Christ Church (Moscow, ID)

Ready or not, a new season and a new school year is upon us. It’s good for us to review Christ Church’s mission which is “All of Christ, for all of Life, for all of Moscow.” Our mission of course is nothing short of the Great Commission that Christ gave to his Church––the evangelization and discipleship of the nations. That mission is our mission. And here we are in Moscow, Idaho attempting a small part of that Great Commission. In our sermon passage in Matthew 9 and 10, Jesus sends out his disciples on a pre-Great Commission. The way Jesus instructs and prepares his disciples exemplifies how his disciples will advance the Great Commission and how we advance Christ’s mission in Moscow. Jesus has 1) compassion on the crowd 2) calls and equips the disciples 3) commissions them to proclaim the gospel.

"Lord, how are they increased that trouble me! many are they that rise up against me.Many there be which say of my soul, There is no help for him in God. Selah.But thou, O Lord, art a shield for me; my glory, and the lifter up of mine head.I cried unto the Lord with my voice, and he heard me out of his holy hill. Selah.I laid me down and slept; I awaked; for the Lord sustained me.I will not be afraid of ten thousands of people, that have set themselves against me round about.Arise, O Lord; save me, O my God: for thou hast smitten all mine enemies upon the cheek bone; thou hast broken the teeth of the ungodly.Salvation belongeth unto the Lord: thy blessing is upon thy people. Selah." Psalm 3

"Beloved, I now write to you this second epistle (in both of which I stir up your pure minds by way of reminder), that you may be mindful of the words which were spoken before by the holy prophets, and of the commandment of us, the apostles of the Lord and Savior, knowing this first: that scoffers will come in the last days, walking according to their own lusts, and saying, “Where is the promise of His coming? For since the fathers fell asleep, all things continue as they were from the beginning of creation.” For this they willfully forget: that by the word of God the heavens were of old, and the earth standing out of water and in the water, by which the world that then existed perished, being flooded with water. But the heavens and the earth which are now preserved by the same word, are reserved for fire until the day of judgment and perdition of ungodly men.But, beloved, do not forget this one thing, that with the Lord one day is as a thousand years, and a thousand years as one day. The Lord is not slack concerning His promise, as some count slackness, but is longsuffering toward us, not willing that any should perish but that all should come to repentance.But the day of the Lord will come as a thief in the night, in which the heavens will pass away with a great noise, and the elements will melt with fervent heat; both the earth and the works that are in it will be burned up. Therefore, since all these things will be dissolved, what manner of persons ought you to be in holy conduct and godliness, looking for and hastening the coming of the day of God, because of which the heavens will be dissolved, being on fire, and the elements will melt with fervent heat? Nevertheless we, according to His promise, look for new heavens and a new earth in which righteousness dwells" (2 Peter 3:1-13).

1. Deut. 6:4-5, “Hear, O Israel: the LORD our God, the LORD is one! You shall love the LORD your God with all your heart, with all your soul, and with all your strength.”- The foundation: The LORD our God, the LORD is one.- The greatest commandment: You shall love the LORD your God with all your heart, with all your soul, and with all your strength- Can you legislate love?- Heart, Soul, and Strength?2. Leviticus 19:17-18, “You shall not hate your brother in your heart. You shall surely rebuke your neighbor, and not bear sin because of him. You shall not take vengeance, nor bear any grudge against the children of your people, but you shall love your neighbor as yourself: I am the LORD.- The second: Love your neighbour3. The greatest commandments – not in conflict- Mark 12:35-44 – How not to obey the greatest commandments

In the second half of chapter 2, Peter warns the church about false teachers. Teachers are not only those who stand in front of a class or behind a pulpit. Teachers are those who influence, who lead, who discipline, who catechize your responses. Teachers are those who you follow. And so, who is your teacher?

In a world gone mad, Christians can become unwitting assistants to the insanity, and therefore, it is incredibly important for Christians to keep the building blocks of civilization straight in their own heads. How are cities built? They are built on the principle of personal responsibility.

What pops into your mind when you think about “conversations” over doctrine? Chances are, “love” isn’t what comes immediately to mind. Shepherds love sheep by fighting wolves. Kings love citizens by fighting invaders. Husbands love their families by fighting the seduction of the workplace & the adulteress. Fences make the obligations of love clear.

Today we are remembering the outpouring of the Holy Spirit on the Day of Pentecost. We will be considering the convergence of all things in the Father, coming to Him through the Son, and enabled to do this by the Spirit. But though this must be our central focus, coming to the Father, we do not want to let this true scriptural emphasis become a superstition for us. Stephen addressed Jesus when he was dying—“And they stoned Stephen, calling upon God, and saying, Lord Jesus, receive my spirit” (Acts 7:59). And if we invoke the presence of the Spirit now, we do so only because we want Him to fulfill His vocation, which is that of glorifying the one who brings sinners to His Father.