For Online Sermon September 27, 2020

By Pat Russell

Going Deeper September 27, 2020

Sermon from Pastor Bruce Spear

 

Scriptures for the day:

2 Timothy 2:14-15

Keep reminding God’s people of these things. Warn them before God against quarreling about words; it is of no value, and only ruins those who listen. Do your best to present yourself to God as one approved, a worker who does not need to be ashamed and who correctly handles the word of truth.

2 Timothy 3:14-17

But as for you, continue in what you have learned and have become convinced of, because you know those from whom you learned it, and how from infancy you have known the Holy Scriptures, which are able to make you wise for salvation through faith in Christ Jesus. All Scripture is God-breathed and is useful for teaching, rebuking, correcting and training in righteousness, so that the servant of God may be thoroughly equipped for every good work.

Today Bruce gave us three important guidelines from Paul’s letter to Timothy for reading and teaching the Scriptures:

1.      All Scripture is God-breathed therefore humbly receive what is written there.

2.      Jesus Christ is the theme of all Scripture therefore hold His story up as the plumbline to all that has been written in Scripture whether before Jesus lived on earth, during or after.

3.      The purpose of Scripture is to enable us to do the work of Jesus therefore seek training in righteousness.

Here is Bruce’s conclusion: “And so, let us never stand in judgment of Scripture but always humbly receive the Word which is able to save our souls. And as we read Scripture let us always remember that the gospels which tell the story of Jesus are the reference point and the plumbline by which we understand the rest of Scripture. Let us never quarrel about words that aren’t even found in Holy Scripture. And let us allow Scripture to train us in the righteousness of Jesus so that we can seek first his kingdom in all we say and do with our lives.”

Here is how you might Go Deeper with this sermon:

1.      Write or speak a prayer for yourself using the words of each of the three points. For instance, “Lord, it is beyond my understanding how You work in humans to accomplish your will through Scripture. Remind me that whenever I pick up my Bible to read, or think about a word of Scripture, or listen to a song

For Online Sermon September 20, 2020

By Pat Russell

 

Going Deeper September 20, 2020

Sermon from Pastor Bruce Spear

 

Scripture for the day: 2 Timothy 2:1-10

 

Timothy, my dear son, be strong through the grace that God gives you in Christ Jesus. ² You have heard me teach things that have been confirmed by many reliable witnesses. Now teach these truths to other trustworthy people who will be able to pass them on to others.

³ Endure suffering along with me, as a good soldier of Christ Jesus. ⁴ Soldiers don’t get tied up in the affairs of civilian life, for then they cannot please the officer who enlisted them. ⁵ And athletes cannot win the prize unless they follow the rules. ⁶ And hardworking farmers should be the first to enjoy the fruit of their labor. ⁷ Think about what I am saying. The Lord will help you understand all these things.

⁸ Always remember that Jesus Christ, a descendant of King David, was raised from the dead. This is the Good News I preach. ⁹ And because I preach this Good News, I am suffering and have been chained like a criminal. But the word of God cannot be chained. ¹⁰ So I am willing to endure anything if it will bring salvation and eternal glory in Christ Jesus to those God has chosen.

 

Paul could not be with Timothy as he led the church in Ephesus, but he could give Timothy a heart-felt reminder of the guiding truths that had led Paul since meeting Jesus in person. He knew these truths would keep Timothy filled with “power, love, and self-discipline.” Paul then encouraged Timothy to “teach these truths to other trustworthy people who will be able to pass them on to others.”

 

As Bruce begins his transition from being pastor of our congregation, we can listen for the voice of the Trinity coming to us through his preaching, just as Timothy listened to Paul.

 

This is how I listened today:  Bruce is Paul and the church (you and me) are Timothy. What does my heavenly Father say to me for these days through the relationship of Paul and Timothy? How might I make myself available to the grace of God that “fuels” the saints, just like the fuel of a 747 taking off, during this time of transition in our church?

 

In what ways might I “endure the suffering” of others in these days of sickness, unrest, natural disasters, and church transition? Which metaphor – the soldier, the athlete, or the farmer – might I dwell on in prayer so that I might gain insight for my living faith? How can I “endure the suffering” of transition along with Bruce and Susan in the days ahead? What might I do or be as an encouragement to them?

 

What hope strikes at the core of my being in verses 8-10 that will keep me centered in the way I experience life now and life through the transition ahead? I was struck by the truth that no matter what happens in my life or in the life of our church (as Paul was in chains), the Word of God is NOT chained in any way. 

 

These are suggested means for you to Go Deeper with the truths brought to us today by Bruce. We are dear daughters and sons who will pass these truths on to others.

For Online Sermon September 13, 2020

By Pat Russell

 

 

Considering the sermon by Pastor Bruce on September 13, 2020

Scripture Reading, 2 Timothy 1:1-12

 

This letter is from Paul, chosen by the will of God to be an apostle of Christ Jesus. I have been sent out to tell others about the life he has promised through faith in Christ Jesus.

 

² I am writing to Timothy, my dear son.

 

May God the Father and Christ Jesus our Lord give you grace, mercy, and peace.

 

³ Timothy, I thank God for you—the God I serve with a clear conscience, just as my ancestors did. Night and day I constantly remember you in my prayers. ⁴ I long to see you again, for I remember your tears as we parted. And I will be filled with joy when we are together again. ⁵ I remember your genuine faith, for you share the faith that first filled your grandmother Lois and your mother, Eunice. And I know that same faith continues strong in you. 

 

⁶ This is why I remind you to fan into flames the spiritual gift God gave you when I laid my hands on you. ⁷ For God has not given us a spirit of fear and timidity, but of power, love, and self-discipline.

 

⁸ So never be ashamed to tell others about our Lord. And don’t be ashamed of me, either, even though I’m in prison for him. With the strength God gives you, be ready to suffer with me for the sake of the Good News. ⁹ For God saved us and called us to live a holy life. He did this, not because we deserved it, but because that was his plan from before the beginning of time—to show us his grace through Christ Jesus. ¹⁰ And now he has made all of this plain to us by the appearing of Christ Jesus, our Savior. He broke the power of death and illuminated the way to life and immortality through the Good News. ¹¹ And God chose me to be a preacher, an apostle, and a teacher of this Good News.

 

 ¹² That is why I am suffering here in prison. But I am not ashamed of it, for I know the one in whom I trust, and I am sure that he is able to guard what I have entrusted to him until the day of his return.

_____________________________________________

 

After spending time with Paul, learning of his background, hearing of his encounter with Jesus that forever changed his life direction, and finally seeing the overflowing ministry that came out of that encounter, Pastor Bruce now takes us into the depth of relationship that Paul had with the younger Timothy. Paul mentored Timothy.

 

Paul spoke words of encouragement and love into Timothy’s life. (2 Tim 1:2-4) Paul understood the value of Timothy’s childhood background in terms of who he was as an adult. (2 Tim 1:5-6) Paul trusted Timothy completely as Timothy led the church in Ephesus. (2 Tim 1:8-10) Paul encouraged Timothy in the area that might have been his greatest challenge: fear. (2 Tim 1:7) Paul was an example to Timothy in a time when the world was a threatening place for Jesus’ followers. (2 Tim 1:11-14)

 

Take time to read this passage again in light of someone(s) in your life that you might encourage this week. Last week, I was thinking about the fact that I am on my way out of this struggling world due to my age, but my nephews and nieces have a long way to go, it would seem. They will face challenges that I only have begun to experience. How can I be of encouragement to them?

 

In that moment I texted this to my nephew, “Hi Cory. Thinking of you today in all your life roles – father, designer, leader, teacher, friend, husband. I pray God anoints you with his ‘Spirit that gives you power, love, and a sound mind.’” (Timothy) This morning (Sunday), I received this reply, “Thank you Aunt Pat. I appreciate the prayers. When your text came in, I was actually reading about the Holy Spirit! I’m reading Delighting in the Trinity by Michael Reeves. It’s very good. Love you.”

 

My heart sang! And then my heart sang a second verse of praise when I heard this sermon and the very Scripture verse that I sent to my nephew. Believe me, God will use you as you reach out to others.

 

For Online Service September 6, 2020

By Pat Russell

 

 

Considering the sermon by Pastor Bruce on September 6, 2020

 

I have often longed to be able to “see” the face of God. By that I mean that I long to experience Him like I experience another person, a presence that is tangible. Not a sense of “Someone there” but in a “human sense – touch, see, smell, taste, hear” kind of experience.

 

One day I was asking the Lord about this and I believe that He gave me this thought which I wrote in my journal, “As I sit here this morning, You say to me, ‘I am a different being.’ I think that I keep trying to make You a human being that I simply cannot see. But You are not. Yes, of course, I know that You are different, but I believe You are saying something about how I as a human being relate to You as non-human… We humans only have the context of human-personal relationship, but You contain the human personal and are also so much more. How can I experience that? Maybe I simply cannot and must find a place of contentment in how I can experience You as I live my human being life.”

 

As God continued to deal with this desire of my heart, I came to this scripture in Exodus 33:12-23 on another day:

 

Moses and the Glory of the Lord

 

¹² Moses said to the Lord, “You have been telling me, ‘Lead these people,’ but you have not let me know whom you will send with me. You have said, ‘I know you by name and you have found favor with me.’ ¹³ If you are pleased with me, teach me your ways so I may know you and continue to find favor with you. Remember that this nation is your people.”

 

¹⁴ The Lord replied, “My Presence will go with you, and I will give you rest.”

 

¹⁵ Then Moses said to him, “If your Presence does not go with us, do not send us up from here. ¹⁶ How will anyone know that you are pleased with me and with your people unless you go with us? What else will distinguish me and your people from all the other people on the face of the earth?”

 

¹⁷ And the Lord said to Moses, “I will do the very thing you have asked, because I am pleased with you and I know you by name.”

 

¹⁸ Then Moses said, “Now show me your glory.”

 

¹⁹ And the Lord said, “I will cause all my goodness to pass in front of you, and I will proclaim my name, the Lord, in your presence. I will have mercy on whom I will have mercy, and I will have compassion on whom I will have

compassion. ²⁰ But,” he said, “you cannot see my face, for no one may see me and live.”

 

²¹ Then the Lord said, “There is a place near me where you may stand on a rock. ²² When my glory passes by, I will put you in a cleft in the rock and cover you with my hand until I have passed by.²³ Then I will remove my hand and you will see my back; but my face must not be seen.”

 

I wrote this in my journal after meditating on this passage: “This was a great lectio for my soul this morning. It is all about Moses’ plea for Your presence and how You handled that. It is so incredible that You hid him in the cleft of the rock, let him see Your goodness and how You protected him by not letting him see Your face.”

 

I thought, “I see God when I see GOODNESS in this world and that is how He meant it to be.” Then I thought how God has allowed us to see HIS face in the face of Jesus the Christ. Jesus is pure Goodness. God contained himself in human form so that we might have that longing met. As Pastor Bruce has quoted many times through this series, “For God, who said, ‘Let there be light in the darkness,’ has made this light shine in our hearts so we could know the glory of God that is seen in the face of Jesus Christ.” (I Cor. 4:6)

 

And yet, total knowledge has yet to have been granted us. That comes with our death. Today Pastor Bruce said, “In this life, however, Paul tells us that we only see Jesus through a glass darkly or only as a reflection in a cloudy mirror. He says, now we only know Jesus partially but then we shall see him face to face.” (I Cor. 13:12) as he paraphrased Scripture for us.

 

As a beautiful conclusion to the theme, “Encounters with Jesus,” Pastor Bruce gave us many examples of human beings who have tasted (and I use that human sensory word intentionally) that glory and then were able to give us a foreshadowing of what is to come, both in Holy Scripture and in human experience form.

 

So, with all of this being written, I ask you to ponder what you heard in the sermon or read in this writing that you would like to contemplate more? Did a particular thought or word of scripture or an example touch your emotions? Why do you think that happened?

 

What do you think about your death? To what do you look forward? What makes you afraid? What do you long for when you see Jesus, face to face? What would you like him to say or do? What do you think you will say or do?

 

Spend some time talking with Him about Your longing.

 

As a benediction to my contemplation on this mystery, I recalled a song from my early church years. Perhaps you know it and would like to sing with these words:

 

He Hideth My Soul

 

A wonderful saviour is Jesus my Lord
A wonderful Saviour to me
He hideth my soul in the cleft of the rock
Where rivers of pleasure I see

 

He hideth my soul in the cleft of the rock
That shadows a dry, thirsty land
He hideth my life in the depths of his love
And covers me there with his hand
And covers me there with his hand

 

A wonderful Saviour is Jesus my Lord
He taketh my burden away
He holdeth me up and I shall not be moved
He giveth me strength as my day

 

He hideth my soul in the cleft of the rock
That shadows a dry, thirsty land
He hideth my life in the depths of his love
And covers me there with his hand
And covers me there with his hand

 

When clothed in His brightness
Transported I rise
To meet Him in Clouds of the sky
His perfect salvation, His wonderful love
I'll shout with the millions on high

 

He hideth my soul in the cleft of the rock
That shadows a dry, thirsty land
He hideth my life in the depths of his love
And covers me there with his hand
And covers me there with his hand

 

Source: Musixmatch

 

Songwriters: William James Kirkpatrick / Patti Drennan / Fanny Crosby

He Hideth My Soul lyrics © Hal Leonard Publishing Corp., Glorysound, A Div. Of Shawnee Press, Inc.

 

For Online Sermon August 30, 2020

By Pat Russell

 

 

Considering the sermon by Pastor Bruce on August 30, 2020

 

This week if you desire to spend some time deepening your walk with Christ, to experience what being “in Christ” means in your life, I suggest two directions.

 

The first direction involves spending time with the painting, The Angelus. The second direction involves spending time with the Scripture list that Pastor Bruce presented to us from the writings of Paul. Here are a few guidelines and questions that you might choose to use:

 

1.       When you first look at this painting, what strikes you as meaningful? Spend some time thinking about why that is meaningful to you.

 

2.      Look the painting over carefully. What did you miss? Why do you think the artist included that in the painting? What does the title mean to you?

 

3.      What is the mood of this painting? How does the mood of this painting speak to your spirit?

 

4.     Recall what Chuck Orwiler said about a call to remind us that “the Lord is God.” How does that minister to your soul in these disturbing days? Can you think of anything you could use in your life to remind you that “the Lord is God”?

 

Talk with God about what you have thought and felt in this meditation. Pause at the end for a few moments of quiet gratitude.

 

The Angelus by French painter Jean-Françoi Millet

The second direction involves Paul’s Scripture passages about being “in Christ” which Pastor Bruce divided into 6 sections. Perfect for a daily meditation starting today! (I plan to do this). Here is a way to absorb these words into your soul. This is called Lectio Divina – reading divine – allowing God to speak to you through his Word:

 

1.       Sit in a quiet location. Breath in deeply, asking God to quiet your body.

 

2.      Take a section and read through it slowly and gently. Reread it again until a particular word or phrase catches your attention.

 

3.      Take that word or phrase and repeat it slowly with a prayerful heart. Recognize the thoughts, the feelings (positive or negative), the memories, the images, aspirations that come to your heart. This is not about analyzing the word or phrase; this is about allowing the Word to become living and active in your being (Heb 4:12).

 

4.     Now, talk with God about what has been brought to your mind. Speak honestly. Pray until you have nothing more to express.

Lastly, return to stillness with God. Let your thoughts and feelings rest softly in God’s hands in a few moments of gratefulness.

 

Some of the 153 Times Paul uses “in Christ” or a variation of that phrase in his New Testament letters. Arranged by topic.

 

1.  The Person of Christ

 

In Christ Jesus the fullness of God was pleased to dwell. 

The whole fullness of deity dwells in Him.

In Him all things in heaven and earth were created.

In Him all things hold together.

In Him all things in heaven and earth are brought into unity.

In Him are hidden all the treasures of wisdom and knowledge.

And in Christ, God was reconciling the world to himself. 

 

2.  The Blessings of Our Salvation in Christ

 

We have been enriched in every way in Christ.

God has blessed us in the heavenly realms with every spiritual blessing in Christ.

We have been raised up with him and seated with him in the heavenly places in Christ Jesus.

God has shown the immeasurable riches of his grace in kindness toward us in Christ Jesus.

This grace was given us in Christ Jesus before the beginning of time.

In Christ we have redemption, the forgiveness of sin, according to the riches of his grace.

We are justified in Christ.

We are made the righteousness of God in Him.

There is now therefore no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus.

In Christ we have access to God with boldness.

I was found in Christ not having a righteousness of my own but having a righteousness from God based on faith.

In Christ we have obtained an inheritance.

We have been sealed with the promised Holy Spirit.

If anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation.

We were formerly darkness and now are light in the Lord.

We were chosen in Him.

We have come to fullness in Him.

We are glorified in Him. 

 

3.  Our Life in Christ

 

We live our lives in Him. 

We are taught in Him.

We are weak in Him.

We trust in Him.

We are now dead to sin and alive to God in Christ Jesus for the law of the Spirit of life in Christ Jesus has set us free from the law of sin and of death.

Give thanks in all circumstances knowing that this is the will of God in Christ Jesus for you.

Forgive one another, as God in Christ has forgiven you.

The Holy Scriptures, which are able to make us wise for salvation through faith in Christ Jesus. 

Christ Jesus has become for us wisdom from God.

We have heard of your faith in Christ Jesus and of the love you have for all God's people.

In Christ Jesus, nothing matters except faith expressing itself in love.

All who want to live a godly life in Christ Jesus will be persecuted.

Rejoice in the Lord.

Stand firm in the Lord.

Be strong in the Lord.

We are created in Christ Jesus for good works and our work in the Lord is never in vain.

We die in Christ.

Our life is hidden with Christ in God.

The gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord.

 

4.  The Assurances We Have in Christ

 

The peace of God which transcends all understanding will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus.

And God will meet all your needs according to the riches of his glory in Christ Jesus.

Nothing will separate us from the love of God which is in Christ Jesus our Lord.

In Christ Jesus we have the promise of life.

In Him all the promises of God are “Yes.”

In Christ Jesus we are all children of God through faith.

 

5.  The Church of Jesus Christ

 

You are rooted and built up in Him.

Let the same mind be in you that was in Christ Jesus.

In Christ you are being built together into a dwelling place for God.

In Him the whole building is joined together and rises to become a holy temple in the Lord.

In Christ we, though many, are one body and members one of another.

There is neither Jew nor Gentile, neither slave nor free, nor is there male and female, for you are all one in Christ Jesus.

In Himself he makes one new humanity.

In the Lord, men can’t do without women nor can women do without men.

Elders and teachers care for people and admonish them in the Lord.

Those who serve well as deacons gain a good standing for themselves and great boldness in the faith that is in Christ Jesus.

To him be glory in the church and in Christ Jesus throughout all generations. Amen.

 

6.  Paul’s Own Ministry in Christ

 

The grace of our Lord was poured out on me abundantly, along with the faith and love that are in Christ Jesus. 

In Christ we speak before God with sincerity, as those sent from God, admonishing and teaching everyone with all wisdom, so that we may present everyone fully mature in Christ.

Paul spoke the truth in Christ.

I am in chains for Christ.

Most of the brothers and sisters are more confident in the Lord because of my imprisonment.

I press on toward the goal to win the prize for which God has called me heavenward in Christ Jesus.

Timothy was Paul’s beloved and faithful child in the Lord.

You then, my child, be strong in the grace that is in Christ Jesus.

My love be with all of you in Christ Jesus.

 

Amen.