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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We know that we are saved by grace that is applied by the will of God. God is the one who chooses his people, empowers his people, and will preserve his people until the end. If this is true, then why does Paul tell us to work out our salvation with fear and trembling? Does God just start the work and then we need to finish the work?
We want to think that we are pretty good and our struggle is rather minimal. So, we want to think that we are good enough and wise enough to see the light. So, we come to Christ because we desire Christ seeing him as the way of life. The problem is that we humans underestimate the depth of our sin and depravity. We fail to see that we are completely unable to enter into the Lord's presence by our doing. So, is there any hope in our predicament? How can we have hope when even Paul the Pharisee cannot do enough to earn the Lord's favor?
John captures Christ's prayer before Christ goes to the cross. This prayer reveals to us that Christ is very aware of his mission and his purpose of entering history. Christ prays not only for himself, but also his disciples. His disciples are not the immediate 11, but also for us who will come to believe through his word. What does this prayer teach us about Christ's atonement? What assurance does this give us that Christ will not give up on those who has come to redeem?
Christ invites his audience who hears his word to come to him. We are promised blessing if we are not offended by Christ. This sounds strange because why would we be offended by Christ? Nevertheless we are promised that as we respond to the gospel in faith we will take the yoke of Christ upon us. His teaching will progressively become more and more of who we are. Clearly, Christ is assuring us that as we take hold of Christ by faith, as we come under his control more and more we will enjoy his blessings. How can Christ give such a call without contradicting what we heard regarding God’s election before the foundations of the world?
When Christians talk about man's free will and our coming to faith we end up with the old "Tastes Great.... Less Filling debate." We are not getting to the heart of the issue. The Canons of Dordt seeks to clarify how man comes to faith. The Canons also spells out that God's choosing does not deny our sincere call to respond in faith. The Canons affirms that we are called to obey God. The Canons also defends that christians are called to persevere in our faith. So, what is the fundamental problem? Is this merely a difference of preference or is there a substantive difference?
If we really understand our relationship to our God we should be humble. There is nothing about the story of redemption that leads man to be arrogant. However, we can think that we are a little more worthy than our neighbor. We might also think that maybe one of our friends is more worthy of God's affection than say a thief on the cross. The Canons of Dordt reminds us that not one single person deserves God's grace. How can our contemplation of God's grace draw us closer to God,, hope less in our selves, and actually cultivate a deep compassion?
As human beings we can potentially see ourselves as adorable, maybe a little mischievous, and maybe even a little flawed. The reality is that we are not always honest about how bad and undeserving we are to receive Christ's grace. One of our problems is that we can think that we are a little deserving of God's grace and favor, but in reality we are not deserving of it at all. So, how can our need for God's sovereign choice in applying his grace humble us? How does this realization compel us to be in a submissive and teachable posture before Christ's cross?
It is common for us to think that God is love. Love is certainly one of God's many attributes. However, our Lord says, "Jacob I loved, but Esau I hated." How can the Lord say such a thing? What does it mean that the Lord hates?
One would think that as Christ enters history that his desire is to start a movement. He is the one who is bringing in the kingdom, and so one who brings in the kingdom will need citizens to be part of the kingdom. It would seem wise to make the kingdom accessible. However, Christ speaks in cryptic language, and seems to do more to drive people away rather than the bring them near. Why does Christ speak in parables?
I believe that God has chosen His people before the foundations of the world. This is something that is rather risky for a preacher to believe because if God chooses His people then what is the point of preaching? I mean really, if God just does what God desires then why preach? Why care about the people who do not know the Lord? So, why do we preach if God chooses HIs people anyway?
When we think about the Reformed doctrine of salvation we could think that the doctrine is simply summarized as such, “Once saved always saved.” I have to confess that personally such a definition really bothers me. It makes salvation sound cheap in the sense that we just go along for the ride and there is no struggle. So, if this is not something I like then what can we put in the place of it? What is more, how can Reformed people be so sure that God will preserve sinners who naturally hate Him? How does the Spirit even work in Reformed theology?
We as Christians can sometimes be discouraged when we survey the world. We read the news and see what is happening to the world and at times it feels as if things are spiraling out of control around us. What can we do in light of such discouragement? How do we honor the Lord in the face of such a trying time? What did the Lord tells us about Abraham in light of Sodom and Gomorrah? What was Abraham to do in light of that tragic day when the Lord finally manifested His judgment on such blatant narcissism?
One of the criticism of the Reformed faith is that if God chooses us then our wills are set aside. This means that we become mere robots of puppets who follow the one who pulls our strings. I guess my first reaction to this is if this criticism is true then I am not guilty for my sin. So, this would present a huge problem because God does not tempt us to sin. So, how can I preached a Reformed theology with such a glaring criticism and potential problem?
Why do we want to conform to the Lord if we are already secured in Christ? Do we want to conform to the Lord because it is better than facing the dread of not conforming to the Lord? What is the primary motivation for our desire to conform to the Lord? If you look at our confessions it seems that we do so because of what God has done or as we say, “Out of Gratitude.” It seems that we obey the Lord because of His grace. So, how can grace motivate us to conform to the Lord rather than just living selfishly in rebellion against Him?
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.
