From the Pulpit

Scripture is clear that, for those who follow the Lord Jesus and proclaim the riches of his saving grace, causing someoffence is unavoidable. “For we are a fragrance of Christ to God among those who are being saved and among those who are perishing; to the one an aroma from death to death, to the other an aroma from life to life” (2 Cor 2:15–16). In other words, Christians stink and only the perfume of Spirit-wrought regeneration can transform that stench into a sweet-smelling fragrance.

Indeed, some offence is inevitable. But there is also some offence that can and should be avoided. There are battles that don’t need to be fought and confrontations that don’t need to be sought. In fact, when believers fail to recognize these distinction they can risk overshadowing, confusing, and distracting from the gospel itself. And it takes humility and discernment to know which are which.

“You are more powerful, capable, and resilient than you realize!” Supposedly motivational statements like this one are common in a humanistic culture that’s obsessed with self-esteem and that preaches purpose, joy, contentment, and success are all available with the right mindset, a positive attitude, and unwavering self-belief.

However, the Bible is clear that none of that is true and, in fact, thinking in those terms and believing those lies actually robs people of the power that is actually available—a power that’s inexhaustible, unfathomable, and supernatural. Matthew’s account of the liberation of the demonized boy showcases the amazing power available to God’s otherwise powerless people, its purpose, its accessibility, and reasons it is often ignored and unused.

There are certain sections of Scripture that seem especially holy, accounts like Moses at the burning bush, the Hebrews at the foot of Mount Sinai, the Christ-welcoming night in Bethlehem, and the women at the empty tomb. These are sacred scenes that invite God’s people nearer God’s glory, power, and grace. The transfiguration of Jesus likewise falls into that magnificent category.

In his book, The Training of the Twelve, A. B. Bruce suggests that “the transfiguration is one of those passages in the Saviour’s earthly history which [a preacher] would rather pass over in reverent silence” (p. 190). It’s as if handling it and explaining it risks adding filth to and distracting from something otherwise pristine and breathtaking, akin to throwing a rock into a calm, silent, and picturesque mountain lake. But handle it we must as this is a text that is as essential as it is awesome, a text by which God’s people need to be both dazzled and shaped.

In the middle of the book of 2 Samuel there is a fascinating story where David, the King of Israel, is forced to flee for his life from his son Absalom. But today, rather than look at 2 Samuel, we are going to be reading from Psalm 3. When we read the intro text before the first verse, we see that this short psalm has been noted as “A Psalm of David, when he fled from his son Absalom”.

Now, I’m going to go out on a limb here and assume that the majority of us have not found ourselves in a situation where our own child has staged a multi-year rebellion that involves seeking to supplant our kingdom by poisoning the minds of our people that leads to us having to flee for our lives. However, I would also assume that many of us do know what it is like to have someone close to us betray our trust, or to face opposition from people around us that causes us to doubt or question our standing with them. I’m sure most of us don’t have to look very far to find those who dishonor our Lord by slandering his goodness or his godliness, or who are actively hostile towards him and his plans.

So today we are going to look at Psalm 3, to see David’s response to his situation. Specifically, we’re going to see David appreciating God’s sustenance, hoping for God’s salvation, and trusting in God’s sovereignty.

It’s one thing to hold a membership at a fitness centre, it’s another thing to use it. It’s wonderful to belong to a gym but its potential benefits are more fully experienced if time, sacrifice, sweat, and a bit of pain are exerted. Similarly, there are many people who have become saved members of God’s household who, for countless reasons, are not experiencing all of its familial blessings. They are redeemed by Christ but not abiding in Christ. They are converted to new life but not committed in their whole life. They are Christians but they are not disciples.   

Last week we were reminded that to be saved one must believe in the person and work of Jesus, that he is “the Christ, the Son of the living God” (v. 16). This week we are going to see what it means to follow Christ, what it costs, and what it provides those who take up the call.

There are many significant questions one may ask and seek to answer in life. Why am I here? What should I do now that I am here? How shall I spend my time? Am I lovable? What is truth? Will you marry me? Where should I focus my abilities and attention? Questions like these are of great consequence and, thus, worthy of great consideration.

But of all the weighty questions we can and should ask ourselves, there is onethat eclipses all others in import. How one answers this single question—and all do answer it, knowingly or otherwise—is eternity-defining and reality-shaping. The question is this: Who is Jesus Christ? Matthew 16:13–20 presents the answers of people who lived during the years of Jesus’s first advent and, ultimately, forces us, thousands of years later, to consider our own response.

Have you ever been confronted by an individual who is displeased about something you have done, something you have said, or some way you have behaved? It can be a jarring and upsetting encounter, regardless of the purity of the intentions, the veracity of the claims, and the closeness of the relationship. Having to face the reality that there are those who are upset with us, disapproving of us, or even disliking of us is an unpleasant experience.   

As we come to Matthew 16, we find this is exactly what happens to the Lord Jesus Christ. A group of high-power, high-brow, high-influence people seek him out for the express purpose of publicly exposing him as the fraud they think he is. How will Jesus respond? What can we learn from this malicious attack? What warning does God have for us who live two-thousand years later?

The humanitarian organization, Doctors Without Borders, is on a mission to mobilize doctors, nurses, and other healthcare professionals to provide medical aid to people in parts of the world where it is most dramatically lacking. If there’s a need, this group attempts to cross all borders to meet it.

God, similarly and more perfectly, is a God without borders, constantly condescending to help, provide, sustain, and save a creation in desperate need. It is important for the people of God to be reminded  that they serve a God who seeks to provide aid and that, his Son — he whom he sent into this world because of his love for this world—is likewise a Messiah without borders. He goes where there is great need. As we conclude Matthew 15, we are going to see Jesus, Israel’s anticipated Messiah and King, modelling a border-traversing mentality he wants all his followers to mimic, including you and I.

Key Passage: Matthew 15:21–39

Series: Matthew: Of King and Kingdom

Speaker: Josiah Boyd

The  many Christmas traditions we enjoy can spark in us a  renewed appreciation of many beautiful realities. However, few are more  important than the two we’re reminded of tonight:  First, God keeps his promises and, second, God means what he says. This  season, as you take in the lights in your neighbourhood, the decorated  tree in your home, the nativity scene on your mantle, and the gifts on  your floor remember also that God keeps his promises and God means what he says.

Key Passage: Selected Scriptures

Series: Advent 2021

Speaker: Josiah Boyd

We all know that life doesn’t always (or often) go the way we plan or desire it, from small disappointments and frustrations, to major loss and suffering. Yet for those of us who are Bible-believing Christians, we would say that God knows what we need, even when things aren’t going the way we want them to.  

We know that in the midst of the chaos when Mary and Joseph journeyed to and arrived in Bethlehem, God provided a place for Jesus to be born;  and it’s a story that is known and remembered by millions, if not billions, of people around the globe, even after 2000 years. We know that Jesus being born on that not-so-silent night was exactly what we as humanity needed, because he would grow up to save us. 

In arguably the most well-known verse there is in the Bible, John 3:16, it says, “For God so loved the world, that he gave his only Son, so that  everyone who believes in him will not perish, but have eternal life.” And it’s this Son-sending, eternal-life-providing love of God that we’re going to focus on with our time today.