Calvary Monterey Podcast

Title: How To Read The BibleSpeaker: Nate HoldridgeText: Proverbs 2Links:Sermon Notes

Title: He Became Poor For UsSpeaker: Nate HoldridgeText: 2 Corinthians 8:9Links:Sermon Notes

Title: Women of Christmas: AnnaSpeaker: Nate HoldridgeText: Luke 2:36-38Women Of Christmas Theme: For this Christmas season—Advent—over the next three Sundays, I would like us to consider some of the women of Christmas. All of them are found in Luke's gospel. First, we will consider Elizabeth, the mother of John the Baptist and a relative of Mary. Second, we will consider Mary, the young virgin who became the blessed mother of our Lord. And third, we will consider Anna, the elderly widow who daily waited for the Messiah in the Jewish temple and celebrated when she saw Jesus.Overview: And we should carry a similar hope today. Anna wanted the redemption of Jerusalem, but we crave the redemption of the whole world. Isaiah (and Habakkuk after him) promised a day to come when "the earth shall be full of the knowledge of the LORD as the waters cover the sea" (Is. 11:9, Hab. 2:14). Living, as we do, on the Monterey Bay, we know a bit about the sea. In our bay, there is seemingly endless life, a whole world that researchers are increasingly learning about. It is a world under water, under the deluge, existing within the substance. One day, Christ will come, and he will establish his reign and kingdom forever. And it will be like life under the ocean surface—we will exist within his realm, with a knowledge of him, his ways, and his goodness. Nothing will be untouched by the cross.Right now, though we hope for that kingdom, we have a hard time imagining it. But, one day, when Jesus returns, not as a baby but as a conquering king, "what no eye has seen or heard or imagined, what God has prepared for those who love him," will be known (1 Cor. 2:9). It will be our experience. We will be swimming in it. No, living within it. So, with Anna, let's live in anticipation and hope!Links:Sermon Notes

Title: Women of Christmas: MarySpeaker: Geoff BuckText: Luke 1:26-56

Title: Foregivness & Guilt Q&ASpeaker: Dr. J.P. MorelandDr. Moreland will be speaking on the topic of 'Forgiveness and Guilt". This is going to be a powerful night of teaching from one of the foremost voices in Christian apologetics. The event is free and childcare is provided upon registration. We encourage you to invite your believing and unbelieving friends and family to this special night. You won't want to miss it!Links:Lecture Notes

Title: Foregivness & GuiltSpeaker: Dr. J.P. MorelandDr. Moreland will be speaking on the topic of 'Forgiveness and Guilt". This is going to be a powerful night of teaching from one of the foremost voices in Christian apologetics. The event is free and childcare is provided upon registration. We encourage you to invite your believing and unbelieving friends and family to this special night. You won't want to miss it!Links:Lecture Notes

Title: Women of Christmas: ElizabethSpeaker: Nate HoldridgeText: Luke 1Women Of Christmas Theme: For this Christmas season—Advent—over the next three Sundays, I would like us to consider some of the women of Christmas. All of them are found in Luke's gospel. First, we will consider Elizabeth, the mother of John the Baptist and a relative of Mary. Second, we will consider Mary, the young virgin who became the blessed mother of our Lord. And third, we will consider Anna, the elderly widow who daily waited for the Messiah in the Jewish temple and celebrated when she saw Jesus.Overview: So Elizabeth was a woman after God's own heart, a woman who lived in fear of the Lord, and through her body, the dawn of the gospel began to break. Her steadfast hope in God, her prophetic counsel as a messenger for God, and her determined obedience to God all paved the way for the Son of Mary, the Son of God.Let's emulate Elizabeth by walking righteously even while still in the dark. This Christmas season, as we consider the beauty of the first advent, we still look forward to the second. All is not as it should be. And all is not as it will be once Christ returns. When he does, he will lift our reproach from us. Brokenness will not remain. We will be redeemed by our Lord.One of the most celebrated facets of this time of year is the warmth and joy of friendships and family. Movies and music often portray, amid the darkness and cold, glowing lights and relational warmth. But it is getting harder and harder to believe the hype. We cannot forget the animosity, despair, and brokenness of our time. Nor can we forget our own disappointments, times when life is anything but what Hallmark portrays.But rather than be disgusted by the hype, realize it is the guttural cry of humanity for something we cannot attain on our own. We want peace on earth. We want goodwill toward man. We want goodness and joy to permeate all things. And so does Christ. One day, he will return and banish sin, pain, brokenness, and injustice for his people. The sun of righteousness will rise with healing in its wings, and he will reign forever (Malachi 4:2). So let's be like Elizabeth, faithfully walking with God while hoping in God, using this Christmas season as another signpost to a more glorious age to come.Links:Sermon NotesDiscussion Questions

Title: See The GospelSpeaker: Nate HoldridgeText: Galatians 3:1-5Galatians Theme: Galatians describes a life that is free. It is a life in flight. If we cling to the true gospel, if we accept it for what it is, we can fly. But Paul wrote Galatians because the Galatian believers—and all future believers—were in danger. If we adulterate the gospel, if we add to it in any way, we will not fly. Like a bird chained in a birdcage, we will (at best) hinder ourselves from flying into God's ideal for our lives or (at worst) hinder ourselves and others from true salvation.Overview: Believers in Jesus must repeatedly see the cross of Christ, along with all its implications. Jesus Christ must constantly be "publicly portrayed as crucified before our eyes (1). When Jesus is famous to us personally—when his sacrifice on the cross is understood and appreciated for what it is—beautiful results follow.When we see afresh that the gift of the Son dying on the cross led to the gift of the Spirit living within us, we will turn to him for leadership, guidance, and strength.When we see afresh that Jesus made us complete us on the cross, we will realize that he is constantly there for us throughout life, helping us grow.When we see afresh the immense value of what Jesus did for us by substituting himself for us, we will become willing to sacrifice anything to live for him.And when we see afresh how simple faith in the gospel released God's power in our lives, we will continue to express simple faith in him, releasing his power towards us.But for all this, we must continually see his cross.The week before Jesus died in Jerusalem, he passed through Jericho. A great crowd gathered, but there was a blind beggar named Bartimaeus. When he heard that it was Jesus passing by, he began to cry, "Jesus, Son of David, have mercy on me!" People tried to silence him, but Jesus called for him and asked him, "What do you want me to do for you?" Bartimaeus replied, "Let me recover my sight." Jesus commended Bartimaeus for his faith, healed him, and went on his way with Bartimaeus in tow (Mk. 10:46-52).I think Bartimaeus can be a metaphor for every believer in Jesus. When we aren't hearing a clear, continuous, and bold portrayal of Jesus Christ and him crucified, we inevitably slip into spiritual blindness, begging for scraps, turning to lesser things to solve our issues. But when we cry out afresh to Jesus, asking him to open our eyes again to him and his cross, we begin to see once more. And with our sight, he stands before us, and we are able to follow him again. So, every day, let us be a people who ask him for sight so that he and his cross will be clearly portrayed to us. Let us ask him to help us see the gospel.Links:Sermon NotesDiscussion Questions

Title: Gospel LifeSpeaker: Nate HoldridgeText: Galatians 2:17-21Galatians Theme: Galatians describes a life that is free. It is a life in flight. If we cling to the true gospel, if we accept it for what it is, we can fly. But Paul wrote Galatians because the Galatian believers—and all future believers—were in danger. If we adulterate the gospel, if we add to it in any way, we will not fly. Like a bird chained in a birdcage, we will (at best) hinder ourselves from flying into God's ideal for our lives or (at worst) hinder ourselves and others from true salvation.Overview: Gospel living is before us in the passage today.It tells us that through the law we died to any possibility of standing approved before God on the basis of our own personal goodness. We died to that legal way of relating to God, and in being set free from it, we are now free to live for God.It also tells us that we are so inextricably identified with Christ that it's as if we no longer live, but Christ lives in us. We died on the cross with Jesus, and now his resurrection life can be our daily experience.And it tells us that this brand of life is gained by ongoing and persistent faith in Jesus, the one who loved us so much he gave his life for us. We are to live in continual dependence upon him because he has proved himself dependable to us.In the Old Testament era, worshippers came from afar to offer animal sacrifices to God. It was God's way of helping them understand the problem of sin—their unholiness kept them from his presence. The sacrifices were meant as a covering for their sin, allowing them to engage in fellowship with God. Every sacrifice pointed forward to the ultimate and only satisfactory sacrifice of God's only begotten Son. But when those worshippers approached the altar, when the animal was slain, they would place their hands on the head of the animal. And, for many sacrifices, after the animal was offered, the worshipper would eat the meat in a holy meal. So they had to touch and consume the sacrifices that were offered. It was not enough to watch from afar; the worshipper had to connect with that which was offered on the altar.In a similar way, modern worshippers must place their hands on and consume the sacrifice. The gospel life made possible by Christ's sacrifice must be energetically entered into. We cannot be passive. If we are, we will rebuild laws and codes that Christ destroyed, seeking to approach God through our works. If we are, we won't see ourselves as completely identified with Christ in his death and resurrection. If we are, we won't enjoy the simple devotion of faith and trust in Jesus every day of our lives. But we must not nullify the grace of God. Instead, we must put our hands on Jesus and take hold of him for life today and every day, believing that the power of his cross means life today is for God, in Christ, and by faith.Links:Sermon NotesDiscussion Questions

Title: An Invitation To TrustSpeaker: Matt KehlerText: Psalm 16Links:Discussion Questions