Last week we examined the importance of Christology to our faith. Who Jesus is, His person, is one of the central tenants of our faith. This Sunday our focus shifts to His eternal sonship. The study of His virgin birth must begin with an acknowledgment that Jesus existed before His human birth.

There is no extreme more evident than the gap that exists between ourselves and God. This is what I mean- when just left alone to ourselves, we have no hope of defeating our enemies. In fact, they will defeat us pretty easily. But when we have God on our side, the entire scenario flips around. We will defeat them pretty easily. God makes that much of a difference-

The virgin birth of Jesus is one of the most important doctrines of the Christian faith. Because of this, it was assailed and mocked even before Jesus' earthly ministry. Tonight's message introduces this important topic by revisiting a question Jesus asked the Pharisees about Himself.

Many Christians are steeped in ritualistic practices,believing that doing those things makes them a more spiritual person. When Jesus cleansed the temple, He demonstrated that religious ritualism is not as important as some people believe. In today's sermon I define ritualism as -the replacement of true worship with rituals that may have once had value, but are now meaningless, dead, or both.-

In 2 John, the apostle warns Christians against receiving unbelievers, particularly godless teachers, into the church. The counterbalance of that restriction is that those who are believers, and especially godly teachers, should be received into the church warmly. So what happens when they are not- The apostle argues in 3 John against this kind of ungodly separation.

Sermon notes- https---www.dropbox.com-s-14wqibl8gi1cwl6-4-20Psalm-20123-20notes.docx-dl-0--Fredrick Douglass, the famous American abolitionist, named his newspaper The North Star because the famous Polaris was what slaves escaping to freedom used as their guide. Likewise, Christians who are oppressed find in God their own North Star. He is the hope for all oppressed people.

Most Christians are unaware that John Newton's Amazing Grace was associated with more than 20 melodies before an American composer William Walker set it to the tune known as New Britain, which is the version most frequently sung today.Clearly the song's first verse is lifted from the story of the Prodigal Son in Luke 15. In this parable, Jesus declares there is great joy when things that are lost are now found.

Sermon notes- https---1drv.ms-w-s-AkDxOrPoKtemkpFMvNSkh-FrpALF8g-e-gwcrHV----We sometimes feel overwhelmed by so many dos and don'ts- -I should do so many things and should not do so many other things to follow Christ... How in the world can I do all of them-- In today's text, the Lord Jesus gives us two simple yet profound principles that help us to grasp the complexity of the Christian life.

Almost every missionary depends on God's people for support. Unlike pastors, they do not generally gain their support from their own church, but from a collection of other churches that recognize the need to help them in their ministry. John saw the same need in the 1st century and encouraged his disciple to support those missionaries who visited his church. Tonight's sermon- Financially Supporting Missionaries. -3 John 5-8-

Sermon Notes- https---www.dropbox.com-s-zyp40oazekn9879-3-20Psalm-20122-20notes.docx-dl-0--One of the things I learned in the Marine Corps was how to use a compass. It's not very difficult conceptually, but in the woods, with the rugged terrain and shifting light, it's pretty easy to get lost. Sometimes God's people get lost in life too. What a blessing to know that God providentially cares for us.