Family Chapel

God is holy, but God is also one who is near and who dwelt among us. God the Son put on flesh to become our Great mediator, savior, and friend. God knows us fully and wants us to know him as well.

For God to be sovereign simply means that God has total freedom. He is not restricted by any greater authority. Rather, in his sovereignty, God actively supervises all things and purposefully succeeds in all things. As such, we have hope especially in seasons of suffering and we gain courage to boldly take risks for God's Kingdom.

Holiness is not just one attribute of God, but it is the attribute that undergirds all other attributes of God. In his holiness, God is uniquely set apart and God is morally pure. In light of God's holiness, we should respond in worship, grow in holiness, and pursue after justice.

God is not some abstract, amorphous higher power, but God is triune. God is Father, Son, and Holy Spirit – eternally existing as three persons sharing one divine essence. Far from being a nerdy theological doctrine that is irrelevant to our lives, the Trinity impacts everything, especially the Gospel. The Gospel starts with the Trinity, is carried out by the Trinity, and leads us to the Trinity. May we marvel at our God who is triune!

As we embark on this theme of God's Vision for 2025, we recognize that rightly seeing God's vision starts with rightly seeing God. So we are starting a series on the Theology of God and exploring his nature, character, and actions. This Sunday we will begin with the existence of God. Our faith is not a blind leap but rather firmly entrenched with compelling evidence and rational hope. And this faith and right vision of God provides answers to life's biggest questions.

Sermon from Family Chapel

To quote Pastor Andy Stanley, vision is a clear mental picture of what could be, fueled by the conviction of what should be. But what makes vision distinctly Christian is that God is at the center of it. A God-ordained vision starts as a burden stirred up by God, eventually feels like a moral imperative given by God, and is always in alignment with God's Kingdom purposes. The reason why cultivating such vision is so important is because vision provides direction for life, protection against burnout, and motivation to make sacrifices.

Paul gives his final instructions and exhortations for this growing church. He enourages them to endeavor in prayer and to walk in wisdom. Lastly, he emphasizes the importance of community and teamwork as he recognizes his friends and partners in ministry.

The Apostle Paul wraps up his section on how the Gospel shapes households by addressing slaves and masters. In doing so, Paul is not endorsing the institution of slavery, but instructing Christians on how to faithfully operate within that pre-existing system while also subtly undermining the entire system itself. Through this passage, we see that regardless of our specific jobs, we are all ultimately working for the Lord. As such, we should work with integrity, excellence, and perseverance.

The Apostle Paul addresses how Christians are to live and relate to others in the context of their own households. While we are made new in Christ and brought into a new spiritual family, that doesn't mean we ignore or reject our natural families. Rather, the Gospel is to deeply shape how Christians are to relate to one another in the home, especially as husbands/wives and children/parents. The relationships in our households are to be marked by a mutual love and service for one another, all under the lordship of Christ.