Calvary: the Hill Sermons

Today we live between the cross and heaven. We operate in the reality of a resurrected Christ that changed our lives, strengthens us through the trials we face, and provokes us to good works.

What is it that makes the good news so good? Here, Paul reminds Peter of all that God has done for us in Jesus Christ and shows that a return to the works of the law (or any other system of worth in our world) would be to reject the greatest gift ever given.

When Paul publicly confronts the apostle Peter, he’s not just being contentious, he is contending for the unity of the church and the true significance of the salvation made possible by Jesus. The gospel both demands a response to what Christ has done for us and calls us to challenge those who use man-made demands to deny the gospel.

An angel takes Ezekiel on a guided tour through the coming Temple. This temple remains empty until God sees to it that it is filled. This passage ends with the law of the temple being the promise that God will bring His spirit and His people into it.

Paul's meeting with the Jerusalem Apostles demonstrates the importance and shape of Christian unity. The Bible envisions a tremendous unity for those who are in Christ where differences are transcended in love. Because we are all in Christ we should pursue fellowship, cooperation and taking care of one another.

As Ezekiel continues to lay out a message of hope after the destruction of Jerusalem and the exile of his people, we see that God's plan of restoration for Israel is expansive. He will resurrect and reunite the nation, and preserve them from attack as only he can do.

Paul says the Gospel is not "according to man", it does not align with man made systems of value and worth. When Paul encountered Christ it was an interruption and an intervention that made him a whole new person. When we truly encounter the gospel it does the same to us.

With the destruction of Jerusalem Ezekiel is proven to be a true prophet and turns his messages to what comes next. Whereas the book has focused on judgment, Ezekiel now begins to lay out a message of hope which culminates not just in the restoration of Israel but a veritable return to Eden.

Paul presents a severe warning about believing in other gospels (that are no gospel at all). What is it that makes the good news of Jesus Christ so unique? Here we see that when we add to the gospel we don't just dilute it, we deny it. Underneath this warning is the glorious truth of what makes the good news good.

After the long break since last we met, Pastor Justin took this first week back to review the events of Ezekiel 1-32. God has called Ezekiel to a ministry which no one will appreciate or heed, but at the fulfillment of these prophecies, no one will be able to deny that Ezekiel speaks for God. God's plan is for judgment upon Israel and Judah, but also for those who oppress Israel and Judah.

The book of Psalms closes with a work that acts as the logical follow up the every message from each of the psalms -- praising God. Pastor Andy highlights the psalm's prescription of where to worship, how to worship, why to worship, and who should worship (Psalm 150).

In this psalm, we find the writer in a time of deep despair and depression. God leads him on the surprising path of remembrance, the act of interpreting present questions/doubts through past cases to poise us for the future (Psalm 77).

In this psalm, David considers the many benefits of a relationship with God. He is bursting with a need to proclaim God's goodness and prompt others to do so as well. We see how the God of the Old Testament is as eager to save His people as Jesus in the New (Psalm 103).

Guest preacher, Pastor Mike Monjay (Calvary Wallingford) taught a powerful sermon on how the healthy processing of doubt can lead to strengthened faith (Psalm 73).

This week we look at Psalm 86 and learn how our neediness is met with complete satisfaction in Christ. When we ask God for what we need, He doesn't jump at the chance to withhold from us, but instead graciously gives good things because He is a holy Father (Psalm 86).

The biblical practice of confession involves coming to agreement with God's verdict on our actions and our nature then proclaiming accordingly. Confessing sin and sinfulness can be daunting and intimidating, but if we would just do so, we would be given access to the salvation God has prepared for sinners (Psalm 51).

It can be very uncomfortable reading David's prayers calling curses upon his enemies. Our guest speaker, Lindsay Kennedy shared a common theological belief that the psalms are the prayers of Jesus. Unlike David, Jesus is completely blameless and perfect, His judgments are righteous and He Himself is the one who takes the same curse He calls upon His enemies (Psalm 109).

As we continue our relationships with Jesus we see Him prove His trustworthiness again and again. Through examining David's psalm, we see that trusting in God is personal, prescriptive, and practical (Psalm 62).

When life isn't going perfectly, we can give thanks to God for the great things He's done in the past. Being that He's the same God today as He has always been, we can count on His love to come through and accomplish His purposes in our lives (Psalm 138).

When we find ourselves in times of deep suffering or depression, we can either turn in on ourselves or we can look to God. With God, we can enjoy a gracious level of intimacy that even includes a safe place to make agonizing cries for salvation in the midst of suffering (Psalm 88).

In this week's psalm, we reflect on how the nature of the world around us can awaken us to praise God for the works He has done. We also see how people have a history of forgetting to worship God in times of trial and difficulty, but because of God's constant goodness, we should never forget. (Psalm 95).

Today we began a new sermon series on the Psalms. In this premier sermon, we examined how the Psalms often let us into the intimate prayers of the authors revealing some of their most difficult feelings toward God and men. Pastor Nick surveyed through a large range of human emotions and reminded us that amongst the 150 works in the book, there's a Psalm for that (Psalm 1:1-6).

Fasting is one of the spiritual disciplines less practiced today. Perhaps this is because it reminds us of the Church's dark history of asceticism and penance. However, today we discussed how fasting has nothing to do with self-harm but everything to do with seeking God and serving our neighbors (Isaiah 58:1-12).

Paul calls believers in Christ to be thankful at all times. Today, we examined how thankfulness doesn't come only from pleasant circumstances, but rather because we know that God promises to use even the things He hates to accomplish that which He loves (Ephesians 5:20).

This week, we study the spiritual gift of giving. We see here that the generosity of a believer can keep money from being their idol by making a servant in their worship of God. The way that we handle our money leads our hearts, shapes our characters, and focuses our worship.(Matthew 6:19-24).