Sermon by: Robert Austell; November 4, 2018 - John 7:37-43; 8:1-11 :: 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 :: Wonderful, Merciful Savior (Rodgers and Wyse) His Mercy is More (Boswell, Papa) CHOIR: Like a River in My Soul (arr. Osiek) Glorious Things of Thee Are Spoken :: 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 we are continuing with our “Come and See” series, responding to Jesus’ own invitation to come and see what he is all about through his teaching, his miracles, and his actions recorded in the Gospel of John. Today we will look at one story, but dig back a bit into all the events that led up to and had bearing on a pivotal moment of experiencing forgiveness and grace. September 18, AD 32 – the day after the Feast of Booths (John 8:1-11) It was the day after the Feast of Booths. It was AD 32 as we would count it. It was mid-September and early that morning Jesus had come into Jerusalem from the Mount of Olives just outside the city in order to teach in the Temple. As he sat down to teach those gathered around, the scribes and Pharisees brought a woman before him. It was a trap… they said she had been caught in the act of adultery, caught with a man who was not her husband. In the Law, they said, “Moses commanded us to stone such women; what do you say?” (v.5) So many questions… How did they know to ‘catch’ her? Where was the man? Why so intent on trapping Jesus? You may know the story. You may even know that it is one of a very few stories that we are not sure are part of the original Gospel of John (if you look in your Bible there is probably a footnote about that). But nothing in the story contradicts Jesus’ teaching or expected actions. In fact, it captures them quite well. John the disciple, the narrator, tells us why they are doing this. They are testing Jesus so that they might have grounds for accusing him (v.6)… of breaking the religious Law, of inciting a riot, of any number of things. But Jesus doesn’t answer right away. He stoops down and writes something in the dirt. They persist in asking him what he thinks they should do. He stands up and says, “He who is without sin among you, let him be the first to throw a stone at her.” (v.7) And he stoops down and writes some more in the dirt. And one by one, the older ones first, then they younger, leave and he is eventually left alone with the woman in the center of the Temple court. (v.9) Was it what he said? Was it what he wrote in the dirt? Was it something else? Clearly something he said or did connected with them and changed their hearts and minds. Let’s look back to two days earlier… Two Days Earlier: the last great day of the Feast of Tabernacles (John 7:37-39) John 7 records that Jesus went to the Feast of Tabernacles (or Booths). It is not explicitly named in John, but we know that it is because of the details provided. It is a seven day feast and one of three involving pilgrimage to Jerusalem. And the events of the last day of the feast are well-known and recorded since ancient times and they correspond with what happened. Much of this is spelled out in the Talmud, which is the ancient Rabbinic commentary on the Hebrew scriptures. There is a whole book in the Talmud describing and commenting on Sukkoth, the Feast of Tabernacles. Specifically of the seventh-day water-drawing, the Rabbi’s write: “He who has not seen the joy of the water-drawing has not seen joy in his whole lifetime.” (Sukkoth 5:1) Here’s what that last great day involved… At the break of day priests proceeded from the temple to the pool of Siloam.

Sermon by: Robert Austell; October 28, 2018 - John 6:26-29; Isaiah 55:1-3a :: 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 :: He Saved Us to Show His Glory (Tommy Walker) CHOIR: Give Me Jesus (arr. Patterson) His Mercy is More (Boswell, Papa) - song of assurance Break Thou the Bread of Life/Come Feed My Soul (arr., chorus Youngblood) :: 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 we are looking at part of one of the longest accounts of Jesus’ miracles and teaching in the Gospels. It is contained in John 6, which begins with a miracle of bread in the “Feeding of the 5,000.” The narrative then follows Jesus (as does the crowd) to the other side of the sea, and picks back up with Jesus teaching about miraculous bread. Read together, John 6 shows the inter-relation between Jesus’ miraculous signs, the scripture, his teaching, and who he is. Said another way, all these things point to Jesus and at the end of the day (and chapter), that is what and who we must grapple with: Jesus himself. There are a number of ways to work through this text. But with the whole chapter being 71 verses long, I’ll simply have to pick aspect of this rich story to focus upon. I am going to lift out several verses that point to Hebrew scriptures as we work through the text. Know that what preceded all this was a miracle: the multiplying of fish and bread to feed a hungry crowd of 5,000 men, plus women and children. Know that the crowd followed Jesus, wanting to see more miraculous signs and wanting to pronounce Jesus King according to the popular understanding of Messiah at the time. And then our text picks up right where the crowd finds Jesus in Capernaum on the other side of the sea. “Do not work for food which perishes but for that which endures” (v.27) Jesus begins with scripture almost right off the bat, though it’s not an exact quote. He first says to the crowd, “You seek me, not because you saw signs, but because you ate of the loaves and were filled.” (v. 26) Then, he paraphrases Isaiah 55:2, which you heard as our Call to Worship: “Come, everyone who thirsts, come to the waters; and he who has no money, come, buy and eat! Come, buy wine and milk without money and without price. Why do you spend your money for that which is not bread, and your labor for that which does not satisfy? Listen diligently to me, and eat what is good, and delight yourselves in rich food. Incline your ear, and come to me; hear, that your soul may live!  (Isaiah 55:1-3a) Though his words were a paraphrase – “do not work for the food which perishes” – they would have called this familiar passage to mind as an invitation to come to God and “eat and drink” of eternal things. Said another way, he is signaling to the crowd that what he is offering is not more literal food, as in the previous days’ feeding. If anything, the “Feeding of the 5,000” was a miraculous sign pointing to something greater. This scripture from Isaiah is a direct invitation to “incline your ear, come to me, and hear, that your soul may live!” Jesus confirms that by going on to say that this enduring food is what “the Son of Man will give to you, for on Him the Father, God, has set His seal.” (v. 27) The people evidently understand his point, because they respond using the language of Isaiah. If they are not to work or labor for earthly, finite things, they ask, “What shall we do, so that we may work the works of God?” (v. 28) And Jesus’ response here is significant. “This is the work of God,” he says, “that you believe in Him whom He has sent.” (v. 29) Did you get

Sermon by: Zach Drummond; October 21, 2018 - John5:1-17 :: 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 :: Praise to the Lord, the Almighty (LOBE DEN HERREN) O For a Thousand Tongues to Sing (AZMON) CHOIR: Prayer for Healing (ljames) Love Divine, All Love's Excelling (BEECHER) :: Sermon Manuscript (pdf) :: My wife and I just moved here a few months ago to Charlotte. We’re originally from Atlanta, GA. This is the first time we’ve ever moved to a new state. We’ve been learning all of the many things you have to update and change when you move. The government requires you to change your driver’s license and car registration within 60 days of when you move. So back in August I drove to the DMV to get a North Carolina Driver’s license. Now, I’ve had bad experiences at the DMV before, but this was by far the worst one. I had it all planned out: I was gonna get there a few minutes before it opened, be one of the first people in line, and make this a quick trip. I even waited until the Friday of Labor Day Weekend to go. Thinking, “Everyone will be out of town on vacation! No one will be there.” On Friday, August 31, I arrived at the DMV at 7:55 AM to this. I have a few pictures to show how many people were there that morning. This (1) is the DMV. This (2) is the store next to the DMV. This (3) is one entrance to the grocery store next to the Family Dollar Store. And this (4) is the other entrance to the grocery store. I later learned that apparently everyone goes to the DMV on Labor Day Weekend. That’s their busiest time of the year. At the time, I had no job. I was in the process of interviewing here at Good Shepherd. In this moment, I had a big decision to make. Do I stay and get this done now? Or leave and try again another time or try a different DMV? Regrettably, I chose to get in line. Part of me knew that I had nothing to do. Most of me held onto one single hope: That the line would move quickly. There’s no way it could take that long! I put all of my hope and trust in our government, believing they could fix my problem. They’ll get us in and out of here in no time. Never have I been more wrong in my entire life. Our government is the slowest moving, most inefficient system on the planet. All at our expense! Let’s look through some pictures together as we enjoy my miserable experience! After two hours of waiting, I was close to the entrance of the DMV. Finally, after 3 hours of waiting, I made it inside. Only to discover there was another line of people inside! I had to wait in line to get a ticket and wait for my ticket to be called. 3 hours later they finally called my ticket number. After 6 dreadfully long hours of waiting at the DMV, I earned my driver’s license and my freedom to enjoy the rest of my day. This is the longest I have ever had to wait for something at one time and it was definitely not worth the time I had to sacrifice to get my license. The good news in all of this is that I was reminded of an important lesson in God’s kingdom: This world will inevitably let you down. I was hoping that the government would transform my reality but was sorely disappointed. If you place all of your hopes, dreams, and faith in this world, you are eventually going to be disappointed. Nothing lasts forever. No one lives forever. Everything in this world eventually fades. What about you? Where do you place your hopes, dreams, and faith? What’s the one thing you’re hoping for in life? That one thing you’d like to change most about your life? What’s that one thing that you believe will solve all of your problems? Transform your reality and make them all go away? Because we may not realize it at the time, but all of us place our hope and trust in this world and in ourselves at many different points in our lives. We p

Sermon by: Robert Austell; October 14, 2018 - John 4 :: 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 Thou Found/We'll Feast (arr. Austell) Jesus, Thou Joy of Loving Hearts (QUEBEC) His Mercy is More (Boswell/Papa) - Assurance of Grace Give Thanks - Bobby White, piano - Offertory Let Us Be Known By Our Love (Armstrong, Masssey, Moore, Flanigan) :: 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. Would Jesus love THAT person? Would Jesus love me? What does it mean for Jesus to love someone? Today’s story is going to answer all three of those questions as we continue to “Come and See” Jesus in our Fall series of checking out Jesus through his own words and actions. Today we are looking at one of the accounts of Jesus-in-action. Several weeks ago we read the claim of John 1:14 that Jesus, full of grace and truth, reveals the glory or presence of God. In today’s story Jesus befriends someone who definitely would have been a “THAT person.” If we are willing to listen and learn, we might hear in the story how Jesus would approach THIS person (me). And Jesus approaches, not with words of judgment, but with gestures of grace, mercy, and love. Those actions open the door for him to speak words of truth and reveal something of who he is and who God is. And a life (perhaps even a village) was transformed and God was glorified. THAT Person I want to make sure you understand just how unusual, even unheard of, it would have been for Jesus to talk to the woman at the well. Considered from just about any perspective at the time, the woman was a real outsider, and Jesus should not have been talking to her. There were three reasons: she was a Samaritan, she was a woman, and she was a social misfit. Samaritans and the Jews didn’t get along, they didn’t socialize, and they certainly didn’t find any common ground around religion. As is mentioned in the passage, each had a different central holy spot – a different temple and holy city. In many ways, theirs were competing religions, though each looked forward to God’s Messiah or Anointed One. Second, it was also (as it is today) very unusual for men to speak to women in public as Jesus did at the well. Jesus broke that social taboo often, so the disciples were probably used to it. But the Samaritan people of the town or any others who heard or saw the encounter would have been shocked at Jesus’ actions. Third, the woman had been married many times and was currently living with someone to whom she wasn’t married. That would have been plenty of reason for the others in town to exclude and cast her out of the respected social circles. The very fact of her coming for water in the heat of the day speaks volumes to her exclusion from her own community. She was avoiding them and they likely encouraged that. I’d ask you to begin to consider who might fit this description in your own spheres of living. Who comes to mind as being on the outside of whatever groups you are a part of? What Did Jesus Do? If you read much of Jesus story, it is clear that he was and is interested in the lost and least, even if they are sinners, even if they are “the enemy.” He continues to demonstrate this interest in this story. I’d like to highlight HOW Jesus went about relating to this woman. He lives up to the John 1:14 description, embodying grace and truth and revealing the glory and presence of God. But he does so in a very significant and thoughtful way, and that’s what I’d like to explore with you in greater detail. Jesus is hot and thirsty and goes to a well to get some water. There he sees

Sermon by: Robert Austell; October 7, 2018 - John 3 :: 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 :: To God Be the Glory CHOIR: God So Loved the World OFFERTORY (worship team): Let Us Be Known by Our Love Here is Love (Lowry, Rees) Doxology :: 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. Who is Jesus and what does it mean to be a Christian? Those are not the kind of questions that are easy to ask, in OR out of church. If you ask it out in public, like to your server in the middle of lunch, or to the kid sitting next to you in geometry, you are likely to get a look. Or at least that’s what we expect. And, ironically, I think a lot of folks would be hesitant to ask at church because we have this kind of cultural expectation that people at church have it together and have it figured out. Ha! My first response is, “Welcome to Good Shepherd!” We don’t have it together and we haven’t figured everything out. So ask away! In fact, if you ever come to one of our Sunday morning classes or Bible studies or Wings Night or any other gathering, I hope that will be clear. But even if you don’t believe me, this morning’s reading is just the thing. It’s the story of a man – a prominent religious leader, of all people! – who sneaks to see Jesus at night, when people won’t see him; and he asks those very questions. And we get to listen in. We get to read and hear this very open conversation back and forth between Jesus and Nicodemus (I’ll call him ‘Nick’ for short). So let me describe the conversation to you and then we’ll ponder what that might mean for us today. Question #1: Who is Jesus? Nick actually didn’t ask this question outright. But it was the underlying question. Basically, the story was getting out about Jesus. He is credited with some crazy-sounding stuff… people’s lives changed, miracle stories, claims to divinity. What’s it all about and is he for real? There must be a good explanation to all this – some good morals or life-lessons or something to learn from Jesus. But nothing more than that, right? That was basically how Nick led off: “Everyone knows you are a teacher, even a GODLY teacher. God is with you, that’s clear.” There was no question, but throw in all the context and you have an interesting situation. If everyone really knows it and that’s all it is, why is Nick sneaking around at night? What else could be the explanation? Is Jesus something MORE than a godly teacher? What could that ‘more’ even be? And Jesus doesn’t give any kind of direct-sounding answer to that setup. He says, “Truly, truly, I say to you, unless one is born again he cannot see the kingdom of God.” Well I guess that’s a kind of answer. It’s basically saying, “Unless this ‘born again’ thing happens, you really can’t judge who or what is of God.” So the follow-up is obvious, right? What is “born again?” Question #2: Can I get a practical answer? That’s exactly what Nick asks, except he shies away from the spiritual explanation that might be evident to us when we hear “born again.” But imagine if you were hearing it for the first time. What if Jesus had said to you, “Well, you’ll never understand unless you ‘butterfly’.” Now Nick wasn’t slow; it just wasn’t apparent where Jesus was going. “Butterfly?” you ask. “Do I need to flap my wings? Get some color in my life? Take up swimming?” “Jesus, are you comparing me to a bug?” I think Nick latched on to the more familiar of the two things Jesus said when he responded. He mentioned birth and he mentioned the Kingdom of God. And religious leader or not, he understood birth. “So i

Sermon by: Robert Austell; September 30, 2018 - John 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 :: He Saved Us to Show His Glory (Tommy Walker) All Who are Thirsty (Brown, Robertson) MEN'S CHOIR: Lord, I Stretch My Hands to You (Althouse) Holy, Holy, Holy (NICAEA) :: 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. Who is Jesus and what is Jesus like? And what difference do those answers make in your life? Those are the questions we’ll keep asking this Fall in our “Come and See” series. I can think of no better way to understand faith and connect with faith than to check out Jesus. Last week we read the introduction to the Gospel of John, an eyewitness account of Jesus ministry and teaching. In that introduction John said that Jesus came to show us God, to explain Him. And time and time again Jesus invited people he encountered to “come and see” what he was about. That’s what I hope for us to do today and in the coming weeks. It may be so that you can introduce someone else to Jesus, as Philip did for his friend Nathanael in our text last week. Or it may be so that you can be re-introduced to Jesus in a fresh way and leave with your own faith and relationship with God renewed. Today we look at two different events in the life of Jesus. Both are fairly well known, but I don’t know that I’ve ever studied them together, even though they both come in the same chapter of John. But I saw some new common threads between them this time around. I’d like to briefly walk you through some background and details of each story, then look at those common threads and why they matter for our own faith and life. Preventing a Scene (vv. 1-12) The Wedding – There’s so much that can capture our attention here. First, it’s a wedding! So many other stories are by the lakeshore or in the Judean wilderness or in Jerusalem near the Temple. But this is a glimpse into ordinary Jewish life. Jesus was there with his family as well as his disciples. He must have known one or both of the families. In that day a wedding was ceremony and reception rolled into one, and often lasted several days. It was a big deal! But much was the same as we might think. The family hosted and there was food and drink. And one of the most socially embarrassing things, then or now, would be to run out of food or drink for your guests. And that’s what happened… they ran out of wine. Now as fascinating as it is to us, we simply don’t know as much as we’d like about why Jesus turned to Jesus to tell him they were out. Was he supposed to go buy some more? Did she know he would do a miracle? I don’t know. But she brought it to his attention and told the servants to do whatever he said to do. There is certainly a part of me that wants to read that as Mary having seen Jesus do miraculous things around the house, but we just don’t know. His response is also pretty cryptic: “What does that have to do with us? My hour has not yet come.” Now here’s where it gets really interesting. He doesn’t send them out with money to the store. He doesn’t strike a rock and wine pour out of a crack in the hillside. He tells the servants to go fill up the ceremonial washing pitchers with water. Let THAT detail stick. And that was a lot of water – something like 150 gallons worth… those were some big water pots. And then he told them to draw some out to take to the headwaiter. And it had become wine… really good wine! And John reflects on the event (later) and says of this: “This beginning of His signs Jesus did in Cana of Galilee, and manifested His glory, and His disciples

Sermon by: Robert Austell; September 23, 2018 - John 1:1-5,14-18,45-51 :: 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 :: Thy Word (arr. Schrader) - choir, call to worship What a Beautiful Name (Fielding, Ligertwood) Love is Moving (Assad) - special music; Kayleigh Banks, soloist Be Not Afraid (Courtney) - offertory; choir w-Kayleigh Banks, soloist O Word of God Incarnate (MUNICH) :: 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 we are starting a new series called “Come and See!” We will be working through the Gospel of John, about a chapter a week, between now and Thanksgiving. I won’t preach through whole chapters – if you are interested in that, check out Jim Hinton’s Sunday school class at 9:30 every Sunday morning. But I will pick one or two key verses or stories from each chapter to focus on. The purpose of the series is to invite a closer look at the person and teaching of Jesus and I believe it will be beneficial to long-time Christians as well as to those newer to faith or just checking it out. “Come and See” actually comes from today’s text in John chapter 1, where Philip, who has already met Jesus, invites Nathanael to come check him out. And that’s a model for what I hope this series can be. I hope it will offer you an opportunity to not only grow in faith, but also to invite friends who may be open to checking out who Jesus was and what he was all about. We’ll try to be extra user-friendly in the coming weeks and I hope you will think and pray about friends, neighbors, co-workers, or relatives you might invite to come worship with us. Today we will look at the first chapter of John. It has a lot packed into one chapter, and serves as an introduction to the whole book of John. So I’ve picked three parts of it to focus on to try to give you an overview of the whole. In coming weeks we’ll focus in more on just one story or one main idea. But today there will be three: True God, True Human, and Worth Meeting. True God (vv.1-5) In verses 1-5, the Gospel of John opens up like the Bible itself opens up: “In the beginning…” It also begins with theology, mystery, and things beyond our full comprehension. But it sets the stage for what follows. We read about this “Word” that was not only present with God in the beginning of things, at Creation, but that somehow WAS God. As the intro unfolds we will realize that this “Word” is a name for Jesus, who is the subject of the book of John. But where we begin is that the Word is truly God and part of bringing life and the world we know into being. It is because of that creative role that John writes, “In Him was life.” (v.4) The Word – Jesus – is true God because He originates and manifests life itself. We also read another name for the Word who is True God who is Jesus: He is “The Light.” I think John has to resort to all these names and metaphors because he is trying to use words and things we know something about in order to talk about something we don’t know about and can’t fully comprehend. In Confirmation I ask what light does. And we know the answer to that. It helps us see where we are going. We also use it as a metaphor for understanding, like a light bulb coming on in our mind. The subject of this book – the Word, true God, the Light – shines into our dark world. We may not fully comprehend the Light, but we can behold it and it can illumine our life, reveal dangers and pitfalls, and help us understand things. True Human (vv.14-18) If that were all we got, we might be encouraged that God was interested in illuminating our lives, but we wo

Sermon by: Robert Austell; September 9, 2018 - Ephesians 3:14-21 :: 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 :: CHOIR: A Joyful Song (Porterfield) O the Deep, Deep Love of Jesus (arr. Enfield) Good, Good Father (Barrett, Brown) Glory to God Forever (Fee, Beeching) POSTLUDE: Glory to God (Rick Bean, Jazz Mass) :: 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 text begins with the words, “For this reason.” Paul is picking back up where he left off in verse 1 of the chapter where he said the same thing but then interrupted himself with several verses of exuberant commentary. But he’s back on track now, telling them “For this reason I bow my knees.” Before we get into the prayer that Paul intends to pray, let’s remind ourselves what the reason is that is driving him to his knees. In Ephesians 1-2, Paul has explored the expansive love and eternal purpose of God to welcome home people from every tribe, tongue, and nation to Himself. God is undoing the curse of the Fall of Adam and pursuing humanity to bring them home. And Paul is witness to the way in which the promises to Abraham for God to bless and use a special family and people are being expanded and multiplied out to all people. He is writing especially to Greek people and overflowing with excitement at the news that in Jesus God has broken down the dividing wall between Jew and Greek, male and female, slave and free. God’s arms are open wide and they are wide indeed. So it is for THIS reason – the huge love of God – that Paul is brought to his knees before the Father. Today we will look at the prayer he prays. It is for you and me – part of that expansive reach of God toward the whole world. Let’s look… Family Prayer (vv.14-16) He addresses the prayer to the Father from whom every family in heaven and on earth derives its name (v. 15). Having explored God’s love for those near and far, Jew and Gentile, rule-bound and prodigal, we remember that God created all human life. We ALL derive our name and our being from God. God made us in His image, male and female; and God called it good. And God has pursued the human race through a people, a message, and a great, persistent, pursuing love. His prayer consists of a series of three things, each of which results from the one before. Spiritual Power: What Paul prays to God the Father is “that God would grant you, according to the riches of His glory, to be strengthened with power through His Spirit in the inner man (v. 16)” – Remember Paul’s own story? Paul thought himself as the last person qualified for this work of sharing the Good News of God. But God saw to it that he was equipped… nothing to do with his natural abilities. It’s an old saying, but a true one rooted in this passage: “God doesn’t call the equipped; God equips the called.” You and I are called together as the Church; and God promises to give us what we need for the work we are to do. We are simply to show up, ask God what He wants us to do, and do it faithfully. And that starts with inner spiritual resolve, also a gift out of the “riches of God’s glory!” Experiencing Jesus through Faith: The result of that spiritual strengthening is “so that Christ may dwell in your hearts through faith (v. 17).” – An interesting statement, that. Scripture tells us that when we trust in Jesus as Lord and Savior, he DOES dwell in our hearts through the Holy Spirit. But here it is linked to our actions through faith. I often hear people say, “I just don’t FEEL it; how do I know God is in my heart?” I think this passage is giving us a great key to

Sermon by: Robert Austell; September 2, 2018 - Ephesians 3:1-12 :: 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 :: Great Are You, Lord (Ingram, Jordon, Leonard) Blest Be the Tie that Binds/Blest Be the Holy Spirit (arr. Austell) (Offertory) In the Garden - Gwen Ingram, Bobby White, vocalists (arr. Ingram) In Christ There is No East or West (ST. PETER) :: 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’ve got to tell you…! Yesterday…! It’s the greatest thing this thing you won’t believe I’ve got to tell you just how amazing….! Have you ever been so excited about something that you speak in incomplete or run-on sentences? That’s kind of what these verses in Ephesians 3 are like. It’s hard for translators to know what to do because they want to make sense of it for you in English, but it’s just long and breaks off and, well, Paul really really wants to share some news with you. So he starts, “I, Paul, the prisoner of Christ Jesus for the sake of you Gentiles—“ and he interrupts himself. It’s like as soon as he says “you Gentiles” he is reminded at the same time that God has revealed a new mystery and gift to the non-Jewish world and just how great that news is. So he’s all over the place talking about the mystery and gift and then trying to say what it is while also being excited about his part in it all. I am also very excited about those things, but I’ll try to separate them out so they are a little easier to follow. And while all the parts are interesting, I want to zero in today on the specific message for the non-Jewish world… that is, the Gentiles, because we are they. We are the beneficiaries and the ambassadors of the message that God’s love is wide and for the whole world. Stewardship of the Mystery (vv.2-3) First, in verses 2-3, Paul initially focuses on the mystery of this news. It’s a mystery because it had been forgotten or de-emphasized by his own people and religion. God indeed revealed himself specially to Abraham and his descendants, but all along it was for the sake of the world. There’s a lesson in there for the church as well, lest we think that God exists just for us. It’s really the other way around; God has called us together to send us out into the world on His behalf, with His love and in His power. So, Paul uses several words to talk about this mystery. It’s grace; it’s a gift, it is a revelation that we read is NOW revealed; later in verses 9-10 that it is to bring light into that world at this time and to make God’s wisdom known. It is a new message but it is not a new idea. In verse 11 we read that it is God’s eternal purpose, carried out in Christ Jesus. Some things are mystery because they are beyond our understanding. Other things are mystery because we have never learned or have forgotten why they are the way they are. This is a little of both; through the person and work of Jesus and the messenger, Paul, God is reminding the world of His eternal plan to pursue, love, and rescue humanity. Humanity’s curse has been undone and God has undone it. Behold, the mystery; hear the Good News! Triple Fellowship (v.6) Mainly today I want to focus on verse 6, which is where Paul “gets specific” about the mystery and Good News from God to humanity. I am calling it a “triple fellowship” because he uses the word ‘fellow’ three times in this verse to talk about the things that we SHARE together in Christ. It’s a strong reminder of the connectivity and community of God’s people over an individual or private experience. In every way God calls us together. That’s what fellowship means! Le

Sermon by: the Rev. John Todd; August 26, 2018 - John 6:1-14; 2 Kings 4:42-44 :: 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 :: Lord, Speak to Me (CANONBURY) Here I Am, Lord (Shutte) Offertory: O God of Boundless Mercy (Keyes) - Eric VanderHeide, vocalist I Then Shall Live (FINLANDIA)