This past Sunday was a special Sunday in the life of our church: we had the privilege of ordaining Tom Wilkins. If you are unfamiliar with the term ordination, it simply means to publicly set apart or appoint. Below is an outline summary of the sermon for your further study and deeper reflection.

TEXT: 1 Peter 5:1-4
TITLE: Peter, Pastors, and Barbecue: A Special Sunday in the Life of SGC
PREACHER: Derek Overstreet

POINTS:
I. A Pastor’s Charge
II. A Pastor’s Heart
III. A Pastor’s Motivation

SERMON EXCERPTS:
”These four verses have ENORMOUS implications for pastors. But what it powerfully preaches to pastors, has TREMENDOUS implications and applications for YOU because in focusing on the pastors, Peter is equipping the churches.”

“The NT uses pastor, elder, and overseer as interchangeable terms—three terms, one office. We see the interchangeable nature of these terms in Titus 1, 1 Timothy 3, Acts 20, Philippians 1, Ephesians 4, and right here in 1 Peter 4.”

“Scripture teaches the KEY to the Christian life is KEEPING your eyes on Jesus—namely his sacrifice and his return. And that begins with pastors in their own lives and in their pastoring. A pastor has one message to proclaim, one song to sing, one motivating force—Jesus Christ!”

“These are the sacred tasks of governing—feeding, caring, protecting, leading.”

“A pastor is called to sacrifice himself to the will of God, the gospel of Christ, and the mission of the church because he is convinced in his heart God has called him to just that.”

“Should pastors be paid? According to 1 Corinthians 9 and 1 Timothy 5, if at all possible, YES! But when money becomes the motive, temptations and partiality hinders the gospel mission, reviles the Word of God, and slanders the name of Christ.”

“…pastoral authority is God’s design. We know that because it is patterned in the Trinity, enabled through the gospel, and clearly prescribed in the Scriptures through commands, imagery, and implication.”

“It's paramount pastors remember they are shepherds. Peter doesn’t call pastors ranchers. Ranchers rawhide cattle into corrals. Pastors are shepherds, gently feeding, caring, protecting and leading sheep toward the Great Shepherd, as we ourselves pursue the Great Shepherd.”

“The reason I will wear the unfading crown of glory before God is because the Chief Shepherd wore a crown of thorns for me.”

QUOTES:
John Stott- “The best sermons we ever preach to others are those we have first preached to ourselves.”

Alexander Strauch - “Shepherding is the figurative expression for governance, while overseeing is the literal term”

ADDITIONAL SCRIPTURE:
Acts 13:2
Acts 14:23
2 Timothy 4:1-2
Hebrews 13:17
Acts 20:28-30
Acts 6:1-6
2 Timothy 2:2
Ephesians 4:11-16

And they devoted themselves to the apostles’ teaching and the fellowship, to the breaking of bread and the prayers. And awe came upon every soul, and many wonders and signs were being done through the apostles. And all who believed were together and had all things in common. And they were selling their possessions and belongings and distributing the proceeds to all, as any had need. And day by day, attending the temple together and breaking bread in their homes, they received their food with glad and generous hearts, praising God and having favor with all the people. And the Lord added to their number day by day those who were being saved—Acts 2:42-47

What a compelling picture of life in Christ! God’s people knitted and being knitted together in every aspect of life, spiritually and practically. Though 2000 years later, it looks different in many ways, what remains unchanged is the godly desire to live the gospel life out with one another. 

While life in Christ together has many expressions, none is dearer than gathering as a church. For your calendar and prayers, we have listed upcoming events we hope you will consider.

Good Friday

Easter

April Offering

Guest Luncheon

Ordination Sunday

Woven

April 15 + Good Friday Service
Join us as we remember what Jesus experienced at the cross on our behalf. The service is from 6-7 pm (no childcare provided).

April 17 + Easter Service 
Invite your friends and family as we celebrate God’s exclamation point on the gospel—the empty tomb from the Gospel of Luke.

April 24 + April Offering
We serve a generous God who has given us all things in His Son Jesus. In response to His divine generosity, we have the privilege of worshipping Him uniquely with our wallets. Please pray how God would have you participate in the April offering and come on the last Sunday of April ready to give with joy, faith, and generosity. 

April 24 + Guest Luncheon 
If you are not a member at SGC, please join us for lunch following the service. Specifically designed for you, this luncheon is an opportunity to meet the pastors, ask questions about the church, and learn what the next step toward membership is. You can register now at our website sovgracetucson.org.

May 15 + Ordination Sunday
This will be a significant Sunday in the life of our church as we officially ordain Tom Wilkins as a pastor. We will continue our celebration with a barbecue immediately following the service.  

May 21 + Woven Brunch: A Celebration of Christian Women
Ladies (and daughter's youth age and up), please join us as we celebrate Christian women in all seasons of life. It will be a wonderful time of encouragement, fellowship, and prayer. Oh yeah, and great food catered by our own Chef John Hohn!

“Jesus is the reason for the season!” How many times have we heard that phrase?!

Every year, amidst the joyfully hectic hustle and bustle of December, we gather together as a church to pause and remember the birth of Jesus. We don’t do this simply to remind each other, our friends, and neighbors of a cute story about a baby in a barn. But to remind us of where our hope and joy truly belongs, not only in this season but in all of life - THE GOSPEL. The life and death of our precious Savior. A baby in a barn is only a piece of that story!

This year will be no different! And we invite you to join us this Christmas Eve at 6:00 PM for our annual Candlelight Service. There will be paper invitations for you in the lobby on Sunday, however, feel free to screen-shot the image below to share the details that way! The Gospel will be preached!

Child dedications. What are they? Should the church have them? Should I dedicate my child on Sunday morning? These are good questions. As Christians, we should never do something because it is what we have always done or everyone else is doing it.

 Some churches baptize infants, otherwise known as paedobaptism. We do not baptize infants because we believe Scripture teaches baptism is for believers (Romans 6:3-4, Colossians 2:11-14). This conviction is captured in our Statement of Faith:

Baptism is an initiatory, unrepeated sacrament for those who come to faith in Christ that pictures their remissions of sins and union with Christ in his death and resurrection.

So does the Bible say anything about baby dedications? Nowhere does Scripture command parents to dedicate their child to the Lord. That said, there are examples, specifically, Hannah vowing to dedicate her child to the Lord (1 Samuel 1:11) and Joseph and Mary taking Jesus to the Temple to be dedicated (Luke 2:22).

Scripture is clear on the parent's God-given call to teach their children diligently in the ways of the Lord (Deuteronomy 6:6-7), train them up in the way they should go (Proverbs 22:6), and bring them up in the discipline and instruction of the Lord (Ephesians 6:4). Dedicating your child is not an act of salvation, baptism, or church membership. It is a symbolic way to communicate the Spirit-empowered intent to raise the child in a Christ-centered home according to Scripture.

In this way, child dedication is less about the child and more about the parents acknowledging their child is a gift from the Lord entrusted to them to raise for His glory with the hope that he or she will come to faith in Jesus one day. 

As for the rest of the church, through this encouraging tradition, we commit as a local family of faith to stand in prayer and support for the parents and their child.   

If you would like to participate in the child dedication on Mother’s Day, May 9th, please click here to register your child, and someone will contact you. 

One of the most powerful pictures of the transformational effects of the gospel is in Acts 2:42-47. Check it out and you will find people from all walks of life, backgrounds, and even geography, graciously brought into a new life together through the love and mercy of God in Christ Jesus. 

Much has changed two thousand years later. But for the Church, life together remains a mark of our identity in Christ. At Sovereign Grace Church, our life together is precious to us and life in April will be busy so please take a moment to check out our April together.

• April 2 - Good Friday Service, 7:00 pm

• April 4 - Easter Sunday Service, 10:00 am

• April 11 - Return to Live Streaming Sermon Only

• April 18 - Church Barbecue Following Service

• April 25 - Annual April Offering

“I wish the pastor went a little deeper with that thought!”
“What was the verse he cited?”
“Did they announce…”
“I can’t remember that quote.” 

Sound familiar? I’m sure it does. Whether it is a thought that misses the final sermon cut, an announcement cut for time’s sake, or our memory just not cutting it, we can miss a lot on Sunday morning. 

Introducing The Cutting Board. (This blog!) From sermon notes to theological reflections to important announcements, The Cutting Board exists to keep you in the know, take you deeper into truth and show you Jesus in ways that are relevant to the life and people of Sovereign Grace Church. 

The best way to stay up to date is to check back here often! If you’re a member of our church you will also be receiving blog updates via email. Anyone else interested in receiving these updates can subscribe below or on our “what to expect” page here!

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