Devotions: Now Disclosed
Day 1: The Mystery of Redemption Revealed
Reading: Genesis 3:14-15; Romans 16:25-27
Reflection: Begin your week by contemplating the ancient promise of a Redeemer, the One who would crush the head of the serpent. As you read Genesis, reflect on the initial mystery of redemption set forth at the dawn of time. Then, move to Paul's doxology in Romans, where Jesus Christ makes the mystery clear. Meditate on the role of Christ as the key to understanding God's plan of salvation. How does knowing the end of the story – the picture of redemption – affect the way you live your faith today?
December 24 Sermon: Now Disclosed
This week, we explore three key themes: Disclosure (Jesus revealing God's story), Depth (the universal reach of the gospel), and Doxology (praising God for His saving work). We see how Paul emphasizes the importance of understanding and living in accordance with God's message.
Devotions: The Righteousness of God
Day 1: The Rigor of Law
Reading: Romans 3:19-20
Devotional: The law of God serves to highlight our inability to live righteously and the depth of our sin. As we reflect on these verses, consider the rigor of God's law and our shortcomings in fulfilling it. The law was not given as a means of salvation but to illuminate our need for a Savior.
Reflection Question: How does understanding the rigor of God's law shape your perspective on God's grace and mercy?
October 29 Sermon: The Righteousness of God
When you're studying history, there are often those things that you study that kick off much larger movements. I'm guessing even if you aren't all that interested in studying history, you could probably come up with a few big events like this without thinking too much about it. The first one, of national significance, that came to mind for me is the start of the American Revolution. Now, you might remember it with far better precision than I do, but I at least know without knowing all the details, I know, of course it was significant. Now you might remember that it happened on April 19th 1775.
December 20 Sermon: Made Known
News travels fast, doesn’t it? There are all kinds of ways that information can reach us these days and most of it is instant but even with our multifaceted forms of communication the truthfulness of what we are hearing can still be in doubt. In fact, we often receive some news and we are apprehensive to pass it on because we aren’t sure if it is true. You may get some information from multiple sources but you are still hesitant to share the news.
October 28 Sermon: Apart from Works of the Law
On October 31, 1517 the hammer of Martin Luther nailing his 95 theses to the castle church at Wittenberg began a movement. To some it was seen as rebellion against the establishment of the church but for those who became known as the Reformers it was a just rebellion because they were reclaiming the truth and glory of the gospel of Jesus Christ. At that time in history there were many problems in the church. We know many of the problems. One of the most glaring problems that we know is that their services were in Latin. The people in the churches did not know Latin and in many cases even the priests did not know the language. They were merely repeating as best they could what they had been given.