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Paraclete is a name used by the disciple John to describe the role of the Holy Spirit as our advocate and defender. Some may assume this means that He advocates for us before God the Father, but the Holy Spirit is not arguing against the Father, He defends us against our enemy, the accuser.
Jehovah Nissi - the Lord is our banner. Our attempts, our efforts, the things we do, only succeed because of who God is - because He is our fortress and our banner. This name of God goes hand in hand with what we learned last week about God, The Fear of Isaac, is our provider. Being under God's banner isn't covert or silent. Like Moses raising His hands for victory in battle, God gives us freedom in the Kingdom, but also chooses to use our efforts and abilities to accomplish His purposes. Being under God's banner means that we surrender and that we give up our own story for the Kingdom story.
Twice in the book of Genesis, Jacob calls God the "Fear of Isaac". By using this name, Jacob is bringing us deeper into his story and God's BIG story. As we look at God as the "Fear of Isaac", we see that our own fears are meant to be met by God Himself, knowing Him as our provider, as the God who gives generously, and how those who follow Him do the same.
Alpha and Omega, a name for God used only three times in scripture all in Revelation, is deep with meaning. It's the name of God that ties us to both the history of God and the future of God. In the beginning of his book "The Pursuit of God", A.W. Tozer says, "We pursue God because, and only because, He has first put an urge in us that spurs us to the pursuit." God is the very source of even our own longing for Him, but not only is He the source, He is our destination and end. He is both the author and finisher - what He initiates, He will complete.
In one of the most revealing examples we have of God making himself known, He tells us His personal, intimate name: Yahweh. In this name, God makes Himself known, not as a generic deity, nor a philosophy, but as a personal, knowable being - even if just in part. In this teaching, we explore what this name and this story tell us about God, and how we can fulfill our Summer of Blessing as we bless people in the name of Yahweh.
This sermon is the first of our new summer series, "The Names of God", and goes along with our Summer of Blessing campaign, reminding us that as Abraham's spiritual heirs, we inherit the promises and blessings of God to Abraham, and are blessed to be a blessing. This week, Pastor Josh shows how we have a spiritual lineage - God is the "God of Abraham, Isaac and Jacob" and is also personally, our God. "The God of the Patriarchs" may seem like a distancing name of God at first, but this name of God ties us to the blessing, heritage, and inheritance from the very beginning.
God has poured out so many blessings of all kinds - material, emotional, spiritual - but they aren't meant to be stored up and hoarded only to be used for our own benefit. We are blessed to be a blessing. God blessed Abraham and told him that the entire world would be blessed through his descendants. In Galatians 3, Paul reveals that as believers in and followers of Jesus, we are actually spiritual heirs of Abraham that have inherited both the blessing and the mandate to pour out that blessing on the whole world.
Joy is a result of our Christian walk. That joy - part of the blessing of God - is visible and beautiful to a world that was made to know joy. We are meant to not only enjoy God's blessings, but to BE a blessing to the whole world.
The Fall of Man adversely affected everything, including our God-given mandate to work. Work is an essential part of what it means to be a follower of Jesus and live out our mandate and calling. Yet for many of us, our view of work has been distorted into thinking that work is an inconvenience or even an evil to be avoided. When we approach work with a Kingdom of God perspective, the element of work in our lives can be a satisfying, fulfilling, and even transformative aspect of our discipleship.
Our culture and society praises very individualistic, independent lives, but scripture never talks about solitary Christians. We are meant to be in communities of faith. Even the Lord's prayer is written as from a plural perspective referring to "our" Father and "our" sins. Community is an essential element of our faith and in this sermon, we look at how Psalm 133 encourages that aspect of our discipleship.
While we may think of prayer as natural, Jesus needed to take time to teach His disciples to pray. Like Him, we need time in prayer with our Heavenly Father. Looking at Jesus' teachings on prayer, we see that prayer is meant to be bold, persistent, and that the answer to all of our prayers is fulfilled in the Holy Spirit.
Many Christians are not living their spiritual potential because they aren't feeding themselves properly. The Word of God, both spoken and written, are essential elements of our daily walk.
This week we look at how the first element of the Christian life is repentance. Repentance doesn't cause us to look at ourselves, but causes us to realize that we're meant for a different world - the Kingdom of God. Repentance, then, leads us on a pilgrimage through holiness - the idea of being separate from the world, but united with God.
Our spiritual walks are meant to be such that we abide with God, day in and day out. In order to be healthy, maturing disciples, there are basic components that must be a regular part of our lives. Pastor Josh introduces this new sermon series, "Elements", by discussing how our reliance on the Holy Spirit and pursuit of Jesus must be a 7 day a week adventure.
When the disciples discovered that Jesus' tomb was empty, they weren't really sure what to do next - so they just went home or went on with their normal routines. In this sermon, Administrative Pastor Leah Pavel shares from the story of the disciples on the Emmaus road to show that Jesus was revealing himself to his disciples and teaching them to recognize Him. Likewise, we must look for Jesus in unexpected places and ways and learn to pay attention when He is "burning in our hearts" so that we learn to hear and discern the voice of the Lord.
As Jesus entered Jerusalem on that first Palm Sunday, the crowds gathered to worship Him, shouting 'Hosanna' and laying down palm branches and their coats on the road in front of Him to make a way for their Messiah. This crowd knew they weren't here to watch a show, but a real demonstration of authority and power. Jesus will still be a king without our worship, but He won't be our king. In worship, we declare to Jesus and to others that He is indeed in our king, and in worship, we are participants in the coming of the Kingdom of God.
Jesus sacrifice on the cross is foretold all throughout scripture, beginning all the way back in Genesis. It's clear that God knew His rescue plan all along. Many of the prophets point to a savior that will take the punishment for our sin. In this sermon, Pastor Josh focuses on one prophet in particular, Jonah, and how the story of Jonah is a foreshadowing of the life of Jesus. What Jonah struggled to do by obeying God and preaching forgiveness, Jesus faithfully completed in a strikingly similar story, except without flaw.
A sacrifice is something that costs dearly and doesn't come back. We're often so busy trying to accumulate things that we don't ever sacrifice. The though of having to or needing to is foreign and unappealing. We much prefer compromise. But a life of discipleship requires sacrifice - a living one that is holy and pleasing to God.
This sermon is the first in the Journey to the Cross series that will take us through to Good Friday. The long time evangelist, Rev. Billy Graham, passed away this week, and if there was one thing that Rev. Graham's life was all about, it was pointing people to the cross and bringing the cross in view of those who had not yet experienced it's power. In this teaching, we look at the foreshadowing of the crucifixion that begins all the way back in Genesis and are called to ask ourselves if we are living our lives in view of the cross.
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