Sabbath-keeping is that our ancestors in Egypt went four hundred years without a vacation.  Never a day off.  The consequence: they were no longer considered persons but slaves…Not persons created in the image of God but equipment for making bricks and building pyramids.  Humanity was defaced.  Lest any of us do that to our neighbor or husband or wife or child or employee, we are commanded to keep a sabbath.  The moment we begin to see others in terms of what they can do rather than who they are, we mutilate humanity and violate community…Sabbath keeping is commanded to preserve the image of God in our neighbors so that we see them as they are, not as we need them or want them.

— Eugene Peterson

/> By the seventh day God had finished the work he had been doing; so on the seventh day he rested from all his work. Then God blessed the seventh day and made it holy, because on it he rested from all the work of creating that he had done.

— Genesis 2:2-3

/> Divine rest on the seventh day of creation has made clear that YHWH is not a workaholic, that YHWH is not anxious about the full functioning of creation, and that the well-being of creation does not depend on endless work.

— Walter Bruggemann

/> There is a realm of time where the goal is not to have but to be, not to own but to give, not to control but to share, not to subdue but to be in accord.  Life goes wrong when the control of space, the acquisition of things of space, becomes our sole concern.

—Abraham Heschel

/> Formerly, when you did not know God, you were slaves to those who by nature are not gods. But now that you know God—or rather are known by God—how is it that you are turning back to those weak and miserable forces? Do you wish to be enslaved by them all over again?…It is for freedom that Christ has set us free. Stand firm, then, and do not let yourselves be burdened again by a yoke of slavery.

—Galatians 4:8-9; 5:1
 

/> R.I.G. (Rest In God)

/> 1. Exchange one weekly commitment for an hour of time with God

2. Block Out 10-minutes everyday to sit with God

3. Give your phone, tv, and computer boundaries

4. Work towards establishing a Sabbath

Teacher: Garland Tackett

/>  Matthew 6:5-6 (ESV) "And when you pray, you must not be like the hypocrites.  For they love to stand and pray in the synagogues and at the street corners, that they may be seen by others.  Truly, I say to you, they have received their reward. But when you pray, go into your room and shut the door and pray to your Father who is in secret. And your Father who sees in secret will reward you."

/> Jesus is always probing deeper. Into the Heart. Into the Soul.

/> W.A.I.T. = Why Am I Talking? 

/> A.W. Tozer

"What comes into our mind when we think about God is the most important thing about us."

/> Jesus replies in the Gospel of John:

"Have I been with you so long, and you still do not know me, Philip? Whoever has seen me has seen the Father. How can you say, ‘Show us the Father’?"  John 14:9
 

/> 5 minutes of silence

Teacher: Adam Barnett

/>  “In many ways the stomach is like a spoiled child, and a spoiled child does not need indulgence, but needs discipline.”   - Richard Foster

/> Fasting – the deliberate abstinence from physical gratification for a greater spiritual goal.

/> 1.    Should we fast? 

/> “When you fast…” – Matthew 6:16

/> 2.    Why should we fast? 

/> Then John’s disciples came and asked him, “How is it that we and the Pharisees fast often, but your disciples do not fast?” Jesus answered, “How can the guests of the bridegroom mourn while he is with them? The time will come when the bridegroom will be taken from them; then they will fast.  - Matthew 9:14-15

/> “Fasting helps us to express, to deepen, and to confirm the resolution that we are ready to sacrifice anything, even ourselves, to attain the Kingdom of God.”– Andrew Murray

/> 3.    Why should we not fast? 

/> “When you fast, do not look somberas the hypocrites do, for they disfigure their faces to show others they are fasting. Truly I tell you, they have received their reward in full.But when you fast, put oil on your head and wash your face,so that it will not be obvious to others that you are fasting, but only to your Father, who is unseen; and your Father, who sees what is done in secret, will reward you. – Matthew 6:16-18

/> “The world is not a stage. When you practice some appetite-denying discipline to better concentrate on God, don’t make a production out of it. It might turn you into a small-time celebrity, but it won’t make you a saint.”  - Eugene Peterson

/> 4.    How to start a fast? 

Teacher: Adam Barnett

/>  Psalm 103:1-5, New International Version: 

/> 1 Praise theLord, my soul; all my inmost being, praise his holy name.
/> 2 Praise the Lord, my soul, and forget not all his benefits—
/> 3 who forgives all your sins and heals all your diseases,
/> 4 who redeems your life from the pit and crowns you with love and compassion,
/> 5 who satisfies your desires with good things so that your youth is renewed like the eagle’s.

/> Psalm 103:1-5, Amplified Bible: 

/> 1 Bless and affectionately praise theLord, O my soul, And all that is [deep] within me,blessHis holy name.
/> 2 Bless and affectionately praise theLord, O my soul,And do not forget any of His benefits;
/> 3 Who forgives all your sins,Who heals all your diseases;
/> 4 Who redeems your life from the pit,Who crowns you [lavishly] with lovingkindness and tender mercy;
/> 5 Who satisfies your years with good things,So that your youth is renewed like the [soaring] eagle.

/> Psalm 103:1-5, Message Translation: 

/> 1 O my soul, blessGod.From head to toe, I’ll bless his holy name!

/> 2 O my soul, blessGod,don’t forget a single blessing!

/> 3 He forgives your sins—every one.He heals your diseases—every one.
/> 4He redeems you from hell—saves your life!He crowns you with love and mercy—a paradise crown.
/> 5 He wraps you in goodness—beauty eternal.He renews your youth—you’re always young in his presence.

/> 1.    Comparison. “Every good gift and every perfect gift is from above…” - James 1:17

/> Comparing leads to coveting. Coveting is lethal to contentment.

/> Focus (daily) on appreciation, not accumulation.

/> 2.    Complaint. “Do everything without grumbling or arguing.”  - Philippians 2:14

/> “How are we landing robots on Mars, but our Wi-Fi is so slow?” - Adam Barnett

>/ 3.    Calamity.“Give thanks in all circumstances…” 1 Thessalonians 5:18 

>/ God did not do this to me. God allowed this for me. He is with me.

/> "For years, I subscribed to the notion of an 'attitude of gratitude.' I've since learned that an attitude is an orientation or a way of thinking and that 'having an attitude' doesn't always translate to a behavior.It seems that gratitude without practice may be a little like faith without works. It's not alive. So, we don't so much want to know if you have a grateful heart, but do you have grateful habits?” - Brené Brown 

/> 1.    Focus on where you see the gracious and active presence of God in the story of your life.

/> 2.    Talk about where you see the gracious and active presence of God in the story of your life.

Teacher: Adam Barnett

/>  May you be covered in the dust of your rabbi. 

/> When the ten heard about this, they were indignant with the two brothers. Jesus called them together and said, “You know that the rulers of the Gentiles lord it over them, and their high officials exercise authority over them. Not so with you. Instead, whoever wants to become great among you must be your servant, and whoever wants to be first must be your slave—just as the Son of Man did not come to be served, but to serve, and to give his life as a ransom for many.”  - Matthew 20:24-28

>/ Greatness in the kingdom of God is the polar opposite of greatness in the world.

>/ Διάκονος – a household servant (specifically, a waiter); a minister.

>/ Greatness is service. To be first, be a servant. 

>/ “Jesus turns this noble ideal on its head and in one of cultural history’s dramatic reversals he asks, in effect, ‘How can anyone be happy unless one is the slave of everyone else?’”  - Dale Bruner

>/ Philippians 2:3-4… Do nothing out of selfish ambition or vain conceit. Rather, in humility value others above yourselves,not looking to your own interests but each of you to the interests of the others.

>/ 1.    Slow down

>/ 2.    Seek opportunities

>/ 3.    Start new rhythms

>/ 4.    Serve at Redeemer

>/ 5.    Spiritual Gifts Assessment

Teacher: Dave Brown

/>  Sacrament is from the Latin word sacramentum which originally referred to a soldier’s sacred oath of allegiance. 

/> Two sacraments

1. Baptism
2. Communion

/> 3 Names to Communion

1. The Lord’s Supper
2. Communion
3. Eucharist

/> And he took bread, gave thanks and broke it, and gave it to them, saying, “This is my body given for you; do this in remembrance of me.” In the same way, after the supper he took the cup, saying, “This cup is the new covenant in my blood, which is poured out for you.”

—Luke 22:19-20

/> Taking the five loaves and the two fish and looking up to heaven, he gave thanks and broke them. Then he gave them to the disciples to distribute to the people. They all ate and were satisfied, and the disciples picked up twelve basketfuls of broken pieces that were left over.

—Luke 9:16-17

/> 4 Verbs of the Lord’s Supper

1. Take:  Jesus takes what we bring him. This offering that Jesus take from us is the first movement of the Eucharist; it sets salvation in the ambience of sheer acceptance.  God receives us and what we bring to him, just as we are.

2. Bless:  What we offer to Jesus, Jesus offers to God with thanksgiving.  He doesn’t examine it for flaws, doesn’t evaluate and appraise it, criticize or reject our offerings. He prays these offerings and the lives that back them up, offering what we offer to the Father. This prayer of blessing gathers all of us and everything we are into everything that Christ is and does for us.

3. Break:  Our gifts don’t remain what we bring.  At the Table we are not permitted to be self-sufficient.  The breaking of our pride and self-approval is not a bad thing; it opens us to new life, to saving action.  We soon discover that God is working deep within us, beneath our surface lies and poses, to bring new life.

4. Give:  Jesus gives back what we bring to him, who we are; and we receive what he gives.  But it is no longer what we brought.  It has been changed into what God gives, what we sing of as “amazing grace.”  Everything we bring to Jesus is given back, but lavishly…Everything on the Table and everyone around the Table becomes gospel and is distributed to all who hunger and thirst after righteousness.

—Eugene Peterson

Teacher: Dave Brown

/> Listen then to what the parable of the sower means: When anyone hears the message about the kingdom and does not understand it, the evil one comes and snatches away what was sown in their heart. This is the seed sown along the path. The seed falling on rocky ground refers to someone who hears the word and at once receives it with joy. But since they have no root, they last only a short time. When trouble or persecution comes because of the word, they quickly fall away. The seed falling among the thorns refers to someone who hears the word, but the worries of this life and the deceitfulness of wealth choke the word, making it unfruitful. But the seed falling on good soil refers to someone who hears the word and understands it. This is the one who produces a crop, yielding a hundred, sixty or thirty times what was sown.

—Matthew 13:18-23

/> Music and silence—how I detest them both! How thankful we should be that ever since Our Father entered Hell—though longer ago than humans, reckoning in light years, could express—no square inch of infernal space and no moment of infernal time has been surrendered to either of those abominable forces, but all has been occupied by Noise—Noise, the grand dynamism, the audible expression of all that is exultant, ruthless, and virile—Noise which alone defends us from silly qualms, despairing scruples and impossible desires. We will make the whole universe a noise in the end. We have already made great strides in this direction as regards the Earth. The melodies and silences of Heaven will be shouted down in the end. But I admit we are not yet loud enough, or anything like it. Research is in progress.

—C.S. Lewis

/> Yet the news about him spread all the more, so that crowds of people came to hear him and to be healed of their sicknesses.  But Jesus often withdraw to lonely places and prayed.

—Luke 5:15-16

/> In the world there are many other voices speaking—loudly: “Prove that you are beloved. Prove you’re worth something.  Prove you have any contribution to make.  Do something relevant.  Be sure you make a name for yourself.  At least have some power—then people will love you; then people will say you’re wonderful, you’re great.’  These voices are so strong.  They touch our hidden insecurities and drive us to become every busy trying to prove to the world that we are good people who deserve some attention.

—Henri Nouwen

/> Solitude confronts our escapism.

/> In solitude we not only encounter God but also our true self.

—Clowning in Rome

/> The discipline of solitude allows us gradually to come in touch with the hopeful presence of God in our lives, and allows us also to taste even now the beginnings of the joy and peace which belong to the new heaven and the new earth.

—Henri Nouwen

/> We practice solitude to know and be known.

/> Why is it so important that we are with God and God alone on the mountain top? It’s important because it’s the place in which we can listen to the voice of the One who calls us the beloved.  Jesus says to you and to me that we are loved as he is loved…To pray is to let that voice speak to the center of our being and permeate our whole life.  Who am I? I am the beloved.  If we are not calming that voice as the deepest truth of our being, then we cannot walk freely in this world.

—Henri Nouwen

/> We all stumble in many ways. Anyone who is never at fault in what they say is perfect, able to keep their whole body in check….The tongue also is a fire, a world of evil among the parts of the body. It corrupts the whole body, sets the whole course of one’s life on fire, and is itself set on fire by hell. All kinds of animals, birds, reptiles and sea creatures are being tamed and have been tamed by mankind, but no human being can tame the tongue. It is a restless evil, full of deadly poison.

—James 3:2-8

/> Why do we insist on talking as much as we do?  We run off at the mouth because we are inwardly uneasy about what other think of us.

—Dallas Willard

/> The practice of silence helps us to listen and to observe, to pay attention to people.  How rarely are we ever truly listened to, and how deep is out need to be heard.  I wonder how much wrath in human life is a result of not being heard.

—Dallas Willard

/> We practice silence to listen and to serve

/> Far too often we are busy trying to “do something.”  Perhaps it would be better if instead we learned to “be something.”

/> We cannot be human if we are not existing in the present, for the present is where God meets us.  If we avoid the details of the actual present, we abdicate a big chunk of our humanity.

—Eugene Peterson

Teacher: Adam Barnett

/> www.redeemertulsa.org/walkingtheway

/> “The way of Jesus”

/> Being like Jesus is the result of being with Jesus.

/> “Therefore everyone who hears these words of mine and puts them into practiceis like a wise man who built his house on the rock.The rain came down, the streams rose, and the winds blew and beat against that house; yet it did not fall, because it had its foundation on the rock. But everyone who hears these words of mine and does not put them into practice is like a foolish man who built his house on sand.The rain came down, the streams rose, and the winds blew and beat against that house, and it fell with a great crash.”– Matthew 7:24-27

/> “Salvation isn’t just about getting you into heaven. It is about getting heaven into you. Salvation is not a transaction. It is a transformation.”  - John Mark Comer

/> 1)  Be with Jesus       

/> 2)  Do as Jesus did.

/> [Video: Be Like Mike - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=b0AGiq9j_Ak]

/> “May you be covered in the dust of your rabbi.” 

Teacher: Adam Barnett  

/> www.redeemertulsa.org/walkingtheway 

/> “The way of Jesus.”

/> Before we learn and follow the practices of Jesus, we must seek and know the Person of Jesus.

“Do not let your hearts be troubled.You believein God;believe also in me.My Father’s house has many rooms; if that were not so, would I have told you that I am going thereto prepare a place for you?And if I go and prepare a place for you, I will come backand take you to be with me that you also may be where I am.You know the way to the place where I am going.” Thomassaid to him, “Lord, we don’t know where you are going, so how can we know the way?” Jesus answered,“I amthe wayand the truthand the life.No one comes to the Father except through me.– John 14:1-6

“The realm where God’s way is done is the ‘kingdom of God.’ It is from everlasting to everlasting. What changed with the birth of Jesus was God’s gift of a way in. To those who receive Christ as king, he gives the power to become powerless—to give up supreme rulership of our own little kingdoms and become like children. Children of the King, happy to follow in the Father’s footsteps and ready to trust him with our lives.”  - Grace Pouch

/> Being like Jesus is the result of being with Jesus.

/> Pay attention to what you are paying attention to. 

/> Focus on where you see the gracious and active presence of God in the story of your life. 

Teacher: Dave Brown 

/> On one occasion, while he was eating with them, he gave them this command: “Do not leave Jerusalem, but wait for the gift my Father promised, which you have heard me speak about. For John baptized with[a] water, but in a few days you will be baptized with[b] the Holy Spirit.” Then they gathered around him and asked him, “Lord, are you at this time going to restore the kingdom to Israel?” He said to them: “It is not for you to know the times or dates the Father has set by his own authority. But you will receive power when the Holy Spirit comes on you; and you will be my witnesses in Jerusalem, and in all Judea and Samaria, and to the ends of the earth.” After he said this, he was taken up before their very eyes, and a cloud hid him from their sight.

— Acts 1:4-9

/> Power because we’re going to need it.

/> What does it mean to be a witness?

/> We have over spiritualized our salvation as well as the mission of God.

Millions of Christians in many parts of the world still think the cross means “Jesus died for my sins so that I can go to heaven.” The “mission” of the church, then, becomes a matter of explaining to more and more people that he dies for them too and urging them to believe this, so that they too can go to heaven…That way of looking at the gospel and mission both shrinks and distorts what the Bible actually teaches.

—N.T. Wright

Can we seriously believe that God would establish a plan for us that essentially bypasses the awesome needs of present human life and leaves human character untouched?  Would he leave us even temporarily marooned with no help in our kind of world, with our kind of problems: psychological, emotional, social, and global?  Can we believe that the essence of Christian faith and salvation covers nothing but death and after?  Can we believe that being saved really has nothing whatever to do with the kinds of persons we are?

—Dallas Willard

/> “The Spirit of the Lord is on me, because he has anointed me to proclaim good news to the poor. He has sent me to proclaim freedom for the prisoners and recovery of sight for the blind,
to set the oppressed free, to proclaim the year of the Lord’s favor.”

—Luke 4:18-19

/> Our mission is to be with Jesus, to become like Jesus, and to do as Jesus did.

The people who are rescued by the cross and the love it reveals will then be shaped by the cross and the love it will reveal through them to the world…This is how we learn not only to tell the story of Jesus, but also to live the story of Jesus.

— N.T. Wright

/> Jesus did not simply die to save us from our sins.  Jesus also lived to save us from our sins.

/> When the prophets Daniel and John envision the empires as vicious beasts, what they’re saying is, Beneath all the wealth, power, and excess of these dazzling empires lie grotesque monsters, trampling everyone and everything in their path. And when they depict God as tolerating, then restraining, and finally destroying these monsters, what they’re saying is, The story isn’t over; even the greatest empires are no match for goodness, righteousness, and virtue.

—Rachel Held Evans

/> The Bible is a collection of resistance stories because all of it anticipates or announces the Kingdom of God and the rule and reign of Jesus Christ.

Teacher: Adam Barnett 

/> 18 And I tell you that you are Peter,and on this rock I will build my church,and the gates of Hadeswill not overcome it. – Matthew 16:18

“… like living stones, are being built into a spiritual house to be a holy priesthood, offering spiritual sacrifices acceptable to God through Jesus Christ.” – 1 Peter 2:5

Εκκλησιά– an assembly of people meeting for a common purpose.

/> 42 They devoted themselves to the apostles’ teachingand to fellowship, to the breaking of breadand to prayer.43 Everyone was filled with awe at the many wonders and signs performed by the apostles.44 All the believers were together and had everything in common.45 They sold property and possessions to give to anyone who had need.46 Every day they continued to meet together in the temple courts.They broke bread in their homes and ate together with glad and sincere hearts,47 praising God and enjoying the favor of all the people.And the Lord added to their numberdaily those who were being saved.  - Acts 2:42-47

/> 1.    Worship.

Therefore, I urge you,brothers and sisters, in view of God’s mercy, to offer your bodies as a living sacrifice,holy and pleasing to God—this is your true and proper worship.– Romans 12:1

To be a living sacrifice isn’t just getting on the altar, but choosing to stay there.

/> 2.    Truth.  

In the presence of God and of Christ Jesus, who will judge the living and the dead, and in view of his appearingand his kingdom, I give you this charge: 2Preach the word; be prepared in season and out of season; correct, rebukeand encourage—with great patience and careful instruction. – 2 Timothy 4:1

We accept the Holy Scriptures, the Old and New Testaments, as the word of God and the only perfect rule for faith, doctrine, and conduct.

We are INVITED to BE disciples of Jesus, and EXPECTED to MAKE disciples for Jesus.

Disciples make disciple-makers.

/> 3.    Community.

Teacher: Dave Brown 

/> Now about the gifts of the Spirit, brothers and sisters, I do not want you to be uninformed. You know that when you were pagans, somehow or other you were influenced and led astray to mute idols. Therefore I want you to know that no one who is speaking by the Spirit of God says, “Jesus be cursed,” and no one can say, “Jesus is Lord,” except by the Holy Spirit.

/> There are different kinds of gifts, but the same Spirit distributes them. There are different kinds of service, but the same Lord. There are different kinds of working, but in all of them and in everyone it is the same God at work. Now to each one the manifestation of the Spirit is given for the common good.

—1 Corinthians 12:1-7

/> No one can say, “Jesus is Lord,” except by the Holy Spirit.

— 1 Corinthians 12:3b

/> 1. The first Spiritual Gift Paul mentions is accepting Jesus as Lord.

Now to each one the manifestation of the Spirit is given for the common good.

— 1 Corinthians 12:7

/> 2. Everyone is given a gift from the Holy Spirit.

/> 3. These gifts are meant to be used in community.

/> 4. Paul is calling us into unity

And yet I will show you the most excellent way. If I speak in the tongues of men or of angels, but do not have love, I am only a resounding gong or a clanging cymbal. If I have the gift of prophecy and can fathom all mysteries and all knowledge, and if I have a faith that can move mountains, but do not have love, I am nothing. If I give all I possess to the poor and give over my body to hardship that I may boast, but do not have love, I gain nothing.

— 1 Corinthians 13:1-3

/> 5. The Greatest Gift of All is Love

Love is patient, love is kind. It does not envy, it does not boast, it is not proud. It does not dishonor others, it is not self-seeking, it is not easily angered, it keeps no record of wrongs. Love does not delight in evil but rejoices with the truth. It always protects, always trusts, always hopes, always perseveres. Love never fails…

—1 Corinthians 13:4-8a

But where there are prophecies, they will cease; where there are tongues, they will be stilled; where there is knowledge, it will pass away. For we know in part and we prophesy in part, but when completeness comes, what is in part disappears.

—1 Corinthians  13:8b-10

Paul’s description of the attributes of love in verses 4-7 offers a picture of habitual actions and dispositions.  One cannot merely decide in a day’s time to start doing these things.  They are learned patterns of behavior that must be cultivated over time in the context of a community that models and supports such behavior…far too little attention had been given in our communities to this character-forming task of the church.  We must deliberate carefully about how to reform the church so that we can more fully devote our energies to learning how to love.

—Richard Hays

/> The gift of love is the only gift that lasts for all eternity.  Here, Paul is inviting us to participate in eternity today.

Teacher: Adam Barnett 

The grace of God is undeniably and entirely a gift.

/> “Grace is love that seeks you out when you have nothing to give in return. Grace is love coming at you that has nothing to do with you. Grace is being loved when you are unlovable… Grace has everything to do with the lover, not the beloved. It has nothing to do with weights and measures. It has nothing to do with my intrinsic qualities or so-called ‘gifts,’ whatever they may be. It reflects a decision on the part of the giver, the one who loves, in relation to the receiver, the one who is loved, that negates any qualifications the receiver may personally hold. Grace is one-way love.”  - Paul Zahl

/>  For you know the grace of out Lord Jesus Christ, that though he was rich, yet for your sake he became poor so that you through his poverty might become rich. 

2 Corinthians 8:9 

/> "Grace is free, nut it is not cheap"

/> So what do we do? Keep on sinning so God can keep on forgiving? I should hope not! If we've left the country where sin is sovereign, how can we still live in our old house there? Or didn't you realize we packed up and left there for good?That is what happened in baptism. When we went under the water, we left the old country of sin behind; when we came up out of the water, we entered into a new country of grace - a new life in a new land!

Romans 6:1-3 (MSG)

/> My grace is sufficient for you, for my power is made perfect in weakness.

2 Corinthians 12:9