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Committed To Finishing

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This coming Lord’s Day, we plan to look at Hebrews 12:12-17 and hear a call from God to strengthen our resolve and commitment to finish the race.  This means striving hard after things like holiness and peace and fighting against things like sinful roots, immortality and the anti-grace mindset that so easily raises its head.

To introduce this message, I am going to use the story of Derek Redmond from the 1992 Olympic games where his father helped him finish the race and cross the finish line.  Here’s a video of that story. As you watch it, think about your desire to finish the race that God has called you to run and come this Sunday expecting God to give you help in His Word.

Get Your Head In the Game

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This coming Sunday, 7/1/12, we will be turning our attending to Running The Race of Endurance marked out for us from Hebrews 12:1-2. After highlighting the importance of perseverance and showing how faith relates to this, in chapter 12, our writer comes right out and tells us that we need to run the race of endurance. Sunday’s sermon will relate to how we can run this race more effectively, specifically highlighting the importance of Christian community, getting rid of obstacles and looking to Jesus.

As we prepare for Sunday, though, I thought I’d ask, are you in the race? There are way to many people in our church who treat Christianity as a casual thing. They do the church thing as it’s convenient for them. Sure, they would be quick to confess they love Jesus. But, when you press them, they don’t talk much about Jesus, how He’s working in their lives, or how He’s their passion. No, they are passionate about gardens, weather, building projects at home or a host of countless other things. As a pastor who feels the burden (like Paul felt) of presenting every man complete in Christ, I’m hoping God does a work this week to get people’s heads in the game. There’s a race to run. There’s a life to live. If we’re not aggressively centering all of it in Jesus, we can easily lose sight of the things of most importance. Therefore, hear the word of the Lord: “Let us run with endurance the race marked out for us.” Headed in that direction with you…

Something Better

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This coming Sunday, I hope (Lord willing) to finish Hebrews 11 by preaching Hebrews 11:39-40.  After listing hero after hero who triumphed in faith one way or another, our writer wants to turn the corner to help us see what this means for us.  And, he’s been sitting on a royal flush.

He assures us that God provided something better for us, namely the Lord Jesus Christ and His new covenant work.

All these Old Testament saints had trusted and didn’t have the great and precious promises that we have in Christ.  Here’s how Lig Duncan highlights this charge:

“Look you Hebrew Christians, who heard the Gospel from those who had heard it from the apostles themselves.  You have seen how the story ends.  You have seen the coming of the Messiah.  These people before had not seen it and yet they trusted.  So why don’t you trust?”

Or Calvin:

“A tiny spark led them to Heaven.  But now that the Son of Righteousness shines on us, what excuse shall we offer if we still hold to this earth?”

We’ve been given much more than the heroes of faith had in chapter 11 of Hebrews.  The only question that remains is, “Will we live by faith?”  Come this Sunday as we explore this.

Weekend Preview – Worthy Heroes

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With VBS behind us, we continue to be changed by the truths we saw.  One song, which will be incorporated into our gathering Sunday is the song “Worthy” extolling the amazing praise due Jesus.  This Sunday, we will be in Hebrews 11:32-38 for the AM sermon, which will be entitled Worthy Heroes.  We will see people described as those of whom the world was not worthy.  However, in light of Jesus and the amazing attributes He has better than any other, I’m hoping that faith would rise to make us worthy followers of Him, for He is worthy of everything.  Plan to join us Sunday at 10:15AM for worship.

Weekend Preview – Jericho (In & Out) and God’s People…

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Been a rather busy week, so I haven’t blog as consistently, but work still has been in motion for our corporate gatherings tomorrow. In the AM, we are looking at God develop the faith of His people as they cross the Red Sea and conquer Jericho (and with Jericho, we see faith in those outside and inside the city). So, plan to come as we look at Hebrews 11:29-31 and see faith related to God’s people. I’m hoping God works through His Word to develop faith in us.

In the evening, our church will start a week of VBS. We meet from 6:30-8:30 on June 10-14. For more info on this check out the church website. Here’s a short video I made today to promote our week…
VBS 2012 Promo Video from Phil Auxier on Vimeo.

Weekend Preview – Ol’ Moses

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This coming Lord’s Day, we will continue our march through the book of Hebrews (specifically Hebrews 11:23-28) by looking at Moses’ faith.  There are a few things that stand out from a mere cursory reading of the text:

1) Faith is fearless.  Both Moses’ parents and Moses himself were fearless when it came to the ruler of the land of Egypt.  What’s amazing about being fearless is that typically there is something greater that is feared.  In this case, Moses endured by a big picture of an invisible God.  Catch that?  Something that couldn’t be seen with human eyes made Moses live a certain way in today.

2) Faith is active.  In each episode of Moses’ life, we see someone who has faith in God alone, but it is not a faith that is alone.  It’s a faith that displays itself in action.  And, for every action that comes out of the story of his life, we are given a reason for why that action is pursued (which helps us as we seek to live out active faith).

In light of this, then, I encourage you to join us this coming Sunday, 6/3/12, as we explore the active, fearless faith of Moses so that we might be a people who glorify and enjoy God, forever.

Strangers, Aliens, Home

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This coming Sunday, we hope to look at Hebrews 11:13-16.  One of the big arguments of this passage has to do with people, in faith, calling themselves strangers and aliens on earth and, in doing so, “make it clear that they are seeking a homeland.”  To be a stranger somewhere means that there is somewhere that is not so strange.  To be an alien, means that there is somewhere you are at home.

We are pretty hung up on being home.  We love the comforts, conveniences, security and familiarity it provides.  So, when we are in a “strange” place that feels like home, we call it our home away from home.  Home Sweet Home.  What does that mean?  Only that there is a place that is home.

How we live in this world and view it says a lot about our faith.  Come this Sunday, then, as we explore a life of faith and its future look affects your life in the here and now.

Hope Against Hope or…

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Faith Trusts God in the Impossible or at least that’s what Hebrews 11:11-12 would have us understand.  This coming Lord’s Day, we will be looking at this passage and the faith that Sarah exhibited and God rewarded (He is a rewarder, after all, of those who believe that He is and that He rewards those who diligently seek Him).  Here’s how Ligon Duncan explains the thrust of this week’s passage:

We’re told [in this passage] that Sarah by faith become the mother of the faithful.  What that passage is saying is Sarah’s saving faith was the instrument by which the line of promise was continued.  That promise would ultimately lead to the Lord Jesus Christ.  But she believed even though physically there was no argumentation as to whether she would be able to have a child.  Humanly speaking, this was hope against hope.  But again, God’s Word came and said that through Sarah, Abram would have descendants whose numbers would be innumerable.  So Abram’s wife believed.  Here again she had to trust in something that she did not live to see.  The author [of Hebrews] continually points us to the future hope which is ours.

There are times when we have to weigh what God has said against what we can see with our eyes.  Faith is letting God’s promise hold weight.  We live in light of that.  Hope this helps you thirst for more of God in His Word.  Join us this Sunday.

Weekend Preview – Noah, Faith & Obedience

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By faith Noah, being warned by God concerning events as yet unseen, in reverent fear constructed an ark for the saving of his household. By this he condemned the world and became an heir of the righteousness that comes by faith. (Hebrews 11:7)


Noah.  We don’t think of him as a man of faith.  Sure, he received grace from God.  But, our verse for this Sunday shows that he was a man who heard a clear (unseen) message from God.  And as he exhibited faith in God, it served to save and condemn.  


Come this Sunday and learn how Faith Obeys…

Weekend Preview – Easter

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As you probably know, this coming Sunday is Easter.  It’s an amazing day to gather together and worship, celebrating Jesus and His life, death and resurrection.  This Sunday, in the Scriptures, we will be looking at Romans 1:3-4 and specifically who Jesus is.  I invite you to join us.

We will have an Easter Brunch at 8:30AM.
Sunday School at 9AM.
Worship at 10:15AM.

There will be no evening activities this coming Sunday.