Sermon by: Robert Austell; June 2, 2019; Revelation 2:1-7 :: Sermon Audio (link) :: Click link to open and play in browser; right-click to save. Sermon audio is also accessible as a free podcast in iTunes. Search for "Good Shepherd Sermons" or "Robert Austell."  Your browser does not support the audio element. ::: Music :: Light the Fire Again (Doerksen) Open Our Eyes, Lord (Cull) I Love You, Lord (Klein) More Love to Thee (Prentiss) :: Sermon Manuscript (pdf) :: This manuscript represents an early draft of the sermon. Some weeks the spoken version varies more than others from the early manuscript. Nevertheless, if you'd prefer to read than to listen, this is provided  for that purpose. Over the next eight weeks or so we are going to be looking at the letters to the churches in Revelation. You heard the set up for this in the first scripture reading today. John had a vision of Jesus and in that vision Jesus spoke a message to seven different prominent churches in early church. This was a generation or two after the life and ministry of Jesus. Churches had been established across the Greek and Roman world. Paul had written the epistles in the New Testament to a number of them. And this is set slightly later than that. In fact, our first letter is to the Church in Ephesus, one whose founding is described in Acts and to whom an epistle (Ephesians) was written. There were also several letters to Timothy, one of its first pastors. And we’ll see even 40-50 years into its existence, the church in Ephesus continued to struggle with similar things as in its early days. So in this series I want to look at the messages to these early churches. I think that’s valuable from a historical and biblical perspective, to know what things the early church struggled with and what needed to be prioritized. It’s valuable to look at these for our own church life together, to consider what we struggle with and what needs to be prioritized. And finally, since the church isn’t a building or even a location, but people – specifically you and me – I think these letters are valuable to consider what we struggle with and what needs to be prioritized as individual followers of Jesus. Each letter follows a similar five-fold pattern: 1.    Description of Jesus: the description has some correlation to what’s going on in that church. 2.    I know you: describes something good about the church (if there is something) 3.    I have this against you: describes an area of sin or shortcoming 4.    Consequences: the result of not addressing the sin or shortcoming 5.    If you hear and overcome: the path to repentance and restoration We’ll look at that each week for the church in Revelation and then look for application to ourselves. Who is Jesus? (v.1) Jesus begins his message to Ephesus with this introduction: “The One who holds the seven stars in His right hand, the One who walks among the seven golden lampstands, says this…” (v.1) In other words, Jesus is Lord of the Church… not only Ephesus, but the whole Church. He is speaking, he knows what’s going on, he is the righteous judge, so listen up! I Know You (vv.2-3) What does he have to say? “I know you…” “I know you; I know your deeds and your toil and your perseverance… you are some hard workers; I know your work, how hard you work, and how hard you work at working hard!” What is it they work so hard at? They cannot tolerate evil men, and they test those who would teach falsely and find them to be false. And then it is noted some more how hard they work at this and persevere in it. It’s the Truth that they have latched on to, and they have made it the #1 thing for them. If you asked them what it means to be the Church, they would answer, “Truth!” They are diligent and careful and test all things against the Word and Spirit and they will not stand for any falsehood. And they are right for doing so. They are right according to Scrip

Sermon by: Robert Austell; June 9, 2019; Revelation 2:8-11 :: Sermon Audio (link) :: Click link to open and play in browser; right-click to save. Sermon audio is also accessible as a free podcast in iTunes. Search for "Good Shepherd Sermons" or "Robert Austell."  Your browser does not support the audio element. ::: Music :: It is Well With My Soul (Spafford/Bliss) Trading My Sorrows (Evans) Sermon: Always Good (Peterson) Sermon: After the Last Tear Falls (Peterson) Offertory: My Life Flows On in Endless Song (arr. Austell/VanderHeide) I Have a Shelter :: Sermon Manuscript (pdf) :: This manuscript represents an early draft of the sermon. Some weeks the spoken version varies more than others from the early manuscript. Nevertheless, if you'd prefer to read than to listen, this is provided  for that purpose. **the sermon audio has me singing, but I've embedded Peterson's versions in youtube videos in the manuscript below We are looking at a series of letters written to early churches about two generations after the time of Jesus. These were spoken to John in a vision and written down. Today we are looking at the letter to the church in Smyrna. It was a harbor city in the Roman Empire known for its dedication to Rome and to the Roman mother goddess. It is one of only two of the churches in Revelation for which Jesus does not “have anything against them.” But the Christians in Smyrna were struggling with tribulation. They are suffering for their faith. Today I want to focus in on suffering and dig into the hope Jesus offers. And I want to do that a little differently this morning. I want to sing two different songs for you, each dealing with suffering and with hope. This is not all that can be said about suffering, nor is it all scripture says about suffering. But I think it is a kind of hope that we don’t often rely on and one that I hope we can receive. Both songs today are by Andrew Peterson, who wrote “Behold the Lamb of God” that we did here for a number of years. The first song I want to share is “Always Good.” It reminds me of our first scripture reading, from Corinthians. The one that says we have this treasure in earthen vessels. We are so finite and weak. There is so much in this world that can crack and chip away at us. In Corinthians, Paul talks about God’s power being shown in our suffering: though afflicted, we are not crushed; though perplexed, we are not despairing; though persecuted, we are not forsaken; though struck down, we are not destroyed. That’s what the Christians in Smyrna were facing and it’s what some of you have or will face to varying degrees. Whether persecution or cancer or physical or emotional losses of all kinds, God doesn’t promise us a pain-free life, but does promise His presence, His hope, His strength, and ultimately that death is not the final word. In the song “Always Good” Peterson reminds us that Jesus sees and knows our grief, that we don’t always understand what is going on, but that in and through it all, God is always good, always good. God does not cause our suffering, but God is at work in all things to bring about His purposes, which are compassionate and holy and good. ALWAYS GOOD Andrew Peterson © 2018 Jakedog Music (Admin. by Music Services, Inc.) CCLI License # 94754 Do you remember how Mary was grieving How you wept and she fell at your feet If it's true that you know what I'm feeling Could it be that you're weeping with me Arise O Lord and save me, there's nowhere else to go You're always good, always good Well somehow this sorrow is shaping my heart like it should And you're always good always good Well it's so hard to know what you're doin' So why won't you tell it all plain But you said you'd come back on the 3rd day And Peter missed it again and again So maybe the answer surrounds us But we don't have eyes to see That you're always good, always good This heartache is moving me closer than joy ever could And you're always good My God my God be near me There's now

Sermon by: Robert Austell; May 26, 2019; Psalm 145 :: Sermon Audio (link) :: Click link to open and play in browser; right-click to save. Sermon audio is also accessible as a free podcast in iTunes. Search for "Good Shepherd Sermons" or "Robert Austell."  Your browser does not support the audio element. ::: Music :: We Will Remember (Tommy Walker) Great is Thy Faithfulness (arr. VanderHeide) OFFERTORY: Song Without Words, Susan Slade - flute (Richard S. Williams) Here is Love (chorus) (Lowry, Rees) O God Our Help in Ages Past (ST. ANNE) :: Sermon Manuscript (pdf) :: This manuscript represents an early draft of the sermon. Some weeks the spoken version varies more than others from the early manuscript. Nevertheless, if you'd prefer to read than to listen, this is provided  for that purpose. To begin today, I’d like to ask you to think about something difficult you are facing today in the present. Alternately, think about something you worry about in the future. Think for a moment… I won’t ask you to share that, but I’d encourage you to write it down in short form in your own Bible next to Psalm 145 or in the back… or take a short note on your phone. I want you to remember it during the sermon today and we’ll come back to it at the end. * * * In our civic life, this weekend is a memorial in which we remember those who have died in military service to our country. A memorial is an intentional remembering and it is important to do, not only in civic life, but in our own lives and faith. We remember birthdays and anniversaries because they celebrate things that are important to us. They mark events of significance and can bring back memories and commitments from years past. We also remember things like deaths and wartime sacrifice because those also mark events of significance that can bring back memories and commitments from years past. Doing so can inform our present and inspire our future. Likewise, memorials are an important part of our faith and spiritual lives. Specifically, scripture teaches us to remember who God is and what God has done. We do that to mark events of significance, to recall memories and commitments from years past. And we do so to inform our present and inspire our future. Today’s scripture text is Psalm 145, which reminds us that one such form of spiritual memorial is praise. In summary, Psalm 145 says: Remember to PRAISE GOD! Remember God to Praise In one sense, Psalm 145 is one long rush of praise. It’s a little hard to dissect or organize. And there’s a reason for that. But I do want to suggest one loose way to look at it. It is a series of reflections or challenges on the importance of praise, punctuated by actual moments of praise. We sometimes see that in songs. The verses may be a call to praise, “Let’s all praise the Lord” and the chorus might be the actual praise, “Praise the Lord!” That’s kind of how this goes, with more meat and detail and poetry to it. Let’s look briefly… Opening Pledge: I will praise (vv.1-2) Psalm 145 opens with several ‘I’ statements that basically say in several different ways: I WILL praise the Lord. There are elaborations in terms of how to refer to God, frequency of the praise, and so forth, but that’s the basic gist. Then then in verse 3 there is direct praise around God’s greatness. Praise is Public (vv.4-7) In verses 4-7, we move back to calling for praise, with two noticeable developments. The call for praise is now issued to the people of God (not just the Psalmist), and the form of praise takes on a much more public nature. Praise is now described by words like DECLARE, SPEAK, TELL, UTTER, and SHOUT. We also see a broader description of what praise includes: it is both the character and the works of God. It is both who God is as well as what God has done. This section also moves into direct praise, now around God’s love, mercy, grace, and kindness. God’s character and works are demonstrably praiseworthy. (vv. 10-12) Finally, in a third section (vv. 10-12

Sermon by: Robert Austell; May 19, 2019; Ephesians 1:3-4; Philippians 1:3-11; Romans 12:1-2 :: Sermon Audio (link) :: Click link to open and play in browser; right-click to save. Sermon audio is also accessible as a free podcast in iTunes. Search for "Good Shepherd Sermons" or "Robert Austell."  Your browser does not support the audio element. ::: Music :: My Lighthouse (Rend Collective) SOLO: Now You Make it Your Own (Dawson/Austell) - confirmation song Your browser does not support the audio element. Before the Throne of God Above (Vicki Cook) CHOIR: Rejoice the Lord is King (arr. Forrest) Blessed Assurance (ASSURANCE) :: Sermon Manuscript (pdf) :: This manuscript represents an early draft of the sermon. Some weeks the spoken version varies more than others from the early manuscript. Nevertheless, if you'd prefer to read than to listen, this is provided  for that purpose. Today’s sermon is for the Confirmation students. It’s the story of God working in time and out of time to bring about the salvation of His children. It is a promise to those who have trusted Jesus Christ and committed their lives to him – that means this sermon is also for you, if you have trusted Christ and made that commitment. The promise is that God is working on you and in you, perfecting you until you are transformed into the likeness of Jesus Christ. God is getting each of you ready for Heaven. Finally, the sermon is for you, even if you have not yet trusted Jesus Christ, because it describes the great love and purpose with which God pursues His children. God Chose You in Christ (Ephesians 1:3-4) Today I’m simply going to talk about three different passages from the Bible. The first is Ephesians 1:3-4. There Paul writes: “Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who has blessed us with every spiritual blessing in the heavenly places in Christ, just as He chose us in Christ before the foundation of the world, that we should be holy and blameless before Him.” This is the truly mind-boggling part! God, who exists outside of time and space, was pleased to choose us in Christ before the foundation of the world. This is neither the time nor place to get mired down in discussions of fate, predestination, free will, temporal mechanics, or if-God-chose-me-what-about-the-other-people. Today’s message is directed at YOU. If you are a Christian, the Bible says God not only knew about you before the world was made, but God chose you for the purpose of salvation and being perfect in His presence – “holy and blameless before Him.” It’s that PURPOSE of God that we are focusing on today… God’s perfection. Why did God create human beings? Genesis says that it was because He was pleased to do so, for mutual relationship, and for humanity to worship God. Even with Sin and the Fall and all that seemed to mess that plan up, God’s plan was bigger – when the time was right, He sent His Son, Jesus Christ, to die on the cross and accomplish salvation for all who believe. That means you, confirmation students. That means you, brothers and sisters in Christ. That means you, who may not know Christ, but who would believe in him. And these words in Ephesians not only say that God purposed to rescue us from sin; God’s purpose all along is that we might be made perfect to stand in His presence to enjoy relationship and worship of our God and Father. God Told His Story to You (Philippians 1:3-11) The second passage I want to mention is Philippians 1:3-11. In short, this passage reassures us that God does not leave us on our own to accomplish either our salvation or the perfection of our lives. This passage says that God is at work in you, willing and working in you to make you perfect. There are two handy theological words to describe all this. The one is “justification,” which describes the instant right-standing granted to us by the grace of Christ. Christians are justified by the crucifixion of Jesus Christ – we are forgiven and viewed by God as having th

Sermon by: Robert Austell; May 12, 2019 - 2 Timothy 1:2-7; Acts 18:24-27 :: Sermon Audio (link) :: Click link to open and play in browser; right-click to save. Sermon audio is also accessible as a free podcast in iTunes. Search for "Good Shepherd Sermons" or "Robert Austell."  Your browser does not support the audio element. ::: Music :: Come Praise and Glorify (Sovereign Grace) Ancient Words (DeShazo) SOLO: For the Beauty of the Earth (Dyer/Horness) Now Thank We All Our God (NUN DANKET) :: Sermon Manuscript (pdf) :: This manuscript represents an early draft of the sermon. Some weeks the spoken version varies more than others from the early manuscript. Nevertheless, if you'd prefer to read than to listen, this is provided  for that purpose. I’d like you to think back through your life and think of people who have had a spiritual impact on your life. Who first told you about God’s love? In whose life did you see a relationship with Jesus Christ modeled? If you grew up in church, who were those key Sunday school teachers or youth advisors or spiritual mentors? If you came to faith or grew in it outside of church, who along the way shared faith with you? That’s what I want to talk about today. I want to share two examples of passing on faith from scripture, then share a few examples from my life, then ask you to look for ways to BE such a person for others. Two Biblical Examples Lois and Eunice (2 Timothy 1) First, let’s look at two women, Lois and Eunice. They are mentioned in 2 Timothy 1, in Paul’s letter to his young friend, Timothy. Paul is urging Timothy to hold fast to his faith, and to fan its flames with power, love, and discipline. And Paul gives us a tidbit of insight into where Timothy learned of this faith: For I am mindful of the sincere faith within you, which first dwelt in your grandmother Lois and your mother Eunice, and I am sure that it is in you as well. (v. 5) Timothy became one of the significant early leaders of the Christian church, under the tutelage and blessing of Paul. But where did this faith and this calling develop? It came from his mother and grandmother in the home. Paul knew grandmother Eunice and mother Lois, and knew them both to be women of faith. And he knew them enough to know that they told God’s story and shared their faith with young Timothy. In the Presbyterian church, the ENTIRE congregation stands and vows at each baptism to be godparents to the children of the church. Our children and youth are blessed to have a whole community of spiritual mothers, fathers, grandmothers, and grandfathers. And passing on faith to each generation is not an instant knock on the door or walk forward to the altar kind of thing. Like raising children in general, sharing faith is a day by day process of words, actions, and prayer, with lots of waiting, patience, and trust in the Lord. Sometimes, you see faith bloom early. Sometimes, it takes years and years. Many parents, spiritual parents, teachers, and mentors are still waiting for faith to bloom in young people they love. Eunice and Lois not only taught the faith, but surely also lived out their faith through a life of worship and service to God. Even that doesn’t guarantee that our children will believe – they are, after all, human beings who must respond to God on their own terms. Nonetheless, God delights in telling His story and showing Himself through the lives of spiritual parents and grandparents. Priscilla (Acts 18:24-26) Priscilla and her husband, Aquila, had moved around. They fled Rome when Claudius was emperor because he expelled all the Jews from Rome. Prisca (short for Priscilla) and Aquila had a business making tents (leatherworks) in Corinth and Paul connected with them there. He worked with them and stayed in their home while he went to the synagogue each week to tell the Jews in Corinth about Jesus. Somewhere along the way, Prisca and Aquila believed, for a little while later they traveled with Paul to Ephesus (18:19), where t

Sermon by: Robert Austell; May 5, 2019 - Acts 2:42-47 Preached at Matthews Presbyterian Church for "Bluegrass Sunday" with the congregations of Good Shepherd, Matthews, and Morningstar Presbyterian Churches :: Sermon Audio (link) :: Click link to open and play in browser; right-click to save. Sermon audio is also accessible as a free podcast in iTunes. Search for "Good Shepherd Sermons" or "Robert Austell."  Your browser does not support the audio element. ::: Music :: all bluegrass styled The Church in the Wildwood - prelude Come All Christians, Be Committed Spirit, Open My Heart This Little Light of Mine - children's message Blest Be the Tie That Binds Let Us Build a House - offertory Doxology (English folk melody) Build Your Kingdom Here - during communion distribution Lord, You Give the Great Commission (HOLY MANNA) Medley: I'll Fly Away, Will the Circle Be Unbroken, I Saw the Light :: Sermon Manuscript (pdf) :: This manuscript represents an early draft of the sermon. Some weeks the spoken version varies more than others from the early manuscript. Nevertheless, if you'd prefer to read than to listen, this is provided  for that purpose. 42 They were continually devoting themselves to the apostles’ teaching and to fellowship, to the breaking of bread and to prayer. 43 Everyone kept feeling a sense of awe; and many wonders and signs were taking place through the apostles. 44 And all those who had believed were together and had all things in common; 45 and they began selling their property and possessions and were sharing them with all, as anyone might have need. 46 Day by day continuing with one mind in the temple, and breaking bread from house to house, they were taking their meals together with gladness and sincerity of heart, 47 praising God and having favor with all the people. And the Lord was adding to their number day by day those who were being saved. This scripture passage from Acts 2 describes the earliest church and is often looked to as a kind of model passage for what we aspire to as churches. Do we have the core activities of teaching, community, sacraments, and prayer? Do we experience God at work and lives being changed? Do we continue day by day and year by year in unity, in fellowship, and in deep community with one another? I can’t speak for each congregation, but I know that while Good Shepherd aspires to those dynamics, it’s easy to get in a rut or get focused on secondary things and make them primary. Perhaps in this text is a reminder of who God first called us to be as the Church… a reminder of who we can be again by God’s grace. In order to get at that, and since it IS “Bluegrass Sunday” after all, I’d like to share three brief stories from an experience I had at “Camp Bluegrass.” This is something I did with my brother a number of years ago when we were looking for something to do together. He lives in Lubbock, TX, and we don’t see each other often. So we signed up for “Camp Bluegrass” at his suggestion, he as a beginning banjo player and I to get better at mandolin, which was pretty new to me at the time. While I did learn a lot about the mandolin and I treasured a whole week spent with my brother, I came away with several ‘aha’ moments about the Church and being a Christian. WELCOMING: “Please Introduce Your Mandolin” [gladness and sincerity of heart] There were several hundred folks at the week-long camp, with instructors on each instrument. The schedule was divided into times of class, concerts, and informal playing together. When I signed up, I could choose between beginner, intermediate, and advanced mandolin. I chose intermediate. Even though I was new on mandolin, I had been playing guitar for a long time and figured I knew enough about chords, rhythm, and picking to be intermediate. However, when I arrived and registered I found that they had not had enough people for an intermediate class, so I had to pick between beginner and advanced. I figured I’d rather be stretched than

 Sermon by: Robert Austell; April 28, 2019 - Philippians 2:12-18 :: Sermon Audio (link) :: Click link to open and play in browser; right-click to save. Sermon audio is also accessible as a free podcast in iTunes. Search for "Good Shepherd Sermons" or "Robert Austell."  Your browser does not support the audio element. ::: Music :: Come, People of the Risen King (Getty, Townend) Trading My Sorrows (Evans) CHOIR: "Prayers of Confession and Assurance of Grace" (Bean, VanderHeide) TRIO: Amazing Grace (Gwen Ingram, Bobby & Christina White) Come, All Christians, Be Committed (ELLESDIE) :: Sermon Manuscript (pdf) :: This manuscript represents an early draft of the sermon. Some weeks the spoken version varies more than others from the early manuscript. Nevertheless, if you'd prefer to read than to listen, this is provided  for that purpose. Today is our last week in this series I’ve called “Full Alignment.” But no worries if you missed any of it; I’m going to recap! Today’s text starts out with “so then” which means Paul is circling back around to make a final point based on everything that has come before. The key verse to all of verses 1-18 is verse 5: “Have this attitude that was in Christ Jesus.” That’s what “Full Alignment” refers to – the attitude of Jesus. It’s not our usual use of attitude, like an emotional state. It’s attitude like in a boat or plane, where you line up your course along a number of axes. And Paul basically lays out these axes as behaviors and says, “be like this because this is what Jesus was like.” So that’s the overview of the first 18 verses: be like Jesus; this is what Jesus was like; and then in today’s text he’s going to repeat the first part… “so then, be like Jesus.” Some of those attitudes or behaviors are the following, which you’ll find listed out in all the verses that led up to verse 12, where we start today: encouraging, consoling, affectionate, compassionate, loving, united, purposeful, humble, self-sacrificing, and obedient. If you want to dive into any of those, the previous week’s sermons are posted on our website and are in hard copy form out in the welcome area! So today, starting in verse 12, Paul returns to the charge to be like Jesus. We’ll look at that in some detail and then at the several results of living life in alignment with Jesus. WHAT: Work Out Your Salvation (v.12) To dive into a little detail on the return to “be like Jesus” I want to focus on the phrase “work out your salvation” in verse 12. First, why do I say this is a return to “be like Jesus?” It’s because of the “so then” and the initial command to continue in obedience. Paul has already made a long list of behaviors and individual forms of obedience in the first “be like Jesus” section and then in the middle section on what Jesus was like (chief among those traits, obedience!). But then comes this phrase that has generated a lot of misunderstanding: work out your salvation. Don’t we teach that our salvation is not by work, but by faith? (yes) What does this mean exactly? There are a number of context clues to help us understand. For one, it is not “work at your salvation” or “work for your salvation” but “work out.” The salvation part is a given; it’s already accomplished here. If you “work out” something that is already accomplished, then you are figuring it out, or figuring out the implications. You are basically after the answer to: ok, I’m saved, now what? And then there is the rest of the phrase: “with fear and trembling.” Does this mean we are saved, but scared? No… both those are words more akin to ‘awe’ and ‘reverence’ than to hiding scared from a burglar in the clothes closet. In fact, if you consider the whole point of the larger passage, the whole thing is answering the “ok, I’m saved, now what” question. And the answer is to follow close to Jesus, to set our course after him, to live in full alignment. If we are following our Savior, who was also just identified in the previous verses as

Sermon by: Robert Austell; April 21, 2019 (EASTER) - Philippians 2:8-11 :: Sermon Audio (link) :: Click link to open and play in browser; right-click to save. Sermon audio is also accessible as a free podcast in iTunes. Search for "Good Shepherd Sermons" or "Robert Austell."  Your browser does not support the audio element. ::: Music :: Christ the Lord is Risen Today (EASTER HYMN) I Will Rise (Giglio, Tomlin, Maher, Reeves) TRIO: What a Beautiful Name (arr. Martin) CHOIR: Is He Worthy (Peterson/Sorenson) - Camron VanderHeide, soloist In Christ Alone w/The Solid Rock (Gettys, arr. Cottrell) :: Sermon Manuscript (pdf) :: This manuscript represents an early draft of the sermon. Some weeks the spoken version varies more than others from the early manuscript. Nevertheless, if you'd prefer to read than to listen, this is provided  for that purpose. I remember learning about the five-act play back when I was in high school. It is a common structure in the Western world; it is found, among other places, in Shakespeare’s plays. It looks like an upward arc, with the climax in the middle. Today I want to share God’s story with you in five acts. Interestingly enough, that story is just the opposite of one of Shakespeare’s plays. It looks instead like a downward arc or a ‘U’, both in terms of the plot, but also literally in terms of the action involved. And as long as that story is – the whole Bible – it is also captured very succinctly in our text from Philippians 2 today. I’d like to walk you through that and then ask the “so what” question at the end. It’s an epic story, and one I believe to be true. What difference does it make in my life and in yours? Divinity: Fully God I’ll start back in Philippians 2:6, which was also part of our reading last week. In that verse we read that Jesus “existed in the form of God.” There are other places to see this same thing. The Gospel of John opens with talking about Jesus as the Word who was with God and who was God in the beginning. As fully God, Jesus was part of the creation. In Genesis we also read that God’s Spirit was hovering over the waters. I realize that the concept of the Trinity – that God is one being and three persons – is hard to grasp. And really, it’s beyond the scope of today’s sermon. What I do want to highlight from Philippians 2:6 is that Jesus was (and is) fully God. Incarnation (Christmas): Fully Human But if you’ve spent time in church or in the Bible you know what immediately follows: Jesus is also fully human. And Philippians 2 goes on in the rest of verses 6, 7, and 8, to say a bit about what we call the Incarnation. In fact, Philippians gives us a glimpse into Jesus’ humanity that we don’t get in the same way in the Gospels. At Christmas we celebrate the story of the Incarnation. Jesus is called “Emmanuel” (God with us) and is born in humble circumstances to live among humanity. But Philippians characterizes the incarnation in a particular way, one that we’ve seen reinforced in recent weeks and in the events leading up to the cross. Verse 6 says of the divine Jesus that he did not “grasp” after equality with God and he “emptied” himself. It is interesting that the first sin in the Garden of Eden is described as Adam and Eve literally grasping for the fruit, but in doing so also grasping after a form of equality with God. The serpent said that if they ate the fruit they would know what God knew… and so they reached. Jesus did the opposite. In order to come among us, he released his divinity and took the form of a human being. Said another way, the one who was God came all the way down to be with us and to be one of us. He got tired, hungry, felt pain, and wept among us. That selfless love of others rooted in love of God was what he affirmed from the Jewish scriptures. It was what he taught about in parables like the Good Samaritan. And it is what he demonstrated in actions like washing the disciples’ feet. Jesus not only practiced what he preached; his entire i

Sermon by: Robert Austell; April 14, 2019 - Philippians 2:5-7; John 12:12-18; Psalm 118 :: Sermon Audio (link) :: Click link to open and play in browser; right-click to save. Sermon audio is also accessible as a free podcast in iTunes. Search for "Good Shepherd Sermons" or "Robert Austell."  Your browser does not support the audio element. ::: Music :: DUET - Hosanna, Loud Hosanna (arr. Fettke) - Lisa Honeycutt, Eric VanderHeide Hosanna - Praise is Rising (Brown, Baloche) Hosanna (Ligertwood) INSTRUMENTAL - All Glory, Laud, and Honor (arr. Bobby White) - piano, organ, trombone Lift Up Your Heads, Ye Might Gates (TRURO) :: Sermon Manuscript (pdf) :: This manuscript represents an early draft of the sermon. Some weeks the spoken version varies more than others from the early manuscript. Nevertheless, if you'd prefer to read than to listen, this is provided  for that purpose. “Hosanna! Blessed is he who comes in the name of the Lord!” It’s Palm Sunday, a day when we remember and even re-enact some of that procession on the Sunday of Jesus’ last week. He entered Jerusalem to shouts of Hosanna and a crowd. Only four days later he would be arrested in the middle of the night and a different crowd in the same city would shout, “crucify him!” The next day, Friday, he would be crucified, and then would die that same day. Something doesn’t match up between Palm Sunday and what we now call Good Friday. I want to look at several texts today on this Palm Sunday and divide the sermon and these events into three parts: EXPECTATION, REALITY, and EXAMPLE. EXPECTATION (John 12) I grew up thinking “Hosanna” was kind of like “Hallelujah” – a shout of praise when you really got worked up about God. While the preacher probably did talk about what was really going on, I didn’t listen or it didn’t sink in until years later what the crowd was shouting and what was going on. I talk about it with some frequency here, but if you have missed it or if you are newer here, let me go back over a little of that. The Jewish people at that time, two thousand years ago, were part of the Roman Empire. A thousand years before that they had been their own modestly successful kingdom, with popular Kings like David and Solomon. But they were later conquered and exiled; and when they did return to their former kingdom, they were subjects of successive empires, with Rome being the biggest and most recent. That meant in Jerusalem and the surrounding towns they had to follow Roman laws and pay Roman taxes. There was a Roman governor with more power than the local Jewish king. There were Roman soldiers in the streets and no Jewish soldiers or army. For years hope had been growing. That hope was in the sacred writings of the Hebrew scriptures and in the sermons of the Hebrew prophets. God was going to send a Deliverer just as He had once sent Moses to deliver the people from slavery in Egypt. God was going to send a King from the line of David, but even greater than that great king. And by the time the Romans were taxing and ruling first century Judea, the hope in the Messiah was great. He would save the people from Roman occupation and would restore the kingdom of Israel to glories even greater than when David was king. “Hosanna” was one of the songs of Israel, sung every year at Passover in hope of the Lord’s salvation and blessing. It’s a Hebrew word that means “Save us, now!” That is what the crowd was shouting that Sunday when rode into Jerusalem on a donkey just like one of the prophets had described. And they didn’t just shout “Save us, now” but the next part of Psalm 118 as well: “Blessed is the one who comes in the name of the Lord!” They were directing that at Jesus – both the plea that God would save them and identifying him as the blessed one God had sent. That they add on “even the King of Israel” – words not in Psalm 118 – demonstrates their hope and expectation for that blessed one from God to BE a great king like David. Though Jesus turned away on s

 Sermon by: Robert Austell; April 7, 2019 - Philippians 2:3-4; Luke 10:25-29; Deuteronomy 6:4-6 :: Sermon Audio (link) :: Click link to open and play in browser; right-click to save. Sermon audio is also accessible as a free podcast in iTunes. Search for "Good Shepherd Sermons" or "Robert Austell."  Your browser does not support the audio element. ::: Music :: Love the Lord Your God (Brewster) Meekness and Majesty (Kendrick) CHOIR: A Place of Healing Grace (Sorenson) SOLO: Son of God, Son of Man (Bean, VanderHeide) Have Thine Own Way/We Bown Down (trad. hymn/T. Paris; arr. Austell) :: Sermon Manuscript (pdf) :: This manuscript represents an early draft of the sermon. Some weeks the spoken version varies more than others from the early manuscript. Nevertheless, if you'd prefer to read than to listen, this is provided  for that purpose. We are continuing today to talk about “alignment with Christ.” The idea comes from Philippians 2:5, which is an anchor verse for the whole first half of Philippians 2, where we are spending these eight weeks or so leading up to and through Easter Sunday. In verse 5, the Apostle Paul writes, “Have this attitude which was in Christ Jesus.” The concept of “attitude” there is more than emotions; it is a mind-set and lifestyle, a course-heading for living and that’s what we are focusing on in this series. Like any other course heading, we do sometimes get off track. But it’s possible to make course corrections, to reset and re-orient back towards Christ. But as you also know, the longer you are off-course, the further you go from your destination. All the more reason, whether you have a little or a lot to re-set, to do it now. So this series is about that: defining our course in Christ and re-setting where we need to come back in alignment with him. Today we are going to talk about HUMILITY. It is related to last week’s focus on compassion, but is more of a frame of mind where compassion was a gut-level response that leads to action. In fact, humility is one of the core mindsets that cultivates gutsy compassion. I probably would have talked about that before compassion, but Philippians is arranged in a classic Greek format that doesn’t put the main idea first or last, but in the middle. We are headed toward that middle. Empty Conceit We’ll focus on verses 3-4 today. Verse 3 starts with a negative: “Do nothing from selfishness or empty conceit,” And that is paired in verse four with “Do not merely look out for your own personal interests.” We could take those phrases on their own, but they also bring up the context of Philippians, which I want to mention. I say that it brings up the context because Paul uses similar words in chapter one in describing some other Christian leaders in Philippi who apparently were speaking out against Paul’s ministry. Paul praises their ministry of “preaching Christ” but challenges the way in which they are not able to bless other ministry like his. That conflict prompts him to write chapter two with its focus on humility, compassion, and Christ-like behavior. It’s not unlike some of the politics of today. It’s one thing to agree or disagree on someone’s political positions. But, increasingly, we are seeing attacks that are more and more personal – not only on other politicians, but on their families, and among the general populace. That was a bit of Paul’s situation: “Hey, great message about Christ; but why are your mocking me for being imprisoned for my preaching? Please pray for me instead!” Paul was not baited and did not rise to their accusations or mockery, but pointed to Christ as a picture of a better way. Humility of Mind So in contrast to selfishness, empty conceit, and looking out for one’s personal interests, Paul provides an antidote rooted in the character and behavior of Christ. He writes in verses 3-4: “But with humility of mind regard one another as more important than yourselves… looking for the interests of others.” Even here, he pairs a