Friday evening and yesterday, we looked at what the Scriptures say about the Holy Spirit and the spiritual gifts. Why devote a weekend to studying the Holy Spirit and the spiritual gifts? Because you, as a church, and our family of churches are continuationists, meaning that we believe the spiritual gifts are for today, and are to continue to be used until Christ returns. Below is an outline summary of the sermon for your further study and deeper reflection.

GIFTS OF THE SPIRIT WEEKEND
TEXT: Ephesians 5:15-21
TITLE: Be Filled With The Spirit
PREACHER: Mark Prater

POINTS:
1.  Why Do We Need to Be Filled With the Spirit?
2. What is the effect of being filled with the Spirit?
3. How may we be filled with the Spirit?

SERMON EXCERPTS:
All quotes are taken from the pastor’s notes.
”To effectively use your gifts for the good of your church, and for your witness here in the Tucson area, you need the Holy Spirit and His power. This morning, we are going to look at a verse in Ephesians 5 that tells us, even commands us, to be people who are filled with the Spirit because that command is given, in part, to meet our need for God’s power.”

“Verse 18 is a command that is not to be disregarded. We know it’s a command because the language used here “be filled” is in the imperative mood meaning that this is a command, and it is a good command that meets our need.”

“At our conversion, when we are born again, we are indwelt with the Holy Spirit (1 Corinthians 12:3.) But it’s clear from this verse, that even though we are indwelt with the Spirit, we have a daily need to be filled with the Spirit. We know that because the language used in v.18 is not only written in the imperative mood, but also in the present tense. ‘Be filled.’”

“Paul doesn’t seem to think that a Christian can be too full of the Spirit. Rather, the present tense language assumes that we need more of the Spirit. For the believer being filled with the Spirit is not a one-time event but a continuous, daily on-going command and need.”

“We are commanded by God to be filled with the Spirit often, daily, continuously…”

“There are 12 references to the person and work of the Holy Spirit in this letter to the Ephesians and they reveal our need for the Spirit’s presence and work.”

“The presence of the Spirit in our lives meets our need of having a “guarantee of our eternal inheritance until we acquire possession of it.” (1:13) It is the Spirit that gives us wisdom, meeting our daily need for God’s wisdom, when we ask God for it in prayer. (1:17) It is in Christ that we are being built together in unity as a dwelling place for God by/in the Holy Spirit (2:22). It is through the Spirit that we receive God’s power when we pray and meets our daily need to grasp the h/l/w/b of Christ’s love for us, and the need for God’s power to use our spiritual gifts. (3:16) We are to pray at all times in the Spirit so that we will persevere in boldly proclaiming the gospel. (6:19) These references to the Spirit tell us that God gives us this good command to be filled with the Holy Spirit to live the Christian life, serve the church, be an effective gospel witness, and persevere in doing all of this until we possess our eternal inheritance. In other words, to do all of that, we need the work and power of the Spirit.”

“Did you note how this command is contrasted with being drunk with wine? In other words, Paul is asking what is influencing or controlling you? Either we are influenced by wine that we have drank, or we are influenced by the Spirit that fills us. We are to be filled with the Spirit because we have an ongoing need to be influenced by the Spirit in the way we live our lives. The influence of the Spirit in our lives is not some ecstatic event, rather the context tells us that influence is moral in nature resulting in spiritual and relational fruit. …we are to be people whose lives are so given over to the Spirit that the influence of the Spirit is to be as obvious as the influence of those who have drunk too much wine.”

“Paul wants us to be filled up with God himself. If you’re not aware of your need to be filled with the Spirit, consider for a moment that God is infinite, that He is unsearchable, that He unfathomable. In light of who God is, no wonder we, as God’s people, need to be filled daily by the Spirit for there is always more of God’s presence that we need and can receive.”

“Even though we are filled with the Spirit individually, contextually we see that the effect is a corporate one. READ vv.19-21. A community of believers that is filled with the Spirit addresses one another in psalms, hymns and spiritual songs which is partly a reference to the teaching of Scripture. It is a community that sings wholeheartedly to God. It is a group of people known for their gratitude for all things at all times and it is a community of people that is marked by mutual submission to one another out of reverence for Christ rather than being demanding of one another. Just as its obvious that a person is drunk with wine by the way they conduct themselves, a community of believers is obviously filled with the Spirit by the way they conduct themselves, seen in how they relate to one another and to God.”

“I don’t know about you, but I daily face situations and issues that I don’t know what to do, or how to handle them. These are moments to pray for the Spirit’s filling and fresh impartations of the Spirit’s wisdom, guidance, and power. Don’t waste those perplexing times, rather turn them into passionate prayers. And when it comes to using our spiritual gifts, we must pray for the Spirit to lead us and to give us power. What we have enjoyed this weekend can only be explained by the work of the Spirit as He has empowered our gifts. When your soul is dry, thirst for Jesus, and ask Him to fill you with the Spirit. Brothers and sisters, our response to this command to be filled with the Spirit must be marked by persistent prayers where we ask the Father and the Son to give us the Spirit.”

“Aware of our need for the Spirit, let us invite the Spirit’s presence, work, and power by asking the Lord to fill us with the Spirit.”

ADDITIONAL SCRIPTURE:
Ephesians 4:26-32
Galatians 5:25
John 7:37-39
Luke 11:13

QUOTES:
Sovereign Grace Statement of Faith, pgs. 44-45 - “The full range of spiritual gifts remain at work in the church and are given for the good of the church and its witness to the world. We are therefore to earnestly desire and practice them until Christ returns.”

Richard Gaffin - “This command…is relevant to all believers throughout the whole of their lives. No believer may presume to have experienced a definitive filling of the Spirit so that the command of verse 18 no longer applies. Short of death or the Lord’s return, it continues in effect for every believer.”

Greg Allison & Andreas Köstenberger - “The expected or intended response to this command is for Christians to yield to the Holy Spirit, to be controlled-pervaded or permeated-by the Spirit in all their ways, to consciously place themselves under the guidance of the Spirit moment by moment.”

A.M. Stibbs and J.I. Packer - “Now imagine a doctor telling a patient that he is not using his lungs properly, and that he needs to learn to breathe more deeply. If the patient were like some seekers after the fullness of the Spirit, his immediate reaction would be to ask the doctor to produce his lung pump, and properly fill his lungs with air for him then and there! But the doctor’s prescription would be daily breathing exercises, by which he would himself learn to take in more air, and thus gradually to increase his capacity for intake…Something similar applies to the Christian’s experience of the fullness of the Holy Spirit. The extent to which the Spirit actually penetrates and possesses every moment of our time, every corner of our lives, and every sphere of our thought and activity, is always capable of enlargement.”

Gordon Fee - “Here, then, is the ultimate imperative in the Pauline corpus: God’s people so filled with the Spirit’s own presence that they come to know God in all his fullness and reflect such in the way they live in relationship to one another and to God himself.”

J.I. Packer - “Christians are meant to grow spiritually through, and within, and under, the fullness of the Spirit’s new covenant ministry.”

J.I. Packer - “It is as if the Spirit stands behind us, throwing light over on Jesus, who stands facing us. The Spirit’s message to us is never, “Look at me; listen to me; come to me; get to know me,” but always, “Look at him and see him, and see his glory; get to know him, and hear his word; go to him, and have life; get to know him, and taste his gift of joy and peace.”

Sovereign Grace Statement of Faith, pg. 43 - “The Spirit also desires to fill God’s people continually with increased power for Christian life and witness. To be filled with the Spirit is to be more fully under his influence, more aware of his presence, and more effective in his service. All Christians, therefore, must continually seek to be filled with the Spirit by living and praying in such a way that invites the Spirit’s work among us…”

APPLICATION:
Q. Are you aware of your daily need to be filled with the Spirit?

How may we be filled with the Spirit? Four recommendations:
1. Pursue living a holy life - Chapter 4 here in Ephesians ends by telling us that sin grieves the Holy Spirit!
2. Walk by the Spirit - Paul says that we walk by the Spirit by not gratifying the desires of the flesh, rather we produce the fruit of the Spirit (love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, self-control) and we are people who are open to the Spirit’s leading, and promptings even when they are spontaneous and unplanned.
3. Thirst for Jesus - The more we are aware of our thirst, the more we see our need for Jesus and our need to be filled with the Spirit. Even though the Spirit works in distinct ways, His work consistently points to Christ.
4. Pray for the filling of the Spirit - We are to ask the Father to give us, to fill us, with the Holy Spirit. In addition, the context of Luke 11 teaches us to be persistent in prayer, which means that we should pray for the filling of the Holy Spirit repeatedly and persistently asking for fresh impartations of the Spirit’s power.

SONGS FROM THIS SUNDAY:
Sing
God Is Faithful
He Will Hold Me Fast
Christ Our Hope In Life And Death
Help Us See Christ

NEXT WEEK’S PASSAGE:
Colossians 1:9-14

Our text today is a celebration. From a heart overflowing with thanksgiving, Paul celebrates the Colossians. As we listen in, my prayer is that we will be compelled to apply what he is modeling to our lives and church. Below is an outline summary of the sermon for your further study and deeper reflection.

SERIES: Colossians: Alive In Christ
TEXT: Colossians 1:3-8
TITLE: Something Worth Celebrating
PREACHER: Derek Overstreet

POINTS:
1. Growing in Thankfulness for the Church
2. Remaining Confident in the Message of the Church

SERMON EXCERPTS:
All quotes are taken from the pastor’s notes.
”I am grateful that early in our Christian walk we were part of a church that emphasized and prioritized the biblical practice of seeing and celebrating God’s work in one another. Sad to say, it’s a dying discipline. And as it dies, a God-ordained means of joy, comfort, and Christ-exalting worship die with it.”

“The discipline was alive and well with the Apostle Paul. He was the master of seeing and celebrating Christ in others. To be with Paul was to be reminded of God’s multi-faceted goodness toward you and love for you in Christ Jesus.”

“A hallmark of Paul’s care of the church—whether he planted it or not (Paul didn’t plant the church in Colossae)—was his thankfulness for the church. Paul was passionate about God’s people and that passion was most revealed in His thankfulness expressed for and to the local church.”

“If anyone has seen the dark underbelly of the church, it was Paul. Paul was personally involved in so much of the doctrinal and relational messiness of the first-century church, but his thankfulness for the church never waned.”

“Paul’s thankfulness is not merely a general attitude; he points out three specific things he sees in them: their faith, their love, their hope.”

“Faith. This is where true Christianity begins. John 3:16-18, Acts 16:31, Romans 4:4-5 and Ch. 10, they all teach that sinners are saved, not through behavior, through faith.”

“Whenever we talk about having faith, we have to ask—Faith in what? The world loves faith. Faith is good. Faith is an expression of a mentally healthy and balanced life—You gotta have faith. Faith in yourself. Faith in reincarnation. Faith in your faith. It doesn’t matter. So as long as you have faith something, you’re okay. The problem with that viewpoint is that there is no inherent value in faith. Faith in your faith is works. Faith must be attached to something. It’s the object of faith that has value and power.”

“Paul is clear in 4 that the object of the Colossians' faith is Jesus. They have faith in Christ Jesus. Nothing else. No one else. They are saints and faithful brothers by faith alone in Christ alone. Salvation is not something you can earn. It’s a gift that comes by grace alone through faith in Christ alone. The Colossians' faith came as they heard and understood and TRUSTED in the gospel message from Epaphras.”

“The church in Colossae, and this church, are a group of people who trust Christ personally, exclusively, and continually. This is critical because we will see in Ch 2 that their faith in Christ alone was being challenged by certain people as insufficient. So Paul encourages them by celebrating their faith in Jesus Christ.”

“Their faith in Jesus has spilled over into their relationships with one another—namely, love for one another. At the heart of the Christian life is love. It begins with a divine love initiated by God, accomplished in the gospel work of Jesus, and applied to the hearts of unlovable sinners by the Holy Spirit through faith.”

“Paul has heard of the Colossians faith working through love for one another (Galatians 5:6). So he celebrates it, he encourages them in it, and he thanks God for it because it their love for one another is evidence that their faith in Jesus alone is real and sufficient because it reflects the love of the gospel that has come to them.”

“Paul refers to their hope, not as a subjective act of hoping isolated from their faith and love, but as the basis of their faith and love. It‘s not a verb, it’s a noun. Notice 5 again. Paul thanks God for their faith and love—because of the hope laid up in heaven for you. Of this (what’s this—it’s hope) you have heard before in the word of truth, the gospel. In other words, the object of hope is Christ himself.”

“Once the Colossians had been without hope in this world. But now, through the gospel, the life, death, and resurrection of Jesus, in which they believe and stand in Christ, heaven, they have a heavenly hope. A sure future with the risen Christ in the glorious presence of God that will never end. In Christ, God no longer counts their sins against them. In Christ, Death has lost its sting because it . leads to an eternal life of immeasurable riches. As 1:27 says—Christ IS their sure and certain hope of glory because in him all God’s promises are Yes and Amen.”

“For so many people, hope is nothing more than a foundationless and blind optimism. But the gospel offers sure and lasting hope because it’s a  hope rooted in the living Christ, in whom God is faithful to all His promises.”

“…the Colossians faith in Jesus, the promised Messiah, was a fulfillment of the ancient and sacred promise of the OT that the gospel will go to the nations, that includes the Gentile Colossians.”

“The gospel is a real message with real power being used by a real God to save and sanctify real sinners. The bearing fruit is that people are being saved. The growing isn’t numbers, it’s sanctification—those who have been saved growing more and more in Christ as they go about the gospel mission.”

“This week I thought about how this applies to our desires to establish a CG on the Eastside this year with the hopes of planting a church in the future. It’s scary. How will we do it? What if we fail? Are we too small? When Paul tells the Colossians the gospel is bearing fruit and growing, he reminds us - As we go, we will grow.”

“For a church tempted to doubt the sufficiency and supremacy of Christ, this was just what they needed—to be spurred on in their gospel hope to reject error and persevere in the faith. Is it what you need today?”

ADDITIONAL SCRIPTURE:
Psalm 119:74
John 3:16-18
Acts 16:31
Romans 4:4-5, and ch. 10
1 John 4:9-10
Titus 2:11-13

QUOTES:
Charles Bridges - “How cheering is the sight of a man of God!  How refreshing his converse! How satisfactory and enlivening is the exhibition of his faith! The goodness of God to one becomes thus the joy and comfort of all.”

B.B. Warfield - “It is not, strictly speaking, even faith in Christ that saves, but Christ that saves through faith. The saving power resides exclusively, not in the act of faith or the attitude of faith or the nature of faith, but in the object of faith.”

H.B. Charles - “Bearing fruit describes the power of the gospel among unbelievers; growing describes the power of the gospel among believers. As we share the gospel, we should be like roots, not pipes. Water passes through pipes without any positive effect on the pipes. But as water passes through the roots of a tree, the tree grows stronger. As the gospel is bearing fruit among the lost, it should be growing and deepening and increasing among the saints. This is the power of the gospel…it can bear fruit and grow at the same time.”

APPLICATION:
Q. How are you cultivating a thankful heart for your church? Starting Point: Focus on God’s grace evident in your church not your personal disappointments with your church.

Q. What is the object of your hope today?

• As we step into the unknown, even in faith, it can be scary—grow in trusting God

• As we leave our comfort zones—grow in contentment in Christ

• As we stumble and make mistakes—grow in conviction that God builds His church, not us

• As we make certain sacrifices for the sake of Christ—grow in seeing Christ as our only treasure

• As we give ourselves to what seems impossible—grow in experiencing the enabling grace and power of the Spirit

As we Go not Knowing, proclaiming, and demonstrating the hope we have in Christ on the East Side, the gospel will bear fruit through us and in us. 

SONGS FROM THIS SUNDAY:
In Christ Alone
All I Have Is Christ
We Receive
Yet Not I But Through Christ In Me

NEXT WEEK’S PASSAGE:
Ephesians 5:15-21

Who am I? It’s one of the most pressing and profound questions anyone must answer. The question, of course, is about identity. In a day when identity is increasingly rooted in how one feels about self, what one experiences in life, or what one does in life, the question is critical. If you’re a Christian, there is only one way to answer the identity question. Below is an outline summary of the sermon for your further study and deeper reflection.

SERIES: Colossians: Alive In Christ
TEXT: Colossians 1:1-2
TITLE: The Glory of A Greeting
PREACHER: Derek Overstreet
BIG IDEA:

POINTS:
1. In Christ, We Identify with Christ Alone
2. In Christ, We View Life Through the Gospel Always

SERMON EXCERPTS:
All quotes are taken from the pastor’s notes.
” The truth is we share a common struggle in our fallenness: We are prone to live life out of our stations and struggles in life instead of our identity in Jesus Christ. In doing so, we miss so much joy and wonder that is ours as the victorious children of God. That’s where Colossians comes in. Colossians is a celebration. It’s a celebration, first, of the preeminent and victorious Christ. Over the next few months, you will find that Colossians, as a whole, is the most Christ-centered book in the Bible.”

“Second, Colossians is a celebration of being Alive in Christ. Because our identity is found in the Victorious One, we can live as victors in this fallen and challenging world.”

“That is your pastor’s prayer for this series: That we would increasingly live every day not out of our suffering but out of our victory in Jesus, living close to the cross, believing the gospel speaks to every part of life, and experiencing the joy and wonder of belonging to God, no matter the season we find ourselves in.”

“The first verse in Colossians makes it clear that Paul wrote it. He wrote this letter probably while imprisoned in Rome around 62 AD, about the same time he wrote Ephesians and Philemon. Paul is writing to a primarily Gentile church started and pastored by a man named Epaphras in Colossae (Scholarly consensus around Acts 19:10). Epaphras brought the gospel back to his hometown, a small and sleepy town roughly 100 miles east of Ephesus in modern-day Turkey. He is writing to strengthen the church against certain ideas and philosophies (primarily Jewish) that deviated from the gospel. Paul’s strategy: show them the supremacy, sufficiency, and all-satisfying nature of Jesus (15-20) which now defines their lives.”

“There is plenty going on in Colossians, but the heart of its message is a call and privilege to identify with and stand in Christ.”

“Paul’s letters are never shaped by mere stylistic formulas. There is Glory in a Greeting for Paul. His letters, from the opening to the closing words, are expressions of his deep affection, appreciation, and divinely appointed care for the churches. The Theology, Christology, and the Ecclesiology Paul packs into his greeting will be unpacked in the rest of the letter.”

“Paul uses two different terms to describe the believers in Colossae: First, Paul refers to them as saints, or you could translate that as—holy ones. Not holy in the sense of purity, that’s one use of the word. There’s a second use of holy in Scripture—being set apart. Paul reminds them that just as He is an Apostle—by the will of God (1)—by the will of God, they have been set apart to be His people. They might not be apostles like Paul, but out of millions of lost, God chose them, setting them apart to be His. Second, Paul refers to them as faithful brothers. Like saints, faithful can be used in two ways—reliable and believing. Paul repeatedly exhorts the Colossians to be faithful to the gospel, particularly in the face of false teaching. But here, Paul uses the greeting to establish their new and true identity in the gospel.”  

“They are faithful brothers in that they have faith in Jesus. They have heard and believed in the life, death, and resurrection of Jesus Christ for their salvation.”

“These things are true about them for one reason: their union with Christ. This is the repeated refrain of Colossians—They are in Christ.”

“To be in Christ means he encompasses your entire life. You may be a Tucsonan, a mother, a student, or a doctor, but the only identity that matters is your identity in Christ. In Ch. 2, Paul says—Christ’s death becomes our death, his burial our burial, his resurrection our resurrection, and ultimately Christ’s victory our victory.”

“Jesus is not a condiment we add to who we are. He is our all in all—our complete identity.”

“If you’re a Christian, it doesn’t matter how accomplished, intelligent, or popular you are. The best thing about your life, the only thing that eternally matters about you, is you are in Christ, and he is your hope of glory in life and death!”

“A primary point Paul makes in Colossians is the various ways the believers in Colossae benefit from God’s grace. Of course, that begins with the unmerited favor of God (grace) to sinners through the forgiveness of the cross that removes God’s deserved wrath and justifies them before God (peace). But grace and peace are connected not only to future hope but also to their present lives.”

“In Christ, not only have they received saving grace that brings eternal peace, but God provides ongoing grace and peace that surpasses all understanding in even the most challenging trial because, in Christ, they belong to him. They can live faithful lives before the Lord because they know God will provide grace for any season, and their greatest need has been dealt with—sins forgiven, righteousness imputed, justified before God, and therefore, at peace with God.”

“If we are in Christ, we know grace and live by grace so we can face life and live for the Lord with true peace in our hearts instead of anger and fear.”

“Colossians was written almost two millennia ago. But its message is as real as we are gathered and unpacking it. The Spirit intends that Colossians shapes our self-view as we live on gospel mission together in Tucson, AZ.”

“Colossians isn’t a Sunday snack. It’s a divine manifesto of the supremacy of Christ, who is the sure hope of glory for his people. As an Apostle of Jesus Christ by the will of God, Paul writes it with the authority of God Himself. The Lord desires that we understand, experience, and apply its transforming and unchanging truths to every aspect of life right here where God has us in Tucson.”

ADDITIONAL SCRIPTURE:
Acts 17:28

QUOTES:
Jerry Bridges - “As Christians, our identity is to be found in our relationship with Jesus Christ, not in our subjective and often negative life experiences.”

David Garland - “The recipients may be Colossians, but the only identity that matters to God is that they are Christians.”

Kent Hughes - “Best of all, they were in Christ, which is one of the deepest and most joyous of mysteries. In barest terms, it means the Colossians, and indeed all authentic believers,  partook of all that Christ had done, all that he was (and is), and all that he would ever be.”

Bryan Chapell - “We should understand that, fundamentally, our faith is not about what we do (as important as that is), nor is it about what we think (as important as that is). Our faith is fundamentally strengthened by understanding who we are through the indwelling Christ. We are who we are because of our union with Him.”

G.K. Beale - “This grace and peace is to enable them to live set-apart lives and be faithful as they live in Colossae.”

John Woodhouse - “The wonderful theological assertions that have been made (holy, believing, brothers, in Christ) apply to a particular group of real people in a specific location in this world. They are not abstract ideas. They are as real as the people gathered in Philemon’s house in Colossae, listening to this letter being read.”

APPLICATION:
- Do you think about yourself and each other this way? To be in Christ means you are exclusively and inseparably joined to him (Ch 2). To be in Christ means you are part of a new family, a spiritual family, the ultimate family, serving and encouraging and fellowshipping with one another (Ch. 3-4). To be in Christ means HE shapes and determines your behavior. We can’t love the world or be into “spirituality” and be in Christ (Ch 2-3).

- What are these glasses for you? The Bible makes it abundantly clear the mark of true spiritual maturity isn’t how well you know the Bible. It’s not how doctrinally astute you are. True spiritual maturity is not about how well you can articulate complex doctrines. Spiritual maturity is revealed in a heart that views and interprets life through the lens of the gospel more and more. Because you are in Christ, your life and the world you live in are no longer about earthly matters; it’s about redemption and reconciliation and all things being made new in Jesus Christ. Do you increasingly see life through the lens of the gospel?

There is one goal: The glory of God revealed in His church as we increasingly live out of our identity in Christ because we have been made alive with Christ.

SONGS FROM THIS SUNDAY:
Your Name is Matchless
Glorious Christ
Beautiful Lord
Help Us See Christ

NEXT WEEK’S PASSAGE:
Colossians 1:3-8

There are many facets to our life as a church! Our hope is that these posts will enable you to plan, pray, and ultimately rejoice in what the Lord is doing at Sovereign Grace Church. Here are a few updates for you to do just that! 

Forge is this saturday!

SATURDAY, OCTOBER 5TH.
BREAKFAST WILL BE SERVED AT 8AM.

Erik Rangel, who serves as the senior pastor at the Sovereign Grace Church in Yuma (Legacy Church), will be coming to teach the men in our church how the bible speaks to men about sexual temptation.

Bring your teen sons and your friends. All men are invited!

For more information, contact Derek Overstreet.

New sermon series - COLOSSIANS: ALIVE IN CHRIST

We are excited to study the book of Colossians as a church starting THIS Sunday, October 6th.

If you haven’t yet received your free copy of the Colossians ESV Scripture Journal, you can pick one up at the Information Center on Sunday morning.

The Bridge Course

There are TWO Bridge Courses starting on Tuesday, October 8th! One of the courses will be meeting at the Church and the other at Coffee X Change Bistro on the Eastside at Tanque Verde & Kolb. 

Do you have one person you can invite? Now is the time to take action! 

For a list of the questions and topics for each session, go to BridgeCourse.org. If you want to get involved or learn more, contact Tim Lambros.

relay: a sovereign GRACE cONFERENCE FOR YOUNG adults

The RELAY Conference exists to inspire young adults to live for the glory of Christ.

If you are between the ages of 16 to early 30’s, please join us for a brief meeting on Sunday, October 13th, after the service to discuss the RELAY CONFERENCE. Derek will provide a breakdown of the costs and share other helpful details about this exciting event. We'd love to have you join us!

For more details and registration information, visit the RELAY SITE HERE.

Membership Class

SUNDAYS, OCT 13TH, OCT 20TH, OCT 27TH, AND NOV 3RD AFTER THE SUNDAY MORNING SERVICE.

If you are interested in becoming a member or learning more about Sovereign Grace Church, please join us for the upcoming Membership Class!

Childcare and lunch will be provided.

To sign up, please reach out to Tom Wilkins or visit the Information Center on Sunday morning.

gifts of the spirit weekend with

mark prater

FRIDAY, OCTOBER 18TH, FROM 7PM-9PM & SATURDAY, OCTOBER 19TH, FROM 9AM-2PM.

Join us as we allow the Scriptures to inform us about the gifts God gives his people through the Spirit!

Lunch and childcare will be provided on Saturday.

To sign up or find out more about this event, please CLICK HERE.

SG YOUTH teaching

Pray for the youth as they kick off the first teaching of the year on October 20th!

This year, Derek will be taking the youth through a five-part series titled, CAPTURE:
October 20th - The Greatness of God
December 1st - The Significance of Truth
January 26th - The Beauty of Holiness
February 23rd - The Centrality of Love
April 27th - The Value of Ambition

Pray that God uses this series to reach the hearts of the students and also pray for Derek as he prepares for these teachings.

sovereign grace pastors conference

Please pray for your pastors and their wives as they travel to Orlando, Florida to attend the Sovereign Grace Pastors Conference from November 5th through the 7th.

Invitation sunday

SAVE THE DATE! Sunday, November 17th is our first Invitation Sunday/Community event.

This is a Church-wide focus on inviting friends, neighbors, or anyone else to join us for church and then a BBQ following the service.

More details to come!

Leadership Training - Part 1

SATURDAY, NOVEMBER 23RD

This free training is open to everyone—men, women, youth, friends, and anyone who wants to grow in their understanding of biblical leadership.

More details will be coming soon! If you're interested in attending this event, please sign up below, and we'll send you the details as they become available.

SIGN UP HERE!

If you’re like me, it's easy to come on Sunday morning with an impoverished view of Christ. No doubt this affects our personal and corporate worship and, like we heard this past Sunday, even affects our witness. Praise be to God that He has given us His Spirit to help us!

This Sunday we are excited to sing a new song from Sovereign Grace Music called “Help Us See Christ”. This song reminds of the very promise of Jesus from John 15:26: The Spirit has come to open our eyes to His glory and majesty.

Consider that amazing promise this coming Sunday as we sing. The Holy Spirit is bearing witness about Christ to us! Oh, may we long to see the glory of our Savior and cry out for the help that is offered to us!

CHORUS:
Open our eyes, help us see Christ
May we behold His majesty
Open our eyes, Spirit we cry
Show us the glory of our King
Help us see Christ

Link to Listen & Learn: https://sovereigngracemusic.com/music/songs/help-us-see-christ/

As we wrap this mini-series, we see how Jesus’ final words in Acts 1:8 profoundly shape our mission and evangelism till He returns.  Below is an outline summary of the sermon for your further study and deeper reflection.

SERIES: Going Not Knowing
TEXT: Acts 1:8
TITLE: You WILL BE My Witnesses
PREACHER: Tim Lambros
BIG IDEA: The ascended Christ calls you to be a gospel witness by the power of the Holy Spirit.

POINTS:
1. The People in the Mission
2. The Power for the Mission 
3. The Person who Commissions

SERMON EXCERPTS:
All quotes are taken from the pastor’s notes.
”Acts is a one-of-a-kind unique, New Testament book.  There is no other like it.  Four gospels about Jesus’ life, death, and resurrection.  Thirteen epistles.  Acts could have easily been titled THE ACTS OF THE HOLY SPIRIT or even THE ACTS OF THE RISEN CHRIST THROUGH THE HOLY SPIRIT WORKING THROUGH THE CHURCH.”

“Only in the book of Acts do we know that it was a 40 day period where Jesus presented Himself alive to the Apostles.  Acts is also unique because it’s our crucial link between the gospels and the established Churches like Romans, Corinthians, etc.”

“We see from the earlier verses that the risen Christ ordered them not to depart from Jerusalem.  They were to wait for the power that would come with the Holy Spirit – even if they had no idea when or what it would be all about.  Then we come to this scene that begins in V. 6. As we parachute in to learn and be challenged by this account, we’ll take a closer look at the PEOPLE, the POWER and the PERSON that surfaces with Jesus’ final words.”  

“In their excitement building over a 40-day period, we can imagine Peter speaking on their behalf they ask the Risen Savior a question ‘Will you at this time restore the kingdom to Israel?’ Jesus doesn’t answer the question but gives a mild rebuke.  Rather than major on correction the Ascended Christ gives them a commissioning.  He tells them they will be His witnesses.  No longer will you be hoping for a political theocracy, now you will focus on being my witnesses.  This is a crucial theme in the book of Acts, the birth of the Church and expansion of the gospel to the known world.”

“The main thread in the book of Acts – the core mission in the growth of the Church is this idea of witness. 39 times this idea of witness is used throughout this amazing book. Acts 2:32, Acts 3:15, Acts 10:39!”

“What is a witness? one that gives evidence. Specifically - one who testifies in a cause or before a judicial tribunal.” 

“All Christians are called to be His witnesses.  In Jesus’ last words, he commissions these Apostles.  In 10 days it becomes 120 people, then 3,000 then 5,000 and the witnesses of Jesus Christ fill the entire known world.”

“All Christians ARE a witness.  When the risen Christ says “you WILL BE my witnesses” then you will be.  Witnessing is not some activity you put on when there is time in your schedule.  We ARE HIS WITNESSES.  You might be a bad witness for Christ or a good witness for Christ but part of your new identity is that you ARE a witness of the ascended Christ!”

“Church, we believe God is calling us to take our witness of the gospel of Jesus to the east side of Tucson.  Begin by examining yourself as a witness of the Ascended Christ.  Be ready for God also to do a transforming work in your life.”

“Jesus says you will receive power when the Holy Spirit comes upon you and you will be my witnesses.  The power of the Holy Spirit comes to transform – literally change you identity and how we see ourselves – into being His witnesses.”

“What happened to the group of 120 timid believers huddled up on the sidelines in the upper room for 10 days?  THEY WERE ENDUED WITH POWER!  God calls you and I to be His witnesses but gives the power to do so!”

“The Ascended Christ sent the Holy Spirit to give them power TO BE HIS WITNESSES.  It’s no different today. Nobody in this room who has been born again came to Christ outside of someone being a witness – a witness testifying to the person and work of Jesus Christ.  Do you feel like you are one of the timid believers in the upper room?  God has power for your witness!”

“Who do you say Jesus is? Accurately understanding WHO is tellingthe Apostles /telling us we will be witnessesis key. Who is this Person about to ascend to the heavens right in front of them?  How you answer that question is fundamentally important as we seek to be His Witnesses walking in the power of the Spirit.”

“Some would say that’s a silly question Tim.  We all know that it’s Jesus.  True. But just like we say to the unbeliever ‘who do you say Jesus is?’ I want to ask the same question to believers today.  ‘who do YOU (believer) say Jesus is?’  Or maybe I can say it this way – ‘When it comes to being on mission for the ascended Christ, who do you say Jesus is?’”

“Why is it so easy to drift away from personal evangelism? You ever wonder why you grow in spiritual disciplines like Bible reading, doctrinal growth, prayer, Biblical fellowship, recognizing/putting to death sin but never seem to get much progress when it comes to evangelism?  Ever ask yourself why you have the sincere and godly desires to BE A WITNESS and see family and friends know the living God that saved you but for some reason the sincere desires seldom translate to actual evangelism? We all have a longing to be bold witnesses but too often it doesn’t translate into actual evangelism.  Why is that?”

“If you’re not careful you can subtly resent this call on your life.  It can almost feel like bait and switch.  Living on mission as a witness of the ascended Christ is the inevitable catch for all the benefits we received in Christ. On top of that, if you’re not careful you can get way off and begin to think that God is up in heaven with his feet up on the desk and we are called to do all His messy work with sinners to make His name known. How do you see/view the Ascended Jesus?”

“Church, ask yourself this question – deep down in your soul do you find Jesus beautiful? Do you enjoy God?  God is on mission to make the beauty and glory and grandeur of who He is known into the world. His call on us to be witnesses so we will be like Him and make Him known to others.  God is filling the world with the knowledge of who He is and invites us to be His witnesses to this. This is God displaying His glory through His Son and we are called to join Him.”

“The nature of the ascended Christ fuels our mission Jesus Christ came into this world because Jesus, the Person calling us to be witnesses, in his very nature is full of life and goodness and in His very being overflows.  We are witnesses to the Person and work of Jesus because Jesus is the Person God sent in His abundance and natural fullness.  Jesus came not be served but to serve.  Jesus came to make God known.  Nobody knows who God is apart from Jesus revealing who God is. God’s mission from the beginning was to reconcile people to Himself NOT BECAUSE HE NEEDS ANYTHING but because He wants to fill the world with His goodness.” 

ADDITIONAL SCRIPTURE:
Acts 4:13
Psalm 96:3
Matthew 28
Romans 10:14
Acts 1:8
Hebrews 1:3
2 Corinthians 4:6

QUOTES:
Kent Hughes - “To be a witness for Christ is to bring a message that is a marvel of simplicity: Jesus Christ is God come in the flesh; he died to pay for our sins; he was resurrected; now he is exalted in Heaven; he calls us to believe in him and so receive forgiveness of sins. This is good news. There is nothing to join, no system to climb—just a person to receive and, in him, eternal life.”

Michael Reeves - “Unless we honestly find God to be beautiful and enjoyable, we’ll have nothing worth saying to the people around us.  Until we see him aright, we’ll have no genuine desire to fill the world with the knowledge of our God.”

Martin Luther - “I did not love, yes,, I hated the righteous God…. And secretly, if not blasphemously, certainly murmuring greatly, I was angry with God.”

APPLICATION:
In our mission as a Church, we state that we exist to proclaim and demonstrate the transforming power of the gospel – THAT’S WHAT A WITNESS DOES.  That’s at the heart of why we exist as a Church.  That’s the consistent message in the Book of Acts. 

The proclamation and demonstration of your life witnesses to something.  What is it?

Regardless of what position you play when you get off the sidelines and get into the game – all of us need to ask ourselves this question – what kind of witness am I? 

Do you have an accurate view of WHO THE PERSON IS THAT COMMISISONS US? If you have a wrong view of who the Ascended Christ is you will have a wrong view of what it means to be a witness.  As one author put it – you may be suffering from an impoverished view of God.

1. Examine your witness.  What does your life proclaim and demonstrate?

2. Has mission and evangelism become a clunky and despised add-on to your Christian life of forgiveness and fellowship with God?

3. In what ways does my view of the Ascended Christ need correcting?

SONGS FROM THIS SUNDAY:
There is One Gospel
How Firm A Foundation
Father You Are All We Need
Let Your Kingdom Come
As You Go

NEXT WEEK’S PASSAGE:
Colossians 1:1-2

We believe the gifts of the Spirit have continued. Therefore, we are continuationists and this is significant! But we are affirming more than simply that they have continued. Our conviction is that the gifts have continued for the glory of Jesus Christ, the good of His church, and Gospel hope for the world. 

What exactly are we affirming?

Regarding “The Gifts of the Spirit,” our Statement of Faith says: 

“Christ loves the church, his body, and provides for its health and growth through the Holy Spirit. In addition to giving new life, the Spirit sovereignly bestows gifts on every believer. Spiritual gifts are those abilities and expressions of God’s power given by his grace for the glory of Christ and the building up of the church. …The gifts are not to be exercised with apprehension, pride, or disorder, but with faith, love, and order, and always in submission to the authority of Scripture as the final revelation of God.  With the exception of those among the apostles who were commissioned as eyewitnesses of Christ and made recipients of normative revelation, the full range of spiritual gifts remain at work in the church and are given for the good of the church and its witness to the world. We are therefore to earnestly desire and practice them until Christ returns." 

This is our conviction. 

Why do we affirm this? 

We believe the scriptures teach this. Some reading this are new to the topic of “the gifts of the Holy Spirit.” Maybe your church background held another view doctrinally or you previously experienced a very limited expression of the gifts. Some have witnessed the misuse of the gifts. The Apostle Paul addresses this in the Corinthian church but instructs them regarding the orderly use of the gifts in their gathering, and, surprisingly, he urges them to pursue and “earnestly desire the spiritual gifts.” (1 Corinthians 12-14). Without minimizing our experience, our conviction must be objectively grounded in the scriptures. 

At times, we will have questions, yet at the same time, we earnestly desire the gifts of the Holy Spirit and their practice in our church. This is why we teach on this, and this is why we are having our Gifts of the Holy Spirit Weekend with Mark Prater - Friday, October 18th, from 7-9pm, and Saturday, October 19th from 9am-2pm. PLEASE SIGN UP!

We are asking you to join us and pray that during this weekend we will be further equipped by the word of God and that we will experience the empowering presence of the Holy Spirit as we earnestly pursue the gifts of His Spirit.

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From our Statement of Faith, the following is a robust list of the foundational scriptures on this topic: 

John 16:4-15
Ephesians 4:7-8, 13-16
Ephesians 5:25-27
1 Corinthians 12:7, 11
1 Corinthians 14:26
Ephesians 4:12
Romans 12:6-8
1 Corinthians 12:4-11, 28-30
1 Peter 4:10-11
Ephesians 4:11-12
1 Corinthians 12:21-26
1 Corinthians 14:1; 13:1-3; 14:33
1 Thessalonians 5:19-21
1 Corinthians 14:29
2 Timothy 3:16
Revelation 22:18-19
Acts 1:20-26
John 14:26; 15:27; 16:13-15
1 Corinthians 14:37
Galatians 1:11-20
Revelation 21:14
1 Corinthians 1:7; 12:31; 13:8-12; 14:1, 12

Today, we look at our third purpose as a church—Outward ministry to the lost. In a word, evangelism. In two weeks, Tim will preach on personal evangelism from Acts 1:8. But today, our focus is church planting. Below is an outline summary of the sermon for your further study and deeper reflection.

SERIES: Going Not Knowing
TEXT: Ephesians 3:7-11
TITLE: There is Nothing Like The Church
PREACHER: Derek Overstreet
BIG IDEA: Nothing is like the Church!

POINTS:
1. The Gospel Creates the Church
2. The Church Reveals the Glory and Wisdom of God in the Gospel

SERMON EXCERPTS:
All quotes are taken from the pastor’s notes.
”Today, our focus is church planting. For this, I could not think of a better text than Ephesians 3:7-11. It’s not the Great Commission. It’s not a blueprint for successful church plants. There is no call to go to the nations. But it is the starting point and foundational conviction we must have if we are to be a church that passionately pursues our gospel mission:— We exist tobuild a God-glorifying church through the proclamation and demonstration of the transforming power of the gospel. Every aspect of that mission— Sunday attendance, CG participation, personal evangelism, or personal sacrifice to see an East side plant—begins with embracing and believing Paul’s words about Christ’s church in Eph 3.”

“Nothing compares to Christ’s Church. It’s not perfect. We don’t worship it. But there is nothing like it on this planet.”

“In Ephesians 1-2, Paul brilliantly unpacks God’s plan of salvation. Before the foundations of the world, God devised a plan to choose and save and make sinners His own. Through the long-awaited sacrifice of Jesus, sinners who could not help themselves and did not deserve help from God are now mercifully saved by grace through faith. This is the gospel Paul refers to in 7. It is the mystery of Christ (4) that has the privilege of making known to the Gentiles. This mystery of Christ is revealed in 6.”

“Paul’s idea of mystery is not something unsolvable but rather something once hidden but now made known. The gospel was foretold in the OT, but now, in the life, death, and resurrection of Jesus, it has been fully revealed. Belonging to God is no longer about nations, bloodlines, or ethnicity. It’s about undeserving sinners of all shapes, sizes, and colors saved and made part of God’s new humanity that exists as His dwelling place in a fallen world.”

“That should be enough for all of us to stop, fall down on our knees, and worship. Once the enemy of God but now beloved heirs in Christ. We must remember this. We must live with a daily awareness of who we once were apart from Christ and who we now are in Christ.”

“Paul never forgets he does not deserve to belong to God and be part of His church. He lives with an amazed heart and a sense of profound privilege that Christ would save him and make him part of his church.”

“The claim of verse 10 is stunning: God makes His manifold, multi-faceted wisdom known to the cosmos through the church. Like a diamond’s brilliance is revealed in its multi-faceted cuts, the manifold wisdom of God is revealed in the church.”

“God could have used any means he desired to make his glory and wisdom known—He’s God! He has endless resources. But He chose the church, you and I, together, to make his wisdom known, not only to mankind, (10) the rulers and authorities in the heavenly places. That is stunning! God intends for the angels that He created to endlessly worship Him and keep their eyes on the earthly church so that they can witness the greatness and glory of His wisdom. As they do, they can better glorify and praise God had they not.”

“The angels of Psalm 148:2 that praise God; the angels in Revelation 7:11 that fall on their knees before the throne and worship God; the angels that cry out Holy, Holy, Holy is the Lord of hosts in Isaiah 6:3; they are better able to glorify and worship God as they witness all He is doing in His church.”

“What we are doing isn’t very impressive to the world. It’s primitive foolishness. But let the nations rage and boast. God has devised an eternal plan (11) where ordinary people like you and me, living ordinary lives shaped and informed by the gospel, reveal God's extraordinary glory and wisdom to the cosmos! Unfathomable! Unimaginable! Stunning! There is nothing like the church. All earthly things and institutions fade into insignificance when compared to the church. The church alone, which includes our church, represents the grandest and greatest of all His works.”

“This is why we are passionate about the church. This is why we prioritize the church. The church is Christ’s priority. He designed the church in eternity past. He left his place in the Trinity for the church. He suffered in this world for the church. He died for the church. His love for the church is so profound he views her as his bride. He is interceding for the church right now. Jesus is returning for one reason—the church. Jesus has one thing on his mind and heart—the glory of his Father through the church! Aren’t you glad and grateful you are part of His church?”

ADDITIONAL SCRIPTURE:
Ephesians 2:11-22
1 Peter 1:10-12

QUOTES:
Martyn-Lloyd Jones - “There is nothing beyond the Church. She is the highest and the most supreme manifestation of the wisdom of God; and to look forward to something beyond the Church is to deny not only this verse but many other verses in the Scripture. The Church is the final expression of the wisdom of God, the thing above all others that enables even the angels to comprehend the wisdom of God.”

Martin Lloyd-Jones - “The Apostle is asserting that what is happening in the Church is so stupendous, so glorious, that even the brightest angelic beings who have spent their entire existence in the presence of God, even they are staggered and amazed at what they see in and through the Church.”

John Piper - “No angel will ever sing “how sweet the sound that saved a wretch like me.” This is our song and our joy, and they can never sing it or know it. But God wants them to see it. And the angels love to stoop down and get as close as they can to the wonders of redemption and how God prepared and saved and gathered his church.”

Charles Spurgeon - “Give yourself to the church. You that are members of the church have not found it perfect and I hope that you feel almost glad that you have not. If I had never joined a church until I had found one that was perfect, I would never have joined one at all. And the moment I did join one, I should have spoiled it. For it would not have been a perfect church after I became a member of it. Still, imperfect as it is, it is the dearest place on earth.”

APPLICATION:
- Have you lost your joy, passion, and gratitude for not just being saved but also being saved and made part of the Church? One of the surest ways to be like Paul is to get involved! Throw yourself into your church (Romans 12:1). Get ready because as you throw yourself into God’s work through His church, God will grow your gratitude and sense of privilege to be a part of more and more and more.

- This is why we want to plant a church on the east side of Tucson. Next Sunday evening, we will envision you for our mission for new year. Please be there—husband, wife, kids. Allow your presence at that meeting to be a declaration—This is my church. At that meeting, we will lay out three convictions that shape our vision on the Eastside: A biblical model, faith-filled risk, and personal sacrifice. Each one could be an application of today’s sermon because each one is rooted in the one big truth: There is nothing like the church

SONGS FROM THIS SUNDAY:
How Vast The Love
How Firm A Foundation
God Of Every Grace
Christ Is Mine Forevermore
The Glory Of The Cross

NEXT WEEK’S PASSAGE:
Ephesians 3:7-11

There will be much that we pour our efforts into, but by the grace of God, let’s commit together, to gather together, hold fast to the Gospel, to fellowship, to the breaking of bread, and to praying! Below is an outline summary of the sermon for your further study and deeper reflection.

SERIES: Going Not Knowing
TEXT: Acts 2:42-47
TITLE: ALL IN
PREACHER: Tom Wilkins
BIG IDEA: Because we belong to Jesus, we are all in for His people.

POINTS:
1. All in all the time on the Gospel of Jesus Christ
2. All in all the time in the fellowship in Jesus 
3. All in all the time in the breaking of bread remembering Jesus
4. All in all the time in prayer

SERMON EXCERPTS:
All quotes are taken from the pastor’s notes.
”Our mission is to build a God-glorifying church that proclaims and demonstrates the transforming power of the gospel to our city and beyond. Biblically speaking, this is the three-fold purpose of any church:

• Upward Ministry to God, which is worship

• Inward Ministry to believers, which is edification

• Outward Ministry to the world, which is evangelism.”

“We must pursue all three purposes of the church and not allow one or more to atrophy and another become THE THING we focus on. Scripture calls us to our robust purpose in all 3 - worshipping God, edifying the Church, and going to the world!”

“Last Sunday, we beheld the transforming power of the Gospel that so moves on the soul of those saved by Jesus that we climb onto the altar as a willing, joy-filled sacrifice in praise and worship of God… our UPWARD Ministry to God. We, former God-haters, have been mercifully saved by Jesus and given gospel-fueled purpose as a Church. Now, loving the Savior, on that altar as LIVING SACRIFICES… we climb up again in the INward ministry to believers… the saints… sacrificially ministering to one another.”

“This is where we are going in Acts; we find this brand-new community of Christians beginning in Jerusalem, just as Jesus promised. We see in verses 41-42 that this new Holy Spirit-filled, water-baptized, covenant people are now the Church - “together” the “fellowship” of the believers.  Now called and gathered by the power of the Gospel, filled with the Holy Spirit, they will be going not knowing as Christ’s witnesses into their towns and villages and then to the world. Compelled and reassured by the Holy Spirit, they will be going not knowing what God will do but in faith that God was with them.”

“The word “devoted” means “continually steadfast.” The original language is one of devoted continually… ALL IN ALL OF THE TIME!”

“Shorthand for “the apostles’ doctrine” was the Gospel. The word… the teaching… the doctrine of Christ and His Cross is the foundation of our church. The Gospel, as delivered by the Apostles, is the rock on which we stand. And we are all in all of the time on this Gospel. This means that all that we are, our very identity as a people of God, and ALL that we do (our very lives personal and together) has, as its wellspring, the Gospel!”

“This is why we pound away at this same nail - Jesus Christ and Him crucified. For the Apostle Paul, it was of first importance to him because he was all in all of the time on the Gospel and resolved to deliver nothing else but the message of the Cross to the churches. He guarded and defended it and called pastors to guard and defend it. He cherished it and called the churches to cherish it. He warred against enemies of the gospel when they rose up in the churches and calls us to the same.”

“This is why we desire that all of our sermons point to the Gospel. If it’s not Christ and Him crucified, then what is it? This is why all of our discipleship points to increased faith in Jesus. This is why all of our counseling must faithfully and desperately cling to the gospel. The goal of our discipleship and counseling is this: growth in our faith in Jesus Christ! If our goal is anything other than pointing to the gospel and increased faith in Christ, then our discipleship and counsel are something other than Christian. This is why our songs for worship are robust in the clarity of the gospel. This is why when we speak of generosity and giving as grounded in the gospel mission.”

“The “fellowship” of believers in Jesus is like no other fellowship. The sense of its meaning has at its core a shared participation. ‘Koinonia’ – Christ is at the center.”

“This shared participation among the people of God includes deep concern for the financial and practical needs of fellow believers and the Gospel mission advance. Giving for the “relief of the saints” and provision of the mission. Together at their man gathering, together in their homes, the church was built up/strengthened as they edified/nurtured one another.”

“The greatest threat to the edification of the Church comes from within. Being ALL in on the fellowship of the saints compels us toward maintaining unity, forgiving one another, serving one another, weeping with one another, rejoicing with each other, discipling one another, working out conflict between each other, bearing with one another in love.”

“Breaking of bread” is mentioned again in 46 IN THEIR HOMES. Is this the commissioned Lord’s Supper that Jesus instituted in the upper room with the disciples? After some study, the answer is YES. And, yet, it’s usage here Acts allows for this to also include eating in fellowship together as believers. And this kind of fellowship around food was more than hanging out grabbing some hot wings together. These times of fellowship at the table in the homes of Christians is one of intentional identity as ones saved by Jesus, remembering Jesus and encouraging one another in Jesus. It was intimate, the sharing affections for the Savior, the sorrows and joys of this life in Christ. There is a sober reminder of the holiness of God… we are regularly filled with awe and wonder at the mercies of Jesus Christ and His Cross.”

“The difference between eating with sinners/non-believers and eating with the saints is radical. There is no fellowship “in Jesus” with those who reject him. We eat with them, talk with them… but we cannot have fellowship with them… this informs how our relationship with those who turn their backs on Christ. We do not turn our backs on them but our intimacy at the table in Christ shifts.”

“PRAYER to the Lord and for each other is an amazing gracious gift that we now have in Jesus.”

“They knew nothing would happen if God did not move, so they prayed that He would move! In Jesus, we have direct access to the throne room of God where HE LEANS IN to hear our prayers. There we worship Him, we plead with Him, we pour out our hearts to Him. The deepest longings of our souls are brought before the Sovereign King and He is ready to answer every sing time.”

“We are beginning the groundwork of a church plant on the eastside – going not knowing, BUT we must not and we are committed to not neglect the nurture and edification of the church. There will be much that we pour our efforts into, but by the grace of God, let’s commit together, to gather together, hold fast to the Gospel, to fellowship, to the breaking of bread, and to praying!”

ADDITIONAL SCRIPTURE:
Ephesians 4:11

APPLICATION:
1. What keeps you from being all in week after week on Sundays?
2. What keeps you from day by day (46) gathering in fellowship in CG?
3. When the men the meet, where are you?
4. When the women meet, where are you?
5. Can I, in integrity, describe my fellowship as ALL IN - Continually Steadfast?
6. If not, we are ALL IN somewhere. Where?

- When was the last time you opened your home or were in another's home - for an intimate meal together - discussing the gospel and sharing life together in Jesus?

SONGS FROM THIS SUNDAY:
How Great (Psalm 145)
Praise to the Lord
God Is Faithful (Psalm 114)
Sing
There is One Gospel

NEXT WEEK’S PASSAGE:
Ephesians 3:7-11

The church doesn’t exist for itself—we exist for God’s glory. That means we need to understand where God Himself is going and what He is doing so that all we do serves His purpose. That’s the point of the next four weeks. Our theme for the new ministry year is Going not Knowing. Below is an outline summary of the sermon for your further study and deeper reflection.

SERIES: Going Not Knowing
TEXT: Romans 12:1
TITLE: Living on the Altar
PREACHER: Derek Overstreet
BIG IDEA: We do what we do because Jesus did what he did.

POINTS:
1. A Life of Worship is Compelled by the Gospel
2. A Life of Worship is Complete Gospel Devotion

SERMON EXCERPTS:
All quotes are taken from the pastor’s notes.
”Everyone is looking for meaning and purpose—Why am I here? Where do I fit in? Where should my life be going? These are crucial questions. As a local church, those questions are crucial—Why do we exist? Where are we going? What are we supposed to be doing?  Too often the answers to those questions arise from the convenience of pragmatism, the pressure of the majority, the winds of culture, or the sanctity of tradition. But the church doesn’t exist for itself—we exist for God’s glory. That means we need to understand where God Himself is going and what He is doing so that all we do serves His purpose.”

“Our theme for the new ministry year is Going not Knowing. That phrase is rooted in Acts 20:22 where Paul said—Behold, I am going to Jerusalem, constrained by the Spirit, not knowing what will happen to me there. We are going into this new year not knowing what God will do. Here’s what we do know: Our mission is to build a God-glorifying church that proclaims and demonstrates the transforming power of the gospel to our city and beyond.”

“It’s a mission that is upward, inward, and outward. Biblically speaking, this is the three-fold purpose of any church:

• Upward Ministry to God, which is worship

• Inward Ministry to believers, which is edification

• Outward Ministry to the world, which is evangelism”

“We’ll end our series with a Family Meeting to unpack the practical details of what it looks like for us to fulfill our purposes this year. Today, we begin with Purpose #1—Upward Ministry to God, which, in a word, is Worship.”

“We do what we do because Jesus did what he did. That is the big idea of Romans 12:1. We are to offer ourselves to God as a living sacrifice because He offered His only son Jesus as a sacrifice for us. The result is a life of worship that is pleasing to God.”

“The gospel moved from Paul’s head to his heart, and he explodes in worship. But Paul isn’t done. He spends the final five chapters of Romans showing us what the transformative power of the gospel looks like in everyday life. This is the corner Paul turns in 1 when he writes—I appeal to you therefore, brothers, by the mercies of God. The mercies of God are an obvious reference to the gospel. The word therefore points us back to the glories of the gospel in the first eleven chapters.”

“Borrowing some phrases from John Stott—Paul loves to move from exposition to exhortation, combine doctrine with duty, link belief with behavior, connect creed to conduct. It’s a reminder for us that while God is MOST concerned with the heart, He is not ONLY concerned with the heart. God wants my heart and my feet.”

“This is not a given. We can’t assume a gospel-driven life. A life of worship is neither automatic nor inevitable. Paul knows this so he urges us.”

“This is where a life of worship begins. We don’t do what we do to gain God’s favor. We don’t do what we do because it’s religiously productive. We don’t do what we do because its emotionally rewarding. We do what we do because Jesus did what he did!”

“Paul’s point is not that we must pay God back for His grace. The holiness of God, the nature of Christ’s sacrifice, and the pervasiveness of our sin makes that impossible. The point is a heart fixed on grace will overflow with gratitude expressed in discernable and practical ways because the gospel is the foundation and fuel for a life of worship.”

“Paul now explains the nature of our worship—a complete devotion that demands our entire existence. Drawing from 2, the gospel transforms our hearts so that our minds will be renewed to TREASURE, THINK and LIVE like Christ. The term Paul uses for bodies in 1 refers to the whole person—body and soul, head and heart, beliefs and behavior. It requires every part of us.”

“That’s what the gospel does. It leads us to full surrender. It makes us new creations who are satisfied in God and treasure Christ above all else in this world. This is the essence of  worship.”

“Ponder the picture pastor Sproul gives us here: I climb up on the altar to present myself as a living sacrifice for God’s glory and renown. It’s good to sing. It’s good to serve. It’s good to give. But a life of worship is more than that. Paul says it’s full consecration. We die to ourselves and live for Jesus.”

“If I am a Christian, the only sensible, logical, and appropriate response is to surrender my entire existence to God. He deserves it. He demands it. It’s what He saved us for. On the flip side, to experience saving mercy but live for myself doesn’t make sense. Why do dogs bark? They are dogs. Why do kids act like kids? They are kids. If I’ve been saved by grace, I make my whole life an a sacrificial offering of praise to my Savior. Why? Because I belong to Jesus.”

“To the degree we fix our eyes on Jesus, we will fulfill God’s purposes for us. The real power is in the one who climbed up on a cross and became a sin sacrifice for us. Christ alone is our strength, hope, and vision!”

“A Romans 12:1 life is individual, yes, but it is also corporate. Together we are the body and bride of Christ. I know people (so have you) who believe they are a church unto themselves. It’s Jesus, me, and my ministry and the local church is barely an afterthought. That approach may be safe and convenient, but it’s unbiblical. The dominating theme of the Bible is God’s glory revealed in His grand purpose to redeem a people for His own who will worship Him forever.”

“Church, we believe the Lord is leading us to Go not Knowing in some every specific ways this year. To be sure, our going is not an end, it’s a means. Worship is the end. It’s what we were created for. It’s why we will Go not Knowing what the Lord will do, whatever the sacrifice. Our Savior is worthy.”

ADDITIONAL SCRIPTURE:
Ephesians 5:2
Matthew 16:24-25
Ephesians 2:1-10
Jeremiah 31:33
1 Peter 2:9

QUOTES:
John Stott- “Only a vision of his mercy will inspire us to present our bodies to him and allow him to transform us according to his will.”

APPLICATION:
God’s grand purpose in it all is to create a worshipping, not person, people, to the praise of His glory forever (Revelation 21:1-4)

Church, God has always called us to be a part, as a Church. We aren’t THE part, but we are a part. As the church, we get to:

• Climb on the altar and sacrifice our schedules to make the Sunday gatherings, CG, and other faith building and Christ-exalting ministries of our church a priority.

• Climb on the altar and sacrifice our personal convenience as we give ourselves to the hard work and inconvenience of planting a church.

• Climb on the altar and sacrifice our personal comfort and maybe even reputation as we proclaim Christ to those around us.

Everyone has sacred cows they are unwilling to climb up on the altar with. We believe what God is calling us to will challenge those sacred cows. What are yours?

• What aspect of your lifestyle or routine needs to be hoisted upon the altar because it is hindering a life of worship?

• Maybe for you, going is just getting to church or CG consistently.

• For some here, going may be rearranging your life to be part of the groundwork on the East side this year.

SONGS FROM THIS SUNDAY:
He is Our God
Holy Holy Holy
We Give Thanks (Psalm 107)
We Receive
My Life is An Offering

NEXT WEEK’S PASSAGE:
Acts 2:42-47