Wilderness Wanderings

Eph 3: 12-13 12  In him and through faith in him we may approach God with freedom and confidence.   13  I ask you, therefore, not to be discouraged because of my sufferings for you, which are your glory. In one of my classes at school we are reading "Visions of Vocation: Common Grace for the Common Good" by Steven Garber. We recently finished reading the last chapter called "Learning to Live Proxi...

His intent was that now, through the church, the manifold wisdom of God should be made known to the rulers and authorities in the heavenly realms, according to his eternal purpose that he accomplished in Christ Jesus our Lord (Ephesians 3:10-11). For many of us, when we think of Christ's work of salvation, we think of individual souls being saved. We think of personal conversion stories. But when...

I became a servant of this gospel by the gift of God's grace given me through the working of his power. Although I am less than the least of all the Lord's people, this grace was given me: to preach to the Gentiles the boundless riches of Christ, and to make plain to everyone the administration of this mystery, which for ages past was kept hidden in God, who created all things (Ephesians 3:7-9). T...

For this reason, I, Paul, the prisoner of Christ Jesus for the sake of you Gentiles— Surely you have heard about the administration of God's grace that was given to me for you, that is, the mystery made known to me by revelation, as I have already written briefly. In reading this, then, you will be able to understand my insight into the mystery of Christ, which was not made known to people in othe...

In Christ Jesus the whole building is joined together and rises to become a holy temple in the Lord. And in him you too are being built together to become a dwelling in which God lives by his Spirit (Ephesians 2:21-22). What images come to mind when you hear the word 'church'? For many, it's a building, such as the one at 61 Mohawk Road West, Hamilton, the one we gather in to worship God on Sunday...

A Sunday Sermon edition of Wilderness Wanderings!  The text is 1 Samuel 25 from the New International Version of the Bible.  Dive In discussion questions are below for further reflection! To see this sermon in the context of the worship service it comes from, find it  here on YouTube .  Or, head to our website to connect with the worshiping community of Immanuel CRC:  immanuelministries.ca Dive In...

Consequently, you are no longer foreigners and strangers, but fellow citizens with God's people and also members of his household, built on the foundation of the apostles and prophets, with Christ Jesus himself as the chief cornerstone. (Ephesians 2:19-20) If you recall from earlier this week, Paul reminded these gentiles in Ephesus of how they were once defined by all the things they were not: "N...

He came and preached peace to you who were far away and peace to those who were near. For through him we both have access to the Father by one Spirit. (Ephesians 2:17-18) Jesus is our peace.  He has done it.  He has destroyed the barriers and dividing walls of hostility, putting them to death in his cross.  And not only the barriers that stand between us people who are often harboring hostile feel...

For he himself is our peace, who has made the two groups one and has destroyed the barrier, the dividing wall of hostility, by setting aside in his flesh the law with its commands and regulations. His purpose was to create in himself one new humanity out of the two, thus making peace, and in one body to reconcile both of them to God through the cross, by which he put to death their hostility. (Eph...

Therefore, remember that formerly you who are Gentiles by birth and called "uncircumcised" by those who call themselves "the circumcision" (which is done in the body by human hands)—remember that at that time you were separate from Christ, excluded from citizenship in Israel and foreigners to the covenants of the promise, without hope and without God in the world. But now in Christ Jesus you who o...

God's grace has saved you because of your faith in Christ. Your salvation doesn't come from anything you do. It is God's gift. It is not based on anything you have done. No one can brag about earning it. We are God's creation. He created us to belong to Christ Jesus. Now we can do good works. Long ago God prepared these works for us to do (Ephesians 2:8-10). As Pastor Anthony mentioned yesterday,...

And God raised us up with Christ and seated us with him in the heavenly realms in Christ Jesus, in order that in the coming ages he might show the incomparable riches of his grace, expressed in his kindness to us in Christ Jesus. (Ephesians 2:6-7)   Between the "by grace you have been saved" of verse five and the "by grace you have been saved" of verse eight, comes this powerful picture of what th...

But God loves us deeply. He is full of mercy. So, he gave us new life because of what Christ has done. He gave us life even when we were dead in sin. God's grace has saved you (Ephesians 2:4-5). On the weekend of October 22, Walter Decker, a 99-year-old Hamiltonian, climbed the 1,776 steps to the top of the CN Tower in Toronto. It's the third time he has made the climb. He does it to raise money f...

As for you, you were dead in your transgressions and sins, in which you used to live when you followed the ways of this world and of the ruler of the kingdom of the air, the spirit who is now at work in those who are disobedient. All of us also lived among them at one time, gratifying the cravings of our flesh and following its desires and thoughts. Like the rest, we were by nature deserving of wr...

God placed all things under Christ's rule. He appointed him to be ruler over everything for the church. The church is Christ's body and is filled by Christ. He fills everything in every way (Ephesians 1:22-23). We come to the end of Ephesians 1 and to the end of Paul's prayer. We have caught glimpses of God's work on our behalf from before there was time. We have been named saints, not because we...

That power is the same as the mighty strength he exerted when he raised Christ from the dead and seated him at his right hand in the heavenly realms, far above all rule and authority, power and dominion, and every name that is invoked, not only in the present age but also in the one to come. (Ephesians 1:19b-21) In the first half of verse 19 we hear Paul's prayer that we may know in our heart the...

A Sunday Sermon edition of Wilderness Wanderings!  The text is 1 Samuel 24 from the New International Version of the Bible.  Dive In discussion questions are below for further reflection! To see this sermon in the context of the worship service it comes from, find it  here on YouTube .  Or, head to our website to connect with the worshiping community of Immanuel CRC:  immanuelministries.ca Dive In...

I pray that the eyes of your heart may be enlightened in order that you may know the hope to which he has called you, the riches of his glorious inheritance in his holy people, and his incomparably great power for us who believe (Ephesians 1:18-19a). Its difficult to keep hope alive. Bad news abounds. Do Christians even have a right to be hopeful as chaos descends? Yesterday, Pastor Anthony answer...

I pray that the eyes of your heart may be enlightened in order that you may know the hope to which he has called you, the riches of his glorious inheritance in his holy people… (Ephesians 1:18)   The past number of years through political polarization, pandemic, war, and now any number of other crises, like affordability, have been revelatory.  What these years have revealed to me is that there is...

I keep asking that the God of our Lord Jesus Christ, the glorious Father, may give you the Spirit of wisdom and revelation, so that you may know him better (Ephesians 1:17). Let us begin at the end of this verse. Recall that Paul is telling the church how he prays for them. He heeds his own advice, "to pray continually" and "to pray in all circumstances". Here he says, "I keep asking". Understand...

Paul, an apostle of Christ Jesus by the will of God, to the saints who are in Ephesus and are faithful in Christ Jesus…   I have heard of your faith in the Lord Jesus and your love toward all the saints, and for this reason I do not cease to give thanks for you as I remember you in my prayers… (Ephesians 1:1, 15-16 NRSV) Saints.  Our usual NIV translation is somewhat squeamish about using this wor...

In him we were also chosen, having been predestined according to the plan of him who works out everything in conformity with the purpose of his will, in order that we, who were the first to put our hope in Christ, might be for the praise of his glory. And you also were included in Christ when you heard the message of truth, the gospel of your salvation. When you believed, you were marked in him wi...

A Sunday Sermon edition of Wilderness Wanderings!  The text is 1 Samuel 23 from the New International Version of the Bible.  Dive In discussion questions are below for further reflection! To see this sermon in the context of the worship service it comes from, find it  here on YouTube .  Or, head to our website to connect with the worshiping community of Immanuel CRC:  immanuelministries.ca :    Di...

In him we were also chosen, having been predestined according to the plan of him who works out everything in conformity with the purpose of his will, in order that we, who were the first to put our hope in Christ, might be for the praise of his glory. And you also were included in Christ when you heard the message of truth, the gospel of your salvation. When you believed, you were marked in him wi...

In him we were also chosen, having been predestined according to the plan of him who works out everything in conformity with the purpose of his will, in order that we, who were the first to put our hope in Christ, might be for the praise of his glory. And you also were included in Christ when you heard the message of truth, the gospel of your salvation (Ephesians 1:11-13a). Thanks to Pastor Anthon...