Church At The Cross

Scripture: Genesis 2:15–25 “So, in the one-flesh union of marriage... the married couple comes together completely, as long as they both shall live. In real terms, two selfish me’s start learning to think like one unified us, building a new life together with one total everything: one story, one purpose, one reputation, one bed, one suffering, one budget, one family, and so forth. Marriage removes all barriers and replaces them with a comprehensive oneness. It is this all-encompassing unity that sets marriage apart as marriage, more profound than even the most intense friendship.— Ray Ortlund, Marriage and the Mystery of the Gospel. + Relational Oneness: A Superlative Love“A husband must do his best to see that no one know his wife’s faults but himself and God. He should be unwilling to voice them to anyone but God, to pray that she may be pardoned for them and reformed from them. Likewise, a wife must do her best to keep her husband’s struggles and sins to herself, as matters of prayer and not gossip. Neithe

Scripture: 1 Timothy 4:1-5Acts 20:29–30 NIV2 Corinthians 11:4 NIV+ Marriage is Proof of the Goodness of God. + Marriage is a Picture of the Gospel of God. CompanionshipProcreationSanctificationProclamationEphesians 5:22–32Marriage is a Covenant not a Contract. Marriage is a Covenant of Grace not Works.Colossians 3:12–13 NIV

Scripture: John 5:21–29+Jesus gives Forever Life.Acts 17:31 NIV+ Jesus gives Full Life.John 11:25–26 Ephesians 2:4–5 NIV John 17:3 NIVJohn 3:36 NIV

Scripture: 2 Corinthians 4:16–5:10+ We will be made glorious like Jesus.+ We will be at home with Jesus.Most people, if they had really learned to look into their own hearts, would know that they do want and want acutely something that cannot be had in this world. There are all sorts of things in this world that offer to give it to you, but they never quite keep their promise. The longings which arise in us when we first fall in love, or think of some foreign country, or first take up some subject that excites us, our longings which no marriage, no travel, no learning, can really satisfy. I am not now speaking of what would be ordinarily called unsuccessful marriages, or holidays, or learned careers. I'm speaking of the best possible ones. There was something we grasped at, in that first moment of longing, which just fades away in the reality. I think everyone knows what I mean.” – C.S. Lewis, Mere Christianity. “Creatures are not born with desires unless satisfaction for those desires exist. A baby feels

Scripture: Romans 1:18-25+ Creation reveals God’s glory Acts14:11-17“The universe, which to the atheist is full of darkness and confusion, to the Christian, is resplendent with light and glory.” – Archibald Alexander + Jesus reveals New CreationRomans 8:20-23+ The Church reveals Christ to the World

Scripture: Matthew 22:34-39 1 John 4:19“But what uniquely frightens about Putnam’s work on social capital is the dramatic trend line he unearthed through his analysis: across all these diverse contexts for human connection, Putnam found that from the mid-twentieth century onward, participation in every sort of collective activity was going down.” – Matthew Bingham, A Heart Aflame for God.3 Tips to Better Love Others 1.      Be Present2.     Be Listening3.     Be Serving

Scripture: Proverbs 4:23“Life is getting faster. And while some might be inclined to dismiss this accelerating pace as neutral or even beneficial, there are good reasons to suspect that our habitual exposure to this hyper-paced world has serious consequences for our capacity to slow down and pay attention to things that really matter.” – A Heart Aflame for God, Matthew Bingham. “The Greatest difficulty in conversion is to win the heart to God; and the greatest difficulty after conversion is to keep the heart with God.” – John Flavel.  Luke 6:45 NIV Mark 7:20–23 NIV + Keep it Free From Sin  Haggai 1:5Lamentations 3:40–42 NIV Psalm 119:59–60  From Idolatry  1 John 5:21 NIV + Keep it on Fire Matthew 15:7–8 NIV+ Keep it Focused Psalm 27:4 Deuteronomy 6:6Psalm 119:11 Meditation Psalm 1:1–3Psalm 119:15Prayer Psalm 139:23-24 NIV 

Scripture: 2 Corinthians 3:4-18The Average US adult spends 7 hours and 2 minutes a day onscreens.“The algorithm doesn’t just curate information. It catechizesimagination… What you take in shapes how you see everything.” — Jim Essian+ The Fruit of your focus tells you something about the value of the thing that holds your focus. Be encouraged.Be Realistic.Be intentional. Psalm 119:35–37

Scripture: Psalm 73+ Asaph’s Wander - Ps.73:1-14+ Abba’s Rescue – Ps.73:15-24 + Asaph’s Wonder – Ps.73:23-28

Scripture: Ephesians 6:24+ What you love most is the most important thing about you.“According to Augustine, ‘There is a scale of value stretching from earthly to heavenly realities, from the visible to the invisible; and the inequality between these goods makes possible the existence of them all.’ God is one thing, angels are another, as are people, terriers, red oaks, squash, rocks, and dirt. Each item fits in God's overall scheme of creation. The nature of things in the hierarchy is unchangeable, and so is the kind of satisfaction it can provide when we are related to it through love. Because of these actual differences in things, the outcome of loving each actual thing will be different. There is a divinely designed fit between our needs, the character of the things that can satisfy them, and the way we should love them in order to be satisfied. Even though each thing God made is good, delightful, legitimate, and a source of satisfaction as an object of our love, we "must not expect more from it

Scripture: Genesis 27:1-46Genesis 25:27–28+ Value Character more than Success+ Character is destiny+ Character will eventually show itself+ Trust God’s Ways to secure God’s Ends Proverbs 3:5–6Psalm 106:13–14+ Don’t assume a strong finishHebrews 12:1–2

Scripture: Genesis 26:1-35+ We can pass down a spiritual legacy, and we can pass down sinful patterns.1 Kings 22:41–431 Kings 22:51–52+ We can live in faith, or we can live in fear.Exodus 14:10–14+ We can live for the favor of people, or we can live for the favor of GodExodus 33:15–16John 12:42–43

Scripture: Genesis 25:7-11, 19-34“You contribute nothing to your salvation except the sin that made it necessary.” – Jonathan Edwards+ God uses our prayer to fulfill His promises+ God uses our weakness to fulfill his promises+ God uses our opposition to fulfill his promises.Philippians 3:18-21“We are half-hearted creatures, fooling about with drink and sex and ambition when infinite joy is offered us, like an ignorant child who wants to go on making mud pies in a slum because he cannot imagine what is meant by the offer of a holiday at sea. We are far too easily pleased.” – C.S. Lewis

Scripture: Genesis 24+ A life that experiences God is one oriented toward God’s purpose.“…you might ask, “Why should God speak to me? What am I doing in life that would make him speaking to me a reasonable thing for him to do? Are we in businesstogether in life? Or am I in business just for myself, trying to ‘use a little God’ to advance my projects?” – Dallas Willard, Hearing God.+ A life that experiences God is one of faith-filled action.+ A life that experiences God is one that is growing in prayer.Psalm 127:1

Scripture: Hebrews 11:8-19+ Faith alone secures ouracceptance with God.Genesis 15:6Ephesians 2:8–9 Romans 4:1–5+ Faith alone demands humilitybefore God and others.+ Faith obeys God's word withouthaving all the details or all the answers.James 2:21–24+ Faith is future oriented"There, peeping among the cloud-wrack above a dark rocky peak high up in the mountains, Sam saw a white star twinkle for a while. The beauty of it smote his heart, as he looked up out of the forsaken land, and hope returned to him. For like a shaft, clear and cold, the thought pierced him that in the end the Shadow was only a small and passing thing: there was light and high beauty for ever beyond its reach.” – JRRTolkien, The Return of the King.+ Faith believes God more thancircumstances+ Faith withholds nothing fromGod, no matter how precious

Scripture: Psalm 136“For his mercy endureth for ever.We shall have this repeated in every verse of this song, but not once toooften. It is the sweetest stanza that a man can sing. What joy that there ismercy, mercy with Jehovah, enduring mercy, mercy enduring for ever. We are everneeding it, trying it, praying for it, receiving it: therefore let us for eversing of it.” – Charles H. Spurgeon + Give thanks to the Lord, forwho He is.Psalm 136: 1-3 + Give thanks to the Lord, forwhat He does.Psalm 136:4 + Give thanks to the Lord, forHis love.Psalm 136:10-15Psalm 136:16Romans 5:8Psalm 136:23-26

Scripture: Acts 2:32-47  And we believe in the Holy Ghost, the Lord and Giver of Life, who proceeds from the Father and the Son;  who with the Father and the Son together is worshipped and glorified;  who spoke by the prophets. And we believe in one holy catholic and apostolic Church.  We acknowledge one baptism for the remission of sins;  and we look for the resurrection of the dead,  and the life of the world to come.  Amen. + The Holy SpiritWe are not powerless Romans 8:9Galatians 5:16+ The Church  We are not alone  + The Forgiveness of Sins  Ephesians 4:4–6Romans 8:1 We are not condemned + The Resurrection and Future Glory  John 6:35–40We are not afraid A Dialogue-Anthem by George Herbert Christian: Alas, poor Death! where is thy glory? Where is thy famous force, thy ancient sting? Death: Alas, poor mortal, void of story! Go spell and read how I have kill'd thy King. Christian: Poor Death! and who was hurt thereby? Thy curse being laid on Him makes thee accurst. Death: Let losers talk, yet thou shalt die;

Scripture: Philippians 2:3-11  Who, for us and for our salvation came down from heaven,  and was incarnate by the Holy Spirit of the virgin Mary, and was made man; and was crucified also for us under Pontius Pilate; he suffered and was buried;  and the third day he rose again, according to the Scriptures; and ascended into heaven, and sits on the right hand of the Father…  John 17:5  John 17:24  "...the supreme mystery with which the gospel confronts us...lies not in the Good Friday message of atonement, nor in the Easter Sunday message of resurrection, but in the Christmas message of Incarnation. The really staggering Christian claim is that Jesus of Nazareth was God made man - that the second person of the Godhead...took humanity without loss of deity, so that Jesus of Nazareth was as truly and fully divine as he was human. Here are two mysteries for the price of one - the plurality of persons within the unity of God, and the union of Godhead and manhood in the person of Jesus." – JI Packer, Know

Scripture: John 1:1-5; 14-18 + The Incarnation Philippians 2:5-8 "...the supreme mystery with which the gospel confronts us...lies not in the Good Friday message of atonement, nor in the Easter Sunday message of resurrection, but in the Christmas message of Incarnation. The really staggering Christian claim is that Jesus of Nazareth was God made man - that the second person of the Godhead...took humanity without loss of deity, so that Jesus of Nazareth was as truly and fully divine as he was human. Here are two mysteries for the price of one - the plurality of persons within the unity of God, and the union of Godhead and manhood in the person of Jesus." JI Packer, Knowing God. + To Reveal the Father to us Hebrews 1:1 + To Reconcile us to the Father 1 Timothy 2:3–5 + To Rescue us from our greatest enemies Hebrews 2:14–18 + To Relate to us in our weakness and suffering Hebrews 4:14–16 "All other men were lost sheep; he had come as the Good Shepherd to seek and to save them. All other

Scripture: John 1:1–3; John 1:14, 18 "Without exaggeration it can be said that every church and every Christian ought to know the Nicene Creed." – Kevin DeYoung, The Nicene Creed.   + Nicene Creed We believe in one God, the Father Almighty, Maker of heaven and earth, and of all things visible and invisible.   And in one Lord Jesus Christ, the only begotten Son of God, begotten of the Father before all worlds; God of God, Light of Light, very God of very God; begotten, not made, being of one substance with the Father; by whom all things were made.   Who, for us and for our salvation came down from heaven, and was incarnate by the Holy Spirit of the virgin Mary, and was made man; and was crucified also for us under Pontius Pilate; he suffered and was buried; and the third day he rose again, according to the Scriptures; and ascended into heaven, and sits on the right hand of the Father; and He shall come again, with glory, to judge the living and the dead; whose kin