God's original design for authority is good, but it's so often abused. So how do we exercise our authority justly in the midst of a fallen world where so many are oppressed? This great royal Psalm from David and Solomon will give us practical instruction, and real hope!
This series is based loosely on the book, Authority by Jonathan Leeman.
In our passage this Sunday, we see a beautiful picture of the best of the church and a vivid picture of the worst of the church. Bro. Daniel will teach on how we're to bring our sin into the light and serve one another generously.
We come this week to 1 Timothy's dramatic conclusion. It's as if the Apostle Paul is reaching through the page, grabbing Timothy by the shoulders, staring intensely into his eyes, and earnestly exhorting him: "Fight the good fight of the faith!" We'll explore this Sunday why the Christian life is a battle, and we'll see specifically what we're fighting for and against.
"It's not fair." We usually say it when we don't get something we feel like we deserve, or when we're comparing ourselves to someone else. Have you ever said this to God? In our passage this week, Jesus shocks the disciples with the "unfair" economy of his kingdom. Yes, God richly rewards his followers (19:29), but these eternal rewards aren't earned. They are received by a radically generous God who distributes them according to his will, not our own.
It seems that our nation is more divided than ever. It has become second nature to vilify those who are different from us or in disagreement with us. But in Sunday's passage recording Jesus' feeding of the five thousand, we see the Lord show a supernatural compassion for an undeserving people. And one group of the undeserving is the disciples themselves! We'll learn how we're not just objects of Christ's compassion but also instruments of it, too, for others.
This week is our annual stewardship Sunday, the one week every year when we consider how the Lord calls us to steward our finances for his kingdom purposes. This is also the season when we invite you to plan out your giving to the church for the next year, which serves to grow each of us in generosity while also helping us plan our church budget for the coming year. On Sunday, we'll open up the book of Leviticus and see how God's call to holy living applies to our money.
"Humble-bragging" and "virtue-signaling" are 21st Century phrases, but the concept is as old as, well, sin. Our hearts are so corrupt that we can turn even a righteous deed into an opportunity for unrighteous pride. As we continue to the learn the character of Christ's kingdom in his Sermon the the Mount, Jesus teaches us that we need to repent not only for our sinful deeds but for our righteous ones, too.
How can we grow as generous people? This Sunday is our annual "Stewardship Sunday," which coincides with the beginning of our new fiscal year. This is the primary time in the year when we hear from God's word about giving. We'll take a break from our prayer series this week and delve into 2 Corinthians 9 with the goal of learning generosity and worshiping the source and pinnacle of all generosity in our Lord Jesus Christ!
