Sermons from July 2023

Sermons from July 2023

Through Artist Eyes

Jeremiah 18:1-12 ESV During the days of Jeremiah the prophet, God’s people had turned away from the Lord. Their gaze had fallen on worthless idols, forsaking living water for broken cisterns that could hold no water. And yet God kept reaching out, urging his people to return to him. On several occasions God used visible illustrations to get his people’s attention. One such illustration was the potter and the clay. This week we will reflect on what Jeremiah saw when one day God told him to go down to the potter’s house.

Bid My Anxious Fears Subside

Hebrews 3:7-19 God delivered his people from slavery to Pharaoh in Egypt. Their destination was Mt Sinai, to meet with the Lord, then the Promised Land, the land flowing with milk and honey. But at every step of the way the people were afraid: of Pharaoh and his army, of hunger, of thirst, of giants in the Land, even of the Lord. They kept thinking they were going to die. God brought them to the edge of the Land, but they refused to enter. They wanted to go back to Egypt, redefining it as the land flowing with milk and honey. They never got there because they died in the wilderness under God’s judgment. The Christian life is a journey, as allegorized in Pilgrim’s Progress. We are easily beset with fears which test our faith. We don’t make this journey alone; we travel together, encouraging one another.

Upward I Look and See Him There

Hebrews 3:1-6 (NIV) We return to the Book of Hebrews for seven weeks this summer. The author repeatedly presents Christ Before Us. He is to be the object of our attention: “take a good hard look at Jesus” (3:1 The Message). Where is he? He has gone before us into the very presence of God where he now ministers as our great High Priest on our behalf. Therefore we can boldly approach the eternal throne of grace to receive mercy and find grace.