Preacher: Scott Hamilton

A Faith List For God’s People:

1. I am entrusted with the care of the souls around me (14)

a. I am willing to challenge complacency in you

b. I am going to seek ways to strengthen you

"I have never met anyone too encouraged. Never once." -- Ray Ortlund

c. I want to be close enough to see when you are struggling

d. I am going to be patiently persistent with you

2. I am encouraging mercy where relationships get messy (15)

a. I am vigilant for vengeful or vindictive tendencies

b. I am going to get after doing good

3. I am fully engaged in my relationship with God (16-18)

a.  I am asking God to develop deeper delight within me

b. I am asking God to help me pursue proximity to Him

c. I am grounding who I am in gratitude to God

Preacher: Scott Hollingshead

Big Idea: Jesus’ baptism is the setting for divine confirmation of the identity and ministry of Jesus as the Messiah.     

1. The Son baptized - a sign of identification (v. 21a) 

2. The Spirit descending - a sign of inauguration (v. 21b-22a)       

3. The Father declaring - a sign of affirmation (v. 22b)

Preacher: Scott Hollingshead

Big Idea: True repentance is a necessary act of preparation to meet Jesus.

1. Persuasion to repentance comes with a warning (vv. 7-9) 

2. Practicals of repentance show forth in life (vv. 10-14)  

3. Power for repentance comes from God (vv. 15-17) 

4. Preaching repentance comes at a cost (vv. 18-20)

Preacher: Sive Nogada

Big Idea: The Gospel has the power to bring sinners into a state of reconciliation with God and with each other.

1. The extent of our alienation

2. The gospel brings reconciliation

3. Believers share a new identity

Preacher: Tyler Masters

Big Idea: Preparing the way for the King requires humility and repentance. Jesus brings comfort and healing to those who first mourn and are broken over their sin.

1. The Context of Wretchedness (vv. 1-2a)
2. The Call to Repentance (vv. 2b-3)

 “Whenever you believe that the evil outside you is greater than the evil inside you, a heartfelt pursuit of Christ will be replaced by a zealous fighting of the evil around you.” -- Timothy Lane and Paul Tripp, How People Change

 3. The Comfort of Redemption (vv. 4-6)

Preacher: Scott Hollingshead

Big Idea: The Lord Jesus came into the world with a human nature like ours, to live in obedience to His Father.

1. How to lose Jesus (vv. 41-45) 

2. What the lost Jesus does (vv. 46-48a)     

3. Where the lost Jesus must be (vv. 48b-51) 

4. What a lost Jesus does reveal (v. 52)  

Preacher: Scott Hollingshead

Big Idea: Jesus’ first days reveal His coming to fulfill God’s covenant promises for the salvation of sinners.   

1. Christ’s circumcision and the Abrahamic covenant (v. 21)

2. Christ’s consecration and the Mosaic covenant (vv. 22-24)

3. Christ’s consolation and the New covenant (vv. 25-40)

Preacher: Chris Ritter

Big Idea: Come behold the wonder of Heaven's King born on earth.

1. Shepherds: God's unlikely recipients (v. 8)

2. Angel: God's bearer of Good News (v. 9-12)

3. Heavenly Host: God's choir of highest glory (v. 13-14)

4. Witnesses: God's proclaimers of His salvation (v. 15-20) 

Preacher: Scott Hollingshead

Big Idea: 10 Virtues that protect from glory thievery and the vices that threaten.

1. Virtue: God-centeredness

Vice: Man-centeredness 

Rom 11:36

2. Virtue: Gospel proclamation

Vice: Self-exaltation 

2 Cor 4:5

3. Virtue: Preaching God’s word

Vice: Tickling ears 

2 Tim 4:3

4. Virtue: Prayer

Vice: Self-sufficiency

Ps 50:15

5. Virtue: Praise

Vice: Apathy

Ps 96:8

6. Virtue: Holiness

Vice: Idolatry

2 Cor 3:18

7. Virtue: Humility

Vice: Self-preoccupation

Isa 66:2  

8. Virtue: Service

Vice: Consumption 

1 Pet 4:10-11

9. Virtue: Risk

Vice: Comfort

Matt 25:25

10. Virtue: Gratitude

Vice: Taking for granted

1 Cor 4:7

Preacher: Scott Hollingshead

Big Idea: Jesus’ coming is a clash between the Kingdom of God and the kingdoms of the world. 

Jesus' coming reveals...

1. God confronting the captors of His people (vv. 1-3)

2. God causing the powerful to be but pawns in His plans (vv. 4-5)

3. God condescending in a reversal of kingdom expectations (vv. 6-7)