Come Sojourn with Us
This is where you will find sermons and updates for our church. Our mission is to preach expository sermons focusing on the gospel of Christ. We are a church that is tied to the reformed tradition and seeks to submit to the scriptures so we walk in the Lord’s wisdom rather than our own.
We would love to have you join us on our Christian sojourn if you are in the Belgrade, MT area. If you are not in area then join us by listening to our bi weekly free sermon podcast.
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Our Lord makes the promise that the one who eats of the bread and drinks of the cup eats and drinks the flesh and blood of Christ. How can Christ say such a thing? We we really want to slaughter our Lord, cannibalize his body, and celebrate such a wicked act? However, when Christ speaks this sounds exactly like what Christ is inviting us to do. So, what do we do with this strong language? How can such language be encouraging?
Our Lord gathers together with his disciples to celebrate passover. It is during this passover feast that Christ and the disciples have the first communion or Lord’s Supper. It would seem that if the Lord’s Supper is instituted at passover that the Lord’s Supper and passover would be the same thing. However, reformed people have not seen them being the exact same thing. How can we make a distinction between the Lord’s Supper and the Passover? What has Christ stated that helps us understand this disinction?
The Lord has created human beings to be creative. This is good because it enables us to create, to build, and to live out what it is to be in the image of God. However, the down side of this is that we are creative in how we apply the law of God. If we are seeking to use the law lawfully that is great, but the problem is that we can set up our own standard that is not intended in the law of God. We might wonder why we would do such a thing, but we find that answer when Christ lays out the intention of the law. How can we be faithful disciples when the Law of God is impossibly rigorous?
Paul lays out the declaration for the Lord’s people to judge themselves prior to coming to the Lord’s Supper. What does this judgment look like? Paul warns the Corinthian church that some people have actually died because they failed to judge themselves. How do we know if we have judged ourselves appropriately?
Jesus enters history to fulfill the law and the prophets. Christ summarizes his mission as the messiah who has entered history fulfill rather than to abolish. Why is this important? What does this definition of his mission tell us about Jesus living up to His name?
Paul, the apostle, gives a very stern warning to the church communicating a warning to Corinth that some people have died in the congregation because they have not appropriately approached the sacrament. This is a passage that can make someone approach the supper with great caution. In fact, someone might not want to come to the supper at all considering that there are people who have died in the past. Why would we come to the Lord’s table when there is such a stern and fixed warning in Scripture?
Jesus tells his disciples that they are the salt of the earth and they are to be the light on the hill. This sounds like Jesus is giving us very strong directives, but what does it mean to be salt and light? What do these commands imply about our Christian life? What does it look like for us to live out this ethic?
Jesus takes his stand on the mountain to teach the crowds and his disciples. This should be a sermon that is full of good news. This is expected to be a sermon where Christ promises absolute victory. However, Christ talks about mourning, oppression, and persecution. How can Christ’s message truly offer us hope? Has the kingdom failed in some way?
The Lord’s people have been enslaved for 400 years and doubt whether or not the Lord is really with them. The Lord promises that his people will not remain in slavey. So, what how is the Lord going to deliver His people from this time of slavery? What is Israel going to do in light of this deliverance that the Lord promises? How does this deliverance pave the way for the Lord’s Supper?
Moses lays out the expectations for the sacrificial system with Israel. Moses communicates essential points of this sacrificial system from Leviticus 7. This chapter teaches us that there are feasts anyone can eat, other feasts only the priests, and then there are offerings that are not eaten at all by the priests. Why does the Lord have some meals with his people? Why does the Lord have some meals with the priests? What does any of this have to do with the Lord’s Supper?
Jesus announces that the kingdom of heaven is present. This is great to hear, but what do we do with John the Baptist being arrested? What do we do with Christ retreating to Galilee? The issue then: how can Christ say that the kingdom is present when the context of this chapter seems to contradict His message?
The apostle Paul exhorts fathers, wives, and bondservants to live out their lives before the Lord’s face. The Lord does not only exhort adults to life a life pleasing to the Lord, but Paul also exhorts children. Why would Paul exhort children to obey their parents for that pleases the Lord? Could there be implications in this exhortation for baptism?
We believe that Jesus is Immanuel or God with us. He is enters history to save his people from their sins. So, if Christ’s mission is to save his people from their sins then why is he wasting his time in the wilderness? Why would Christ spend this time being tempted rather than just go to the cross? How can these temptations be so essential for Christ’s mission? How can these temptations be essential for Christ’s mission to save his people from their sins?
Ministers do not like to be wrong, and we really do not like the find out that we missed the point of a text. We could say this is pride, but the honest truth is we want to handle God’s word competently. I wonder how John the Baptist felt when Christ came to him for baptism. It must have been strange to see the one who delivers his people from their sins to be identified with sinners. Why does Jesus need to be baptized? Does this contradict John’s message regarding the fire baptism that is coming?
Peter takes his stand in the midst of the skeptics in Jerusalem. Peter makes the point that the Lord was sent to the cross by these wicked men who listen to Peter’s sermon. What does baptism have to do with Christ’s mission and the reception of the Holy Spirit? Does Baptism have any correlation to the Old Testament? Why does Peter say that the promise is for you and your children?
The apostle Paul exhorts us to walk in the Spirit as people who have moved from death to life in Christ. He also exhorts us to walk in light of our baptism moving us from death to life in Christ. Is Paul teaching that as one receives baptism that one necessarily receives the Holy Spirit? Why would Paul use such strong language regarding baptism?
John calls the current leaders of Israel a brood of vipers. This is not very flattering. In fact, such speech would most likely put you at odds with the current leadership. Why would John use such language? What can we learn from such a harsh sermon?
One can see the force of the argument that circumcision is a fleshly covenant which is tied to the flesh while Baptism is a sign that communicates spiritual renewal and spiritual washing. It is conceivable to think that maybe Paul is making a historic progression meaning that we move from circumcision, fleshly covenant, to baptism, a true spiritual realization, after Christ’s coming. So, why would people baptize infants if the Lord has changed the significance of the covenantal sign?
Herod, the king of the jews, is someone who should see that Christ’s entrance into history validates the jewish kingship. However, Herod does not react in joy, but he acts in a horrific way to the news of Christ. Herod demonstrates the horror of human depravity. How can the Lord triumph over this tyrannical man? Is this man able to usurp the Lord’s power?
So often people think of the sacrament of circumcision as a physical sign while baptism is a sign of Spiritual renewal. So, these signs might point to Christ, but they have radically different intentions. When we survey scripture we find that this is not necessarily a true distinction with circumcision being physical while baptism is spiritual. In fact, Moses teaches that one being uncircumcised is stating that one is not walking in power of the Lord. So, can we really say that circumcision is not a spiritual sign?
We are a bible believing church in the Belgrade, MT. We are a Reformed Protestant church who desire to build one another up in love as we sojourn under the sun.
