Archive for the ‘Relationships’ Category
Dying And Rising With Jesus Christ!
Filed under: Bible, By Tim Brassell, Christian Living, Christianity, Church, Faith, God, God Father Son and Spirit, God the Trinity, good news, Gospel, Grace Communion Baltimore, Grace Communion International, identity in Christ, Inclusion, Jesus Christ, Love, Ministry, New Life Fellowship Of Baltimore Maryland, On Mission with Christ, Participation with Christ, Participation with Jesus, Prayer, relationship with God, Relationships, Sermons, The Church, The Father, Son and Holy Spirit, The Gospel Project, The Holy Spirit, The Plan of Adoption, Timothy Brassell, Trinity, Uncategorized, union, Union In Christ, Union with Christ, Witness, Witnessing to God, Witnessing to Jesus, Worship, Worshiping God, Worshipping Jesus | Tags: Faith, Faithfulness, God's Faithfulness, God's goodness, God's Grace, God's Guidance, God's Holiness, God's Power, Goodness, Grace, Grace Communion Baltimore, Holiness, Matthew, Matthew 16, Matthew 16: 13-28, New Life Fellowship Of Baltimore Maryland, New Life in Christ, Timothy Brassell, Timothy Brassell of New Life Fellowship
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Part 1a: 27min
Part 1b: 26min
Full Message:
Main Passage: Matthew 16:13-28
“The central confession of the Christian faith is that Jesus is the Messiah, the Son of the living God. When Jesus asked His disciples about His identity, He challenged their understanding of the Messiah and pointed forward to His death and resurrection. As Christians, we confess that Jesus is the Son of God who died for us and rose again. By faith, we are united with Jesus our Messiah, and therefore, we are called to take up our cross and follow Him, no matter the cost.” – The Gospel Project
Theological Theme:
The Church of God – Father, Son, and Spirit is built upon the confession that Jesus is the Messiah who suffered, died, and rose again.
Christ Connection:
Peter understood Jesus’ identity as the long-awaited Messiah for Israel, but he misunderstood what being Messiah would mean. Rather than conquering Israel’s enemies through violence, Jesus conquered sin, death, and Satan through His suffering on the cross and resurrection from the dead. Christians confess that Jesus is the Messiah, and united to Him by the Holy Spirit, we take up our cross and follow where He leads.
Missional Application:
God through His Holy Spirit calls us to take up our cross and follow Jesus, to die to ourselves so that we may live.
“Just because you are acquainted with someone does not mean you really know that person. Such was the case with Jesus. He was popular with the crowds, but they had an insufficient view of His identity. They were acquainted with Him, but they did not truly know Him.”
“Who you say Jesus is will determine everything about how you follow Him.” –David Platt
“Jesus narrowed the discussion to Himself in a more personal way: “Who do you say that I am?” Peter spoke up and identified Jesus as the Messiah, the Son of the living God. The title Messiah, or Christ, comes from the Hebrew word for “anointed.” It referred to God’s servant who would deliver the people from their oppressors and bring about a golden age for Israel, in fulfillment of Old Testament promises.”
“Peter had learned that Christ is the Son of God. But he had not learned of the mystery of the cross and the resurrection.” –John Chrysostom
“The Gospel writers help us understand the significance of Jesus’ death and resurrection in light of who He is. From the beginning of the Gospel of Matthew, the reader understands the significance of Jesus’ life and ministry (Matt. 1:1,18; 2:4). But the disciples did not have the privilege of seeing Jesus from the same vantage point. The Gospel writers help us walk step by step with the disciples as they grow in their understanding of Jesus as the Messiah and what that messianic identity meant.”
“The foundation of the Christian faith is an event—the life, death, and resurrection of Jesus Christ. The foundation of the Christian life is a confession of the truth of Jesus’ identity and work. We confess the truthfulness and significance of Jesus—who He is and what He has done. He is the Messiah, the Son of the living God who gave Himself for our sins and was raised again to new life. This confession of faith is the foundation of our identity as Christians.” – The Gospel Project
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Ezra Read “The Law”. We Read “Jesus”! pt.3
Filed under: Bible, By Tim Brassell, Christian Living, Christianity, Church, Faith, God, God Father Son and Spirit, God the Trinity, good news, Gospel, Grace Communion Baltimore, Grace Communion International, identity in Christ, Inclusion, Jesus Christ, Love, Ministry, New Life Fellowship Of Baltimore Maryland, On Mission with Christ, Participation with Christ, Participation with Jesus, Prayer, relationship with God, Relationships, Sermons, The Church, The Father, Son and Holy Spirit, The Gospel Project, The Holy Spirit, Trinity, union, Union In Christ, Union with Christ, Witness, Witnessing to God, Witnessing to Jesus, Worship, Worshiping God, Worshipping Jesus | Tags: Faith, Faithfulness, God's Faithfulness, God's goodness, God's Grace, God's Guidance, God's Holiness, God's Power, Goodness, Grace, Grace Communion Baltimore, Holiness, Nehemiah, Nehemiah 8, Nehemiah 8: 1-12, New Life Fellowship Of Baltimore Maryland, New Life in Christ, Timothy Brassell, Timothy Brassell of New Life Fellowship
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Part 1a: 22min
Part 1b: 25min
Full Message:
Main Passage: Nehemiah 8:1-12
“God’s people are to be shaped by God’s Word. As Ezra proclaimed God’s word, the people honored the voice of God and responded with repentance and were renewed. Likewise, biblical fellowship must be centered on God’s Word [Jesus]. As we gather together to listen to God speak to us through the Scriptures, we are challenged to repent, strengthened in our fellowship, and empowered for our mission.” – The Gospel Project
Theological Theme:
Biblical community must be centered on God-Father, Son and Spirit’s small word (the Bible), in the Light of God’s Big Word (Jesus!).
Christ Connection:
Like the returning exiles, when we read God’s Word, we are reminded of our heritage, God’s faithfulness, and His saving work. Most of all, in reading God’s Word, we are encountered by God and reminded by Him of His master plan to bring salvation to the world through Jesus Christ and his life, suffering, cross, death, resurrection and ascension.
Missional Application:
Through His Holy Spirit, the Father is always pointing us to Jesus Christ, and Christ is always pointing us to others, including the Father, through the Spirit.
“For the most part, Christ the living word meets us in His written word. For the most part, we are being called upon to participate more with Christ and with The Father in these ways. We need to keep asking “who are you Jesus and who is The God revealed in you Jesus?” and we keep asking that question together until it bears fruit – and it is guaranteed to bear fruit because that is the normal way God works to help us grow up as Christians, and to grow into Christ. That’s the use of theology…..We are not called to do this for ourselves but this is what we are called to bring new people into. They are being brought into a relationship primarily that has all these elements in it. God’s written word, from the Living Word, is always pointing us to other people. God- Father, Son, and Spirit brought us out of nothing so that he can include us in a relationship, make room for us. Being on mission out in our community ….us always inviting people to come is just our way of participating in the way that God works…pointing people to Him through relationships.” – Pastor Timothy Brassell
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Mary Praises The Covenant-Keeping God!
Filed under: Bible, By Ann Vinson, Christian Living, Christianity, Church, Evangelism, Faith, God, God Father Son and Spirit, God the Trinity, good news, Gospel, Grace Communion Baltimore, Grace Communion International, identity in Christ, Inclusion, Jesus Christ, Love, New Life Fellowship Of Baltimore Maryland, On Mission with Christ, Participation with Christ, Participation with Jesus, Perichoresis, Prayer, Relationships, Sermons, The Father, Son and Holy Spirit, The Gospel Project, The Holy Spirit, The Plan of Adoption, Timothy Brassell, Trinity, Uncategorized, Union In Christ, Union with Christ, Witness, Witnessing to God, Witnessing to Jesus, Worship, Worshiping God, Worshipping Jesus | Tags: Faith, Faithfulness, God's Faithfulness, God's goodness, God's Grace, God's Guidance, God's Holiness, God's Power, Goodness, Grace, Grace Communion Baltimore, Holiness, Luke 1, Luke 1:26-38, Luke1:46-55, Matthew 1, New Life Fellowship Of Baltimore Maryland, New Life in Christ, Timothy Brassell, Timothy Brassell of New Life Fellowship
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Part 1a: 16min
Part 1b: 18min
Full Message:
Main Passages: Luke 1:26-38 Luke 1:46-55
“Mary’s first experience of God’s remarkable call on her life was to be the mother of Jesus the Messiah. A young woman, probably still in her teens, Mary was confronted by the angel Gabriel with the news that God intended to use her to fulfill the greatest promise of His covenant. Mary’s response as “the servant of the Lord” becomes an example for all Christian obedience. In our own lives, we must recognize that God calls us to obedience, even when it is costly. Like Mary, we magnify the Lord through our obedience as servants of God and followers of Christ.” – The Gospel Project
Theological Theme:
From the Father, Jesus was conceived by the Spirit’s power and was born of a virgin.
Christ Connection:
In submitting to God’s plan for her life, even though it would bring suffering and heartache, Mary chose to magnify God. As a result, her faithfulness is an example to us. Likewise, Jesus magnified His Father through His obedient life, and He submitted to God’s plan, even to death on a cross, so that we could be saved.
Missional Application:
God through His Holy Spirit calls us to magnify the Lord in times of suffering so that others will see He is our treasure.
“When you find the real Mary of Scripture, the Mary of the first century, you’ll discover that she’ll be talking about Jesus and pointing us all to Jesus.” –Scot McKnight
“Mary responded with faith. She declared herself to be the slave of the Lord, her Master. This was her identity. After all, slaves have no choices; they surrender them all to their masters. Even though there was so much that she did not know, Mary had a deep-rooted faith and trust, and that was where her submissive spirit came from. She was ready to submit to God’s difficult plan for her life. The stories of church history reveal that following Jesus costs His disciples everything. With the exception of John, Jesus’ closest followers experienced execution as the ultimate price for their faithfulness. Even now, more Christians are dying for Christ than at any time in the history of the church. We should question the trend in American Christianity that casts our faith as something easy, something that solves all our earthly problems.
Dietrich Bonhoeffer, the German martyr, famously wrote: “When Christ calls a man, he bids him come and die.” As we listen to the Gospels, we should be ready to have our expectations challenged and values overturned. New life in Christ is not intended to be easy. Jesus never promised earthly security. His call is to “take up [your] cross, and follow me” (Matt. 16:24). And here, at the start of Jesus’ story in the New Testament, we see a young woman of faith who boldly accepted the difficult call of God on her life.” – The Gospel Project
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From Abraham To Jesus!
Filed under: Bible, By Richard Andrews, Christian Living, Christianity, Church, Faith, God, God Father Son and Spirit, God the Trinity, Gospel, Grace Communion Baltimore, Grace Communion International, identity in Christ, Inclusion, Jesus Christ, Love, Ministry, New Life Fellowship Of Baltimore Maryland, On Mission with Christ, Participation with Christ, Participation with Jesus, Prayer, relationship with God, Relationships, Sermons, The Church, The Father, Son and Holy Spirit, The Gospel Project, The Holy Spirit, The Plan of Adoption, Timothy Brassell, Trinity, Uncategorized, union, Union In Christ, Union with Christ, Witness, Witnessing to God, Witnessing to Jesus, Worship, Worshiping God, Worshipping Jesus | Tags: Faith, Faithfulness, God's Faithfulness, God's goodness, God's Grace, God's Guidance, God's Holiness, God's Power, Goodness, Grace, Grace Communion Baltimore, Holiness, Matthew 1, Matthew 1: 1-17, New Life Fellowship Of Baltimore Maryland, New Life in Christ, Timothy Brassell, Timothy Brassell of New Life
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Full Message: 38min
Main Passage: Matthew 1:1-17
“Jesus’ identity is rooted in the fulfillment of the promise that through Abraham God would bless all the nations, in the promise made to David of an eternal kingdom, and in the promise made to God’s people that one day they would return from their long exile, back to the land that was promised. As Christians, grafted into the family of God, Jesus’ genealogy is also ours, for we trace our heritage back to Abraham, our forefather in the faith. In this historical line, we discover our truest identity in Christ, the One through whom God has kept all His promises.” – The Gospel Project
Theological Theme:
The Son of God, Jesus the Christ, will fulfill God-Father, Son and Spirit’s ancient promises to His people.
Christ Connection:
In the genealogy at the beginning of Matthew’s Gospel, we see how God’s plan of redemption is traced from Abraham to David and now to the birth of Jesus—the One who fulfills God’s promises to Abraham and David. Through His life, death, and resurrection, Jesus incorporates us into Abraham’s family of faith.
Missional Application:
God the Father, through the Holy Spirit, calls us to proclaim Jesus as the central figure of history and the only One in whom salvation is found.
“Have you ever struggled with the question “Who am I?” It is one of those basic questions that need asking again and again if we are to grow and mature as the world changes around us and as the world inside us changes. It is the question of identity….. To answer any identity question, it is always best to go back to the beginning. “In the beginning…” Jesus is the fulfillment of a promise first spoken to Abraham, who was not just some hero of the faith—and Jesus is his direct descendant!
Jesus’ connection to the promises of God are a flesh and blood link to His genetic ancestors. Their DNA flows in Jesus’ veins. This is not “a roll call of great men”; these are members of Jesus’ family! Invariably He bore some distant resemblance—the shape of His face or perhaps the inflection of His voice. These ancestors were the unique recipients of unique promises from God. Jesus will be the One through whom each and every promise will be perfectly and completely fulfilled.” – The Gospel Project
“Now is the moment, Matthew is saying, for [salvation] to happen. The child who comes at the end of this line is God’s anointed, the long-awaited Messiah, to fulfill all the layers and levels of the prophecies of old.” –N. T. Wright
“Jesus is the perfect and trustworthy One who will lead us home, who will rescue us from the exile that was the result of our stubborn disbelief and sin. Through the ancestral promises made to Abraham and David, Jesus, their direct descendant, will perfectly and completely accomplish what God intended from the beginning: “I will walk among you and be your God, and you will be my people” (Lev. 26:12). In Jesus we find the fulfillment of the promise first made to Abraham to bless the nations….
Some rabbis have said that you have not really walked alongside someone until you realize that their story is also your story. When we come to the life situation of the first readers of Matthew’s Gospel, the truth of that statement comes to life…..In the years to come, those of us who follow Jesus of Nazareth will inevitably experience separation and exclusion, perhaps even exile. It is already the experience of our brothers and sisters all over the world. The promises made to Matthew’s first readers almost two thousand years ago are just as alive and relevant to us today as they were to the frightened followers of Jesus in the first centuries of the church.” – The Gospel Project
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Ezra Read “The Law”. We Read “Jesus”! pt.2
Filed under: Bible, By Tim Brassell, Christian Living, Christianity, Faith, God, God Father Son and Spirit, God the Trinity, good news, Gospel, Grace Communion Baltimore, Grace Communion International, identity in Christ, Inclusion, Jesus Christ, Love, Ministry, New Life Fellowship Of Baltimore Maryland, On Mission with Christ, Participation with Christ, Participation with Jesus, Prayer, relationship with God, Relationships, Sermons, Song, The Church, The Gospel Project, The Holy Spirit, The Plan of Adoption, Timothy Brassell, Trinity, Uncategorized, union, Union In Christ, Union with Christ, Witness, Witnessing to God, Witnessing to Jesus, Worship, Worshiping God, Worshipping Jesus | Tags: Faith, Faithfulness, God's Faithfulness, God's goodness, God's Grace, God's Guidance, God's Holiness, God's Power, Goodness, Grace, Grace Communion Baltimore, Holiness, Nehemiah, Nehemiah 8, Nehemiah 8: 1-12, New Life Fellowship Of Baltimore Maryland, New Life in Christ, Timothy Brassell, Timothy Brassell of New Life
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Part 1a: 29min
Part 1b: 27min
Full Message:
Main Passage: Nehemiah 8:1-12
“God’s people are to be shaped by God’s Word. As Ezra proclaimed God’s word, the people honored the voice of God and responded with repentance and were renewed. Likewise, biblical fellowship must be centered on God’s Word [Jesus]. As we gather together to listen to God speak to us through the Scriptures, we are challenged to repent, strengthened in our fellowship, and empowered for our mission.” – The Gospel Project
Theological Theme:
Biblical community must be centered on God-Father, Son and Spirit’s small word (the Bible), in the Light of God’s Big Word (Jesus!).
Christ Connection:
Like the returning exiles, when we read God’s Word, we are reminded of our heritage, God’s faithfulness, and His saving work. Most of all, in reading God’s Word, we are encountered by God and reminded by Him of His master plan to bring salvation to the world through Jesus Christ and his life, suffering, cross, death, resurrection and ascension.
Missional Application:
Through His Holy Spirit, the Father is always pointing us to Christ, and Christ is always pointing us to others.
The Four Elements of Humanity as Being-In-Encounter-
1. Seeing Eye to Eye.
“Being in encounter is a being in which one man looks the other in the eye.” When we see eye to eye, we are both concerned to see the other for who they are and to let the other see me. There is a reciprocity, a give and take in this relationship. The is a kind of objectivity, and”openness” to the other to know them and be known by them without deception, without idealization, or derogation. There is a moving out of ourselves to see others and to reveal ourselves to them. What ensues in such an eye-to-eye interchange is a sharing of life together.
2. Mutual Speech and Hearing.
Being in encounter means “there is mutual speech and hearing.” This is a complex action of both I and Thou, both speaking to and hearing one other. Whereas the seeing is essentially receptive on each side, in speaking one makes one’s own contribution to the other’s perception. He participates in the revelation of himself so as to assist the other in drawing up his image of him. In this way, one gives oneself to the other actively and in greater depth than merely being seen can offer. This reciprocal speaking is to be for the benefit of the other. Not just for the sake of expressing one’s self but in order to give of one’s self to the other………..It is in this dialogue where lives are exchanged and so mutually enlarged and enriched that we speak and hear humanly.
3. Giving Mutual Assistance.
Being-in-encounter means giving assistance in the act of being. This means that we are for the other, we support the other in its life as we can, within its limits. And it means we can call for assistance because we know our own limitations and need the help of others. Assistance is mutual when the response with help corresponds to the call for support…..Our assistance is human insofar as we do act to help but only as we know our own need for assistance and as we do indeed call for assistance, admitting our need, only as we recognize that the other needs assistance as well. This is human fellowship.
4. Freely and With Gladness.
Being in encounter means, all this is “done on both sides with gladness,” that is “freely and from the heart.” The depth of relationship there is that there is a discovery of being with the other in such a way that there is recognized an inward correspondence of the other to me despite all his otherness. This is not a collapse of one into another, but the recognition that the law of my own being is fulfilled in being so completely with the other. In this correspondance, there is the sense of an unimpeachable appropriateness and freedom and so joy…….
In this he is glad, not being reluctant or neutral in relation to others, because in this relationship he is actualizing his very own humanity.
-Karl Barth’s Theology of Relations
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Ezra Read “The Law”. We Read “Jesus!”, pt.1
Filed under: Bible, By Tim Brassell, Christian Living, Christianity, Church, Faith, God, God Father Son and Spirit, God the Trinity, good news, Gospel, Grace Communion Baltimore, Grace Communion International, identity in Christ, Inclusion, Jesus Christ, Love, Ministry, New Life Fellowship Of Baltimore Maryland, On Mission with Christ, Participation with Christ, Participation with Jesus, Perichoresis, Prayer, relationship with God, Relationships, Sermons, Song, The Church, The Father Loves and Like You Fest, The Father, Son and Holy Spirit, The Gospel Project, The Holy Spirit, The Plan of Adoption, Timothy Brassell, Trinity, Uncategorized, union, Union In Christ, Union with Christ, Witness, Witnessing to God, Witnessing to Jesus, Worship, Worshiping God, Worshipping Jesus | Tags: Faith, Faithfulness, God's Faithfulness, God's goodness, God's Grace, God's Guidance, God's Holiness, God's Power, Goodness, Grace, Grace Communion Baltimore, Holiness, Nehemiah, Nehemiah 8, Nehemiah 8: 1-12, New Life Fellowship Of Baltimore Maryland, New Life in Christ, Timothy Brassell, Timothy Brassell of New Life
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Part 1a: 24min
Part 1b: 20min
Full Message: 44min
Main Passage: Nehemiah 8:1-12
“God’s people are to be shaped by God’s Word. As Ezra proclaimed God’s word, the people honored the voice of God and responded with repentance and were renewed. Likewise, biblical fellowship must be centered on God’s Word. As we gather together to listen to God speak to us through the Scriptures, we are challenged to repent, strengthened in our fellowship, and empowered for our mission.” – The Gospel Project
Theological Theme:
Biblical community must be centered on God-Father, Son and Spirit’s Word.
Christ Connection:
Like the returning exiles, when we read God’s Word, we are reminded of our heritage, God’s faithfulness, and His saving work. Most of all, in reading God’s Word, we are encountered by God and reminded by Him of His master plan to bring salvation to the world through Jesus Christ and his cross.
Missional Application:
Through His Holy Spirit, the Father is always pointing us to Christ, and Christ is always pointing us to others.
“When we discipline ourselves to gather together to hear God’s Word, we can expect the Word to impact the way we think and view the world around us. We will develop a deeper burden to know God more intimately. We will grow in our desire to share the gospel with those who don’t know God and are not pursuing Him. Let’s be the kind of people who are passionate for Christ, whose churches are centered on Scripture-reading and preaching, and who delight in the revival God may send our way. He did so in Nehemiah 8. Who’s to say He won’t do it again?” – The Gospel Project
“Understanding the words of God was [is!] the gateway to understanding God himself, leading to delight.” –Augustine Pagolu
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Rebuilding The Wall!
Filed under: Bible, by Tony Marra, Christian Living, Christianity, Church, Faith, God, God Father Son and Spirit, God the Trinity, good news, Gospel, Grace Communion Baltimore, Grace Communion International, identity in Christ, Inclusion, Jesus Christ, Love, Ministry, New Life Fellowship Of Baltimore Maryland, On Mission with Christ, Participation with Christ, Participation with Jesus, Perichoresis, Prayer, relationship with God, Relationships, Song, The Church, The Dance and Dream of the Trinity, The Father, Son and Holy Spirit, The Holy Spirit, Timothy Brassell, Trinity, Uncategorized, union, Union In Christ, Union with Christ, Witness, Witnessing to God, Witnessing to Jesus, Worship, Worshiping God, Worshipping Jesus | Tags: Faith, Faithfulness, God's Faithfulness, God's goodness, God's Grace, God's Guidance, God's Holiness, God's Power, Goodness, Grace, Grace Communion Baltimore, Holiness, Nehemiah, Nehemiah 4, Nehemiah 5, Nehemiah 6, New Life Fellowship Of Baltimore Maryland, New Life in Christ, Timothy Brassell, Timothy Brassell of New Life
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Part 1a: 22min
Part 1b: 22min
Full Message:
Main Passages: Nehemiah 4:7-14; 5:1-13; 6:15-16
“The Book of Nehemiah is the story of God restoring His people in the promised land and their reorganization as His covenant people. As we continue Nehemiah’s story, we see that God’s people are faced with conflict from the outside and inside. However, because they persevere in repentance and faith, they accomplish God’s will in spite of their circumstances. From Nehemiah we learn that God calls us to do the right thing in the right way and then give Him glory for success. We also learn that God is glorified not only in our fulfillment of a task but also in the way we fulfill that task.” – the Gospel Project
Theological Theme:
God – Father, Son, and Holy Spirit, is glorified not only in our fulfillment of a task but also in the way we fulfill that task.
Christ Connection:
In Nehemiah’s day, the people joined together to rebuild the wall around Jerusalem and protect the city from their enemies. Jesus later prophesied the destruction of Jerusalem, but through His death and resurrection, He made a way for His people to be protected from the enemies of sin and death.
Missional Application:
God, through the Holy Spirit, calls us to participate with Jesus in doing the right thing in the right way! This glorifies Him and is a great blessing for us and all creation!
“Christian history is full of examples of God’s people triumphing despite their inability and the circumstances in which they found themselves (consider Moses before Pharaoh; the reformers before the Catholic Church; the growing church in communist China). The church itself is an example of God’s triumph despite the frequent failures of God’s people and the opposition from the societies and cultures that they inhabit.
If you look around your own church, you will be struck by the fact that it is only by the power of God that so many different people from different backgrounds, socioeconomic statuses, and interests can be so closely bound in love for one another (e.g., Gal. 3:28). There are no worldly explanations adequate for such things. Only God can do this!
It’s important to remember that God has a purpose in all that He does. There are no random acts that come from the hand of the sovereign God of redemptive history. During the time of Nehemiah, God was restoring His people in the promised land and reorganizing them as His covenant people. God is working just the same in our day.” – The Gospel Project
Nehemiah Prays!
Filed under: Bible, By Richard Andrews, Christian Living, Christianity, Church, Faith, God, God Father Son and Spirit, God the Trinity, good news, Gospel, Grace Communion Baltimore, Grace Communion International, identity in Christ, Inclusion, Jesus Christ, Love, Ministry, New Life Fellowship Of Baltimore Maryland, On Mission with Christ, Participation with Christ, Participation with Jesus, Perichoresis, Prayer, relationship with God, Relationships, Sermons, The Church, The Father, Son and Holy Spirit, The Gospel Project, The Holy Spirit, The Plan of Adoption, Timothy Brassell, Trinity, Uncategorized, union, Union In Christ, Union with Christ, Witness, Witnessing to God, Witnessing to Jesus, Worship, Worshiping God, Worshipping Jesus | Tags: Faith, Faithfulness, God's Faithfulness, God's goodness, God's Grace, God's Guidance, God's Holiness, God's Power, Goodness, Grace, Grace Communion Baltimore, Holiness, Nehemiah, Nehemiah 1:1-2:8, New Life Fellowship Of Baltimore Maryland, New Life in Christ, Timothy Brassell, Timothy Brassell of New Life Fellowship
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Part 1a: 23min
Part 1b: 24min
Full Message:
Main Passage: [Nehemiah’s Prayer] Nehemiah 1:1–2:8
Nehemiah cried out to God in prayer on behalf of his people for God to restore them in the promised land. As we read the story of Nehemiah, we are reminded that we follow a God who forgives and redeems and who supplies whatever we need to accomplish His purposes. As Christians, we believe God will bring His kingdom and restore our world, and we pray and act with confidence in His promise. – The Gospel Project
Theological Theme:
Prayer is motivated by concern for God – Father, Son and Spirit’s glory and care for His people.
Christ Connection:
Nehemiah believed God would keep His promise to bring His people back home, and this is why he prayed and took action the way he did. As Christians, we believe God will keep His promise to restore the world as a home for His people. Jesus is the One who prays to the Father on our behalf, and He is the only way to salvation. He IS our Salvation!
“As Jesus prays for those the Father has given him, he is fulfilling the will of his Father (John 17). Our prayers, too, are part of the great sweep of God’s plan for his people. God’s sovereignty does not rob history of significance; to the contrary, it is God’s plan that gives human history meaning. We do not know how to pray as we should, in the light of God’s purposes. But for that very reason his Spirit who dwells in us makes intercession according to the will of God (Rom. 8:27).”
Missional Application:
Jesus, through the Holy Spirit, and in participation with him, calls us to embrace the burden of seeking our Father’s glory and caring for God’s people and then to pray and take action as we engage in His mission.
Have you ever wondered why Jesus told the disciples to pray for their needs, after He told them that God knew all their needs before they even asked? This sounds strange unless you understand that in prayer God enlists us as participants in the work He is doing, as a part of the outworking of His sovereign providence in creation. Sam Storms puts it well, “Never be deceived into thinking that God will give you apart from prayer what He has promised to give you only through prayer.” Prayer is the means to accomplish God’s will. God has designed the universe in such a way that He will act and intervene when we ask according to His will. Through prayer, we become an instrument to bring about God’s appointed end. The chief end of God is to display His glory to all of creation. When we pray, we join Him in that mission. For this reason, all prayer should be motivated by a concern for God’s glory and care for His people. – The Gospel Project
God-Father-Son-and-Spirit’s Great Reversals in Esther!
Filed under: Bible, By Tim Brassell, Christian Living, Christianity, Church, Faith, God, God Father Son and Spirit, God the Trinity, good news, Gospel, Grace Communion Baltimore, Grace Communion International, identity in Christ, Inclusion, Jesus Christ, Love, Ministry, New Life Fellowship Of Baltimore Maryland, On Mission with Christ, Participation with Christ, Participation with Jesus, Prayer, relationship with God, Relationships, Sermons, Song, The Church, The Father, Son and Holy Spirit, The Gospel Project, The Holy Spirit, Timothy Brassell, Trinity, Uncategorized, Union In Christ, Union with Christ, Witness, Witnessing to God, Witnessing to Jesus, Worship, Worshiping God, Worshipping Jesus | Tags: Esther 6, Esther 7, Esther 9, Faith, Faithfulness, God's Faithfulness, God's goodness, God's Grace, God's Guidance, God's Holiness, God's Power, Goodness, Grace, Grace Communion Baltimore, Holiness, New Life Fellowship Of Baltimore Maryland, New Life in Christ, Timothy Brassell, Timothy Brassell of New Life Fellowship
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Part 1a: 20min
Part 1b: 20min
Full Message:
Main Passages: Esther 6:6-11; 7:3-10; 9:1-2
“In the story of Esther, we see how God’s good purposes for His people led to a radical reversal. The humble were exalted, those who were condemned received salvation, and those who expected to suffer defeat instead triumphed in victory. When we read God’s Word, we are reminded that God is often at work to bring about His purposes even when His people do not realize it. God calls us to look beyond earthly appearances and strength and to honor and trust Him for final victory.” – The Gospel Project
Theological Theme:
In saving His people, God [Father, Son, and Spirit] turns the tables on His enemies.
Christ Connection:
In Genesis 3:15, God promised that the serpent who struck the Seed of the woman would in turn be crushed itself. In the story of Esther, we see how Haman’s plans to strike God’s people backfired and ended with his own demise. Likewise, in the cross and resurrection of Jesus, we see how the evil done to Christ was the way in which evil was overcome and defeated.
Missional Application:
God, through His Holy Spirit, calls us to look beyond earthly appearances and strength and to honor and trust Him for final victory.
“God’s providential hand is usually hidden from us. However, if you take the time to reflect on your life, you will see His fingerprints all over your journey. Usually, God’s hand is most evident when we encounter great reversals, like those seen in the Book of Esther. It’s hard to ignore when God exalts the humble. It’s hard to take credit when one is given salvation but deserves judgment. It is hard to miss the hand of God when an entire people group are facing certain defeat but walk away in victory. The same God who providentially works in your life is the same God who has providentially worked throughout history. The same God who promised that Eve’s Seed would crush the head of the serpent in Genesis 3 is the same God who derailed Haman’s plans to destroy God’s people, because through them would come One greater than Esther, a Savior and Advocate who would deliver God’s people from certain death. All throughout redemptive history, God turns the tables on His enemies and saves His people.” – The Gospel Project
“In a world from which God appears to be absent he is nonetheless present.” – J. Gordon McConville
Jesus Calls YOU For Such A Time As This!
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Part 1a: 25min
Part 1b: 25min
Full Message:
Main Passage: Esther 4
“From Esther’s story in the Bible, we learn how to seek the Lord even during those seasons of life when His hand of providence seems to be hidden. We learn to see ourselves as playing a role in God’s sovereign plan for the world, and we gain the courage to accept the risk of following God, no matter the cost. As God’s people, we are to find and fulfill our purpose today—for such a time as this—a purpose that must align with God’s greater plan to bring salvation to the ends of the earth. ” – The Gospel Project
Theological Theme:
The Lord God – Father, Son and Spirit is working His plan even when we cannot see Him.
Christ Connection:
The command to kill all the Jews threatened the fulfillment of God’s promise of a Messiah-King who would bring the blessing of Abraham to the world. Even though His involvement in the story of Esther seems hidden, God the Holy Trinity was at work, creating and implementing a plan to rescue His people and set the stage for the coming of His Son Jesus Christ.
Missional Application:
God through His Holy Spirit, calls us to find and fulfill our purpose within His greater plan to bring salvation to the ends of the earth.
“He who does not know Christ does not know God hidden in suffering… God can be found only in suffering and the cross.” –Martin Luther (1483-1546)
“The King who never dies is Jesus himself, who, like Esther, was raised up at just the right moment in history (Rom. 5:6; Gal. 4:4), ‘for such a time as this’—or as Paul elsewhere says, ‘when the fullness of time had come’ (Gal. 4:4).” –Elyse Fitzpatrick
Photo Compliments: Youtube – Pathlightcommunityfellowship
