The Way

What we eat determines, in large part, how healthy we are. A church’s health cannot be assessed through its physical diet, but it can be measured through its spiritual diet. Healthy churches are committed to regular intake of the Word of God. Why is the Word so important to the church. In Acts 2, we find three reasons why healthy churches (and Christians) need the Word.

To truly understand where we are as a church, we have to understand where we are as a society. 2018 was marked by pain, division, and turmoil in our community and our nation. As we think about the state of the church today, we realize that the prophet Jeremiah lived in a similar time. In his final lament in the Book of Lamentations, we find three elements of a healthy response to pain and hurt in our world.

January is a great time to start fresh with new excitement and commitment. The key to a great restart is to ensure that we remember the fundamentals. As we prepare for our restart this week, we look to Jesus’ last words to His disciples in Acts 1, and we find four fundamental actions that we cannot afford to neglect in 2019. 

What image comes to mind when you think of Jesus?  Jesus is not a baby in a manger or a man on a cross today. The final images of Christ in the New Testament are pictures of a victorious, powerful king. For our final Sunday before Christmas, we are looking at Jesus as King of Kings, and we are encouraged when we realize four areas of our lives over which Jesus is sovereign. 

Christmas is more than a celebration of birth. It is a celebration of God redeeming mankind by becoming one of us. From the earliest records of Jesus’ birth, there is a clear movement to His death on the cross. Why is the cross important to us this Christmas? As we examine Mark’s crucifixion account, we find four reasons we can never afford to neglect the cross.

Mankind had been waiting for the Messiah for centuries. They looked for Him with hope and longing, and they imagined who He would be and all the great things He would do. As we look back to the cradle this week, we realize that the birth of the Messiah was anything but what was expected. God’s plans always far exceed our expectations and the birth of the Messiah is no exception. In Luke 2, we find three life-changing ways that the Messiah’s birth exceeded our expectations.

All of the first four solas point us to the final one. Scripture teaches us of salvation by grace alone through faith alone in Christ alone for the glory of God alone. In our passage today, Paul outlines three realities that the Church must embrace as we learn to live for the glory of God alone.

The central figure in our church is not the pastor or the pope, it is Jesus Christ. We are saved by faith alone through Grace alone in Christ alone. So this morning, we ask: who is Jesus? As we focus on Jesus today, we find three roles that He alone can fill.

We understand we are saved by faith, but if we are as wicked as the Bible says we are why are people saved at all? We may also  wonder why there are so many imperfect Dzsaveddz people? The third foundation of our faith is—Grace Alone. In Ephesians 2, Paul outines three states of grace that Christians need and experience.

How do we find forgiveness and escape the punishment of our sin? Every religion in the world is attempt by man to answer this question. However, we know something important. Last week as we began our look at the Solas, we begin with Scripture Alone. We can know with confidence that the Bible we have is inspired by God and is completely reliable. So, we are not looking toward man to provide the solution for our problem with God. Instead, we look to God for the solution. This is where we arrive at the second sola—Faith Alone. Really, the next three weeks are foundational for a true understanding of salvation. Today, we begin in Galatians 3 as we ask Scripture the question—What must we do to be saved, to be justified before God. As we study, we find three universal truths about justification.

The Bible is the foundation of our faith. Everything that we can know and believe with certainty about God and our faith is found in its pages. Since the Bible is our ultimate authority there are three essential truths that we should understand.

Followers of Christ are called to love those around them (their neighbors) as much as they love themselves. What does this type of love look like? As John writes, he describes Christian love by giving us three basic characteristics of love. Understanding John’s definition of Christian love motivates us to love in a way that glorifies God and improves our world.

As we begin to process all that we have heard Jesus tell us in the Sermon on the Mount, we realize how overwhelming it all is. To live up to this standard is something that we can’t even begin to accomplish. The task is impossible. As Jesus begins His sermon’s conclusion, He tells us clearly where we need to start by summarizing three things that our good Father does for us as we face this impossible task.

Matthew 7:1 is one of the most well-known verses in the Bible. We hear it quoted by believers and nonbelievers alike? In Matthew 7, Jesus shifts our attention toward our interactions with others. Jesus does not tell us to never judge, but He does caution us against wrong judgment. As we learn to be discerning judges, Jesus gives us four dangers to avoid.

September 16, 2018 - Biker Service - Dr. Marcus Merritt