Romans 7 - Easter Isn't Over!

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The resurrection of Jesus fundamentally shifted things for us as Christians. We are meant to be witnesses of the resurrection and do the work of Easter every single day. Continuing in the series in Romans, chapter 7, Pastor Josh explores the necessity of dying to sin in order to live a resurrection life. Like Edward being claimed by the White Witch of Narnia, our sin has given something else claim to us. How do we get free from sin? Death. We must die to the sinful nature. Followed, of course, by resurrection to new life in Christ. 

The Spirit Leading Us To Worship

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Worship paved the way for Holy Week and all that came with it. When Jesus entered Jerusalem on Palm Sunday, he rode in to shouts of worship and praise. But it was a form of worship not based on the reality of the revealed Son of God, because by the end of the week, the same crowd was crying for his crucifixion. The Holy Spirit leads us into worship that is true worship. Worship that is based in both spirit and truth, that isn't easy but is simple and sincere. 

Dead to Sin, Alive in Christ

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Continuing in the Romans series, chapter 6: Through Jesus' sacrifice, we have been given the gift of freedom. We've been saved by grace and died to sin. We are responsible for whether or not we are obedient to God. It is a choice. We can take or deny this gift. Our hand is not forced. What will we choose to do with this freedom? Will we continue to choose sin or will we act in accordance with our new identity and live according to God's ways? We can't be content trying only to mend what is broken. What God wants for us is not a near death experience with resuscitation, but to die completely to sin and be reborn.  

The Gift is Greater Than The Trespass

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Creation is broken. There is evidence of that all around us. But Grace is a flow of God's Kingdom against which sin and all of it's trappings cannot stand. One of the greatest struggles we have is understanding how bad things are before they reveal themselves. How do we rightly see our sin? By the Law. The Law was given so that we can see and understand trespass. It's the insight - the diagnosis. It actually magnifies our sin so that we can see it for what it is, spiritual sickness, and actually be able to do something about it. Where sin increased, grace increased all the more!

The Gospel, Hope, and Suffering

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Pastor Josh continues the series from the book of Romans moving into chapter 5. What do we see when we see suffering? The Spirit leads us to suffering, like with Jesus, to produce things that could never be produced another way. With a Godly perspective, we know that suffering produces perseverance, perseverance produces character, and character leads to hope. We want hope, but it doesn't come out of thin air - it isn't "built in". But when we get this hope, it isn't the worldly variety. This Hope can't be disappointed and it won't put us to shame. 

Faith, Grace & Justification

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Faith is the vehicle through which grace and justification come. By actually receiving grace and justification together, we see the Law fulfilled. Grace is counter to the world's affinity for karma, that we get what we deserve. In the Kingdom of God, if you've done wrong, you get God's grace. If you think you've done right, the same grace is still applied to you. We no longer trust in our obedience to save us, but in the relationship we have with God. Faith begins with an end of self trust. 

Romans 3: God's Faithfulness vs. Our Unfaithfulness

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Everyone is both a victim and perpetrator of sin. Sin can be religious or irreligious. The Law shows us that our sin has removed us too far from God and no amount of morality can get us back. We are all God-wrestlers like Jacob: our sinful self doesn't want to go down without a fight. Those who recognize their own sinfulness will find what they need in the gospel. We are all alike under sin and need the message of Jesus. The things that distinguish us are not as important as the thing that makes us alike: we are all sinners in need of grace. 

Hypocrisy, The Wrath of God, & True Community

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Hypocrisy is not the disparity between what we are and what we long to be. It is not the gap between what we want to do and what we actually do. Hypocrisy is, instead, the gap between the public persona and private character. Hypocrisy is theatrical religion: religion as a means of personal enrichment or enhanced reputation. Hypocrisy is evil. God hates it, and we must remove every stench of it from ourselves.
Yes, God hates hypocrisy, but why? Because He is forming real community - where you know my junk and I know yours, and we don't think it's okay - but we give grace as work this out, and never make excuse for sin.

What Is Faith?

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Brant Cannon continues in the book of Romans, chapter 10, discussing the substance and meaning of faith. Faith both begins and ends with Jesus, as the author and perfecter of our faith. When we understand that faith isn't something to be drummed up, but is actually a gift that we get neither credit nor blame for, we can walk in the freedom given us to live as faithful followers of Jesus. 
**You will notice several references to getting the news of an upsetting event this week. This refers to the tragic death of Josh and Leah Pavel's niece. Thank you to Brant for stepping in to preach during this difficult time.  

Stay the Course!

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This week was the 2nd anniversary of The Vineyard Church of Holly Springs! Lee Brookins, former Vineyard pastor and church planter, joins us for the celebration and shares part of his story as a Vineyard church planter to encourage our "toddler" church to continue following the Lord in the calling He's given us. Lee's stories of the early days of the Vineyard are a great glimpse of who we are as a tribe and the inheritance and legacy that belongs to VCHS. 

Advent: Peace

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Peace is more than absence of conflict. Advent is a time of waiting and preparation, so how do we prepare for peace. Scripture tells us that there is no end to the greatness of God's peace. Peace comes not as we conquer or opponents or enemies, but as we realize the Lordship of Christ and surrender to Him. Who is battle weary? Who's tired of fighting? Jesus offers a different way where we lay down our ammunition and receive His peace.

Advent: Hope

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Hope is meant to be fulfilled. We have already had our hope fulfilled in part by the first coming of Jesus, but one day we will have it in full when He comes again. We can't be thankful for something we feel entitled to. In the same way, we can't hope for something we already have in full. Worldly hope is nothing more than wishing. Wishing is weak, but hope is not. Kingdom hope has a hook in reality, in the promises of God. The zeal of the Lord will make our hope certain. Hope is the tone with which we prepare for the Lord to come, and it tempers us while we wait. 

Our Desire For Legacy

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From God's instruction to Adam and Eve to subdue the earth and rule over it, people have had an innate desire for a mark, a legacy, that lasts beyond our own lives. But God's purpose for us is not just a legacy or inheritance that we can build with our own two hands, but for us to serve as a conduit to pass a legacy of the Kingdom of God on to the next generation. The church needs to be the birthplace of the best artistry, creativity and beauty that reflects the glory of God and lasts beyond our own lives. Our legacy is not what we store up for ourselves. Instead, our legacy is what we give away and entrust others with. 

Our Desire For Sabbath Rest

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God desires for us to have a life well spent, not a life, well....spent. To live the full, abundant life that God designed for us, Sabbath must be a central part. But for those who live only for themselves, the Sabbath is out of reach. However, those who join with God in His work, also get to join Him in his rest. The Sabbath is good news, because the point of the Sabbath is that, for the things that really matter, God will take care of them. 

Our Desire For Holiness

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Many of our desires and longings are God given, but often have been twisted and contorted by the world, our sinful nature, and temptation. In this sermon, the second in the "As The Deer Pants" series, Pastor Josh explores how we realign those desires to the will and nature of God. (We apologize that the first sermon in the series is unavailable. The audio recording was corrupted.)

The Kingdom of God Is Outward Focused

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Continuing in the "The Kingdom of God Is..." series, Leah Pavel uses Jesus' example and excerpts from the book of Matthew to look at the outward, others-focused nature of the Kingdom and to explore what that means for both our personal lives and as a faith community. She also discusses how we counter a culture of marketing and sales by simply loving Jesus and loving others in a way that allows the gospel to be a natural outflow of relationship with Jesus. 

The Kingdom of God is a New Paradigm

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In Matthew chapter 13 Jesus says that the Kingdom of God is like yeast that works it's way through all of the dough. But being a part of the Kingdom of God is not just adding Jesus to your life the way it already is. It's an exchange of our former understanding and way of living for a completely different one. 

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