From One Degree to Another

Phil Auxier's Blog

Connect

CrestviewKids: Parent’s Night

by

At CrestviewKids tonight, we are having a Parent’s Night at 6PM.  This means a meal followed by singing the songs we’ve taught the children, the memory verse and summarizing the lessons under one big heading with a craft that supports it.  I love Parent’s Nights.

This night, in particular, we are looking at two months: November and December.  The November verse was 2 Corinthians 9:7 on giving and the December verse was 2 Corinthians 13:14, a clear verse on the Trinitarian flavor of the Bible.

The five lessons we will summarize are:
The Triumphal Entry – Jesus entered as a king; people plotted to kill Him.
The Widow’s Offering – Man looks outward; Jesus knows our hearts.
Jesus Washes The Disciples’ Feet – Jesus came to serve and calls us to do the same.
The Last Supper – Jesus is our Passover Lamb to be slain.
Jesus Promises to Send The Holy Spirit – The Holy Spirit reveals to us who Jesus is.

There’s a lot that can be said about all of these lessons, but if we take their message together what rings true is that Jesus came on a mission to serve by giving His life.

His Triumphal Entry positioned Him to be in Jerusalem and even though He was hailed as a king, people were plotting His death.  His dealing with the Widow’s Offering assures us that He’s God and He knows our true selves, pointing us to our need of atonement.  His washing the disciples’ feet shows His life was meant to serve.  The Last Supper clearly connects Jesus’ work to dying.  And in promising to send the Holy Spirit, we’re shown that God wants us to understand why Jesus came to earth.

I hope you will look to Jesus this holiday season and find Him to be the One worthy of your belief and worship.

Weekend Recap – Sympathizing

by

My 12/16/12AM sermon, Sympathizing, from Hebrews 4:14-16 not only continued our Christmas in Hebrews series, but also helped orient us in light of the amazing tragedy of last Friday.  You see what we most desperately need is the solid foundation that God is not apathetic or aloof from the troubles of this world and this life.  We have a Savior, in Jesus, who was tempted in all ways as we are yet without sin.  We have a throne of grace that we can access because of Christ and receive mercy and find grace to help in times of need.  We don’t have to raise our fist and wonder at God, but humble ourselves before Him, for He surely knows the pain of searing loss.  He knows the cries of the hurting.  And, He responds by actually doing something to remedy this for eternity.  I hope you were encouraged in these things this Lord’s day and have a blessed week.

Weekend Recap – Sharing Flesh and Blood

by

My 12/9/12AM sermon, Sharing Flesh and Blood, from Hebrews 2:14-18 is now online.  This sermon is the second of four during my Christmas In Hebrews series, highlighting truth about Jesus becoming man from the book of Hebrews.  The sermon, specifically, highlighted the benefits that believers receive because Jesus was born in the flesh: we receive the destruction of death, deliverance from death’s fear, and Jesus’ work as High Priest.

It was encouraging for me to think about how Jesus had to be born to make these realities, well, ahem, reality.  If Christ doesn’t come and live these out, then I am left to fight death myself or I am left to be high priest (or at least rest in someone who does the job better).  But, Jesus came and finalized the work of a High Priest.  He put death to death.  In Christ, then, especially during His incarnation, we have great hope for living and benefit in amazing ways.

I hope you’re being encouraged in these truths this holiday season.

Weekend Recap – Lower For A Little While

by

My 12/2/12AM sermon, Lower For A Little While, from Hebrews 2:9 is now online.  This sermon kicked off a new Advent series I’m calling Christmas In Hebrews.  There are specific ways that God reveals truth to us in this book.  Specifically, the writer of Hebrews says that in the present, we see Jesus.  We see Him as God become man, as dying for glory and suffering for us.  As we look with spiritual eyes into this truth, we can find reality for this Christmas season.  I hope you had a great Lord’s Day, too.

Weekend Recap – Jesus, Word in the Flesh

by

My sermon from 12/25/11 from John 1:14 entitled Christmas Truth is online.  In this talk, I tried to simply and helpfully point to how Jesus, both His coming to earth and displaying glory, as the true meaning of Christmas.    Sorry that I was a little slow in getting it up and the link posted.  We’ve been busy this week with holiday plans.  Hope you have a great week looking to Jesus, the author and finisher of your faith.

Weekend Preview – Word Became Flesh

by

This coming Sunday is Christmas.  My advent series through John’s Gospel will culminate this Sunday as we look at John 1:14:

And the Word became flesh and dwelt among us, and we have seen his glory, glory as of the only Son from the Father, full of grace and truth.

Christmas is really about this truth.  The Word, Jesus, became flesh like you and me and lived among us.  He came and displayed glory and this glory was like glory from the Father: it was full of grace and truth.

This week, continue to marvel at God become a man and come this Lord’s Day anticipating a sight of His glory as we unfold this amazing verse and wonder at the Incarnation.

Weekend Review – 12/18/11

by

We enjoyed a great Lord’s Day yesterday morning at Crestview.  Our children sang to open our service, we sang great carols exalting our Savior, and had a great morning in John’s Gospel.  My sermon, Receiving Jesus, from John 1:11-13 sought to give 3 aspects of receiving Him.  He’s often missed by people, and He’s received by believers, who are born of God.

In the evening, we gathered to watch Andrew Peterson’s Behold the Lamb of God on DVD.  This worshipful time helps us see how the Bible connects together to point to Jesus.  All in all, it was a terrific day.

Receive Him!

by

This coming Lord’s Day, we plan to continue to work through John’s Advent account and specifically hone in on John 1:11-13. In these verses, we are told something shocking on one level: Jesus’ own people rejected Him. Humanly speaking, it is almost unfathomable that the Creator of all things could come to His people and they would reject Him, but that is precisely what happened. But, Jesus was received. He was received by those who believed in His name and lest those who believe start to puff themselves up in self-righteous thinking, John reminds those believers that it wasn’t some magic decision they did of their own will, but it happened because they were born of God. This holiday season, have you received Jesus or rejected Him. Receive Him by believing in His name and in so doing prove that you are born of God.

Weekend Recap – 12/11/11

by

After fighting off the flu all day Saturday, God seemed to smile upon me and I was able to fulfill all my “pastoral duties” on Sunday.  So, the sermon from 12/11/11AM is now online.  It was entitled True Light from John 1:9-10.  Specifically, it focused on how Jesus the True Light of the world entered the world, demanded a response and was rejected by the world.  I think this gives us confidence in taking our witness to the world and encouragement in awing the Savior this holiday season.

All the items up for affirmation at our church’s Annual Meeting passed as well, which means we are bringing David Lansdowne back on as a lay elder and Cameron Wood will enjoy his first term as a deacon.  The 2012 Budget was also affirmed.  Exciting stuff.

In the PM we had one small group to unite them all (meaning all the small groups came together at church) for a holiday party.  We enjoyed fun, fellowship and food.

Hope you had a great Lord’s day and continue to awe your Savior this holiday season.

True Light – Weekend Preview 12/11/11

by

This coming Lord’s Day, 12/11, we hope to continue our movement toward Christmas by celebrating Advent Week #3.  Our text will be John 1:9-10, which speaks of Jesus being the true light and one who must be responded to.  What do you think of Jesus?  Who do you say that He is?

I think Charles Simeon said it best when he asked these two questions about Jesus the True Light:
1) What light have you received from the Lord Jesus Christ?
2) How far are you reflecting this light to those around you?

Think on this and come expecting God to be glorified in our corporate worship this coming Lord’s Day.