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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Micah has warned that Israel is facing exile. Israel is going to be marched away from the promised land. This does not sound fun nor does this sound like there is opportunity for any rest. So, what can be a positive outcome of this prophecy? What is the ultimate reversal and the declaration of rest? How should we view ourselves in light of these promises?
One of the basic accusations against the Reformed faith is basically along the lines that if we make grace too free or too gracious then people will be lethargic in the Christian life. Is this true? How can a free grace view of redemption account for Paul’s letter to Titus where he exhorts us to train ourselves in godliness? How can we account for all men being saved? How can a system that believes that God’s grace is only applied to the God’s chosen elect account for Paul’s language of training and stating all being saved?
I hope that we can agree that the ultimate splendor of Jerusalem was not the buildings, but ultimately that the Lord dwelt in the midst of the city. If you were an Israelite in the ideal times of Israel it must have been reassuring to see the temple and know that the Lord was in Israel’s midst. This is not necessarily a bad desire, but when can this desire be sinful? When can the Lord withdraw His presence from His people? Why would the Lord withdraw His presence from us? How can that ultimately be a good thing for a time no matter how tragic and painful it might be?
If Christ is in heaven how can He know our struggle? If Christ is in heaven it seems that He is too distant to care. So, how do we know that Christ is not too far away to care about our struggles here?
The Lord is a good shepherd. So, if the Lord is good why is it that people who have not contributed to the problem in Israel still face exile? How does this show that God is good? We can see that exile is part of the punishment for Israel, but what is encouraging about exile?
We are exhorted to strive to enter the Sabbath rest of the Lord. Does this mean that we have to work really hard to please God? Was the problem with Israel that they just did not understand the gospel? Was it that they did not have Christ? Why would the letter to the Hebrews appeal to Israel when we are being exhorted through the words of this letter? What can we possibly learn from the Israelites that is relevant today?
I am sure that you have heard before that if we hold out the gospel too much then people will not seek to honor the Lord because they will not be afraid of Him. In other words, if we do not really show the justice or the judgement of God then we will have a people that just live in rebellion. What does Micah teach about the real issue or the real problem that confronts us? What is the real issue that is before us, and what is the message that is to be proclaimed?
As a Reformed person I believe that the Holy Spirit will not leave the people that God has chosen. When someone who is not persuaded of perseverance of the saints hears such talk they immediately think that the Reformed view teaches that God leads people around on a string. The concern with Reformed Theology is that man becomes a puppet, an empty shell, or a blind follower who has been deprived of a will. Is Reformed Theology teaching that the Holy Spirit is merely God’s string? Do Reformed people really believe that man is emptied or relieved of his will/desires/decision making ability? How can Reformed People account for man’s will while God overwhelms His elect people by His Spirit?
The people of Israel are facing the wrath of the Lord that is coming against them. They will experience this wrath, but what did they do that was so wrong? Why does the prophet mention a series of place names that are difficult for us to pin on a map? How do those cities communicate the punishment that is coming? What is the hope in the midst of the promised punishment? What could this punishment possibly teach us?
The prophet Micah was sent to Israel with a message that was very relevant and urgent for the Northern and Southern Kingdoms in Canaan. It is tempting to think that this is an in-house problem that impacts the immediate recipients of the letter excusing us from all responsibility. However, Micah calls all peoples to listen. All peoples are to hear the prophet speak. Why should we care what happens to these people in this unique time? What relevant message can the prophet bring to us today?
The interaction between Christ and Nicodemus communicates that there is a problem. It is a problem with the human condition and not a problem with the Lord. We can understand on one level the complexity of redemption, but on the other level we fail to see how complex it is. Nicodemus is shocked by the proposal of a new birth because Nicodemus hears that he needs to be part of another family or another genealogy. Christ is telling him that this is partly true, but it is not a genealogy tied to a family in this world. So, what genealogy matters? What genealogy do we want to have? How do we attain this genealogy and the necessary birth?
We might think that this notion of the preservation and perseverance of the saints is unique to the Apostle Paul. We might also think that this is not all that significant in terms of our psychology or encouraging us through difficult times in this life. In fact, we might think that that knowing God will preserver us waters down the struggle or the hardship of this life. It sounds like life is not that challenging because God will just continue to pull the puppet strings. So, what does a Calvinist say about such a claim that Reformed Theology minimizing suffering?
The claim that there is one mediator that we have in Christ seems like a poor arrangement. We think that it stands to reason that to have more eggs in more baskets provides for us additional security. So, why would we wantto rest in the one God-Man who resides in the glory of heaven? So, why is it good that we have one mediator? What does it mean that He is the mediator of all? Why would we be content with such a mediator?
It seems fairly challenging for us to grasp the depth of Christ’s death on the cross. The reality is that we are people who probably do not fully grasp the Sanhedrin having to redefine their understanding of the messiah, the disciples wondering if they have been deceived, and Pilate never encountering a person like Christ. Why is it so hard for people to grasp Christ? Why is it that we think we grasp who He is without seeing the blind spots in our Christian life? Why is Christ’s death on the cross such a difficult thing for us to understand?
There is no doubt that one would not be saved apart from the grace of God. I think all Christians who have a grasp of Christianity would affirm the necessity of grace for our salvation. We know that we are those who need grace, but how much grace do we need? Is 90 percent enough or do we need more? Is our confidence in that we will not fall away because we love the Lord enough or is it because know that the Lord loves us enough?
Christ is the one who does not deserve to die because He is the only one who can claim that He does not fall under the sentence of Adam. He is unjustly condemned so that we can be mercifully reconciled to the living God. We read in Hebrews that we have a high priest who can sympathize with us. How can the God-Man sympathize with mere humans? How can He really know our struggle if He Himself has not sinned, done any wrong, or struggled with sin? How do we know that Christ really does know the pain of this world?
All conservative Christians agree that the human race is divided between those who believe in Christ as their savior or those who do not believe in Christ. The issue is how do we receive our faith or come to an understanding of the truths in Scripture? Is faith a gift that we receive by reaching up our hand to the benevolent giver or does the benevolent giver impose this gift upon us? So, is this a gift that the Lord imposes on us or is this a gift that we can return it?
Christ’s arrest did not really go that smoothly considering all that happened. It was not carried out in stealth, it was not after the feast of unleavened bread, and ironically Christ told them how they could have executed this arrest with greater precision. Christ told them that if they quietly escorted Christ out of the temple it would have gone a lot smoother. If the leaders of Israel desire to maintain credibility they better hope that the trial goes much better. So, does the trial go better? Is there proof against Christ that grounds their claims that He is a legitimate problem? Or is this another example where fallen man cannot competently conspire against the Lord?
The Apostle Paul sure chooses some strange words when he talks about Christ’s work on the cross. An example of strange wording regarding the work of Christ is when Paul states that Christ became sin. What does that mean? If we really pause for a moment that sounds like Christ has sinned so he could relate to us. Is that what the Lord is saying through the Apostle Paul? Why would it be problematic that Christ would sin? What does Paul mean by this language?
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.
