Bethel Mennonite Church - Gladys VA

Psalm 63 teaches us that fellowship with God brings a satisfaction and joy that cannot be found anywhere else. For this to become our reality, we need to develop a longing for God Himself that goes beyond wanting Him to fix our problems. This longing can be developed by pursuing and experiencing God through a pattern of worship, praise, and meditation.

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Covenants are between two people. Some covenants are conditional, and some are unconditional.

God made a covenant with Adam, Noah, Abraham, Moses, and Israel (Levitical). The ultimate and complete covenant that supersedes all others is the New Covenant in Jesus Christ. This covenant does not require keeping the 613 laws, but it is the covenant of faith working through love that results in the transformation of the person who trusts in Christ.

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When we celebrate the Lord’s Supper, we remember Christ’s sacrifice and resurrection; unity among believers; covenant of grace; and spiritual nourishment.

When we celebrate Christ’s sacrifice we remember that Christ bore our sins in His own physical body on the tree, and our sins were judged and died with Christ when he died on the cross. In the shedding of Christ’s blood on the cross, Christ gave his life for the remission of sin, and in his resurrection Christ secured our justification.

When we celebrate the Lord’s Supper we remember the unity of the one body of Christ, unified because we are reconciled to God and each other by the remission of sin provided by the death and resurrection of Christ.

When we celebrate the Lord’s Supper we remember that we have entered the new covenant of grace established by Christ’s death and resurrection. This new covenant is the promise of a transformed heart and life, made available by the death and resurrection of Christ and the work of the Holy Spirit. This Covenant of Grace is not opposed to good works; it is opposed to earning by doing.

When we celebrate the Lord’s Supper, we remember that Christ is our sustenance. Within our union and fellowship with Christ we are nourished by Christ’s life in us.

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Sunday schools began in England in the 17780s when Robert Raikes became concerned about the many children and even adults who could not read and had little knowledge of the Bible. As the availability of public education increased, the focus of Sunday school shifted to Bible instruction.

In the late 1800s and early 1900s, Anabaptist and Mennonite groups tended to resist having Sunday schools. Except for Old Order Amish and a few other groups, this view has largely changed.

A primary value of Sunday school is the study of Scripture. This presents a challenge because Sunday school requires teachers and students, and not all teachers are equally gifted. Biblical teaching requires understanding and presenting the meaning of the text. It also requires application of the text to life.

Another value of Sunday school is that it can include participation of students. This can be helpful in both interpreting and applying the Scripture. Participation also helps students apply Scripture to their lives.

This sermon included many helpful ideas for teachers and students.

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Growth toward spiritual maturity is a major goal of the Christian life, and the love that fuels belonging relationships is essential for growth to happen.

Christ’s death and resurrection make belonging possible (Eph. 2-4). The barriers between humans and God and between humans has been removed through the shedding of the blood of Christ unto death on the cross. Forgiveness removes barriers and heals relationships.

A major result of Christ’s death and resurrection is growth toward spiritual and emotional maturity, and love is the energy that fuels belonging and growth. This truth is demonstrated by Paul’s relationship to the Philippians (Phil. 1:3-11).

Paul says he is convinced that God not only has begun a good work in their hearts but that he “will complete it until the day of Jesus Christ,” and Paul is confident of this because he has them in his heart (he loves them).

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Psalm 121 reminds us that God is very committed to our care, nothing is too big or too small for Him, and He alone is our keeper.

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Many people have the idea that “liberty” means freedom to do whatever I want with no restrictions. What Paul meant by liberty is freedom to belong to the Messiah and God’s people without keeping the Old Covenant.

Paul talks about the “hope of righteousness.” The word “hope” indicates that something is not yet fulfilled. By liberty Paul meant neither sinless perfection nor freedom to live in sin. The promise is that faith leads to good works, but this is not a promise of perfection.

Paul also talks about “faith working through love.” By this phrase Paul is saying the same thing James says, that faith that does not bear fruit is not saving faith. Liberty is an opportunity to love. Paul says you have the freedom to love as much and do as much good as you want to.

Paul gives us a list of sins of the flesh that we are not free to do. Most of these sins are against other people and are the result of lack of love for others. Paul’s list of sins of the flesh seem to fall into four categories: personal pleasure, idolatry and witchcraft, relational conflicts, and lack of self control.

Surrender to Christ and love for Christ and others would go a long way in defeating the sins Paul names. In addition, spiritual and emotional growth requires investing in Scripture, focusing on love for God, and developing an understanding of one’s attitudes and motivations. We cannot love and obey out of human energy.

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What attitudes and activities produce healthy body life and believers who do what Jesus wants, according to Acts 2 and 4? In these verses we see numerous spiritual activities. That could be grouped under the headings of worship, commitment to the apostles’ doctrine, and fellowship with fellow believers.

Worship: Worship from the heart is the foundation of all worthwhile spiritual activity and obedience. Without worship and heart fellowship with Christ, religious activity is dead and legalistic. In these two accounts there are numerous spiritual activities that are either worship activities or activities produced by worship.

A central message in these two sermons is that the Jesus you killed is the Messiah, and the only appropriate response to this truth is to repent and be baptized for the remission of your sins. These are the people who are qualified to worship.

Commitment to the apostles’ doctrine: The content of the two sermons in Acts 3 and 4 was their interpretation and application of OT Scripture to their present events. The early believers were awestruck by the reality that the Jesus they so dearly loved had been killed but now was alive. It was as if they were being carried along, energized, consumed by the conviction that the dead Jesus was risen from the dead. They were profoundly impacted by the resurrection event.

Throughout the history of the Christian church, the foundation of all worship, revival, and spiritual transformation has been Scripture. The apostles were the first NT church’s teachers. The NT spiritual leaders had three primary tasks: provide humble service and leadership, preach the Word, and shepherd the sheep.

Fellowship with fellow believers: They broke bread from house to house, shared their resources with those in need, and were of one heart and one soul.

Who a person believes he or she is (a person’s identity, whether valuable or scum of the earth), the kind of character a person develops (whether upright or evil), and even what a person believes is true (whether truth according to Scripture or lies of the devil) are determined more by who a person is attached to and belongs to, or is reacting to, than by facts and truth a person is told to believe.

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The importance of encouraging and comforting one another

When a pebble is skipped across the water, the ripples go on and on. The ripples go even further than the pebble. This is the power of a skipped pebble and an encouraging word.

The Bible has many examples of the value of encouragement. God encouraged Moses with the words, “My presence will go with you.” Moses encouraged Joshua. Barnabas was the Son of Encouragement.

Why don’t we get encouragement done? Think we don’t know how; too busy; forget that everyone needs it; focus on the problems of people; don’t see any results; think people already know that I love them.

Encourage others. The ripples go on and on.

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Saul started off well but ended up in a terrible place because he lost his vision of his smallness and God’s greatness.

Signs of vision loss can include compromised obedience, not waiting on God, harshness toward others, and behaving as though the mission is our own.

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