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Thanks Be To God: Victory Over Life

Thanks be to God: Victory over Life!

My lesson Sunday will complete my series, “Thanks be to God!” which traced Paul’s five uses of that phrase through his epistles. Hopefully these lessons have helped prepare your minds for the Thanksgiving season.

Today we will be looking at 2 Corinthians 2:14, But thanks be to God, who always leads us in triumphal procession in Christ and through us spreads everywhere the fragrance of the knowledge of him. Jesus gives us victory over life!

I do need to take a moment to add a couple of disclaimers about this passage and my lesson. First, Paul is not saying you will not have any trouble in life. In fact, 2 Corinthians is full of sorrow, suffering, and mental anguish, especially for Paul. The victory spoken of by Paul is should be filtered through his conclusion regarding his thorn in the flesh, 2 Corinthians 12:9 But he said to me, “My grace is sufficient for you, for my power is made perfect in weakness.” Therefore I will boast all the more gladly about my weaknesses, so that Christ’s power may rest on me. In our weaknesses, disabilities, and trials, God’s power is stronger and even more apparent in our lives.

Second, contextually, Paul is addressing the sufferings of apostles and other servants for the cause of the gospel and specifically his suffering as an ambassador of Christ. Paul sees these sufferings as evidence he is doing the will of Christ. Far from being disabilities in the common sense of the word, his sufferings have led to the advancement of the gospel through the power of God. 2 Corinthians 12:10 That is why, for Christ’s sake, I delight in weaknesses, in insults, in hardships, in persecutions, in difficulties. For when I am weak, then I am strong.

This is not to say the passage is not applicable to us, it is. However, we must see our victory in terms of our Christian witness. He is not saying that we will eventually get all of our wants or wishes. Far from it! He is saying that God works best in fragile, broken, or otherwise imperfect vessels.

2 Corinthians 4:7-11 But we have this treasure in jars of clay to show that this all-surpassing power is from God and not from us. 8 We are hard pressed on every side, but not crushed; perplexed, but not in despair; 9 persecuted, but not abandoned; struck down, but not destroyed. 10 We always carry around in our body the death of Jesus, so that the life of Jesus may also be revealed in our body. 11 For we who are alive are always being given over to death for Jesus’ sake, so that his life may be revealed in our mortal body.

I’ll say more in the lesson. — Joey

By | 2024-11-23T15:21:10-07:00 November 23rd, 2024|Uncategorized|0 Comments

Thanks Be To God: Victory Through Jesus!

Thanks Be To God:
Victory Through Jesus!

1 Corinthians 15:49-58 And just as we have borne the likeness of the earthly man, so shall we bear the likeness of the man from heaven. 50 I declare to you, brothers, that flesh and blood cannot inherit the kingdom of God, nor does the perishable inherit the imperishable. 51 Listen, I tell you a mystery: We will not all sleep, but we will all be changed– 52 in a flash, in the twinkling of an eye, at the last trumpet. For the trumpet will sound, the dead will be raised imperishable, and we will be changed. 53 For the perishable must clothe itself with the imperishable, and the mortal with immortality. 54 When the perishable has been clothed with the imperishable, and the mortal with immortality, then the saying that is written will come true: “Death has been swallowed up in victory.” 55 “Where, O death, is your victory? Where, O death, is your sting?” 56 The sting of death is sin, and the power of sin is the law. 57 But thanks be to God! He gives us the victory through our Lord Jesus Christ. 58 Therefore, my dear brothers, stand firm. Let nothing move you. Always give yourselves fully to the work of the Lord, because you know that your labor in the Lord is not in vain.

Five times in his epistles Paul uses the phrase, Thanks be to God.Every one of them speaks to what Jesus has done for us. During this season of thanksgiving I will be sharing the blessings we have in Jesus.

Last week we discussed the victory over sin, next week we will examine our victory over life, but today we will celebrate our victory over death.

Apparently, some in Corinth were denying the resurrection from the dead. The reason, I suppose, is a matter of speculation, but Paul affirms the resurrection as central to our faith and hope.

1 Corinthians 15:16-20 For if the dead are not raised, then Christ has not been raised either. 17 And if Christ has not been raised, your faith is futile; you are still in your sins. 18 Then those also who have fallen asleep in Christ are lost. 19 If only for this life we have hope in Christ, we are to be pitied more than all men. 20 But Christ has indeed been raised from the dead, the firstfruits of those who have fallen asleep.

What does the resurrection mean for the Christian? What kind of bodies will we have? Paul answers these questions and more.

Please join us this Sunday!  — Joey 

By | 2024-11-16T23:32:57-07:00 November 16th, 2024|Uncategorized|0 Comments

Thanks Be To God

Thanks be to God!

Romans 6:17 But thanks be to God that, though you used to be slaves to sin, you wholeheartedly obeyed the form of teaching to which you were entrusted.

Romans 7:25 Thanks be to God— through Jesus Christ our Lord! So then, I myself in my mind am a slave to God’s law, but in the sinful nature a slave to the law of sin.

1 Corinthians 15:57 But thanks be to God! He gives us the victory through our Lord Jesus Christ.

2 Corinthians 2:14 But thanks be to God, who always leads us in triumphal procession in Christ and through us spreads everywhere the fragrance of the knowledge of him.

2 Corinthians 9:15 Thanks be to God for his indescribable gift!

How fast this year has passed. Fall will soon be over. Soon we will be decorating our Christmas trees and planning our holiday parties. In our rush to get to the giving time of the year, let’s not forget the thanksgiving season. As a culture, it is not unusual for us to give a disproportionate amount of attention to Halloween and Christmas, but somehow minimize Thanksgiving.

It is always appropriate to be thankful. We need not wait for a special day of the year, but since we have a national holiday dedicated to giving thanks, why not use it to remind ourselves of all the things we should be thankful for every day of the year?

This is especially true of all the blessings we have in Christ. For the next three weeks in my messages, I will be focusing on a phrase that Paul uses five times in his epistles, Thanks be to God.” He  exhorts and commands us to be thankful in many of his letters, but in these five instances, Paul bursts into praise thanking God for our blessings in Jesus Christ.

My messages for the remainder of November will be…

  • 11/10 — Thanks be to God for his Indescribable Gift.
  • 11/17 — Thanks be to God! He gives us the Victory through our Lord Jesus Christ.
  • 11/24 — Thanks be to God who Always Leads us in Triumphal procession.

At the heart of our thanksgiving is the work of Jesus Christ through the cross. He gives us victory over sin, death, and life!

Please join us for these lessons. — Joey

By | 2024-11-09T15:20:37-07:00 November 9th, 2024|Uncategorized|0 Comments

A Christian Perspective On Decision 2024

A Christian Perspective on Decision 2024

Philippians 3:17-21 Join with others in following my example, brothers, and take note of those who live according to the pattern we gave you. 18 For, as I have often told you before and now say  again even with tears, many live as enemies of the cross of Christ. 19 Their destiny is destruction, their god is their stomach, and their glory is in their shame.  Their mind is on earthly things. 20 But our citizenship is in heaven. And we eagerly await a Savior from there, the Lord Jesus Christ, 21 who, by the power that enables him to bring everything under his control, will transform our lowly bodies so that they will be like his glorious body.

Tuesday will be the culmination of another contentious election cycle and we will go to the polls to select who will govern us for the next few years. Most are very passionate about which  candidates should be in power. Our opinions have been shaped by our political perspectives, economic perceptions, and moral values; this is true for both sides of the aisle. The stakes are high.  Emotions are at a fever pitch and rhetoric is all but out of control. Is there a Christian perspective in all of this? I believe there is.

There is no biblical analog to our political system, but there are some principles we can glean from God’s word. My lesson Sunday will attempt to examine some of these principles.

  1. Our Citizenship is in Heaven (Philippians 3:20). While we are affected by political realities, ultimately we must conclude that these are “earthly things” (3:19) and our true allegiance lies with the Kingdom of God. Residents in Phillippi were very proud of their citizenship status, but Paul points believers to something much higher.
  2. Many Live as Enemies of the Cross of Christ (3:18). This is as true to day as it was then. We speak of the de-evolution of our culture and decline of moral values, but this is neither new, nor unprecedented. Paul describes his culture, Their destiny is destruction, their god is their stomach, and their glory is in their shame. Their mind is on earthly things. We should do our part at the polls, but ultimately, The weapons we fight with are not the weapons of the world. On the contrary, they have divine power to demolish strongholds (2 Corinthians 10:4).
  3. God is Sovereign (3:21). God raises and deposes world leaders. It is all under his control. We trust in his control.
  4. Our Goal is to become as Jesus is Now (3:21). We do not belong to this earthly world order and we will not remain in it for long. Our bodies will be transformed to be like his glorious body and we will live in the Kingdom of God forever.

(more…)

By | 2024-11-02T14:56:30-06:00 November 2nd, 2024|Uncategorized|0 Comments

The Sufferings Of Jesus

The Sufferings of Jesus

Philippians 2:5-11 Your attitude should be the same as that of Christ Jesus: 6 Who, being in very nature God, did not consider equality with God something to be grasped, 7 but made himself nothing, taking the very nature of a servant, being made in human likeness. 8 And being found in appearance as a man, he humbled himself and became obedient to death– even death on a cross!  9 Therefore God exalted him to the highest place and gave him the name that is above every name, 10 that at the name of Jesus every knee should bow, in heaven and on earth and under the earth,  11 and every tongue confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father.

I knew I wanted to preach about Jesus this coming Sunday, but the structure of the message did not come into shape until after our Wednesday night Bible class. We sang “One Day when Heaven was Filled with his Praises” as a part of our worship time and I couldn’t get verse 3 out of my mind.

One day they left Him alone in the garden,

One day He rested, from suffering free;

Angels came down o’er His tomb to keep vigil;

Hope of the hopeless, my Savior is He.

One day He rested, from suffering free. This verse kept playing over and over again in my mind. Jesus was freed from suffering only when he died. That is our human condition, is it not? We suffer in life until we find rest in death. The grave is the only respite for the human condition. Sadly, that is the only hope for the non-believer. You hear it all the time after a death, “At least he/she is not suffering anymore.” I think the common epitaph “RIP” (rest in peace) is evidence of that. The only thing that mere humans can look forward to is cessation of suffering after death. Of course, in the merely human worldview we will also have ceased to exist. With death comes also the cessation of love, joy, consciousness, and life itself.

In context, this verse is referring to Christ’s sufferings on the cross, but that was not the beginning of his suffering; it began when he became a human. Jesus was subjected to all the indignities  and sufferings of the human condition. He became like us in every way to rescue us from these very sufferings: Hope of the hopeless, my Savior is He! The song continues in the chorus…

Living, He loved me; dying, He saved me;

Buried, He carried my sins far away;

Rising, He justified freely forever:

One day He’s coming—O glorious day!

I’ll say more in my lesson. — Joey

By | 2024-10-26T13:37:49-06:00 October 26th, 2024|Uncategorized|0 Comments

The Full Armor Of God

The Full Armor of God

Ephesians 6:10-20 Finally, be strong in the Lord and in his mighty power. 11 Put on the full armor of God so that you can take your stand against the devil’s schemes. 12 For our struggle is not  against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the authorities, against the powers of this dark world and against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly realms. 13 Therefore put on the  full armor of God, so that when the day of evil comes, you may be able to stand your ground, and after you have done everything, to stand. 14 Stand firm then, with the belt of truth buckled  around your waist, with the breastplate of righteousness in place, 15 and with your feet fitted with the readiness that comes from the gospel of peace. 16 In addition to all this, take up the shield of  faith, with which you can extinguish all the flaming arrows of the evil one. 17 Take the helmet of salvation and the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God. 18 And pray in the Spirit on all  occasions with all kinds of prayers and requests. With this in mind, be alert and always keep on praying for all the saints. 19 Pray also for me, that whenever I open my mouth, words may be given  me so that I will fearlessly make known the mystery of the gospel, 20 for which I am an ambassador in chains. Pray that I may declare it fearlessly, as I should.

Paul concludes his letter to these new Christians at Ephesus with a solemn warning about their opposition. He has reminded them of all God had accomplished in Christ for them and the  behavior it should elicit on their part. He had cautioned them to forsake their previous pagan worldview and behavior. He had even reminded them that they already have the power within to  overcome the wicked forces at work in the world. They shared in Jesus’ victory over the forces of evil. The same power that had raised Jesus from the dead was at work in them so that every spiritual blessing available in Christ and every (imaginable and unimaginable) power made possible through the Holy Spirit was at work in their fight against evil.

Now he encourages them to put on the whole armor of God in their fight against the powers of wickedness. Theirs was a hand to hand combat with evil; preparation was necessary!

I’ll say more in my lesson. — Joey

By | 2024-10-19T13:22:37-06:00 October 19th, 2024|Uncategorized|0 Comments

The Collection For God’s People

The Collection for God’s People

1 Corinthians 16:1-4 Now about the collection for God’s people: Do what I told the Galatian churches to do. 2 On the first day of every week, each one of you should set aside a sum of money in  keeping with his income, saving it up, so that when I come no collections will have to be made. 3 Then, when I arrive, I will give letters of introduction to the men you approve and send them with  your gift to Jerusalem. 4 If it seems advisable for me to go also, they will accompany me.

Paul had a grand idea! No doubt it was initiated by the prompting of God, but a grand idea, none-the-less. For almost 25 years he had worked among the Gentiles as an apostle of Jesus Christ. His  unique apostleship had placed him at the heart of God’s plan of uniting the whole world under the authority of Jesus. He had put his blood, sweat and tears into this goal. He had suffered greatly and endured much persecution, but through his efforts, he had witnessed the gospel spread throughout Galatia, Asia Minor, Macedonia and Achaia.

However, there remained a schism in the church between Jewish and Gentile Christians. This division existed due to numerous factors— cultural practices, socio-economic status, understanding of the place of the Torah, and hard feelings regarding all of the above.

At or around the 25 year mark in his ministry Paul was preparing to shift gears in his ministry and preach the gospel in Spain, but he had one last thing to do. This was his grand idea to mend the  schism between the more affluent Gentile churches of his ministry and the much poorer Jewish churches of Judea and Jerusalem: a monetary collection for the poor.

Paul uses cultic language in Romans 15:16 calling it the “offering of the Gentiles” making the collection an act of worship. This is reinforced by his usage of ἐπιτελέω in 2 Corinthians 8:1–12, often translated simply as “to carry out,” but is used in cultic contexts for the fulfillment of religious obligations. Paul believed the Gentiles should be grateful for the grace of God and his blessings in Jesus which originated from within the Jewish people (Romans 15:27). Paul was willing to die to make this a reality (Romans 15:31-32).

Similarly, Paul believed that the collection would not only relieve the needs of the poor Jerusalem saints, but it would also mend much of the suspicion and ill will that might have been held by these Christians resulting in thanksgiving to God for them and their offering (2 Corinthians 9:12-14).

1 Corinthians 16:1-4 consists of instructions on how this contribution was to be taken. Unlike, the acute needs of the church in the early chapters of Acts, this offering would require time to be collected.

Each member was to put aside a portion of the money they earned ever day (proportionate with their income) until the next Sunday, when the church met, and give it to the church to save up  (church treasury?) until Paul returned to collect the entire sum. This model continues to be used today. Paul has to revisit this with the Corinthians in his second letter.

I’ll say more in my lesson. — Joey

By | 2024-10-13T02:53:17-06:00 October 13th, 2024|Uncategorized|0 Comments

How To Behave At Home

How To Behave At Home

Ephesians 5:21 – 6:9   21 Submit to one another out of reverence for Christ. 22 Wives, submit to your husbands as to the Lord. 23 For the husband is the head of the wife as Christ is the head of the church, his body, of which he is the Savior. 24 Now as the church submits to Christ, so also wives should submit to their husbands in everything. 25 Husbands, love your wives, just as Christ loved the church and gave himself up for her 26 to make her holy, cleansing her by the washing with water through the word, 27 and to present her to himself as a radiant church, without stain or wrinkle or any other blemish, but holy and blameless. 28 In this same way, husbands ought to love their wives as their own bodies. He who loves his wife loves himself. 29 After all, no one ever hated his own body, but he feeds and cares for it, just as Christ does the church– 30 for we are members of his body. 31 “For this reason a man will leave his father and mother and be united to his wife, and the two will become one flesh.” 32 This is a profound mystery– but I am talking about Christ and the church. 33 However, each one of you also must love his wife as he loves himself, and the wife must respect her husband.

6:1 Children, obey your parents in the Lord, for this is right. 2 “Honor your father and mother”– which is the first commandment with a promise– 3 “that it may go well with you and that you may enjoy long life on the earth.” 4 Fathers, do not exasperate your children; instead, bring them up in the training and instruction of the Lord.

5 Slaves, obey your earthly masters with respect and fear, and with sincerity of heart, just as you would obey Christ. 6 Obey them not only to win their favor when their eye is on you, but like slaves of Christ, doing the will of God from your heart. 7 Serve wholeheartedly, as if you were serving the Lord, not men, 8 because you know that the Lord will reward everyone for whatever good he does, whether he is slave or free. 9 And masters, treat your slaves in the same way. Do not threaten them, since you know that he who is both their Master and yours is in heaven, and there is no favoritism with him.

It was common in ancient literature to relate household codes to guide the members of a household (wives/husbands, children/parents, and slaves/masters) in how they should behave toward one another. It was also common in Greco-Roman culture for the patriarch in the family to exercise absolute, sometimes cruel, authority over family members. Paul’s household code, here at the end of Ephesians, serves as a corrective to the harsh treatment found in contemporary culture. It is founded upon the principle of mutual submission. Ephesians 5:21, Submit to one another out of reverence for Christ. Remember, this occurs in the context of exhibiting distinctly Christian behaver, over against that of the gentiles.

I’ll say more in my lesson,

Joey

By | 2024-10-05T11:29:39-06:00 October 5th, 2024|Uncategorized|0 Comments

A Primer On Basic Morality, Part II

A Primer on Basic Morality,
Part II

Ephesians 5:3-21 But among you there must not be even a hint of sexual immorality, or of any kind of impurity, or of greed, because these are improper for God’s holy people. 4 Nor should there be obscenity, foolish talk or coarse joking, which are out of place, but rather thanksgiving. 5 For of this you can be sure: No immoral, impure or greedy person– such a man is an idolater– has any inheritance in the kingdom of Christ and of God. 6Let no one deceive you with empty words, for because of such things God’s wrath comes on those who are disobedient. 7 Therefore do not be partners with them. 8 For you were once darkness, but now you are light in the Lord. Live as children of light 9 (for the fruit of the light consists in all goodness, righteousness and truth) 10 and find out what pleases the Lord. 11 Have nothing to do with the fruitless deeds of darkness, but rather expose them. 12 For it is shameful even to mention what the disobedient do in secret. 13 But everything exposed by the light becomes visible, 14 for it is light that makes everything visible. This is why it is said: “Wake up, O sleeper, rise from the dead, and Christ will shine on you.” 15 Be very careful, then, how you live– not as unwise but as wise, 16 making the most of every opportunity, because the days are evil. 17 Therefore do not be foolish, but understand what the Lord’s will is. 18 Do not get drunk on wine, which leads to debauchery. Instead, be filled with the Spirit. 19 Speak to one another with psalms, hymns and spiritual songs. Sing and make music in your heart to the Lord, 20 always giving thanks to God the Father for everything, in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ. 21 Submit to one another out of reverence for Christ.

Paul continues his primer in basic morality in Ephesians 5:3-21. Living worthy of the gospel presupposes changes from our pre-Christian lifestyle. He deals with more mature themes in this second half of the list.

1. Avoid even the hint of sexual immorality.

2. Keep your thoughts pure.

3. Exercise self-control in your desires.

4. Don’t use obscene language.

5. Don’t tell dirty jokes.

6. Replace inappropriate language with thanksgiving to God.

7. Do not partner with the wicked in their immorality.

8. Make the most of every opportunity for good.

9. Don’t get drunk.

10. Sing, praise, & thank God (be filled with the Spirit).

11. Don’t insist on your own way.

Paul urges the Ephesians (and us) to avoid the “fruitless works of darkness” and to live as “children of light.”

I’ll say more in my lesson, Joey

By | 2024-09-29T01:39:53-06:00 September 29th, 2024|Uncategorized|0 Comments

Welcome Trail Life & American Heritage Girls

 

Welcome Trail Life & American Heritage Girls

Sunday, we celebrate two of our ministries—American Heritage Girls and Trail Life. Welcome!

Both organizations are alternatives to traditional scouting that feature a distinctively Christian worldview. You can read more about them on their national websites traillifeusa.com and  americanheritagegirls.org.

This congregation chartered, oversees, and supports both troops. We will recognize both groups before worship this Sunday.

Congratulations to Hunter S. in Receiving the

Trail Life Freedom Award

The Freedom Award is Trail Life USA’s highest and most prestigious award. The trail that one takes to earn this award is one that will stretch and grow the Trailman as a man. It will help them  hone their skills and practice servant leadership. Their faith will be tested and grown along this trail. These experiences will prepare them to head out into the open rangelands of Freedom.

Among the other tasks completed for this award, Hunter worked hard to gather funds and build the welcoming gazebo on the east side of our building. He is only the second youth in the state of Idaho to receive this award.

A special ceremony was held at the building last Tuesday night to honor him. Congratulations, Hunter!

By | 2024-09-21T17:35:12-06:00 September 21st, 2024|Uncategorized|0 Comments