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The Helper
How can we love one another? We need Help! How can we obey Christ's commands? We need help! How can we understand the Bible? We need help! How can we confess our sins and receive forgiveness? We need help! How can we know how to pray? We need help! How can we resist temptation and grow in grace? We need help! That's why Jesus sends us the Holy Spirit to dwell in our hearts! He's the all powerful, all sufficient Helper we need to live the Christian life!
The Holy Spirit: Who Is He?
We have no problem understanding that God is our Heavenly Father, and that Jesus is the Son of God, but we sometimes have a hard time grasping how the Holy Spirit is totally equal and fully God along with the Father and the Son. He is our Helper! His personality and intimacy with believers are written all over the New Testament, and we cannot ignore his vital role in helping us to live the Christian life on a daily basis.
Christian, What Do You Believe?
Jude points us to a body of belief, a summary of "the faith that was once for all delivered to the saints," that was established early on in the life of the early church . Where can we find this summary today? Here it is, The Apostles Creed:
We believe in God the Father Almighty, Maker of heaven and earth; and in Jesus Christ his only Son our Lord, who was conceived by the Holy Spirit, born of the virgin Mary, suffered under Pontius Pilate, was crucified, died, and was buried. He descended into hell. The third day he rose again from the dead. He ascended into heaven, and is seated at the right hand of God the Father Almighty; from there he will come to judge the living and the dead. We believe in the Holy Spirit, the holy catholic church, the communion of saints, the forgiveness of sins, the resurrection of the body, and the life everlasting.
Faith in Jesus Christ -What is it?
Faith in Jesus Christ is acknowledging the truth of everything that God has revealed in his Word, trusting in him, and also receiving and resting on him alone for salvation as he is offered to us in the gospel.
Lost in Adam - Saved in Christ
If the entire human race is condemned because of Adam's sin, why then would not the entire human race be saved through Jesus Christ? If God loves us all, why would he send anybody to Hell? The answer lies in the Cross of Christ, the free offer of the gospel, and the necessity of repentance and faith.
God Still Loves His World
Adam's sin brought death to all of God's creation, both physical and spiritual; and even though God has placed his particular redeeming love on those whom he has set apart for redemption, this does not mean that he has abandoned the rest of his creation to the chaos of evil and wickedness. His common grace sustains life across the planet and enables great works of beauty, culture, engineering and technology for his own glory even among those who reject his Lordship and redemption. In the end, God will reconcile all things to himself by the blood of the cross.
His Life For Our Sin: The Great Exchange
It was the most unthinkably grand and majestic act of mercy that took place on the cross when Jesus became sin for us, and bore the weight of our guilt and shame. By grace we are reconciled with God, our sins are covered 100%, and His righteousness becomes ours. Therefore in Christ, and in Him alone we may now live as a new creation. Now there's something worth singing about!
Why Did He Have To Die?
The darkness of our sinful hearts is far worse than we can even imagine; the beauty and perfection of God's holiness is far greater than we can conceive. Only a perfect and blameless sacrifice could bridge the chasm between sinful man and holy God, and reconcile miserable sinners to a merciful God. All glory be to God and to our Redeemer, Jesus Christ.
Jesus: Truly Human, Truly God
What sort of Redeemer is needed to bring us back to God? One who is truly human and also truly God. Jesus understands who we are and what we experience, because he lived a fully human life like us, yet without sin. By his perfect obedience, he is qualified to take our place as the fully adequate sacrifice for our sin. Because he is also fully divine, Jesus was able to love us to the very end, die for us, and rise again on the third day. Hallelujah, what a Savior!
Redeemed: Bought and Paid For!
Feeling blue? hopeless? broken, low and discouraged? Guess what! It's worse than you think. But as bad as that feels, or sounds, take courage! Your redemption is near and your deliverance has been bought and paid for.
A Tale of Two Adams
The New England Primer teaches us, "In Adam's fall, we sinned all;" That curse was undone when Christ became the second Adam, the Innocent Adam, the sinless and perfect Adam who stood in our place and bore the weight of our sin - Adam's helpless race. Give thanks for a Redeemer who loves us and bought us with his own blood.
Not Even One
Is there anyone out there who has perfectly kept the law of God? No, not even one! Even for those whose salvation is secure in Christ, the process of overcoming that inborn sin nature will not be complete until we see Jesus in glory. By faith, our assurance rests in God's own ability to finish that which he has begun in each one of us whom he is calling to himself, for his own glory!
A Rule For The Heart
The tenth and last command gives us a rule for the heart. A covetous heart is greedy and grasping; a contented heart knows joy and peace. From the abundance of a well ordered and contented heart will flow loving and healthy relationships.
What is the R in ARP?
Reformation Sunday brings us back to one of the core beliefs that has shaped our protestant tradition for the past 500 years, with roots all the way back into the writings of Paul the Apostle. We cannot DO anything to deserve entrance into God's heaven; it is by faith that we place our trust in what Christ has DONE for us on the cross. It's all about grace.
Honoring
Giving honor, where honor is due, is far more than standing in awe of someone whose character and deeds are honorable. It also entails reverence, respect and obedience. We honor God by keeping His Sabbath; we honor our parents when we submit to their godly direction and discipline.
No Other Gods
God commands that our total and exclusive worship be directed to Him, and Him alone, for our good and His glory. He alone is worthy - our Creator, Sustainer and Redeemer. Let us bow down before Him.
The Law
If love and obedience are the keys to glorifying God, then it follows that his greatest commandment calls us to love God with all our heart, soul and mind and to love our neighbor as we love ourselves. God's Law points to his highest desire and purpose for us: a healthy relationship with himself and with others, made possible through Jesus Christ.
Give God The Glory
All of God's works bring glory to their Creator, but we alone among all of his works must choose to do so. We have a heart, a mind and a will that give us the capacity to freely love God or not to; to obey him or not to; to serve him or not to - and that is why God takes such great joy in us when we freely bow in worship and humbly obey his commands. Thus we bring joy to his heart and glory to his name.
Creation: Very Good!
The goodness of God is manifest in every molecule that moves, in every creature that draws breath, and in every plant that drinks from the earth and reaches for the sun. The beauty, harmony, symmetry and balance that exist in all of creation leave us with no doubt that our God is above all great and good! Such wonder and majesty can only lead us to doxology - praise to our Creator for all he has made.
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While we hope to one day have all of our sermons from sermon.net available here - that’s still a work in process. For now, anything prior to January, 2022 is still available, but through our older channels.