In this episode we look into two scriptures that I have been reflecting on for the New Year. Revelation 21:1-5 and John 12:1-7 and 12:23-26 I know this year has been hard particularly for students. The Bible does not sugarcoat life pretending that things are okay. The Bible does tell us that God is the one who makes all things new and that new life is promised to those who follow Jesus. This is not only a hope for eternity but it is hope for each new day. How do we access this new life? We must die to the old life. The world tries to manufacture newness and regeneration but fails. God has made newness possible in His Son.

When Advent comes around each year we hear the story of Jesus' birth and that's great, don't get me wrong. But in this video we look at how John's Gospel tells the story of Jesus coming to earth and why that is just as important. In a world that is lost and confused, chaotic and dark we have Jesus conquering darkness with his word, light, and life. We conare John 1 with Genesis 1 and see that the light of Jesus brings life and allows us to walk in darkness without being overwhelmed by it. See also: John 8:12,11:25, 12:46, Isaiah 9:2

Sin is not always easy to talk about but the New City Catechism gives us a great definition to start with. What is sin? Sin is rejecting or ignoring God in his creation, not being or doing what he requires in his law. 1 John 3:4-7 CSB 4 Everyone who commits sin practices lawlessness; and sin is lawlessness. 5 You know that he was revealed so that he might take away sins, and there is no sin in him. 6 Everyone who remains in him does not sin; everyone who sins has not seen him or known him. 7 Little children, let no one deceive you. The one who does what is right is righteous, just as he is righteous. This is a topic we are covering in our youth group and this video is here to help anyone better understand sin and God's response to sin. This is not affiliated with the New City Catechism in any way. But it is a great resource and you can find out more on their website. http://newcitycatechism.com/new-city-catechism/#16

Since no one can keep the law, what is its purpose? That may know the holy nature of God, and the sinful nature of our hearts; and thus our need for a savior. This is the 15th question in the New City Catechism and we are going to look at the three parts to this answer.

1: That we may know the holy nature of God. 2: The sinful nature of our hearts. “You have heard that it was said, ‘You shall not commit adultery.’28 But I tell you that anyone who looks at a woman lustfully has already committed adultery with her in his heart. Matt 5-27-28 "For by works of the law no human being will be justified in his sight, since through the law comes knowledge of sin." Romans 3:20 3: And thus our need for a savior. "For it is by grace you have been saved through faith, and this not from yourselves; it is the gift of God," Ephesians 2:8 Suggested prayer from Psalm 51 1"Have mercy on me, O God, according to your unfailing love; according to your great compassion blot out my transgressions. 2 Wash away all my iniquity and cleanse me from my sin." You can read the rest of the prayer here https://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=Psalm%2051&version=NIV "because, if you confess with your mouth that Jesus is Lord and believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead, you will be saved. 10 For with the heart one believes and is justified, and with the mouth one confesses and is saved." Romans 10:9-10

This is question 14 in the New City Catechism and is part of a series of questions that deal with the LAW, SIN and REDEMPTION. I am excited that you have joined me today. 

Now this is a bit of a mouthful even for the kids version, and I see why this would follow question 13. But I like this question phrased in the positive sense. 

“Did God create us to keep the law? Yes. 

Now we see that our purpose is to live in communion and obedience to God. This is the reason we were created (Love God and love others - NCC 7) 

Law Before Sin: Notice that the law comes before sin Genesis 2:15-17So the law is not God’s response to sin, the law was always meant to frame our relationship of love and obedience to God. This is in harmony with God’s character (the Son obeys the father). I hope this is a fresh perspective on the law and why Adam and Eve's disobedience has just a dramatic effect on our human nature and all of creation. 

For anyone involved in youth ministry. Whether you are a leader or a parent of a student (or a student yourself) this book is a must read. I am not getting paid to tell you this, I want to share with you all any resource that helps us to disciple young people. Andrew Root’s book “The End of Youth Ministry?” points out that identity is tied to story. It is not a matter of just finding your thing or filling the family calendar with a host of things to choose. Because identity is tied to narrative, youth ministry has an opportunity to invite young people into the greatest story ever. The research for this book comes from the Theology of Joy and The Good Life Project at Yale Divinity School. Root then crafts his book into a parable featuring the compilation of his youth ministry experience. This is a very unique and informative book. It is philosophical and does not offer a step by step plan for reforming youth ministry. Rather Root leaves that task with parents and leaders to work out of their own context. Not just another thing: youth ministry is for helping young people live into a deeper narrative of a God who is incarnate crucified and resurrected (quote from Youth and Culture Podcast https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HXISgDwQR4w&t=17s)

You can find the book at https://www.amazon.com/End-Youth-Ministry-Parents-Theology/dp/1540961397

This is not an affiliate link. Thanks for listening and being a part of this community.

In this episode we ask the question: "Can anyone keep the law of God perfectly?" The answer: "Since the fall, no human has been able to keep the law of God perfectly." This is question 13 from The New City Catechism, and the Bible passage for this question is Romans 3:9-20. I would also suggest reading all of chapter 3. At one point in this lesson I talk about Jesus in the past tense even though I believe very much that Jesus is alive. This video is not in any way affiliated with the organization that created The New City Catechism but I do think it is a great resource. You can find more information on their website http://newcitycatechism.com/

What is the Law of God stated in the Ten Commandments? Are the ten commandments actually important? These are the questions we will be asking as we explore question number 8 in the new city catechism. Compare Exodus 20 with Jesus’ teaching in Matthew 22:34-40 (which we covered in our last video). A few reasons the Ten Commandments are important. They display God’s character: God is love, God doesn’t lie or steal, etc. They teach us how to live our lives as children of God. There is liberation in the law as we live in obedience and love of God. A note on this thought - I am not saying the law saves us. I am saying that God’s law frees us from the confusion we see in our godless world today. Not an easy thing to communicate, so I did my best. As Always, thanks for taking a look at this video and being a part of this community!

In this podcast we ask the question, what does the law of God require? This is the seventh question in The New City catechism (see also: Heidelberg Catechism Q 4). We are using these questions in our youth ministry as we explore spiritual formation. 

We look at Matthew 22:34-40 and Genesis 2:15-17 to helps us better understand the purpose of the law in the life of the Christian believer.

Note that I use the words from Matthew 22:37 so I omit the word ‘strength’ that is in the catechism and also in Luke 10:27. 

Also note that I originally recorded this for video.

Audio for this podcast comes from a video that I made on this question. Thanks for understanding even though I refer to it as a video throughout this episode. 

In this podcast we explore the connection between God’s redemption and our response of love and obedience. Much of our culture shies away from the idea of obedience, laws, and commandments in favor of self fulfillment. The irony is that when we chase after our own self fulfilment, we don't find it. When we abandon our selfish pursuits we find the fulfilment we long for. Bible verses for this question can include Deuteronomy 11:1-14, Psalm 19:7-14, 1 John 4:19. An activity you can do with this lesson is to draw and color a person who is a super fan of a sports team or artist. Ask yourself or your students why that person looks the way they do? Now do the same activity, only your person needs to be someone who is glorifying God. What do they look like? How is glorifying God different from being a fan of a sports team or artist? My hope is to help my students grow in their faith and spiritual formation. These are the most important things in life, and they give meaning to all our other life pursuits. Thanks for being here and being a part of this community!