Seven Mile Road

We don't preach to the news cycle at Seven Mile Road, but we do work hard to help all of us see all of life through the lens of the gospel. So how are gospel people to understand and respond to plagues and riots and everything else that's happening. In this sermon, we hear some strong words from the prophet Amos about how the public worship life of the church MUST BE accompanied by a concern for and pursuit of justice and righteousness ... and how God responds when it's not.

In this sermon, we pause from our happy trek through the book of Philippians to spend some time in Psalm 84. In this psalm, the singer bears his soul about how exhausted he is from being kept out from the physical assembly of God's people. We're reminded that gathering together in this life is a grace, not a given, allowing these words to orient our hearts to the big "why" of gathering together, whether it's this Sunday for us or in the near future.

The Spirit calls us to do EVERYTHING we do with "no grumbling and no disputing," that we might stand out (like stars in the sky do) from the darkness and animosity that marks the culture we live in. Over the next few weeks, we are being given a HUGE OPPORTUNITY to live this out as a church as we navigate Phase 1 of re-entry together. This Sunday we talked about why and how we can do this with a humility and unity that springs from and shows off the gospel.

On Sunday, May 4 we heard from 7 folks about their laments, joys, and opportunities for gospel advance that have been unique to this season. Stories start at 17:25.

The gospel life is shaped by three different "time" realities: the past, the present, and the future. We have been saved, we are being saved, and we will be saved, 100%! This Sunday the Spirit zeroes in on the present, calling us to "be who we are" by working out our salvation in real-time, happily aware that it is God who is working in us.

Philippians 2:12-13

Here is the audio from the May Intensive on How To Read Your Bible On Your Own.

To follow along with the notes, open this Google doc:
https://docs.google.com/document/d/1lVq4BGYciFmn6GzJyRFcTF5RcjAJnZSnRUJz73JRBmk/edit?usp=sharing

After humbling Himself to the lowest of lows, He was finally raised to the rafters. He has been highly exalted and given a name. This has huge implications for us on how we live, why we worship, and to knowing what God is like. We learn about Jesus this Sunday in His exalted place and why it matters.

Philippians 2:9-11

After calling us to embrace a gospel "mentality" that looks to the interest of others, even at great cost to ourselves, the Spirit now presents us with the archetype of such a mentality: Christ. He who was "very God of very God" humbled Himself to the lowest of lows, looking not to His own interests, but to the interests of others. In this sermon, we watch Christ live out what He calls us to.

Reference: Philippians 2:5-8

Imagine a church culture where every-single-body is as (or more!) concerned with the interests of others as they are of their own? Where there’s no rivalry or conceit or self-interest? Woah. As we move into the “second chapter” of the Spirit’s words to the Christians at Philippi, this is exactly what we hear Paul calling them – and us - to.

Reference: Philippians 2:1-4