THE CHURCH IS WHAT GOD IS DOING IN THE WORLD

Coming out of the series in Habakkuk, we've been meditating upon the truth that God is always up to something even if it’s hard to see. He’s always working good for his people and advancing his purposes for the world. This Sunday we asked the question, “In this grand story that God is writing, who’s the main character through whom he advances the plot?” In our lives today, where should we look to see God at work toward his great aim of uniting all things in Christ? (Eph 1:10) Where is his amazing grace most evidently poured out and through what instrument is he making peace in the world? The Book of Ephesians gives us the answer: The Church.

LISTEN TO THE SERMON HERE

PRAY AND GO!

Between the end of our time in Habakkuk and the start of our Ephesians sermon series, we were joined by guest preacher, Jim Donohue to be encouraged in our gospel mission. The mission we have to spread the joy of Jesus to our neighbors who are like sheep without a shepherd. In a city where the harvest is plentiful and we need all the laborers we can get! Far from being overwhelmed by this task, we’re encouraged to lean in with faith that the Lord of the harvest, the Great Shepherd of our souls, will give us all we need - the people, the power, and the grace - to gather in the harvest for himself. So we pray & we go!

LISTEN TO THE SERMON HERE

WE LOOK TO CHRIST TO LEARN HOW TO SUFFER WELL

This past Sunday was our final Sunday wrapping up what we've learned in the book of Habakkuk. We turned to the letter of 1 Peter - a textbook on how to suffer well as a Christian. The believers then lived as exiles in a world in which there was no social benefit to being a Christian, they were regularly slandered and insulted by their neighbors, and they faced the same struggle against "the passions of the flesh, which wage war" against our souls as we do today (1 Pet 2:11-12). So how did Peter encourage them? How does he teach them to suffer well? By telling them to suffer like Christ. Why does he do this? Because Jesus Christ himself puts what we learned from Rom 8:31 ("If God is for us, who can be against us?") to the test and proves it's 100% true. We look to him and we learn how to suffer well as we live as exiles on the way to our eternal home. 

*Due to some technical difficulties, the opening portion of the sermon audio was not captured. You can read the manuscript here to fill in the gap and listen to the rest of the sermon below.

LISTEN TO THE SERMON HERE

YOUR ROCK SOLID CONFIDENCE OF HIS GOODNESS

In this treasure of a text, the song we've been singing all along in Habakkuk reaches its crescendo. How can we be confident beyond a shadow of a doubt that God is good and always working good? Because of Romans chapter 8. Reasoning from the gospel, Paul tells believers that if God saved you ("he did not spare his Son") then God will surely sustain you ("how will he not freely with him give us all things?") through anything and everything. If the cross, then the grace to live for God's glory and our joy in and through every situation, circumstance, and EVEN suffering of life as we press on toward glory. 

LISTEN TO THE SERMON HERE

WE CAN REJOICE BECAUSE GOD DELIVERS ON HIS PROMISES

As the book of Habakkuk comes to a close, complaining gives way to rejoicing. Lament is transformed into praise as the prophet who once saw only bad, perceives his good God by faith. He looks backward so that he can move forward. In the midst of his present trouble, he recounts God's mighty works of old, and resolves to wait upon the Lord to bring justice and salvation once again. Like Habakukk, when we look out on our lives and all seems lost, we're faced with lack, and things aren't as they should be, we need behold the God who saves. 

LISTEN TO THE SERMON HERE

BECAUSE IT REVEALS THE GOOD GOD TO US

The past few Sundays, we've been reflecting on the goodness of God. Even when it doesn't seem like it, he's always good & always working good. And if God is good, then his word is most certainly good as well. In the midst of the valleys of life, we need God's word because it reveals the good God to us. We turn to Psalm 119 because it holds God out to us declaring, "You are good and do good" (119:66). Because of this, the Scriptures are a possession greater "than thousands of gold and silver pieces," (119:72). As we meditate upon the treasures God has laid up for us in his word, our faith and joy in the God who spoke the word is strengthened and deepened. 

LISTEN TO THE SERMON HERE

FAITH WAITS FOR GOD’S PROMISES TO COME TO PASS

Habakkuk 1:1-11 taught us to believe that even when we can't see it, God is always working good. We believe he is up to something but his help never seems to come fast enough. God can do good, so why isn't he doing it now? This takes us into the tension of Habakkuk's second complaint. The prophet can’t fathom that God would use a nation as evil as the Chaldeans to bring forth justice and has a very limited sight of God’s work. God tells him that he is indeed working to bring justice, it’s just not as quickly as Habakkuk would like. It seems slow, but it will surely come, so he - and us - must wait for it, by faith. Faith not only believes when it cannot see, but it waits for God's promises to come to pass. 

LISTEN TO THE SERMON HERE

GOD IS GOOD

We begin our mini-series in the Book of Habakkuk. A book designed to encourage us when all we see is bad and it's hard to believe God is up to anything good. The book begins with the first of 2 cycles of Habakkuk’s complaint and God’s response. The prophet complains that God is not doing anything while injustice pervades the land of Judah. He sits idly by, and his law brings no benefit. God responds that he is doing something, though it’s hard to believe. He is sovereignly governing the nations, and will use the most evil among them to bring about his justice. 

LISTEN TO THE SERMON HERE

THE KING WHO WAS CRUCIFIED FOR SIN NOW LIVES

As Mark places the finishing touches upon his written portrait of Jesus, what does he want us to see? That Jesus is the Crucified and Risen King who goes before us to build his Kingdom. The King who was crucified for sin now lives and calls sinners to receive him. He’s welcoming former rebels into the Kingdom that he's building through what he's just accomplished on the cross. And we, to whom the answer to the question, "Who is Jesus?" has come, are sent out to "Go, tell" our neighbors the answer we've received (16:7). 

LISTEN TO THE SERMON HERE

ALL GOD REQUIRES IS THAT YOU BELIEVE

How do we respond to what Jesus did upon the cross? What must we do in order for everything he accomplished there to become ours? On Sunday, Senior Pastor, Eric Turbedsky from our sister church, Sovereign Grace Church of Orange, reminded us of the astonishing answer: nothing! Galatians 2:15-21 teaches us that Jesus has done everything we needed to do in order to be saved. In utter grace, he gives everything to those who don't deserve anything for nothing in return! We simply receive all he’s done by faith and faith alone.

LISTEN TO THE SERMON HERE