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.
Stay informed by following us on Facebook, YouTube, Apple Podcasts, or through our RSS feed. We would love for you to join us for worship every Sunday at 10 am and 6 pm. If you cannot join us in person then tune into our YouTube livestream.
James assures us that God does not tempt us. Christ commands us to pray that our Father would not lead us into temptation. Does this show that James contradicts Christ? We know that he does not because temptation also means testing. So, we are praying that the Father would not test us beyond what we can bear.
The Lord assembles us before Mount Zion. We press forward in the confidence of Christ. We are warned not to allow the root of bitterness to spring up in us. The place and anchor point is Mount Zion.
We receive an exhortation from Hebrews not to drift away. When we think of drifting we think of the soft and soothing current taking us away. This is like a ship that is slightly off course, but continues off course and eventually misses its port. We are told not to loose sight of Christ because we too might drift away. We are reminded to see the sufficiency and glory of Christ Jesus.
#christisenough #christissufficient #expositorypreaching #hebrewssermon #hebrews2
(Preached in the morning on 10.30.2022)
Satan is the accuser and adversary against the Lord. Satan seeks to undermine Christ's work and the church. Peter warns us that Satan prowls around like a roaring lion seeking whom he may devour (1 Peter 5:8). Peter seems to know a lot about Satan's power. We might be tempted to be afraid. We might be tempted to doubt whether the Lord can prevail against such an adversary. However, Christ gives the assurance that he prays for Peter. We also know that Christ prays for us in the heavenly temple. So, we learn about the power of prayer, and in particular Christ's prayer for us to persevere.
Peter greets the church as a scattered seed, when he says "the dispersion." We are a people scattered throughout the world like Israel in exile. This means that the church is not settled in the land of canaan. We are sojourners through this world who will experience suffering, testing, and unrest. The assurance is that while we are the scattered seed in this world we are born of the imperishable seed from heaven, and we will persevere by God's preserving power.
Peter warns us that Satan is prowling around seeking someone to devour. This is a horrible picture to think that our main enemy is seeking to destroy us in such a degrading way. This sounds like we are facing David's fate where he writes, "like a ravening and roaring lion"(Psalm 22:13). The thing we need to remember is that Psalm 22 does not end with a cry of abandonment, but the comfort of God's presence. So Peter exhorts us to see the Lord's presence in the midst of our suffering. We consciously persevere while being assured of God's preserving power.
The doctrine of the perseverance of the saints is sometimes summarized as, "Once saved always saved." There is truth to this statement, but it radically misses the complexity of the Christian walk. God will certainly preserve his people until the end, but we are called to persevere by the Lord's grace. The challenge in this life is that we can have sinful desires that are contrary to God's kingdom. The Canons of Dordt warns us that God can hand us over to those desires. Where do we find our strength in this life to continue on our Christian sojourn?
Christ' work will be applied to his people. We certainly have seen this in John 17. We know that individuals will come to faith, but what about the church? Is the church going to be sustained until the end? Will the Lord preserve his church through thick and thin?
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?
We sit with the disciples to hear about the parable of the sower. Christ then continues with this theme to talk about a false sower. Does this mean that Satan has equal power and authority? Can we be sure that the Lord really will accomplish His goal? How do we know that the Lord is really capable to finish what He starts?
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 prayer has a strange request that we ask the Lord not to lead us into temptation. If the Lord desires us to dwell with Him forever in heaven, then why would the Lord tempt us? What does this request mean for our Christian life? Can we trust our Lord if He is tempting us? So, what does this request mean?
The Lord is sovereign and mighty even during the exile that Israel faces. We affirm that no matter where we walk in life that the Lord will save us and secure us. Why did the Lord send Israel into exile? What does exile do for us that is good? Where are the Israelites to put their faith? Can they be saved even as they march into exile and it seems as if all is finished? What is the assurance even at the time of facing exile?
We might think that this notion of the preservation and perseverance of the saints is unique to the Apostle Paul. We might also think that this is not all that significant in terms of our psychology or encouraging us through difficult times in this life. In fact, we might think that that knowing God will preserver us waters down the struggle or the hardship of this life. It sounds like life is not that challenging because God will just continue to pull the puppet strings. So, what does a Calvinist say about such a claim that Reformed Theology minimizing suffering?
There is no doubt that one would not be saved apart from the grace of God. I think all Christians who have a grasp of Christianity would affirm the necessity of grace for our salvation. We know that we are those who need grace, but how much grace do we need? Is 90 percent enough or do we need more? Is our confidence in that we will not fall away because we love the Lord enough or is it because know that the Lord loves us enough?
The Lord is a God who rules over all things. He is king over the heaven and the earth. He is the one who orders and controls our destiny. So, if this is all true then why pray? It is not like you are going to change the mind of a God whose mind does not change. It is not like you are going to inform Him of something that He does not already know. So, why is prayer so necessary and significant for the Christian life?
The weapons listed for our Christian armor are mostly defensive weapons. If these are defensive weapons what are we defending ourselves from? How hard can it be for us to go about this age if we are grounded in Christ? If we are already called a Christian then why such a struggle? So, why are we called Christians that is anointed by Christ if we are just walking through this world?
The providence of God is something that is magnificent to see that the Lord continues to care for us and watch over us. This almost sounds as if God is meddlesome. Is he? Why would we want this God to interact with our lives? How does His personal involvement improve our lives rather than harm our lives?
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.
