Eastside Baptist Church, Winfield, Alabama

“Called by Fire” (Exodus 3:1-10)

“Called by Fire” (Exodus 3:1–10)
Pastor Cameron Jungels
Eastside Baptist Church
Sunday PM, April 2, 2017
 
Exodus 3:1–10 (NIV)
3 Now Moses was tending the flock of Jethro his father-in-law, the priest of Midian, and he led the flock to the far side of the wilderness and came to Horeb, the mountain of God. 2 There the angel of the Lord appeared to him in flames of fire from within a bush. Moses saw that though the bush was on fire it did not burn up. 3 So Moses thought, “I will go over and see this strange sight—why the bush does not burn up.”
4 When the Lord saw that he had gone over to look, God called to him from within the bush, “Moses! Moses!”
And Moses said, “Here I am.”
5 “Do not come any closer,” God said. “Take off your sandals, for the place where you are standing is holy ground.” 6 Then he said, “I am the God of your father, the God of Abraham, the God of Isaac and the God of Jacob.” At this, Moses hid his face, because he was afraid to look at God.
7 The Lord said, “I have indeed seen the misery of my people in Egypt. I have heard them crying out because of their slave drivers, and I am concerned about their suffering. 8 So I have come down to rescue them from the hand of the Egyptians and to bring them up out of that land into a good and spacious land, a land flowing with milk and honey—the home of the Canaanites, Hittites, Amorites, Perizzites, Hivites and Jebusites. 9 And now the cry of the Israelites has reached me, and I have seen the way the Egyptians are oppressing them. 10 So now, go. I am sending you to Pharaoh to bring my people the Israelites out of Egypt.”
             1.  God brings Moses to his holy mountain (v. 1).
              2.  God appears to Moses in a holy fire (vv. 2–3).
              3.  God calls Moses on holy ground (vv. 4–6).
              4.  God reveals his holy compassion for his people (vv. 7–9).
              5.  God commissions Moses with a holy calling (v. 10).
 
Main Idea: God is a holy God, who summons his servants to fulfill a holy calling: rescuing those in bondage from their oppression to become God’s holy people for his glory.

“The Law of Creation and Conscience” (Romans 2:14-16)

“The Law of Creation and Conscience” (Romans 2:14–16)
Pastor Cameron Jungels
Eastside Baptist Church
Sunday, April 2, 2017
 
Romans 2:12-16, NIV
12 All who sin apart from the law will also perish apart from the law, and all who sin under the law will be judged by the law.  13 For it is not those who hear the law who are righteous in God's sight, but it is those who obey the law who will be declared righteous.  14 (Indeed, when Gentiles, who do not have the law, do by nature things required by the law, they are a law for themselves, even though they do not have the law.  15 They show that the requirements of the law are written on their hearts, their consciences also bearing witness, and their thoughts sometimes accusing them and at other times even defending them.)  16 This will take place on the day when God judges people's secrets through Jesus Christ, as my gospel declares. 
 
Everyone has an innate sense of right and wrong built into them by their Creator God (vv. 14–15; 1:18–20, 24–27).
 a.  This “natural moral law” is available in Creation and Conscience and is not dependent on having heard the Law of God or the Gospel of Jesus Christ.
 b.   This “natural moral law” exists, because people sometimes, inconsistently obey it.
 c.  This “natural moral law” has been attested by many cultures and civilizations throughout human history, giving evidence to its existence.
 d.  This “natural moral law” is attested to by the human conscience when it either excuses our behavior or condemns our behavior.
 
This innate sense of right and wrong will leave everyone without an excuse for their sin on the Day of Judgment (vv. 14–15, 12a; 1:20).
 
20 For since the creation of the world God's invisible qualities-- his eternal power and divine nature-- have been clearly seen, being understood from what has been made, so that people are without excuse. (Romans 1:20, NIV)
 
The occasional and inconsistent obedience of pagans to the natural moral law of God will serve as further condemnation on those who had access to God’s Word and did not obey it (vv. 12b–15).
 
46 If you love those who love you, what reward will you get? Are not even the tax collectors doing that?  47 And if you greet only your own people, what are you doing more than others? Do not even pagans do that? (Matt. 5:46-47, NIV)
 
It is actually reported that there is sexual immorality among you, and of a kind that even pagans do not tolerate: A man is sleeping with his father's wife. (1 Co. 5:1, NIV)
 
21 you, then, who teach others, do you not teach yourself? You who preach against stealing, do you steal?  22 You who say that people should not commit adultery, do you commit adultery? You who abhor idols, do you rob temples?  23 You who boast in the law, do you dishonor God by breaking the law?  24 As it is written: "God's name is blasphemed among the Gentiles because of you." (Romans 2:21-24, NIV)
 
Everyone will be perfectly and exhaustively judged by God through Jesus Christ on the last day (v. 16).
 
10 "I the LORD search the heart and examine the mind, to reward each person according to their conduct, according to what their deeds deserve." (Jer. 17:10, NIV)
 
11 Let us, therefore, make every effort to enter that rest, so that no one will perish by following their example of disobedience.  12 For the word of God is alive and active. Sharper than any double-edged sword, it penetrates even to dividing soul and spirit, joints and marrow; it judges the thoughts and attitudes of the heart.  13 Nothing in all creation is hidden from God's sight. Everything is uncovered and laid bare before the eyes of him to whom we must give account. (Heb. 4:11-13, NIV)
 
21 For just as the Father raises the dead and gives them life, even so the Son gives life to whom he is pleased to give it.  22 Moreover, the Father judges no one, but has entrusted all judgment to the Son, 23 that all may honor the Son just as they honor the Father. Whoever does not honor the Son does not honor the Father, who sent him.  (John 5:21-23, NIV)
 
29 "Therefore since we are God's offspring, we should not think that the divine being is like gold or silver or stone-- an image made by human design and skill.  30 In the past God overlooked such ignorance, but now he commands all people everywhere to repent.  31 For he has set a day when he will judge the world with justice by the man he has appointed. He has given proof of this to everyone by raising him from the dead."  (Acts 17:29-31, NIV)
 
5 Therefore judge nothing before the appointed time; wait until the Lord comes. He will bring to light what is hidden in darkness and will expose the motives of the heart. At that time each will receive their praise from God. (1 Co. 4:5, NIV)
 
10 For we must all appear before the judgment seat of Christ, so that each of us may receive what is due us for the things done while in the body, whether good or bad. (2 Co. 5:10, NIV)
 

“40 Years in the Wilderness” (Exodus 2:15-25)

“40 Years in the Wilderness” (Exodus 2:15–25)
Pastor Cameron Jungels
Eastside Baptist Church
Sunday PM, March 26, 2017
 
Exodus 2:15–25 (NIV)
15 When Pharaoh heard of this, he tried to kill Moses, but Moses fled from Pharaoh and went to live in Midian, where he sat down by a well. 16 Now a priest of Midian had seven daughters, and they came to draw water and fill the troughs to water their father’s flock. 17 Some shepherds came along and drove them away, but Moses got up and came to their rescue and watered their flock.
18 When the girls returned to Reuel their father, he asked them, “Why have you returned so early today?”
19 They answered, “An Egyptian rescued us from the shepherds. He even drew water for us and watered the flock.”
20 “And where is he?” Reuel asked his daughters. “Why did you leave him? Invite him to have something to eat.”
21 Moses agreed to stay with the man, who gave his daughter Zipporah to Moses in marriage. 22 Zipporah gave birth to a son, and Moses named him Gershom,  saying, “I have become a foreigner in a foreign land.”
23 During that long period, the king of Egypt died. The Israelites groaned in their slavery and cried out, and their cry for help because of their slavery went up to God. 24 God heard their groaning and he remembered his covenant with Abraham, with Isaac and with Jacob. 25 So God looked on the Israelites and was concerned about them.
 
In God’s school of preparation: learning how to act for justice in the right way.
 
In God’s school of preparation: learning how to live as a stranger in a foreign land.
 
In God’s school of preparation: learning how to lead people by first being tested for 40 years in the ability to lead sheep.
 
In God’s school of preparation: learning that God never forgets his covenant promises, and will always act in keeping with those promises.
 

“Hearing Is Not Enough” part 2 (Romans 2:12-16)

“Hearing Is Not Enough” (Romans 2:12–16), part 2
Pastor Cameron Jungels
Eastside Baptist Church
Sunday AM, March 26, 2017
 
Romans 2:12–16 (NIV)
12 All who sin apart from the law will also perish apart from the law, and all who sin under the law will be judged by the law. 13 For it is not those who hear the law who are righteous in God’s sight, but it is those who obey the law who will be declared righteous. 14 (Indeed, when Gentiles, who do not have the law, do by nature things required by the law, they are a law for themselves, even though they do not have the law. 15 They show that the requirements of the law are written on their hearts, their consciences also bearing witness, and their thoughts sometimes accusing them and at other times even defending them.) 16 This will take place on the day when God judges people’s secrets through Jesus Christ, as my gospel declares.
 
On the last day, everyone will be judged based on their actual deeds (Rom 2:6, 11, 12).
 
Merely possessing or hearing the Word of God will not be an advantage on the Day of Judgment (Rom 2:13).
 
What will matter on the Day of Judgment will be actual deeds of righteousness, which will serve as evidence and fruit of Spirit-wrought faith (Rom 2:13).
 
5 But because of your stubbornness and your unrepentant heart, you are storing up wrath against yourself for the day of God's wrath, when his righteous judgment will be revealed. (Romans 2:5, NIV)
 
22 But now that you have been set free from sin and have become slaves of God, the benefit you reap leads to holiness, and the result is eternal life. (Romans 6:22, NIV)
 
14 Make every effort to live in peace with everyone and to be holy; without holiness no one will see the Lord. (Heb. 12:14, NIV)
 
12 Therefore, brothers and sisters, we have an obligation-- but it is not to the flesh, to live according to it.  13 For if you live according to the flesh, you will die; but if by the Spirit you put to death the misdeeds of the body, you will live.  14 For those who are led by the Spirit of God are the children of God.  (Romans 8:12-14, NIV)
 
7 Do not be deceived: God cannot be mocked. A man reaps what he sows.  8 Whoever sows to please their flesh, from the flesh will reap destruction; whoever sows to please the Spirit, from the Spirit will reap eternal life.  9 Let us not become weary in doing good, for at the proper time we will reap a harvest if we do not give up.  (Gal. 6:7-9, NIV)

Titus 1:5–9

Titus 1:5–9Titus 1:5–9 (NIV) 5 The reason I left you in Crete was that you might put in order what was left unfinished and appoint elders in every town, as I directed you. 6 An elder must be blameless, faithful to his wife, a man whose children believe and are not open to the charge of being wild and disobedient. 7 Since an overseer manages God’s household, he must be blameless—not overbearing, not quick-tempered, not given to drunkenness, not violent, not pursuing dishonest gain. 8 Rather, he must be hospitable, one who loves what is good, who is self-controlled, upright, holy and disciplined. 9 He must hold firmly to the trustworthy message as it has been taught, so that he can encourage others by sound doctrine and refute those who oppose it. 5 Because of this I left you behind in Crete: that you might set in order (or, set right, correct) the things left unfinished and that you might appoint elders in every town, as I directed you, 6 if anyone is above reproach, the husband of one wife, having faithful (or, believing) children, not being accused of wild living or rebellion. 7 For it is necessary for an overseer to be above reproach as God's steward, not stubborn-willed (or, arrogant), not quick-tempered, not addicted to wine, not a bully (or, argumentative), not greedy for money, 8 but hospitable, loving what is good, self-controlled (in control of one's thoughts, thoughtful, prudent, measured), upright (just), holy (devout, pious), disciplined (in control of one's impulses and desires), 9 holding firmly to the faithful word as it has been taught, so that he will be able both to encourage (edify, exhort) with sound doctrine and to refute those who oppose it.1.    The proper order of God’s church (5).        a.    Setting in order what is unfinished        b.    Appointing elders in every town
2.    The proper qualities of the leaders of God’s church (6–9).        a.    Blameless in his home life                i.    The husband of one wife               ii.    Having faithful (or, believing) children        b.    Blameless in his personal conduct                i.    5 Negative Qualities:                      1.    Not stubborn-willed or arrogant                      2.    Not quick-tempered                      3.    Not addicted to wine                      4.    Not a bully or argumentative                      5.    Not greedy for money               ii.    6 Positive Qualities:                      1.    Hospitable                      2.    Loving what is good                      3.    Self-controlled (in control of one’s thoughts)                      4.    Upright – Just in his relationships with people                      5.    Holy – Devout in his relationship with God                      6.    Disciplined (in control of one’s impulses and desires)        c.    Faithful in sound doctrine and able to teach it                i.    Holding firmly to the faithful word as it has been taught               ii.    Able to teach it:                      1.    Able to encourage the saints with sound doctrine                      2.    Able to refute/persuade the ‘opponents’

“In God’s Time and in God’s Way” (Exodus 2:11-15)

“In God’s Time and in God’s Way” (Exodus 2:11–15)
Pastor Cameron Jungels
Eastside Baptist Church
Sunday PM, March 19, 2017
 
Exodus 2:11–15 (NIV)
11 One day, after Moses had grown up, he went out to where his own people were and watched them at their hard labor. He saw an Egyptian beating a Hebrew, one of his own people. 12 Looking this way and that and seeing no one, he killed the Egyptian and hid him in the sand. 13 The next day he went out and saw two Hebrews fighting. He asked the one in the wrong, “Why are you hitting your fellow Hebrew?”
14 The man said, “Who made you ruler and judge over us? Are you thinking of killing me as you killed the Egyptian?” Then Moses was afraid and thought, “What I did must have become known.”
15 When Pharaoh heard of this, he tried to kill Moses, but Moses fled from Pharaoh and went to live in Midian, where he sat down by a well.
 1.  The unfolding of God’s plan often seems very slow to us (11).
 20 "At that time Moses was born, and he was no ordinary child. For three months he was cared for by his family.  21 When he was placed outside, Pharaoh's daughter took him and brought him up as her own son.  22 Moses was educated in all the wisdom of the Egyptians and was powerful in speech and action. (Acts 7:20-22, NIV)
 
2 Have mercy on me, LORD, for I am faint; heal me, LORD, for my bones are in agony.  3 My soul is in deep anguish. How long, LORD, how long?  4 Turn, LORD, and deliver me; save me because of your unfailing love.  (Psalm 6:2-4, NIV)
 
4 But when the set time had fully come, God sent his Son, born of a woman, born under the law,  5 to redeem those under the law, that we might receive adoption to sonship. (Gal. 4:4-5, NIV)
 
28 Do you not know? Have you not heard? The LORD is the everlasting God, the Creator of the ends of the earth. He will not grow tired or weary, and his understanding no one can fathom.  29 He gives strength to the weary and increases the power of the weak.  30 Even youths grow tired and weary, and young men stumble and fall;  31 but those who hope in the LORD will renew their strength. They will soar on wings like eagles; they will run and not grow weary, they will walk and not be faint. (Isa. 40:28-31, NIV)
 2.  We must identify with our God and his covenant people, even if that means trading the pleasures of the world for the temporary sorrows of this life (11).
 24 By faith Moses, when he had grown up, refused to be known as the son of Pharaoh's daughter.  25 He chose to be mistreated along with the people of God rather than to enjoy the fleeting pleasures of sin.  26 He regarded disgrace for the sake of Christ as of greater value than the treasures of Egypt, because he was looking ahead to his reward. (Heb. 11:24-26, NIV)
 3.  In our pursuit of God and his kingdom, let us not rashly rush ahead of God’s timing and pursue the right things in the wrong way (12–15).
 25 Moses thought that his own people would realize that God was using him to rescue them, but they did not. (Acts 7:25, NIV)

“Hearing Is Not Enough” (Romans 2:12-16)

“Hearing Is Not Enough” (Romans 2:12–16)
Pastor Cameron Jungels
Eastside Baptist Church
Sunday AM, March 19, 2017
 
Romans 2:12–16 (NIV)
12 All who sin apart from the law will also perish apart from the law, and all who sin under the law will be judged by the law. 13 For it is not those who hear the law who are righteous in God’s sight, but it is those who obey the law who will be declared righteous. 14 (Indeed, when Gentiles, who do not have the law, do by nature things required by the law, they are a law for themselves, even though they do not have the law. 15 They show that the requirements of the law are written on their hearts, their consciences also bearing witness, and their thoughts sometimes accusing them and at other times even defending them.) 16 This will take place on the day when God judges people’s secrets through Jesus Christ, as my gospel declares.
 
Everyone will face the just judgment of God, whether they had access to the Word of God or not (12).
 
The level of access that people had to the Law of God will be taken into account on the Day of Judgment (12).
a.  Gentiles (or those who have not had God’s revelation) who sin will be judged by God on the last day, but it will be in accordance with the amount of light/revelation/truth that they had received=the knowledge of God in nature.
b.  Jews (or those who had access to God’s divine revelation) who sin will be judged by God on the last day, and it will be in accordance with the amount of light/revelation/truth that they had received=the Law.
c.  The severity of judgment will be determined in proportion to the light of revelation received.
 
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. (Lk. 12:47-48, NIV)
 
There is not a path of salvation on the basis of good deeds for Gentiles who have never heard God’s Word.
 
20 Then Jesus began to denounce the towns in which most of his miracles had been performed, because they did not repent.  21 "Woe to you, Chorazin! Woe to you, Bethsaida! For if the miracles that were performed in you had been performed in Tyre and Sidon, they would have repented long ago in sackcloth and ashes.  22 But I tell you, it will be more bearable for Tyre and Sidon on the day of judgment than for you.  23 And you, Capernaum, will you be lifted to the heavens? No, you will go down to Hades. For if the miracles that were performed in you had been performed in Sodom, it would have remained to this day.  24 But I tell you that it will be more bearable for Sodom on the day of judgment than for you." (Matt. 11:20-24, NIV)
 

“The Birth of the Deliverer” (Exodus 2:1-10)

“The Birth of the Deliverer” (Exodus 2:1–10)
Pastor Cameron Jungels
Eastside Baptist Church
Sunday PM, March 12, 2017
 
Exodus 2:1–10 (NIV)
1 Now a man of the tribe of Levi married a Levite woman, 2 and she became pregnant and gave birth to a son. When she saw that he was a fine child, she hid him for three months. 3 But when she could hide him no longer, she got a papyrus basket for him and coated it with tar and pitch. Then she placed the child in it and put it among the reeds along the bank of the Nile. 4 His sister stood at a distance to see what would happen to him.
5 Then Pharaoh’s daughter went down to the Nile to bathe, and her attendants were walking along the riverbank. She saw the basket among the reeds and sent her female slave to get it. 6 She opened it and saw the baby. He was crying, and she felt sorry for him. “This is one of the Hebrew babies,” she said.
7 Then his sister asked Pharaoh’s daughter, “Shall I go and get one of the Hebrew women to nurse the baby for you?”
8 “Yes, go,” she answered. So the girl went and got the baby’s mother. 9 Pharaoh’s daughter said to her, “Take this baby and nurse him for me, and I will pay you.” So the woman took the baby and nursed him. 10 When the child grew older, she took him to Pharaoh’s daughter and he became her son. She named him Moses, saying, “I drew him out of the water.”
 
God provides a deliverer for his people in bondage (2:1–2).
 
God protects and delivers the deliverer from death (2:3–4).
 
God providentially guides the deliverer to an unlikely caregiver (2:5–6).
 
God prepares the deliverer for his future mission in the palace of his people’s captors (7–10).
 
Main Idea: In God’s perfect providential timing, he accomplishes his redemptive purposes by raising up a deliverer for his people.

“The Impartial Justice of God" (Romans 2:6-11)

“The Impartial Justice of God” (Romans 2:6–11)
Pastor Cameron Jungels
Eastside Baptist Church
Sunday AM, March 12, 2017
 
Romans 2:6–11 (NIV)
6 God “will repay each person according to what they have done.”  7 To those who by persistence in doing good seek glory, honor and immortality, he will give eternal life. 8 But for those who are self-seeking and who reject the truth and follow evil, there will be wrath and anger. 9 There will be trouble and distress for every human being who does evil: first for the Jew, then for the Gentile; 10 but glory, honor and peace for everyone who does good: first for the Jew, then for the Gentile. 11 For God does not show favoritism.
 
The judgment of God is completely just and impartial (vv. 6, 11).

 a.  It is just because God’s judgment is rendered to each according to the same standard—each one’s deeds/works (v. 6).
 b.  It is impartial, because God’s judgment does not consider whether someone is Jew or Gentile or any other race or class of people (v. 11, also 9–10).
 
The just and impartial justice of God leaves every human being with two, and only two, potential destinies (vv. 7–10).

 a.  Those who reject the truth and do evil will receive eternal judgment and wrath (vv. 8–9).
 b.  Those who embrace the truth in repentance and persevere in good works will receive eternal life (vv. 7, 10).
 
Main Idea: There are no exceptions to the fairness of God, so I really must repent.
 

"Greetings from Paul" (Titus 1:1-4)

 
Titus 1:1–4 (NIV)
Paul, a servant of God and an apostle of Jesus Christ to further the faith of God’s elect and their knowledge of the truth that leads to godliness—2 in the hope of eternal life, which God, who does not lie, promised before the beginning of time, 3 and which now at his appointed season he has brought to light through the preaching entrusted to me by the command of God our Savior,
4 To Titus, my true son in our common faith:
Grace and peace from God the Father and Christ Jesus our Savior.
 

“Preservation through Persecution” (Exodus 1:8-22)

“Preservation through Persecution” (Exodus 1:8–22)
Pastor Cameron Jungels
Eastside Baptist Church
Sunday PM, March 5, 2017
 
Exodus 1:8–22 (NIV)
8 Then a new king, to whom Joseph meant nothing, came to power in Egypt. 9 “Look,” he said to his people, “the Israelites have become far too numerous for us. 10 Come, we must deal shrewdly with them or they will become even more numerous and, if war breaks out, will join our enemies, fight against us and leave the country.”
11 So they put slave masters over them to oppress them with forced labor, and they built Pithom and Rameses as store cities for Pharaoh. 12 But the more they were oppressed, the more they multiplied and spread; so the Egyptians came to dread the Israelites 13 and worked them ruthlessly. 14 They made their lives bitter with harsh labor in brick and mortar and with all kinds of work in the fields; in all their harsh labor the Egyptians worked them ruthlessly.
15 The king of Egypt said to the Hebrew midwives, whose names were Shiphrah and Puah, 16 “When you are helping the Hebrew women during childbirth on the delivery stool, if you see that the baby is a boy, kill him; but if it is a girl, let her live.” 17 The midwives, however, feared God and did not do what the king of Egypt had told them to do; they let the boys live. 18 Then the king of Egypt summoned the midwives and asked them, “Why have you done this? Why have you let the boys live?”
19 The midwives answered Pharaoh, “Hebrew women are not like Egyptian women; they are vigorous and give birth before the midwives arrive.”
20 So God was kind to the midwives and the people increased and became even more numerous. 21 And because the midwives feared God, he gave them families of their own.
22 Then Pharaoh gave this order to all his people: “Every Hebrew boy that is born you must throw into the Nile, but let every girl live.”
 
God’s people may face times when our kindness is repaid with ingratitude and jealous hostility (8–10).
 
God’s people may face times of intense trial and persecution (11, 13–14).
 
God’s people can be assured of his continued preservation through persecution (12).
 
God’s people must act wisely and courageously to honor God’s law, even when it defies man’s law (15–19).
 
God’s people who act faithfully and courageously will receive abundant blessing from the Lord (20–21).
 
God’s people may face the most intense suffering and persecution just before the Lord comes to their aid to deliver them (22, cf., 13–14).

“Hypocrites and Finger-Pointers” (Romans 2:1-5)

“Hypocrites and Finger-Pointers” (Romans 2:1–5)
Pastor Cameron Jungels
Eastside Baptist Church
Sunday AM, March 5, 2017
 
Romans 2:1–5 (NIV)
2 You, therefore, have no excuse, you who pass judgment on someone else, for at whatever point you judge another, you are condemning yourself, because you who pass judgment do the same things. 2 Now we know that God’s judgment against those who do such things is based on truth. 3 So when you, a mere human being, pass judgment on them and yet do the same things, do you think you will escape God’s judgment? 4 Or do you show contempt for the riches of his kindness, forbearance and patience, not realizing that God’s kindness is intended to lead you to repentance?
5 But because of your stubbornness and your unrepentant heart, you are storing up wrath against yourself for the day of God’s wrath, when his righteous judgment will be revealed.
 
Wrongly judging others in hypocrisy (1).
 
Wrongly thinking we don’t deserve judgment, while others do (2–3).
 
Wrongly thinking we deserve God’s kindness, while others don’t (4).
 
Wrongly assuming our own righteousness, oblivious to our own hard hearts that will lead us to condemnation (5).
 

"Chapter 16: Hoping" and Epilogue

Walking with God through Pain & Sufferingby Tim KellerChapter 16: HopingRevelation 21:1–4 (NIV) 1 Then I saw “a new heaven and a new earth,” for the first heaven and the first earth had passed away, and there was no longer any sea. 2 I saw the Holy City, the new Jerusalem, coming down out of heaven from God, prepared as a bride beautifully dressed for her husband. 3 And I heard a loud voice from the throne saying, “Look! God’s dwelling place is now among the people, and he will dwell with them. They will be his people, and God himself will be with them and be their God. 4 ‘He will wipe every tear from their eyes. There will be no more death’ or mourning or crying or pain, for the old order of things has passed away.” ⦁    There is nothing more practical for sufferers than to have hope.⦁    At the end of the Bible, we have the ultimate hope promised to the people of God—a material world in which all suffering is gone— “every tear wiped from our eyes.”⦁    Revelation was written to people who were experiencing great suffering in the form of Roman persecution.⦁    What did John offer his readers in the midst of suffering and persecution?⦁    John gave them the ultimate hope—a new heavens and new earth that was coming.⦁    This future hope motivated the early believers to maintain their faith and even forgive their tormentors.⦁    The Christian faith grew and spread through persecution, because their hope was anchored to their future salvation.⦁    Human beings are hope-shaped creatures.⦁    The way you live now is controlled by what you believe about your future.⦁    If you believe in a judgment day and a new heavens/new earth, it will radically shape how you live in the present, including how you deal with suffering.⦁    Hope in our own efforts will fail us, but God’s future program—his eternal kingdom—will not fail us.⦁    Future hope must be anchored in faith to the literal promises of God, trusting that the future will unfold as God has said it will.⦁    If the early persecuted Christians could find hope in these future promises, then how much more should we, whose suffering is much less intense than theirs?⦁    Jesus endured the cross and its suffering so that we might have the hope of eternal life with God.Epilogue: 10 action steps1)    We must recognize the varieties of suffering.        a)    Brought on by wrong behavior: bring guilt and shame        b)    Betrayals and attacks by others: bring anger and resentment        c)    Universal forms of loss that occur to all: bring grief and fear        d)    Large scale natural disasters        e)    Horrendous evil: bring confusion and/or anger at God2)    We must recognize differences in temperament between ourselves and other sufferers.3)    We need to make room for weeping and true lament. Be honest with God and yourself about your sorrow.4)    We need to be trusting God’s wisdom and his love in the midst of our grief.5)    We need to be praying, bringing our complaints, struggles, and requests.6)    We must be disciplined in our thinking, meditating on God’s truth.7)    We should be willing to do some self-examining.8)    We must be reordering our loves. Suffering reveals that there are things we love too much, or we love God too little in proportion to them.9)    We should not neglect community. Suffering is isolating. The church is a community of support and encouragement.10)    Some forms of suffering—particularly those due to our own failures or the mistreatment of others—require skill at receiving grace and forgiveness from God, and giving grace and forgiveness to others.
Romans 8:18–25 (NIV)
18 I consider that our present sufferings are not worth comparing with the glory that will be revealed in us. 19 For the creation waits in eager expectation for the children of God to be revealed. 20 For the creation was subjected to frustration, not by its own choice, but by the will of the one who subjected it, in hope 21 that the creation itself will be liberated from its bondage to decay and brought into the freedom and glory of the children of God.
22 We know that the whole creation has been groaning as in the pains of childbirth right up to the present time. 23 Not only so, but we ourselves, who have the firstfruits of the Spirit, groan inwardly as we wait eagerly for our adoption to sonship, the redemption of our bodies. 24 For in this hope we were saved. But hope that is seen is no hope at all. Who hopes for what they already have? 25 But if we hope for what we do not yet have, we wait for it patiently.
 
 

“Multiplied Blessings” (Exodus 1:1-7)

“Multiplied Blessings” (Exodus 1:1–7)
Pastor Cameron Jungels
Eastside Baptist Church
Sunday PM, February 26, 2017
 
Exodus 1:1–7 (NIV)
1 These are the names of the sons of Israel who went to Egypt with Jacob, each with his family: 2 Reuben, Simeon, Levi and Judah; 3 Issachar, Zebulun and Benjamin; 4 Dan and Naphtali; Gad and Asher. 5 The descendants of Jacob numbered seventy in all; Joseph was already in Egypt.
6 Now Joseph and all his brothers and all that generation died, 7 but the Israelites were exceedingly fruitful; they multiplied greatly, increased in numbers and became so numerous that the land was filled with them.
 
The Lord is there even when you cannot see his presence, and he is working out his purposes.
 
The Lord does not forget his covenant people, even after the passing of many generations.
 
God abundantly blesses his covenant people beyond what they can imagine or expect.
 
God is faithful to his promises and fulfills them infallibly.
 
God is making a new people for himself by his grace, and he will use them to fulfill his original creation mandate to populate the earth and rule over it for his glory.

“The Depravity of Humanity” (Romans 1:24-32)

“The Depravity of Humanity” (Romans 1:24–32)
Pastor Cameron Jungels
Eastside Baptist Church
Sunday AM, February 26, 2017
 
Romans 1:24–32 (NIV)
24 Therefore God gave them over in the sinful desires of their hearts to sexual impurity for the degrading of their bodies with one another. 25 They exchanged the truth about God for a lie, and worshiped and served created things rather than the Creator—who is forever praised. Amen.
26 Because of this, God gave them over to shameful lusts. Even their women exchanged natural sexual relations for unnatural ones. 27 In the same way the men also abandoned natural relations with women and were inflamed with lust for one another. Men committed shameful acts with other men, and received in themselves the due penalty for their error.
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.
 
God’s wrath is justly directed against humanity, because we have purposely rejected the knowledge that he has revealed in Creation (18–20).
 
This rejection of the knowledge of God revealed in Creation leads humanity to idolatry, the substitution of the one true God with gods of our own making (21–23).
 
Human depravity and moral perversion is the direct result of our false worship (24-25).
 
The clearest and most prominent demonstration that people have rejected the knowledge of God that is revealed in the natural order is their sexual depravity and homosexuality (26–27).
 
A descent into deeper and deeper sexual and moral perversion is an indication that God is judging that culture by “giving them over” to live out their damnable lifestyles without his gracious restraint (24, 26, 28).
 
The sexual perversion of homosexuality is a sin and a distortion of the created order, but it is not the only sin that reveals our depravity and rejection of the knowledge of God. Our depravity is demonstrated in a variety of sins and injustices (28–31).
 
God will justly condemn those who commit immoral, sinful acts, along with those who approve and enable those immoral, sinful actions (32).

Chapter 15: Thinking, Thanking, and Loving

Walking with God through Pain & Suffering
by Tim Keller
 
Chapter 15: Thinking, Thanking, and Loving
 
Paul was one of the most prominent sufferers in the Bible.
Paul endured a multitude of physical, emotional, and spiritual hardships.
How did Paul handle all of this suffering?
He relied on the peace, comfort, and contentment that comes from God.
 
The Peace that Passes Understanding
Philippians 4 provides some of the most helpful advice about how to find peace in the midst of suffering.
Paul says that we do not need to be anxious, but that through prayer and thanksgiving we can present our requests to God.
We can experience a peace from God that surpasses our understanding. This peace will protect our hearts and our minds—even through intense times of suffering.
What is the peace of God?
An inner calm and equilibrium—a contentment in all circumstances.
Not merely an absence, but a presence.
Not just an absence of fear or worry. It is the presence of God and the sense of being protected.

Modern self-help books speak of emptying our minds of negative thoughts; the Bible teaches us to fill our minds with godly and true thoughts.
It is not just positive thinking or willpower.
It is a sense that no matter what happens, everything will work out all right (even if it doesn’t seem that way now).
It is a living power that comes into our lives from God and enables us to face the realities of life.
How do we find this peace?
3 disciplines revealed in Philippians 4.

 
The Discipline of Thinking
Thinking on what is noble, right, and pure:
Not just lofty, exalted thoughts.
Paul is teaching us to think on biblical truths-especially God’s work of salvation for us in Christ.

Christian peace comes by thinking more, not less.
Romans 8:18—Paul “reckons” / “thinks” that the sufferings of this world can never compare with the glories of the next.
Don’t separate sound biblical, gospel teaching from the peace and comfort that God grants to us.
We find comfort and peace in the truths of God and what he has accomplished for us and promised to us.
Paul is offering us a different vantage point from which to view our experiences.
We can find peace by looking at the larger picture from God’s viewpoint.
Jonathan Edwards on Christian happiness:
The “bad things” will work together for good (Rom 8:28).
The “good things”—adoption into God’s family, justification in his sight, union with him—cannot be taken away (Rom 8:1).
The “best things”—life in heaven, new heavens and new earth, resurrection—are yet to come (Rev 22:1ff).

 
The Discipline of Thanking
Thanksgiving is put over against anxiety. It is hard to be anxious at the same time that you are being thankful.
Paul instructs us to give God thanks as we bring our requests to him, even before he answers!
Paul is calling on us to trust God’s sovereign rule of history and of our lives. He is telling us that we will never be content unless we acknowledge that our lives are in his hands and that he is wiser than we are.
Romans 8:28 does not teach that every bad event has a “silver lining” or that every terrible thing is actually a good thing if you look at it properly.
No, it teaches that all things (even bad things) will ultimately together be overruled by God in such a way that the intended evil will, in the end, only accomplish the opposite of its designs—a greater good and glory than would otherwise have come to pass.
God is sovereign, so we should trust him.
Paul goes a step further: God is sovereign, so we should thank
We are to thank him for whatever he sends us, even if we don’t understand it.
 
The Discipline of Reordering Our Loves
Think on things that are lovely, admirable, excellent, praiseworthy.
These are things that are not only true but also beautiful and attractive.
Paul is urging us to not just order the thoughts of our minds but also to order the affections of our hearts.
To maintain equilibrium in troublesome times, we need to not only think the right things; we need to love the right things.
The Greek Stoics said that we should love our virtue/character the most because it is something we can control.
The problem is that we really can’t rely on our own virtue or character, because we are frail, finite, sinful creatures.
What we need for peace is to love that which is immutable—unchangeable.
God is immutable and cannot change. He will never fail us. God’s presence and love cannot disappoint or fail or be lost—even through death.
So, do we have to give up loving everything except for God?
No, we must properly order our loves.
Our problem is not that we love our career or family too much, but that we love God too little in proportion to them.
To get the calm, tranquility, and peace that comes from God, we must love him supremely, as our first love.
 
Relocating Your Glory
Our glory must not be in our own endeavors or abilities or in what other people may think of us.
Our glory—our source of joy, meaning, purpose, worth, identity—should be God.
Too often we elevate good things to supremely important things, and our suffering is intensified proportionately to the degree that our glory is located in the things that are affected by our suffering.
 
The Horrible, Beautiful Process
Suffering is like a furnace—it is painful but creates purity and beauty and strength.
How does it do this? Suffering puts its fingers on good things that have become too important to us.
We respond to suffering not by throwing those things out, but by turning to God and loving him more.
You can’t really understand your heart when things are going well.
Suffering reveals the false gods.
 
The Secret of Peace
How can we bring ourselves to love God more?
It is not by trying to work on our emotions. That won’t work.
We focus on God, but not in the abstract. We focus our attention specifically on God’s revelation to us in his Son, Jesus Christ.
By looking to the person and work of Christ we will come to love the immutable and find tranquility.
2 Corinthians 5:21 – Jesus became sin for us so that we might become the righteousness of God in him.
Christ endured ‘peacelessness’ so that we might receive eternal peace.
Instead of thinking you are being punished—look to the cross.
Instead of thinking that God doesn’t care—look to the cross.
The incomprehensible peace of God comes to our hearts through Jesus Christ (Philippians 4:7).
 

“Intended for Good”

“Intended for Good” (Genesis 50:15–26)
Pastor Cameron Jungels
Eastside Baptist Church
Sunday PM, February 19, 2017
 
Genesis 50:15–26 (NIV)
15 When Joseph’s brothers saw that their father was dead, they said, “What if Joseph holds a grudge against us and pays us back for all the wrongs we did to him?” 16 So they sent word to Joseph, saying, “Your father left these instructions before he died: 17 ‘This is what you are to say to Joseph: I ask you to forgive your brothers the sins and the wrongs they committed in treating you so badly.’ Now please forgive the sins of the servants of the God of your father.” When their message came to him, Joseph wept.
18 His brothers then came and threw themselves down before him. “We are your slaves,” they said.
19 But Joseph said to them, “Don’t be afraid. Am I in the place of God? 20 You intended to harm me, but God intended it for good to accomplish what is now being done, the saving of many lives. 21 So then, don’t be afraid. I will provide for you and your children.” And he reassured them and spoke kindly to them.
22 Joseph stayed in Egypt, along with all his father’s family. He lived a hundred and ten years 23 and saw the third generation of Ephraim’s children. Also the children of Makir son of Manasseh were placed at birth on Joseph’s knees. 
24 Then Joseph said to his brothers, “I am about to die. But God will surely come to your aid and take you up out of this land to the land he promised on oath to Abraham, Isaac and Jacob.” 25 And Joseph made the Israelites swear an oath and said, “God will surely come to your aid, and then you must carry my bones up from this place.”
26 So Joseph died at the age of a hundred and ten. And after they embalmed him, he was placed in a coffin in Egypt.
 
Fear of Retribution (15–18).
 
Assurance of Peace (19–21).

Peace flows from the heart of a person who understands his role in God’s sovereign plan.
Joseph acknowledged his place of humility.
He acknowledged his brothers’ sin and wrongdoing: you meant to harm me.
He acknowledged the sovereignty of God: God intended it for good.

 
Hope for the Future (22–26).
Enjoying the blessings of God during his life.
Looking to the future blessings of God.

 
Main Idea: Those who trust the Sovereign, Faithful God can live in confidence (not fear), can offer peace and reconciliation to others (not vengeance), and can look with hope and faith for the future.

“Exchanging Truth for a Lie”

“Exchanging Truth for a Lie” (Romans 1:20–23)
Pastor Cameron Jungels
Eastside Baptist Church
Sunday AM, February 19, 2017
 
Romans 1:20-23, NIV
20 For since the creation of the world God's invisible qualities-- his eternal power and divine nature-- have been clearly seen, being understood from what has been made, so that people are without excuse.  21 For although they knew God, they neither glorified him as God nor gave thanks to him, but their thinking became futile and their foolish hearts were darkened.  22 Although they claimed to be wise, they became fools 23 and exchanged the glory of the immortal God for images made to look like a mortal human being and birds and animals and reptiles.
 
God has revealed himself with sufficient knowledge of himself to render all people accountable for their rejection of him (20).
             a. There is such a thing as natural revelation.
             b. What God reveals to people in nature is limited.
             c. The results of natural revelation are negative: enough to convict and leave them without excuse.
 
People suppressed and rejected the knowledge of God revealed in Creation and refused to give God the glory and thanks due him (21).
 
In our refusal to honor God, all people exchanged the truth about God for lies of our own making. We exchanged true worship of the Creator for the worship of that which is created (22–23).
 

“The Death of Jacob”

“The Death of Jacob” (Genesis 49:29–50:14)
Pastor Cameron Jungels
Eastside Baptist Church
Sunday PM, February 12, 2017
 
Genesis 49:29–50:14 (NIV)
29 Then he gave them these instructions: “I am about to be gathered to my people. Bury me with my fathers in the cave in the field of Ephron the Hittite, 30 the cave in the field of Machpelah, near Mamre in Canaan, which Abraham bought along with the field as a burial place from Ephron the Hittite. 31 There Abraham and his wife Sarah were buried, there Isaac and his wife Rebekah were buried, and there I buried Leah. 32 The field and the cave in it were bought from the Hittites.”
33 When Jacob had finished giving instructions to his sons, he drew his feet up into the bed, breathed his last and was gathered to his people.
50 Joseph threw himself on his father and wept over him and kissed him. 2 Then Joseph directed the physicians in his service to embalm his father Israel. So the physicians embalmed him, 3 taking a full forty days, for that was the time required for embalming. And the Egyptians mourned for him seventy days.
4 When the days of mourning had passed, Joseph said to Pharaoh’s court, “If I have found favor in your eyes, speak to Pharaoh for me. Tell him, 5 ‘My father made me swear an oath and said, “I am about to die; bury me in the tomb I dug for myself in the land of Canaan.” Now let me go up and bury my father; then I will return.’”
6 Pharaoh said, “Go up and bury your father, as he made you swear to do.”
7 So Joseph went up to bury his father. All Pharaoh’s officials accompanied him—the dignitaries of his court and all the dignitaries of Egypt—8 besides all the members of Joseph’s household and his brothers and those belonging to his father’s household. Only their children and their flocks and herds were left in Goshen. 9 Chariots and horsemen also went up with him. It was a very large company.
10 When they reached the threshing floor of Atad, near the Jordan, they lamented loudly and bitterly; and there Joseph observed a seven-day period of mourning for his father. 11 When the Canaanites who lived there saw the mourning at the threshing floor of Atad, they said, “The Egyptians are holding a solemn ceremony of mourning.” That is why that place near the Jordan is called Abel Mizraim.
12 So Jacob’s sons did as he had commanded them: 13 They carried him to the land of Canaan and buried him in the cave in the field of Machpelah, near Mamre, which Abraham had bought along with the field as a burial place from Ephron the Hittite. 14 After burying his father, Joseph returned to Egypt, together with his brothers and all the others who had gone with him to bury his father.
 
People of faith can end their lives with confidence for the future because of the sure promises of God.
 
People of faith conduct themselves with integrity, which causes others to respect them, including those who do not fear God.
 
People of faith honor the commitments and the promises they have made, even at great personal cost and sacrifice.
 
Main Idea: People of faith can live lives of integrity, garnering the respect of others, and they can keep their commitments at great personal cost and sacrifice, because their hopes are anchored to the future fulfillment of the promises of God.
 

“The Wrath of God”

“The Wrath of God” (Romans 1:18–20)
Pastor Cameron Jungels
Eastside Baptist Church
Sunday AM, February 12, 2017
 
Romans 1:18–23 (NIV)
     18 The wrath of God is being revealed from heaven against all the godlessness and wickedness of people, who suppress the truth by their wickedness, 19 since what may be known about God is plain to them, because God has made it plain to them. 20 For since the creation of the world God’s invisible qualities—his eternal power and divine nature—have been clearly seen, being understood from what has been made, so that people are without excuse.
     21 For although they knew God, they neither glorified him as God nor gave thanks to him, but their thinking became futile and their foolish hearts were darkened. 22 Although they claimed to be wise, they became fools 23 and exchanged the glory of the immortal God for images made to look like a mortal human being and birds and animals and reptiles.
 
The revelation of the righteousness of God in the gospel is necessary for humanity to be saved, because the wrath of God is also being revealed against humanity (v. 18).
 
Sinners are worthy of God’s wrath because of their ungodliness and wickedness (v. 18).
 
Sinners are without excuse when it comes to the judgment of God because God’s truth has been plainly revealed to them, and they chose to purposely ignore and suppress it (vv. 18–20).