The continual sacrifices of the law were good because they temporarily eliminated our guilt and debt for sinning against God. But the once-for-all self-sacrifice of Jesus is better because it permanently eliminated our guilt and debt, it completely restored our relationship with God, and it’s making us perfect.
"restoration" Tagged Sermons
Tree planting, coral rehabilitation, forest rewilding, invasive species eradication and natural ground-water filtration. Restoration is the process of returning something or someone to their original beauty. Join us as this Sunday at 9 a.m. to warmly welcome those who join us for the first time, love one another, sing together and dream about your role in God’s restorative work in our world, our buildings, ourselves and the lives of discouraged people around us.
The Bible’s declaration of present and future Redemption is as revolutionary now as it was two millennia ago: God came into this broken creation to begin redeeming it. Redemption has started in us, God’s people, and eventually, it will be completed in us and through us. Our souls and bodies alike will be redeemed. Both the human and sub-human worlds will be redeemed. Redemption is for all of creation!
In His Sermon on the Mount, Jesus is giving insight into how His Kingdom is different than what the audience had known and experienced. In Matthew 6:33, He summarizes the action we must take in light of all these Kingdom Insights: We must seek first the Kingdom of God and God Himself and then respond in faith!
Home inspections reveal that which is good and that which needs improvement. So, our world is filled with shooting stars and shooting victims. Jesus began a cosmic restoration during His brief life and He invited others to join Him in healing the world and humanity. For united with Him, His death was the death of the project for worldwide renewal and personal wholeness. So, His resurrection, was more than His resurrection. It was the rebirth of all that He began, His disciples now continue, and He will complete when He comes again at the end of the age – the renewal of all things!
The 3rd verse of Joy to the World is probably the least known verse. Often when we sing the song, it’s left out altogether. Verse 3 is distinct from the other verses because it doesn’t take its inspiration from Psalm 98, but rather Genesis 3 – the curse. But it does take the form of a Psalm: the first 2 lines are a plea to God Himself, and the second 2 lines are a promise from God to His people. What is your plea to God today? And what is His promise, into that plea? In this world we will have troubles, but take heart! Jesus has overcome the world. And that is cause for true joy.
Sin is the exchange of good things for the ultimate thing: love of God and love for people. Although it can be difficult to admit, we all have a living and relentless sinful nature that drives us to wander from God’s created purpose of delight in Him and service for others. On this 4th Sunday of Advent the good news comes from an angel to Joseph, “You shall call his name Jesus, for he will save his people from their sins.” In this message we celebrate how the arrival of Jesus provides salvation over the penalty, the power and eventually the presence of sin for those who believe in the One whose birth this angel announced.
Acts 4 picks up the story a few hours after the crippled man has been healed… Peter and John are arrested and detained for upsetting the peace with their “uneducated” teaching, and for convincing people to join the “Jesus is Lord” movement. For the first time, the apostles find themselves in the exact same place Jesus was just weeks prior: in front of the ruling religious council of their day, being strongly questioned. Previously, this environment was the catalyst for Peter’s cowardly denials of Jesus as he observed the hostility and authority of the council to put his master to death. However, in this “second chance,” Peter stays on offense, yet respectfully. Through his response to the council’s intimidation, he provides one of the strongest case studies in the power of the Holy Spirit to transform people fully, into who they were created to be, in the image of Jesus himself.
When the Bible reports a miraculous healing it raises many questions. Why is there so much illness, disease and brokenness in our world? Does God heal today? What is our role in physical and other forms of restoration? Neither this text nor this message answer all the questions. Yet, it is clear that our exalted Jesus is still refurbishing bodies and more,…
Throughout the Bible Jesus is portrayed as The Good Shepherd. In this well-known Psalm, we see many of the benefits of following Christ including living with Him in Heaven for eternity. To receive the benefits, we must see ourselves in the proper perspective and follow Jesus, The Good Shepherd, wherever He leads us.