New Beginnings Church, Lynnwood

A lesson on two trials, and their contrasting outcomes. One is of our Lord Jesus Christ, who gave Himself up willingly to be delivered up before the Jewish leaders. He stood faithfully to do the will of the Father. And though no accusation could be justly brought against Him, the leaders slanderously and falsely indicted Him. Peter meanwhile was under a trial of his own- the bystanders outside accused him of being a disciple of Jesus, which was of course true. Yet Peter feared man more than God, and having overestimated his own ability, he faltered in his tri-fold denial of the Lord.--While you have failed the Lord countless times, even as Peter did, if you have placed your faith in Christ alone for salvation, you have a High Priest who has never, and will never fail. We are saved not by our ability to cling to Him, but by His faithfulness to execute His sovereign will and promises, including our being held fast through the fiery trials we face. God uses such tests to humble us and grow us ultimately in Christ-likeness. Since Jesus obeyed the Father perfectly, the judgement we incurred and continue to incur has been laid on His shoulders at the cross. Even the sin of our own denial of Him in our thoughts, words, and deeds, have been paid for. --In light of that truth we can be confident and reassured even through seasons of serious and humiliating failure and backsliding. We fail Him more than we realize, but He never fails us. While we may hide our failures, or even foolishly convince ourselves that they aren't so, God knows all. Sometimes we must be shown our failure in an undeniably way to be humbled to the point where we can finally see what sinners we are.

A lesson on Christ's sovereignty over evil, including the evil that was committed against Him in the Garden of Gethsemane. He wasn't arrested against His will- rather, the only reason the authorities could arrest Him is because He allowed them to-but not without demonstrating His supremacy over them-

A lesson on knowing God, and being known by Him. Since the revelation of Himself is found chiefly in the Person of Jesus Christ -communicated to us through Scripture, with understanding given by the illumination of the Holy Spirit- our Lord's seventh and final petition in His High Priestly prayer is that we would know Him. This is how we can be sure that all who are His will come to saving faith, and remain there. Because Christ Himself asked the Father that we would know Him, and love Him, and Christ's will and the Father's will are one. So we can be 100- certain that it will be accomplished. God's purposes cannot be thwarted, and this should cause us to rejoice- Rejoice in the fact that we know the Lord, and more importantly, that He knows us.--A couple questions arise- what does it mean to know God- Or in what sense does God know us- Is it mere intellectual assent- No certainly not, for that knowing has no love- To be known by God is this- that Christ has come to seek and save the lost. In spite of our sin, those whom the Father chose before the foundation of the world would be conformed to the image of His Son, by beholding His glory. This starts when we have been born again by God's sovereign decree, and it continuously flows on in an ever increasing knowledge, love, and enjoyment of Himself which lasts for eternity. And this is the essence of eternal life- that we know God, and Jesus Christ whom He has sent, by beholding Him in all His splendor, which we can never exhaust the awe of. In light of this lesson, we can be assured that all who Christ knows will come to know Him. Not just by being saved from sin, but know Him as He is. What a wonderful God is our God-

A lesson in the mystery of the brevity of life, the certainty of death, and the foolish pursuit of things that we're guaranteed to lose eventually.

A lesson on Christ's will that we - those for whom He died and whom He purchased with the high cost of His own blood - would be with Him where He is, that we may behold His eternal glory.

A lesson on the church's mission- to faithfully proclaim the Gospel to those who are lost in darkness, knowing that this is the means that Christ has ordained to building His church.

A lesson on the nature of truth, what that means for us as it relates to Scripture, and living our lives as a people who know, love, pursue, and yield ourselves to the truth of God's word.