Grace Church On The Mount Podcast

There is a condition that mimics true salvation, but which is deadly. It’s full of religious experiences, but it’s counterfeit. Its false nature becomes clear in a person who formerly professed faith in Christ, but now denies Christ. Find out what the author of Hebrews says about such a person.

We are in week #2 of, THE SEAL, a 4-week series about the eternal security of believers. I have often spoken with people who have trusted Jesus as their Savior, but suspect that God has revoked there salvation, due to a season of sin or what we refer to as “backsliding”, a reversion to old habits and attitudes. But what does Jesus have to say about the security of our salvation?

The church is made up of a broad spectrum of preferences & traditions… disputable issues. And there can be tension. Some of the disputable issues in the church today include preferences regarding proper dress (“Sunday Best” vs “Casual” and even “sloppy”). Other issues revolve around the consumption of alcohol and appropriate forms of entertainment. Still others center on acceptable styles of worship and accompanying body language. These are just a couple of examples of issues that cause tension. Life within the body of Christ is not just about my individual freedoms; it’s about accommodating to others without being enslaved by the preferences of others.

Three of my five grandchildren are preschoolers. If you have exposure to any preschoolers / toddlers, you’re surely familiar with that famous emphatic toddler phrase: “Mine!” Rarely do we hear, "Sure, you can play with my favorite truck." Three and 4-year-olds tend to cling passionately to their stuff. Sharing just isn’t a priority. But we expect this from a toddler. But what if an adult still acts like a toddler? When it remains “Me” instead of “We.

There was tension between the 2 groups that comprised the congregation of Roman Christians. One group consisted of those who, in order to avoid association with paganism, avoided meat and wine, which would often be purchased from vendors who had dedicated them to pagan deities. They were essentially vegetarians. (“Weak in faith”) The other group was made up of Christians who felt free to eat & drink anything. (“Strong”) They enjoyed great freedom in Christ. Last wk’s: Don’t make disputable issues into non-negotiables. In this week’s passage he focuses on the responsibility of the “stronger brother” toward the “weaker brother”.

The church in Rome likely began with a group of Jewish visitors from Rome who were present in Jerusalem on the day of Pentecost (Acts 2:10). They became followers of Christ in and took the message back to Rome. So the church in Rome initially consisted of Jewish believers (Messianic Jews). But that changed over time, with Gentiles outnumbering Jewish believers. Tension had grown between the 2 groups and it was sabotaging the life of the church. Tensions like this can wreck a church. Over these 4 weeks, we’ll learn “How NOT to sabotage our church.”

There are “urban legends” that attribute statements or other documents to prominent people, but which are unverified. I often check them out at Snopes.com. Some people regard the Gospel accounts of Jesus to be legendary. They say that, over time, Christian communities “enlarged” the accounts of Jesus. Jesus the simple teacher thus became Jesus, the Son of God. Some say, “The Gospel accounts of Jesus are legends.” But are they?

We’ve concluded that we can do as we please and we bristle at the thought that God will enforce consequences – eternal ones- to choices we make. Many people consider the prospect of divine judgment to be, not just repulsive, but unthinkable. Many people struggle with the idea of a God who expresses wrath. But the Bible has TONS to say about it.

The sentiment that, "All Religions Lead to the Same God" appeals to a broad spectrum of our culture for a simple gut-level reason. If Jesus is the only way, then lots of people are headed the wrong way. Can there really be only one way to eternal life? Everyone understands, when it comes to math, there is one correct answer. 2+2 will always = 4. It shouldn’t surprise us that the math of eternity is no different.

Atheists generally assert that belief in anything other than scientific naturalism is delusional. But if there is a God who created the natural order, it would not be a problem either to rearrange or selectively suspend aspects of it in a manner and time of His choosing. Could it be that there are puzzles in the universe that God has reserved unto Himself, perhaps even to embarrass people who think a bit too highly of their own intellect?

David Hume, a noted 19th century humanist philosopher, constructed what skeptics today refer to as the “Inconsistent Triad”, which goes like this: Either God is not [all-powerful] or God is not [all good], or evil does not exist in the world.” He then concludes that, since evil DOES exist, God must either be NOT all-powerful (impotent) or He’s just straight up mean and malicious, thereby proving that God, as we perceive Him, cannot exist. So, the question is - are these assertions true, OR might actually be ANOTHER EXPLANATION? BIG IDEA: THE PRESENCE OF EVIL IN THIS WORLD, ACTUALLY POINTS TO GOD’S EXISTENCE!

Of what were the religious leaders so afraid? Why did they consider the predicted resurrection to be such a scary event? Because it would strip away all their excuses that led them to dismiss Jesus and His claims. There is no escape from the resurrection!

Jesus rode into Jerusalem on Palm Sunday to shouts of "Hosanna to the Son of David! Blessed is he who comes in the name of the Lord! Hosanna in the highest!” "To come in the name of the LORD [YHWH] is to come in His authority. That’s what the crowd shouted. it ’was a dangerous sentiment. The religious leaders knew the prophecy of a King entering Jerusalem and were aware of the watchful eyes of Rome. It made them a tad twitchy. Find out in this palm Sunday message the full implications of Jesus' actions on that day 2000 years ago!

Paul says that he had “learned the secret of being filled and going hungry, both of having abundance and suffering need” (4:12). That secret is stated in verse 13, “I can do all things in him who continually infuses me with strength” (literal rendering). The all-sufficient, indwelling christ was paul’s source of strength and contentment. Since christ cannot be taken from the believer, we can lean on him in every situation, no matter how trying. Find out how in today's sermon!

Humility may look different than you realize. Consider the fact that the best and humblest person who has walked the earth was tortured to death because he was accused of blasphemous arrogance. Find out what humility can look like in your life.

What does it look like to surrender to a cause so great that your circumstances don't matter? Find out in part one of Pastor Reuben's Scheeringa's 3-part series through Philippians.

The shadow of the cross dominated the life of Jesus. So also … We ought to live each day in the shadow of the cross. What does that mean? When a person went to the cross, he no longer had any plans of his own. At the end of the road was surrender. Big Idea: To live in the shadow of the cross is to identify and surrender every area of my will to God’s will.

Over the last 2 Sundays we’ve examined what the Bible says about gender and also about same-sex attraction. This week we need to consider how we as believers should interact with people who are LGBTQ.

You may wonder, “How many people actually describe themselves as lesbian or gay? The common misperception is that the number is 25%. The most recent Gallup poll, however, estimates the entire LGBTQ population to be 4.1% of the adult population. 10 million adults. That’s 10 million of our sons & daughters, brothers and sisters, friends and relatives. All of them bearers of the Image of God and precious to Him. So, what does the Word of God have to say to them about same-sex attraction and homosexual behavior?