Thoughts from the Sermon, “The Promise of Joy and Peace in Christ” John 16:16-33

Thoughts from the Sermon, “The Promise of Joy and Peace in Christ” John 16:16-33

by Vermon Pierre, Lead Pastor

1. We all will face and have faced difficult times in our lives. No one is immune from dealing with trial, suffering, and pain. Many times our response to trouble is one of sorrow, fear, despair and even cowardice. We retreat into ourselves. We either fail to do what we should do or we do the things we shouldn’t do, things which aren’t ultimately helpful for us but that we do nonetheless in order to somehow deal with our situation.

2. There can be a different response to our trials. Rather than running away from difficulties we can lean into them, meeting them with joy and peace and confidence.

3. How do we make this transition? By the resurrection of Jesus. Jesus promises his disciples that because they will see him, their sadness will turn to joy. Indeed, because Jesus has conquered sin and death in his resurrection, we who believe him can find peace in him.

4. What believers gain because of the risen Jesus is a transformed life. It means having a joy that no one can take away (John 16:22). It means never being alone because we have a permanent relationship with God as our Father. We can speak to him and know that he will hear us and answer.

5. Being a Christian does not mean life gets easier. Believing in and following Jesus will mean some unique difficulties and hardships. Jesus never promises that we will be saved out of trouble (“In the world you will have tribulation” John 16:33). What he does promise is that in the midst of trouble we will be able to act differently. We can rest in his peace, respond to trouble with joy, and know that ultimately we will overcome all our troubles through him and the victory he has already secured by virtue of his resurrection.

6. “This is the great departure of Christianity from every other religious faith. It does not simply set out an ideal or a moral code; it offers a means of achieving it. Christianity is the offer of God to live in his followers and achieve in them the victory demonstrated in his Son Jesus Christ. And in that indwelling, an indescribable peace will be ours despite the fury and foment of the world around us.” Gary Burge, John: The NIV Application Commentary

7. “For everyone who has been born of God overcomes the world. And this is the victory that has overcome the world—our faith. ⁵ Who is it that overcomes the world except the one who believes that Jesus is the Son of God?” 1 John 5:4

Loving Children When They’re Unlovable

Loving Children When They’re Unlovable

Check out Dennae's NEW post ("Loving Children When They’re Unlovable")
 at the Together for Adoption website here.

- http://www.togetherforadoption.org/?p=10429

Voice of the Martyrs Mini-Profiles

Voice of the Martyrs Mini-Profiles

Today's sermon was from John 15:18-16:4 and was called I HEART HATERS. We talked a lot about the modern day persecution of Christians all over the globe and at the end of the service, prayed for some of them together. Here is a list of the folks we profiled today. Please continue to pray for them.

CHINA
Shuying, 77. Tortured and imprisoned for her faith. Her husband died the day after she was released.

SUDAN
Mary Achai. Kidnapped, sold into sex slavery, burned, leaving her arms “frozen”.

INDIA
Vasant. Ex-radical Hindu, persecuted Christians. Now an evangelist, locked away by his family, poisoned by his mother, but continues to pass out 25-30 tracts a day in remote areas.

SOMALIA
Musa. House church leader. His two oldest sons were beheaded after their father gave a prominent Muslim woman a Bible which resulted in her conversion.

NIGERIA
James Kake. Muslims burnt his church down then macheted his hands and wrists after they asked him if he was an infidel and he said “yes”.

NEPAL
Shyma Kumar. Teenager who was severly burned while attending church and it was bombed by Hindu extremists.

PAKISTAN
Pastor "Joseph". Bound for praying with a beggar. Preached to his attackers as they beat him.

NORTH VIETNAM
Pastors Phan and Trang. “Running pastors” who flee from tribe to tribe, conducting services, baptisms, and communion for small rural congregations.

FOR MORE INFORMATION ON THESE FOLKS AND MORE LIKE THEM, GO TO http://www.persecution.com

Interview with Pastor Vermon and Dennae on Adoption [video]

Interview with Pastor Vermon and Dennae on Adoption [video]

Great Interview with Pastor Vermon and Dennae on Adoption at a House Conference in Phoenix, Arizona by Together for Adoption. Also, be sure to check out Dennae's post ("Adopted") at the Together for Adoption website here.

Dan Cruver of T4A interviews Vermon and Dennae Pierre about their foster-to-adopt story, which could not have happened without their local church.
The house conference initiative is an effort to bring teaching on God’s story of adoption and its implications for the global orphan crisis to living rooms in select cities across the United States. Obviously, not everyone can fly across the country to attend a T4A conference. So, in part, the house conference initiative aims to “bring a T4A conference to a living room near you . . . for free.”

"Be Merciful to Me" Unpacked

"Be Merciful to Me" Unpacked
by Alden Powers, The Music Guy @RCC

A song we have been doing for a few months now is Be Merciful to Me by the band Caedmon’s Call. This song isn’t particularly “new” (it was released in 2006), but it is a recent addition to RCC’s song repertoire. I love to sing this song after we come to the Lord’s Table. It gives us an opportunity to ask for God’s mercy, and at His table we see the ultimate display of His mercy in His broken body and shed blood. The language of the song isn’t as clear as some other more modern songs we might do during worship. The lyrics are taken from a 19th Century hymn. However, once we dig in and examine what the song is saying, the truths will jump out more vividly and I think we will gain a greater appreciation for the song.

Out from the deep I call,
To Thee, O Lord, to Thee.
Before Thy throne I fall
Be Merciful to me

The first verse puts us squarely in the mindset of a faithful worshipper. Throughout the Bible, we see God’s faithful servants, when encountered with God’s holy presence, respond by falling down and pleading for mercy. In Isaiah 6:1-6, the prophet Isaiah comes face to face with the glory of the Lord. All he can say is “woe is me, for I am a man of unclean lips”. Ezekiel does likewise in Ezekiel 1:28. John also falls to his feet in Revelation 1:17. When we come into the presence of what is supremely holy, we are instantly reminded of our great unholiness. All we can do is fall and plead for God’s mercy.

From the garden to the Cross,
Thy mercy did endure.
My soul purged from all dross
In blood made pure

The great news is that God is merciful. Although He is supremely holy, He is also supremely merciful. His mercy is displayed again and again in the Old Testament. "Garden” in this song refers to the Garden of Eden, where mankind originally fell from grace and was cast out of God’s presence. Even in that moment, rather than destroy his rebellious creation, God clothed them and promised that the offspring of the woman would one day crush the serpent’s head (Gen 3:15).

This longsuffering continues all throughout Israel’s history where they continually rebel, only for God to respond with mercy. God’s ultimate act of mercy is seen at the Cross of Jesus Christ, where God’s wrath for sin was placed on His Son. His sinless Son was the sacrifice for our sins and His death was the death that we rightfully deserve.

The third line can be the most challenging for the modern listener to understand. A basic understanding of metallurgy is necessary in order to appreciate this line. When you have a freshly mined piece of precious metal such as gold or silver, it is hardly ever found in a pure form. The metal has to be melted and the impurities separated. These impurities are called “dross”. The Bible uses this term to symbolize God getting rid of wicked people from the nation of Israel, as well as purifying the hearts of His faithful followers in Christ Jesus. So to summarize, lines 3 and 4 tell us that our souls have been purged of all impurity and made pure by the blood of Christ.

Thy mercy Lord is true,
As ever truth will be.
But still I cry for you,
Be merciful to me.

Paul tells us in Philippians, “Not that I have already obtained this or am already perfect, but I press on to make it my own, because Christ Jesus has made me his own.” (Phil 3:12). God has shown us the supreme act of mercy at the cross. His blood has made us pure. Yet we still need to ask God for forgiveness for our sins daily in order to be made Holy. The process of sanctification in the Christian’s life is an ongoing process and we should never take the grace we have received for granted.

May this song remind us of the mercy God has given us through His Son. And may we continue to see His mercies in our lives all of our days.