The Hallows Church

Frank takes us through Psalm 1. Here it outlines that there are only 2 ways to live in this world. The Godly person is described as truly happy as they put their trust in the eternal words of God and seek to obey him in all things. This person is described as a fruit tree planted by streams of water; a rich metaphor of abundant life both now and into eternity.

To contrast, the ungodly person is described as chaff, which is the inedible part of grain which is separated from the edible. This stands in stark contrast to the fruit tree. Chaff is ultimately weightless, meaningless and is carried away on the wind. This shows us that when we cut ourselves off from the true joy giver (God) we are left with a life that when tested in judgement, will prove to have been wasted.

Psalm 145 is one of David’s psalms of praise, a psalm proclaiming God is great, good, gentle, and near to all his people in every area of life. But if that’s true, contempt for God and the feeling of his absence is all the more difficult to reconcile. Psalm 145 is a song for believers as it shows us God remains the same, season after season. Our praise is a result of his presence.

Our God is Great

-In Every High and Every Low

-To Every Generation

Our God is Good

-To the Faithful and the Fickle

Our God is Gentle

-To the Insecure and Fallen

Our God is Near

-To the Needy and the Loving

In this passage we will look at the story of Lazarus being raised from the dead in light of the events leading up to it. We will see that John was developing a narrative to show who Jesus is and why He is deserving of worship. John chooses a series of specific events to reveal that Jesus is the Son of God, is eternal and that He came to be our Salvation.

John 20:30-31 “Jesus performed many other signs in the presence of his disciples that are not written in this book. But these are written so that you may believe that Jesus is the Messiah, the Son of God, and that by believing you may have life in his name.”

What does it mean to live in the Word? In Paul’s letter to the Colossian church, he explains that living in the Word is putting our hope in Christ, putting away old vices, and putting on new virtues. As we are gospel people, we are continually being formed in the likeness of Jesus when we seek the things above and set our minds on Jesus.

How does the church distinguish herself in the world today? In Colossians 2:1-10, Paul urges the Colossian church to be lovers of the Word, that is, a gospel people united, grounded, and captivated by the revealed mysteries of Jesus in Scripture. For us, we follow Paul’s instructions, in the same way, striving together in Christ to produce maturity, gratitude, and protection.

James calls us to be joyful in trials, but how do we do that? By anchoring our faith deeply in Christ we can be prepared when storms and rough conditions come our way.

In this passage, along with the Pharisees, we encounter Jesus as Judge, the standard which puts to shame all self-righteous ways and disarms us from the stones we throw. And along with the woman, we encounter Jesus and Savior, whose mercy toward us not only frees us from condemnation but activates us to live as intercessors and reconcilers in a hostile world.

The story of the Woman Caught in Adultery is…

Likely Historical

Doctrinally Sound

Ultimately Canonical

Leviticus 20:10 (ESV)

Deuteronomy 22:22 (ESV)

Exodus 19:10-11 (ESV)

Exodus 19:17-20 (ESV)

Exodus 31:18 (ESV)

Exodus 34:1 (ESV)

“Being convinced of one’s own righteousness especially in contrast with the actions and beliefs of others; narrow-mindedly moralistic.”

Jeff takes us through Psalm 27.  Here David shows us a strategy for living that prepares us for whatever day of trouble may come our way.  David was confronted with challenges and conflict again and again but was able to live above his circumstances.  Psalm 27 shows us how he did that.  And how we can do that too.

The Beauty of God

Why we Need it

-Psalm 24:4

What it is

-Psalm 27:6

-Hebrews 4:12-13

How we See it

-Psalm 27:13-4

-John 2:19-21

-Isaiah 53:2b-3

-Isaiah 52:14

In a world saturated with tribalism and division, how can disciples in the church be gospel people? That is a people of the gospel and not anything else. The apostle Paul instructs us in his letter to the Colossians to be a gospel people saved by Jesus, set apart as servants, and proclaiming Christ with joy, purpose, and energy.

Through Psalm 27 we will examine how we are prone to

build strongholds apart from God. When these strongholds inevitably fail, we are often left wandering in the wilderness. God pursues us in the wilderness, using it as an arena for spiritual growth, pointing us to Jesus as the better stronghold.

The Strongholds We Build (v. 1)

 - Strongholds are physical

 - Stronghold is a name for God

 - Strongholds are spiritual

 - We build strongholds apart from God

o Stronghold of Society

o Stronghold of Self

The Wilderness We Wander (v. 2-3)

- Our strongholds will fail

- The wilderness reveals our hearts

- God pursues us in the wilderness

o Hosea 2:14-15

- God uses the wilderness for spiritual growth

o Deuteronomy 8:2-5

The Savior Who Shelters (v. 4-6)

- Jesus is the better stronghold

o Zechariah 9:11-12