Pastor Lew painted the amazing picture of God’s love for us, the kind of love that we need Holy Spirit empowerment to comprehend. John begins in 1 John 3:1 with the command, “See.” I want to focus on this command. What this command “see” means is that we need to take time to meditate on […]
Continue ReadingOur hearts are designed to be filled. We can either fill them with God’s Word or with other things. For David, he knew the significance of the Word of God and so stored it up in his heart. He says, “I have stored up your word in my heart, that I might not sin against […]
Continue ReadingIn 1 John, the apostle John has greatly emphasized the inseparability of the Gospel and love. Those who have been redeemed by the Gospel, of necessity, love others. The gospel makes men others-centered, not self-centered. For John, “We know that we have passed out of death into life, because we love the brothers. Whoever does […]
Continue ReadingFirst, I want to give God public thanks for all of the encouragement I received thi summer. So many of you have let me know that you were praying for the Lord to meet us in this wonderful letter. There are not too many things better than knowing how the body supports one another. There […]
Continue ReadingWell, week one of 1 John is in the books. I hope an overview of the whole letter helps makes sense of the pieces. John gave his audience a three part test to assure them that they had eternal life. The test of belief is all about believing in and confessing the right Jesus, the […]
Continue ReadingAs we look back on our May series on Mercy and look forward to our time in the First Letter of John, I would like to bring to your remembrance how Pastor Toph ended his message this past Sunday, May 28th. It is extremely helpful to us as we read commands in the Bible. We […]
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All real love is substitutionary sacrifice. That is a profound statement that Pastor Russ dropped on us this past Sunday. Take a moment and think about the many definitions of love that are shouting like street preachers on the corners of our culture. Ask a unbelieving friend or coworker to define love for you. See […]
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I hope that what Pastor Toph said on Sunday is still swirling around in your heart. Mercy is the apex of the glory of God. That is an amazing statement to ponder. Think about the various aspects of the glory of God. He is glorious in holiness. He is glorious in strength. He is glorious […]
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It seems odd that we won’t be in the Gospel of John on Sunday. What began in the fall of 2015 with the eternality of the Son, finished with the portrait of him as the majestic servant. Now there are also many other things that Jesus did. Were every one of them to be written, […]
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Majesty and meekness. How does the glory of majesty meet the glory of meekness in one person? We know of no one who displays this type of multifaceted glory like the one who John’s gospel calls us to believe in for eternal life. Pastor Dieudonné’s application point was directed at two groups. The first group […]
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What a celebration we had on Sunday! From our slain Passover Lamb to our Risen Lord and God, we had much reason to sing with all that was in us, to listen intently to the greatest story our hearts were made to hear and to go back out into our communities joyfully as people who […]
Continue ReadingThe true Christmas Spirit is a gift that keeps Giving. The true Christmas Spirit is a Spirit. I’m not talking about some nebulous, gooey thing out there. I’m talking about a real spiritual being. Pastor Russ told us last night that there is a thief among us, steeling all our Christmas joy. This thief uses […]
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