Why is Jesus called the "lamb"? This Sunday, we'll look back at the origins of this prophetic image to give us a deeper understanding of the gospel--that salvation comes not in our own effort but through His blood applied to our hearts in faith. The Son's Christmas coming always had an Easter purpose.
Is there a God? What is he like? How can we know him? How should we obey him? There are many people who say that they are speaking God's words or God's will. And yet often they contradict one another! So how do we know who is right? Our Advent sermon series is looking at the Old Testament promises (and images) of Jesus' coming. We've seen how Jesus is the serpent-crushing Savior and the righteous Ruler from David's line. This week we'll consider Jesus as the One who speaks--and indeed, even embodies--the Word of God to us.
Authority is so easily abused. Everyone from bosses to politicians to even pastors let us down. Is there any hope for a truly just ruler? Our Advent sermon series is looking at the Old Testament promises (and images) of Jesus' coming. Last week we saw that Jesus is the seed of the woman who crushes the serpent and wins our salvation. This week, we'll consider how Jesus fulfills the promise of a righteous King on David's throne.
"Advent" means a coming or arrival. It's the season where we remember Jesus' first coming and look forward to his coming again. We'll take a break from our Romans sermon series to consider the Old Testament promises (and images) of Jesus' coming. This week, we begin, well, at the very beginning.
Have you thought of spiritual darkness? How fixated are you on rationalizing your suffering and clinging to traditions and preconceived notions? Are they hindering you from seeing the light - Jesus? Though we may see, we may be spiritually blind! Come as we delve into this transformative story in John 9, where physical blindness leads to spiritual sight!
What does true, saving faith look like? We'll consider the example of Abraham and how faith, not works, saves us.
It’s Missions Sunday! Scripture makes clear that we should work for the advance the gospel for the salvation of all nations. Yet it’s easy to fall into apathy or distraction and neglect this call. So what should motivate our missions? And how can we take part in God’s salvation of the world through Christ? We’ll take a break from our Romans series this Sunday to consider the mission of God through his church for the whole world.
Exactly 507 years ago this week, German monk Martin Luther nailed his 95 Theses to the door of his local church in Wittenberg, Germany. This began what became known as the Protestant Reformation - and it is how, in God's Providence, we are worshiping Christ in 2024 at Ruggles. Central to the Protestant Reformation was recovering the biblical teaching from our passage this Sunday - that we are justified, or made righteous, before God not by our works, but by faith alone. We'll see this Sunday what revolutionized and reformed the Church, and why "sola fide" is such glorious good news for us today!
This Sunday's passage is a detailed x-ray of how God saves us in the gospel. Significantly, we'll see that God's gift to us in the gospel is much more than forgiveness! Here the Apostle Paul paints a picture of our salvation with words like "righteousness," "grace," "justification," "law," "redemption," and "propitiation." Finally, we'll see why continuing to believe and boast only in the gospel is a crucial antidote to our pride, our anxiety, and our relationships with others.
So how bad is it really? This Sunday we come to the Apostle Paul's climactic conclusion about the depth and breadth of humanity's sin and rebellion against God. The truth is, all are sinners deserving the death penalty. We are guilty as charged by God, the only just judge. We'll see not only how bad it is but also the benefit to reading this sweeping judgment against us.
How do you know that you're a Christian? This is a simple but relevant question, because Scripture is clear that it's possible (even common) for people to be deceived about their relationship with God--particulaly "religious" people with a background in church. And this is who the Apostle Paul addresses in our passage this Sunday. We'll see the reality of false assurance and the defining factor of true salvatoin in Christ. It's a matter of the heart.
It's so easy to be judgmental of others' sins while overlooking our own. In our passage this Sunday, the Apostle Paul says the wrath of God is not only on "unreligious" sinners but it falls justly on hypocritical "religious" sinners, too! So how can we discern what is right, both for ourselves and others, without falling into judgmentalism?
We can’t rejoice in the good news until we face the reality of the bad news. What is God’s wrath? Why is he angry? What are its effects on our world? This Sunday we’ll study the depth of our need so we can rejoice even more in God’s grace.
Have you ever been tempted to hide or downplay your faith in Christ? As we come to the main thesis of the book of Romans, the Apostle Paul declares why we should be confident—unashamed!—to preach and live out the gospel.
How often do you think about your ultimate purpose in life? 1 Corinthians 13 shows us that our ultimate purpose is to love Jesus and be loved by Him. Let’s see what love ought to look like, and most importantly, how Jesus loves.
What does the Christian life look like? Last week we began the book of Romans, and we saw the Apostle Paul's calling--and our calling--is to be set apart for Christ and his gospel. But what does that mean practically? We'll see in this week's passage that believing the gospel should motivate us to share this good news with others.
What is your life centered on? Beginning this week, our sermon series in Romans will call us into a greater knowledge of and joy in the glorious good news of Jesus Christ.
What is the church for? We'll remember and consider anew this Sunday Jesus' "Great Commission" for his church. What is our role in Christ's mission, both as individuals and as a church, and how do we accomplish this task we've been given?
When people encountered Jesus, they noticed His kindness, the gracious words that came out of his mouth, His compassion for people. Jesus was someone you wanted to learn from and to hang out with. There was something about Him that drew you in. He wasn’t like other people. Jesus somehow consistently lived a beautiful life?
Are you living a beautiful life? How do we even define a beautiful life in 2024, given the numerous options and definitions swirling around us? Regardless of the definition you choose, why does it end up producing selfish people, who don’t act like Jesus, even those who believe in him? How did it all go so wrong? To answer these questions we need to go back to beginning, to the garden of Eden and allow God to unpack this dilemma for us.
What does a faithful response to difficult times look like? What or who do we turn to when we feel personally attacked or threatened? Psalm 62 shows us that only God is a trustworthy refuge in troubled times. How is this Psalm fulfilled by Christ and how does David's contemplation instruct us today as we read it?
