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This week has been a very difficult and very significant week. It’s been a week of much pain, sorrow, heartache, confusion, bewilderment. It’s been challenging. I can’t help but think how much I hate times like these, how much I detest these gut wrenching feelings. Words certainly cannot describe all…

Anguish & Art van Gogh Asylum distressed state of mind anguish recognised in Jesus a pain that refelected his own reality Painting draws us into the scene barrenness first hint of spring dark tree in the centre under the eaves - a view onto sunlit hills of green figure in the shadows van Gogh? Jesus?…

Grief in a Festive Season Needful and timely topic Hoover Dam: hold back the waters to build the structure, make the inevitable useful Message for many who struggle with not knowing what to do with negative emotions. kids playing with play-dough: all the bits get incorporated into the pure lump Biblical…

Intro; Last week I told you that after all the blessings we receive in the Person of the Holy Spirit, that the last two messages we would look at would be warnings concerning Him. We spoke last Sunday morning about “Quench Not the Holy Spirit”. Paul warned the church at Thessalonica not to “quench” stifle,…

18 give thanks in all circumstances; for this is God’s will for you in Christ Jesus. Guilt is a Powerful deterrent of giving God Thanks. The HarperCollins Bible Dictionary (Revised and Updated) (Guilt) Guilt for the biblical writers, guilt is not primarily an inward feeling of remorse or a bad conscience,…

Introduction Audience: Written to Judah, but the conversation is between the prophet and God. Date: 626-590 BC. It was most likely written after the destruction of the northern kingdom, but before the Judaen exile. This was a period of decline and rebellion in Judah before they were judged. Author: Nothing…

Have you ever had or known someone who has had, that gut punch of grief? It can be brought on by something like a daunting diagnosis, the loss of a family member, the loss of a job, and even the loss of a beloved pet. When in the midst of grief sometimes it’s difficult to tell what direction is what.…

A few quick reminders: A quick look back so we can look forward. The power of the Gospel originated from God ( Rom1:16 ) The outreach of the Gospel is to reach all men ( Rom1:16-17 ) The power of the gospel will produce faith ( Rom10:17 ) The power of the gospel will produce fruit ( Col1:5-6 ) The gospel…

Introduction: Do you know one of the things that I love about us? The show doesn’t have to go on. We are not a seller of religious goods or of a religious show. We are a family! And right now our family is grieving. We don’t grieve as those without hope because we know that Chuck Palmer is in the presence…

Temporary tears accomplish suprising glory.

Matthew 5:4 “Blessed are those who mourn, for they shall be comforted. Mourning Myself When looking throughout my life and sharing my testimony, it begins for me to recognize that I was separated from God first. This separation for me allows me to understand what caused that separation in the first place.…

Last week we started this section of Romans that leads from Romans 2:1-3:20 . Paul is writing to a group of believers in Rome that are made up of both Jewish and non-Jewish/Called Gentile, believers. After speaking to them of the wrath of God which is being shown against mankind because of our sin, Paul…

While the death of Christ expiates and propitiates, the burial (as with the scapegoat) takes away shame.

God’s faithfulness is still great.” This is where biblical lament is transformative. It not only gives voice to the pain you feel but also anchors your heart to truths you believe— or are trying to believe when dark clouds linger. Something bad may have happened in your life, which is why you are reading…

In Hosea chapter one, we saw the indictment God brought against Israel. Remember that the nation had split in two and the prophecies of this book focus on the northern kingdom. God took the marriage between Hosea and Gomer to illustrate the crimes Israel was committing against Him. The imagery of the…

Sin is Real, and Jesus is the Solution

Let us pray…Gracious and ever-loving God, as we come to the end of our Lenten season, we come before you this afternoon looking for your guidance and comfort. We come with hearts heavy by the load we have carried for the last year and laden with the burdens that we have carried all this time. In this…

Intro Two men were on trial for armed robbery. An eye witness took the stand to testify and the prosecutor got up to begin questioning. First, he asked the eye witness… were you at the scene of the robbery? Yes the eye witness stated. Did you see the vehicle leave the scene at a high rate of speed? Yes…

What comes to mind when you hear the word Lament? Lament as a noun is a passionate expression of grief or sorrow or an expression of regret or disappointment; a complaint. Lament as a verb is the action of expressing ones regret or disappointment over something considered unsatisfactory, unreasonable,…

The Day of Small Things But the thing displeased Samuel when they said, “Give us a king to judge us.” And Samuel prayed to the Lord . And the Lord said to Samuel, “Obey the voice of the people in all that they say to you, for they have not rejected you, but they have rejected me from being king over…

Rebellion has consequences, but is never beyond God's ability to show mercy.

1 Why, O Lord , do you stand far away? Why do you hide yourself in times of trouble? 2 In arrogance the wicked hotly pursue the poor; let them be caught in the schemes that they have devised. 3 For the wicked boasts of the desires of his soul, and the one greedy for gain curses and renounces the Lord…

Reminder: Life is unfair . I don’t like. You don’t like it but it is true. This is one of the fundamental realities of the world we live in. What do we do when our expectations are not met? This is a key question we must ask ourselves often. What role does suffering play in our faithfulness? This is…

Have you ever wandered … What Happens When a Christian Sins? Have you ever wondered about that? The devil will tempt us to sin, and he will say, “It’s all right. You can get away with it.” He is the tempter. Then when you sin, he says, “I can’t believe you did that. You will never get away with it.”…

Guilty! Guilty, without excuse, we started looking at this over last few weeks. A few little reminders before we get to our passage today. God’s two revelations to man The Righteousness of God in the gospel The wrath of God revealed from heaven Reasons for the wrath, for guilt Intelligence (1:18-20)…