Sermon Video: Real Love - 1 Corinthians 13:4-7

Christians are supposed to be known for their love, love for each other, and love for even their enemies.  This, of itself, is beyond our capacity, but when viewed through the Apostle Paul's explanation in 1 Corinthians as to what constitutes real, genuine love, it would seem to make a difficult situation hopeless.  Thankfully, God has given his Spirit to his people, has empowered them to live like Jesus here in this world, because he has called us to embrace all 14 of the aspects of love that Paul highlighted (and perhaps others as well, it is not an exhaustive list, although it certainly is comprehensive).  What must our love be?  Patient and kind.  What must it be free of? Envy, boasting, pride, any willingness to dishonor others, selfishness, anger, and record keeping of the wrongs of others.  Give up yet?  In addition, love must rejoice in truth while rejecting the lure of utilizing evil (even thinking, 'that good may result', a false lie).  Love must always protect, trust, hope, and persevere. 
This is not a question of focus, willpower, or determination.  We cannot accomplish this on our own, not even close.  Once again, we must depend upon the transforming power of the Spirit of God, must embrace our role in the community of believers (for help, guidance, and support; mutually so), and must move forward, toward Christ-likeness, in faith because we all need real love.

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Sermon Video: The vanity of conspiring against the will of God - Acts 23:12-35

After having placed the Apostle Paul in protective custody following the riot instigated by his enemies in Jerusalem, the Roman garrison's commander, Claudius Lysias, learns from Paul's nephew that a conspiracy of over 40 men has vowed to murder Paul in the streets after their co-conspirators in the Sanhedrin have used a false pretext to request Paul appear before them.  Upon learning of this disturbing plan, one that includes the blasphemy of using the authority of those who are supposed to represent God to plan a murder, the commander sends Paul away to Caesarea with a strong escort of soldiers.
What do we make of this text?  (1) That the providence of God is not thwarted by the conspiracies of evil men, (2) that while evil thrives in the dark it only takes a little like to begin to counteract it (in this case the courage of Paul's nephew to come forward), and (3) that even if we are the target of an attempt to discredit or destroy us, even if we personally face persecution, that we remain, as was Paul, in the care of Almighty God.

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The Value of a Strong Fortification

One of the fascinating things about visiting lands with an ancient history is the chance to see old forts and castles.  We don't have many of these impressive old structures here in the United States, but anyone who tours their crumpled remains can tell that a vast amount of time and effort went into their creation and upkeep.  Why such an expense in an era of scarcity?  Because they were absolutely necessary.  The strong walls and secure gates of an ancient city gave its population a sense of security in a world full of uncertainty.  When an enemy army appeared, people needed to know that they had a place to retreat to and find safety.
In Proverbs 18:10, we are told "The name of the LORD is a strong tower; the righteous run to it and are safe."  The people of Israel knew the value of strong defensive structures because they were surrounded by hostile neighbors and situated at the midpoint between rival superpowers.  God's people had plenty of occasions to retreat into strongholds.  Yet the text is telling us something surprising; the name of the LORD is the source of refuge and strength.  Not a physical wall of stone, nor an iron reinforced gate, rather simply the name of God. 
How can the name of God be a refuge for the people of God?  The name of God represents the promises of God.  When God wanted to bring mankind back from wandering in despair he began with a Covenant with Abraham.  God's Covenant was a series of promises and obligations both by God and by Abraham.  As such, the name of God was symbolic of his promises to save and protect his people.  When God called Moses to lead the people out of Egyptian bondage to the Promised Land he told Moses that his name, "I AM", would be sufficient for the people to know that Moses really represented God. 
The protection offered by God has often been a physical salvation for his people, safety from all sorts of dangers, but in the end, that isn't good enough.  If God were to protect his people from danger throughout their lives and yet make no provision for their souls beyond death, his protection would be a short-term success but a long-term failure.  Thankfully, in addition to help and support as we live our lives now, God offers to those who follow him, the righteous, the promise that their hope in him will never be in vain.  Even if in this world we are to suffer, even if in this world our lives are lost due to violence of evil men, we will have our hope, our refuge, secure in the very name of God.  All those who run to God for safety will find a strong tower, a refuge secure against any storm.

Sermon Video: "I will sing in the shadow of your wings"- Psalm 63

In this psalm David expresses his joy and confidence which come from the love and protection of the Lord.  Despite wandering around in the desert, David knew that God was with him in the no matter what.  If the doubts came in the night, God was there.  That absolute confidence in God's Word allowed David to proclaim his ability to sing out in the shadow of God's protective wings in defiance of his enemies.  We too, with the guarantee of the Holy Spirit can rejoice in our confidence in the promises of God.

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