Christ PCA Temecula

False teaching and teachers have an uncanny ability to persuade and influence people's thinking. Their charismatic speaking and leadership can draw great crowds. Because false teaching can be so destructive and wounding, right doctrine and encouragement are needed as a remedy. This Sunday, we look to the letter of Jude, who offers encouragement to a church infiltrated by false teachers. Despite the harm the teachers have caused, Jude gives his hearers hope that they are God's beloved children and that they have hope in being united in their most holy faith.

Have you ever been so familiar with something that you feel like you know it like the back of your hand, but then one day you see something in it you’ve never seen before. It has been there for years but you had no idea what a gem it was. This week in 1 Peter, we will see just what Peter is saying in these verses and how it points to many other verses in the Scriptures and is part of the central message that Jesus has given to us, to love one another.

Even as Christians, there are times when we feel so weak and helpless and all we can do is cry out to God, “Help.” However, no matter how heavy our hearts, not matter what questions we have, we have the hope of the resurrection. We don’t know much, but we do know this: God has sent us His son into this world to bring light into the darkness. He hears our cries and brings the comfort that only He can bring. This gospel message points us towards hope because of our Savior Jesus Christ.

Peter’s letter now shifts. He laid the bedrock of our faith in the undeserved grace of God toward us who believe. Now Peter is going to encourage the saints to love one another. How do we treat our neighbors, coworkers, spouses, bosses, the government? We never move pass the gospel, we never transition to earning the gospel, but Christ has died, Christ has risen, and Christ will come again, and we are called to live out the gospel in our everyday lives till He returns.

Our spiritual forefathers have stated that God governs all of His creatures and their actions through his works of Providence. They came to hold this belief from books like 1 Peter. As we begin a new series through 1 Peter, we will see the deep love and control of God over our lives, how He is weaving us into His great plan. Peter wrote this book to show that by seeing God’s awesome power and control we would entrust ourselves to His care, standing firm in the faith we have in Jesus, our rock and cornerstone.

Wrapping up our series, we’ll look at two seemingly different stories in 2 Kings 6; the first, a prophet loses an axe head in the Jordan River; the second reveals a large-scale geopolitical conflict. And yet, this story in the life of Elisha reminds us that God is in the middle of all of it even when the events themselves seem so distant from our day-to-day lives. God is in our midst of as the one who has compassion, is sovereign over all things, and sustains us by his grace.

This Easter Sunday, we unpack the all-encompassing effects of the resurrection of Christ. In 1 Corinthians 15, the Apostle Paul makes the case that Christianity and everything it entails falls apart if there is no resurrection. If Jesus hasn’t risen from the dead there is no redemption for our sins, no purpose in following Jesus, and no hope for the future. The resurrection isn’t just one brick among many in a system of belief, but instead means everything for our past, present, and future lives.

In 2 Kings 5, the washing of Naaman is one of the great baptism passages in the Bible. Naaman represents an all-too-familiar pride that must be set aside for him to see his need of God and Elisha’s servant, Gehazi, represents the similarly familiar pride of self-righteousness as he struggles to grasp God’s saving grace. These obstacles to God’s gracious work rear their heads in every generation. This story is a powerful reminder of our need of God’s cleansing mercy—a mercy wonderfully displayed in the waters of baptism.

The prophet Elisha moves from scene to scene in 2 Kings 4, bringing the kingdom of God to bear on women and men throughout Israel through miraculous works. Elisha’s ministry isn’t just about revealing the power of God; it's also reminding us of the God who sees and saves his people in distress. Amidst kingdoms that are passing away, Elisha the man of God, and ultimately Jesus the God-man, come bearing the hope and promise of a kingdom of redemption and restoration.

In 2 Kings 2, Elijah dramatically departs as the Lord ushers him away with chariots and horses of fire. The mantle is passed to Elisha, who will now take center stage. Elijah represented a ministry of judgment, often leaving Israel without God’s Word, Elisha represents a ministry of life, bringing God’s life-giving Word to bear on Israel. Elisha enters Israel a new Joshua on a mission of spiritual conquest and as Israel’s new spiritual leader, points us forward to our greater deliverer Jesus.