It was the Sunday before Election Day, so naturally I kept the sermon focused on something else entirely. We spent the morning addressing loving one another and submitting to one another that God be glorified in our lives. And the evening was on spiritual gifts. The evening video, if it ever uploads, has our usual Sunday night question-and-answer festivities followed by the message.
Morning Sermon: Ephesians 5:21 (audio here)
Video:
Notes:
and be subject to one another in the fear of Christ.
This phrase links two of the most contentious subjects in church. How we act in marriage and what we sing as Christians.
Submission is a touchy subject
But it's worse than you think
"Submit" in one translation is "be subject" in another
Ὑποτασσόμενοι
Our rights?
Subject to the needs of others.
Our desires?
Subject to the needs of others.
Our comforts?
Subject to the needs of others.
1. Be considerate of others
2. Be worthy of other people's trust
3. Focus it on the glory of God!
Individualism is the most dangerous "ism" in the church today
Think about your "I" statements around church, family, and life...
Even simple things...like "I want to know before I..."
We are to submit to one another, for the sake of Christ.
Evening Sermon: Ephesians 4 (audio)
Video:
Notes:
What are Spiritual Gifts?
Who has them?
What do we do with them?
Talents/skills
Unchanging?
Romans 12, 1 Corinthians 12, Ephesians 4
Hey, Doug, really enjoyed the message last night and the Q&A. A lot of good questions! I wanted to ask about one of the scriptures we read this week but it is kind of long so didn't want to take too much time. The scripture is Psalm 44. After v.9 this seems to be a long complaint about God having rejected and forgotten His people.
ReplyDeleteThe tone is so accusatory and self righteous. I have been trying to reconcile this with so many other passages where the exile of God's people is clearly because of their unfaithfulness.
Any thoughts about what is going on here?
Greg F. in East End
Good morning, Greg!
DeleteFirst thought would be this question: Are we sure it's connected with the defeat that is the exile? It may be another time--one commentary suggests it falls later, during the wars that come in the collapse of the Medo-Persian Empire and the Rise/Fall of Alexander. If so, then it hits a period of history that we don't talk much about and it makes this Psalm fairly late (which is my first potential problem with the idea). Israel tended to get stomped on as other armies passed through, and there are several times Jerusalem is attacked in that phase.
Another possibility is that the time belongs earlier, not quite in the total devastation of the Exile. Perhaps as early as Shishak's attack after Solomon?
Those would be my first thoughts.
Doug