Preacher: Jeremy Herbert

Text: Ephesians 2

Theme of Ephesians: God is redeeming His corrupted creation through Christ,
beginning with the church,
so that we might rejoice in Him forever

Notes:

1. We are alive and exalted in Christ, 2:1-10
2. We are reconciled to God and unified with other believers in Christ, 2:11-18
3. We are now one in Christ, 2:19-22

We are born spiritually dead, hostile to God, obeying the will of Satan:

• Ephesians 2:1-3
  • The world, the flesh, and the devil
• Romans 8:7
• 1 Corinthians 2:14
• Colossians 1:21
• Colossians 2:13

“But God”

• Ephesisans 2:4-6
  • God, entirely through His mercy, made us (who were dead) alive in Christ
  • John 15
  • Ephesians 2:8, “it is the gift of God”
    • What is the gift of God
    • Faith itself
    • Salvation is a gift, and faith is the gift that enables us to lay hold of salvation

We are His workmanship, created for good works

• God renews His creation–beginning with His people

We are now one in Christ

• Christ made this people out of disparate peoples
  • Jews and Gentiles
• We as the church are One
  • One people
  • One household
  • One body
  • One temple
  • Built on one cornerstone

We as God’s (one) people must get some things right

• John 13:35, “By this all people will know that you are my disciples, if you have love for one another.”
• We must love one another, and we must also love those that aren’t reconciled to God
• Because God loves those not reconciled to Him
• We are to reflect our Father

One in Jesus, by Ken Bible

“So many troubles come to us
By the way we treat each other,
But all who share Your life and love
Are my sisters and my brothers.”

Podcast: Play in new window | Download

–Ephesians Week 1 of 7–

Theme of Ephesians: God is redeeming/reclaiming His corrupted creation through Christ,
beginning with the church, so that we might rejoice in Him forever.

Preacher: Jeremy Herbert

Text: Ephesians

Overview:

• Chapters 1-3 – our new identity in Christ
• Chapters 4-6 – how we live out our new identity in our new family

Notes:

• God is redeeming us in Christ, Chapter 1:1-14
• God is revealing Himself to us in Christ, Chapter 1:15-23

Saints–“holy ones”–holy not because of anything in us, but because of Christ’s holiness imputed to us.

Faithful–those who trust in God’s promises, aka, believers

God doesn’t accept you because you have been good lately, God accepts you because of Christ’s merits

• On your very worst days
• On your very best days

Grace is mentioned 13 times in Ephesians.

All of the Trinity, and all of Time are involved in God’s redemptive plan

1. God the Father—planned our redemption in eternity past
   • “He chose us in Him.” 1:4
   • “He predestined us for adoption” 1:5
   • Salvation starts with God–His sovereignty, His initiative
   • Paul uses a lot of covenant language to describe God’s acts in salvation
   • Grace is amazing because we didn’t do anything to earn it or secure it
2. God the Son—secured out salvation by His sacrifice
3. God the Spirit—

God gives us the Holy Spirit so that we can know the Son, and He gives us the Son to know the Father.

The more that you love God the more you will love people.

The gospel is primarily  about God.

Preacher: Jeremy Herbert

Text: Hebrews 10:19-25

Theme: I Love My Church Ministry

Thesis: You need your local church because it’s how God protects and grows our faith.

Notes:

Read Hebrews with 3 distinct groups in mind:

1. The Uncommitted – those who have heard the gospel, but not yet converted
2. The Wavering – those who have believed the gospel, but are wavering due to persecution
3. The Faithful – those who are committed to Christ, but are suffering for their faith

Satan tempts with both persecution as well as prosperity.

“Cure your children’s warring madness;
bend our pride to your control;
shame our wanton, selfish gladness,
rich in things and poor in soul.” — Fosdick

2 Timothy 4:10, “For Demas, in love with this present world, has deserted me and gone to Thessalonica….”

3 Commands

1. To the Uncommitted – Commit to Christ–the only way to God
2. To the Wavering – Cling to Christ–God always keeps His promises
3. To the Faithful – Commit to God’s people – God uses it to protect and grow your faith

1 Timothy 3:15, “…the household of God, which is the church of the living God, a pillar and buttress of the truth.”

“No creeds but Christ” might sound spiritual, but many non-Christian denominations believe in Jesus, but do not believe rightly about Him. Heresy thrives in ambiguity.

How we commit to each other

1. Consider one another
   • Careful thought
   • Compassionate concern
   • Who can I do the most good for my church family today?
2. Stir up love and good works in each other
3. Assemble Together
4. Exhort one another
   • Get to know your fellow church members by being a good listener
   • Come to church on-mission, ready to serve

How people forsake the church

1. We make it about “me” instead of about “us”
   • “If a man thinks he is not conceited, he is very conceited indeed.” –C.S. Lewis
2. We don’t find time to serve in regular ministry
   • Use the gifts Christ enabled you with to serve others
3. We don’t take time and energy to build gospel-centered relationships
   • Fear, selfishness, busyness–all impediments to relationship

Why people forsake the church

1. They could be woefully uninformed
2. They could be willfully rebellious
3. They could be wicked heretics

Why we need the church

1. We are at war
2. We can drift doctrinally
3. We can drift spiritually
4. We were made for community
   • Throughout Scripture God always calls people out into a community:
     • Abraham
     • Jacob
     • Nation of Israel
     • The Church

Live It Out!

1. Love your church
2. Make gatherings a priority
3. Make building gospel-centered relationships a priority

Podcast: Play in new window | Download

Preacher: Jeremy Herbert

Text: Acts 20:33-35

Theme:

Notes:

Covetous and Contentment are not money issues per se–they are heart issues.

Believers find their identities rooted in Jesus Christ.

What you look to to give you security and satisfaction is what you will worship.

Colossians 3:5, “Covetousness, which is idolatry”

Sin isn’t always desiring that which is inherently evil–sometimes it is desiring a good thing too much.

A heart that is not content will use and abuse others to get it.

Contentment in Christ

1. Enables you to live in any circumstance
   • Philippians 4:12, “I know how to be brought low, and I know how to abound.
     In any and every circumstance, I have learned the secret of facing plenty and hunger,
     abundance and need.”
2. Empowers generosity
   • 1 Timothy 6:17-18, “Command those who are rich in this present age not to be haughty, nor to trust in uncertain riches but in the living God, who gives us richly all things to enjoy.
     Let them do good, that they be rich in good works, ready to give, willing to share,”
3. Engenders trust in God’s sovereignty
   • Hebrews 13:5-6, “Keep your life free from love of money, and be content with what you have,
     for he has said, “I will never leave you nor forsake you.”
     So we can confidently say, “The Lord is my helper; I will not fear; what can man do to me?””

Should Pastors Be Paid?

1. Our gospel mission shapes our strategies
   • 2 Corinthians 11:8, “I robbed other churches by accepting support from them in order to serve you.”
2. The church should be generous because we are family
   • Galatians 6:10, “So then, as we have opportunity, let us do good to everyone,
     and especially to those who are of the household of faith.”
3. The church should view vocational ministry as a gospel partnership
   • 1 Tim 5:17-18, “Let the elders who rule well be considered worthy of double honor, especially those who labor in preaching and teaching.
     18 For the Scripture says, “You shall not muzzle an ox when it treads out the grain,” and, “The laborer deserves his wages.””
   • 1 Corinthians 9:1-27, “..those who proclaim the gospel should get their living by the gospel.”

Live It Out!

1. Fight covetousness with contentment in Christ
2. Team leaders like family and appreciate their work.

Podcast: Play in new window | Download

Preacher: Cliff Swanson

Text: Matthew 2:1-12

Theme: What We Can Learn From The Wise Men

Text:

Wise men likely heard the prophecy regarding the star and the birth of the Messiah
from Daniel during the Babylonian captivity.

Podcast: Play in new window | Download

Preacher: Jeremy Herbert

Text: Acts 20:17-24

Theme: 5 Ways A Leader Can Love the Church Well: The Leader’s Motives

Notes:

Four Choices That Motivate Good Leaders

1. Ultimate, eternal joy over temporal happiness
2. Faithfulness over human success
   • “Ministry is not measured in months, it is measured in decades.”
   • Psalm 1
   • Faithful Christian service is a marathon, not a sprint
3. Christ and His people over selfish ambition
   • 2 Corinthians 8:9, “…though he was rich, yet for your sake he became poor…”
   • We often think of God as a part of our story
   • We sacrifice the most for what we consider as the most valuable
   • We don’t just give of ourselves to Christ–we give ourselves to Christ
   • Embrace ignorance: serve Christ and His people–
     • not knowing that things are going to be OK
     • not knowing that what I do is appreciated
     • not knowing what the rewards will be
   • Are you willing to serve God and His people
     • knowing your sacrifice may not be seen
     • knowing your motives may be misjudged
     • knowing you may be falsely accused
   • Faithful ministry includes times of pressure and discomfort
     • Yet those not in leadership may be a blessing to their leaders:
       • Romans 1:11-12, “…that you and I may be mutually encouraged by each other’s faith.”
       • Hebrews 13:17, “…Let them do so with joy and not with grief,…”

Live It Out!

1. Don’t just give of yourself–give yourself
   • 2 Corinthians 8:1-5
2. Let the hard parts of life push you toward Christ and His people
3. Be part of the team

Podcast: Play in new window | Download

Preacher: Jeremy Herbert

Text: Acts 20:17-24

Theme: The Leader’s Motives: Good leaders choose ultimate, eternal joy over happiness.

Notes:

“…we settle for a second human best when God and grace offers us so much more.” –Paul Tripp, Dangerous Calling

Does the joy of Christ permeate my life in such a way that others would want it?

1. We serve by joy
2. We serve for joy
3. We serve with joy

Live It Out

1. Remember
2. Repent
3. Renew

Podcast: Play in new window | Download

Preacher: Jeremy Herbert

Text: Titus 2:11-15

Theme: Thanksgiving

Notes:

Titus written about 20 years after events in Acts 20.

The New Testament doesn’t glamorize the early churches–they are given to us warts and all.

Epimenides, a Cretan poet: “Cretans are always liars, evil beasts, and lazy gluttons”.

Thanksgiving is a right attitude outflow of a spiritually healthy heart.

Past – 2:11, “the grace of God has appeared to all men”

• What is grace?
• Grace is a Person, not a thing
• When the Scripture speaks of “more grace”,  it’s not more of a substance–it is more of the experience of drawing near to Christ
• Grace = God’s goodness given to us through the Person and work of Jesus Christ
• No Christian is given any more grace than any other Christian
  • Those who spend more time in God’s presence experience more of Christ’s goodness

Present – Titus 2:12, “training us to renounce ungodliness….to live…godly lives in this present age”

• “in this present age” – it doesn’t matter what place or time, God’s grace can teach us to live godly
  • 1st century Crete
  • 16th century Europe
  • 21st century America
• Acts 2 – Cretans listed among believers at Pentecost
• We can fall into two opposite errors:
  • Trusting grace apart from means: “Just let go and let God make me holy”
  • Trusting means apart from grace: “If I work hard enough God will make me holy”
• Correct: trusting God to provide grace by use of means that He has given
  • We labor AND trust God to transform
• “training us to renounce ungodliness and worldly passions”
  • saying no to things, so that we might say yes to better things
  • we deny ourselves those things that are against God (ungodliness)

Future – 3:13, “waiting for our blessed hope, the appearing  of…God and Savior Jesus Christ”

Podcast: Play in new window | Download