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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When our Lord teaches us to pray he tells us to pray to our father in heaven. We might think that this makes God a distant God. We might think that he is far away. However, this should assure us that not only is God our father, but he is powerful enough to see us through this age into the age to come.
#lordsprayer
Satan is the accuser and adversary against the Lord. Satan seeks to undermine Christ's work and the church. Peter warns us that Satan prowls around like a roaring lion seeking whom he may devour (1 Peter 5:8). Peter seems to know a lot about Satan's power. We might be tempted to be afraid. We might be tempted to doubt whether the Lord can prevail against such an adversary. However, Christ gives the assurance that he prays for Peter. We also know that Christ prays for us in the heavenly temple. So, we learn about the power of prayer, and in particular Christ's prayer for us to persevere.
John tells us that if we see someone sin we should pray for that person provided that they are not committing the sin unto death. This can result in us being concerned that maybe we committed the sin unto death and we might wonder if we are saved. The assurance that we have is that if we are concerned about committing the sin unto death then we need to be confident that we did not commit the sin.
We are warned by those who have gone before us that if we push the boundaries of grace that God might give us the sin that we desire. The Lord might allows us to wallow and to walk in our sin for a time. So, what happens when the Lord snaps us out of our sin? What does David communicate to us about the Lord remembering his promises? How does David's sin, and more importantly, his restoration, teach us about the Gospel?
When we close our prayers by saying, “Amen” we might just think that it is a simple word. We might not think about all the implications of the word "amen", but saying "amen" is a rather profound way to close our prayers. Why is “Amen” such a strong word? What grounds the word “Amen?”
We are called to do the will of God. We can see in Scripture the commandments that God gives to us challenging us to follow him. However, what does David tell us in Psalm 103? What does it mean that even the angels of heaven are to do the will of the Lord? What is the significance of us praying to do the Lord’s will?
When we lay out what Scripture teaches about our God we show from Scripture that God is the one who created this world. As God is the one who created this world does that mean that he simply made. It, walked away, and allows the world to sustain itself? If this is the case then it means that our God is rather impersonal. However, if we make God merely a being who just communes with us then how is he distinct from this creation?
When we lay out what Scripture teaches about our God we show from Scripture that God is the one who created this world. As God is the one who created this world does that mean that he simply made. It, walked away, and allows the world to sustain itself? If this is the case then it means that our God is rather impersonal. However, if we make God merely a being who just communes with us then how is he distinct from this creation?
It is easy to think that God is distant or that God does not care about the here and now. However, when we learn about prayer the opposite is rather true: we are those who have life in the Lord and we can talk to our Lord. Is prayer something that is merely a psychological thing or does the Lord really hear our prayer? How does our prayer continue to ground us in the Lord?
Our Lord calls us to be light in the world. So often we think that we need greater strategies to impact our particular circles. This is certainly something to pray about and to potentially discuss with one another. However, our Lord calls us to look beyond this immediate age. Where are we called to look? How do we know that our Lord is with us as we look to heaven’s glory?
The Lord has given some pretty strong commands as he expounds the intention of the law. We might want to turn away, tune out the sermon, and take our own path. Our Lord continues to give some assurances that he really has come to save sinners. How do we know that our God can and will love a struggling people?
It is easy for fallen man to be judgmental. If we are honest we would much rather fix someone else’s problem than our own because overall we are doing pretty well right? This is not what Christ says, and Christ speaks in a parabolic way showing the absurdity of such a judgmental spirit. So, what is the problem of being judgmental and what is the solution?
The Lord has called us to honor Him and to live a life exclusively for our God. Christ makes this life a challenge when Christ is very explicit that the law is something that cuts to the heart rather than just being an outward superficial conforming. It is impossible for us to conform to the Lord from our heart, and so how do we conform to the Lord? How do we come before the Lord in light of such impossible exhortations?
James does not conclude his letter like other apostles who conclude their letters with greetings, benedictions, or passing greetings along to churches from fellow saints. James tells us not to take oaths, anoint with oil, and exhorting us to bring back the wandering one. Is it really true that we are not to take an oath? Are we to anoint all the sick with oil? How do we bring someone back who has wandered from the truth? These are the questions that we seek to answer in our last sermon on James.
We can be very frustrated at times because it seems like the Lord is not hearing our prayers. We might be asking for something that we desire, but the Lord might not be giving us what we want. Why would the Lord withhold good things from his children? How can we find contentment in times of want? How can we have an attitude before the Lord that is pleasing and honorable to Him?
This is one of the requests of the Lord’s prayer that we can rattle off without really considering the implications of it. What does it mean that we really want the Lord’s will? This is basically saying that we no longer desire to live by our will, but by the will of our father in heaven. So, how do we live by the will of the Lord seeking to honor the Lord?
When we talk about the Kingdom of God we normally associate the Kingdom of God as being something that is present here and now. So, if the Kingdom is present here and now then why would we ask the Lord for the Kingdom to come? The Lord will establish His kingdom despite any forces that may stand against it. So, what does it mean that we ask for the Lord’s kingdom to come?
Christ commands us to pray, “Our Father who art in heaven.” This is not something that initially seems comforting to us earth dwelling Christians. If God is in heaven while we are here on earth how can His heavenly dwelling be a benefit to us? However, Christ is teaching us to pray this prayer so this is something good. So, what we are we missing? What is the bigger picture that we so often fail to see as struggling humans? How is our praying to our Father in Heaven far more comforting than we could imagine?
Our catechism moves from the law of God that we obey out of gratitude to teaching us about prayer. It does seem a bit strange that as Calvinists we would pray and that our confessional documents would have strong language regarding the necessity of prayer. Why pray if everything is determined? What can prayer do for us in our Christian life? Do we pray to change the will of God or do we pray for another reason?
The Christian life is something that ebbs and flows with ups and downs. There are times when we face tests and struggle to persevere through those tests. There are also times when we face temptations in the weakness of our flesh making it challenging to persevere through this life. How do we keep a proper perspective on heaven? How do we keep our focus on the goal of heaven and glory? Where do we find our strength and power? What can we learn from Christ interacting with his disciples?
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.
