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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God has a redeemed a people who are called to bring glory to his name. We are to be lights in the darkness. We might think that this is only for adults, but the Apostle Paul reminds us that this is for children as well as they are members of the Christian household. So, we hear about how we bring glory to God as the Lord's redeemed saints.
We are called to embrace rather than refuse the Lord who is speaking. Our God speaks to us in His word. Hebrews tells us, "For the word of God is living and active, sharper than any two-edged sword, piercing to the division of soul and of spirit, of joints and of marrow, and discerning the thoughts and intentions of the hear" (Hebrews 4:12). This is the exhortation for us to see the power of God's word that is at work in us. So, we are told in Hebrews 12 not to refuse the Lord who is speaking. The reason is that through the power of God's word we have received a kingdom that transcends this age.
#God'sword #hebrews #expositorysermon #expositorypreaching
The Lord assembles us before Mount Zion. We press forward in the confidence of Christ. We are warned not to allow the root of bitterness to spring up in us. The place and anchor point is Mount Zion.
Paul exhorts Timothy to practice and use his gifts for ministry. We might wonder what is so special about this gift of ministry. It appears to us that anyone can read the word of God and so what is the significance of receiving the preached word? Does it really make that much of a difference? According to the Apostle Paul these are the words of life and the means for godliness.
Peter uses strong language after his Pentecost sermon. Peter says, "Repent and be baptized every one of you in the name of Jesus Christ for the forgiveness of your sins, and you will receive the gift of the Holy Spirit" (Acts 2:38). This sounds as if we repent, then we receive baptism, and then the Spirit is free to work. We say that the Spirit normally works through the preaching of the Gospel. We listen to Peter's exhortation and consider the deeper implications for the sign of Baptism and profession of faith.
When we face difficult times in life we are tempted to think that God is not present in the midst it. We think that when things do not go our way that God is not blessing us. Our problem is we want God to do our will rather than being trained to do his will. Hebrews reminds us how we can have our priorities reversed.
The Apostle Paul exhorts us to put on Christ. We are exhorted to be consciously set apart in Christ Jesus. The hidden mystery, that is God's plan of redemption, has been manifested and shown in Christ. As we are joined to Christ by the Spirit and Faith we are called to walk in a manner that honors Christ. We are not doing this to become God's holy people, but because we are God's holy people. We clearly bring glory to Christ's name because of His redemptive work. We seek to discern what is pleasing to him out of gratitude.
We conclude the catalogue of saints who have gone before us. Hebrews concludes the catalogue of saints with some who had to wait upon the Lord in extreme circumstance, and others who experienced the Lord's exceptional blessing. As we wrap up this catalogue of saints we marvel at the Lord's sustaining power throughout covenant history.
The author of Hebrews continues to lay out the significance of the Old Testament saints looking to the one Christ. We are tempted to elevate these heroes rather than seeing the power that is behind their actions.
Preached: Morning April 30, 2023
We might think that idolatry is something that only other people do. If we are honest, we will see that we are blinded to our own affections and self righteousness. We do not see that there are things in this age, not necessarily sinful things, but things that can distract us from our God. This is why it is so important that we understand we are children of God, and it is because we are redeemed in Christ that we have an exclusive relationship with our God. So, when we are exhorted to discern what is pleasing to the Lord then we are invited to see what things do distract us and to be tender to the things that may distract us from Christ. However, we must always remember that we are beloved children of God and we persevere by His grace and power.
It is common for Christians to see Hebrews 11 as a catalogue of the Heroes of the Faith. This is not necessarily wrong, as there is a precedent of people who walked by faith, but it is lacking completion. You see we assume that they are walk in the faith, but we do not always consider the power that is at work in their lives. We assume that it is faith, but we can miss the undying beam that upholds them in their Christian sojourn.
Abraham presents the picture of the Gospel when he sacrifices Isaac. This is Abraham demonstrating Good Friday and the Lord’s intention.
The Lord is sovereign and rules over all things. This might sound oppressive until we realize the freedom and joy of living under God's sovereignty.
Billy Joel says, "I would rather laugh with the sinners than cry with the saints." This is a line in "Only the Good Die Young" that has always intrigued me. This would mean that living for God is a life fully of mourning, sorrow, and pure misery. The Apostle Paul does not command us to weep, but to discern what is pleasing to the Lord. In fact, as a Christian we would say that living for God is the source of our joy. In this sermon we consider what it means to live for God and discerning what pleases him.
The unnamed centurion carries out murder. This is not to say that everyone who has died by his hand has been murdered, but his carrying out an order to kill an innocent man is murder. We noted on Friday that the centurion praised God for Christ’s innocence. He saw this with his Roman bias and in darkness.
This is contrasted with the disciples who are familiar with Christ’s ministry. They are perplexed because they thought Christ was the messiah, but Christ died. Christ’s death does not fit into their system. The disciples never thought that Christ’s death has to take away death and definitively destroyed by Christ’s resurrection. So often we think about Christ’s death, but we do not see the significance of his resurrection. This is a reminder that we need to discern who God is rather than define him by our cultural expectations.
The centurion is charged to execute Christ. Christ is charged with insurrection. So, this centurion would most likely expect another insurrectionist uprising followed by a crucifixion. However, Christ is not put down like other men. He is clearly not an insurrectionist, but worthy of praise. We join together to hear the testimony and praise of the Centurion for our Good Friday Service.
We are those who are created to do good works. We also know that faith is a gift that is given to us by God. Christ in the Sermon of the Mount gives us very strong exhortations to obey God from our heart. Where does grace fit into all this? Is grace something that enables us to be faithful?
#sermononthemount #lifeinchrist #gospeliving
"Now faith is the assurance of things hoped for, the conviction of things not seen." This is true, but what is faith? What does faith really do? Hebrews teaches us that faith is the manifestation of the Lord's creative work. It is as we walk in faith that the power of the spirit is manifested.
#hebrews11 #hebrewsseries #expositorypreaching
Isaiah receives his commission from the Lord to go and bring the word to God's people. This is not a commission that is really positive as the people will not hear or see the message that Isaiah delivers. They will be deaf and blind to the substance of the message. This seems to be a hopeless mission until we read the holy seed is its stump.
#Isaiah #expositorypreaching #catechismsermon #heidelbergcatechism
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.
