Christ Covenant Church

Safely navigating our souls to the shores of heaven requires we spy the lies that lead to shipwreck and the truth those lies often conceal.1. You don’t have what it takes to live for God and get to heaven (2Pe 1:3).2. The Devil poses no threat to the Christian (1Pe 5:8).3. The consensus of pagans, our thoughts, our spiritual beliefs and our feelings are all things we can trust when attempting to discern truth (Joh 17:17; Isa 8:20).4. The Bible is your only spiritual authority (Neh 9:7-8; Jer 3:15).5. Stop trying to carry the heavy burden of obedience to the Law and start resting in God’s free grace.

Safely navigating our souls to the shores of heaven requires we spy the lies that lead to shipwreck and the truth those lies often conceal.1. You don’t have what it takes to live for God and get to heaven (2Pe 1:3).2. The Devil poses no threat to the Christian (1Pe 5:8).3. The consensus of pagans, our thoughts, our spiritual beliefs and our feelings are all things we can trust when attempting to discern truth (Joh 17:17; Isa 8:20).4. The Bible is your only spiritual authority (Neh 9:7-8; Jer 3:15).5. Stop trying to carry the heavy burden of obedience to the Law and start resting in God’s free grace.

Safely navigating our souls to the shores of heaven requires we spy the lies that lead to shipwreck and the truth those lies often conceal.1. You don’t have what it takes to live for God and get to heaven (2Pe 1:3).2. The Devil poses no threat to the Christian (1Pe 5:8).3. The consensus of pagans, our thoughts, our spiritual beliefs and our feelings are all things we can trust when attempting to discern truth (Joh 17:17; Isa 8:20).4. The Bible is your only spiritual authority (Neh 9:7-8; Jer 3:15).5. Stop trying to carry the heavy burden of obedience to the Law and start resting in God’s free grace.

Safely navigating our souls to the shores of heaven requires we spy the lies that lead to shipwreck and the truth those lies often conceal.1. You don’t have what it takes to live for God and get to heaven (2Pe 1:3).2. The Devil poses no threat to the Christian (1Pe 5:8).3. The consensus of pagans, our thoughts, our spiritual beliefs and our feelings are all things we can trust when attempting to discern truth (Joh 17:17; Isa 8:20).4. The Bible is your only spiritual authority (Neh 9:7-8; Jer 3:15).5. Stop trying to carry the heavy burden of obedience to the Law and start resting in God’s free grace.

Safely navigating our souls to the shores of heaven requires we spy the lies that lead to shipwreck and the truth those lies often conceal.1. You don’t have what it takes to live for God and get to heaven (2Pe 1:3).2. The Devil poses no threat to the Christian (1Pe 5:8).3. The consensus of pagans, our thoughts, our spiritual beliefs and our feelings are all things we can trust when attempting to discern truth (Joh 17:17; Isa 8:20).4. The Bible is your only spiritual authority (Neh 9:7-8; Jer 3:15).5. Stop trying to carry the heavy burden of obedience to the Law and start resting in God’s free grace.

In Matthew 6:19-24 Jesus reveals the power our discretionary and belief loyalties possess not only for determining who we truly serve (who we are loyal to as King), but also for producing the salvation-essential attributes of affection (for God) and conviction (in regard to the Word of God). Our confidence that loyalty is indeed His subject is confirmed by His conclusion (24 “serve…be devoted to” = be loyal to).

In Matthew 6:19-24 Jesus reveals the power our discretionary and listening loyalties possess not only for determining who we truly serve (who we are loyal to as King), but also producing the salvation-essential attributes of affection (for God) and conviction (in regard to the Word of God). Our confidence that loyalty is indeed His subject is confirmed by His conclusion (24 “serve…be devoted to” = be loyal to).

Act 17:22-31These verses represent Paul’s Mars Hill (Areopagus) address to the Athenians. In it we find six “shiny” words to think/talk about when you spend time after the sermon stuffing your face and fellowshipping for Easter.Why I refer to them as “shiny” = They are words that (in their context) evoke the kinds of conversations we need to be having with the people in our world today. They (I believe) are the conversations that bring the most needed forms of light to our dark and confused world. The song, Shiny Happy People (by R.E.M.) has also been playing in my head. (22) "Religious" = Possessing a system of morality (right and wrong). That is all the word “religion/religious refers to: a person’s moral beliefs. As humans, we are moral creatures by nature (creatures concerned with right and wrong). This is what makes us different than the animals.1.1. What therefore Paul says to the Athenians is true about all humans. We are all very religious. This includes people who would claim they are “not religious.

1. The King’s math1.1. Christ = King (Luk 23:1-2)1.2. Love = Loyalty (Joh 14:15)1.3. Upgrade = Sacrifice (Phi 2:5-11)1.4. Holiness = Intolerance (of sin) (2Co 7:1)1.5. My King is King > All other Kings (gods included) (Mat 28:18).1.6. My King’s reboot > than your best life now. (Rev 21:1-5).1.7. Serve the King = savor the Kingdom (Phi 1:21-23)2. The King’s inquiry2.1. Do you serve the King? (or, I serve the King, who do you serve?) (1Jo 5:19)2.2. Why would anyone be so stupid not to serve the King? Only the King can offer a life free from pain (Rev 21:4 versus the Atheist/religions of the world = Free from pain at death – not during life. The reality for the Atheist/religions of the world = Rev 20:15).2.3. What happens to you if the King returns in 2046? (2Th 1:7b-10)3. The King’s speech3.1. The King is not your holy toilet.3.1.1. As long as I confess my sin to King Jesus, I don’t have to worry about consequences b/c He takes care of it. He is my holy toilet. Text often used to support this kind of thinking (

Nobody gets to heaven by themselves. Why? Because Christianity is a team sport. We need to be on the King’s team, the church. More than that, we need to be doing our part to see that the King’s team is a success. Here then is what you need to know about the King’s team and your place on it:Every church member is important to the team’s success.(1Pe 1:18-19) = The King purchased you for the team at the incredibly high price of His own blood. What does that mean? Jesus believes you are important to the team’s success (e.g. The Browns recent acquisition of Deshaun Watson for a guaranteed $230m [most guaranteed money in NFL history] = The Browns believe Watson is important to their success). Jesus would not have done given His precious blood for someone He didn’t believe could have a major impact for His team. Hence why Peters says (1:13a “prepare your minds for action”) = Get ready to make an impact for the team you were purchased at a high price to pay for – to show you are worth the price that was paid versus

Though we cannot know the exact day or hour (Mat 24:36), the evidence strongly suggests that we be prepared for our King to return in approximately 25 years.Year 6000 will mark the end of human history and the return of our King.(2Pe 3:1-10):1.1. We need to remember that Jesus and the apostles predicted His return (1-2).1.2. Sinful people ignorant that God has already made good on His promise to destroy this world will laugh at our claims of the King’s return and the final destruction of this world in fiery judgment (3-7, 10).1.3. God wants us to have some sense of when Jesus will return so as to be ready versus eternally perish (9; Mat 24:32-36 = Though [once more] we cannot know the exact day and hour, we can know when we are “near” – i.e. within 40 years, “this generation will not pass away until all these things take place” = The King’s first return in 70 A.D. [~40 yrs later]).1.4. We must not overlook the “one fact” most important to determining when our King’s final return is near [~40 yrs?]: the ancien

 (Act 5:42) = Notice there are two different venues where the apostles met with the church for teaching and preaching: 1) “Temple” = larger venue (Act 5:12 – “Solomon’s Portico” = Court area outside the Temple): On the Lord’s Day, the entire church came together for corporate worship (~15k people), 2) “house to house” = smaller venue: During the week, church members wb divided into smaller groups and meet in different houses. Hence the reason the text says this was taking place “every day.” Every day of the week was devoted to some form of meeting. Either corporate worship or a community group. The large number of church members, the small size of the 1st century house and the fact that everyone relied on the apostle’s direct teaching (nothing had yet been written down), meant different community groups “every day” of the week just to get through all the people. Here then is the biblical basis for community groups: the practice of the early church: Temple court for church on Sundays - and every other day of t

Jesus was the perfect man. But what kind of man (or human) was He? What things did He care about? What things did He not care about? Where or with whom did He spend His time? How did He respond or react to others? How did He come across to others? How did people view His words or the way He spoke?Our investigation into the (human) person of Jesus has as its purpose not simply the gaining of knowledge, but more importantly, its application through imitation. We are commanded (in 1Co 15:1) to imitate our King. The reason? b/c imitation is the greatest expression of worship and adoration/love. IOW: we show our loyalty to Jesus best by our imitation of His humanity. It is in this way also that we imitate (and show loyalty) to God since, through His humanity, Jesus perfectly pictured or explained the character of God (Joh 1:18).As a human, King Jesus:Was careful to receive or act on anything as truth that could not be sufficiently supported in God’s court.Didn’t care about the evil going on in government only the

Jesus was the perfect man. But what kind of man (or human) was He? What things did He care about? What things did He not care about? Where or with whom did He spend His time? How did He respond or react to others? How did He come across to others? How did people view His words or the way He spoke?Our investigation into the (human) person of Jesus has as its purpose not simply the gaining of knowledge, but more importantly, its application through imitation. We are commanded (in 1Co 15:1) to imitate our King. The reason? b/c imitation is the greatest expression of worship and adoration/love. IOW: we show our loyalty to Jesus best by our imitation of His humanity. It is in this way also that we imitate (and show loyalty) to God since, through His humanity, Jesus perfectly pictured or explained the character of God (Joh 1:18).As a human, King Jesus:Was careful to receive or act on anything as truth that could not be sufficiently supported in God’s court of Law (* correction to last week*Luk 18:18-19; Joh 5:31* s

Jesus was the perfect man. But what kind of man (or human) was He? What things did He care about? What things did He not care about? Where or with whom did He spend His time? How did He respond or react to others? How did HE come across to others? How did people view His words or the way He spoke?Our investigation into the (human) person of Jesus has as its purpose not simply the gaining of knowledge, but more importantly, its application through imitation. We are commanded (in 1Co 15:1) to imitate our King. The reason? b/c imitation is the greatest expression of worship and adoration/love. IOW: we show our loyalty to Jesus best by our imitation of His humanity. It is in this way also that we imitate (and show loyalty) to God since, through His humanity, Jesus perfectly pictured or explained to us the character of God (Joh 1:18).As a human, King Jesus:Was careful to receive or act on anything as truth that could not be sufficiently supported in God’s court of Law (Mat 19:16-17; Joh 8:2-11; Jam 4:11-12 w/5:9 =

Having finished our discussion on Jesus’ radical view on family, it is important that we (now) consider its application to our everyday lives. In other words, that we understand what doing family according to Jesus it looks like.With regard to the world’s values or expectations, conversations with outsiders, and fellowship with those not welcomed to God.You reject the family values or expectations established by the world.Your conversations with outsiders are to be focused on family talk: God and His Word/gospel/our church family.You have no fellowship with anyone who does not welcome conversation about God and His gospel or refuses to act on what they have heard (including biological family and friends) (the exclusions: 1Co 7:12-14; Mat 15:3-6).With regard to your major life decisions, personal life, and attitude toward your brothers and sistersAll major life decisions- or in the lives of those in your care, are under the oversight of your church family (most especially your ordained pastor) (Heb 13:17).“It

Having finished our discussion on Jesus’ radical view on family, it is important that we (now) consider its application to our everyday lives. In other words, that we understand what doing family according to Jesus it looks like.With regard to the world’s values or expectations, conversations with outsiders, and fellowship with those not welcomed to God.You reject the family values or expectations established by the world.Your conversations with outsiders are to be focused on family talk: God and His Word/gospel/our church family.You have no fellowship with anyone who does not welcome conversation about God and His gospel or refuses to act on what they have heard (including biological family and friends).With regard to your major life decisions, personal life, and attitude toward your brothers and sistersAll major life decisions – or in the lives of those in your care, are under the oversight of your church family (most especially your ordained pastor).4.1. (1Co 1:10; Phi 1:27, 2:2)4.2. Some practical example

Having finished our discussion on Jesus’ radical view on family, it is important that we (now) consider its application to our everyday lives. In other words, that we understand what doing family according to Jesus it looks like.You reject the family values or expectations established by the world.1.1. (Luk 9:57-62) = Given Luke’s decision to group these events together, means that we should assume they possess the same general context from which to discern their intended principle or point. That context is family – or more specifically, the values and expectations possessed by the world’s view of family. There are three presented in these verses. Jesus opposes/rejects all three: 1) your home is where your biological family resides (57-58) = “Holes” (or dens) and “nests” represent not only an animal’s resting place but the place where its biological family resides. Humans in the world identify home – or their resting place, in the same way. It is the place where my biological family resides. Jesus however opp

Why (at 24 years old) did I make such a decision and continue to follow Him today (no matter what the world does or how difficult it might be at times)?(3 reasons): 1) what I knew about myself, 2) what I knew about the world, 3) what I knew about the future. What I knew (and continue to know) about myself = It didn’t take me long to realize that I was (and would continue to be without Christ) a slave to my feelings/emotions with very little (if any) power or ability to free myself from them.1.1.I hated being controlled by them because I saw how depraved, deceitful, and destructive they were.1.2. I saw how they affected my ability to determine truth, make wise decisions, or have right relationships with others. I was a deaf, dumb, and blind crazy person that operated no differently (if not worse) than an animal.1.3. I observed that this was true of others as well. Even the best pagan people were selfish animals being driven to do what they did by how they felt. And most of what they felt (or what drove them) w

Proper biblical interpretation requires two steps: 1) discovering WGO? (what’s going on?), 2) discerning WTP? (what’s the point?).WTP (what’s the point)? = What timeless, universal principles of wisdom are established based on WGO (what’s going on)? Many preachers today discount (or outright reject) the need to discover WTP? believing it to be the Holy Spirit’s job (e.g. John MacArthur believes this and those who graduate from Master’s seminary are taught this – i.e. it is the Holy Spirit’s job [not the pastor] to apply the principles established by the text).The most obvious reason for people not pursuing WTP? in their study of the Bible is that it takes more time and mental energy than people are willing to give.2.1. Discerning WTP? will often require as much – if not more, time than discovering WGO?2.2. Hence the reason David says what he does in (Psa 119:97-99 “understanding” [Heb. Sawkal/Biyn– wisdom/principles of wisdom]) = Notice what David he does to gain this (“your law…is my meditation all the day…y