Grace Sagola Church

Where Jesus leads, we are to follow. This is often a challenge for the church, but perhaps most so where we must learn to trust in Jesus that is accompanied by the brokenness of this world, in its pain and suffering.

The necessity of Jesus' body as a sacrifice is a humbling truth. However, there's even more that God has done in the incarnation of Jesus. Not only is he an appropriate sacrifice as living fully human, but Jesus is also the only one who truly does the "will of God" - and by this will, He establishes for us the New Covenant.

"Rescue those being led away to death; hold back those staggering toward slaughter. If you say, “But we knew nothing about this,” does not he who weighs the heart perceive it? Does not he who guards your life know it?   Will he not repay everyone according to what they have done?"

“Honor the Lord with your wealth, with the first-fruits of all your crops; then your barns will be filled to overflowing, and your vats will brim over with new wine.”

Definition: A verbal expression or thought flowing from the heart against God’s will and against His design for your life

The sin of worry has been cloaked with justifications that all flow from our ability to control our lives and the world around us. While or finger-biting and scheming do indeed produce results, they cannot compare to the freedom found in trusting the Lord with our lives. 

Definition of Pride: Inappropriately valuing yourself in relation to others and to God

Almost universally everyone think that they are a "good" person. When we examine the claims of our own righteousness we will see that this kind of wisdom only exists in our own eyes. 

The sin of lust has been mostly categorized with sexual immorality, but there are many other expressions of lust that go unaddressed. The inward curvature of lust's direction to serve "the self" is evident wherever sins are causing abuse to the desires that God originally made good. 

Because of this broken world we will be wrestling against the forces of evil and against the retained depravity of our flesh. This resistance takes work. It takes effort. The enemy to our discipleship is the permission to be lazy - a spiritual sluggard. 

The central Christian hope is the resurrection of Jesus that affirms our resurrection at the return of our Savior. Until that day, we are given a freedom in the gospel that enables us to face death without fear.

The Christian hope is resurrection. Until that day we are preserved in Christ by the love of God. This hope and love motivates us towards a work of preservation for those who belong to God. 

The Christian life is one of repeatedly encountering the patience of God. Perhaps the one area of our lives that we are most reluctant to yield over to God's sovereign control is our death. Yet, even here, we will find God's grace and patience to reveal His glory. 

The Christian life is lived out in a world that is saturated with pride, ego, and boasting. We can so easily become shaped by the attitudes around us that we forget to consider a submission to the will of God and remembering that we are only here for a short while. 

When we view our lives as interconnected by our faith, we will see the importance of presenting and passing on our faith to our loved ones. If life is a relay race, then our greatest challenge is a clean transfer of the baton.

The impending reality of death is one that our world fears more than anything. But for the Apostle Peter it affords a unique opportunity to invest in the lives of his loved ones reminders for growing in the faith. 

Without intention, we often adopt perspectives that aren't Christian. When getting old acquaintances, and in the context of joking about death, we will often hear people exclaim the phrase, "Its better than the alternative." Today we will see that it's only under very specific circumstances that that saying can be proven true. 

The danger of idolatry is one that will not go away for the believer. We must categorize it as the sin that it is, and flee from it by clinging to Jesus. 

John writes with direct revelation of God about the testimony of where eternal life is found. Because this life comes from God, it follows that we must experience it according to His design and purpose. 

Our presentation of God to others will influence their understanding of Him. Unfortunately, it is too easy for Christians to misrepresent God both accidentally and intentionally according to the world's designs and definitions. 

There are many voices out there that all claim to stand for truth or an expression of truth. How can a Christian know that they're living according to the truth today? 

The Apostle John's main concern is for the authenticity of eternal life found evidenced in the church. There is no greater example for the presence of God's Spirit than in a love for God's children that reflects the love of Jesus.

Belonging to Jesus means that we will live like Jesus. This process of transformational growth requires practice. For those who are born of God, we are led through this practice by God's Spirit. 

The reality of salvation for 1st century Christians was their adoption into Christ as evidenced through their participation and perseverance with God's family. 

For assurance of eternal life, John draws our attention to the key which is personal knowledge of God - a relationship with our Heavenly Father. This saving relationship is the source for discipleship in how we live and act, in what we love, and in defining who and whose we are.