Christ Church (Moscow, ID)

<p>Preacher: Douglas Wilson<br>Text: Acts 4:1–4<br><br>Because Jesus rose from the dead, in fulfillment of the words of the ancient prophets (Acts 3:24), and because He did so in fulfillment of His own confident pronouncements that He would rise (Matt. 20:18-19), the gospel message of the resurrected Christ has true authority. It is not the thing that must be proven, it is the ultimate and most glorious proof. Moreover, the preached message of the resurrection is not something to be placed under a microscope and examined in order to be proven. Rather, the declared message is also itself a proof. The resurrection proves, and also the preaching of the resurrection proves.</p>

<p>Preacher: Ben Merkle<br>Text: 1 Cor. 15:1–19<br><br>PHARISEES AND SADDUCEES<br>Acts 22:30-23:10<br>When Paul appears before the Sanhedrin, he appeals to his belief in the resurrection. This was a point of theology that divided the Pharisees and the Sadducees. The Pharisees believed in a resurrection and the Sadducees did not. Paul’s appeal effectively split the Sanhedrin’s opposition to Paul’s teaching.<br><br>THE RESURRECTED CHRIST IN THE CHRISTIAN’S IDENTITY<br>However, I would argue that the doctrine of the resurrection was more than just a conveniently divisive point for Paul at this moment. Paul argues that the risen Christ is the foundation for the Christian’s identity (Gal. 2:20, Col. 3:1). And fundamental to this resurrected identity is the forgiveness that we have in Christ.<br><br>AND FORGIVENESS IS CENTRAL TO THIS IDENTITY<br>In 1 Cor. 15, Paul argues that the fact that Christ rose from the dead means that we are forgiven. The resurrection of Jesus is the central miracle of the Bible. And that resurrection is a testimony that another incredible miracle has happened – you have been forgiven of your sins.<br><br>THE CONSCIENCE<br>And so, every accusation of guilt that is levelled against one of God’s saints must deal with the fact of Jesus’ resurrection. It is not surprising then that when the subject of his conscience comes up, Paul will constantly want to start talking about the resurrection of Jesus.<br><br>AN EASTER CONSCIENCE<br>The enemy’s primary power is that of accusation. Satan is an accuser. In the resurrection of Jesus Christ, God has given us the greatest possible defence against these accusations. He has given us an Easter conscience. As one of God’s saints, you are called to use the resurrection of Jesus Christ as a weapon in your own sanctification.</p>

<p>Preacher: Toby Sumpter<br><br>Freedom and truth go together, hand in hand. Freedom is not merely lack of constraint or the power of choice. Because it if were, truth would have no bearing on freedom. You wouldn’t need truth to be free. But Jesus says that you cannot be free apart from the truth. The truth is what makes a man free. And therefore, lies are what enslave. Lies are captivity. “Therefore my people are gone into captivity, because they have no knowledge…” (Is. 5:13).</p>

<p>Preacher: Douglas Wilson<br><br>The story of our Lord’s passion is a story that is saturated in ironies. One of those ironies is found in how the high priest got Jesus to speak at His trial, and what the Lord included in His answer. Just as Jesus made the good confession before Pilate (1 Tim. 6:13), so also He spoke the truth before Caiaphas—making the good confession there also.</p>

<p>Preacher: Douglas Wilson<br>Sermon: The Public Cross<br><br>Jesus was not murdered in private by thugs, only to come back from the dead in secret, with a select band of initiates being told to whisper the news to another handful: “Pssst! Pass it on.” No, He was executed publicly by the authorities, and He rose from the dead in such a way as to declare His absolute authority over all the kingdoms of men, and over everything that they contain. We have to learn how to see the cross in these terms...</p>

<p>"Tell all the stories. And while you're at it, live out some stories that will be worth the telling." – Douglas Wilson</p>

<p>Preacher: Aaron Ventura</p>

<p>Preacher: Toby Sumpter<br>Text: Mark 11:11–26<br><br>What’s wrong with this world? What do we really need? The central answer of the Bible is that our problems all flow from the problem of sin, and therefore, what the world fundamentally needs is forgiveness. When Jesus entered Jerusalem on Palm Sunday, He went straight into the temple. And then over the next few days, He keeps returning to the temple: first clearing it out, then preaching and teaching in it. Jesus insists that the point of His life is to fulfill what the temple always pointed to: forgiveness for sins.</p>

<p>Preacher: Ben Zornes<br>Text: Zechariah 9:8–10<br><br>The danger of clichés is that they are usually quite right. but because they are right, they get consigned to pasteboard behind the goalposts of a televised football game. What should shake the foundations of darkness is met with an eye-roll.</p>

<p>Preacher: Douglas Wilson<br>Text: Matthew 23:27–39<br><br>When the Lord entered Jerusalem in His triumphal entry, He was walking steadily toward a triumph that only He really understood. His followers knew that it was a triumph, certainly, but they did not yet know what kind of triumph it was going to be. The Lord was going to die on a cross, and that is why He set His face to go to Jerusalem (Luke 9:51). And this is why, as Chesterton once observed, the cross can never be defeated. It can never be defeated because it is defeat.</p>

<p>Preacher: Douglas Wilson<br><br>Dedicate yourself to things that matter.</p>

<p>Speaker: Dr. George Grant<br>—<br>Christ taught us that the poor will always be with us. He called us to clothe the naked, feed the poor, visit the imprisoned, care for the widow and orphan. But when the Church grows lax in her mission of mercy, it won’t be long before the Nanny-State ambles along offering her services to solve the problems of poverty, suffering, and broken homes. When charity becomes the task of godless bureaucracy you can guarantee that you will end up with very little true charity and instead you’ll have endless bureaucratic hallways.<br><br>The Church must return to God’s instructions for caring for the poor.</p>

<p>Speaker: Douglas Wilson<br>—<br>Christ taught us that the poor will always be with us. He called us to clothe the naked, feed the poor, visit the imprisoned, care for the widow and orphan. But when the Church grows lax in her mission of mercy, it won’t be long before the Nanny-State ambles along offering her services to solve the problems of poverty, suffering, and broken homes. When charity becomes the task of godless bureaucracy you can guarantee that you will end up with very little true charity and instead you’ll have endless bureaucratic hallways.<br><br>The Church must return to God’s instructions for caring for the poor.</p>

<p>Speakers: Douglas Wilson, George Grant<br>—<br>Christ taught us that the poor will always be with us. He called us to clothe the naked, feed the poor, visit the imprisoned, care for the widow and orphan. But when the Church grows lax in her mission of mercy, it won’t be long before the Nanny-State ambles along offering her services to solve the problems of poverty, suffering, and broken homes. When charity becomes the task of godless bureaucracy you can guarantee that you will end up with very little true charity and instead you’ll have endless bureaucratic hallways.<br><br>The Church must return to God’s instructions for caring for the poor.</p>

<p>Speaker: George Grant<br>—<br>Christ taught us that the poor will always be with us. He called us to clothe the naked, feed the poor, visit the imprisoned, care for the widow and orphan. But when the Church grows lax in her mission of mercy, it won’t be long before the Nanny-State ambles along offering her services to solve the problems of poverty, suffering, and broken homes. When charity becomes the task of godless bureaucracy you can guarantee that you will end up with very little true charity and instead you’ll have endless bureaucratic hallways.<br><br>The Church must return to God’s instructions for caring for the poor.</p>

<p>Speaker: Douglas Wilson<br>—<br>Christ taught us that the poor will always be with us. He called us to clothe the naked, feed the poor, visit the imprisoned, care for the widow and orphan. But when the Church grows lax in her mission of mercy, it won’t be long before the Nanny-State ambles along offering her services to solve the problems of poverty, suffering, and broken homes. When charity becomes the task of godless bureaucracy you can guarantee that you will end up with very little true charity and instead you’ll have endless bureaucratic hallways.<br><br>The Church must return to God’s instructions for caring for the poor.</p>

<p>Speaker: Toby Sumpter<br>—<br>Christ taught us that the poor will always be with us. He called us to clothe the naked, feed the poor, visit the imprisoned, care for the widow and orphan. But when the Church grows lax in her mission of mercy, it won’t be long before the Nanny-State ambles along offering her services to solve the problems of poverty, suffering, and broken homes. When charity becomes the task of godless bureaucracy you can guarantee that you will end up with very little true charity and instead you’ll have endless bureaucratic hallways.<br><br>The Church must return to God’s instructions for caring for the poor.</p>

<p>Preacher: Chase Fluhart<br><br>In this time of general suspicion, we in the Church ought to double down on our efforts to be worthy of trust.</p>

<p>Preacher: Shawn Paterson<br>Text: Rev. 2:8–11<br><br>And to the angel of the church in Smyrna write: "The words of the first and the last, who died and came to life. I know your tribulation and your poverty (but you are rich) and the slander of those who say that they are Jews and are not, but are a synagogue of Satan. Do not fear what you are about to suffer. Behold, the devil is about to throw some of you into prison, that you may be tested, and for ten days you will have tribulation. Be faithful unto death, and I will give you the crown of life. He who has an ear, let him hear what the Spirit says to the churches. The one who conquers will not be hurt by the second death."</p>

<p>There is no trouble like homebrewed trouble. Whenever we are learning how to eat our own cooking, how to sleep in the beds we made, or how to get along in the troubled relationships that we troubled, the difficulty is learning how to get our arms completely around our own responsibility. That is, how to do it without despair, or rather without despairing finally and completely.</p>

<p>Preacher: Douglas Wilson<br>Sermon: State of the Church 2021<br><br>We need to be Bible readers.</p>

<p>One of Scripture’s great themes is the theme of deliverance. God first delivers us from the bondage of our sins, and then after this He delivers us from the spite and hate leveled at us by those who hate the fact that we have been delivered from the bondage of our sins. This is a psalm about that second kind of deliverance.<br><br>This is the way of the world. No sooner is the man child of Revelation born but the dragon is after him and his mother both (Rev. 12:13). The history of the world is a history of billions of deaths, but the very first one was a martyr’s death (Luke 11:51; Heb. 11:4).<br><br>We will be addressing the subject of persecution, and while I will not be making explicit references to our situation here in Moscow, you are invited to make your own applications for use in your prayers. This does apply for the simple reason that these things always apply.</p>

<p>Preacher: Aaron Ventura<br>Text: Ezra 4:1–5</p>

<p>Preacher: Toby Sumpter<br><br>Do you want to see the Light drive back the darkness? Do you want to see the abortion carnage end? Do you want to see women honored in our land? Then kill this sin. To paraphrase John Owen: You are not getting stronger if you are not walking daily over the back of your lust.</p>

<p>"You are to standfast in this freedom. There is no justification outside of faith in Christ." – Dr. Tim Edwards</p>

<p>While we should be persistent, militant, and ambitious for growth and holiness and success, Christians should also care about the process as much as the final product. You could drag your kids through family worship or a classical education and they could hate you at the end of it. It would have been better to do less with joy and win their hearts than lose their hearts on the altar of some checklist you made up or saw on a website one time.</p>

<p>Preacher: Dr. Tim Edwards.<br>Text: Galatians 4:21–5:6.</p>

<p>Preacher: Douglas Wilson.<br><br>One of the features of the modern evangelical world is that we hear conflicting voices. On the one hand we hear those calling for radical discipleship and renunciation. On the other we hear the clamor of those selling what has come to be called the “health and wealth” gospel. It should not surprise us to discover that the Scriptures actually teach us both. And the only way such contraries can be made to agree and walk together is if the Holy Spirit of God is at work.</p>

<p>Preacher: Ben Zornes.<br><br>Our tendency is to avoid hearing hard words. We tolerate plenty of profane words. We don’t mind trading rhetorical blows of biting words, or watching the “food fight” of political & media blow-hards. But we shield ourselves against hard words.</p>

<p>Preacher: Toby Sumpter<br><br>“The Lord said to my Lord, sit at my right hand, until I make your enemies your footstool” (Ps. 110:1). <br><br>Where is Jesus right now? We confess the answer every single week: He ascended into heaven and sits at the right hand of God the Father Almighty. And what is Jesus doing at the right hand of God the Father? He is reigning until all of His enemies have been put beneath His feet. The Psalmist says the Lord has sent His rod of strength out of Zion to conquer all of His enemies.</p>

<p>Preacher: Shawn Paterson<br><br>At the time of the Reformation, the inherited church calendar was bloated and a burden, with 40–60 holy days and dozens of fasting days. The Reformed solution to this problem varied. Some ditched the calendar altogether, while the majority retained what are called the five evangelical feast days: Christmas, Good Friday, Easter, Ascension Day, and Pentecost. <br><br>Both groups used similar criteria for their pastoral decisions regarding what to celebrate.<br><br>First, they acknowledged that Christians are free in Christ to observe or not observe special days or seasons. As St Paul wrote, “One person esteems one day as better than another, while another esteems all days alike. Each one should be fully convinced in his own mind.” <br><br>The second criteria was that of edification. Will this practice largely help or hurt our people in their faith? Each congregation has different needs, different contexts, and this takes wisdom.</p>

<p>There is so much freedom in obedience. But sinners complicate everything, and by our own hard hearts, we make obedience hard.</p>

<p>We live in a generation that wants to define family in radically perverse and demented ways. In times like this, it is easy to allow phrases like the traditional family and the biblical family to blur together, as though they were the same thing. But the biblical family is much more militant than the traditional family, and much less sentimental. And this is one of the reasons why the traditional family has had such trouble defending itself against the onslaught of the “brave new family.”</p>

<p>Preacher: Douglas Wilson<br><br>The word eucatastrophe was coined by J.R.R. Tolkien, and it refers to a deliverance when all was thought to be lost. There was no possible way . . . and then the unbelievable happened. “My chains fell off, my heart was free. I rose, went forth, and followed thee.”</p>

<p>The reason our nation is fracturing into tribes, breaking the tenuous alliances that held us together, and drawing battle lines is that we have fled from the worship of the triune God, and run to worship various idols. So, don’t join frenzied crowds who aren’t governed by the Spirit of Wisdom. But do not lag behind when it comes to zealously pursuing the worship of God alone.</p>

<p>This is the first message in our Discipleship Seminar on Marriage.<br><br>For more resources visit <a href="https://christkirk.com" rel="nofollow noopener" target="_blank">https://christkirk.com</a>.</p>

<p>This is the second message in our Discipleship Seminar on Marriage.<br><br>For more resources visit <a href="https://christkirk.com" rel="nofollow noopener" target="_blank">https://christkirk.com</a>.</p>

<p>This is the fourth message in our Discipleship Seminar on Marriage.<br><br>For more resources visit <a href="https://christkirk.com" rel="nofollow noopener" target="_blank">https://christkirk.com</a>.</p>

<p>This is the fifth video in our Discipleship Seminar on Marriage.<br><br>For more resources visit <a href="https://christkirk.com" rel="nofollow noopener" target="_blank">https://christkirk.com</a>.</p>

<p>This is the sixth video in our Discipleship Seminar on Marriage.<br><br>For more resources visit <a href="https://christkirk.com" rel="nofollow noopener" target="_blank">https://christkirk.com</a>.</p>

<p>Preacher: Dr. George Grant<br>Text: 1 Cor. 1:18–31</p>

<p>Preacher: Douglas Wilson<br>Text: 1 Cor. 2:1–10<br><br>Jesus was crucified in a public way, and His death necessarily has public ramifications. There is no way to be fully faithful to the message of His death and resurrection in private. Private faith in this public event cannot, in the very nature of the case, remain private.</p>

<p>This psalm is the next in the psalms of ascent (120-134)—a psalm that would be sung as pilgrims made their way up to Jerusalem. This is a psalm of true assurance . . . for true men.</p>

<p>"The one thing our culture does not want is strong women, free women because that would mean hundreds of millions of forgiven women." – Toby Sumpter</p>

<p>Dr. Jonathan Gibson is ordained in the International Presbyterian Church (UK) and assistant professor of Old Testament at Westminster Theological Seminary.</p>

<p>Preacher: Douglas Wilson<br>Text: Gen. 1:21, Isa. 27:1, Ps. 74:12–14<br><br>We do not pay enough attention to foundational myths. This is the case both with the fanciful myths of the unbelievers and the genuine myths that are recorded for us in Scripture. While many myths are false, and Scripture treats the word in that way, with myths being described as pernicious, false, and unedifying (1 Tim. 1:4, 4:7; 2 Tim. 4:4; Tit. 1:14; 2 Pet. 1:16), the phrase true myth is nevertheless not oxymoronic.</p>

<p>Preacher: Ben Zornes<br><br>Sons and daughters, hang with me here, are different. If you hand a girl a nerf gun, she’ll wrap it in a blanket and put it to bed. If you hand a doll to a boy, somehow he’ll turn it into a gun. As fathers and mothers, you are called to raise your sons and daughters in the fear and admonition of the Lord. But while the Lord admonishes certain things to all people—male or female—He admonishes certain things for boys who are to become men, and girls who are to become women.</p>

<p>Preacher: Joshua Dockter<br><br>Serving is a great antidote to the sin of envy and sidelong glances.</p>

<p>Preacher: Ben Zornes<br><br>Courage is not being the first to comment, and the last one to leave a Facebook fight (round about 1am). Courage isn’t talking louder than everyone else. It isn’t the mere presence of adrenaline in the midst of a tense situation. Courage has many counterfeits, while cowardice often wears a bold face.</p>

<p>Preacher: Douglas Wilson<br><br>When you consider the peril our nation is currently in, and you reflect on the fact that this psalm came up as the text for this Lord’s Day purely by happenstance, your conclusion needs to be that it is almost as though a higher power were at work.<br><br>In 1582, in Edinburgh, an imprisoned minister named John Durie was released from prison. He was welcomed on the edge of town by several hundred of his friends, and as they walked along, that number soon swelled to several thousand. Someone began to sing—Psalm 124—and they all, much moved, sang it together in four parts, much as we will be singing it later in the service. "Let Israel now say in thankfulness..." One of the chief persecutors was said to have been more alarmed by this spectacle than anything else he had seen in Scotland, which is very likely saying something.</p>