Christ Church (Moscow, ID)

<p>THE TEXT: Isaiah 8</p>

<p>The nature and character of God is of course worthy of all praise and adoration. But we are finite, and sinful on top of that, and so we cannot even begin to praise Him as He deserves to be praised. Nevertheless, the effort must be made. As forgiven sinners, how on earth are we going to declare His worth? What are we going to do? Shout? Stand on a chair?</p><p><br></p><p>One of the ways that Scripture assigns to us is the method of declaring His works—the mighty works that He accomplished down here where we live. This is something we can do, and David shows us the way.</p>

<p>The Text: John 11:1-6</p>

<p>With a handful of exceptions, Christians are overwhelmingly united in their willingness to worship God on the first day of the week. After all, we have been doing this for two thousand years, and we are rarely questioned about it. Why not just go with the flow? The answer to that question is that we should want to be deliberate Christians in everything we offer up to God. We never want to be guilty of the “will worship” that Paul condemns in Col. 2:23. We are constrained to offer to God what He requires of us, and not anything else. So why do we worship on the first day of the week? Why didn’t the Church remain with the seventh-day Sabbath of the Jews?</p>

<p>THE TEXT: Isaiah 8</p>

<p>From Andrew DeBartolo, Director of Operations at Liberty Coalition Canada, “On Sunday January 14th, 2024, Liberty Coalition Canada would exhort you to preach a sermon focused on a Biblical sexual ethic and God's good design for marriage. We hope to have thousands of pastors worldwide participate in this initiative. We believe the Lord will use this united effort to both declare the sovereign Lordship of Christ over His Church and transform many lives through the life-changing power of the Word of God.” And so this morning we will take up the charge and unite with our other brothers and sisters across the globe to discuss this very important subject, biblical sexuality. First we will begin by asking, “How does the world define sexuality?” Secondly, we will discuss what the Bible teaches about sexuality. And lastly, we will answer objections from the gay Christian movement, those who teach it’s ok to be gay and Christian.</p>

<p>This psalm overlaps a good deal with what David prayed in Psalm 18, as well as in 2 Samuel 22, near the end of his life. His life had been a long series of battles and conflicts, and he certainly knew the truth of what he was expressing here. This is a psalm of jubilation, rejoicing in the sort of prosperity that the deliverances of Jehovah can bring to a people. It begins with war, but concludes with the harvest of true peace.</p>

<p>This psalm is offered up to God in a time of great distress. We do not know if it is from the time of Saul’s persecution, or from Absalom’s rebellion, or from some other time. Regardless, the need is pressing and great, and David is presenting his prayers to God with great urgency.</p>

<p> THE TEXT:</p><p>1 Thessalonians 1:1-7</p>

<p>First, imitation serves as an example of God’s design in how he made the world. He is the master craftsman, and his world is built to run on a certain mix of fuel. Inputs drive outputs, and imitation links these together. In this sense, imitation is inescapable. It’s not if, but who? Second, the principle of imitation is intricately linked to how we live our lives and how we raise our kids. Finally, Scripture show us to how we can take this principle of God’s design and push it into the corners of our daily lives. The fact that we are starting a new year, adds the spice of considering how we can work our understanding of imitation into real change in our lives versus vain resolutions.</p>

<p>As you might know by now, the tone coming out of Moscow has gained a little bit of notoriety. For good or ill, this reputation shows no signs of going away, and because you are likely to be fielding questions about it, I thought that it would be good to use our annual “state of the church” message to help you sort through the relevant issues.</p>

<p>This year, for my State of the Church message, I want to take a 30,000 ft. view. The church at large is beset with great danger to moral compromise. However, locally, we should not think ourselves impervious to the onslaught which is attacking the church of our Lord Jesus. We live in perilous times, and I want to summon our local congregation to look at the perils which surround us, and to take heed.</p>

<p>We have emphasized in the past that the gospel consists of two aspects—the person and work of the Lord Jesus Christ. The first has to do with who He is, and the second aspect concerns what He has done. Regarding the person of Christ we confess that He is YHWH come in the flesh, Jehovah Incarnate. With regard to His work, we are talking about His life of sinless obedience, His death on the cross, and His resurrection from the dead. What did the Messiah do? He became one of us, only without sin, and He was crucified, buried, resurrected and crowned in Heaven. And who was it that did this thing? It was Emmanuel—God with us. </p><p><br></p><p>This incarnate reality is closely connected with various Old Testament prophecies concerning the Lord’s nativity. Let’s consider some of them now. </p>

<p>The Text: Luke 2:21-40</p>

<p>The Psalmist said that the wicked dig a pit for capturing the righteous, but they fall into it themselves. Wicked men and godless kings have hounded God’s people, persecuted the righteous, and done the bidding of the Dragon in trying to stop God’s redemptive purposes. But all their schemes miscarry. All their plots are foiled. All their dreams are disappointed. The birth of Christ is the moment when the tide of redemption turned. Christ’s dawn meant that the darkness of despair was driven back. Evil’s doom had come.</p>

<p>The point this evening is not to load your Christmas down with any exegetical postmill work, which has been done elsewhere. This is just intended as a simple word of Christmas encouragement—I do not seek to persuade you in these few minutes, but rather to embolden you.</p>

<p>The coming of the Christ-child was God’s brilliant wit on full display. How would God overthrow Satan’s kingdom? With a baby. How would God defeat the mighty, fallen cherubim, Lucifer? By planting a human seed. How would God destroy death? By laughing in its face.</p>

<p>The Text: 1 John 1</p>

<p>The texts we are going to look at today are the genealogies of Christ, and other passages related to them, but the theme of this message will be on the promises of God. The fact of genealogies in Scripture are often nothing more than an obstacle to Christians in their Bible reading, but this is not the way to think of them. The genealogies are vast and intimidating mountain ranges, but what we need to realize is that there are actually rich veins of gold there. Like the land of Havilah, the gold is good there (Gen. 2:12).</p>

<p>Scripture is quite clear that Jesus Christ was born of a virgin. But what was the point? Why is this important?</p>

<p>The Text: Luke 1:26-38</p>

<p>The hallmark of Christmas is joy. Ear to ear grins. Hot chocolate mustaches. Gleeful shouts as presents are unwrapped. But your joy, true joy, is given to you by the grief of the Man of sorrows. The story of Christ’s birth, which brought glad tidings and peace on earth, is swiftly followed by a grisly tale of the ravenous wolf of sin.</p>

<p>Having heard the Christmas story many times, it stirs up familiar images in our mind’s eye. The Lord Jesus is welcomed into the world by his mother and father. A young couple, just getting started, stare down at the baby boy wrapped in swaddling clothes. They smile with delight and have all of the normal reactions that come with being a first time parent, “He has your nose. Look at all that hair.” But in addition to the delight one experiences in taking the child in, finally being able to see after nine months what this kid looks like, they have other thoughts to contend with, thoughts that none of us as parents have ever had to deal with, thoughts like, “What is to become of this child? I hold the messiah in my hands. I am a virgin mother. The angel said to me, ‘He will be great and will be called the Son of the Most High. And the Lord God will give to him the throne of his father David, and he will reign over the house of Jacob forever, and of his kingdom there will be no end.’ And it is my job to raise Him. God help me.”</p>

<p>The incarnation of Christ was indeed the most wonderful of God’s wondrous works. But it was the most unsurprising surprise. God’s hand had guided the story of redemption to this culmination. Like a lovely symphony the OT introduces certain motifs, which are picked up and expanded in the Incarnation of Christ. So, it would be wise for us to listen to those themes from the OT that anticipated the events surrounding Christ’s birth in order to better sing the Gospel song.</p>

<p>What we are going to do in this season of Advent is take a closer look at a number of the Old Testament prophecies concerning the bith of the Messiah. We are going to look first at the geographical predictions. What places are involved? After that, we will take up other aspects of His nativity, week to week. Remember that all of God’s promises were wrapped in swaddling clothes and laid in the manger.</p>

<p>The Text: 2 Chronicles 36</p>

<p>Prayer is a tricky thing. You know that God is sovereign, that He has predestined all things, and knows the words that you will speak even before you speak them. In light of this truth, you may develop an attitude that thinks prayer is irrelevant. Then, when a trial arises and you begin to fear, and prayer will become an exercise in worrying before God. Both of these attitudes are disobedient and result in disobedience because they flow from doubt and unbelief. The reality is that believing, fervent prayer is potent and necessary for obedience. It is a wonderful privilege. </p>

<p>As we have all enjoyed the blessings of a Thanksgiving holiday just a few days ago, I thought it appropriate to spend some time on a little understood aspect of gratitude or thanksgiving. We of course understand how pleasant gratitude is. In addition, we readily grasp the duty of expressing our thanksgiving to God. We grasp that gratitude is something that is critical in keeping our faith renewing and constantly growing. The spiritual food we partake of every Lord’s Day is called the Eucharist, from the Greek word for giving thanks, which is eucharisto. But what I want to focus on this morning is what might be called the authority of gratitude.</p>

<p>THE TEXT: 1 Timothy 3:14-16</p>

<p>The Text: Judges 9</p>

<p>We now come to the final decade of psalms. We first began this series almost twenty years ago—when some of you young marrieds were still pre-school. This might make us feel odd in all sorts of ways, but one thing it should remind us of is the fact that Scripture is a vast storehouse of treasures, and one lifetime doesn’t even begin to touch it.</p>

<p>If you ask a muslim, “Who is Jesus?” he will say, “Jesus, peace be upon him, is a prophet of Allah.” And while Christians will agree, He is a prophet of God, He is not merely a prophet of God. And of course when they use the term Allah (God) they mean a very different thing than we do. If you ask a Latter-Day Saint, “Who is Jesus?” they will say, “He is God the Father’s firstborn spirit-child in heaven and the spirit brother of lucifer. He was begotten on earth by God the Father by natural means, not by the Holy Ghost and is now one amongst many millions of other gods.” If you ask a Jehovah’s witness, they will say, “Jesus is not God almighty, he is God’s son. Jesus is God’s first creation, inferior to God the Father. And Jesus is actually Michael the archangel.” Like any lie, satan prefers to sprinkle truth in amongst falsehood so as to feign authenticity. Jesus is the son of God. Jesus is a prophet of God, but He is not created. His origin is one of eternity, begotten of the Father. He is the firstborn of all creation, but this is a title of preeminence, not descriptive of a point of time where he came into being. Like the person of the Father, the son has eternally existed. And so when Christians are asked who is Jesus, we recite the Athanasian creed.</p>

<p>The Text: Judges 8</p>

<p>The Text: <a href="https://www.blueletterbible.org/search/preSearch.cfm?Criteria=Judges+6.35-7.25&t=NKJV" rel="nofollow noopener" target="_blank">Judges 6:35-7:25</a></p>

<p>One of the best ways for a Christian child to honor his father and mother is to surpass them. If a child outgrows his parents in love for Christ, in knowledge of the Bible, and in a true grasp of what the gospel is all about, no one who truly loves God can begrudge it. And there is a paradox involved in it. One of the best ways to surpass your parents is to make sure you look up to them. The first will be last, and the last first. </p>

<p>For far too long the Christian Church has been passive and apathetic, watching freedom and justice slip away from our land, but how does our Lord’s teaching about enemies and justice apply to us? Whether we are thinking about the way pagans are seeking to destroy our Christian culture, or international conflict in the Middle East or Europe, or interpersonal conflict you may have in your family, what does Jesus mean and how does this teaching apply?</p>

<p>We have had a couple of sermons on how to be a Christian kid as of late. And this sermon is designed to stay in a similar vein while coming at the matter from the opposite end. The kids among us need to know that they are Christian kids and what to do about that. Likewise, parents need to know their kids are Christians and how to raise them as such.</p>

<p>The Text: <a href="https://www.blueletterbible.org/search/preSearch.cfm?Criteria=1Timothy+1&t=NKJV" rel="nofollow noopener" target="_blank">1 Timothy 1</a></p>

<p>The Text: Judges 6</p>

<p>Last week we surveyed the landscape of the Sacrament of Baptism. This week we’ll hike the terrain of the doctrine of the Lord’s Supper. Cathedrals have the baptismal font at the entrance for good reason; Christ, and Baptism into Him, is the door. However, once you come through the door you are welcomed to the Lord’s banqueting table. Baptism is like birth, the Supper is the eating & drinking which brings about maturity & growth.</p>

<p>As we examine the Scriptures on this topic, we find that the central duty that Christian offspring have is the duty of honor. This honor has different manifestations depending on the time of life, but there is always honor at the center. And this means, in its turn, that learning how to be a Christian kid means learning how to honor.</p>

<p>The Text: <a href="https://www.blueletterbible.org/search/preSearch.cfm?Criteria=1Timothy+1&t=NKJV" rel="nofollow noopener" target="_blank">1 Timothy 1</a></p>

<p>Please enjoy this talk from the Grace Agenda 2023 Teen's Seminar by Dr. Joe Rigney.</p><p><br></p><p>Christian parents are tasked by God to raise their children up in the nurture and admonition of the Lord. This is not confined to simply making sure they have a roof over their head and get their nose wiped. Rather, this task is the all encompassing instruction of children. They are to be taught about this world in light of the fact that God Almighty has created and redeemed this world. Children are to grow up rejoicing in the way in which God has done all this.</p><p><br></p><p>But modern parents have been coaxed into lending the blessing that is their children to the carnal appetites of godless activists for 12 years. We live in a wasteland of education. Public spending on education skyrockets, while academic scores plummet. If that weren’t enough, there is a rising tide of marred and mangled bodies, pervertedminds, and clouded thinking. Mix all this together and you end up with children who grow up with a godless worldview.</p><p><br></p><p>Join us for Grace Agenda 2023 as we look to encourage Christian parents in the glorious task of raising their children to love and worship the Lord, to lead in their generation, and to be the sort of faithful saints that can do the same for their own children.</p>

<p>Please enjoy this talk from the Grace Agenda 2023 Men's Seminar by Pastor Doug Wilson.</p><p><br></p><p>Christian parents are tasked by God to raise their children up in the nurture and admonition of the Lord. This is not confined to simply making sure they have a roof over their head and get their nose wiped. Rather, this task is the all encompassing instruction of children. They are to be taught about this world in light of the fact that God Almighty has created and redeemed this world. Children are to grow up rejoicing in the way in which God has done all this.</p><p><br></p><p>But modern parents have been coaxed into lending the blessing that is their children to the carnal appetites of godless activists for 12 years. We live in a wasteland of education. Public spending on education skyrockets, while academic scores plummet. If that weren’t enough, there is a rising tide of marred and mangled bodies, pervertedminds, and clouded thinking. Mix all this together and you end up with children who grow up with a godless worldview.</p><p><br></p><p>Join us for Grace Agenda 2023 as we look to encourage Christian parents in the glorious task of raising their children to love and worship the Lord, to lead in their generation, and to be the sort of faithful saints that can do the same for their own children.</p>

<p>Please enjoy this Q&A session from the Grace Agenda 2023 Women's Seminar.</p><p><br></p><p>Christian parents are tasked by God to raise their children up in the nurture and admonition of the Lord. This is not confined to simply making sure they have a roof over their head and get their nose wiped. Rather, this task is the all encompassing instruction of children. They are to be taught about this world in light of the fact that God Almighty has created and redeemed this world. Children are to grow up rejoicing in the way in which God has done all this.</p><p><br></p><p>But modern parents have been coaxed into lending the blessing that is their children to the carnal appetites of godless activists for 12 years. We live in a wasteland of education. Public spending on education skyrockets, while academic scores plummet. If that weren’t enough, there is a rising tide of marred and mangled bodies, pervertedminds, and clouded thinking. Mix all this together and you end up with children who grow up with a godless worldview.</p><p><br></p><p>Join us for Grace Agenda 2023 as we look to encourage Christian parents in the glorious task of raising their children to love and worship the Lord, to lead in their generation, and to be the sort of faithful saints that can do the same for their own children.</p>

<p>Please enjoy this talk from the Grace Agenda 2023 Men's Seminar from by Dr. Jared Longshore.</p><p><br></p><p>Christian parents are tasked by God to raise their children up in the nurture and admonition of the Lord. This is not confined to simply making sure they have a roof over their head and get their nose wiped. Rather, this task is the all encompassing instruction of children. They are to be taught about this world in light of the fact that God Almighty has created and redeemed this world. Children are to grow up rejoicing in the way in which God has done all this.</p><p><br></p><p>But modern parents have been coaxed into lending the blessing that is their children to the carnal appetites of godless activists for 12 years. We live in a wasteland of education. Public spending on education skyrockets, while academic scores plummet. If that weren’t enough, there is a rising tide of marred and mangled bodies, pervertedminds, and clouded thinking. Mix all this together and you end up with children who grow up with a godless worldview.</p><p><br></p><p>Join us for Grace Agenda 2023 as we look to encourage Christian parents in the glorious task of raising their children to love and worship the Lord, to lead in their generation, and to be the sort of faithful saints that can do the same for their own children.</p>

<p>Please enjoy this talk from Grace Agenda 2023 by Pastor Doug Wilson.</p><p><br></p><p>Christian parents are tasked by God to raise their children up in the nurture and admonition of the Lord. This is not confined to simply making sure they have a roof over their head and get their nose wiped. Rather, this task is the all encompassing instruction of children. They are to be taught about this world in light of the fact that God Almighty has created and redeemed this world. Children are to grow up rejoicing in the way in which God has done all this.</p><p><br></p><p>But modern parents have been coaxed into lending the blessing that is their children to the carnal appetites of godless activists for 12 years. We live in a wasteland of education. Public spending on education skyrockets, while academic scores plummet. If that weren’t enough, there is a rising tide of marred and mangled bodies, pervertedminds, and clouded thinking. Mix all this together and you end up with children who grow up with a godless worldview.</p><p><br></p><p>Join us for Grace Agenda 2023 as we look to encourage Christian parents in the glorious task of raising their children to love and worship the Lord, to lead in their generation, and to be the sort of faithful saints that can do the same for their own children.</p>

<p>Please enjoy this talk from the Grace Agenda 2023 Women's Seminar by Nancy Wilson.</p><p><br></p><p>Christian parents are tasked by God to raise their children up in the nurture and admonition of the Lord. This is not confined to simply making sure they have a roof over their head and get their nose wiped. Rather, this task is the all encompassing instruction of children. They are to be taught about this world in light of the fact that God Almighty has created and redeemed this world. Children are to grow up rejoicing in the way in which God has done all this.</p><p><br></p><p>But modern parents have been coaxed into lending the blessing that is their children to the carnal appetites of godless activists for 12 years. We live in a wasteland of education. Public spending on education skyrockets, while academic scores plummet. If that weren’t enough, there is a rising tide of marred and mangled bodies, pervertedminds, and clouded thinking. Mix all this together and you end up with children who grow up with a godless worldview.</p><p><br></p><p>Join us for Grace Agenda 2023 as we look to encourage Christian parents in the glorious task of raising their children to love and worship the Lord, to lead in their generation, and to be the sort of faithful saints that can do the same for their own children.</p>

<p>Please enjoy this talk from the Grace Agenda 2023 Men's Seminar by N. D. Wilson.</p><p><br></p><p>Christian parents are tasked by God to raise their children up in the nurture and admonition of the Lord. This is not confined to simply making sure they have a roof over their head and get their nose wiped. Rather, this task is the all encompassing instruction of children. They are to be taught about this world in light of the fact that God Almighty has created and redeemed this world. Children are to grow up rejoicing in the way in which God has done all this.</p><p><br></p><p>But modern parents have been coaxed into lending the blessing that is their children to the carnal appetites of godless activists for 12 years. We live in a wasteland of education. Public spending on education skyrockets, while academic scores plummet. If that weren’t enough, there is a rising tide of marred and mangled bodies, pervertedminds, and clouded thinking. Mix all this together and you end up with children who grow up with a godless worldview.</p><p><br></p><p>Join us for Grace Agenda 2023 as we look to encourage Christian parents in the glorious task of raising their children to love and worship the Lord, to lead in their generation, and to be the sort of faithful saints that can do the same for their own children.</p>

<p>Please enjoy this talk from Grace Agenda 2023 by Pastor Douglas Wilson.</p><p><br></p><p>Christian parents are tasked by God to raise their children up in the nurture and admonition of the Lord. This is not confined to simply making sure they have a roof over their head and get their nose wiped. Rather, this task is the all encompassing instruction of children. They are to be taught about this world in light of the fact that God Almighty has created and redeemed this world. Children are to grow up rejoicing in the way in which God has done all this.</p><p><br></p><p>But modern parents have been coaxed into lending the blessing that is their children to the carnal appetites of godless activists for 12 years. We live in a wasteland of education. Public spending on education skyrockets, while academic scores plummet. If that weren’t enough, there is a rising tide of marred and mangled bodies, pervertedminds, and clouded thinking. Mix all this together and you end up with children who grow up with a godless worldview.</p><p><br></p><p>Join us for Grace Agenda 2023 as we look to encourage Christian parents in the glorious task of raising their children to love and worship the Lord, to lead in their generation, and to be the sort of faithful saints that can do the same for their own children.</p>