Come Sojourn with Us
This is where you will find sermons and updates for our church. Our mission is to preach expository sermons focusing on the gospel of Christ. We are a church that is tied to the reformed tradition and seeks to submit to the scriptures so we walk in the Lord’s wisdom rather than our own.
We would love to have you join us on our Christian sojourn if you are in the Belgrade, MT area. If you are not in area then join us by listening to our bi weekly free sermon podcast.
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If we are honest we want to think that we are a little better than what we are. Sin deceives all of us into thinking that we might be a little worthy of the Lord’s grace and favor. How do we know that the gift we receive from God is something that is forced upon us? What is the contrast of Romans 6:23 that drives home the gift that God has given to us? How do we know that we have not earned this free gift from the hand of God?
When we see Christ going into Jerusalem it seems that He has some anger management issues. First, He curses a tree that did not bear fruit. Second, he overturns tables in the temple and has what appears to be a tantrum. How can these things make a credible point? Why curse a tree out of anger and overturn the temple? Is the stress of the cross getting to Christ or is there more?
It would be nice if we could make ourselves a little worthy of grace or maybe earn some of God’s favor during our life. The reality is that we cannot earn the Lord’s favor no matter how hard we work at it. So, why do we continue to press forward if we cannot please God anyway? Or maybe we are just exaggerating and man is not that bad. So, is mankind really so sinful that we cannot work to receive grace?
When we see Christ riding into Jerusalem we see that Christ is entering into a holy and incredible place that is so full or history. This is the place where God is to dwell in the midst of HIs people. Now is finally the time in Christ’s ministry when you would expect His people to embrace their God. Is this the time for God to sit on the throne and finally make His city holy? If that is the case then why is Christ seated on a donkey and not a war horse?
So often we want to think that we are not really that bad or that we are pretty good to put it positively. In fact, in American culture we don’t like hearing that we are sinners because we want to think that we are pretty good or decent to say the least right? We want to believe that we are going to get better and at this point we are not perfect. How can we cope with life if we are really sinful and by sinful I mean bad enough to do things that would absolutely make us shudder? How do we overcome that struggle?
When we face the trials of life we want a strong leader to tell us what to do. If we are honest we really want the leader to tell us that it is all going to be okay. You cannot find a better or stronger leader than God God as He is the one who made us and knows us. So, you would think that Christ would tell His disciples that it is all going to be okay when they enter Jerusalem. Well, this is not what Christ does at all. Why does Christ give such a strange pep talk prior to their entrance into Jerusalem?
I bet that if you were to survey the average person on the street they would tell you to question leadership and authority. I would suspect that this answer would be consistent among conservatives as well as liberals. We would probably not be that surprised by this considering that we have witnessed leaders deceive and abuse their authority. So, why would we as Christians want to trust leaders in the church? We know leaders in the church have fallen into sin so why trust leadership? How does the apostle Paul set the tone for Christian leadership? How does setting such a tone for leadership reorient someone’s idea or notion of service?
It is rather strange to ask the Lord not to lead us into temptation because we are sinners who follow our sinful desires quit well. We also believe and affirm that God cannot sin. If God cannot sin, and we are sinners why would we then ask the Lord not to lead us into temptation? It seems that we are more than capable of finding and following temptation ourselves. So, why do we pray such a request, and why even ask the Lord such a thing when really it is our call to walk the straight and narrow in Christ? Right or is there more to this request?
The reality is that if we ask the wrong question we are more than likely to arrive at the wrong answer. If we desire to find the right answers it is best to ask the right questions. This is what we find with the wealthy man who approaches Christ about salvation. He thinks that the answer is simple so his question is simple. In his understanding he has done all that is required for life. However, when Christ points out the bigger picture even the disciples are confused by the answer. So, what must we do to be saved and have life? How can we as Americans enter the Kingdom of God if a camel cannot go through the eye of a needle?
The call for us to suffer and forgive those who offend us is a rather difficult challenge. We as humans want to make sure that we get our pound of flesh. We think that those who offend us must pay the price or we might want be scared that they will make a habit of offending us. So, why do we ask for forgiveness and ask that we would forgive others? What could possibly motivate us to want to fulfill this radical request?
So often we use the law of God to find loopholes and technicalities. I think that many times we like the letter of the law because it narrows the sharpness of its requirement. But, how do we order our lives by the law of God when it seems contradictory? For instance Christ gives permission for divorce if there is an adulterous relationship. The Apostle Paul allows for divorce if the unbeliever cannot live with the believer. Yet, Christ states that, “Whoever divorces his wife and marries another commits adultery against her.” How do we reconcile these teachings on divorce and order our lives when they seem to contradict one another?
Our temptation is to trust in ourselves for our daily physical needs. We can look to money we have set aside for a rainy day, our investments, our business opportunities, or maybe just our shrewd handling of money. The temptation we have as creatures is that we can trust in our abilities for our daily provisions rather than the Lord. So, why is this wrong and what does the prayer request regarding the Lord providing our daily bread put our financial priorities in perspective?
The season of Christmas concludes with New Years. New Year’s Day is a day of transition of moving from an old year to a new year. It is our tradition to make resolutions and hope that the new year is better and more blessed than last year. This is not necessarily a bad thing provided that we are doing this in the confidence of the grace of God, but what should be the ultimate hope for the new year? What should be our focus as we move from this year to the next year? What can Jacob teach us about a struggled life in the Lord as he prepares for the ultimate transition from this age to being with our Lord?
We are creatures who have our own desires, convictions, and goals. It is not natural for us as fallen creatures to put another’s will ahead of our own will. If this is true then how can we pray, “Your will be done?” How can we want the Lord’s will over our own will? Is the Lord requiring something of us that is beyond our capabilities? Does the Lord even know how difficult it is to desire such a thing? How do we know that our high priest who resides in the glory of heaven knows such a struggle?
It is easy to reduce Christmas down to a time of sentimental feelings or desires. There are some people who might see Christmas only as joy, while there are others who might only dwell on the loss of loved ones. There is no doubt that we may even vacillate between these two feelings. It is also true that both of these views have a basis. So, how do we keep these feelings or desires in a proper perspective? How can our God understand both of these views of Christmas? How does the strange man Simeon even help us to keep our Christmas struggle in perspective or reorient our priorities?
The Lord is the king who rules over heaven and earth. He is the one who triumphs and has while continuing to manifest His might, His power, and the strength of His hand. So, if this is true then why would we ask that His kingdom would come if He is strong enough to establish it? What does the resurrection have to do with this request? Why would the resurrection be so essential for the Christian life?
We can understand that Jacob is afraid to meet his brother Esau because Esau vowed to kill Jacob which is why Jacob left his home. So, we can understand Jacob’s angst as he is about to meet his brother. So, why would God take the time to wrestle with this poor guy rather than simply defeating Esau? What does this wrestling teach Jacob? What does this wrestling teach us? What does this wrestling declare about Christmas?
Our God is the standard of holiness. We cannot make God any holier than God already is in Himself. So, if God is one who is everything that is holy then why would want God to make Himself more holy as we pray, “Make holy your name?” Mary invites us to join together in making the Lord’s name holy. Is she out of line or is there a basis for such a request?
As protestants we champion the promise that we are justified by faith. Justification by faith is a wonderful promise because we can be assured of enteringinto the presence of God by faith in Christ. So, how did this blessing come to be? Is this merely a New Testament promise? What precedent do we see for such a promise?
Our human inclination is to think that God dwelling in heaven makes Him distant from us. However, when Christ teaches us to pray the force of addressing God as our Father in heaven seems to be a blessing. So, why is it good that our Father is in heaven and not on an earthly visible throne?
We are a bible believing church in the Belgrade, MT. We are a Reformed Protestant church who desire to build one another up in love as we sojourn under the sun.
