O Come O Come Emmanuel

December 17, 2024

Notes from Nick Gainey's sermon on Sunday, December 15, 2024.

Sermon text: Isaiah 7:14, Matthew 1:18-23


Worship song principles

- Is it true?

- Is it substantive?

- Is it sing-able?

- Does this song minister to us and anchor us with hope when we reflect on the truth that

we are singing?


O come, O come, true prophet of the Lord

And turn the key to heaven's door

Be Thou our comforter and guide

And lead us to the Father's side


Jesus is the true and better prophet.

Jesus came to be the mediator between God and man.

Deut. 18:15, 18

“The Lord your God will raise up for you a prophet like me from among you, from your

brothers, it is to him you shall listen. I will raise up for them a prophet like you from among

their brothers. And I will put my words in his mouth, and he shall speak to them all that I

command him.”


O come, our great High Priest, and intercede

Thy sacrifice, our only plea

The judgment we no longer fear

Thy precious blood has brought us near


Jesus is the true and better High Priest.

Jesus intercedes to the Father on our behalf.

Jesus made a sacrifice for since once and for all.

Jesus’ blood satisfies God’s judgment and removes our sin guilt.


Hebrews 9:11-12

“But when Christ appeared as a high priest of the good things to come, He entered through the

greater and more perfect tabernacle, not made with hands, that is to say, not of this creation;

and not through the blood of goats and calves, but through His own blood, He entered the holy

place once for all, having obtained eternal redemption.”

Hebrews 10:12

But He, having offered one sacrifice for sins for all time, sat down at the right hand of God.

Eph 2:12-13

“remember that you were at that time separated from Christ, alienated from the

commonwealth of Israel and strangers to the covenants of promise, having no hope and

without God in the world. 13 But now in Christ Jesus you who once were far off have been

brought near by the blood of Christ.”


O Come, Thou King of nations bring

An end to all our suffering

Bid every pain and sorrow cease

And reign now as our Prince of Peace


Jesus is the King of the Nations

Mark 1:14 - 14 Now after John was arrested, Jesus came into Galilee, proclaiming the gospel of

God, 15 and saying, “The time is fulfilled, and the kingdom of God is at hand; repent and believe

in the gospel.”

The Kingdom of God is the place where God rules and reigns.

The Kingdom has come, but it is still coming.


Revelation 21 tells us what the consummation or completion of the Kingdom of God will look

like. “Then I saw a new heaven and a new earth, for the first heaven and the

first earth had passed away, and the sea was no more. 2 And I saw the holy

city, new Jerusalem, coming down out of heaven from God, prepared

as a bride adorned for her husband. 3 And I heard a loud voice from the

throne saying, “Behold, the dwelling place of God is with man. He will

dwell with them, and they will be his people, and God himself will be with them as their God.

He will wipe away every tear from their eyes, and

death shall be no more, neither shall there be mourning, nor crying, nor

pain anymore, for the former things have passed away.”


REJOICE!!!

Rejoice and remember that God is faithful to keep his promises.

Rejoice and remember that God is sovereignly in control of all things.

Rejoice and remember that Emmanuel, God with us has come and is coming again.


Discipleship Questions:


  1. What Advent songs have resonated with you the most this year and why?
  2. Which worship song principles were most helpful for you to consider? Have you already always valued these principles or did 1 or 2 stand out to you to consider in a new way?
  3. How can focusing on the “offices of Christ” (prophet, priest and king) deepen your worship? 
  4. What are you “waiting on God” to do in your life and circumstances? What promises of God can you remember as you wait?
  5. This song commands us to rejoice as we wait for God to fulfill his promises. Spend some time rejoicing among your group and recounting the Lord’s faithfulness. What are some practical ways you can rejoice this Advent season? 

Freed to Serve

April 28, 2025
Notes from Scott Sutton's sermon on Sunday, April 27, 2025. Sermon text: 1 Peter 2:11-17 This is the beginning of a section addressing how God's people now function in this world. It begins with aliens and exiles and continues with servants, wives, husbands, and finally, all of you. 1.) Our identity defines our actions. We are sojourners and exiles (temporary, passing through, not at home) We have a heavenly citizenship Actions We abstain from the passions of the flesh Keep conduct among the Gentiles honorable (our conduct is for the benefit of other people) Honorable conduct wins souls… sojourners, exiles, and soul winners “Peter’s point is that believers’ behavior creates a context in which people will listen to God’s word. He is not teaching that ‘good deeds’ in themselves convert unbelievers, but they establish an environment for the Gospel-word to do so.” -Barnett 2.) Our identity defines our expectations (Unbelievers will respond to honorable conduct in 1 of 2 ways) Some will speak evil against us as though we are evildoers Some will see our good deeds and glorify God on the day of visitation 3.) Our identity defines our view of authority (Does anyone here ever just want to do whatever you want to do, whenever you want to do it? That’s why laws exist) Be subject to every human institution (for the Lord's sake) This includes governors and emperors (no distinction between good/bad) The will of God... by doing good, we silence the ignorance of foolish people 4.) Our identity defines our view of freedom Don't use freedom as a cover-up for evil We are freed to serve God Honor, Love, and Fear Discipleship Questions: 1.)Why is it so important to understand our identity before talking about our behavior? 2.) How might this reality impact your parenting? For real, what are 3 ways that you can apply that this week? 3.) How is good conduct a form of evangelism? 4.) What do these verses say that we can expect from others? 5.) How can we honor a government that isn't always honorable? Seriously, what are 5 things we should immediately stop doing and 5 things we should immediately start doing? 6.) What are some tangible ways to honor others? Love the brotherhood? Fear God? Honor the Emperor? 7.) Should we fear the Emperor?

Cornerstone

April 22, 2025
Notes from Ky Martin's sermon on Sunday, April 20, 2025. Sermon text: 1 Peter 2:4-10 Everyone must accept or reject Jesus. He is the cornerstone. We choose to accept Him as the foundation of our lives or toss the truth aside. When we come to Jesus… We become part of His People 1 Pe 2:4-5 As you come to him, a living stone rejected by men but in the sight of God chosen and precious, 5 you yourselves like living stones are being built up as a spiritual house, to be a holy priesthood, to offer spiritual sacrifices acceptable to God through Jesus Christ. The cornerstone is The New Temple. From this we learn that following Christ entails joining his community, the church…The freelance Christian, who follows Jesus but is too good, too busy, or too self-sufficient for the church, is a walking contradiction. -Daniel M. Doriani We join a royal, holy, priesthood 1 Pet. 2:9 But you are a chosen race, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, a people for his own possession, that you may proclaim the excellencies of him who called you out of darkness into his marvelous light. Because of who Jesus makes us. We receive God’s mercy Fallen man is not simply an imperfect creature who needs improvement: he is a rebel who must lay down his arms….Now repentance is no fun at all. It is something much harder than merely eating humble pie. It means unlearning all the self-conceit and self-will that we have been training ourselves into for thousands of years. It means undergoing a kind of death. Acts 17:30-31 The times of ignorance God overlooked, but now he commands all people everywhere to repent, 31 because he has fixed a day on which he will judge the world in righteousness by a man whom he has appointed; and of this he has given assurance to all by raising him from the dead.” Discipleship Questions: Why is it impossible to be neutral about Jesus? Why do you believe that Jesus truly is the Son of God? Do you ever have doubts about this? If yes, what are they? According to 1 Peter 2:9, who are we after we come to Christ? Why does Paul say (in 1 Corinthians) that if Christ is not risen, our faith is in vain?

Born Again

April 16, 2025
Notes from Scott Sutton's sermon on Sunday, April 13, 2025. Sermon text: 1 Peter 2:2-3 Why do our souls ache for certainty? We are so eager for certainty that we will look for it in all the wrong places. - Certainty in our Finances [show slide from news] - Certainty in our Jobs [Acts 17:24-27] - Certainty in our Health [Covid] - Certainty in our Abilities [Ecclesiastes 3:11 “God has put eternity into man’s heart, yet so that he cannot find out what God has done from the beginning to the end.”] “Things that have never happened before are happening every day.” -Morgan Housel In these verses, God gives us what our souls ache for! 1.) You must be born again of imperishable seed - We have all been born of perishable seed o Impure souls o Disobedient to truth o Unloving insincerity toward others o Lack of loving effort o Impure hearts - We are withering grass and falling flowers - The imperishable seed is the living and abiding Word of God o Does not wither o Does not fall o Does not let us down o It remains forever o It MUST BE PREACHED! But still, how can we be certain that we have been born again? 2.) If you are born again, hope will be seen in your relationships When your relationship with God changes, God changes your relationships! - Sincere brotherly love - Love earnestly - Put away… o Malice o Deceit o Hypocrisy o Envy o All Slander 3.) If you are born again, hope will be seen in your appetite for God’s Word - Like newborn infants - Long for the pure spiritual milk Discipleship Questions: 1.) Where are some unhealthy places where you look for certainty? 2.) Why do you do that? 3.) What were some evidences of your perishable seed before you came to Christ? Any of that still lingering that needs to be repented from? 4.) Why does Peter call the Word of God the imperishable seed? 5.) In light of the text, how would you describe being "born again" to a 5-year-old? 6.) How has imperishable hope proven itself in your relationships? OR How might it if you lean into loving others earnestly? 7.) Why does Peter tell us that hope will be seen in our appetite for God's Word?
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