The Shepherd

Who May Ascend?

This sermon on Psalm 24 explores the glorious reality of the ascension of Jesus Christ into heaven. We see that Christ is the worthy One who may ascend the hill of the Lord, and that He alone is worthy to stand in the Lord's holy place - because He is the one with clean hands and a pure heart. As a result of His righteousness and holy obedience to the Father, He is granted the blessing of entering heaven's gates, for He is truly the King of Glory. The great truths of this text grant those who are Christ's by faith real assurance of their entrance into heaven. For because He died in their stead, and rose as their Head, they too might share in the story of this king of glory. So we trust in Christ, and His righteousness alone, for in that righteousness we will be able to stand faultless before the thrown.

The Shepherd

Join us as we take a closer look at a very familiar Psalm. Psalm 23 is known by most people, believers and non-believers alike. The difference comes in knowing the Psalm vs knowing the Shepherd. We will look at the relationship between a shepherd and his sheep, and how dependent the sheep are on their shepherd. We will also see how Jesus is the shepherd to those who have put their faith in Him. In the New Testament, we see Jesus referred to as the good shepherd (John 10:11), the great shepherd (Hebrews 13:20), and the chief shepherd (1 Peter 5:4). The only question is, is He your Shepherd?

Psalm 1 - True Blessedness

Today we look at what true blessedness looks like by studying Psalm 1. The blessed man or woman does not align themselves with the values of this world, but instead meditates on and delights in God's instruction found in Scripture. They soak up the Word of the Lord and yield good fruit, and that makes them spiritually healthy and whole, fully known and loved by God. We see that the only one who fully meets the criteria of a blessed man is the Messiah, Jesus Christ, and we receive this blessing by being united with Christ in faith.

Praise the Lord!

This morning we start our Summer in Psalms series with an introduction to the Psalms followed by a study in Psalms 150. Psalm 150 is a psalm of praise. We [http://praise.we] will answer the questions where, why, how and who should worship the Lord. Let us lift our voices in praise to the one who is worthy of all praise.

Learning Devotion to Good Works

This morning we conclude our study through the letter of Paul to Titus as we consider Titus 3:12-15. We see in our text that the Apostle Paul gives final instructions to Titus. These closing remarks include instructions to meet him in Nicopolis, to help Zenas and Apollos on their journey, a note about greetings, and finally a benediction. In the middle of these instructions is an echo of the main theme we’ve seen throughout the letter. "Let our people learn to devote themselves to good works, so as to help cases of urgent need, and not be unfruitful" (Titus 3:14). Titus 3 informs us that since the grace of God is with us, we are to be learning devotion to good works. In response to God's grace, we are moved in gratitude to show grace, help those who proclaim this grace, and devote ourselves to doing good to others. These good works can look like the gift of physical presence, supporting partners in the gospel, and helping cases of urgent need. May our good works flow not from an attempt to earn the grace of God, but from the overflow of having already received it.