Appleton Gospel Church

Sending People on Mission: Every Christian is an ambassador for Christ, sent out with the message of reconciliation, the gospel. Motivated by the fear of the Lord and the love of Christ, we are sent. Some of us are sent across the world, others across the street, but every Christian is a missionary. Recorded on Jan 22, 2023, on 2 Corinthians 5:11-21 by Pastor David Parks.

This message is part of our DNA, a sermon series on our core values that define who we are and what we’re trying to do. Our core values include inviting people to worship, connecting people in community, training people for ministry, and sending people on mission. These values provide a wonderful source of power, meaning, and joy for the Christian life.

Sermon Transcript:

 All year, we’re focusing on Learning the way of Jesus. And today, we’re finishing a 4-part sermon series called DNA, focusing on our identity and the core values which define who we are and what we’re trying to do here. Our core values [Values slide] include inviting people to worship, connecting people in community, training people for ministry, and sending people on mission — our topic for today. At the most foundational level, worship, community, ministry, and mission are the basic building blocks of the Christian life. Today, we’re considering the surprising truth that God has given us the responsibility of bearing the good news of the gospel to the ends of the earth. And he has entrusted to us the responsibility of making disciples of all nations. Last week, I said that responding to the call of ministry and that every Christian is a minister is a huge part of finding your God-given purpose in life. But the realization that God has called us to participate with him in his work of salvation in the world, and that every Christian is also a missionary, is the other half of discovering your God-given purpose in life. The reason why God doesn’t zap us into heaven as soon as we’re saved is because we have a mission; we have a job to do. Every Christian is a missionary. If you have a Bible/app, please open to 2 Corinthians 5:11. We’ll read through this and unpack it together. (v.11)

2 Corinthians 5:11-21 (NIV), “Since, then, we know what it is to fear the Lord, we try to persuade others. What we are is plain to God, and I hope it is also plain to your conscience. 12 We are not trying to commend ourselves to you again, but are giving you an opportunity to take pride in us, so that you can answer those who take pride in what is seen rather than in what is in the heart. 13 If we are “out of our mind,” as some say, it is for God; if we are in our right mind, it is for you. 14 For Christ’s love compels us, because we are convinced that one died for all, and therefore all died. 15 And he died for all, that those who live should no longer live for themselves but for him who died for them and was raised again. 16 So from now on we regard no one from a worldly point of view. Though we once regarded Christ in this way, we do so no longer. 17 Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, the new creation has come: The old has gone, the new is here! 18 All this is from God, who reconciled us to himself through Christ and gave us the ministry of reconciliation: 19 that God was reconciling the world to himself in Christ, not counting people’s sins against them. And he has committed to us the message of reconciliation. 20 We are therefore Christ’s ambassadors, as though God were making his appeal through us. We implore you on Christ’s behalf: Be reconciled to God. 21 God made him who had no sin to be sin for us, so that in him we might become the righteousness of God.”

So 2 Corinthians in the Bible is an epistle or letter from the Apostle Paul to the Christians in the Greek city of Corinth in the first century AD. Actually,

Training People for Ministry: The work of ministry isn’t just for pastors or church staff only — every Christian is a minister. Many people wonder what their purpose is in life. Using your unique set of spiritual gifts, experiences, knowledge, and passion to minister to others is a huge part of finding your God-given purpose. This is why training people for ministry is one of our core values as a church. Recorded on Jan 15, 2023, on 1 Corinthians 12:4-27 by Pastor David Parks. (apologies for the rough voice)

This message is part of our DNA, a sermon series on our core values that define who we are and what we’re trying to do. Our core values include inviting people to worship, connecting people in community, training people for ministry, and sending people on mission. These values provide a wonderful source of power, meaning, and joy for the Christian life.

Sermon Transcript:

All year, we’re focusing on Learning the way of Jesus. And today, we’re continuing a 4-part sermon series called DNA, focusing on our identity and the core values which define who we are and what we’re trying to do here. Our core values [Values slide] include inviting people to worship, connecting people in community, training people for ministry, which is our topic for today, and sending people on mission. At the most foundational level, worship, community, ministry, and mission are the basic building blocks of the Christian life. When these values are guided and empowered by our mission and vision, which are rooted in the truth of God’s word, they become our DNA, encoding everything we need for life and flourishing as a church. Today, we’re considering the amazing truth that God has given each one of his people (us!) a unique set of spiritual gifts, gifts of his grace, so that we might minister to/serve one another, building up the body of Christ. What we’ll see today is that every Christian is a minister. The work of ministry isn’t just for pastors or church staff or the elders only — every Christian is a minister. So many people wonder why they are here and what the purpose might be for their lives. My friends, our calling to ministry in learning the way of Jesus is a huge part of finding our God-given purpose in life. And this is why we value training people for ministry. Because we want to help you discover and accomplish the beautiful purpose of God for your life. If you have a Bible/app, please open to 1 Corinthians 12:4. And we’re going through almost the whole chapter this morning, so we’ll break it into two somewhat bite-sized pieces. So part one…

1 Corinthians 12:4-11 (NIV), “4 There are different kinds of gifts, but the same Spirit distributes them. 5 There are different kinds of service, but the same Lord. 6 There are different kinds of working, but in all of them and in everyone it is the same God at work. 7 Now to each one the manifestation of the Spirit is given for the common good. 8 To one there is given through the Spirit a message of wisdom, to another a message of knowledge by means of the same Spirit, 9 to another faith by the same Spirit, to another gifts of healing by that one Spirit, 10 to another miraculous powers, to another prophecy, to another distinguishing between spirits, to another speaking in different kinds of tongues,  and to still another the interpretation of tongues. 11 All these are the work of one and the same Spirit, and he distributes them to each one, just as he determines.” Ok, let’s pause here. So 1 Corinthians is an epistle or letter from the Apostle Paul to the Christians in and around the Greek city of Corinth in the first century AD. We know from Acts 18 that Paul stayed in Corinth for several years preaching the gospel, making disciples, and helping plant the church there. Eventually,

Connecting People in Community: Humans are not solitary beings. Our horizontal relationships with people must be shaped and empowered by our vertical relationship with God; but none of us are perfect. Thankfully, the gospel provides a wonderful promise: if we confess our sins in humility, God will not only forgive us but will purify us from all unrighteousness. Recorded on Jan 8, 2023, on 1 John 1:1-10 by Pastor David Parks.

This message is part of our DNA, a sermon series on our core values that define who we are and what we’re trying to do. Our core values include inviting people to worship, connecting people in community, training people for ministry, and sending people on mission. These values provide a wonderful source of power, meaning, and joy for the Christian life.

Sermon Transcript:

All year, we’re focusing on Learning the way of Jesus. And today, we’re continuing a 4-part sermon series called DNA, focusing on our identity and the core values which define who we are and what we’re trying to do here. Our core values include inviting people to worship, which we covered last week, but also connecting people in community, our focus of the day, as well as training people for ministry, and sending people on mission. At the most foundational level, worship, community, ministry, and mission are the basic building blocks of the Christian life. When these values are guided and empowered by our mission and vision and are rooted in the truth of God’s word, they become our DNA, encoding everything we need for life and flourishing as a church. Today, we’re considering relationships here in the church and the value of connecting people in community. Now, again, just like last week, there are so many places we could go in the Bible to see why this is true and should be part of our DNA. But I think the opening of a letter written by the Apostle John is a classic example. So if you have a Bible/app, please open to 1Jn 1:1. We’ll read through this text and then unpack it together.

1 John 1:1-7 (NIV), “That which was from the beginning, which we have heard, which we have seen with our eyes, which we have looked at and our hands have touched—this we proclaim concerning the Word of life. 2 The life appeared; we have seen it and testify to it, and we proclaim to you the eternal life, which was with the Father and has appeared to us. 3 We proclaim to you what we have seen and heard, so that you also may have fellowship with us. And our fellowship is with the Father and with his Son, Jesus Christ. 4 We write this to make our joy complete. 5 This is the message we have heard from him and declare to you: God is light; in him there is no darkness at all. 6 If we claim to have fellowship with him and yet walk in the darkness, we lie and do not live out the truth. 7 But if we walk in the light, as he is in the light, we have fellowship with one another, and the blood of Jesus, his Son, purifies us from all sin. 8 If we claim to be without sin, we deceive ourselves and the truth is not in us. 9 If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just and will forgive us our sins and purify us from all unrighteousness. 10 If we claim we have not sinned, we make him out to be a liar and his word is not in us.” 

So the book of 1 John is an epistle or letter in the NT from the Apostle John, one of the closest friends of Jesus, to the Christians most likely in and around the city of Ephesus in modern Turkey. The people in this area had initially heard the gospel from the Apostle Paul. According to church history, John was a leader in this region toward the end of his long life. And from his letter, we can see that there were problems there: people were be...

Inviting People to Worship: Worship is always the right response to a real encounter with Jesus. The disciples experienced this when Jesus walked on the water, called Peter out of the boat, and saved him despite his sinking doubts. When we see Jesus for who he truly is, we can’t help but worship and help others do the same. Recorded on Jan 1, 2023, on Matthew 14:22-36, by Pastor David Parks.

This message is part of our DNA, a sermon series on our core values that define who we are and what we’re trying to do. Our core values include inviting people to worship, connecting people in community, training people for ministry, and sending people on mission. These values provide a wonderful source of power, meaning, and joy for the Christian life.

Sermon Transcript

 The theme this year for our preaching ministry is Learning the way of Jesus. And today, as we kick off a new year, we’re starting a 4-part sermon series called DNA, focusing on our identity and the core values which define who we are and what we’re trying to do here. Our core values include inviting people to worship — which we’ll focus on today, but also connecting people in community, training people for ministry, and sending people on mission. We’ll cover all of these in the next few weeks. And we’ve certainly talked about these things before, but we must regularly come back to them and remind ourselves of them because worship, community, ministry, and mission, at the most foundational level, are the basic building blocks of the Christian life. When these values are guided and empowered by our mission and vision and are rooted in the truth of God’s word, they become our DNA, encoding everything we need for life and flourishing as a church. But also, if we miss/ignore one or more of these values, our life will be out of balance, and we’ll miss out on a huge source of power/meaning/life/joy in the way of Jesus. So today, we’re starting with inviting people to worship, and my goal is to remind you that worship is always the right response to a real encounter with Jesus. When we see Jesus for who he truly is, we can’t help but worship and help others do the same. Now, there are so many places we could go in the Bible to see why this is true and should be part of our DNA. But I think the story of Jesus walking on the water in Mt 14 is a classic example. If you have a Bible/app, please open to Matthew 14:22. We’ll read through this text and then unpack it together.

Matthew 14:22-36 (NIV), “Immediately Jesus made the disciples get into the boat and go on ahead of him to the other side, while he dismissed the crowd. 23 After he had dismissed them, he went up on a mountainside by himself to pray. Later that night, he was there alone, 24 and the boat was already a considerable distance from land, buffeted by the waves because the wind was against it. 25 Shortly before dawn Jesus went out to them, walking on the lake. 26 When the disciples saw him walking on the lake, they were terrified. “It’s a ghost,” they said, and cried out in fear. 27 But Jesus immediately said to them: “Take courage! It is I. Don’t be afraid.” 28 “Lord, if it’s you,” Peter replied, “tell me to come to you on the water.” 29 “Come,” he said. Then Peter got down out of the boat, walked on the water and came toward Jesus. 30 But when he saw the wind, he was afraid and, beginning to sink, cried out, “Lord, save me!” 31 Immediately Jesus reached out his hand and caught him. “You of little faith,” he said, “why did you doubt?” 32 And when they climbed into the boat, the wind died down. 33 Then those who were in the boat worshiped him, saying, “Truly you are the Son of God.” 34 When they had crossed over, they landed at Gennesaret. 35 And when the men of that place recognized Jesus, they sent word to all the surrounding country.

The Humility of Christmas: A world of pride is a nasty place. But a humble life is a blessing and a joy. Humility is one of the key themes of the Christmas story and is especially seen in the strange story of the visit of the Magi. In God's kingdom, the way down is up. Recorded on Dec 18, 2022, on Matthew 2;1-12, by Pastor David Parks.

Sermon Transcript

All year, in our preaching ministry, we’re focusing on Learning the way of Jesus. And today, we’re doing a standalone sermon for this Christmas season on the visit of the Magi (wise men) after the birth of Jesus. And this story relates to Learning the Way of Jesus in that in this story, we see several examples of the humility of Christmas. This is such a good reminder that the way up in the kingdom of God is actually down. Because humility is one of the key aspects of the incarnation of Jesus, and, in turn, humility becomes a key character trait for us as we learn to follow his way. If you have a Bible/app, please open to Matthew 2:1, and we’ll read through this story and then unpack it together.

Matthew 2:1-12 (NIV), “After Jesus was born in Bethlehem in Judea, during the time of King Herod, Magi from the east came to Jerusalem 2 and asked, “Where is the one who has been born king of the Jews? We saw his star when it rose and have come to worship him.” 3 When King Herod heard this he was disturbed, and all Jerusalem with him. 4 When he had called together all the people’s chief priests and teachers of the law, he asked them where the Messiah was to be born. 5 “In Bethlehem in Judea,” they replied, “for this is what the prophet has written: 6 “ ‘But you, Bethlehem, in the land of Judah, are by no means least among the rulers of Judah; for out of you will come a ruler who will shepherd my people Israel.’” 7 Then Herod called the Magi secretly and found out from them the exact time the star had appeared. 8 He sent them to Bethlehem and said, “Go and search carefully for the child. As soon as you find him, report to me, so that I too may go and worship him.” 9 After they had heard the king, they went on their way, and the star they had seen when it rose went ahead of them until it stopped over the place where the child was. 10 When they saw the star, they were overjoyed. 11 On coming to the house, they saw the child with his mother Mary, and they bowed down and worshiped him. Then they opened their treasures and presented him with gifts of gold, frankincense and myrrh. 12 And having been warned in a dream not to go back to Herod, they returned to their country by another route.”

Just a little context for you, first, the gospel of Matthew was written by Matthew, also known as Levi, who was a tax collector before he became a Christian. This means that he would’ve been wealthy but not well-liked. But Matthew met Jesus, and Jesus called Matthew to follow him, and he did. He left his lucrative career behind and became an Apostle or eye-witness to the life and ministry, and ultimately to the death and resurrection of Jesus. As we often say around here, Jesus changes everything. So with that, let’s jump back into this story and make sure we understand what Matthew is saying here. Look back at v.1.

Matthew 2:1-2 (NIV), “After Jesus was born in Bethlehem in Judea, during the time of King Herod, Magi from the east came to Jerusalem and asked, “Where is the one who has been born king of the Jews? We saw his star when it rose and have come to worship him.”” Let’s pause here. Ok! There’s a lot going on here. So we’re a little backward in that it isn’t yet Christmas for us today, but this story takes place sometime after the birth of Jesus. Now, it doesn’t say exactly how long after his birth this took place, but I would guess it wasn’t too long as they were all still in Bethlehem in...

Redeeming Friendship: In an age where people are more connected than ever, few people have even one friend they can be open, honest, and vulnerable with. So, what kind of friendships are Christians called to, and how can this change our lives? Recorded on Dec 11, 2022, on Colossians 3:1-17, by Pastor David Parks.

"Redeeming Regular Life" is a sermon series from the Epistles of the New Testament in the Bible. The Epistles are letters from the Apostles to the early Christian churches helping them understand and apply the gospel to life. "To what part of life?" you might wonder. The answer is: to every part! The way of Jesus changes everything, including marriage, sexuality, singleness, parenting, work, politics, friendship, and more. In Christ, regular life is a gift.

Sermon Transcript:

So all year, we’re focusing on Learning the way of Jesus. And today, we’re finishing a series called Redeeming Regular Life. This series is from the epistles/letters in the New Testament in the Bible from the Apostles of Jesus to various churches around the Roman Empire. Part of these letters address how the basic relationships ought to work in our lives, including in marriage, parenting, at work, and so on. But the apostles wrote on these things from a uniquely Christian perspective, showing how the gospel and the way of Jesus changes everything. Today, as we bring this series to a close, we’ll finish by looking at a much easier topic to stomach than talking about redeeming politics last week. However, even though our topic for today makes us less squirmy, it’s really just as difficult for us to do as it is to try and apply our faith to our politics. That is our desperate need to establish and maintain healthy Christian friendships. In all our busyness and the chaos of life, but also with how mobile people are today, moving from one house to the next or from one city/state to the next — all these things make it hard for us to form deep and lasting friendships. It’s ironic that we live in an age of social networking where we might have hundreds or even thousands of people we’re connected with online, who are supposedly our friends, and yet many of us struggle to maintain even one real friendship in which we feel we can be vulnerable and our true self. And yet, as we said in our marriage and singleness sermons in this series, even though most people get married, not everyone is called to be married in life. And not everyone who gets married stays married for various reasons. This means that a more universal need than understanding how marriage works (as important and valuable as that is) is our need to understand how friendship works. This is true for all people, married and single. So how does the gospel and the way of Jesus change our friendships? If you have a Bible/app, please open to Colossians 3:1. This is a longer passage, so we’ll break this up into four parts: 1. Who we are in Christ. 2. What we are called from in relationship to others. 3. What we are called to in relationship to others. 4. What these relationships produce? So first, who we are in Christ, starting with v. 1.

Colossians 3:1-4 (NIV), “Since, then, you have been raised with Christ, set your hearts on things above, where Christ is, seated at the right hand of God. 2 Set your minds on things above, not on earthly things. 3 For you died, and your life is now hidden with Christ in God. 4 When Christ, who is your life, appears, then you also will appear with him in glory.” So Colossians is a letter from the Apostle Paul to the Christians in and around the city of Colossae in modern Turkey. And Paul might’ve known some of the believers there, but he hadn’t personally ministered in Colossae. Back in chapter 1, he says that they first heard the gospel through a man named Epaphras. In chapter 2,

Redeeming Politics: Almost nothing is more divisive (and ugly) than politics today. How should Christians engage politically? Whatever issues, candidates, or parties you support, you must connect the values of God’s Kingdom and your allegiance to Jesus, your true King, to your politics — especially with people with different political views than yours! Recorded on Dec 4, 2022, on 1 Peter 3:8-18, by Pastor David Parks.

"Redeeming Regular Life" is a sermon series from the Epistles of the New Testament in the Bible. The Epistles are letters from the Apostles to the early Christian churches helping them understand and apply the gospel to life. "To what part of life?" you might wonder. The answer is: to every part! The way of Jesus changes everything, including marriage, sexuality, singleness, parenting, work, politics, friendship, and more. In Christ, regular life is a gift.

Sermon Transcript

This year, the annual theme of our preaching ministry is Learning the way of Jesus. And right now, we’re in the middle of a series called Redeeming Regular Life. This series is from the household codes found in the epistles/letters in the New Testament in the Bible, from the Apostles of Jesus to various churches around the Roman Empire. Now, in their day, household codes were common and addressed the way our basic relationships (regular life) ought to work. But the apostles wrote on these things from a uniquely Christian perspective, showing how the gospel and the way of Jesus changes everything. So far, we’ve covered redeeming marriage, sexuality, singleness, parenting, and work. If you missed any of those messages, you can always go back and watch or listen online. But today, we’ll move on to a topic many of us would desperately like to avoid, while others of us get maybe a little too excited to talk about, that is, our politics. I understand that by choosing this topic, I have chosen to willingly walk into a minefield with danger in every direction we go. What could be more divisive in our day than talking about politics? For that very reason, as Christians, we must think through these things from a Christian perspective. So what in the world does the gospel have to do with politics? And what does the way of Jesus mean for how we treat people who might have very different political views or beliefs than we do? Those are great questions. But it was really no different back in the first century AD. The Christians back then had political views and issues. They wrestled with how to interact with their political leaders and systems of government. And the instruction the apostles of Jesus give them remains helpful and wise to this day. So if you have a Bible/app, please open to 1 Peter 3:8. We’ll read through this and then unpack it together.

1 Peter 3:8-18 (NIV), “Finally, all of you, be like-minded, be sympathetic, love one another, be compassionate and humble. 9 Do not repay evil with evil or insult with insult. On the contrary, repay evil with blessing, because to this you were called so that you may inherit a blessing. 10 For, “Whoever would love life and see good days must keep their tongue from evil and their lips from deceitful speech. 11 They must turn from evil and do good; they must seek peace and pursue it. 12 For the eyes of the Lord are on the righteous and his ears are attentive to their prayer, but the face of the Lord is against those who do evil.” 13 Who is going to harm you if you are eager to do good? 14 But even if you should suffer for what is right, you are blessed. “Do not fear their threats; do not be frightened.”  15 But in your hearts revere Christ as Lord. Always be prepared to give an answer to everyone who asks you to give the reason for the hope that you have. But do this with gentleness and respect,

Redeeming Work: Most of us spend most of our waking hours doing work. Work can be done in or outside the home. Work can be paid or unpaid. So how does the way of Jesus impact and transform our work? And what would a uniquely Christian perspective be on the relationships we have in our workplace? Recorded on Nov 27, 2022, on Colossians 3:22-4:1, by Pastor David Parks.

"Redeeming Regular Life" is a sermon series from the Epistles of the New Testament in the Bible. The Epistles are letters from the Apostles to the early Christian churches helping them understand and apply the gospel to life. "To what part of life?" you might wonder. The answer is: to every part! The way of Jesus changes everything, including marriage, sexuality, singleness, parenting, work, politics, friendship, and more. In Christ, regular life is a gift.

Sermon Transcript

This year, the annual theme of our preaching ministry is Learning the way of Jesus. And right now, we’re in the middle of a series called Redeeming Regular Life. This series is from the household codes found in the epistles/letters in the New Testament in the Bible, from the Apostles of Jesus to various churches around the Roman Empire. Now, in their day, household codes were common and addressed the way our basic relationships (regular life) ought to work. But the apostles wrote on these things from a uniquely Christian perspective, showing how the gospel and the way of Jesus changes everything. So far, we’ve covered redeeming marriage, sexuality, singleness, and parenting. If you missed any of those messages, you can always go back and watch or listen online. But today, we’ll move on to a topic that most of us spend most of our waking hours doing for much of our lives: our work. Work can be done in or outside the home. Work can be paid or unpaid. So how does the way of Jesus impact and transform our work? And what would a uniquely Christian perspective be on the relationships we have in our workplace? If you have a Bible/app, please open to Colossians 3:22.

Colossians 3:22 - 4:1 (NIV), “Slaves, obey your earthly masters in everything; and do it, not only when their eye is on you and to curry their favor, but with sincerity of heart and reverence for the Lord. 23 Whatever you do, work at it with all your heart, as working for the Lord, not for human masters, 24 since you know that you will receive an inheritance from the Lord as a reward. It is the Lord Christ you are serving. 25 Anyone who does wrong will be repaid for their wrongs, and there is no favoritism. 1 Masters, provide your slaves with what is right and fair, because you know that you also have a Master in heaven.” 

Now, before we go any further, we must remember that slavery in the 1st century AD was very different from what many of us think of slavery from our nation's history. First, slavery was widespread, not a majority of people oppressing a minority. During this time, up to 50% of the Roman Empire would have been considered a slave, with nearly every other civilization in history practicing slavery. Second, slavery wasn't exclusively based on race. War captives and debt were the two main sources of slaves. Third, slavery wasn't usually life-long. Voluntary slavery was a normal means of escaping poverty, and household slaves could rise to become confidants with great responsibility (think of Joseph in Potiphar's house in Genesis). For all these reasons, the ancient view of the master/slave relationship is closer to the employer/employee work relationship of today. To be clear, the Bible doesn't approve of slavery as an institution. The Apostle Paul explicitly says that if slaves can gain their freedom, they should do so (1Co 7:21), and one of the great implications of the gospel is freedom fro...

Redeeming Parenting: Parenting has been recognized as a blessing across societies and times. But how does the gospel change our perspective on parenting compared to society's beliefs and practices? Christians believe that children have inherent value as image-bearers of God, not because of what value they will provide to us or society. But raising children (and people) is not just limited to parents but is the responsibility of the entire church. Recorded on Nov 20, 2022, on Ephesians 6:1-4, by Pastor David Parks.

"Redeeming Regular Life" is a sermon series from the Epistles of the New Testament in the Bible. The Epistles are letters from the Apostles to the early Christian churches helping them understand and apply the gospel to life. "To what part of life?" you might wonder. The answer is: to every part! The way of Jesus changes everything, including marriage, sexuality, singleness, parenting, work, politics, friendship, and more. In Christ, regular life is a gift.

Sermon Transcript

This year, the annual theme of our preaching ministry is Learning the way of Jesus. And right now, we’re in the middle of a series called Redeeming Regular Life. This series is from the household codes found in the epistles/letters in the New Testament in the Bible, from the Apostles of Jesus to various churches around the Roman Empire. Now, in their day, household codes were common and addressed the way our basic relationships (regular life) ought to work. But the apostles wrote on these things from a uniquely Christian perspective, showing how the gospel and the way of Jesus changes everything. So far, we’ve covered redeeming marriage, sexuality, and singleness. Today, we’ll move on to the very important topic of parenting. For my wife, Holly, and I, parenting has been a source of the greatest joy in our life, but also of confusion, anxiety, and stress. Everywhere in the Bible, children are described as a blessing — maybe a chaotic and exhausting blessing (especially when they’re young), but a blessing nonetheless. But as far as I can tell, this is true no matter what you believe about God/faith/bible. So how does the way of Jesus impact and transform the work of parenting? What would a uniquely Christian perspective be on the relationship between parent and child? If you have a Bible/app, please open to Ephesians 6:1.

Ephesians 6:1-4 (NIV), “Children, obey your parents in the Lord, for this is right. 2 “Honor your father and mother”—which is the first commandment with a promise—3 “so that it may go well with you and that you may enjoy long life on the earth.” 4 Fathers, do not exasperate your children; instead, bring them up in the training and instruction of the Lord.” So, as we said a few weeks ago in our marriage sermon, the book of Ephesians is an epistle/letter from the Apostle Paul to the Christians in and around the city of Ephesus in the modern country of Turkey. And in this section of his letter, he addresses these basic household relationships. Look back at v.1.

Ephesians 6:1 (NIV) says, “Children, obey your parents in the Lord, for this is right.” Let’s pause here. Interestingly, it seems as if Paul was expecting kids to be in the church congregation when his letter was read because he addresses them directly here. So kids! Do you want to know what it looks like for you to follow the way of Jesus? You should obey your parents. Now, this isn’t new. Almost every culture forever has come to this conclusion. Kids are the responsibility of their parents, kids need to grow up and mature in every way, and their parents, presumably, are further on in that maturity process, so kids should obey their parents. Learning obedience should help in the primary task of childhood- of growing up. However, there are always some parents who get the command backward,

Redeeming Singleness: In the Christian life, is it better to stay single or to become married? There is not a simple, black-and-white answer for everyone. While marriage can provide loving companionship in our short time on earth, it is not without the difficulties and distractions of family life. Remaining single can allow you to focus more easily on a life of undivided devotion to the Lord. Regardless of marital status, we must evaluate our priorities in light of eternity, avoiding distractions and focusing wholeheartedly on serving the Lord. Recorded on Nov 13, 2022, on 1 Corinthians 7:25-40, by Pastor David Parks.

This message is part of our sermon series, “Redeeming Regular Life,” from the Epistles of the New Testament in the Bible. The Epistles are letters from the Apostles to the early Christian churches around the Roman Empire, helping them understand and apply the gospel to life. The way of Jesus changes everything, including marriage, sexuality, singleness, parenting, work, politics, and friends. In some ways, it’s easier to accept Jesus our Savior than it is to accept him as the Lord of our lives who wants to make some changes in our lives. In Christ, regular life is a gift. The way of Jesus is not easy, but it’s the way of redemption which leads to true and lasting freedom, joy, and peace.

Sermon Transcript:

This year, our annual theme is, Learning the way of Jesus. And we’re working through a sermon series called Redeeming Regular Life. And we’ve said that our series is from the household codes found in the epistles/letters in the New Testament in the Bible. In the first century AD, household codes addressed the way our basic relationships ought to work, whether it be in marriage, parenting, in our work, and so on. This sort of instruction was common at that time, but the Apostles wrote from a uniquely Christian perspective. And it’s vital, as Christians, to think these things through, because the way of Jesus changes everything. And there’s so much redemption and growth and freedom and joy that can come from learning the way of Jesus in regular life. For the last few weeks, we’ve started our series with redeeming marriage (Eph 5) and sexuality (1Co 7). Today, we’ll come back to 1Co 7 in order to consider what the gospel and the way of Jesus has to do with being single. I’m not sure why, but growing up in the church, I can remember hearing teaching on being married, but I’m not sure if I ever remember hearing teaching on being single. And this is kind of weird to me. After all, it is true that despite the fact that people tend to get married later in life than a generation ago, still, according to the US Census Bureau, about 90% of adults will be married at least once in their lifetimes. So, even in an age of mass confusion and anxiety about marriage, most people get married; however, not everyone. And not everyone who gets married stays married, whether because of divorce or death. This means that 100% of us, every one of us, needs to learn how to follow the way of Jesus as a single person. Thankfully, the Bible directly addresses this question for us. So if you have a Bible/app, please open to 1Co 7:25. Since this is a longer passage, we’re going to split it up into three parts. 1. Our priorities in light of eternity 2. The calling to undivided devotion. 3. The gift of freedom in Christ. So first, our priorities in light of eternity. v. 25.

1 Corinthians 7:25-31 (NIV), “Now about virgins: I have no command from the Lord, but I give a judgment as one who by the Lord’s mercy is trustworthy. 26 Because of the present crisis, I think that it is good for a man to remain as he is. 27 Are you pledged to a woman? Do not seek to be released. Are you free from such a commitment? Do not look for a wife. 28 But if you do marry,