Christ Church (Moscow, ID)

Preacher: Aaron VenturaText: Ezra 4:1–5

One of Scripture’s great themes is the theme of deliverance. God first delivers us from the bondage of our sins, and then after this He delivers us from the spite and hate leveled at us by those who hate the fact that we have been delivered from the bondage of our sins. This is a psalm about that second kind of deliverance.This is the way of the world. No sooner is the man child of Revelation born but the dragon is after him and his mother both (Rev. 12:13). The history of the world is a history of billions of deaths, but the very first one was a martyr’s death (Luke 11:51; Heb. 11:4).We will be addressing the subject of persecution, and while I will not be making explicit references to our situation here in Moscow, you are invited to make your own applications for use in your prayers. This does apply for the simple reason that these things always apply.

"You are to standfast in this freedom. There is no justification outside of faith in Christ." – Dr. Tim Edwards

While we should be persistent, militant, and ambitious for growth and holiness and success, Christians should also care about the process as much as the final product. You could drag your kids through family worship or a classical education and they could hate you at the end of it. It would have been better to do less with joy and win their hearts than lose their hearts on the altar of some checklist you made up or saw on a website one time.

Preacher: Dr. Tim Edwards.Text: Galatians 4:21–5:6.

Preacher: Douglas Wilson.One of the features of the modern evangelical world is that we hear conflicting voices. On the one hand we hear those calling for radical discipleship and renunciation. On the other we hear the clamor of those selling what has come to be called the “health and wealth” gospel. It should not surprise us to discover that the Scriptures actually teach us both. And the only way such contraries can be made to agree and walk together is if the Holy Spirit of God is at work.

Preacher: Ben Zornes.Our tendency is to avoid hearing hard words. We tolerate plenty of profane words. We don’t mind trading rhetorical blows of biting words, or watching the “food fight” of political & media blow-hards. But we shield ourselves against hard words.

Preacher: Toby Sumpter“The Lord said to my Lord, sit at my right hand, until I make your enemies your footstool” (Ps. 110:1). Where is Jesus right now? We confess the answer every single week: He ascended into heaven and sits at the right hand of God the Father Almighty. And what is Jesus doing at the right hand of God the Father? He is reigning until all of His enemies have been put beneath His feet. The Psalmist says the Lord has sent His rod of strength out of Zion to conquer all of His enemies.

Preacher: Shawn PatersonAt the time of the Reformation, the inherited church calendar was bloated and a burden, with 40–60 holy days and dozens of fasting days. The Reformed solution to this problem varied. Some ditched the calendar altogether, while the majority retained what are called the five evangelical feast days: Christmas, Good Friday, Easter, Ascension Day, and Pentecost. Both groups used similar criteria for their pastoral decisions regarding what to celebrate.First, they acknowledged that Christians are free in Christ to observe or not observe special days or seasons. As St Paul wrote, “One person esteems one day as better than another, while another esteems all days alike. Each one should be fully convinced in his own mind.” The second criteria was that of edification. Will this practice largely help or hurt our people in their faith? Each congregation has different needs, different contexts, and this takes wisdom.

There is so much freedom in obedience. But sinners complicate everything, and by our own hard hearts, we make obedience hard.