DATE: 10-5-25

As always it’s a joy to be with all of you this weekend at Gateway Church. And there’s one thing I want you to know — and this is true if you’re worshiping with us for the first time — if you’re joining us at our North Main Campus or are with our friends in Bucyrus — I want you to know that God loves you and that I love you too.

SERIES INTRO

We’re continuing our series in Romans this weekend and we’re in the practical application section of Paul’s letter where — after eleven chapters of theological truths — we’re now in the “so what” section of Paul’s letter. Meaning he’s now addressing how all of the theology — that’s found in the first eleven chapters — is to play itself out in how we live. Or at least how it should influence the way we live.

And — today — we’re concluding our mini-series within our series in Romans — as Paul continues to address the same topic we’ve looked at the last two times we’ve been together. What topic is that? How to disagree.

When Paul started his discussion on how to disagree, he began with something quite controversial for the times in which we live. He says that part of the reason why we have disagreements with each other is because — and this is the controversial part — some of us are weak and some of us are strong. And — what he means by that — is that some of us are weak and strong when it comes to our understanding of the Christian faith and how it applies to life — which tells us that Paul is focusing on disagreements among Christians — though there are many ways to apply what he teaches to all of our relationships.

Last time — Paul instructed us on what we’re to do — and not do — when we disagree with one another. We were told to not despise or pass judgment on Christians with whom we disagree over a non-essential matter. This isn’t disagreement over an essential of the faith — doctrines like faith alone in Christ alone for salvation — this is about disagreements over non-essential matters. The examples Paul uses indicate that the Christians in Rome disagreed over what foods were acceptable to eat as followers of Jesus and whether or not there were special days for worship. Neither of these topics are essential to being a Christian.

And — as I’ve said again and again — non-essential doesn’t mean non-important. Many non-essential beliefs and practices are very important — they’re just not essential in determining whether someone’s a Christian or not. Non-essential also doesn’t mean that we believe in subjectivism — that what’s true for you is true for you, but for me this other thing is true. It just means that — in our fallibility and human limitations — we haven’t come to unity on what the Bible teaches on these matters and we believe that Christians on both sides are trying to be faithful to God and what they believe he’s said on the matter in the Bible.

So with that as a guide as to where we’ve been — if you have your Bible — please turn with me to Romans chapter fifteen. We’ll be in Romans chapter fifteen today — looking at verses one through seven. Where Paul — concluding his discussion on how to disagree — writes…

Romans 15:1–7 ESV

1 We who are strong have an obligation to bear with the failings of the weak, and not to please ourselves. 2 Let each of us please his neighbor for his good, to build him up. 3 For Christ did not please himself, but as it is written, “The reproaches of those who reproached you fell on me.” 4 For whatever was written in former days was written for our instruction, that through endurance and through the encouragement of the Scriptures we might have hope. 5 May the God of endurance and encouragement grant you to live in such harmony with one another, in accord with Christ Jesus, 6 that together you may with one voice glorify the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ. 7 Therefore welcome one another as Christ has welcomed you, for the glory of God.

In this — our final look at how to disagree — Paul reminds us of our ultimate goal in life. What goal? That God would be glorified in all areas of our life — including how we disagree with one another. We’ll look at this goal before turning our attention to an obligation we must fulfill in order for us to accomplish our goal. And — finally — we’ll see how we fulfill our obligation.

We’ll begin with our goal: the glory of God. Then we’ll look at an obligation we must fulfill in order for God to be glorified in our disagreements. And — finally — how we accomplish our obligation.

FOR THE GLORY OF GOD

So — first — our ultimate goal in life. The ultimate goal — when we disagree — should be the same for all areas of our life as followers of Jesus: That God would be glorified. That’s why Paul ends his section on how to disagree with the words — this is verse seven…

Romans 15:7 ESV

7 Therefore welcome one another as Christ has welcomed you, for the glory of God.

Now — why did I say that the glory of God is our ultimate goal — not just in our disagreements — but in all areas of life? Because this is what we read in Scripture. For example…

1 Corinthians 10:31 ESV

31 So, whether you eat or drink, or whatever you do, do all to the glory of God.

Including using the spiritual gifts that God’s given to each of us — which we looked at earlier this year — for Peter writes…

1 Peter 4:10–11 ESV

10 As each has received a gift, use it to serve one another, as good stewards of God’s varied grace: 11 whoever speaks, as one who speaks oracles of God; whoever serves, as one who serves by the strength that God supplies—in order that in everything God may be glorified through Jesus Christ. To him belong glory and dominion forever and ever. Amen.

Glorifying God also includes what we do and don’t do with our bodies…

1 Corinthians 6:19–20 ESV

19 Or do you not know that your body is a temple of the Holy Spirit within you, whom you have from God? You are not your own, 20 for you were bought with a price. So glorify God in your body.

And why must we do this? For God is the One who created us…

Isaiah 43:6–7 ESV

6 I will say to the north, Give up, and to the south, Do not withhold; bring my sons from afar and my daughters from the end of the earth, 7 everyone who is called by my name, whom I (God) created for my glory, whom I formed and made.”

Which means all that we do is to be done for the glory of God so that others might turn to him. For as Jesus said…

Matthew 5:16 ESV

16 In the same way, let your light shine before others, so that they may see your good works and give glory to your Father who is in heaven.

And…

John 15:8 ESV

8 By this my Father is glorified, that you bear much fruit and so prove to be my disciples.

And — when we live this way — we’ll join the psalmist and say…

Psalm 115:1 ESV

1 Not to us, O Lord, not to us, but to your name give glory, for the sake of your steadfast love and your faithfulness!

And join the saints in heaven who proclaim…

Revelation 4:11 ESV

11 “Worthy are you, our Lord and God, to receive glory and honor and power, for you created all things, and by your will they existed and were created.”

And join creation for…

Psalm 19:1 ESV

1 The heavens declare the glory of God, and the sky above proclaims his handiwork.

Because we agree with Paul who said…

Romans 11:36 ESV

36 For from him and through him and to him are all things. To him be glory forever. Amen.

All things — including our salvation — which is a gift from God. For…

Ephesians 1:11–12 ESV

11 In him we have obtained an inheritance, having been predestined according to the purpose of him who works all things according to the counsel of his will, 12 so that we who were the first to hope in Christ might be to the praise of his glory.

All things — including grace…

2 Corinthians 4:15 ESV

15 For it is all for your sake, so that as grace extends to more and more people it may increase thanksgiving, to the glory of God.

All things — including our love for and unity with one another…

Philippians 1:9–11 ESV

9 And it is my prayer that your love may abound more and more, with knowledge and all discernment, 10 so that you may approve what is excellent, and so be pure and blameless for the day of Christ, 11 filled with the fruit of righteousness that comes through Jesus Christ, to the glory and praise of God.

Thus we say…

Psalm 86:12 ESV

12 I give thanks to you, O Lord my God, with my whole heart, and I will glorify your name forever.

Knowing that God’s glory will continue to expand across creation…

Habakkuk 2:14 ESV

14 For the earth will be filled with the knowledge of the glory of the Lord as the waters cover the sea.

Therefore we’re to…

1 Chronicles 16:28–29 ESV

28 Ascribe to the Lord, O families of the peoples, ascribe to the Lord glory and strength! 29 Ascribe to the Lord the glory due his name; bring an offering and come before him! Worship the Lord in the splendor of holiness;

So…

Isaiah 60:1–2 ESV

1 Arise, shine, for your light has come, and the glory of the Lord has risen upon you. 2 For behold, darkness shall cover the earth, and thick darkness the peoples; but the Lord will arise upon you, and his glory will be seen upon you.

And — at just the right time — the moment when darkness covered the earth — the Light of the world pierced the darkness…

Philippians 2:9–11 ESV

9 Therefore God has highly exalted him and bestowed on him the name that is above every name, 10 so that at the name of Jesus every knee should bow, in heaven and on earth and under the earth, 11 and every tongue confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father.

For God has said…

Isaiah 42:8 ESV

8 I am the Lord; that is my name; my glory I give to no other, nor my praise to carved idols.

Therefore when Jesus had fulfilled all that his Father required of him — and as the cross was just before him — he said…

John 17:4 ESV

4 I glorified you on earth, having accomplished the work that you gave me to do.

To glorify God in all of our life — that’s the ultimate goal for every Christian — including our goal in how we disagree with one another. This means that displaying God’s greatness and praising his name is the primary goal in our disagreement. Not winning an argument. Not proving our point. Not getting the other side to concede. For you can be on the right side of the debate and not have God being glorified as your goal — and that would mean you win an argument and yet fail to fulfill your God given purpose. 

For God being glorified in your life is why you — and I — and all people exist. This is why you exist — Christian or not. God being glorified is why you’re alive and breathing — Christian or not. And we’re either moving towards this goal — as followers of Jesus — the theological term is growing in our sanctification — so that God being glorified is more and more the goal of our life. For — if we’re not growing in our spiritual maturity — then we won’t disagree with one another in a way that glorifies our God.

AN OBLIGATION FOR THE GLORY OF GOD

So how do we grow in our spiritual maturity when it comes to our disagreeing with one another? Because — in order for us to accomplish our goal — that God would be glorified even in our disagreements — we must recognize the obligation that’s now before each of us who follow Jesus. For our goal — that God would be glorified in our disagreements — comes with an obligation. There’s something expected and required of us who follow Jesus. Paul tells us this in verse one.

Romans 15:1–2 ESV

1 We who are strong have an obligation to bear with the failings of the weak, and not to please ourselves. 2 Let each of us please his neighbor for his good, to build him up.

Here’s our obligation if God is going to be glorified in our disagreements: We who are strong are to bear with the failings of the weak — and none of us are to please ourselves, but we’re to please our neighbors — our fellow Christians — so we build them up in the faith.

Bearing with the failings of the weak — and pleasing them — doesn’t mean that we just capitulate and give them whatever they’re asking for. After all — our goal is to build them up. And often the very thing the weak think will please them is what’s keeping them from maturing in the faith. That’s what Paul means by “the failings of the weak.” These aren’t moral failings — or necessarily sinful behaviors — this is a lack of spiritual maturity on their part when it comes to non-essential beliefs and behaviors.

And I want to be clear about something: A person can be spiritually mature in many areas and weak in others. So it’s not that one person is always a weak Christian or always a strong Christian — for one can be strong in ninety percent of their Christian faith and yet incredibly weak in the other ten percent. And this is why disagreements among Christians are so tricky — for most of us think more highly of ourselves than we ought to think. We think, “Well I read my Bible regularly. I attend worship every week. I’m actively involved in my Life Group. I serve. I give. I go on missions trips. I’ve memorized lots of God’s Word. I can defend my view of the end times and so on.” And all that is great and spiritual growth and to be commended. But all of that can be true — and yet — you’re still an immature spiritual leader in the home. Or unaware how the religion of your political party has sunk its nails in you. Or how social media has consumed your time and thoughts and views in many areas of life. 

Not to mention how many of us don’t read our Bible regularly, or attend worship weekly, or serve, or give, or go on missions trips and so on — and yet — view ourselves as spiritually refined and mature in our views on — well — on everything!

All that to say — though some of us may be new to the faith — and thus — generally speaking — weak in most areas — while others of us have been faithfully following Jesus and growing in the faith for years — and thus — generally speaking — strong in most areas — the majority of us fall somewhere in between. We’re strong in some areas — really strong in others — weak in some — and more weak than we realize in other areas.

But our aim — if you remember — is to glorify God — to please him first and foremost. And that means — especially if you happen to be the weak brother or sister in Christ in a particular situation — that we realize that — just because you don’t get what you want or what you think you should — that doesn’t mean that the strong are being unloving, unkind, or disobedient.

And — for those who happen to be the strong — in a particular situation — the strong are to be bearing — which means enduring — and kind towards your weaker spiritual siblings. Your goal should be to help them mature in the faith in this area. For Paul wants the weak to become strong — which should be the desire of all of us — we should desire for all who follow Jesus to grow stronger and stronger in the faith.

I wonder what your attitude is towards those whom you think are weak or spiritually immature on a particular non-essential issue? Sometimes everything about them is immature. Other times it’s just one area where you happen to disagree with them. Regardless, what’s your attitude towards the other person? Is your desire to help them grow and mature? Or do you just want to avoid another long conversation with them? Maybe you just want to prove to them how wrong they are? Or to get them to agree with you? I wonder if your answers to these questions reveal that — maybe — just maybe — you’re not as strong as you think you are?

HOW WE FULFILL OUR OBLIGATION

At this point — we now know our goal — that God would be glorified — and that we have an obligation we must fulfill in order to accomplish our goal — we’re to bear with the failings of the weak, not please ourselves, but seek to please our fellow Christians instead. And that sounds good and all — but how do we actually fulfill our obligation? Do we just grin and bear it? Tighten our belts and trudge on through the disagreements among us? Give up and go our separate ways?

Paul explains how we do all of this beginning in verse three.

Romans 15:3–6 ESV

3 For Christ did not please himself, but as it is written, “The reproaches of those who reproached you fell on me.” 4 For whatever was written in former days was written for our instruction, that through endurance and through the encouragement of the Scriptures we might have hope. 5 May the God of endurance and encouragement grant you to live in such harmony with one another, in accord with Christ Jesus, 6 that together you may with one voice glorify the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ.

Paul gives us three reminders that we must keep before us in order to fulfill our obligation when we disagree — so that God is glorified in our disagreements. Three reminders — think of them as instructions that you most likely already know — that Paul gives us so that we become the kind of people who glorify God in our disagreements.

First, we must look to Christ. In verse three Paul writes…

Romans 15:3 ESV

3 For Christ did not please himself, but as it is written, “The reproaches of those who reproached you fell on me.”

To fulfill our obligation we must look to Jesus and remember that Christ did not please himself. But notice that Paul doesn’t say, “For Christ did not please himself, instead, he did what we wanted.” That’s not what Paul writes. Paul goes from Christ not pleasing himself to something Christ did that is unexpected and challenging to those who follow him: he gave his life on the cross. And it’s his sacrifice which ultimately pleases his people — for his sacrifice is the reason we have found true life.

You see, Jesus didn’t try to appease the unappeasable. He knew us — he knew our hearts — he knew that we’d never be pleased for there’s always one more demand, suggestion, “helpful piece of feedback” we’d have given him. Yet he denied himself for our sake anyway — he gave up his freedom so we might be set free from our enslavement to Satan, sin, death, and hell.

And — when we look to Christ — we see the One who welcomed us into his family, into a relationship with him — not because we deserved it or even because he looked around at humanity and thought we were the best options available. No — he did so because he chose — in love — to take our sins — our reproaches — that were offenses against him — and instead of giving us what we deserve — he experienced the judgment we deserved for our sins on the cross.

Thus what we’re to remember is this: Whatever we may have to give up for the sake of our brothers and sisters in Christ is — as they say — small potatoes. Not even worth comparing to what Jesus gave up for our sake. A great question to ask yourself is this: Am I seeking to please others as Jesus has first pleased me? Am I following Christ — and his example — of what it means to bear with the failings of the weak?

Remember — he is the One…

Philippians 2:6–11 ESV

6 who, though he was in the form of God, did not count equality with God a thing to be grasped, 7 but emptied himself, by taking the form of a servant, being born in the likeness of men. 8 And being found in human form, he humbled himself by becoming obedient to the point of death, even death on a cross. 9 Therefore God has highly exalted him and bestowed on him the name that is above every name, 10 so that at the name of Jesus every knee should bow, in heaven and on earth and under the earth, 11 and every tongue confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father.

To be the kind of people who glorify God in our disagreements we must look to Christ.

Second, we must turn to the Bible. In verse four Paul writes…

Romans 15:4 ESV

4 For whatever was written in former days was written for our instruction, that through endurance and through the encouragement of the Scriptures we might have hope.

This book is what was written in former days. For sure — Paul would’ve been thinking of the Old Testament — but we’re blessed with the Old and New Testaments. And as Paul writes elsewhere…

2 Timothy 3:16–17 ESV

16 All Scripture is breathed out by God and profitable for teaching, for reproof, for correction, and for training in righteousness, 17 that the man of God may be complete, equipped for every good work.

Thus all of God’s Word is written for our instruction — so that we may be complete and equipped for every good work. Including the good work of disagreeing with one another in a way that glorifies God.

Yet Paul tells us that we’re to turn to the Bible with a specific purpose in mind: We turn to it for both endurance and encouragement. Again in verse four we read…

Romans 15:4 ESV

4 For whatever was written in former days was written for our instruction, that through endurance and through the encouragement of the Scriptures we might have hope.

Do you know what makes division so easy when you find yourself in a disagreement? It requires no enduring with the other person. Do you know why it’s so easy to allow divisiveness to spill over into words that do anything else but encourage the other person? Because we’re not submitting ourselves to God’s Word.

God’s Word — at all times — but especially when we disagree with a fellow Christian over a non-essential matter — will give us the endurance and encouragement that both parties need so that unity — not division — is the result — which leads to us living with hope. 

Again in verse four Paul writes…

Romans 15:4 ESV

4 For whatever was written in former days was written for our instruction, that through endurance and through the encouragement of the Scriptures we might have hope.

And hope is what we all need in this divisive age in which we live. Culture says, “Oh, you disagree with me — we’re through — it’s hopeless.” Yet God says to his people, “Endure with one another. Encourage one another. Stay unified with one another. Continue to love one another. In this way you will have hope — hope that abounds and overflows.” Whose voice will we listen to? Whose voice will you listen to? Culture’s voice or God’s?

Finally, we must remember to pray. Did you notice how — after all of chapter fourteen — and four verses of chapter fifteen — in this lengthy instruction on how to disagree — Paul suddenly starts to pray? Look at what happens in verse five.

Romans 15:5–6 ESV

5 May the God of endurance and encouragement grant you to live in such harmony with one another, in accord with Christ Jesus, 6 that together you may with one voice glorify the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ.

Paul goes from instruction straight into prayer. No “let’s all bow our heads and close our eyes” — none of that. He just goes straight into prayer. 

And what does Paul pray for? He prays for everything he just instructed us to do in order to fulfill our obligation so that God is glorified in our disagreements. For our God is the “God of endurance and encouragement” who grants us the endurance and encouragement we discover when we turn to the Bible as our final authority. And doing so gives us hope. This is the very endurance and encouragement we need in order to live in harmony with one another. And all of this follows the example of our Savior — Jesus — who we’re to turn to. So Paul ends his discussion on how to disagree by praying — and he prays that God would be glorified in our lives.

CONCLUSION

Christ. The Word. And prayer. 

Jesus. The Bible. And bringing one another — and our disagreements — to God in prayer. 

This is our goal. This is how we disagree in a way that brings glory to our God. This is how we can disagree over non-essential matters — and not have to go our separate ways. But only if we’re all committed to following Christ, submitting to God’s Word, and to prayer.

Our unity is in our hands. No one of us can maintain our unity — we must all work to maintain it together. But it only takes one of us to create division. Which will you choose to be? A promoter of unity or of division?

That’s the question before each of us. And my prayer — and even more — my hope for all of us — is that we will fight for our unity — especially in our disagreements. Let’s pray.

PRAYER

Heavenly Father, when we think of all that you’ve done to unite us with you — and with each other — all we can do is stand in amazement — and ask for forgiveness. For often we work against you and the unity you desire for us to display to the world.

Holy Spirit, this is why we’re so desperate for your power in our lives. For the only way that we’ll submit to the Word of God in all areas of our lives — including in how we disagree — is by being empowered by you who lives in all who believe in Jesus. For Scripture calls you the Spirit of unity — unite our hearts together we pray.

And — Jesus — our unity with your Father — and each other — is only possible because of the loving sacrifice you offered when you gave your life on the cross. You came to earth to fulfill what we failed to do — which ultimately led to your death in our place. May we look to you. May we look to your love for us. May we look to the love you displayed — with your arms stretched open wide on the cross — for each other — and maintain the unity you died for.

Father, Son, and Holy Spirit — it’s hard not to see the division in our world — and the division is exhausting. May those who don’t yet believe in you — hear of the unity you offer — and see it in our faith family — so that they respond by believing in Jesus as their Lord and Savior. And we pray all of this in his name. Amen.

COMMUNION (JOSH MOVES TO TABLE)

As we turn our attention to the table — the Lord’s Table — in the words of Paul that we’ve looked at today…

Romans 15:5–7 ESV

5 May the God of endurance and encouragement grant us to live in such harmony with one another, in accord with Christ Jesus, 6 that together we may with one voice glorify the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ. 7 May we welcome one another as Christ has welcomed us, for the glory of God.

Therefore…

Leader: Lift up your hearts.

Congregation: We lift them up to the Lord.

Leader: Let us give thanks to the Lord our God.

Congregation: It is right for us to give thanks and praise.

Leader: With joy we praise you, gracious God, for you have created heaven and earth, made us in your image, and kept covenant with us — even when we fell into sin.

Congregation: We give you thanks for Jesus Christ, our Lord, who by his life, death, and resurrection opened to us the way of everlasting life. Therefore we join our voices with all the saints and angels and the whole creation to proclaim the glory of your name.

We give thanks to God the Father that our Savior, Jesus Christ, before he suffered, gave us this memorial of his sacrifice, until he comes again. At his last supper, Jesus took bread, and when he had given thanks, he broke it and said, “This is my body, which is for you; do this in remembrance of me.” In the same way, he took the cup after supper and said, “This cup is the new covenant in my blood; do this in remembrance of me.” For whenever we eat this bread and drink this cup, we proclaim the Lord’s death until he comes. – 1 Corinthians 11:23-26

Leader: Therefore we proclaim our faith as signed and sealed in this sacrament.

Congregation: Christ has died. Christ is risen. Christ will come again.

INSTRUCTIONS

At this time, I’d like to invite forward those who are going to be serving us. And — while they make their way forward — know that as the bread and cup are passed down your rows, you’re to take the bread on your own — but save the cup — which we’ll drink together. Also — there’s a gluten free option in the trays with the bread. 

If you’re not taking communion today — first — know that no one is judging you. And — second — we’d appreciate it if you could help those who are taking communion by passing the trays to the next person in your row. If you have any questions about communion — or what it means to follow Jesus — please stop by the resource center before you leave today.

Eat the bread on your own — but save the cup — which we’ll drink together.

COMMUNION PASSED OUT (Worship song)

The blood of Christ, shed for you.

CLOSING WORSHIP SONG

BENEDICTION (Prayer teams available)

I think it’ll be good for us to hear Paul’s prayer one last time:

Romans 15:5–7 ESV

May the God of endurance and encouragement grant you to live in such harmony with one another, in accord with Christ Jesus, that together you may with one voice glorify the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ. Therefore welcome one another as Christ has welcomed you, for the glory of God. Amen.

God loves you. I love you. You are sent.

Date: 09/16/2020

Questions

I had always heard and in personal reading saw that God is not mentioned in the book of Esther. Recently I read that Esther means “something hidden” and in fact God is mentioned at least 5 times in the book of Esther through acrostics in the Hebrew. Curious if you’ve ever heard this and do you agree with it?

1. Bible Project (goes pretty in depth in its videos) doesn’t mention the acrostics.
2. I found some commentaries that briefly mention the acrostics, but I don’t know if a big deal should be made about this. It feels a bit like the Bible Code books where you can find JFK and Hitler in the Bible if you take the first letter of every 37th word or something. 
3. The Hebrew word Esther, at least in the 10 Bible dictionaries I looked at, don’t have the word meaning “something hidden.” Other than the name, Esther, the word can mean “star.”

I have a question about a discrepancy in a story that is told in two different passages in the Bible. In both 2 Samuel 24 and 1 Chronicles 21 we read of God punishing Israel because David sinfully took a census of the tribes. Things get a little funky because in 2 Sam. it says God incited David to do this because he was already angry at the Israelites. However in 1 Chron. it says that Satan incited David to take the census. What do you make of this? Is it just two different narrators interpreting history differently or is there something else going on? And if 2 Sam. is the “right version”, why would God use a census as a reason to punish the Israelites?

1. Progressive revelation
   1. As the Bible moves chronologically, God’s people understand more of who He is, who we are, how things work, etc…
   2. This doesn’t mean that earlier authors were wrong. They just didn’t have as full of a view of things as later authors did.
   3. E.g. – The 12 disciples pre-Jesus’ crucifixion and the same disciples post his resurrection. Their revelation (understanding) had progressed after the resurrection on who Jesus is and what his death accomplished.
   4. 1/2 Chronicles were the last OT books written. Probably around 450-400 BC. 2 Samuel was written anywhere between 150-200 years earlier.
2. Given progressive revelation and that Chronicles was written hundreds of years after Samuel, most likely the author of Chronicles is showing us how the understanding of theology had progressed. That, similar to what we see in the book of Job, though God is ultimately in control of all things, God uses Satan in David’s life just like he did in Job’s life. Interestingly, just like in Job, Satan is mentioned briefly and then not mentioned again in this story from David’s life. 

In Genesis 32, Jacob wrestled with a man. Was the man God or an angel?  Jacob receives a blessing from him and afterward Jacob says “I have seen God face to face,” but if it was God why didn’t God overpower Jacob? And why does the man give Jacob a limp?

1. First off, Jacob was 97 years old when he did this wrestling match!
2. His life, up to this point, has been one of living up to his name (Jacob = liar and deceiver)
3. From one of my commentaries: The opponent is blandly identified as “a man”. There’s no explanation provided for the attack. The word “wrestled” (wayyēʾābēk) is a play on “Jabbok” (yabbōk). As a play also on Jacob’s name (yaʿăqōb), it is a prelude to the name change he receives by virtue of outdueling the “man.” The passage heightens the name “Jacob,” for it conveyed as much as anything the selfish character he exhibited until his transformation at the Jabbok…Physical strength characterized Jacob’s life: at birth grasping the heel of Esau (25:26), moving the stone to water Rachel’s sheep (29:10), and working Laban’s herds for twenty years in difficult conditions (31:38–40). Here he vigorously clinches the “man,” who in what appears to be desperation, injures the patriarch in a failed attempt to free himself. The irony is that Jacob’s physical weakness will recall the transformation of his moral strength. (NAC)
4. As his name becomes Israel — which means “struggles with God” or “God fights.” 
5. The point of the story. No longer look to your past — Jacob, you’re a liar and a cheat — but look to your future and your offsprings’ future. The Israelites were people who God both fought with and for.

Revelation chapter 20 describes the millennium of Christ’s rule. I’ve recently wondered what Gateway’s stance is on the description of the 1,000 year reign of Christ described in Chap 20. Do we as a church body support and preach a certain way around this topic (Premillennialism, Amillennialism, or Postmillennialism)?

1. Gateway and the EPC don’t have an official position or stance on the millennium. We believe this to be a non-essential matter.
2. I (Josh) personally hold to an Amillennial view (though historic premillennialism has a lot going for it).
3. I do have a resource doc on End Times that may be helpful. We’ll add a link to it.

Revelation 22:2 references the leaves of the ‘tree of life’ having healing properties for the people. Verse 22:2 has been highlighted in my bible for a long time and I’ve never been able to understand the purpose of the tree of life during the millennium. Do the nations of people live hundreds of years with the aid of the tree of life, but still die a natural death?

1. Revelation 22 isn’t the millenium; it’s eternity. 
2. So why would we need a tree that has healing properties if Revelation 22 is eternity — the New Heavens and New Earth? Does being without sin (“perfect”) mean we won’t ever trip and skin our knee? 
3. I’ve recommended this book before, but Heaven by Randy Alcorn gets into this some. Go check it out.

In reference to the 4th commandment, it seems that lately our weekends bustle less with the typical travel, events, business and other secular activities. In the Bible Jesus would spend his Sabbath in the Temple reading. Although it’s not always easy, we should strive to find rest, delighting ourselves in the finished work of the living Word of God, Jesus Christ. Can you help shed some light on how we can pursue this commandment deeper?

1. Ultimately, this commandment — like all others — find its fulfillment in Christ. He is the Lord of the Sabbath and he is our Sabbath rest. In fact, a catechism question asks, “What is faith in Jesus Christ?” The answer, “Receiving and resting on him alone for salvation as he is offered to us in the gospel.” 
2. Does resting in Christ lead us to a less busy lifestyle? Depends on what you’re busy doing. But for many of us (most of us?), we can probably do ourselves some good and slow down. We’re not making the world spin. For example, if you have kids, I guarantee they’d rather do something with mom and dad than do something for mom and dad (like a sport or hobby). 
3. Like Andrew Brunson said, “God has many servants, but few lovers.” I feel like our busyness leads us to be less lovers of God.

[referring to heaven…] I know we will get new bodies. But, what about our mind and heart once we are with the Lord for eternity? We are going through the sanctification process now, but will it somehow be completed when we make that transition into heaven? My concern is the present battle to keep my thinking right, and I wonder what it will be like in heaven. You talked about the tongue also and the Bible says out of the abundance of the heart the mouth speaks. In Jeremiah 17:9 it says the heart is deceitful above all things and desperately wicked. I know at times my heart is not right.  Bottom line, what will my thinking and heart be like once I’m in heaven with the Lord.

1. We will be fully human when we’re resurrected. That would include our body, soul, mind, and spirit. So all of who we are — not just our physical bodies — will be purified and redeemed and part of who we are in eternity.

Pastor Josh, I’m sure a lot of people probably think you just work on Sundays. But the truth is we know your weeks vary – consisting of sermon prep, leadership meetings, counseling, events and correspondents. Compared to early 2020, how has your work as a pastor changed in the midst of the pandemic? Have certain focus areas consumed more of your time while others now actually take up less?

1. Shaun/Laura – what changes have you experienced and what have you seen different in what I’ve been doing this year compared to previous years?
2. Preaching/teaching
   1. I preached more during the first half of this year than I have in previous years. I think I preached 17 out of the first 19 weekends. I started to balance this out once we realized the pandemic wasn’t going away any time soon, but I’m still probably going to preach more this year than in previous years.
   2. We shifted to recording sermons on Wednesday, which threw off my sermon prep schedule. Then it became my new normal. Then we reopened and my sermon prep schedule changed again.
   3. When other Gateway folks preach, I spend quite a bit of time reviewing their sermon, giving them feedback, have them do a rehearsal of it, etc…It almost takes as much time for me when someone else is preaching than when I preach in preparation.
   4. I’ve participated in extra conversations and discussions in our community due to the racial tension. Both our conversation on race and a local community discussion on diversity.
   5. We restarted the podcast which added back into my schedule something else to prep for.
3. Leading
   1. This has been the biggest shift for me, the elders, and staff. 
   2. Our elder meetings have been the longest they’ve ever been since I’ve been at Gateway during the pandemic.
   3. Helping staff negotiate working at Gateway during all of this. Giving them priorities. Trying to check in and see how they’re doing (we’re humans too and are just as affected by all of the changes like everyone else is).
   4. You’ve got finances that we’ve been watching.
   5. Closing down the church. Reopening back up. Listening to all of the people who think their plan would’ve been better than ours. 
   6. There’s unfortunately been an increased sense of competition between churches. “Who’s going to be the first to reopen because folks are going to flock there. Will you require masks — like the governor has mandated — or not.” Because folks are choosing to worship based on whether masks are required or not instead of things that should be more important to them (like the theology of the church). I told the elders that the first church to restart kid’s ministry was going to have a huge advantage because folks are going to flock there. It’s felt like a grand conclusion to the experiment known as consumeristic Christianity that we’ve had in the US for a few decades. We used to choose which church we’d attend based on the music, or youth ministry, or kid’s programming. For the past few months, it’s been masks or no masks, social distancing, getting to sit where you want, etc…which is all pretty sad to me quite honestly. 
4. Shepherding
   1. I’ve had more lengthy (hour or longer) phone calls with folks either because of concerns they have, comments they’ve made on social media, etc…This whole shut down and pandemic has caused all of us to be mentally exhausted and so there’ve been more unfiltered criticisms by folks. And I’ve found that giving the person a phone call, even though it will take up some time, the calls usually help to bring some sort of understanding.
   2. We still have marriages with significant struggles, people with illnesses, families with births and deaths, and I try to follow up with many of these folks. Again, since we’ve been more isolated, a quick call or text can go a long way (especially when I’m not seeing everyone on the weekend which is when I used to do a lot of follow up).
   3. For example, I was out of the house before 7am yesterday to check in on one of our senior saints whose health is deteriorating and the family had asked if I could stop by as they weren’t sure how much longer their relative had to live. 
   4. I’m meeting with a young man who lives in our community later this afternoon, who is gay and has heard that Gateway hates gay people. That’s what I guess his gay friends have told him. So I’m having more conversations around these kinds of topics as people are much more open to spiritual conversations than they were pre-pandemic.

Release Date: Apr 27, 2021

Predestination Questions 

We received many questions from several different listeners all asking about similar topics. What follows are those questions lumped together into 4 Big Ideas. We tackled parts of Ideas #1 & 4 in part 1 of our Predestination Q&A and address #2 & 3 today. 

Big Idea 1 – Predestination: It is my understanding that God wants all people to be saved (1 Tim 2:4), but we know that not all people are saved. If salvation is 100% up to God with zero human involvement, why doesn’t he choose to elect and save everyone? Does the word “all” actually just mean “some?” Similarly…if God predestined some to be saved, then he must have also predestined some to be condemned to hell. Why would God predestine humans, whom he created in his image and loves, for eternity in hell? 

Big Idea 2 – Losing salvation: Back in Romans 6 we learned that God gave us freedom from sin and he also gave us freedom for righteousness. So how does this relate to the example of the person who was resuscitated by God’s grace after being dead, drowned at the bottom of the sea. Can that saved person then, refuse life by wading back into the mire? What about the basketball player in your sermon…was he saved based on committing his life to Christ when he was younger despite his change later in his life?

God’s will and our will (8:45):

• Proverbs 19:21
• Psalm 33:10-11
• Proverbs 16:9
• Daniel 4:34-35
• James 1:18
• 1 Samuel 26:17-21
• Acts 9:1-19a
• Genesis 50:20
• Isaiah 10:5-19
• Habakkuk 1:5-11
• Acts 2:22-24
• 1 Chronicles 13:2-3
• Psalm 145:19
• Acts 15:28
• 1 Thess 4:3
• 1 Thess 5:16-18
• 2 Peter 3:9
• 1 Timothy 2:1-4
• 1 Timothy 4:10
• Romans 6:17-20
• Ephesians 2:1-5
• Colossians 2:13
• 1 Tim 5:6
• 2 Tim 2:23-26
• Titus 1:15-16

Limits to our freedom (45:15)

“Choose whom you will serve” passages (53:35):

• Deut 30:16
• Joshua 24:14-16
• 1 Corinthians 10:13
• Philippians 2:12-13
• Romans 7:15-25

Big Idea 3 – Free Will: Is it Gateway’s belief that a person has no choice or free will in accepting the call of God? I have always believed that all who God creates are chosen and all are called but some do not accept the call and therefore do not have salvation. You did mention at the end of your sermon that how we respond to God’s call to salvation is important, but you didn’t really expand on that. What are we actually doing when we “accept Christ into our hearts?” It feels like there is some free will in our response to God’s call.

Big Idea 4: Why evangelize? If the golden chain of salvation is unbreakable, and those he foreknew, he predestined, called, justified, and glorified, then why do we need to share the gospel? Are some people doomed hopelessly to deny Christ no matter how much they hear about him? (58:55)

• Rom 10:10-17
• Matthew 28:18-20
• Mark 16:15
• Acts 1:8

Date: 10/22/2023

Justin’s questions:

• 1) Ruth was a Moabite, outside of God’s chosen people. Do you think God used outsiders like Ruth occasionally to show, even before Jesus, He could and would use those people that demonstrated faithfulness, even it was unexpected and outside of the Jewish people?
  • That’s one possible reason. 
  • Another option, which came to my mind, is God’s demonstration early in the Bible that his chosen people would include all nations (not just the Israelites). The Israelites were his chosen nation — chosen to be a light to the world — to attract non-Jews to the One true God. So we catch glimpses of this in Israel’s history — Rahab and Ruth, are two examples — but ultimately the nation of Israel failed to be the light they were called to be. 
  • Thus, Jesus came as the true Light of the world and would have conversations with, for example, a Samaritan woman by a well one day to make clear that God seeks worshipers of all people who worship in Spirit and in truth.

• 2) The Israelites were not to intermarry with foreigners, yet Boaz marries Ruth. Was this overlooked by the fact the elders wanted to care for Naomi / Ruth?
  • Boaz was fulfilling the role of kinsmen redeemer as Ruth was already married into a Jewish family through her first husband. So I don’t know that Boaz was breaking the foreign wife rule as much as fulfilling his role as kinsmen redeemer. That’s not to say that Ruth being a foreigner wasn’t an obstacle — it was! — but more of a culturally acceptable obstacle rather than a Jewish law one.

• 3) Since we can judge quickly on looks, how can we get better at not doing this? What can lead two friends, for instance, to getting beyond the surface and getting to know each other’s hearts?
  • Pray: God give me eyes to see myself and others as you see us through Jesus Christ. Help me to see them as they will be for all eternity and not simply as who they are now.
  • It’s amazing how this prayer has changed my view of people. You’ll still see their flaws and shortcomings, but you’ll see God’s grace in their lives and who he’s guaranteed them to become.
  • Getting beyond surface level requires having a passion for Jesus and each other that’s beyond surface level. I think that often a lack of passion for Jesus and each other is due to our passion being spent elsewhere.

• 4) You (Josh) encouraged us to not let words bounce off of us. How do you practice this or how would you encourage others in this? For example, you tell us that you love us and God loves us each and every week. How do you let these words not become just another phrase for you?
  • Know yourself. For example, I know that I’m way too quick to dismiss encouraging words and will hold on way too long to criticism. So I’m learning to receive encouragement from others — especially when someone thanks me for my ministry and how God is using me. I don’t want to be ungrateful to God for how he uses me and I’ve found that my response to others’ encouragement is directly related to my gratitude to God for using me. 
  • As far as loving you all, a practice that’s been really helpful over the past few years has been writing a few thank you cards each week to folks who serve at Gateway. I have Ed and Morgan, over at our North Main Campus, and Becca, here at County Road 9, send me a volunteer to thank and how they serve each week. I also watch for 1-2 folks myself and then I write the thank you cards before this podcast goes live. This practice has increased my love for the congregation as I get to pause and celebrate every week the faithfulness of God’s people here at Gateway.

• 5) At what point did we as Christians start to realize that the entire Bible was about Jesus?
  • I think Luke understood this and that’s why he made sure to include it in the last chapter of his gospel. 

• 6) In today’s society, we can react to our leaders’ downfalls in near-real time. Do we have any inkling to how the Jewish people responded to David’s sins? In what ways can Christians respond to leaders’ sin?
  • There were times when they experienced the consequences of his sins. (The whole census situation.)
  • There were times when their behavior was David’s consequence for his sins (his sons rebelled against him for the throne). 
  • How can we respond?
    • Pray. For the leader. For whoever’s been hurt. For your own heart as another’s fall can easily lead to our pride. For those who will be disenfranchised from the faith.
    • Remember that Jesus is the One who never fails — not your favorite pastor, Christian celebrity, author, or whoever. Sometimes we set up folks to not be able to survive a fall because we’ve lifted them too high.
    • Study church history. I once heard a pastor say, “Let all your heroes be dead Christians. That way you know their whole story.” 

Matt’s questions:

• Pronunciation of Eli’s sons’ names
  • Hophni and Phinehas
• Distinction between Samuel, Kings, and Chronicles
  • Samuel – Samuel, Saul, and David
  • Kings – covers the rest of the kings of both Judah and Israel — from Solomon on.
  • Chronicles – Retells the history of the kings, but with a distinct positive view of David (none of his flaws are mentioned, unlike in Samuel). There’s a theological reason for this, which I’ll explain in a couple of weeks when we get to First Chronicles.
• Finding moral truths in the OT…how do we not go too far or fall short in looking at moral/ethical issues (both good and bad) in the lives of these OT characters
  • I don’t know that this is an OT issue as much as a literary genre issue (because the same question is true for the NT). 
  • The question really is about historical narrative parts of the Bible in both the OT and NT — how do we not go too far or fall short looking at the moral/ethical issues in the lives of the people?
    • One, know that sometimes (often?) teaching us a moral/ethical lesson isn’t the point of the historical narrative genre (that’s often the point in epistles). Historical narratives are just telling us what happened without making many judgments about the behavior of the people (other than historical consequences due to their behavior. That’s why, for example with David, you have to take his entire life into account — including his psalms — and not just a historical moment in order to figure out a lesson that we’re to learn. 
    • Instead of looking for a moral/ethical lesson, another approach is to allow the historical narrative to answer other questions, such as:
      • Fallen humanity – when the focus of the text is on sin or suffering, faithfulness or disobedience
        • “Here’s another example of why we need a Savior!”
        • “Here’s why God sent his Son into the world!”
        • Falleness shows our need for Jesus.
      • Typological revelation – a type or shadow whose substance is Christ
        • A real person, place, object, or event that God ordained to act as a predictive pattern or resemblance of Jesus’ person and work.
        • A good study Bible will give you cross-references between the OT and NT.
      • Narrative progression – The OT is the backstory of Jesus.
        • How is this story important in the flow of redemptive history?
        • How does this story help us make progress toward Jesus?
        • Find the story’s “threat” to God’s covenant promise of redemption. Then show how God resolves the threat so that his promise moves on all the way to fulfillment in Jesus.
      • Theological theme – straightforward theological themes, attributes of God, etc…
        • Connect the theme to the person/work of Jesus.

Release Date: June 28,  2023

Questions

What are your thoughts on eloping? (2:20)

I recently went through the 10 Most Misunderstood Verses in the Bible study on RightNow Media. I love to share Scripture with people in cards and want to be careful not to misuse the verses I share. How can I be sure I am sharing Scripture accurately and not misrepresenting what certain verses actually mean? (6:20)

Referencing 1 Chronicles 21, was it a sin for Joab to conduct the census, knowing well that it was a sin for David to order one? Then as a follow up, how should we handle instances where an earthly authority demands something immoral or sinful? (13:40)

I was reading Isaiah 65 and I think verses 17-25 are about the new heavens and the new earth, which I think is a reference to heaven. If that is the case, I am confused by the second half of verse 20. In the NIV it says, “he who dies at a hundred will be thought a mere youth; he who fails to reach a hundred will be considered accursed.” I thought there would be no more death in heaven. And how would there be anyone accursed there? (19:25)

What kind of stone were the 10 commandments written on? I came across this article (and many others like it) and I am simply mind blown! Is there a lot of evidence to support they were written on something other than sapphire? (24:40)

SCRIPTURE: 1 Chronicles 16:8-36 (ESV)

‌DATE: 11-5-23 (Evening communion service)

‌As always it’s a joy to be with all of you — especially for this evening’s service. And there’s one thing I want you to know — and this is true if you’re a guest with us or are part of our faith family here at Gateway — I want you to know that God loves you and that I love you too.

SERIES INTRO

‌We’re continuing our Finding Jesus series tonight. This is a series where I introduce you to a book of the Bible that you may or may not be familiar with. I’ll give you an overview of the book — followed by a closer look at a particular section of it. And then I’ll show you how to find the one story the whole Bible is telling — the story of Jesus — because the whole Bible is ultimately pointing us to him.

And in this iteration of our Finding Jesus series — we’re looking at the books referred to as the history section of the Old Testament. These books cover historical events in the life of God’s people. 

And tonight we’ll be looking at the book of First Chronicles. So — if you have your Bible — please turn with me to First Chronicles chapter sixteen.

‌BACKGROUND OF FIRST CHRONICLES

‌Now let’s take some time to get our bearings in the book of First Chronicles — and I hope you’ll see that this is a book you’ll want to read for yourself.

First, what do we know about the author? Like many of these historical books — we don’t know who wrote First Chronicles — or Second Chronicles — for that matter. And — similar to the books of Samuel and the books of Kings — the two books of Chronicles are really one book — but were originally written down on two scrolls — resulting in us having a First and Second Chronicles in our Bible. 

In previous sermons, I’ve mentioned that the original Hebrew order of the Old Testament was a bit different than our Bibles today — for example — Ruth was originally placed between the books of Proverbs and Song of Solomon. Well — the two books of Chronicles — were originally placed at the end of the Old Testament — as sort of a final recap of the history of God’s people. But in our Bibles today — Chronicles comes right after Kings — making it feel like you’re re-reading all of the same historical events.

‌So why another recap of the history of the kings? Scholars suggest that the author wrote these books after the people of God had returned from living in exile in Babylon. So our author has a different perspective about the time period being covered. For example — the temple has been rebuilt — but it’s nothing like what God’s people were imagining it would be while they lived in exile — and the kings have been a collective failure — none have lived up to the king of God’s covenant with David. So — with all of this perspective — the author of First and Second Chronicles looks back over the history of God’s people and records the events with some theological insight.

OVERVIEW OF FIRST CHRONICLES

‌So that’s the bird’s eye view of what’s going on — now let’s turn to the book itself. First Chronicles begins with nine chapters of — “keep you on the edge of your seat reading” — genealogy. That’s right — nine chapters of names, names, and more names. Think of this as a highlight reel of the key players in the history of the people of God. 

Now the rest of First Chronicles focuses on the life of king David — and a lot of this will be familiar if you’ve read the books of Samuel — but you’ll notice that the author of Chronicles leaves out the moments from David’s life that have a negative bent to them. You won’t read about David being on the run from Saul — nor will you read about David and Bathsheba. But what you will find are positive stories about David — and some of them aren’t found in the books of Samuel.

So — you may be wondering — “Why all of this positive spin on David — why none of the negative stuff?” Though we can’t say for sure what the author’s motives were — we do know that the books of Samuel were known at the time when the books of Chronicles were written — so it’s safe to assume that the author doesn’t think we’re unaware of the stories. However the author’s goal seems to be to use David as an example of the Messianic King that all of the earthly kings have failed to be. It’s like the author is using David as a theological illustration to give hope to God’s people: a true and better David will come and save his people — just as God had promised centuries earlier.

‌MAIN PASSAGE

And — with that as our overview — let’s take a closer look at our passage for this evening. ‌Hopefully you’ve had time to find First Chronicles chapter sixteen — we’ll begin in verse eight.

1 Chronicles 16:8–36 (ESV)

⁸ Oh give thanks to the Lord; call upon his name; make known his deeds among the peoples! ⁹ Sing to him, sing praises to him; tell of all his wondrous works! ¹⁰ Glory in his holy name; let the hearts of those who seek the Lord rejoice! ¹¹ Seek the Lord and his strength; seek his presence continually! ¹² Remember the wondrous works that he has done, his miracles and the judgments he uttered, ¹³ O offspring of Israel his servant, children of Jacob, his chosen ones! ¹⁴ He is the Lord our God; his judgments are in all the earth. ¹⁵ Remember his covenant forever, the word that he commanded, for a thousand generations, ¹⁶ the covenant that he made with Abraham, his sworn promise to Isaac, ¹⁷ which he confirmed to Jacob as a statute, to Israel as an everlasting covenant, ¹⁸ saying, “To you I will give the land of Canaan, as your portion for an inheritance.” ¹⁹ When you were few in number, of little account, and sojourners in it, ²⁰ wandering from nation to nation, from one kingdom to another people, ²¹ he allowed no one to oppress them; he rebuked kings on their account, ²² saying, “Touch not my anointed ones, do my prophets no harm!” ²³ Sing to the Lord, all the earth! Tell of his salvation from day to day. ²⁴ Declare his glory among the nations, his marvelous works among all the peoples! ²⁵ For great is the Lord, and greatly to be praised, and he is to be feared above all gods. ²⁶ For all the gods of the peoples are worthless idols, but the Lord made the heavens. ²⁷ Splendor and majesty are before him; strength and joy are in his place. ²⁸ Ascribe to the Lord, O families of the peoples, ascribe to the Lord glory and strength! ²⁹ Ascribe to the Lord the glory due his name; bring an offering and come before him! Worship the Lord in the splendor of holiness; ³⁰ tremble before him, all the earth; yes, the world is established; it shall never be moved. ³¹ Let the heavens be glad, and let the earth rejoice, and let them say among the nations, “The Lord reigns!” ³² Let the sea roar, and all that fills it; let the field exult, and everything in it! ³³ Then shall the trees of the forest sing for joy before the Lord, for he comes to judge the earth. ³⁴ Oh give thanks to the Lord, for he is good; for his steadfast love endures forever! ³⁵ Say also: “Save us, O God of our salvation, and gather and deliver us from among the nations, that we may give thanks to your holy name and glory in your praise. ³⁶ Blessed be the Lord, the God of Israel, from everlasting to everlasting!” Then all the people said, “Amen!” and praised the Lord.

WORSHIP THE LORD

If you recall — from our time back in First Samuel — the priest Eli died when he heard that the ark of the covenant had been captured by the Philistines. The ark was eventually returned — which you can read about in First Samuel chapter six — but once Saul became king — he never bothered with the ark — he just left it in the city where the Philistines had returned it. 

“Well what does that have to do with anything?” Well our text is the song that David sings in response to the ark finally returning to Jerusalem. And David — the king of Israel — leads the people in corporate worship of God. 

So let’s take a closer look at the words of this worship song — and I want you to notice the commands. Here they are — these are all commands.

• Give thanks (v8)
• Call upon his name (v8)
• Make known his deeds (v8)
• Sing…sing praises (v9)
• Tell of his wondrous works (v9)
• Glory in his holy name (v10)
• Seek the Lord (v11)
• Seek his presence (v11)
• Remember his wondrous works (v12)
• Remember his covenant (v15)
• Sing to the Lord (v23)
• Tell of his salvation (v23)
• Declare his glory among the nations (v24)
• Ascribe, ascribe, ascribe to the Lord glory and strength (vv 28-29)
• Bring an offering (v29)
• Come before him (v29)
• Worship the Lord (v29)
• Tremble before him (v30)
• Give thanks to the Lord (v34)
• Say…save us (v35)
• Say…gather us (v35)
• Say…deliver us. (v35)

The ark of the covenant represented the presence of God. And look at — be amazed at — be inspired by David’s response of worship because the ark was back in Jerusalem — the king leads his people in worship. This is magnificent because worship is the goal and purpose of life — of your life, of my life, of the life of every man, woman, and child — worshiping God is the goal and purpose of life — worship is why you were created — worshiping God is why you exist. And David leads his people in worship.

FINDING JESUS

‌Now — honestly — we could use any one of the commands to find Jesus — but let’s just stay on the theme of worship.

Martin Luther said, “To believe God is to worship God.” So — to believe in Jesus — is to worship Jesus. For example — in the gospel of John — Jesus encounters a man who was born blind — and Jesus heals him. Now there’s a lot of commotion about this healing because it happened on the Sabbath — which upset the religious leaders of the day. 

And these religious leaders keep questioning the formerly blind man about the entire situation. “Were you really born blind.” “Yes.” “How were you healed?” “A guy named Jesus put mud on my eyes and told me to go wash it off.” “But were you really blind?” These religious leaders were relentless — they wouldn’t believe his story.

John 9:26–27 (NLT)

²⁶ “But what did he do?” they asked. “How did he heal you?” ²⁷ “Look!” the man exclaimed. “I told you once. Didn’t you listen? Why do you want to hear it again? Do you want to become his disciples, too?”

And them were fightin’ words — so they threw him out of the synagogue. But…

John 9:35–38 (NLT)

³⁵ When Jesus heard what had happened, he found the man and asked, “Do you believe in the Son of Man?” ³⁶ The man answered, “Who is he, sir? I want to believe in him.” ³⁷ “You have seen him,” Jesus said, “and he is speaking to you!” ³⁸ “Yes, Lord, I believe!” the man said. And he worshiped Jesus.

The man said, “I believe” AND he worshiped Jesus. To believe in Jesus means you worship him. And — when you worship Jesus — you’re worshiping the God who David worshiped. You see, David was looking forward to God’s promised Messiah — the great Rescuer from Heaven — the coming King. And we look back to Jesus — God’s promised Messiah — the great Rescuer from Heaven — the King who has come and is coming again. And — with Jesus in mind — now think of those commands from David’s song. 

• Salvation is found in Jesus and in him alone. 
• And Jesus is the One we’re to thank. 
• His is the name we’re to call upon. 
• We’re to make known the deeds Jesus has done. 
• We’re to tell of his wondrous works. 
• We’re to seek his presence — to tell of his salvation — to declare his glory among the nations. 
• This is what we celebrated earlier in those baptisms — this is the hope those parents have for their children — this is the reason why you and I and every single person exists — to believe in and worship Jesus Christ. 
• And — that means — this is why the church exists.

NEW VISION

‌Back in January — while I was meeting with some pastors in Orlando — Laura Moore — our Executive Director on staff — sent me an email that included a list of stressors for pastors. And she asked, “Which stressors on this list would you say you relate the most with? And is there anything else you would add?” Did I mention that Laura copied Matt Heft — one of our elders — in her email to me? So the pressure was on to not ignore her email. I spent a couple of days reflecting on her question — and here was my reply — and I promise this will eventually make sense as to how this connects to worship.

I wrote, “I don’t know that I’m good at being the vision guy for Gateway. Things like “Should we start another campus” or “should we think about starting up Saturday night services again” are decisions I never know what to do with, when to bring them up, or how we’d even know if we have an answer to these questions. I’ve never understood how pastors come up with a 3-5 year vision plan — it all seems like “throwing spaghetti against the wall” guessing to me — or at least for a mere mortal like me who can’t predict the future.”

And this email thread — all started by Laura Moore — has led me and the elders on a journey for the last ten months. Matt and I met and over lunch he started describing what he sees as my vision for Gateway. I took a few other elders out for lunch and asked them some questions about what they see as my vision. And — since she started it all in the first place — I asked Laura to write down what she saw as my vision. 

And — while I was collecting all of these thoughts and ideas — Matt sent me a video of a pastor giving a “vision talk” to his congregation. And that video clarified something else for me and where all of this vision stuff was headed. So I wrote some things down based on all of the feedback I’d been collecting and the elders and I discussed all of this for months. I eventually presented it to the staff — and then to those of you who came to our all volunteer training back in August. The elders and I kept discussing it all — refining things — making it more clear based on feedback we’d received from you.

And — tonight — I’m going to present our vision to you. As a heads up — we’re going to begin 2024 with a series based on this vision but — for now — think of this as a sneak peek for what’s to come.

So imagine four columns. These four columns represent the key components that drive the life, ministry, and direction of a local church. The first component is the pastor. The second component of a church are its key leaders. The third component of a church is its discipleship process. And the fourth component is actually new for us — so we’ll spend more time here in a moment — but the title for this fourth column is disciple — you all — all of us, really — the followers of Jesus here at Gateway.

So component one — the pastor. This is me — for better or worse. Now the Bible has a lot to say about the qualifications, characteristics, and calling of a pastor. There are the characteristics of a pastor — found in First Timothy chapter 3. There’s the call to shepherd the flock found in First Peter chapter five. There’s the mandate to preach the word found in Second Timothy chapter four. And a pastor is to be focused on prayer and the Word as found in Acts chapter six. Those are some examples of what we mean by the word pastor here at Gateway.

The second column — the next component of a church — are the other key leaders in the church. Here at Gateway our key leaders include our elders, our deacons, our staff, and those who serve as Life Group leaders. 

None of these leadership roles should be surprising to you. And — if they are — know that I’ve written a booklet on our leadership model which you can pick up for free at the Resource Center.

These key leaders help the pastor move the church along in a certain direction — which leads us to the third component — our discipleship process. Here at Gateway this is our process of Worship, Connect, Serve, and Go — and this is how we help you grow as a disciple of Jesus Christ. 

Worship is when we gather together to worship our God in a way that’s Gospel-Centered, done with excellence, and is contextual. We connect in Life Groups where we gather together to discuss how the Bible applies to our lives and care for one another. We serve each other — the people in our church family — AND we go into the world by equipping, partnering with, and sending members to proclaim the Good News of Jesus Christ. 

And there’s a reason why our discipleship process begins with worship and ends with go. As John Piper has said — “Missions (which is our go value…) missions exists, because worship doesn’t. 

Missions is our way of saying: the joy of knowing Christ is not a private, or tribal, or national or ethnic privilege. It is for all. And that’s why we go. Because we have tasted the joy of worshiping Jesus, and we want all the families of the earth included. “All the ends of the earth shall remember and turn to the Lord, and all the families of the nations shall worship before you.” (Psalm 22:27) Seeking the worship of the nations is fueled by the joy of our own worship…Worship is the fuel and the goal of missions.” And I hope you’re starting to see the connection to the theme of worship and David’s song of praise — and all of this talk about vision. 

Are there other ministries we do? Of course. But Worship, Connect, Serve, and Go is our primary way of making disciples here at Gateway. And these three components have summed up our ministry as a church. I — the pastor — invest in the key leaders — who oversee and support our discipleship process.

And then — back in August — I introduced a fourth column — a new component for us as a church. And the way I introduced it was by asking a question: What’s our spiritual goal for people who are part of Gateway Church? 

Meaning, what’s the win — what’s our vision — for someone who worships, connects, serves, and goes? What we’re asking is this: What does it mean to be a disciple of Jesus here at Gateway?

And this is what hasn’t been defined — this is what hasn’t been clearly articulated. You’ve been catching glimpses of what it means to be a disciple through my preaching, the podcast, our conversations with leaders, and so on — but because this component hasn’t been defined like the other three components — there’s been some confusion. And this is what I and the elders want to make clear so we all move forward growing as disciples with a vision of knowing what we mean by “growing as a disciple.”

And our vision — our spiritual goal for every follower of Jesus here at Gateway — is that we’d be disciples…

1. Who are…Word and Spirit Christians.

2. Who are…generous.

3. Who are…family.

4. Who are…disciples who make disciples.

5. And who are Kingdom-minded.

Now — before we expand on each of these characteristics — let’s see a visual recap of the journey we’ve just been on. These are the four components of our church. The first three are nothing new — they’re familiar friends — but the fourth component — a column describing not what we want you do, but who we’re hoping to become as followers of Jesus — this fourth column is what I and your elders are presenting as our vision for the kind of disciples God has called us to make here at Gateway Church.

So let’s look at these characteristics of a disciple more closely — realizing that a sermon series is coming in January.

Characteristic number one: We are Word and Spirit Christians. This characteristic is meant to capture our view of God’s Word and our desire for all of us to be men and women who live under the authority of God’s word and empowered by his Spirit. 

Here at Gateway we believe that God’s Word is inerrant — it’s without error — it’s infallible — it’s incapable of teaching falsehood. We believe that God’s Word is authoritative, sufficient, and practical — thus — everything we’re to do in life — individually and as a church — is to be filtered by and submitted to God’s Word. Passages like Second Timothy chapter three and Psalm one hundred and nineteen come to mind when I think about us living under the authority of God’s Word.

The ‘empowered by God’s Spirit’ part of this characteristic means that we desire for us to be a people who live in the freedom we’ve been given because of the work that Christ has accomplished on our behalf. Because we believe that — through our faith in Christ — we’ve been set free from sin and are now to fight against sin as we live holy lives by the power of the Holy Spirit who lives in us. Living in a way so that all that we do — in word and action — is done for the glory of God and done with the supernatural joy that’s found only in Jesus. And our goal is that every disciple at Gateway will use the gifts the Spirit has given them for the building up of this church body so that we reach our full maturity in Christ. So that’s our first characteristic of a disciple and our vision is that we’d be Word and Spirit Christians.

Now onto the next characteristic: We are generous. Being generous is something I especially love about Gateway — probably because generosity is one of my spiritual gifts. Theologian Leon Morris has said, “Worship that costs us nothing is worth precisely what it costs.” What cost are we willing to pay so that others — both here and far — might worship Jesus? Remember the promises of Scripture — “It’s better to give than to receive.” (Acts 20:35) — and — “God blesses a cheerful giver.” (2 Corinthians 9:6-7) 

Whether it be how we budget, our Christmas Eve offerings, or how much we give to missions — from our partnerships with people working among unreached people groups around the world to the Women’s Resource Center gift and the adoption scholarship announcements we recently made — being generous disciples is who we envision all of us to be — that we’d recognize the holy obligation we’ve been called to: to steward the resources God has entrusted to us by using them for his Kingdom work.‌

Characteristic three: We are family. Understanding this as the kind of disciples we’re making here at Gateway will help clarify why we do ministry the way that we do as a church. 

For example — families are different from business organizations — and I want your view of our church to be first as that of a family and then — and much later — as an organization. There are some organizational activities we must do — budgets, room reservations, keeping calendars up to date, and so on — but I want our default position to be that we view each other — especially the congregation at the other campus — as family.

Rarely do you make formal plans to connect with family. You bear with crazy aunts and uncles — why? Because they’re part of the family. You help carry the burdens of those in your family who are suffering. And — families — healthy ones — Christ-centered ones — they love each other. They’re committed to each other. There’s the idea — in a family — of “we before me.” And everyone has a place and a role in the family — names matter — and so do each of our unique stories.

And viewing ourselves as family will change how we do ministry. It’ll change our gatherings when we worship. The person who shows up late or runs out early will feel like an outsider because family members stick around to talk and hangout. Our Life Groups will feel like getting together with family — not a box we check on our calendar. 

And though we try real hard to make everyone feel welcome — if you choose to not participate in our family activities of worship, connect, serve, and go — well — you’re always gonna feel like a guest instead of like a family member. 

A passage that comes to mind are the first few verses of First Timothy chapter five. There Paul tells us to view older women as mothers; younger women as sisters. Older men as fathers; and younger men as brothers. Though we may not be blood-related — we’ve all been adopted into God’s family. Romans 12:15 shows us the kind of family God wants us to be — a family where we rejoice with those who are rejoicing; and where weep with those who are weeping. This is our vision for us — that we’d be a family.

Characteristic number four: We are disciples who make disciples. I’ve shared my life mission statement before, which is “to glorify God by making disciples who find their joy in Jesus.” A local pastor in town calls me the Bible guy — the disciple making pastor. I’ll gladly accept that reputation. And my hope is that you will gladly accept the reputation — and responsibility — of being disciples who make disciples along with me. Because — it’s not just me — or just a few of us here at Gateway — but all of us are called to be disciples who make disciples.

‌For we must pass on the baton of faith to the next generation. We’re responsible for raising up the next generation of Christians, pastors, missionaries, and church leaders. We’re responsible for leaving the Christian faith stronger and in better hands as our time on earth comes to an end. Matthew chapter twenty-eight and Acts chapter one come to mind when I think of this characteristic — chapters that record Jesus’ command that we would be disciples who make disciples — for we’re all called to make disciples and our vision is that we’d live up to this calling.

The final characteristic: We are Kingdom-minded. This characteristic is directly linked to our striving to be a church that raises up the next generation of Christians, pastors, missionaries, and church leaders — but now — not just for our own local church benefit — but for the benefit of Christ’s church beyond our walls.

We’re to make disciples of all nations. This is why some of our folks are overseas right now.  This is why so many of you were at our missions celebration dinner and have gone on mission trips. 

But this characteristic isn’t just for a few of us — this is a characteristic for all disciples of Jesus. For Jesus did teach us to pray for God’s Kingdom to come here on earth as it is in Heaven (Matthew 6:10). And our vision is that we’d be a people who  trust in Jesus’ promise that he is building his Church and the gates of Hell will not prevail for we’ve been given the keys of Christ’s Kingdom (Matthew 16). And our King of all kings is reigning and ruling over all of his creation — and he has promised that his Kingdom will come — thus we’re to be Kingdom-minded disciples.

Word and Spirit Christians. Generous. Family. Disciples who make disciples. And Kingdom-minded.

CONCLUSION

Let’s take one last look at the four components of our church. Pastor — check. Key leaders — check — I’m so thankful for our elders, deacons, staff, and Life Group leaders. Discipleship process — we’ve got a good one — check. And the goal of our discipleship process — our vision for the kind of disciples we’re making here at Gateway: Disciples who are Word and Spirit Christians. Who are generous. Who are family. Who are disciples who make disciples. And who are Kingdom-minded. Finally — check.

‌One last thing. If you were at the volunteer training back in August — you may recall that I didn’t have a word at the top of the fourth column — I called it the “X” that marks the spot — our “win” — and our “spiritual goal”. And the reason why I didn’t have a word for the fourth component was because — believe it or not — it took me a really long time to figure out what the word was supposed to be. “Well that seems silly, Josh. Disciple is so obvious!” And it is obvious, but there’s a reason why I struggled — but you’ll hear more about that in our preaching series in January.

Know that the elders and I are unified and excited for this next chapter in our story as a church. We’re so thankful for Gateway’s past — I’m so thankful for Gateway’s history — thankful for the pastors, elders, staff, and church members who’ve come before me. I and the elders find it a joy to honor our past — AND — we’re excited about our future and we hope this vision excites you as we make clear the spiritual win for each and everyone of us — so that — all that we do as a church results in many more people — both here in Findlay and to the ends of the earth — worshiping Jesus Christ — for worship is why they exist — and worship is why we exist. Let’s pray together.

PRAYER

‌Father, Son, and Holy Spirit we thank you. We call upon your name. We vow to make known your deeds — to tell of your wondrous works — and to tell the nations of your salvation. We vow to sing praises to your name and to seek you — to seek your presence — and to ascribe to you glory and strength. We’ll remember your covenant promises as we come before you — bringing you the offering you require of us — our lives — as we worship you and you alone. Save us, we ask. Deliver us, we pray. Gather and unite us together as your people. In Jesus’ name we pray. Amen.

BENEDICTION

May you go believing in Jesus — going as a disciple who worships the Lord. Amen.

God loves you. I love you. You are sent.