This Christmas Eve Pastor Scott walked us through Micah 5:1-6 and the promise of a ruler coming from the town of Bethlehem. Jesus would bring shalom, peace, to Israel in the victory He would bring over Israel and in the extent of His reign. But he came the first time, born in Bethlehem, to first deal with their sin. Their sin and rejection of God is why they suffered at the hands of their enemies, and so all the blessing of God have been made possible first by Jesus coming and dealing with Israel's sin, so that they may have peace with  God. Jesus came to deal with the sin of all who would believe on Him for salvation, and for all who trust in Him, He is our peace, as well. 

In Matthew chapter one we are given the genealogy of Jesus, traced from Abraham, through King David and his descendants. In this Matthew shows us that Jesus is truly the Christ, promised long ago, and that God has sovereignly kept His promises. As Andrew Barden walks us through this first chapter in Matthew's Gospel, we are reminded of who we are celebrating at Christmas, and always, and why our celebration is so significant. 

This week Pastor Scott walked through John 1:14-18, and the significants of the Word becoming flesh. The Apostle John, throughout the prolog of his Gospel (John 1:1-18), develops the understand of who the Word is. That He eternally existed before the beginning of creation. He was with God, so distinct from God, and yet He is God. He is the creator, possessing glory, the source and embodiment of life and light, full of  grace and truth, supreme, and possessing full deity. As God He shows us all that God is and makes the Father known.  

Someone cannot just take a specific picture or aspect of Jesus, and hold to that as the totality of who Jesus is. One has to understand the whole picture of who Jesus is. He is not just the baby in the manger, nor just a good teacher. He's not even just a prophet, speaking God's Word. As Ryan McKeen walks us through Isaiah 9:1-7, we see Jesus is God Himself, Israel's King, and the King of all, who will establish His kingdom on earth one day.

As Dr. Steve Lawson has pointed out, some people hold on to a specific picture of Jesus, an aspect of Him that they like or are comfortable with. And while those things may be true of Jesus, in of themselves, alone, they are incomplete. By themselves they are not who Jesus is. To truly know Jesus, to truly trust in Him, we must have the full picture of who Jesus is, as Scripture reveals Him to us. During this Christmas series we will be thinking on who exactly is this Jesus, who came as a baby, born in a manger. This week the series begins by looking at Revelation 1:9-20, and the vision of Jesus Christ that the Apostle John received, and how that helps us have a greater understand of who Jesus is.  

What is the church suppose to look like? What is our gathering together suppose to be? How has God designed His church to be together? As Pastor Scott walks us through 1 Thessalonians 5:12-28, we see how the Apostle Paul directed the church so that as they gather and were involved in each others lives, they would be and function just as God designed. And this is how we are to be as well.

In 1 Thessalonians 5:1-11, after discussing the resurrection and rapture of the church at Christ's appearing, Paul then moves into discussing the time of judgment that is to follow. This time is known as the Day of the Lord, which includes the Tribulation (the time period when God's pours His wrath out on the earth) leading up to Christ's return, and includes Christ's return as well. Paul wrote to the Thessalonians about how they didn't need to be written to about times and seasons, and instead he contrasts the Thessalonians, believers in Christ, with those who would be swept away in judgment. Then, he instruction the Thessalonians to live in light of who they are, and to encourage one another and build each other up in light of the hope they have in Christ. 

In 1 Thessalonians 4:13-18 the Apostles Paul wants those in the Thessalonians church to know what will happen to those who die, believing in Christ, so that the Thessalonians would not grieve without hope. Those who are trusting in Christ have no reason to live in a continual state of hopelessness, for Jesus has purchased for us such a great salvation, with such amazing promises. Included in these promises is the one that far surpasses them all. We will be with the Lord FOREVER!

In this sermon Pastor Scott McGrady addresses the issue of abortion. While focusing on Psalm 139:13-16, he discussed the Biblical truth of when life begins, and therefore the moral implication of that truth from standard of God's Law. Through understanding this Biblical perspective each follower of Christ should aim to think and act Biblically, as they inform their consciences through the Word of God, which is the inerrant and sufficient authority for our lives. 

In this sermon, on 1 Thessalonians 4:9-12, we see the Apostle Paul continue to write to the Thessalonians on the things he needed to address from Timothy's, overall good report, about the Thessalonians. In this section Paul is showing how believers are to increase and abound in love and be established in Holiness, by loving one anther, which the Thessalonians were overall doing, but Paul instructed them to do so more and more.