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A Changed Relationship to God

Purpose To discover and experience Jesus Christ in our midst To cultivate mutually encouraging relationships To participate in God’s mission to the world Opening Prayer Responsive Prayer — Psalm 51 O Lord, open my lips, And my mouth will declare your praise. For you will not delight in sacrifice, or I would give it; You will not be pleased with a burnt offering. The sacrifices of God are a broken spirit; A broken and contrite heart, O God, you will not despise. Summary This week we have begun a new sermon series entitled God’s Vision for a New Humanity throughout which we will be studying the latter part of the book of Romans. While much of Romans expounds upon the theology of the gospel message, chapters 12-15 focus on the practical implications of the gospel on the life and relationships of the believer. This week’s passage will focus on our relationship to God. The passage begins with an appeal that is both authoritative and encouraging; however, prior to launching into any instruction on the application of the gospel, Paul grounds this appeal on a firm foundation: the mercies of God. These mercies, stated in the plural to show their multitude, have been the focus of the first 11 chapters, and they form the basis on which the Christian is meant to live a holy life. As Thomas Erskine once wrote, “In the New Testament, religion is grace, and ethics is gratitude.” In other words, the Christian does not live righteously in an effort to be saved; they live righteously because they are grateful that they have been saved. It is in view of this mercy that Paul makes his appeal to the Romans: They should offer their bodies to God as living sacrifices. This offering involves the devotion of the body to God’s cause, and it is not the first time Paul refers to this idea. In Romans 6, Paul establishes that the body is always presented as an offering; either it is offered to sin for unrighteousness, or it is offered to God for righteousness. And as those who have been brought from death to life by the gospel, the choice should be clear. Paul’s use of “holy” and “acceptable to God” offer moral parallels to the Levitical offerings that were to be “without blemish” and “a pleasing aroma” (Leviticus 1:3,9). The description of this act as “spiritual worship” is interesting, as the Greek word for “spiritual” used here can also mean rational or reasonable. From this we can conclude that the logical outcome of a life transformed by the gospel is to live that life in service of pleasing God. The second part of the appeal yields more information about these living sacrifices. The lives that are offered are not meant to be shaped by the world, but rather transformed by the renewal of their minds. Once again, Paul presents the believer with two outcomes: They can either be squeezed by the world into the shape of wickedness, or they can have their minds renewed and their lives transformed by the Holy Spirit — there is no middle ground. The word “transformed” here gives insight into the renewal of the mind, as it is the same verb used to describe the transfiguration of Jesus in both Matthew and Mark (Matt 17:1-13, Mk 9:2-13). In the same way Jesus was completely transformed to reveal his glory to the disciples, our minds are to be fully transformed and renewed to reveal his glory in all of our relationships. 2 Corinthians 3:18 ties these themes together nicely, reminding us that we are transformed into God’s image when we behold his glory, in this case shown by his mercy. What does a renewed mind result in? All believers go through periods where they struggle to figure out what God wants them to do with their lives. Here Paul provides the solution to this problem, suggesting that the ability to discern the will of God only comes through a renewed mind. This is the sum of the matter: The believer, so overcome by the merciful offering of Christ on the cross, should offer both mind and body to God for the purpose of transformation, and in doing so, they take their place in what N.T. Wright calls a “small working model of the new creation.” Discussion Questions 1. Looking at the Bible Share with the group some key phrases or ideas that stood out to you from the passage. 2. Looking at Jesus In what ways could focusing on the sacrifice of Jesus, the ultimate act of God’s mercy, motivate us to offer ourselves to God in a fuller sense? 3. Looking at Our Hearts Notice that these verses speak of both mind and body. Why are both of these important in our relationship with God? What are some practical steps you can take toward the renewing of your mind? 4. Looking at Our World What are some ways we might be conformed by the world without even realizing it? How might a renewed mind enhance your ability to have an impact on the world around you? Prayer Pray for each other: Share any prayer requests you have. Thank God for his abundant mercies in your life, and ask him to transform your mind to be more like his.

April 19, 2026 | Read

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The Day Jesus Explained It All

April 12, 2026 | Watch

Study Guide

The Day Jesus Explained It All

Purpose To discover and experience Jesus Christ in our midst To cultivate mutually encouraging relationships To participate in God’s mission to the world Opening Prayer Responsive Prayer — Isaiah 65 See, I will create new heavens and a new earth. The former things will not be remembered, nor will they come to mind. But be glad and rejoice forever in what I will create, For I will create Jerusalem to be a delight and its people a joy. I will rejoice over Jerusalem and take delight in my people; The sound of weeping and of crying will be heard in it no more. Summary This second week of Eastertide, we conclude our series entitled A Day in the Life of Jesus during which we have been exploring brief vignettes from the Gospels seeking a realistic glimpse into a typical day in Jesus’ earthly ministry. This week’s passage follows directly after the resurrection and recounts the day Jesus “explained it all.” Two disciples, disappointed and departing Jerusalem after the crucifixion, are joined by the risen Christ on the journey to the small village of Emmaus, though their eyes are kept from recognizing him (verse 16). Their sadness reflects their shattered expectations. They had hoped Jesus was the one to redeem Israel (verse 21), yet they could only interpret his death as failure. Throughout Luke’s gospel, there is a correlation between sight-related language and comprehension, faith, and salvation. Thus, these disciples’ inability to recognize Jesus is not only physical but spiritual. Ironically, Cleopas and his companion, not knowing the identity of their fellow traveler, express astonishment that he does not know of recent events; in reality, Jesus is the only one who is genuinely in the know. The turning point of the passage comes as Jesus rebukes them as those who are “slow of heart to believe” (verse 25) and proceeds to interpret “in all the Scriptures the things concerning himself” (verse 27). The necessity of Christ's suffering (verse 26) reveals that the cross was not the perceived failure the disciples interpreted it to be, but rather it was the very fulfilment of God’s plan (Acts 2:23; 1 Corinthians 15:3-4). Luke does not have a specific proof text in mind when reporting the content of Christ’s sermon but cites the totality of Scripture (Moses and all the Prophets was shorthand for the Old Testament) as bearing unified witness to Christ. The death and resurrection of Jesus along with the Scriptures of Israel are thus mutually interpretive. The current events can only be rightly understood in light of the Scriptures, and the Scriptures themselves find their full meaning in Christ (2 Corinthians 1:20; John 5:39). Divine revelation is therefore a necessity, as Jesus must open both the Scriptures themselves as well as the minds of the disciples to understand them (cf. Luke 24:45; Westminster Confession of Faith [WCF] 1.6). True knowledge of Christ is not attained by human speculation or finite reason, but through the Spirit’s illumination of the Word. It is this same Spirit who will complete what the Word has begun, as the one who opened the Scriptures on the road now opens their eyes at the table. The recognition of Jesus as the traveling companion of Cleopas and the other disciple comes finally at the table as Jesus takes bread, blesses, breaks, and gives it to them (verse 30). In that moment their eyes are opened, and they know him, which harkens back to the feeding of the five thousand and the broader pattern in Luke where meals serve as occasions of revelation. As he had opened the Scriptures, so now he opens their eyes and then immediately vanishes, leaving them to reflect: “Did not our hearts burn within us?” (verse 32). This burning of heart describes the Holy Spirit’s inward work through the Word upon the affections, so that truth apprehended by faith kindles love and devotion (Jeremiah 20:9). Their response is immediate and missional. They rise at once and return to Jerusalem to bear witness that “the Lord has risen indeed” (verse 34). This then is a picture of what faithful preaching accomplishes and what true hearing produces: 1) the Scriptures opened as the foundation of faith, 2) hearts inflamed with love for Christ, and 3) lives compelled toward witness (Romans 10:14–17; WCF 14.1). In this way, the road to Emmaus becomes a pattern for the Christian life itself: the Word proclaimed, the heart awakened, and the witness sent, all by the grace of the risen Christ who continues to make himself known among his people. Discussion Questions 1. Looking at the Bible Share with the group some key phrases or ideas that stood out to you from the passage. 2. Looking at Jesus Jesus opens "Moses and all the Prophets" to show that the Christ had to suffer before entering his glory, meaning that the entire Old Testament bears witness to him. As a group, read the following three passages and discuss how each one anticipates a different aspect (prophet, priest, and king) of who Jesus is and what he came to do: Deuteronomy 18:15-19 Isaiah 53:4-6 2 Samuel 7:12-16 Jesus is not only the historical fulfillment of these promises, but he is also your prophet, priest, and king. Which of these feels most meaningful and/or most neglected in your spiritual life and why? 3. Looking at Our Hearts The disciples are described as being “slow of heart to believe.” Their problem was not a lack of facts, but a failure to trust what God had clearly said. Can you think of a time in your own life where that description fit you? What was it that finally moved you from slowness to belief? 4. Looking at Our World The Westminster Confession of Faith 14.1 says “the grace of faith… is the work of the Spirit of Christ in their hearts, and is ordinarily wrought by the ministry of the Word, by which also… it is increased and strengthened.” People today often treat faith as a blind, irrational leap or as something generated by willpower — in other words, something you work yourself into. How does this passage challenge this assumption? What does it mean practically — for how the church approaches preaching, and for how we as individuals approach the Word — to know that faith comes through the Spirit working by means of the Word? Prayer Pray for each other: Share any prayer requests you have. Pray for each member of your group to come to know Jesus better and to grow in their knowledge of his fulfillment of all the Scriptures.

April 12, 2026 | Read

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Grace, Then Gratitude

For many of us, the thing that we fear the most is being insignificant. This is why we are so driven and ambitious—we think that we have to do everything we can to prove that we are significant and that our life counts for something. We scramble to find whatever meaning, value, and purpose this world alone can offer.  Although it is true that there is no good or fulfilling life without significance, through Jesus we are offered not only significance but grace. While we may be tempted to try and prove our worth to God or others, God relates to us not on the basis of merit, but on the basis of grace. Our life is simply a response to his love. Accepted First God showers his love upon us simply because he loves us—not because of what we have done, will do, or what potential he may or may not see within us. This is what gives us absolute and utter security. If we do not do anything to win God's love, there is nothing that we could ever do to lose it either. Furthermore, grace means there is nothing we could ever do to make God love us more, and there is nothing we could ever do to make God love us less. His love for us is immovable. This is the difference between Christianity and every other religion. Religion requires you to obey before you are accepted. But the message of Christianity is that you are accepted in and through Jesus Christ first, despite all your faults and failures, and therefore, you obey—not in order to try to win God's love or out of obligation, but out of gratitude for the love you have first been shown. Consider the Exodus story. God could have given his people the Ten Commandments while they were living in bondage in Egypt and required them to follow the law before he rescued them. But instead, he rescues his people first. It is only after he delivers them from their bondage that he then gives them the law in order to show them how to live their lives in response to his love.  It is not law, then grace. It is grace, then gratitude. Contra-Conditional Love Grace is the most powerful force in the world. And yet, at the very same time, it is the most difficult thing for us to accept because it is an affront to our pride and self-sufficiency. When we accept God’s grace, we acknowledge that we cannot save ourselves.  Years ago I had a conversation with a college student who told me, “I hate the very concept of grace because I want God to love me for me. I want God to love me for the things I do for him because then I know what I'm worth. Then I know that I'm valuable.” I tried to help her see that grace is far better. Consider the words of Victor Hugo who said, “The greatest happiness of life is the conviction that we are loved—loved for ourselves, or rather, loved in spite of ourselves.” God's love is not conditional or even unconditional. His love is contra-conditional. In Jesus Christ, he does not merely love us as we are. He loves us despite who we are and despite what we have done. That is why Pastor Jack Miller used to say, “Cheer up! You're worse than you think! But in Jesus Christ, you are more loved than you could ever imagine.” The House of David In 2 Samuel 7 we read that several decades after God raised David up to be the prince over Israel, David decides to build a house for the Lord. David is living in a luxurious house with paneled walls made out of fine cedar, and he realizes that by contrast, the Ark of the Covenant—the place where God said that he would dwell in the midst of his people—is being kept in a tent. It suddenly dawns on him that his housing is better than God’s! David, understandably, wants to do something for God by building him a permanent house.  But rather than allowing David to follow through with his plans, God responds by saying God is going to make a house for David, and David's son, in gratitude, will be the one who builds a house for the Lord. In 2 Samuel 7:16 God says, “Your house and your kingdom shall be made sure forever before me. Your throne shall be established forever.” God makes this unconditional promise to David—not because of any merit on David's part but out of sheer grace. This is how God works with all of us. Like David, we might want to go out there and do something great for God as a way to prove our worth or win other’s respect and admiration. But God’s grace always precedes our work. He makes the first move and takes the initiative. His grace comes first.  If you continue reading through the Bible, you discover the house of David eventually comes crashing down. The kingdom is plagued by civil war, and eventually, the Babylonians conquer David's kingdom, setting fire to the temple that Solomon builds and carrying away the last kings in the line of David into exile. And yet centuries before, the prophet Isaiah promises that one day a child will be born who will establish and uphold the throne of David with justice and righteousness forever.  The promise made to David in 2 Samuel 7 points us forward to Christ, the true son of God, who knows God as Father. That is why Jesus is repeatedly referred to as the Son of David. When Jesus begins his public ministry, he proclaims: “the kingdom of God is at hand.” And when Jesus establishes the kingdom of God, he says that he will build a house for the Lord in the midst of his people, not in a temple made out of human hands. This means that the moment we put our faith in Jesus, we become a temple of the Holy Spirit. Building for the Kingdom After becoming a Christian, we might start talking about bringing the kingdom, building the kingdom, advancing the kingdom, expanding the kingdom. But “bringing the kingdom” is precisely the one thing that we cannot do. Only Jesus can do that.  Matthew 6:33 tells us we are called to “seek first the kingdom of God and his righteousness.” We are called to proclaim the good news of the kingdom, to testify to the kingdom, to inherit the kingdom. The kingdom is not something that we achieve through our own effort but rather something we receive as a gift of grace. But that does not mean that we are supposed to sit back and passively await the coming of the kingdom in its fullness. We may not be able to build the kingdom of God, but we can and must build for the kingdom of God. New Testament scholar N.T. Wright writes, “The final coming together of heaven and earth is, of course, God’s supreme act of new creation, for which the only real prototype—other than the first creation itself—was the resurrection of Jesus. God alone will sum up all things in Christ, things in heaven and things on earth. He alone will make the ‘new heavens and new earth.’ It would be the height of folly to think that we could assist in that great work. But what we can and must do in the present, if we are obedient to the gospel, if we are following Jesus, and if we are indwelt, energized, and directed by the Spirit, is to build for the kingdom…You are—strange though it may seem, almost as hard to believe as the resurrection itself—accomplishing something that will become in due course part of God’s new world.  Every act of love, gratitude, and kindness; every work of art or music inspired by the love of God and delight in the beauty of his creation; every minute spent teaching a severely handicapped child to read or to walk; every act of care and nurture, of comfort and support, for one’s fellow human beings and for that matter one’s fellow nonhuman creatures; and of course every prayer, all Spirit-led teaching, every deed that spreads the gospel, builds up the church, embraces and embodies holiness rather than corruption, and makes the name of Jesus honored in the world—all of this will find its way, through the resurrecting power of God, into the new creation that God will one day make. That is the logic of the mission of God.” The kingdom of God is a present reality because the kingdom is present in Jesus. It is a kingdom of grace, which means that it can only be received. That is why Jesus said in Luke 12:32, “‘Fear not, little flock, for it is your Father's good pleasure to give you the kingdom.’” He went on to say that only those who receive the kingdom like a child will ever enter it. How does a child receive the kingdom? With empty hands. Our faith does not add or contribute anything to our rescue. Faith is simply empty hands which receive what Jesus gives. And what Jesus gives us is himself. Wherever Jesus is, there is the kingdom. There is grace. ___ Adapted from David and The Good Life: Grace, a sermon delivered by Jason Harris on October 23, 2022. Listen to the sermon or read the full transcript. Christ and Contemporary Culture is a journal written by Jason Harris which reflects on the intersection between Jesus Christ and our contemporary culture. If you are skeptical or resistant to Christianity, the hope is that you might pause to reflect on your pre-existing ideas about the way things are and perhaps think again. For those who have embraced Christianity, these posts will serve to encourage you in your ability to communicate the gospel in a way that takes our current cultural context seriously. Produced by Mary-Catherine McKee

August 9, 2023 | Read

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Beyond Morality: Living a Life of Worship

When most of us think of the “good life,” we are not merely imagining an ethical or moral life but a life that is truly worth living, even in the face of the existential problems with which we must contend. Luc Ferry, a French philosopher and self-proclaimed atheist, offers this interesting thought experiment: Imagine we could wave a magic wand and cause everyone living today to begin treating one another perfectly, with equal dignity and respect. There would be no more war, genocide, racism, or xenophobia. There would be no need for a police force or a standing army. Our judicial system and prisons would eventually disappear. And yet, Ferry suggests that even if we were to wave that magic wand, the most profound existential challenges we face would still not be resolved. This is how he puts it,  “Still—and here I have to weigh each one of my words—none (I really mean none) of our most profound existential problems would be resolved if this came to pass. Nothing, even in a perfect realization of the most sublime morality, would prevent us from aging; from witnessing, powerless, the appearance of wrinkles and white hair; from falling sick, dying, and seeing our loved ones die; from worrying about the outcome of our children’s education or from struggling to achieve what we want for them. Even if we were saints, nothing would guarantee us a fulfilled emotional life.” The point is that morality is indispensable to human life. And yet, it is not enough.  We read in the story of David in 1 and 2 Samuel about the importance of living a life of worship before God. David is far from perfect, but that is not what matters. What matters is that whether winning a great victory or committing an egregious sin, David lives a life of repentance and faith. Whether in triumph or defeat, hope or despair, David does not run away from God. He runs towards God. And that is what fills his life with enduring meaning, value, and purpose. What Is Worship? The problem with religion is that it leads us to think of God like a genie in a bottle—rub the lamp and out will pop God to grant you your wishes. Religious people tend to think God is there to serve us, to fulfill all our dreams, and to make us feel good about ourselves. We assume that if we are good enough, pious enough, zealous enough, devout enough, if we say all the right prayers, observe all the right rituals, and keep all of the right rules, then God is obligated to bless us and to make our life go well. We are not really interested in God for who he is—we are merely using God to get whatever we want. And if God does not deliver, then we become angry, bitter, and resentful because he did not fulfill our expectations.  It is critical to realize that the real God will challenge our dreams, not merely fulfill them. The poet W.H. Auden once wrote that a Christian is someone who says, “I believe because He fulfills none of my dreams, because He is in every respect the opposite of what He would be if I could have made Him in my own image.” God is not here to serve us. We are here to serve him. In fact, in Hebrew the word “worship” and “serve” are the very same word. God is not here to worship us. We are here to worship him. God is not supposed to follow us according to our terms. Rather we are supposed to follow God on his terms. And if we do, then he promises that he will bless us—not out of necessity, but as a pure gift.  Christianity offers this unique view of salvation: God relates to us on the basis of sheer grace, which means that a relationship with God is not something that we achieve through our own efforts, but something we can only receive with empty hands. Religion leads us to say, “I obey, and therefore, God accepts me.” But the gospel tells us, “God accepts me, despite my sin, through the substitutionary sacrifice of another, and therefore I obey.” We strive to love, serve, and honor God, not motivated by mere duty or obligation, but motivated by gratitude and joy for what he has first done for us—not as a way to try to win God's love, but in order to demonstrate that we already have it. If we know that God has done absolutely everything that is necessary in order to cover our sin and put us in right relationship with himself, then that will infuse our life with insuppressible joy, regardless of our life circumstances or personal challenges. There is, of course, a rightful place for lament as we mourn those aspects of our lives or within the wider world that are not yet in line with his purposes. Nevertheless, the foundation of a Christian’s’ life must be one of joy. The English author G.K. Chesterton once wrote, “Man is more himself, man is more manlike, when joy is the fundamental thing in him, and grief the superficial. Melancholy should be an innocent interlude, a tender and fugitive frame of mind; praise should be the permanent pulsation of the soul.” Why Worship Matters When Isaiah has a vision of the Lord seated enthroned above the ark of the cherubim in Isaiah 6:5, he immediately says, “‘Woe is me! For I am lost!’” Isaiah acknowledges that he is a sinner and “a man of unclean lips.” But despite Isaiah’s sin, God does not strike him down. Instead, one of the seraphim flies to the altar, the place of the sacrifice, and removes one of the burning coals and places it on the lips of Isaiah saying: “‘Behold, this has touched your lips; your guilt is taken away, and your sin atoned for.’” God has now made Isaiah clean.  This, of course, was just a vision. We get something far better. There are only two places in the New Testament where the Greek word for “mercy seat” or “place of atonement” is used—once in Romans 3 and once in Hebrews 9. In both cases, “mercy seat” or “place of atonement” is used not to describe a place but a person. Hebrews 10 tells us that the blood of bulls and goats could never do anything to actually take away people's sin. This is just a symbol meant to prepare us for the ultimate high priest who does not enter the most holy place within a humanly constructed temple, but rather he enters into the presence of the divine being himself. And there he offers not the sacrifice of an animal, but rather the sacrifice of his very own self. He gives himself for us so that our sin might be covered by his blood, and so that God in his mercy might forgive us and cleanse us so that we can enter into his holy presence and live. Jesus is the mercy seat and the place of atonement. He is the true prince of peace and the one who makes it possible for us to approach the throne of grace and live. And the mercy seat is open, still.  The gospel tells us that God is so holy and you and I really are so flawed that Jesus had to die. There was no other way for us to be able to enter into God's holy presence and live. And yet, at the same time, God is so loving and you and I are so valuable, that Jesus was willing to die for us. When you take these two truths deep into your heart and into your life, then that is what unlocks the joy. Morality and ethics are essential and important, but they are not sufficient to actually live the “good life.”  The Westminster Shorter Catechism, a historic document of faith from the 1600s, begins with this question: What is the chief end of man? In other words, what is the meaning of life? The answer is short: To glorify God and to enjoy him forever. As C.S. Lewis astutely observed, those two commands are actually one and the same. In commanding us to worship him, God is inviting us to enjoy him. The only way in which we truly learn to live the “good life” is through worship, by living our lives before the God of grace. And when we do, it will fill our lives with insuppressible joy.  ___ Adapted from David and The Good Life: Worship, a sermon delivered by Jason Harris on October 16, 2022. Listen to the sermon or read the full transcript. "Christ and Contemporary Culture" is a journal written by Jason Harris which reflects on the intersection between Jesus Christ and our contemporary culture. If you are skeptical or resistant to Christianity, the hope is that you might pause to reflect on your pre-existing ideas about the way things are and perhaps think again. For those who have embraced Christianity, these posts will serve to encourage you in your ability to communicate the gospel in a way that takes our current cultural context seriously. Produced by Mary-Catherine McKee

May 18, 2023 | Read

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Latest Resources

A Changed Relationship to God

A Changed Relationship to God

The Day Jesus Explained It All

The Day Jesus Explained It All

Is Christianity Escapist?

Can We be Good Without God?

Grace, Then Gratitude

Beyond Morality: Living a Life of Worship

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