Life is as simple as walking in truth and love which involves looking up, looking out not in, and looking around. 

Truth and love are inextricably linked.  Truth without love is cold and lifeless; love without truth is detached and empty.

Paul knew the law and the rights Philemon had as a slave owner.  And yet, he asked him to not exercise those rights and to do something that was difficult and definitively counter-cultural; forgive Onesimus.

This is the first of a five-part series on the one chapter books of the Bible.  This is the only one in the Old Testament.  (This sermon was given by Aaron Raines, Ministry Intern.)

The benediction is a scriptural pronouncement that assures us that not only have we been offered grace but that we have received grace, which enables us to depart and go back out into the world just as boldly and confidently as we came in to approach the throne of grace.

"All those who remained committed to the old Jewish system were excluded from the benefits of Christ’s atoning death.  But his death outside the camp means that he is accessible to anyone in the world who will come to him.  Jesus planted the cross in the world so that the world might have access to Him and He remains permanently available." - R. Kent Hughes

In chapter 13, the writer makes it clear that who we are now affects how we should live.  In particular, he says, the change in our relationship with God directly affects our relationship(s) with each other.

There isn’t a God of the OT and a God of the NT, there is only one God and He is holy and gracious.  "He isn’t safe but He is good" (C.S. Lewis) and has provided for us a stream from which to drink and we should respond with appropriate worship. (We apologize for the audio quality this week. We’re working on it!)

The race is long and difficult.  But we are not running alone.  We may be running different courses with different obstacles and we may be running at different paces.  But we’re running together.  Let’s us not grow weary and fainthearted but continue to run the race set before us.

We must make willful, concentrated decisions and put in the purposeful hard work to lay those things aside that we might run the race, endure to the end, and finish well.