On Sunday Pastor Dustin preached from Romans 13:1-7. God is at working shaping our view of the government. We submit to those in power because God has placed them there, not because they're perfect. In fact, the government is broken in many ways. It's run by broken people. Yet we trust that God is working through them. We aim to be good citizens of God's kingdom by being good citizens of the earthly one.
Book recommendation from the sermon: God and Politics by Mark Dever.
On Sunday Pastor Eric preached from Romans 12:14-21. God tells us to love our neighbors and our enemies because oftentimes they are the same. The real test of love is whether or not we can love like Jesus, the One who laid down His life for His enemies. We are surrounded by people who don't love us. We do good to them with the hope that God may turn them into friends.
This past Sunday Pastor Eric defined love as a passionate commitment to one another based upon the gospel. Christ loved us when we were not compatible. We were his enemies. We love one another not because it's easy or convenient, but because it glorifies the One who loves us. Love is not a sign of maturity. It's a sign of conversion.
On Sunday Pastor Eric preached from Romans 12:3-8 reminding us that the gospel alters the way we think about ourselves. Self-importance and self-pity are banished by our union with Christ. We are not the center of the story, but neither are we worthless. We belong to Jesus and we belong to His body, the church. We do ordinary things with His extraordinary power for His glory.
On Sunday, Pastor Dustin preached Romans 12:2 reminding us that God is changing our lives by changing our minds. Our thinking drives our doing. He wants us to think His thoughts so that our lives reflect His glory and grace. We are not passive in this process. We must test our thoughts and cooperate with the mind-renewing work of His Spirit.
On Sunday, Pastor Eric preached from one of the most famous verses in the Bible, Romans 12:1. Offer your life, everything you are, to God. It's the logical thing to do in view of the mercy shown to you by Jesus Christ. His great sacrifice for you drives your sacrifices for Him.
Pastor Chris Daukas, from our sister church in Peoria AZ, preached from Philippians 4:4-7. He reminded us that we are not to rejoice in all of our circumstances, but in all of our circumstances we are to rejoice in the Lord. We think deeply about how God has acted in our lives and His disposition toward us. We think about His nearness to us. We accept His invitation to come to Him with every situation we face.
On Sunday guest preacher Robert Jacobsen showed us the glory of God's grace in our salvation. In Christ we have all we need. We are slaves who've been liberated. We are orphans who've been adopted. All of God's eternal blessings belong to us through our union with Jesus Christ.