Isaiah 52: 13- 53: 12; The Suffering and Glory of the Servant

Grace and peace to you from our Lord Jesus Christ.

There are so many things to pull out of this passage which explains in such great detail the person and work of Jesus. The one that has always been so significant to me is 'by his wounds we are healed.' I like that because of the positive connotations behind. Jesus healed us, he made us whole, he restored us to proper relationship with God. Jesus covered us with his love and secured a place for us. He healed us from the sins we have committed and the damage those sins caused us. Now we are free. We are free to have a relationship with God. We are free to live in God's grace. We are free to be God's children. By his wounds we are healed. By his wounds we have everything. God bless you.

Pastor Josh

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Isaiah 51: 17- 52: 12; The Cup of the LORD’s Wrath

Grace and peace to you from our Lord Jesus Christ.

As God's children we should work very hard to not make God mad. Granted, our salvation is secure, but that does not mean we do not have to please God. We should live a life of holiness in gratitude for what God has done for us. God will not revoke our salvation, but we should still live every second of our lives for his glory. God bless you.

Pastor Josh

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Isaiah 51: 1-16; Everlasting Salvation for Zion

Grace and peace to you from our Lord Jesus Christ.

One of the great things about the salvation that comes through Jesus is that it is not going anywhere. There is no sin we can commit that will take away from the salvation Jesus brings to all of us. We have eternal salvation. We do not need to worry about losing it; we do not need to worry about it wearing out. No, we can rest, for eternity, knowing we are saved by the blood of the lamb. God bless you.

Pastor Josh

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Isaiah 50: 1-11; Israel’s Sin and the Servant’s Obedience

Grace and peace to you from our Lord Jesus Christ.

Jesus seems far away sometimes. Not in terms of his physical location, but in terms of his holiness. Jesus is so holy it seems we will never be able to attain that. There is a disparity between how we live our lives and how Jesus lived his. But there is hope. The divide that stands between our holiness and Jesus' has been bridged by the cross. Through the power of the cross we have the ability to be holy and perfect, to be faithful, to be the people God would have us be. There is no more divide. We can live like Jesus. We can be perfectly obedient to God's will through Jesus Christ our Lord. God bless you.

Pastor Josh

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Sunday Scripture and Sermon for October 30, 2011

Grace and peace to you from our Lord Jesus Christ.

The Scripture passage for this Sunday comes form Joshua 3: 7-17, in which Joshua and the Israelites cross over the Jordan River, which has been stopped, into the Promised Land. The sermon is titled 'Children of God' and will look at how the Israelites were blessed to be named Children of God, and how we receive those same blessings as well. I hope to see you in church on Sunday. God bless you.

Pastor Josh

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Isaiah 49: 8-26; Restoration of Israel

Grace and peace to you from our Lord Jesus Christ.

The hope of things to come can do a lot for someone, or, in this case, a group of people. Israel is on the outside looking in, literally. They are out of the Promised Land, but they receive the promise here that God will restore them to their former glory. They receive the promise that God will restore them to the Promised Land, that they will once again be his people. That hope got Israel through some very difficult times. They struggled being away from God. The Israelites found themselves in the deepest pit of despair. And yet when they hear these words they are lifted up beyond all measure. The same is true for us. We sometimes find ourselves in dark times. And when that happens we need a word of hope, we need to reminded of God's love and power. And when (yes, when!) God reminds us of that we have hope: hope that things will get better. God bless you.

Pastor Josh

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Isaiah 49: 1-7; The Servant of the Lord

Grace and peace to you from our Lord Jesus Christ.

We are all servants of God. In the Christian Church (Disciples of Christ) we believe in the Ministry of All Believers, which means we are all called to continue the ministry of Jesus Christ: to heal the sick and comfort the suffering, and to share the good news of Jesus with those around us. Like Isaiah we have all been called by God into faith and into service. Let us take up that call; let us go forth and do the work God has given us through Jesus. Let us, as God's Children, and Christ's disciples, serve the Lord with all we have to give. God bless you.

Pastor Josh

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