bpchurch Sermons

Job chapters 3-27 can be hard reading. These cycles of speeches by Job and his three friends are hard to understand and hard to get through. They wear us out reading them, in fact, they wear God out. We can certainly learn from them some things not to do when trying to understand and comfort those in suffering and grief. This Sunday we'll see why these three fall short, and where to look for a better response for those who are hurting.

This week we start a new 6 week series in the book of Job. Job is a book we turn to in trouble, yet of-ten we come away from the book of Job less than satisfied, and maybe a little frustrated. It doesn't seem to quite answer our questions. Maybe we're not asking the right question... The purpose of the book of Job is not to explain why God's people suffer, it doesn't answer that question. It shows us God's people do suffer, but we already knew that. Job is intended to show that even when we suffer, we can trust God. This Sunday in the first two chapters we'll meet Mr. Job, a pleasant and godly man, we'll get to know his God, the sovereign king over everything. We'll also get a glimpse of his shifty shady adversary - and ours. We'll see Satan's lies confronted, Job's wife comforted and the few short verses where Job's friends get it right.

Malachi chapter 3 poses the rhetorical question, "Will man rob God?" The notion seems foolish on its face, how could man ever get away with robbing God? And yet we try... We'll poke around that ques-tion a little bit this Sunday, it might impact how we give to God. But I think the same section poses an even more important question, with greater ramifications for how we will worship and sacrifice and give: "Will God rob man... will God rub us?" This same chapter of Malachi gives a definitive answer to that question, do you see it? What difference does that answer make? We'll talk about it on Sunday.

What is the difference between a house and a home? The house is the physical structure: the floor, walls, and roof. But a home requires people. Having a large beautiful house seems like a great thing, but what is far more important is the people that live there. This is true of all buildings; what goes inside is far more important than what it looks like on the outside. We have been talking about build-ings for the last several weeks, about the Tabernacle and the Temple, and this week, we will learn about a new building, a new Temple. And we will see more clearly than ever that what that building looks like on the outside is far less important that what goes in it. I look forward to gathering with you this Sunday.

My Father's House Shall Be...

Is there such a thing as sacred space? Are some places more sacred than others? Are there specific places where God intends for his people to meet with him and experience his presence in ways in which his presence is not experienced elsewhere? If there is or are sacred place(s), what are the impli-cations of going there? Will I miss out on something by not going? In 2 Chronicles 6 we will consider God's purposes for a particular sacred space, and the implications for us as a church.

That is one of the questions we have before us in our quarterly business meeting after church this Sunday. God has clearly led and abundantly provided in the capitol campaign to build an education addition onto the auditorium building to replace the aging Chapman building. Is it now time to start building? I hope you are praying and will join us in participating in this important decision we must make together as a church. We are not the first to wonder, is it time to build? And this same question applies to many decisions we make about how we should utilize time, talents, and resources the Lord has entrusted to us. The brief book of Haggai reminds us of the glorious purposes God had entrusted to us, the assurance we have in Him to carry it out, the far-reaching impacts of what He calls us to do, all by His grace working in us

1 Chronicles 21 recounts the experience of David at the threshing floor. This episode captures some-thing of our journey in faith through life, as we move from self-reliance to trust and worship. It also has something to say about decisions we face day-to-day concerning "Where do I put my trust?" or "What will I devote myself to?" In this story, David goes from counting on his army to counting on God, he begins in worry and ends in worship. The story reminds us that we can go our own way or we can worship God - either one will cost us something. The question is, which price will we pay?

bpChurch has been thinking a lot lately about building. We've learned that our building costs have increased, and yet the time to begin might be just months away. Since we are thinking about building, it's a good time to consider some of the times in the Bible when God builds. Over the next few weeks, we will look at different episodes of building, from the tabernacle to the temple, to the Church. This week we will see what we can learn from "Earrings from Egypt" in Exodus 35. See you Sunday.

Psalm 133 is a compact and compelling depiction of the blessing of godly unity among God's people. Unity is both good and pleasant... but what exactly does oil on Aaron's beard and dew on the mountains have to do with unity? Those images aren't obvious at first, but I'm convinced that this brief psalm contains the same key elements which are packed into Paul's calls for unity in Ephesians 4:3, make every effort to keep the unity of the Spirit in the bond of peace. That verse is even more compact, but we'll unpack together, in unity, on Sunday.

Will my life matter or not? Will I succeed or fail? Will I prosper or struggle? Will I be secure or in danger? Will I flourish or will my days seem futile? This short Psalm speaks to some of life's most significant needs: significance and safety, prosperity and posterity. In just a few lines it tells us how to trust, rest, and invest. Let's talk about it on Sunday.