Unto Us: Perspectives on the Incarnation | Jesus Through Joseph's Eyes (Matthew 1:18-25)

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Unto Us: Perspectives on the Incarnation
Jesus Through Joseph's Eyes
Matthew 1:18-25

In this sermon, Missional Community Pastor Stephen McNeill shows what we can learn from the heritage and character of Joseph, the adoptive father of Jesus.

I. Joseph’s family
II. Joseph’s character
A. A just man
B. A compassionate husband
C. An obedient servant
D. A faithful worshiper
E. A loving father

Takeaways:
1. The Father has adopted us through Christ into this same family.
2. Our obedience matters.
3. We are the light of the world.
4. Marvel at the sovereign work of God.

Unto Us: Perspectives on the Incarnation | And His Name Shall Be Called (Isaiah 9:2–7)

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Unto Us: Perspectives on the Incarnation
And His Name Shall Be Called
Isaiah 9:2–7

In this sermon, Worship Pastor Blake Bostick introduces our Advent series by examining what the prophet Isaiah meant when he referred to the coming Messiah by so many rich and descriptive names.

I. Wonderful Counselor
II. Mighty God
III. Everlasting Father
IV. Prince of Peace
V. Emmanuel

A Journey of Deliverance: Honoring Those in Authority (Exodus 20:12)

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The fifth commandment calls us to honor our father and mother, but this is more than simple obedience or begrudging respect. In this sermon, Pastor Brice shows what this command teaches us about honoring authority and the biblical role of the family.

A Journey of Deliverance:
Honoring Those in Authority
Exodus 20:12

5 causes of erosion of authority in the family:
1. Technology
2. Weak dads and overbearing moms
3. Parents either set no boundaries for children, or worse, they don’t keep the ones they have set
4. Busy schedules
5. Removing God out of the center of the family

I. We are to honor our fathers and mothers
    A. A command for every stage of life
    B. A command that extends to all of those in authority
    C. A command that brings gospel light
II.  We are to live lives worthy of honor
    A. Honor is earned before marriage or children come
    B. Honor is earned as parents fulfill their role in the family
III. We must seek a higher honor than this world has to offer

A Journey of Deliverance: Remember the Sabbath and Keep it Holy (Exodus 20:8-11)

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The fourth commandment calls us to remember the Sabbath and keep it holy. Is this command unimportant and outdated, or does God call Christians to remember the Lord’s Day? Listen to Pastor Brice explain how the Sabbath applies to us in this sermon.

A Journey of Deliverance:
Remember the Sabbath and Keep it Holy
Exodus 20:8-11

I. How do we break the fourth commandment?
A. We break the fourth command by not working hard throughout the week
B. We break the fourth command by taking personal sabbath that excludes corporate worship
C. We break the fourth command by regularly prioritizing anything over sabbath worship and rest
II. How do we keep the fourth commandment?
A. We keep the fourth command by observing a day dedicated to worship
B. We keep the fourth command by observing a day dedicated to rest
C. We keep the fourth command by trusting in the sabbath rest only found in Christ

A Journey of Deliverance: Honoring the Name of the Lord (Exodus 20:7)

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The third commandment prohibits taking the Lord’s name in vain, but this is much more than simply using his name as a profanity. In this sermon, Pastor Brice teaches how obeying this command involves not just our lips, but our lives.

A Journey of Deliverance:
Honoring the Name of the Lord
Exodus 20:7

1. Taking the name of God is vain is simply using it as a curse word
2. Taking the name of God is vain is using it to proclaim a false gospel or false prophecies
3. Taking the name of God in vain is swearing by his name to add believability or breaking that covenant by which you have sworn
4. Taking the name of God in vain is found in weak worship
5. Taking the name of God in vain is found when we take up the name of Jesus in word and not deed

I. Be intentionally respectful with the treatment of God’s name
A. Focus on and ascribe to him the great and marvelous things we see from the Bible
B. Focus on and ascribe to him the great works he is presently doing
C. Focus on and ascribe to him the great works that are still to come
II. Do not use God’s name selfishly or coercively
III. Change your ways or change your name

A Journey of Deliverance: Right God AND Right Worship (Exodus 20:4-6)

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The second of the Ten Commandments prohibits God’s people from making idols to worship, yet so often we misunderstand what this really means. In this sermon, Pastor Brice teaches why this command matters and why it should be taken seriously.

A Journey of Deliverance:
Right God AND Right Worship
Exodus 20:4-6

I.  Why should we not carve or worship sacred images?
   A. Graven images are inadequate of his deity and undeserving of his majesty
   B. God is revealed through his word and not by sight
   C. God has tangible revelation through his image bearers
II. What is the punishment for for breaking God’s commands?

A Journey of Deliverance: No Other Gods (Exodus 20:1-3)

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The Ten Commandments reveal God’s heart and lay the foundation for his enduring holy standard for his people. In this sermon, Pastor Brice explains why we should study and follow them, and how the first command sets God’s people apart from the world.

A Journey of Deliverance:
No Other Gods
Exodus 20:1-3

Why do we study the Ten Commandments?
1. We study them because people need to be aware of what God requires
2. We study them because the church has used the ten commands as an ethic for living throughout her history
3. We study them because the ten commands are the foundation for the old and new covenants
4. We study them because the Law is from God, it gives us a picture of his heart, and it is good
5. We study them because they are central to a modern day ethic
6. We study them because they show us our need for a savior

Why we should be passionate to learn and follow them:
1. They are congruent with the rest of scripture
2. They touch on both physical obedience and obedience of the heart
3. They point to both a positive and negative aspect of obeying God
4. Each command covers a category of sins that really forms a complete standard of living
5. They point us to a holy standard, but also helps us to point others to a holy standard

I . Why did God give this command to his people?
   A. They came from a strictly polytheistic society
   B. God was pointing out that he wasn’t one of many, but that he was the only one
   C. He was giving them the motivation to keep the rest of the law
II. How do we keep it today?
   A. Hold a trinitarian, but monotheistic view of God
   B. We flee from idolatry
   C. We trust Christ

A Journey of Deliverance: Approaching God with Reverence (Exodus 19:7-25)

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God reveals his awesome power at Mt. Sinai in thunder, lightning, smoke, and fire. In this sermon, Pastor Brice explains how this display demonstrates God as both transcendent and immanent.

A Journey of Deliverance:
Approaching God with Reverence
Exodus 19:7-25

I. God reveals himself this way to show his glory
II. God reveals himself this way to get his people’s attention
III. God reveals himself this way to emphasize his commands
IV. God reveals himself this way to prove that he has spoken
V. God reveals himself this way to show that he is holy

A Journey of Deliverance: A Covenant Kept and a Holy Nation Born (Exodus 19:1-6)

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At Mt. Sinai God tells his people, “If you will indeed obey my voice and keep my covenant, you shall be my treasured possession among all peoples.” In this sermon, learn how God keeps his promise to bring his people out, bear them up, and bring them to himself.

A Journey of Deliverance:
A Covenant Kept and a Holy Nation Born
Exodus 19:1-6

I. The Lord kept his covenant promise
A. The promise to save them
B. The promise to make them a great nation

A Journey of Deliverance: Flourishing in Freedom (Exodus 18:1-27)

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When Moses’s father-in-law Jethro comes to visit him, Moses tells him of God’s great rescue of his people, and Jethro’s response is “Blessed be the LORD, who has delivered you…Now I know that the LORD is greater than all gods.” In this sermon, Worship Pastor Blake Bostick explains how Moses gives us a model for evangelism and shows how to respond to wise counsel.

A Journey of Deliverance:
Flourishing in Freedom
Exodus 18:1-27

I. Moses demonstrates a model for evangelism
A. Show love
B. Share the Gospel
C. Respond to the Gospel
II. Moses demonstrates submission to wise counsel

A Journey of Deliverance: Onward Toward Spiritual Growth (Exodus 17:1-16)

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Like the Israelites in the wilderness, we are prone to spiritual amnesia, forgetting God’s past faithfulness when things get difficult. Through God providing his people water from a rock then a miraculous military victory, in this sermon, Pastor Brice shows us how we can allow our anxiety to lead us toward spiritual growth.

NOTE: The first several minutes of the sermon audio are cut off.

A Journey of Deliverance:
Onward Toward Spiritual Growth
Exodus 17:1-16

I.   Do not put the Lord God to the test
    A. Let anxiety lead you to prayer
    B. Pray for those that cause you anxiety
    C. Rejoice in the Lord
    D. Be sad, mourn, be desperate, but don’t be angry with God
II.  Trust in a better Moses
III. Do not discount the power and importance of prayer
    A. Prayer is a spiritual discipline for a spiritual battle
    B. Prayer is effectively done as a corporate act
    C. Answered prayer is the banner of the faithfulness of God

A Journey of Deliverance: The Journey to Spiritual Growth--Part 2 (Exodus 16:1-37)

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It didn’t take long in the wilderness before God’s people got hungry and grumbled against him; yet despite their discontentment, God provided manna to feed them. In this sermon, Pastor Brice teaches how spiritual immaturity causes us to care more about what we think we need than about the sufficient provision of God.

A Journey of Deliverance:
The Journey to Spiritual Growth—Part 2
Exodus 16:1-37

I. The marks of spiritual immaturity of the people of God as seen in Exodus 16
A. They grumbled so quickly after receiving God’s goodness
1. It overlooks God’s holiness by allowing respectable sin
2. It blames God and others for our immaturity
B. They distorted the past
C. They exaggerated the present
D. They disobeyed God
1. They prioritized excess over contentment
2. They prioritized personal fulfillment over obedience
3. The prioritized the gift over the giver

A Journey of Deliverance: The Journey to Spiritual Growth (Exodus 15:22-27)

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Just three days after God’s great Red Sea rescue of his people, they begin to doubt his provision in the wilderness when they cannot find water. In this sermon, Pastor Brice shows us how testing produces spiritual maturity.

A Journey of Deliverance:
The Journey to Spiritual Growth
Exodus 15:22-27

I.   Testing almost always follows triumph
II. Spiritual maturity does not immediately follow salvation
A. They displayed immature behavior
B. They whined to Moses
C. They were self-absorbed
III. God’s grace was insufficient

A Journey of Deliverance: The Song of Moses, Miriam, and God’s People (Exodus 15:1-21)

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Immediately after God's rescue of his people through the Red Sea, they cannot help but "sing to the LORD, for he has triumphed gloriously!" In this sermon, Pastor Brice explains what we can learn about right worship and praise from the Bible's oldest worship song. 

A Journey of Deliverance:
The Song of Moses, Miriam, and God’s People
Exodus 15:1-21

I.   Right worship and praise is God-centered and not man-centered
II.  Right worship and praise is trusting with confident assurance
III. Right worship and praise is for all Christians and not unbelievers

A Journey of Deliverance: Across the Sea (Exodus 14:15-31)

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In the parting of the Red Sea, God's mighty power is on full display. In this sermon, Pastor Brice shows how God's miraculous rescue of his people brings both justice and salvation for the praise of his glorious name.

A Journey of Deliverance:
Across the Sea
Exodus 14:15-31

I.   God in his divine power rescues his people
     A. The Lord used Moses to accomplish his work
     B. The Lord hardened the hearts of the Egyptians
     C. The Lord protected Israel all night
     D. The Lord brings justice and salvation to the praise of his glorious name

A Journey of Deliverance: Out of Egypt (Exodus 13:17-14:14)

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Right after God's people are delivered from bondage in Egypt, as they begin to doubt God when Pharaoh's army pursues them, God's response through Moses is “Fear not, stand firm, and see the salvation of the LORD...The LORD will fight for you, and you have only to be silent.” In this sermon, Pastor Brice shows how God's path to victory is sometimes strange, but always in his control. 

A Journey of Deliverance:
Out of Egypt
Exodus 13:17-14:14

I.   God’s path to victory is a predestined but strange path
II.  God’s path to victory is the promised path
III. God’s path to victory is a path protected by his presence
IV. God’s path to victory is a powerful path

A Journey of Deliverance: The Passover in Our Time (Exodus 12:43-13:16)

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The parameters God placed around the Passover celebration parallel those the New Testament places on Communion. In the return of our Exodus series, learn why Communion is so important and how we ought to prepare to participate in it each week.

A Journey of Deliverance:
The Passover in Our Time
Exodus 12:43-13:16

I.   Communion is an Exclusive Occasion
II.  Communion is an Inclusive Occasion
III. Communion is a Responsive Occasion
IV. Communion is a Memorable Occasion
V.  Communion is a Connecting Occasion

How the Psalms Shape the New Testament

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The most quoted Old Testament book in the New Testament is the book of Psalms, including well over 100 references and allusions. In this sermon from July 29, Worship Pastor Blake Bostick shows how the doctrine, preaching, praying, and worship of New Testament believers was shaped by the book of Psalms.

How the Psalms Shape the New Testament

I.   The Psalms shape New Testament doctrine
II.  The Psalms shape New Testament preaching
III. The Psalms shape New Testament praying
IV. The Psalms shape New Testament worship

The Kingdom and the King Within the Psalms

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While every part of the Bible should be understood in its grammatical and historical context, if we don't also understand it within the grander redemption narrative, we will miss God's greater purpose. In this sermon, guest preacher Josh Kubler from Redeemer Baptist Church shows how the Psalms convey God's great plan of redemption through Christ.

The Kingdom and the King Within the Psalms

I.   The Coming of Christ (Psalm 132:11)
II.  The Kingdom of Christ (Psalm 103:1-14)
III. The Crucifixion of Christ (Psalm 22:1-18)
IV. The Kingship of Christ (Psalm 146:3-10)