The intent of today’s sermon is to help us think about and engage more deliberately in praying for ourselves, that is the church. Praying not only for you as an individual but praying for us, the church community. You and I engaged in praying for Ruggles Baptist Church in particular and praying for the larger Church in general (especially in Boston).
Have you ever wondered why we show up week after week to worship the Lord together? Aren't there some Sundays that you would rather sleep in? Well, today we're going to observe the prophet Isaiah's astonishing encounter with God, and examine why weekly corporate worship is vital to the local church if we want to be the dearest place on earth. Are you feeling like today is just another Sunday morning? Then today's sermon is for you.
God designed us as his church to be the dearest place on earth in order to glorify his name in the world. However, we are also all still sinners. What a conundrum! How do we work together to overcome our sin so we can love one another and glorify God? That's what Jesus’ words in Matthew 18:12-20 are all about!
Does church membership really matter? Is it any different from being a member of a club or other organization? This morning, we're going to explore Christ's design for membership of his church from his famous, and controversial, statement to the Apostle Peter in Matthew 16 about the keys of the kingdom. Then we'll see why, if you're a Christian, you — yes you! — should join a church as a member.
Have you ever wondered what we're doing here at Ruggles? What is a church? Is it a building? An institution? A weekly event? Is it optional? Where did the church come from? And what is it for? We're going to answer all of these questions today and more as we explore the doctrine of the church and see why it should be the "dearest place on earth" to us.
Haggai ends with a final word from God renewing his promise to bring about his final plans for his people and planet Earth. Two parts of this plan are his focus: 1) God will do what is necessary to bring about his global and eternal plan politically and militarily (vs. 20-21); 2) God will continue to remake and renew our lives in Christ (v. 23). The historical occasion of the rebuilding of the temple pleases the Lord. He takes the opportunity to speak of his overall plan from the time of rebuilding to eternity.
Purity of soul is the result of a loving response to, and wanting to be with the one you worship. You can be “pure” or obedient by doing what your Lord wants you to do and be. But the Lord’s heart for you is that you respond to his love and acceptance from your inner person, not from a religious approach that says, “Look at my actions, can't you see that I'm a good person. Accept me.” So Haggai encourages his readers three times in this brief passage to “give careful thought” to how you are viewing your relationship with the Lord.
Their task was to rebuild the temple in Jerusalem. Solomon’s temple was a magnificent structure destroyed in 586 B.C., forty six years before the time of Haggai. But there were challenges that thwarted the rebuilding effort. The rebuilt temple will not be as great a structure; they were discouraged with something less; motivation to complete it was missing; their perspective was old. Renewal of their perspective came through Haggai’s words to be strong because God is with them. And the glory of this next temple will be greater than the glory of the first temple. Consider this: what is the condition of your "temple” in 2016?
Service led by Senior Pastor Rev. Larry Showalter; speakers include Bob Moffett, Dr. Mark Jennings, Rev. Dr. Moreen Hughes, Rev. Matthew Wigton, Rev. Dr. Matthew Kim, Dr. Jim Harrell, Rev. Mary Day Miller, with the benediction given by the newly ordained Rev. Joshua Cahan.
In our fast-paced world today, it seems like there is always too much to do and too little time. With our limited time, attention, money and energy, we make decisions every day that reveal our true priorities. In our passage this morning, the Lord delivers a tough message through the prophet Haggai, exhorting us to “consider our ways “ (1:5) to make sure we are prioritizing our relationship with Him and His church.
Are you expecting a sermon on how to become rich and famous? How about a pros-perity gospel sermon? You’ll need to go elsewhere to hear that kind of teaching.
What about becoming prosperous and successful at doing what God has planned for your life? Or becoming prosperous and successful at following the Lord in a strong and courageous manner, knowing that he is with you wherever you go. With this perspective we are on the way toward prosperity and success this year that will supply you with wealth and opportunity of greater value than any career or investment.
Some of us judge ourselves harshly. At Christmas, Santa Claus has it down very clearly: “Have you been bad or good, naughty or nice?” Reward or penalty is coming your way, according to Santa.
It’s common to carry self-judgment over into the Gospel. In many of our families, and cultures too, reward and punishment are code words that help or challenge our sense of worth and well-being. Today we look at another unique aspect of the Gospel: Jesus was sent to demonstrate that God is irrational. He does not judge us as we ought to be judged. It’s called his love and mercy, a source of genuine joy from truly living in Christ Jesus!
In this series we are asking what you are getting for Christmas that would bring joy to your life. If you approach Christmas with the hope of the “joy” of the season without putting your roots down into the core of Christmas, then your “joy” is merely circumstantial. So what could you receive for Christmas that would instill, plant, cause to thrive within you …pure joy?
“Do not be afraid. I bring you good news that will cause great joy for all the people..." Luke 2:11
Christmas is a joyful time for giving and receiving gifts. Yet the joy we are referring to here is based on the foundation on which we live our lives. It is a joy that is not rooted in simply receiving gifts or experiencing positive circumstances. This joy is based on our faith in Jesus Christ. A gift that provides this kind of joy is the gift of God's forgiveness. Today, we'll examine our need for forgiveness, the cost of forgiveness, and God's offer of forgiveness through Jesus Christ.
This week is about the significance of Christ's presence with us. Yes, hopefully you will receive presents this holiday season, but Christmas is truly about God's presence. But what's the big deal about God's presence? Isn't God omnipresent, all around us? Why was the birth of Jesus, Immanuel, "God with Us," so significant and what does it matter to us today? This is what we'll be exploring together today.
This Sunday’s sermon will wrap up our Galatians series. The Apostle Paul concludes with a recap of the major themes of his letter to the Galatians, including the importance of right doctrine and teaching, the church’s connection with the Old Testament, and a final exhortation to walk with the Spirit and keep the gospel central in our lives.
This portion of Galatians (5:26-6:5) is a very practical adventure about “keeping in step with the Spirit” (5:25). How do you do that? We call it discipleship. Just how does discipleship work? The six verses following 5:25 provide a perspective on the workings of discipleship in your inner life and living out that life in community. We are investigating a psychology of discipleship in community.
God’s word for us this week shows that a huge battle rages within every Christian, and it exhorts us to obedience with a list of “do’s” and “don’ts.” Yet truthfully, it seems impossible to “keep in step with the Spirit” and live out the fruit of the Spirit all the time, or even some of the time! So how are we actually supposed to live a life of Gospel Character? The answer is that yes, it’s about the fruit, but it’s also about the root — the “desires” of our hearts.
The gospel is something altogether different than either religion or irreligion. It is free and free-ing! The gospel is free: we don’t have to earn salvation by our works. But the gospel is also freeing: it frees us to love and serve one another. Or, as the Apostle Paul puts it, “For in Christ Jesus neither circumcision nor uncircumcision has any value. The only thing that counts is faith expressing itself through love.” That’s what the gospel is all about: Faith expressed through love.
Spiritual freedom and spiritual slavery dominate today's Scripture passage. The conclusion is, "It is for freedom that Christ has set us free" (5:1). So whatever way we understand this challenging passage, it needs to be interpreted so that we know what it is like to live in spiritual freedom with our Lord Jesus. Understanding this freedom is at the core of the gospel.
