Fellowshipmtz

Baptismal Service!

A short teaching on the ordinance/sacrament of baptism, followed by four persons baptisms.  (The audio quality is not nearly as good as normal since wireless microphones were not being used.)  The baptismal portion of the service was followed by a devotional message from Brian Baker (uploaded as a separate audio file).

The Shame That Jesus Bore

Matthew 27:32-44
Returning Guest Speaker, Shaun Lewis, preaches/teaches this week while Cliff is away visiting his oldest son & his wife in Albuquerque.

Ephesians 2:19-22 -- A Kingdom, a House, and a Temple

Ephesians 2:19-22

Verse 19 starts, "So then you [Gentiles] are no longer strangers and aliens," -- so what are they?  Paul employs three metaphors in quick succession to communicate what they are now "in/because of Christ".

Ephesians 2:14-18 -- Not Hostility, but Peace!

Ephesians 2:14-18  In order for Christ to bring about the nearness spoken of in these verses, Jesus had to eliminate the HOSTILITY (hatred) that existed, and replace it with PEACE!

• HOSTILITY between Israel (Jews) and Gentiles
• HOSTILITY between all sinners and GOD

Ephesians 2:14-15 -- Christ ”abolishes” the Law!

Ephesians 2:14-15

The English Standard Version translates that Christ "abolished" the Mosaic Law in order to tear down the wall of hostility that separates Gentiles from Israel.  If true, how are we to understand it?  What does Scripture teach?  And what about Jesus's statement in Matthew 5:17 that He did not come to destroy the law?

Ephesians 2:13-22 -- Gentiles Brought Near!

Ephesians 2:13-22

This message continues to build on the groundwork that was laid last week that explored the relationship between Biblical text and our systematic theological structures (our "systems" of understanding the larger themes and topics in the Bible).  Next week should address the real "nuts and bolts" of this particular passage.

Ephesians 2:13-22 (Introduction: Text & Theology)

The Ephesians text is potent no matter who is looking at it.  The particulars of the text are challenging (disruptive?) to both traditional dispensational theology and traditional covenantal theology.  In order to prepare for future exposition (examination), I think it is fitting to clarify the relationship between the TEXT of Scripture and the structures of systematic theology.

Ephesians 2:11-13 - Gentiles’ ”Outsider” Status

Ephesians 2:11-13

Twice Paul calls upon the Gentile believers to "remember."  Previously, he had made it clear they were "dead in the trespasses and sins in which they one walked."  Now, he emphasizes the highly disadvantaged position of the Gentiles as a whole before God intervened.

Ephesains 2:10 God’s Workmanship: Works Matter!

Ephesians 2:10

Immediately after making the grand declaration "by grace are you saved through faith" (vs 8), Paul addresses two common (and opposite) fallacies, errors pertaining to God's salvation.  The first error is to suppose we might have performed some work that contributed to, or resulted in, our salvation.  The second error (which we consider today) is that good works are unimportant and/or unnecessary in the life of a Christian.

Ephesians 2:8-9 / By Grace, Through Faith

Ephesians 2:8-9

Preaching on these well-known verses, Alexander MacLaren (1826-1910) begins his sermon:
"Here are three of the key-words of the New Testament — 'grace,' 'saved,' 'faith.'  Once these terms were strange and new;  now they are old and threadbare.  Once they were like lava, glowing and cast up from the central depths; but it is a long while since the eruption, and the blocks have gotten cold, and the corners have been rubbed off them.  I am afraid that some people, when they read such a text, will shrug the shoulder of weariness, and think that they are in for a dreary sermon. But the more familiar a word is, the more likely are common ideas about it to be hazy.  We substitute acquaintance with the sound for penetration into the sense."