First Presbyterian Church, Jackson, Mississippi Morning Service

First Presbyterian Church, Jackson, Mississippi Morning Service First Presbyterian Church, Jackson, Mississippi Morning Service https://www.fpcjackson.org/resource-library/service-index/morning-service The Unseen Battle Ed Hartman Sun, 21 Jun 2020 00:00:00 -0500 https://www.fpcjackson.org/resource-library/sermons/the-unseen-battle https://www.fpcjackson.org/resource-library/2/4838 The Unseen Battle The Unseen Battle The Unseen Battle Audio of The Unseen Battle The Firstfruits of the Spirit David Strain Our passage today, Romans 8:17-25, is all about that. It’s all about suffering and finding hope. It’s about understanding the design of God in suffering, seeing beyond our suffering, and learning to wait in patience in the midst of suffering for the glory that is yet to be revealed in us. So this is a passage, in my judgment, that we really need in these days. There are tools here that we’ve got to learn to use as w

Our passage today, Romans 8:17-25, is all about that. It’s all about suffering and finding hope. It’s about understanding the design of God in suffering, seeing beyond our suffering, and learning to wait in patience in the midst of suffering for the glory that is yet to be revealed in us. So this is a passage, in my judgment, that we really need in these days. There are tools here that we’ve got to learn to use as we try to make sense of the days in which we are presently living. And to help us get at Paul’s teaching, we’re going to think about suffering and glory under two broad headings. First of all, suffering and glory in union with Jesus Christ. Suffering and glory in union with Christ.

If you look at the text with me for just a moment, I want you to see Paul highlighting three aspects of our adoption in particular. Verses 14 through 17, three blessings that are entailed in the fact that we have become the children of God. First, verse 15, he says because we are adopted children of God we enjoy the blessing of access. We have access. We can come boldly to God and call Him Abba Father. Access. Secondly, in verse 16, because we are adopted children of God we can enjoy the blessing of assurance. The Holy Spirit testifies with our spirits that we are, indeed, God’s children. And then finally in verse 17, because we are adopted children of God we enjoy the blessing of a glorious future inheritance. We are heirs of God and coheirs with Christ since we are God’s children now. Access, assurance, and inheritance - because we are the children of God. 

And as we turn our attention this morning to verses 12 and 13, I want you to see that Paul is beginning now to draw some preliminary conclusions. He is applying at this point all that he’s been saying so far. Notice how verse 12 begins, “So then, brothers.” “So in view of everything I’ve been saying, given all of these glorious truths, brothers, here are the implications.” And he structures his encouragement and exhortations to us around two controlling metaphors. Do you see them in verses 12 and 13? First of all he says, “If everything I’ve been telling you is true, we need to understand that Christians are debtors.” That’s the first metaphor - Christians are debtors, verse 12, “So then, brothers, we are debtors.” Then secondly, the next metaphor he says, “If everything I’ve been saying is true, we need to understand Christians must not only be debtors, they must also be executioners.” Verse 13, “If by the Spirit

This time, we’re going to focus on verses 9 through 11 where Paul elaborates on what it means to have the Holy Spirit come into our lives. And we can sum up the teaching of these three verses very simply in just three words. First in verse 9, Paul talks about residence. The Holy Spirit comes to dwell, to reside within us, and we’ll need to unpack that together in a few moments. Residence. Then verse 10, regeneration. That is, when the Spirit comes to dwell in us, He gives us new life in union with Jesus Christ. He regenerates us. Residence. Regeneration. And finally in verse 11, resurrection. The Spirit who resides in us, having regenerated us, will, God promises us, one day raise our bodies according to the pattern of Christ’s own glorious resurrection from the dead. 

This week, in verses 5 through 8 where our attention will fall, Paul is unpacking the basic contrast with which he has been working - the contrast between the flesh and the Spirit. He wants to make particularly clear that the whole world falls into one of these two categories. Either we live according to the flesh or according to the Spirit.

First Presbyterian Church, Jackson, Mississippi Morning Service First Presbyterian Church, Jackson, Mississippi Morning Service https://www.fpcjackson.org/resource-library/service-index/morning-service Walking According to the Spirit David Strain Sun, 10 May 2020 00:00:00 -0500 https://www.fpcjackson.org/resource-library/sermons/walking-according-to-the-spirit https://www.fpcjackson.org/resource-library/2/4792 Walking According to the Spirit Audio of Walking According to the Spirit The Law of the Spirit of Life David Strain Today, as we turn to the second verse of Romans chapter 8 the metaphor changes. We’re no longer thinking about a judicial sentence pronounced over us. Now, we’re thinking about freedom from the bondage and the shackles of cruel slavery and that changes the entire trajectory of our lives. Verse 2 says we have been “set free from the law of sin and death.” So verse 1 is about justification. Verse 2 is about sa

Today, as we turn to the second verse of Romans chapter 8 the metaphor changes. We’re no longer thinking about a judicial sentence pronounced over us. Now, we’re thinking about freedom from the bondage and the shackles of cruel slavery and that changes the entire trajectory of our lives. Verse 2 says we have been “set free from the law of sin and death.” So verse 1 is about justification. Verse 2 is about sanctification. Verse 1 is about God’s gracious verdict with regard to our legal standing before Him. But verse 2 is about God’s gracious work within us with regard to the way we live before Him. Verse 1 happens in the courtroom of heaven. Verse 2 happens, as it were, in the slave market of our own hearts. Verse 1 is about removing sin’s damnable pollution. Verse 2 is about destroying sin’s debasing power.

First Presbyterian Church, Jackson, Mississippi Morning Service First Presbyterian Church, Jackson, Mississippi Morning Service https://www.fpcjackson.org/resource-library/service-index/morning-service No Condemnation David Strain Sun, 26 Apr 2020 00:00:00 -0500 https://www.fpcjackson.org/resource-library/sermons/no-condemnation https://www.fpcjackson.org/resource-library/2/4768 No Condemnation No Condemnation No Condemnation Audio of No Condemnation My God Will Supply All Your Needs Ligon Duncan But into that situation of weakness and neediness, God speaks a word of grace through the lips of the apostle Paul to needy Christians in Philippi. “My God will supply all your needs according to His riches in glory in Christ Jesus.” And this morning I just want you to see four things very quickly. I want you to see who the supplier is. I want you to see that He supplies. I want you to see the supplies from which He supplies your nee

But into that situation of weakness and neediness, God speaks a word of grace through the lips of the apostle Paul to needy Christians in Philippi. “My God will supply all your needs according to His riches in glory in Christ Jesus.” And this morning I just want you to see four things very quickly. I want you to see who the supplier is. I want you to see that He supplies. I want you to see the supplies from which He supplies your needs. And then I want you to see the Savior. 

The Corinthians were asking, “What if the dead are not raised? Would it really make that much of a difference to us?” So Paul teases out the disastrous consequences of rejecting the doctrine of resurrection. And then in verses 20 through 28, he deals with an “In fact.” So, “What if?” -12 through 19; 20 through 28, “In fact.” In fact, Christ has been raised, and so he goes on to tease out for us the implications of that glorious fact.

Would you look at the passage with me again for a moment? First of all, Peter reminds us there is grace in the Word of God, verse 12. There’s grace for you in the Word. Secondly, he says there is love in the Church of Jesus Christ. That really comes out in all three verses, though it’s explicit in verse 14. There’s grace for you in the Word. There’s love for you in the Church. And finally in verse 14, there is peace in Jesus Christ. There is peace for you in the Lord Jesus Christ.

Well do please take your copy of God’s Word in hand and turn with me to 1 Peter. We’re working our way through 1 Peter on Sunday mornings. This is the penultimate message from 1 Peter, so we’re in chapter 5 and we’re looking at the second half of verse 5 through verse 11. Peter has said a few words to elders, to shepherds of the flock. We saw that last time in the first five verses. Now, he has a word for the whole congregation; how we are to treat one another and live under God’s hand in challenging days. 

First Presbyterian Church, Jackson, Mississippi Morning Service First Presbyterian Church, Jackson, Mississippi Morning Service https://www.fpcjackson.org/resource-library/service-index/morning-service Shepherding the Flock of God David Strain Sun, 22 Mar 2020 00:00:00 -0500 https://www.fpcjackson.org/resource-library/sermons/shepherding-the-flock-of-god https://www.fpcjackson.org/resource-library/2/4675 Shepherding the Flock of God Shepherding the Flock of God Shepherding the Flock of God Audio of Shepherding the Flock of God I Have Seen Your Tears David Strain Sun, 15 Mar 2020 00:00:00 -0500 https://www.fpcjackson.org/resource-library/sermons/i-have-seen-your-tears https://www.fpcjackson.org/resource-library/2/4663 I Have Seen Your Tears I Have Seen Your Tears I Have Seen Your Tears Audio of I Have Seen Your Tears Never Stopping, Never Giving Up, Unbreaking, Always, and Forever Love Wiley Lowry

First Presbyterian Church, Jackson, Mississippi Morning Service First Presbyterian Church, Jackson, Mississippi Morning Service https://www.fpcjackson.org/resource-library/service-index/morning-service Shepherding the Flock of God David Strain Sun, 22 Mar 2020 00:00:00 -0500 https://www.fpcjackson.org/resource-library/sermons/shepherding-the-flock-of-god https://www.fpcjackson.org/resource-library/2/4675 Shepherding the Flock of God Shepherding the Flock of God Shepherding the Flock of God Audio of Shepherding the Flock of God I Have Seen Your Tears David Strain Sun, 15 Mar 2020 00:00:00 -0500 https://www.fpcjackson.org/resource-library/sermons/i-have-seen-your-tears https://www.fpcjackson.org/resource-library/2/4663 I Have Seen Your Tears I Have Seen Your Tears I Have Seen Your Tears Audio of I Have Seen Your Tears Never Stopping, Never Giving Up, Unbreaking, Always, and Forever Love Wiley Lowry

First Presbyterian Church, Jackson, Mississippi Morning Service First Presbyterian Church, Jackson, Mississippi Morning Service https://www.fpcjackson.org/resource-library/service-index/morning-service Shepherding the Flock of God David Strain Sun, 22 Mar 2020 00:00:00 -0500 https://www.fpcjackson.org/resource-library/sermons/shepherding-the-flock-of-god https://www.fpcjackson.org/resource-library/2/4675 Shepherding the Flock of God Shepherding the Flock of God Shepherding the Flock of God Audio of Shepherding the Flock of God I Have Seen Your Tears David Strain Sun, 15 Mar 2020 00:00:00 -0500 https://www.fpcjackson.org/resource-library/sermons/i-have-seen-your-tears https://www.fpcjackson.org/resource-library/2/4663 I Have Seen Your Tears I Have Seen Your Tears I Have Seen Your Tears Audio of I Have Seen Your Tears Never Stopping, Never Giving Up, Unbreaking, Always, and Forever Love Wiley Lowry

But McQuilken asks, “How do you measure how you’re doing in mission?” And his answer is - here are the metrics - “100, 50, 10 and 5.” They’re not drawn from specific verses in the Bible; they’re drawn from the whole sweep of New Testament teaching on the spread of the Gospel. One hundred is 100% of our people are praying faithfully for the spread of the Gospel around the world. Would that be you? Fifty, 50% of all the money that comes into this church goes right back out for the spread of the Gospel across the world; 50%. Ten, 10% of our people leave to take the Gospel to places that the rest of us don’t have access. And five, 5% growth every year of new people coming to faith in Christ by profession of faith and they are baptized because of the faithful witness of people in this church. 

We’re going to read this morning from Exodus chapter 3, and this is the story of the burning bush. It’s one of the great stories of the entire Bible, and especially the Old Testament. The question is, “Who is God?” and we learn two things from God here about who God is. And the first is that He is the God who comes down to find. And secondly, He is the God who comes and reveals Himself. 

Peter is offering a final word on a series of reflections we’ve been examining together for some time now on the reality of suffering in the Christian life. And as we study it together, I want to highlight four themes, really four apparent paradoxes, that describe in verses 12 through 19 the Christian’s response to and engagement with suffering in their lives. The first apparent paradox - joy in the midst of suffering. Joy in the midst of suffering. Secondly, verse 14 - blessing in the midst of insult. Thirdly, verses 15 and 16 - worship in the midst of stigma. And then 17 through 19 in the fourth place, the final apparent paradox - trust in the midst of judgment. So there’s the outline of the passage. Joy amidst suffering. Blessing amidst insult. Worship amidst stigma. And trust amidst judgment. 

Last time, in the first six verses, we noticed that Peter gives some instruction on how the church, Christians, are to relate to the world. And he brackets his instructions between two poles. In verse 1, he talks about Christ who suffered and provides an example that we are to imitate. But then in verse 5 and 6, he speaks about Christ’s return at the end of the age to judge. And between those two poles, here is how we are to relate to the world around us. And picking up on that note about the return of Jesus, Peter continues on in verses 7 through 11, our passage this morning, to speak to us about how we are to relate to one another within the fellowship of the church; in light of the end of all things with which he begins his discussion in verse 7, here is how we are to live. Jesus is coming. So what?