Our Sunday morning study of the book of Ephesians will soon be coming to a close. There are two passages of Scripture remaining that we will look at. This Sunday we will be examining our relationships in light of the Christian life. I can think of nothing more important for us to study for life is all about relationships. Come discover what God has to say that will help you in your relationships at home and at work.
For His Glory!
Pastor Joe
Ephesians 5:21-6:9, New International Version (NIV)
Instructions for Christian Households
21 Submit to one another out of reverence for Christ.
22 Wives, submit yourselves to your own husbands as you do 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 their own body, but they feed and care for their body, 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 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 “so 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 as slaves of Christ, doing the will of God from your heart. 7 Serve wholeheartedly, as if you were serving the Lord, not people, 8 because you know that the Lord will reward each one for whatever good they do, whether they are 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.
Monday, October 28, 2013
Wednesday, October 23, 2013
Reformation Sunday, October 27, 2013!
This Sunday, October 27, 2013 is Reformation Sunday!
On this day we commemorate one of the most important days in church history. On October 31, 1517, Martin Luther nailed his 95 theses (or statements of faith) on the door of the Castle Church in Wittenberg, Germany, sparking the Protestant Reformation. The Protestant Reformation has had a tremendous impact on our beliefs and convictions today. Our belief that the Bible alone is our sole authority, that salvation is by faith alone by grace alone, that our worship should be governed by Scripture and not by tradition, that God alone should be glorified for He alone is worthy of worship, these are just a few of the important beliefs that men and woman fought for and died for during the Protestant Reformation.
Of the major leaders of the Protestant Reformation (e.g., Luther, Calvin, and Knox), Huldrych Zwingli may be the least famous, yet Zwingli played a very influential role in the beginning of the Reformation in Zurich, Switzerland. A courageous reformer, he confronted falsehood and superstition and challenged people to give their total allegiance to God by forsaking worthless idols and being undivided in their loyalty to God.
This Sunday I will provide a brief sketch of Zwingli's life and contribution to the Protestant Reformation, and I will share some thoughts from 2 Timothy 2:1-4, On Being Bold Soldiers for the Lord.
2 Timothy 2:1-4, New King James Version (NKJV)
1 You therefore, my son, be strong in the grace that is in Christ Jesus.
2 And the things that you have heard from me among many witnesses, commit these to faithful men who will be able to teach others also.
3 You therefore must endure hardship as a good soldier of Jesus Christ.
4 No one engaged in warfare entangles himself with the affairs of this life, that he may please him who enlisted him as a soldier.
For His Glory!
Pastor Joe
On this day we commemorate one of the most important days in church history. On October 31, 1517, Martin Luther nailed his 95 theses (or statements of faith) on the door of the Castle Church in Wittenberg, Germany, sparking the Protestant Reformation. The Protestant Reformation has had a tremendous impact on our beliefs and convictions today. Our belief that the Bible alone is our sole authority, that salvation is by faith alone by grace alone, that our worship should be governed by Scripture and not by tradition, that God alone should be glorified for He alone is worthy of worship, these are just a few of the important beliefs that men and woman fought for and died for during the Protestant Reformation.
Of the major leaders of the Protestant Reformation (e.g., Luther, Calvin, and Knox), Huldrych Zwingli may be the least famous, yet Zwingli played a very influential role in the beginning of the Reformation in Zurich, Switzerland. A courageous reformer, he confronted falsehood and superstition and challenged people to give their total allegiance to God by forsaking worthless idols and being undivided in their loyalty to God.
This Sunday I will provide a brief sketch of Zwingli's life and contribution to the Protestant Reformation, and I will share some thoughts from 2 Timothy 2:1-4, On Being Bold Soldiers for the Lord.
2 Timothy 2:1-4, New King James Version (NKJV)
1 You therefore, my son, be strong in the grace that is in Christ Jesus.
2 And the things that you have heard from me among many witnesses, commit these to faithful men who will be able to teach others also.
3 You therefore must endure hardship as a good soldier of Jesus Christ.
4 No one engaged in warfare entangles himself with the affairs of this life, that he may please him who enlisted him as a soldier.
For His Glory!
Pastor Joe
Tuesday, October 15, 2013
Sunday, October 20, 2013 Sermon Text (Ephesians 5:15-20)
Ephesians 5:15-20, English Standard Version (ESV)
15 Look carefully then how you walk, not as unwise but as wise, 16 making the best use of the time, because the days are evil.
17 Therefore do not be foolish, but understand what the will of the Lord is.
18 And do not get drunk with wine, for that is debauchery, but be filled with the Spirit,
19 addressing one another in psalms and hymns and spiritual songs, singing and making melody to the Lord with your heart,
20 giving thanks always and for everything to God the Father in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ,
For His Glory!
Pastor Joe
15 Look carefully then how you walk, not as unwise but as wise, 16 making the best use of the time, because the days are evil.
17 Therefore do not be foolish, but understand what the will of the Lord is.
18 And do not get drunk with wine, for that is debauchery, but be filled with the Spirit,
19 addressing one another in psalms and hymns and spiritual songs, singing and making melody to the Lord with your heart,
20 giving thanks always and for everything to God the Father in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ,
For His Glory!
Pastor Joe
Tuesday, October 8, 2013
Sunday, October 13, 2013 Sermon Text (Ephesians 4:17-5:2)
Ephesians 4:17-5:2, New International Version (NIV)
17 So I tell you this, and insist on it in the Lord, that you must no longer live as the Gentiles do, in the futility of their thinking.
18 They are darkened in their understanding and separated from the life of God because of the ignorance that is in them due to the hardening of their hearts.
19 Having lost all sensitivity, they have given themselves over to sensuality so as to indulge in every kind of impurity, and they are full of greed.
20 That, however, is not the way of life you learned
21 when you heard about Christ and were taught in him in accordance with the truth that is in Jesus.
22 You were taught, with regard to your former way of life, to put off your old self, which is being corrupted by its deceitful desires;
23 to be made new in the attitude of your minds;
24 and to put on the new self, created to be like God in true righteousness and holiness.
25 Therefore each of you must put off falsehood and speak truthfully to your neighbor, for we are all members of one body.
26 “In your anger do not sin”: Do not let the sun go down while you are still angry,
27 and do not give the devil a foothold.
28 Anyone who has been stealing must steal no longer, but must work, doing something useful with their own hands, that they may have something to share with those in need.
29 Do not let any unwholesome talk come out of your mouths, but only what is helpful for building others up according to their needs, that it may benefit those who listen.
30 And do not grieve the Holy Spirit of God, with whom you were sealed for the day of redemption.
31 Get rid of all bitterness, rage and anger, brawling and slander, along with every form of malice.
32 Be kind and compassionate to one another, forgiving each other, just as in Christ God forgave you.
5 :1 Follow God’s example, therefore, as dearly loved children
2 and walk in the way of love, just as Christ loved us and gave himself up for us as a fragrant offering and sacrifice to God.
For His Glory!
Pastor Joe
17 So I tell you this, and insist on it in the Lord, that you must no longer live as the Gentiles do, in the futility of their thinking.
18 They are darkened in their understanding and separated from the life of God because of the ignorance that is in them due to the hardening of their hearts.
19 Having lost all sensitivity, they have given themselves over to sensuality so as to indulge in every kind of impurity, and they are full of greed.
20 That, however, is not the way of life you learned
21 when you heard about Christ and were taught in him in accordance with the truth that is in Jesus.
22 You were taught, with regard to your former way of life, to put off your old self, which is being corrupted by its deceitful desires;
23 to be made new in the attitude of your minds;
24 and to put on the new self, created to be like God in true righteousness and holiness.
25 Therefore each of you must put off falsehood and speak truthfully to your neighbor, for we are all members of one body.
26 “In your anger do not sin”: Do not let the sun go down while you are still angry,
27 and do not give the devil a foothold.
28 Anyone who has been stealing must steal no longer, but must work, doing something useful with their own hands, that they may have something to share with those in need.
29 Do not let any unwholesome talk come out of your mouths, but only what is helpful for building others up according to their needs, that it may benefit those who listen.
30 And do not grieve the Holy Spirit of God, with whom you were sealed for the day of redemption.
31 Get rid of all bitterness, rage and anger, brawling and slander, along with every form of malice.
32 Be kind and compassionate to one another, forgiving each other, just as in Christ God forgave you.
5 :1 Follow God’s example, therefore, as dearly loved children
2 and walk in the way of love, just as Christ loved us and gave himself up for us as a fragrant offering and sacrifice to God.
For His Glory!
Pastor Joe
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