St Petersburg Presbyterian Church

In this passage, Paul continues his theme of honoring those among us in the household of God, the church. Here we are called to honor the leaders God has placed over us in the church, our elders. And the way the church honors its elders best is by supporting them generously, protecting them wisely, and taking their holiness seriously.

In our text today, Paul gives Timothy specific examples of what a church family that loves well looks like. A church that loves well corrects gently, cultivates godliness and cares compassionately.

Our text today gives us God’s instruction on what makes for faithful ministry. As we look to our text, we see that ministry that the Lord deems faithful (1) pursues godliness, (2) points the way, and (3) practices the means.

Throughout the scriptures we see that truth is something that must be treasured and fought for. This is not an easy task, as we have a powerful enemy who is hell-bent on perverting the truth. Our scripture today warns us of our enemy’s ways, and calls us to reject his lies and embrace the truth of God.

The resurrection of Jesus Christ is not merely a historical event to be believed, but a supernatural power to be experienced — reordering what you value, renewing you from within, and redefining your suffering and your future.

We encounter Jesus as he makes his way up to Jerusalem for the Passover festival. And as he approaches, we encounter a major divide between who the Jews expect Jesus to be and who he actually is as the Messiah. As we study our text, we see that Palm Sunday instructs us on the age-old tension between our plans for God, and God’s plans for us.

In our passage, Paul tells Timothy his reason for writing this letter. He wants Timothy, the church in Ephesus, and us, to live God-pleasing lives. In order to do that, we need to grasp the mystery God has revealed and entrusted to the church.

Paul writes this letter so that the church might know how to conduct and order itself (1 Tim 3:15). As he continues to instruct Timothy about leadership in the local church, Paul describes the qualifications for men who will serve in the ordained office of deacon. While elders are called primarily to the ministry of Word and prayer, deacons are called to serve and care for the physical needs of God’s people. To understand the role of deacons better, we must know the serving heart of God, the servant heart of deacons, and the servant heart of the church.

Acts 8:26-40

God calls Christians into the institution of the church. In this institution, God raises up men to lead and shepherd his people. As we look at our text, we see that such men are called to care, possess character, display competency, and have credibility.

When God’s household embraces His good and gracious design with persevering faith, we display His glory to the world.

God delights in worship that is shaped by the gospel, where self-assertion gives way to humble, Christ-centered devotion.

In this chapter, Paul begins to direct the church on worship that pleases God. As we look at our text, we see that such worship is filled with prayer, full of truth, focuses on Christ, and naturally flows outward.

Because God has called us into a real spiritual battle, we must fight the good fight in the way He commands. In our text, Paul shows us that we do so by fighting with the right company, fighting in the right manner, and fighting for the right purpose.

Jesus Christ came into the world to save sinners, so that his perfect patience and overflowing grace might be displayed through our lives and lead us to worship him, the King eternal.

God’s law is good and was given by him to expose our sin, not save us—and when it does its work properly, it drives us to the gospel of the glory of Christ.

Why does the church matter? Because it is God’s household, entrusted with upholding and displaying the gospel, so that it shapes what God’s people believe and how they live in the world in every generation.

Romans 1:17 proclaims the great comfort of the gospel: that God’s righteousness is not something we must earn, but something he freely gives to us in Christ, received by faith alone. This truth brought peace to Martin Luther’s anxious conscience and became a light to the church in a darkened age. As we reflect on Luther’s life through this text, we are reminded that our only comfort in life and in death is found in belonging to Jesus Christ, clothed in his righteousness,and called to live each day by faith in him.

Much of life happens through straining—we work hard to put food on our plates, clothes on our back, and to keep the lights on. All of this is good, and we should strive in these areas, but Christ shows us it’s different with our spiritual lives—true change comes not through straining, but through abiding. If we are to grow in Christ, then we must abide in Christ. And in our passage, Jesus gives us three reasons why: 1. Apart from Christ, We Can Do Nothing; 2. Through Christ, We Can Do All Things; and 3. In Christ, We Have Everything.

The joy God promises at Christmas, and for all of life, is not sentimental or circumstantial, but is rooted in the very joy of God Himself, is received as a gift by humble faith, and is realized more and more in our lives through our union with Jesus Christ.

We long for peace, but the world around us, and often within us, feels anything but peaceful. Isaiah and Luke show us that peace is not something we achieve on our own, but something God gives us as a gift of grace. It’s a peace promised to those in darkness, fulfilled at Jesus’ birth, purchased at the cross, and experienced by all who trust the Prince of Peace.

Christmas is the story of hope. This is not mere wishful thinking, but the rock-solid certainty that God will do what He has promised. For nothing will be impossible with God. Our passages in Genesis 3 and Luke 1 show us that God’s promise of hope is made in the midst of judgment, is fulfilled in the most unlikely way, and can be utterly trusted because it rests on His unbreakable word.

In the third chapter of John’s Gospel we encounter a conversation between Nicodemus, a highly regarded Pharisee, and Jesus. In this conversation, Nicodemus encounters the truths of the gospel: the good news of God’s provision of his only Son for the salvation of the world. But in order to understand this good news, we must know three things: 1. What Do We Need?; 2. How Do We Get It?; 3. Why Would Anyone Reject It?

Daniel 12 brings the visions of the book to their lose by revealing what Jesus will do for His people at the time of the end. He will sustain us through the fiercest storms of tribulation, raise us from the dead in glory, and bring us safely into His everlasting kingdom. Until then, we, like Daniel, are called to “go our way”, living in faithful obedience to Christ inthe ordinary as we wait for His return to make all things new.

Daniel 11 is part of the larger context of chapters 10-12, which is the final vision God reveals to Daniel regarding the future of His covenant people. The details of this chapter are complicated, but the overarching message is clear. The Lord our God reigns over all the kings and kingdoms of this world, now and forever. This gives us the perspective we need as he refines us as his people and unfolds his perfect plan.

In this prelude to the final vision Daniel is called not to fear, and he can do so in light of God’s holiness, God’s heart, and God’s hidden hand.

Our text comes right after Daniel’s great prayer of confession. In response, the Lord sends Gabriel to assure him of God’s great care, His great plan, and the workings of His plan for His people. Though the details of this vision may puzzle us, the message is clear: trials will come, but God remains in control and will surely bring His people to final victory.

Daniel’s prayer models for us how we ought to pray for God’s gracious renewal in our lives, both individually and corporately as a the Church, the Body of Christ.

Last week we ended on an encouraging note as we considered the Son of Man reigning from His throne. It's a cosmic glimpse of an eternal reign! While Daniel 8 also points to God's sovereignty, it does so in a much more somber tone by showing us the trials and diffifculties that lie ahead for the church. In doing so, we see that even through dark times we must trust in God's sovereignty - for it is our loving God who hold the future.

Daniel 7 mesmerizes us with its stunning visuals and imagery. One of the keys to understanding this type of literature in the Bible, what some call “apocalyptic literature,” is not to let the details distract you from the main idea: in spite of present difficulties, God is in control, and he will have the final victory. Daniel 7 continues that theme by pointing to the victory of the Son of Man, andshows us that from his victory we draw our great hope.

Because God rules and reigns over all of creation, we can trust Him with our lives.

Human pride and kingdoms will fall under God’s righteous judgment, but Jesus bore God’s judgment and established an everlasting kingdom for all who will repent and humble themselves under his kingly rule.

Once we understand that "the Most High rules the kingdom of men and gives it to whom he will," we delight in his kingship, embrace his kingdom, and filled with humility we grow in confidence and courage as we embrace King Jesus and live our lives for him.

Daniel 3 reminds us that God alone is worthy of our worship. When faced with pressure to bow before the idols of their age, God’s people chose instead to remain faithful to Him, even at great personal cost. This passage calls us to the same steadfast devotion, trusting that the Lord is able to save and that His glory will be vindicated.

Daniel 2 teaches us that all human wisdom and power, no matter how great they may appear, are limited and will ultimately crumble, but Jesus Christ—the “stone not cut by human hands”—is the King whose wisdom and power are unshakable and whose kingdom will never end.

The Book of Daniel guides us in our present exile by calling us to live faithfully. In itsopening chapter, we are reminded that faithfulness begins with seeing reality clearly: we live in the midst of a fierce conflict, we rest in the firm hope of God’s rule, and we are called to offer a faithful response in every circumstance.

In the midst of the realities of life, Jesus comes to us as the one who quenches our thirst and meetsour need, giving us His Spirit and placing us joyously among his people.

In a fallen world we often feel that life is unfair as we see prosperity among evildoers while God'speople suffer. Keeping an eternal perspective sets our hearts on God himself who in Christ drawsnear and is himself our treasure.

God funds his mission of making Christ known through the financial giving of hispeople. And, our passage teaches us the kind of heart God wants from us in our giving, what harvest our giving produces, and where we get the power to give this way.

True and lasting joy, wholeness of life, is found not in concealing our sin, but in honest confession and resting in God’s forgiving, covering grace in Jesus Christ. Psalm 32 is King David’s personal testimony of his experience of God’s gracious forgiveness and how it can be ours as well.

Our Psalm shows us that we live in a world hostile to the Lord and His purposes. As His people, the Lord calls us to join in this fight by fighting the good fight of faith. Our text shows us that in order to do this, we must do three things: 1. Know who calls you to the fight; 2. Know how He calls you to fight; 3. Live for the Victor.

We live in an anxious age in which...

The Big Idea: Because God is on the throne, His people can have hope in His plan of redemption for the world.

We see that Philippians 2:12-18 is connected to the previous verses because of the important word “therefore” Paul uses to begin our text this morning. Paul shows us that in light of the glories that we heard of Christ in verses 5-11, we must seek to live under this Christ’s reign. In order to do that, we live for holiness, live with his people, and live for the mission.

Many models are set before us to emulate in this world—often models of strength, power, and victory. In our text this morning, Paul sets forth the model of Christ who, though being in the very form of God, did not count equality with God a thing to be grasped, but rather stooped, served, and saved, all for the sake of others.

Our scripture this morning opens our eyes to the reality that there are opponents to the Christian life. It calls us to stand firm together against these enemies and identifies them as internal enemies, external enemies, and false enemies.

When hard times arise in life, we can often feel lost and wonder how to proceed. Our text speaks to such a situation. Whereas in the previous portion of scripture we saw that we have joy in Christ, our text this morning shows us that we have direction in Christ as well. No matter where we are in life, we see that we must make Christ known, honor Christ, and serve Christ.

We must fight for true spiritual comfort which comes from God, through Christ, and is for others.

Joy can seem an elusive thing in this fallen world. In Paul’s letter to the Philippians, he mentions joy more than any other of his letters. This is all the more interesting when we consider that he wrote it from prison. From the very beginning of Paul’s letter to the Philippians we see that Christ provides a joy that transcends all of our circumstances in this fallen world.

Psalm 139 is king David’s personal prayer and song of praise to God who knows all things, and therefore knows us better than we know ourselves. It is our greatest joy and comfort to know and be known by God through faith in His Son, Jesus Christ.