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.
Stay informed by following us on Facebook, YouTube, Apple Podcasts, or through our RSS feed. We would love for you to join us for worship every Sunday at 10 am and 6 pm. If you cannot join us in person then tune into our YouTube livestream.
Christ' work will be applied to his people. We certainly have seen this in John 17. We know that individuals will come to faith, but what about the church? Is the church going to be sustained until the end? Will the Lord preserve his church through thick and thin?
Paul confers a greeting to Timothy that sounds consistent. However, Paul adds “mercy” to his greeting to Timothy. This is language the echos the Old Testament concept of steadfast love. Paul is in prison writing a friend who has grieved the loss of Paul, a friend who wonders if he will see Paul again, and so how is the Lord still showing his steadfast mercy? Is God’s steadfast mercy able to be conferred beyond Paul's current circumstances? How does this assure us that Paul's greeting applies even to us today?
John captures Christ's prayer before Christ goes to the cross. This prayer reveals to us that Christ is very aware of his mission and his purpose of entering history. Christ prays not only for himself, but also his disciples. His disciples are not the immediate 11, but also for us who will come to believe through his word. What does this prayer teach us about Christ's atonement? What assurance does this give us that Christ will not give up on those who has come to redeem?
Joseph considers his legal recourse regarding his pregnant fiancé. He thinks that she loves another man because Joseph knows that she is not carrying his child, and so Joseph desires to quietly break off their relationship by appealing to Deuteronomy 24. An angel appears to him and reveals that Deuteronomy 24 is not going to be used, but rather Deuteronomy 25. Joseph will be the levirate redeemer establishing the legality of Christ's line. Why is it so important that Joseph takes Mary to be his wife?
Christ invites his audience who hears his word to come to him. We are promised blessing if we are not offended by Christ. This sounds strange because why would we be offended by Christ? Nevertheless we are promised that as we respond to the gospel in faith we will take the yoke of Christ upon us. His teaching will progressively become more and more of who we are. Clearly, Christ is assuring us that as we take hold of Christ by faith, as we come under his control more and more we will enjoy his blessings. How can Christ give such a call without contradicting what we heard regarding God’s election before the foundations of the world?
When the Lord declares that he will be victorious over the serpent there is no doubt that the Lord will be victorious over the serpent. God does not overpromise what he is capable of accomplishing. Our expectation of this victory is that Christ is going to send an action hero, a special forces unit, or have a military strategy that would set this world on end. The Lord is going to conduct his battle according to our values rather than showing his strength through humility.
Luke tells us that the Lord does reveals some of the heavenly army, but the angels only sing praises regarding Christ. The Lord recruits the shepherds, but they lack integrity. They do not come to fight, but only bear witness to the angels in heaven praising God. This seems like a flop, but in reality this is exactly how God intends to manifest his victory. The Lord will be exalted through humiliation.
John writes to the church with the assurance that Christ's payment satisfies the sins of the world. This sounds like the whole world is saved. This cannot be the case because right in Genesis 3:15 God promises that there are going to be two lines of people in the human race. There are those who are identified with Christ and those who are not identified with Christ. Christ's payment for the whole world must mean that Christ came to secure an international people.
Peter tells us, "Baptism, which corresponds to this, now saves you." This is a pretty strong statement as it sounds like this baptism actually gives us the blessings of Christ. However, Peter says after this, "not as a removal of dirt from the body but as an appeal to God for a good conscience, through the resurrection of Jesus Christ." We are those who make a pledge to God and then we are baptized. This sounds like we first profess, and then we receive baptism. However, we notice the precedent is actually quite different. Scripture actually teaches us that first someone professes, and then the household if baptized. How does Noah's flood teach us this very promise?
The Lord told Adam that the day he eats of the tree of the knowledge of good and evil he will surely die. The Lord cannot just overlook his justice in order to show his mercy. Christ has to die on the cross for the Lord's justice to be satisfied. It is in Christ's death on the cross that his mercy is manifested. How does Paul use the Mosaic arrangement to give us a deeper understanding of Christ's cross?
The book of Daniel is a book that has many ups and downs in terms of the prophet's mission. He advances almost to the top while exiled in Babylon. However, he also has some setbacks. At the end of the book we might wonder what to make of all this? What is the purpose to press forward I Christ? We learn in this final chapter that God's providence and care for this creation are not haphazard. The Lord is moving this creation to his goal while working within the confines of a fallen world. The ultimately spoiler of history is that God wins so it is better to bow one's knee before Christ rather than at the end of the age.
Human beings can go in two different directions. On the one hand we can think that there is something about us that is appealing to God. So, we think that God is going to love us because we are a little more worthy of God's affection than say another person.
The other side of this is that we can think that we are so bad that we are beyond redemption. We can think that God's mercy and grace cannot bring us back from being lost so we avoid the Lord. This too is wrong as we fail to understand the Lord's grace.
How is it encouraging to know that God loves the unlovable? If we are not adorable why would we be encouraged and want to live for God? if we think we are adorable how can God's grace humble us? How does the humbling of God's grace ultimately lift us up?
Sometimes we can read the news or we can survey our current life and wonder if there is a point to this age. We might wonder if God is still in control or if God has abandoned his rule. We might think that Satan has won and the powers or darkness have defeated our God.
This is our perspective, but Daniel assures us that our perspective is wrong. We must remember that God has written history in his book of truth. How does God's book of truth assure our that our victory is sure in Christ? Why is it so comforting that man cannot change God's book of truth? If we understand this Daniel's prophecy we can proceed throughout our life confident that we will prevail because Christ has prevailed.
In our political systems we can have recounts because we want to make sure that the right person is elected into office. It is tempting to think that God's election might also be flippant. He might have some that he elects to receive salvation for a time and then others who will receive his redemptive blessings unto glory. How do we know this is not the case? Why does the Canons of Dordt appeal only to Romans 8:30 to prove that there is only one election for God's people to receive heaven?
We can have sympathy for Daniel's desire to return to the promised land. Daniel wants to worship his God without persecution. He believes the words of Jeremiah, but yet Daniel does not return to the land. Daniel's desire intensifies because when his people do return to the promised land they face intense persecution while rebuilding the temple. How can Daniel cope with the Lord allowing his people to be persecuted when they rebuild the temple? Does God know? Does God care? How does the Lord show the bigger picture of history? Can we take comfort that history's goal is set?
When Christians talk about man's free will and our coming to faith we end up with the old "Tastes Great.... Less Filling debate." We are not getting to the heart of the issue. The Canons of Dordt seeks to clarify how man comes to faith. The Canons also spells out that God's choosing does not deny our sincere call to respond in faith. The Canons affirms that we are called to obey God. The Canons also defends that christians are called to persevere in our faith. So, what is the fundamental problem? Is this merely a difference of preference or is there a substantive difference?
We can relate with a desire to return to normalcy, the things that bring us close to God, and our religious traditions that we cherish. The Lord has ripped these things from the Israelites, Daniel has confessed that Israel deserved this consequence, and now he waits upon the Lord. It is in the content of Daniel's confession that Gabriel comes to assure Daniel that the Lord is still working. Gabriel reveals that there is going to be strife and struggle throughout this age for God's people. If there is strife and struggle then why continue in the Christian life? What is so significant about the "strong covenant" in the 70th week?
If we really understand our relationship to our God we should be humble. There is nothing about the story of redemption that leads man to be arrogant. However, we can think that we are a little more worthy than our neighbor. We might also think that maybe one of our friends is more worthy of God's affection than say a thief on the cross. The Canons of Dordt reminds us that not one single person deserves God's grace. How can our contemplation of God's grace draw us closer to God,, hope less in our selves, and actually cultivate a deep compassion?
Daniel has reported to us his visions that he received by the grace of God. It would seem that the vision would be the source of Daniel's comfort and contemplation. This is not the case, but we witness Daniel contemplating Jeremiah's promise. Daniel submits to the word of God rather than appealing to his vision. How does his submission to the word of God and his prayer teach us about confession?
As human beings we have a tendency to be sentimental and make our judgements based upon our own bias. We can think that cute infants are unstained from sin because they are too adorable to be sinful. The harsh truth is that we are all sinners from conception. We are all estranged from God because of Adam's rebellion in Eden. If this is true, then how can we take comfort in the tragedy of infant death or a miscarriage? If infants are sinners before the Lord does that mean they are condemned to hell if they die in infancy? How does the covenant of grace give us rich comfort to console us in the midst of infant death?
Our perspective on the world is very limited and one sided. We cannot see the bigger picture of history and the ultimate guidance of the Lord. I am sure that there are times that we can see the Lord's providence at work, but we don't have a handle on the full picture. The Lord pulls back the curtain for Daniel so that he can see what makes history tick. Daniel is troubled and sick as a result of what he sees. How does Daniel's vision ultimately comfort us? How do we see the Lord's continual care for this creation? How do we know that our victory is secured in Christ?
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.
