2021-01
2021-01
Wednesday Jan 27, 2021
"Out of the Depths" (Psalm 130)
Wednesday Jan 27, 2021
Wednesday Jan 27, 2021
"Out of the Depths" (Psalm 130)Pastor Cameron JungelsEastside Baptist ChurchWednesday PM, January 27, 2021
Psalm 130
A song of ascents.
1 Out of the depths I cry to you, Lord;2 Lord, hear my voice.Let your ears be attentive to my cry for mercy.
3 If you, Lord, kept a record of sins, Lord, who could stand?4 But with you there is forgiveness, so that we can, with reverence, serve you.
5 I wait for the Lord, my whole being waits, and in his word I put my hope.6 I wait for the Lord more than watchmen wait for the morning, more than watchmen wait for the morning.
7 Israel, put your hope in the Lord, for with the Lord is unfailing love and with him is full redemption.8 He himself will redeem Israel from all their sins.
May your time in the depths lead you to God not away from him (vv. 1–2).
May your time in the depths lead you to repentance, forgiveness, and cleansing (vv. 3–4).
May your time in the depths lead you to wait with great anticipation for God and his deliverance (vv. 5–6).
May your time in the depths lead you to put your hope and trust in God alone (vv. 7–8).
Main Idea: In the darkest and most difficult times of life, we must patiently trust in God, who hears, forgives, rescues, and redeems.
Sunday Jan 24, 2021
"Are You Ready?" (Luke 12:35-48)
Sunday Jan 24, 2021
Sunday Jan 24, 2021
"Are You Ready?" (Luke 12:35-48)Pastor Cameron JungelsEastside Baptist ChurchSunday AM, January 24, 2021
Luke 12:35-48, NIV
35 “Be dressed ready for service and keep your lamps burning, 36 like servants waiting for their master to return from a wedding banquet, so that when he comes and knocks they can immediately open the door for him. 37 It will be good for those servants whose master finds them watching when he comes. Truly I tell you, he will dress himself to serve, will have them recline at the table and will come and wait on them. 38 It will be good for those servants whose master finds them ready, even if he comes in the middle of the night or toward daybreak. 39 But understand this: If the owner of the house had known at what hour the thief was coming, he would not have let his house be broken into. 40 You also must be ready, because the Son of Man will come at an hour when you do not expect him.”
41 Peter asked, “Lord, are you telling this parable to us, or to everyone?”
42 The Lord answered, “Who then is the faithful and wise manager, whom the master puts in charge of his servants to give them their food allowance at the proper time? 43 It will be good for that servant whom the master finds doing so when he returns. 44 Truly I tell you, he will put him in charge of all his possessions. 45 But suppose the servant says to himself, ‘My master is taking a long time in coming,’ and he then begins to beat the other servants, both men and women, and to eat and drink and get drunk. 46 The master of that servant will come on a day when he does not expect him and at an hour he is not aware of. He will cut him to pieces and assign him a place with the unbelievers.
47 “The servant who knows the master’s will and does not get ready or does not do what the master wants will be beaten with many blows. 48 But the one who does not know and does things deserving punishment will be beaten with few blows. From everyone who has been given much, much will be demanded; and from the one who has been entrusted with much, much more will be asked.
Main Idea: Jesus’ disciples will be ready for his return by being watchful through faith and faithfulness.
Wednesday Jan 20, 2021
“The High Priest Prays for You” (Ch. 38); "Epilogue"
Wednesday Jan 20, 2021
Wednesday Jan 20, 2021
Created to Draw Near: Our Life as God’s Royal Priests
by Edward Welch
“The High Priest Prays for You” (Chapter 38)
“Jesus Christ continues in his priestly ways. Your high priest prays to the Father for you, and he is joined by the Spirit, who also intercedes for you right now (Rom. 8:26–27).” - Edward Welch
Hebrews 7:24–25 NIVbut because Jesus lives forever, he has a permanent priesthood. Therefore he is able to save completely those who come to God through him, because he always lives to intercede for them.
“Jesus prayed for his disciples; then he prays for you. He prays that you would be united with both God and each other in love.” - Edward Welch
John 17:20–21 NIV“My prayer is not for them alone. I pray also for those who will believe in me through their message, that all of them may be one, Father, just as you are in me and I am in you. May they also be in us so that the world may believe that you have sent me.
“God’s love gathers you into himself. God is one, you are called to live in him and participate in his love, and then you are sent out to express this in daily life through your unity with others.” - Edward Welch
“You believe in Jesus, which means you have life. Now remain in him by imitating and obeying his love, which takes a lower place and serves. In this way, love is reproduced and expands even more.” - Edward Welch
John 17:22–23 NIVI have given them the glory that you gave me, that they may be one as we are one—I in them and you in me—so that they may be brought to complete unity. Then the world will know that you sent me and have loved them even as you have loved me.
“Glory is holiness on full display. It is big, stunning. You cannot look away from it… One with the Father, Son, and Spirit, and, as a result, one with each other—this is glory.” - Edward Welch
“Your purpose is to be near to God, to live with him in his house and to experience his divine hospitality.” - Edward Welch
John 17:24 NIV“Father, I want those you have given me to be with me where I am, and to see my glory, the glory you have given me because you loved me before the creation of the world.
If we actually ask people to pray for us, and we stay alert to what God does:
A meeting with a contentious person went better than we had hoped.
We listened rather than reacted.
We were able to get what we needed [though not always what we wanted].
“Yet there are times when no friend knows or prays, and hardships are kept private. We can know, then, that the Spirit and the Son know our spirit and speak on our behalf to the Father.” - Edward Welch
“Epilogue”
“The Christian church has not always known what to do with the priesthood of all believers.” - Edward Welch
Slow growth and development of:
Church structure
Authority in a centralized group
Division between clergy and laity
And eventually the concept of a priesthood of the clergy separate from the laity.
The priesthood of all believers was a scriptural doctrine recovered by Martin Luther and other Reformers.
“He wrote that those in church office should come from the church community and serve by community consent and election. Furthermore, those who serve are not unique mediators between God and believers. Rather, they equip the congregation for every-member ministry (Eph. 4:1–12).” - Edward Welch
“The resulting landscape generated everything from Catholics to Quakers, with every denomination and local church reckoning with how to describe the work of church officers and individual members.” - Edward Welch
“But we can be confident of this: the Spirit has been given to all followers of Jesus, and God is pleased to use ordinary, unassuming men and women to advance his kingdom into our hearts and the world. Scripture is unfamiliar with a passive laity that leaves the work of ministry to ordained professionals. As saints, together we enjoy God’s fellowship, we want to know him even better and love him more, and we want those who are further away to come near.” - Edward Welch
“The distance between heaven and earth has always been shorter than we expected. There were always ladders from which the Lord descended, mountains that we ascended, and temples where the throne room was separated by only a curtain. There was always the personal God who spoke to his people and listened to them. He came close and, with certain stipulations, invited us to come close to him.” - Edward Welch
“Then Jesus came to earth, and God was here to stay. Jesus was both of heaven and earth, which meant that the plan had always been to unite heaven and earth in him. In Jesus Christ, God executed his plan “to unite all things in him, things in heaven and things on earth” (Eph. 1:10).” - Edward Welch
“Now we wait for the fullness of the Most Holy Place to appear—heaven itself, a perfect square, immense (Rev. 21:15–17). God’s earthly house was a miniature version of heaven. The heavenly house will come down and infuse earth in a way that the earth itself will shine, full of God’s light and overflowing with his life.” - Edward Welch
“What we now know in part, we shall know fully, even as we have been fully known (1 Cor. 13:12). We will see him face-to-face. The Spirit will bring us fully into the Father and the Son, and we will hear, “Behold, the dwelling place of God is with man. He will dwell with them, and they will be his people, and God himself will be with them as their God” (Rev. 21:3).” - Edward Welch
1 Peter 2:9 NIVBut you are a chosen people, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, God’s special possession, that you may declare the praises of him who called you out of darkness into his wonderful light.
Sunday Jan 17, 2021
"What Are You So Worried About?" (Luke 12:22–34)
Sunday Jan 17, 2021
Sunday Jan 17, 2021
"What Are You So Worried About?" (Luke 12:22–34)
Pastor Cameron Jungels
Eastside Baptist Church
Sunday AM, January 17, 2021
Luke 12:22–34 (NIV)
22 Then Jesus said to his disciples: “Therefore I tell you, do not worry about your life, what you will eat; or about your body, what you will wear. 23 For life is more than food, and the body more than clothes. 24 Consider the ravens: They do not sow or reap, they have no storeroom or barn; yet God feeds them. And how much more valuable you are than birds! 25 Who of you by worrying can add a single hour to your life? 26 Since you cannot do this very little thing, why do you worry about the rest?
27 “Consider how the wild flowers grow. They do not labor or spin. Yet I tell you, not even Solomon in all his splendor was dressed like one of these. 28 If that is how God clothes the grass of the field, which is here today, and tomorrow is thrown into the fire, how much more will he clothe you—you of little faith! 29 And do not set your heart on what you will eat or drink; do not worry about it. 30 For the pagan world runs after all such things, and your Father knows that you need them. 31 But seek his kingdom, and these things will be given to you as well.
32 “Do not be afraid, little flock, for your Father has been pleased to give you the kingdom. 33 Sell your possessions and give to the poor. Provide purses for yourselves that will not wear out, a treasure in heaven that will never fail, where no thief comes near and no moth destroys. 34 For where your treasure is, there your heart will be also.
I. Do not focus your attention on the physical treasures of this life (vv. 22–30).
A. Do not covet wealth (v. 22a).
Luke 12:22 NIVThen Jesus said to his disciples: “Therefore I tell you, do not worry about your life, what you will eat; or about your body, what you will wear.
B. Do not worry about the basic necessities of life (v. 22b–30).
1. Because there is a higher goal. (v. 23).
Luke 12:23 NIVFor life is more than food, and the body more than clothes.
2. Because God will take care of your basic necessities.
a) God takes care of the rest of his creation (vv. 24, 27, 28).
Luke 12:24 NIVConsider the ravens: They do not sow or reap, they have no storeroom or barn; yet God feeds them. And how much more valuable you are than birds!
Luke 12:27–28 NIV“Consider how the wild flowers grow. They do not labor or spin. Yet I tell you, not even Solomon in all his splendor was dressed like one of these. If that is how God clothes the grass of the field, which is here today, and tomorrow is thrown into the fire, how much more will he clothe you—you of little faith!
b) His disciples are the special object of his love (vv. 24, 27, 28).
c) God knows what you need, and he is good. (v. 30).
Luke 12:30 NIVFor the pagan world runs after all such things, and your Father knows that you need them.
3. Because worrying doesn’t do any good anyway (vv. 25–26).
Luke 12:25–26 NIVWho of you by worrying can add a single hour to your life? Since you cannot do this very little thing, why do you worry about the rest?
II. Focus all your attention on the kingdom of Christ and the spiritual treasures of the next life (vv. 31–34).
A. Because the kingdom of Jesus Christ is the higher goal (v. 31 cf. v. 23).
Luke 12:31 NIVBut seek his kingdom, and these things will be given to you as well.
Luke 12:23 NIVFor life is more than food, and the body more than clothes.
B. Because God will supply the needs of his children that are seeking the kingdom (v. 31).
Luke 12:31 NIVBut seek his kingdom, and these things will be given to you as well.
C. Because the kingdom of Jesus Christ is better than all other physical treasures (v. 32).
Luke 12:32 NIV“Do not be afraid, little flock, for your Father has been pleased to give you the kingdom.
D. Because the kingdom of Jesus Christ is the only treasure that endures (v. 33 cf. v. 20).
Luke 12:30 NIVFor the pagan world runs after all such things, and your Father knows that you need them.
Luke 12:20 NIV“But God said to him, ‘You fool! This very night your life will be demanded from you. Then who will get what you have prepared for yourself?’
E. Because what you are seeking for reveals what is in your heart (v. 33a, 34, 30a, cf. v. 22a).
Luke 12:33–34 NIVSell your possessions and give to the poor. Provide purses for yourselves that will not wear out, a treasure in heaven that will never fail, where no thief comes near and no moth destroys. For where your treasure is, there your heart will be also.
Luke 12:30 NIVFor the pagan world runs after all such things, and your Father knows that you need them.
Main Idea: Disciples of Jesus find their complete satisfaction and security in Jesus Christ and his kingdom.
Wednesday Jan 13, 2021
“Be Sent Out” (Ch. 36); "Walking Uphill" (Ch. 37)
Wednesday Jan 13, 2021
Wednesday Jan 13, 2021
Created to Draw Near: Our Life as God’s Royal Priests
by Edward Welch
“Be Sent Out” (Chapter 36)
“The plan had always been that priests would meet in the staging area of God’s house in order to be sent out into the world. His house is a place of rest, yet it is also very busy. It is life with a purpose. Following are elements of that mission.” - Edward Welch
Do Battle
Priests were an integral part of Israel’s warfare.
We are in spiritual warfare every day. Our enemy can be found in the world or what is earthly:
1 John 2:16 NIVFor everything in the world—the lust of the flesh, the lust of the eyes, and the pride of life—comes not from the Father but from the world.
A primary battlefield is in our own hearts:
Anger
Selfish ambition
Jealousy
Pride
The battle strategy is clear and detailed: We turn from Satan and turn to the Lord.
James 4:7–10 NIVSubmit yourselves, then, to God. Resist the devil, and he will flee from you. Come near to God and he will come near to you. Wash your hands, you sinners, and purify your hearts, you double-minded. Grieve, mourn and wail. Change your laughter to mourning and your joy to gloom. Humble yourselves before the Lord, and he will lift you up.
Another favorite battlefield of the devil is the community of believers.
“Priests discern the body of Christ, which means that we know that the body of Christ is set apart for unity through humility and love, and we work for peace and reconciliation when we see interpersonal fractures.” - Edward Welch
The spiritual battle is also in the world.
“We hope to fit in by being good neighbors who contribute to the good of the community, and we hope to stand out in the way we love. When we encounter the inevitable relationship hassles, this is our opportunity to shine.” - Edward Welch
Pray and Bless
How do we do spiritual battle in our own hearts, preserve the unity of the body of Christ, and love even our enemies?
The life of God’s saints is one of prayer.
“This is an extension of the normal back and forth that characterizes growing relationships: God speaks to us, especially through his word, and we speak from our hearts to him.” - Edward Welch
Prayer is one of our greatest opportunities to bring Christ to the world.
“During trouble, most people welcome prayer. They might think prayer is silly during easier times, but real humanity emerges especially in difficulties, when they are grateful that we pray for them and have them on our hearts.” - Edward Welch
The partner of prayer is blessing.
God blesses us and uses us to bless others.
To speak blessing to others, we must know God’s blessings:
Grace and peace to you (2 Pet. 1:2).
May the Lord deal kindly (Ruth 1:8).
May the Lord give you peace (2 Thess. 3:16).
May the Lord direct your hearts to the love of God and to the steadfastness of Christ (2 Thess. 3:5).
Blessed is the one whose transgression is forgiven, whose sin is covered (Ps. 32:1).
Our words of blessing to others mature and deepen as we understand more deeply the goodness of God to us.
We move from physical blessings to spiritual and heavenly blessings, which are eternal and more significant.
Psalm 65:4 NIVBlessed are those you choose and bring near to live in your courts! We are filled with the good things of your house, of your holy temple.
“After going out into the world, sent by the Lord yet also with his presence, we invite others to come near to him and return to his house where together we bless him.” - Edward Welch
Psalm 134:1–2 NIVPraise the Lord, all you servants of the Lord who minister by night in the house of the Lord. Lift up your hands in the sanctuary and praise the Lord.
“Walking Uphill” (Chapter 37)
On a Journey
Priests are on a journey, and God is near.
Psalm 23:1–3 NKJVThe Lord is my shepherd; I shall not want. He makes me to lie down in green pastures; He leads me beside the still waters. He restores my soul; He leads me in the paths of righteousness For His name’s sake.
Jesus is our Good Shepherd.
“Jesus the shepherd is with us, always close. With sins forgiven, there is nothing that can separate us from his love... We have everything we need, and the waters are quiet rather than turbulent. We are refreshed by him and in him.” - Edward Welch
The Holy Spirit is the presence of God with us.
“The Spirit assures us of the presence of Jesus, and he gives us power to follow him during trouble—and there will be trouble. Those reminders strengthen us.” - Edward Welch
Psalm 23:4 NKJVYea, though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I will fear no evil; For You are with me; Your rod and Your staff, they comfort me.
Jesus is with us in the wilderness, in the troubles of life.
Jesus walks with us with his rod and staff - one protects us from attacks, and the other keeps us from wandering or picks us up when we fall.
Psalm 23:5–6 NKJVYou prepare a table before me in the presence of my enemies; You anoint my head with oil; My cup runs over. Surely goodness and mercy shall follow me All the days of my life; And I will dwell in the house of the Lord Forever.
“The image of the shepherd and sheep gives way to the image of the Lord as host, and he has prepared a lavish banquet. His hospitality begins with the anointing of the head with oil, which was customary with honored guests, but this anointing doubles as anointing to the royal priesthood.” - Edward Welch
“Our destination is always God’s house, which he has actually prepared for us, so it is our house. It has always been that way. For now, you can pray for endurance and eyes to see these spiritual realities. One day, we will stay put.” - Edward Welch
Sunday Jan 10, 2021
"Your Money or Your Life" (Luke 12:13-21)
Sunday Jan 10, 2021
Sunday Jan 10, 2021
"Your Money or Your Life" (Luke 12:13-21)Pastor Cameron JungelsEastside Baptist ChurchSunday AM, January 10, 2021
13 Someone in the crowd said to him, “Teacher, tell my brother to divide the inheritance with me.” 14 Jesus replied, “Man, who appointed me a judge or an arbiter between you?” 15 Then he said to them, “Watch out! Be on your guard against all kinds of greed; life does not consist in an abundance of possessions.” 16 And he told them this parable: “The ground of a certain rich man yielded an abundant harvest. 17 He thought to himself, ‘What shall I do? I have no place to store my crops.’ 18 “Then he said, ‘This is what I’ll do. I will tear down my barns and build bigger ones, and there I will store my surplus grain. 19 And I’ll say to myself, “You have plenty of grain laid up for many years. Take life easy; eat, drink and be merry.” ’ 20 “But God said to him, ‘You fool! This very night your life will be demanded from you. Then who will get what you have prepared for yourself?’ 21 “This is how it will be with whoever stores up things for themselves but is not rich toward God.” (Luke 12:13–21, NIV)
Main Idea: An unquenchable desire for more money and possessions is completely inconsistent with the life of a true disciple of Jesus Christ.
11 But now I am writing to you that you must not associate with anyone who claims to be a brother or sister but is sexually immoral or greedy, an idolater or slanderer, a drunkard or swindler. Do not even eat with such people. (1 Corinthians 5:11, NIV)
9 Or do you not know that wrongdoers will not inherit the kingdom of God? Do not be deceived: Neither the sexually immoral nor idolaters nor adulterers nor men who have sex with men 10 nor thieves nor the greedy nor drunkards nor slanderers nor swindlers will inherit the kingdom of God. (1 Corinthians 6:9–10, NIV)
3 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 person is an idolater—has any inheritance in the kingdom of Christ and of God. (Ephesians 5:3–5, NIV)
1 But mark this: There will be terrible times in the last days. 2 People will be lovers of themselves, lovers of money, boastful, proud, abusive, disobedient to their parents, ungrateful, unholy, 3 without love, unforgiving, slanderous, without self-control, brutal, not lovers of the good, 4 treacherous, rash, conceited, lovers of pleasure rather than lovers of God—5 having a form of godliness but denying its power. Have nothing to do with such people. (2 Timothy 3:1–5, NIV)
28 Furthermore, just as they did not think it worthwhile to retain the knowledge of God, so God gave them over to a depraved mind, so that they do what ought not to be done. 29 They have become filled with every kind of wickedness, evil, greed and depravity. They are full of envy, murder, strife, deceit and malice. They are gossips, 30 slanderers, God-haters, insolent, arrogant and boastful; they invent ways of doing evil; they disobey their parents; 31 they have no understanding, no fidelity, no love, no mercy. 32 Although they know God’s righteous decree that those who do such things deserve death, they not only continue to do these very things but also approve of those who practice them. (Romans 1:28–32, NIV)
24 For whoever wants to save their life will lose it, but whoever loses their life for me will save it. 25 What good is it for someone to gain the whole world, and yet lose or forfeit their very self? (Luke 9:24–25, NIV)
Main Idea: An unquenchable desire for more money and possessions is completely inconsistent with the life of a true disciple of Jesus Christ.
Wednesday Jan 06, 2021
“Living Stones, Flowing Fountains” (Ch. 34); "Enter In" (Ch. 35)
Wednesday Jan 06, 2021
Wednesday Jan 06, 2021
Created to Draw Near: Our Life as God’s Royal Priests by Edward Welch
“Living Stones, Flowing Fountains” (Chapter 34)
Living Stones
Stones as memorials (Gen. 28:22)
Stones of the temple
Christ the Living Stone
Believers as living stones in Christ
1 Peter 2:4–5 NIVAs you come to him, the living Stone—rejected by humans but chosen by God and precious to him— you also, like living stones, are being built into a spiritual house to be a holy priesthood, offering spiritual sacrifices acceptable to God through Jesus Christ.
“This spiritual house is the Most Holy Place where God’s holiness was most concentrated and his glory most vivid.” – Edward Welch
Ephesians 2:19–22 NIV
Consequently, you are no longer foreigners and strangers, but fellow citizens with God’s people and also members of his household, built on the foundation of the apostles and prophets, with Christ Jesus himself as the chief cornerstone. In him the whole building is joined together and rises to become a holy temple in the Lord. And in him you too are being built together to become a dwelling in which God lives by his Spirit.
The New Temple
Christ the Cornerstone
Apostles and teachers the foundation
Believers the stones built on the Cornerstone and foundation
1 Corinthians 6:19–20 NIVDo you not know that your bodies are temples of the Holy Spirit, who is in you, whom you have received from God? You are not your own; you were bought at a price. Therefore honor God with your bodies.
Temple Imagery
“Glorify” (Glory)
“A living sacrifice” (Rom. 12:1)
“Living water” (Jn. 4:14)
“Light of the world” (Matt. 5:14)
“Showbread” kept close to God (Ex. 25-30)
Prayers are “incense and aroma rising up to the Lord” (Rev. 8:3)
Living Stones to Flowing Fountains
Stones that yield water?
Exodus 17:5–6 NIVThe Lord answered Moses, “Go out in front of the people. Take with you some of the elders of Israel and take in your hand the staff with which you struck the Nile, and go. I will stand there before you by the rock at Horeb. Strike the rock, and water will come out of it for the people to drink.” So Moses did this in the sight of the elders of Israel.
Water-giving stone in the Temple
Ezekiel 47:1 NIVThe man brought me back to the entrance to the temple, and I saw water coming out from under the threshold of the temple toward the east (for the temple faced east). The water was coming down from under the south side of the temple, south of the altar.
Water at the Feast of Tabernacles
John 7:37–39 NIVOn the last and greatest day of the festival, Jesus stood and said in a loud voice, “Let anyone who is thirsty come to me and drink. Whoever believes in me, as Scripture has said, rivers of living water will flow from within them.” By this he meant the Spirit, whom those who believed in him were later to receive. Up to that time the Spirit had not been given, since Jesus had not yet been glorified.
“Jesus is the stone that gives living water. As we believe in him, we are reborn of 'water and the Spirit' (John 3:5) and are remade into living temple stones that are so filled with the presence of God that we cannot contain his work in us. It seeps out and brings life to family, friends, neighbors, and the world.” - Edward Welch
"Enter In" (Chapter 35)
Ongoing Sacrifices?
Christ’s sacrifice was the end of the OT animal sacrifices, because his was sufficient and final for our atonement.
But we still offer sacrifices to God in the NT, sacrifices that flow out of the grace we have received.
Love has become the sacrifice that we bring to the Lord.
Our good works and generosity are a well-pleasing sacrifice to the Lord (Phil. 4:18; Heb. 13:15).
Obedience to God’s Word has always been preferable to ritual sacrifices (1 Sam. 15:22-23).
We offer our whole selves as sacrifices to the Lord.
Romans 12:1 NIVTherefore, I urge you, brothers and sisters, in view of God’s mercy, to offer your bodies as a living sacrifice, holy and pleasing to God—this is your true and proper worship.
God’s Pattern of Grace
God acts first.
He gives new mercies in Christ.
God makes promises and keeps them.
God’s faithfulness is not determined by ours.
He always acts first and loves the most.
Then we respond to his mercy as living sacrifices.
“This devotion to the Lord is worked out in the details of everyday life. It includes how we work together as the body of Christ, each exerting the gifts God has given without jealousy or envy, all of which can be summarized as love that is genuine, generous, humble, and persistent even when mistreated.” - Edward Welch
We Wash at the Basin
The priests washed their hands and feet at the bronze basin before entering the Tabernacle into the Lord’s presence.
We have been cleansed by the blood of Jesus Christ, and we continually wash at the basin by confessing our sins.
1 Corinthians 6:11 NIVAnd that is what some of you were. But you were washed, you were sanctified, you were justified in the name of the Lord Jesus Christ and by the Spirit of our God.
“Paul wants us to refuse to tolerate personal ungodliness; he also wants us not to tolerate past condemnation and old regrets. So in the most resolute of ways, he heaps on us what has been accomplished in Jesus through the Spirit.” - Edward Welch
“So when you come to the basin, you are not repeatedly coming to Jesus for admittance to his house. “The one who has bathed does not need to wash, except for his feet, but is completely clean” (John 13:10). You come because priests still sin. Though you have been set apart by God for himself, relationships can still be affected by unconfessed sin. So you confess daily, and confession enhances open and close fellowship.” - Edward Welch
We light incense, and the smoke comes before the Lord.
In the tabernacle, the altar of incense continually offered up a sweet-smelling aroma to the Lord. It represented the prayers of the priests and the people.
“In God’s house there is lots of talking. That’s what families do. When you are needy, live among needy people, and live with your generous Father, you talk all the more. We pray, he responds with words from Scripture. Silence and home simply do not go together.” - Edward Welch
Psalm 141:2 NIVMay my prayer be set before you like incense; may the lifting up of my hands be like the evening sacrifice.
“Picture bowls. Golden bowls. Our prayers are placed in these bowls, and they are offered to the Lord, along with the prayers of other saints (Rev. 5:8; 8:3).” - Edward Welch
“This glimpse of spiritual realities gives new zeal to priestly prayers. God, indeed, hears the prayers of one, solitary child who has been abandoned. He also is pleased when the bowls are full. This is why we ask other people to pray. With our more desperate prayers, we ask as many people to pray as possible, and not one prayer is inconsequential to the resulting heavenly aroma.” - Edward Welch
Sunday Jan 03, 2021
"Who Are You Afraid Of?" (Luke 12:1-12)
Sunday Jan 03, 2021
Sunday Jan 03, 2021
"Who Are You Afraid Of?" (Luke 12:1-12)Pastor Cameron JungelsEastside Baptist ChurchSunday AM, January 3, 2021
Luke 12:1-12, NIV
12 Meanwhile, when a crowd of many thousands had gathered, so that they were trampling on one another, Jesus began to speak first to his disciples, saying: “Be on your guard against the yeast of the Pharisees, which is hypocrisy. 2 There is nothing concealed that will not be disclosed, or hidden that will not be made known. 3 What you have said in the dark will be heard in the daylight, and what you have whispered in the ear in the inner rooms will be proclaimed from the roofs.
4 “I tell you, my friends, do not be afraid of those who kill the body and after that can do no more. 5 But I will show you whom you should fear: Fear him who, after your body has been killed, has authority to throw you into hell. Yes, I tell you, fear him. 6 Are not five sparrows sold for two pennies? Yet not one of them is forgotten by God. 7 Indeed, the very hairs of your head are all numbered. Don’t be afraid; you are worth more than many sparrows.
8 “I tell you, whoever publicly acknowledges me before others, the Son of Man will also acknowledge before the angels of God. 9 But whoever disowns me before others will be disowned before the angels of God. 10 And everyone who speaks a word against the Son of Man will be forgiven, but anyone who blasphemes against the Holy Spirit will not be forgiven.
11 “When you are brought before synagogues, rulers and authorities, do not worry about how you will defend yourselves or what you will say, 12 for the Holy Spirit will teach you at that time what you should say.”
Proverbs 29:25, NIV
25 Fear of man will prove to be a snare, but whoever trusts in the Lord is kept safe.
Matthew 12:30, NIV
30 “Whoever is not with me is against me, and whoever does not gather with me scatters.
Main Idea: A disciple of Jesus Christ fears God, not other people.