The Gospel of Luke provides a thoroughly researched record of the arrival of God’s promised Messiah, his chosen and anointed King. Jesus came into the world, bringing with him the presence of the kingdom of God. But the manner of his arrival, the deeds he performed, the company he kept, and the words he spoke surprised many.

The king of Kings was not born in a palace but in a manger. He was not received with royal fanfare but by a group of shepherds. When it came time to gather a group of disciples, his choices included fishermen and a tax collector. At one point, Jesus entered the house of a Pharisee named Simon, but it was not the religious teacher who received him well, but a notoriously sinful woman. Time and again in Luke’s gospel, we see God’s surprising love for the poor, tax collectors, outcasts, sinners, women, Samaritans, and Gentiles.

The parable of the prodigal son, which is unique to Luke, contains a couple of surprising plot twists. The younger of two brothers rebelled against his father, taking his inheritance prematurely and squandering it on sinful living. He found himself living in abject poverty. When the younger son came to his senses after rejecting his father in a profoundly disrespectful and irresponsible manner, he humbled himself and returned to his father, which was not very surprising. However, the father responded by running to and embracing his wayward son, which was very surprising. In the end, the older brother fails to understand his father’s love, while the younger son is the one who truly loves the father.

While Luke’s gospel is full of surprises, the greatest surprise was how the king would save his people. As Jesus set out toward Jerusalem, he prepared his disciples for what was coming, telling them he would be mocked, shamefully treated, spit upon, flogged, and killed. The idea the Messiah would suffer and die in this way was so incredulous to the disciples that they could not grasp what he was saying.

Yet, just as he predicted, Jesus suffered and died, absorbing the wrath of God for the sins of his people, and was buried and laid in a tomb. But that was not the end of the story. Can you imagine the surprise of the grieving women as they returned to the tomb with spices for the body only to find it empty? How about when the angel appeared to them and said, “Why do you seek the living among the dead?” Jesus rose from the grave! The King was vindicated!

The Gospel of Luke is full of wonderful surprises that help us see that the King is greater than we could have imagined and that his Kingdom is more glorious than we could have ever hoped. In this gospel, we will also see what it means to live as Jesus' disciples and citizens of his kingdom. We pray that our time in this wonderful gospel will grow our love for Jesus and desire to see the consummation of his glorious kingdom.

For the past few years, my wife Rebekah and I have been enjoying the ESV Bible app for daily Bible reading. The ESV Bible app provides a variety of daily reading plans of different scopes and sizes. If you desire to read the Bible in a year--there's a plan for that. If you want to focus on Hebrew literature--there's a plan for that. You get the idea. In addition to our daily Bible reading, we also try to read the morning and evening entry (you can receive that online or have it emailed to you, or pick up a paper copy edited by Alistar Begg. 

In the sermon two weeks ago, I recommended a few books that have been personally helpful over the years. These books are available in the RRC bookstore.

Two practical resources for honoring God with our time and effort:

1. Do More Better by Tim Challies - Productivity can be honoring to the Lord—using our time wisely and honorably to the glory of Christ is a blessing. Although efficiency can become an idol, so can a lack of efficiency (a.k.a., laziness). The Apostle Paul encourages believers to do all things to the glory of God (1 Cor. 10:31). According to John Bloom from Desiring God, “When we look at the verse in its wider context, we see that Paul’s command to do all to the glory of God relates to cultural idols, the Christian conscience, and how we live before an unbelieving world.” Christ's followers are called to resemble and represent a holy God of order and purpose in a sinful world of chaos and indecision.
2. Just Do Something by Kevin DeYoung - This short read is helpful if you have some large decisions ahead that maybe you feel a little stuck about. This could include graduating High School or College, a job change or desiring a job change, etc. Whatever decisions you may have ahead, DeYoung helps readers to think biblically about those decisions and strive to honor God with our whole lives through every decision.

Three devotional resources for growing in Christian Knowledge and Discipleship:

1. Christian Beliefs by Wayne Grudem - I want to commend you to continue to grow in your understanding of the Christian Faith—and this resource is a fantastic resource to aid in your efforts. I affectionately refer to Christian Beliefs as the “scratch and sniff” version of Dr. Grudem's more extensive work, Systematic Theology. Christian Beliefs is a succinct overview of twenty fundamental Christian Doctrines (teachings) in under 150 pages.
2. The Gospel and Personal Evangelism by Mark Dever - If you feel the pull to grow in your evangelistic fervor and efforts, this outstanding resource will encourage and challenge you to share your faith with others in right around 100 pages.
3. Follow Me by David Platt - With a passion to stir the church to engage in missions directed at the unreached people of the world, David Platt calls his readers out of comfortable western Christianity into radical Christlike living. IMO, this is a must-read for every disciple of Jesus seeking to grow more like Christ by following his example.

There are more wonderful resources than these five, but it's a start. I hope you are encouraged to continue to grow in 2023 in your love for God's Word, knowledge of God's Word, and, by the help of the Holy Spirit, understanding of God's Word.

When Jesus addressed Saul, he asked him a revealing question. He said, “Saul, Saul, why are you persecuting me?” Saul was perplexed. Who exactly was this person who claimed to be persecuted by him? Jesus told him, “I am Jesus, whom you are persecuting.” What a strange thing to say. How could Jesus claim that Saul was persecuting him? After all, Jesus and Saul had never met. Saul, later referred to by his Greek name, Paul, would soon find the answer to this question. He discovered that Jesus is so intimately bound up with his church that to persecute the church is to persecute Christ himself.

In Colossians 1:16-18, Paul, writing about Jesus, said,

“For by him all things were created, in heaven and on earth, visible and invisible, whether thrones or dominions or rulers or authorities—all things were created through him and for him. And he is before all things, and in him all things hold together. And he is the head of the body, the church. He is the beginning, the firstborn from the dead, that in everything he might be preeminent.”

What an astonishing statement! All things were made through Jesus, and all things were made for Jesus. Moreover, he is the head of the church, which is his body. We who have been saved by Jesus, belong to his body, and now live for his glory.

This profound passage in Colossians pushes back against our tendency toward a man-centered view of the church, which primarily focuses on how one benefits from attending and joining a church. Those who hold this perspective will likely only get involved as much as they believe the church adds value to their life. A man-centered view of the church focuses on questions such as: Does the church have what I’m looking for? Does the church meet my needs? How does the church make me feel? Does the church help me with my journey? Sadly, an inordinate focus on these questions misses the glory of Christ in the church.

On the other hand, when we have a Christ-centered view of the church, we are motivated to engage with the church to glorify God in Jesus Christ. We have this view when by God’s grace, we apply the glorious truth of the gospel to our hearts. We remember that Christ humbled himself and suffered for our sake. We are confident that he has made atonement for all our sins. We rejoice that he has transferred us from the domain of darkness into his glorious kingdom. We are grateful that he has adopted us into his family, and now we know God as our father, Christ as our elder brother, and one another as brothers and sisters in Christ.

We look forward to our future with him in a better country and a heavenly city. When these truths permeate our hearts and minds, we will joyfully engage with the church. Of course, even when we hold this view, we know that we will benefit greatly by fully engaging in the church. Yet, even when we don’t feel those benefits, we remain faithful to the church out of love and devotion to Christ because he is intimately bound up with his church.

I wonder, how do you view the church? Do you engage with the body knowing that Jesus is bound up with the church, and we glorify him through our love and devotion to his church? Do you value and cherish gathering on the Lord’s Day to worship Jesus? Do you seek opportunities to serve and encourage your brothers and sisters in Christ? Do you desire to use the gifts God has given you to build up and strengthen the church? If not, ask for his help. He desires to help you love and serve his church.

I pray that Jesus will help us to see the church the way he does. I also pray that he will help us to see the connection between loving him and devotion to his body.

We don’t know who wrote the book of Hebrews, and we don’t exactly know who the original audience was. But we know that the original recipients of the letter had experienced some turbulence in their lives. In chapter 10, the author recounted how they had endured a hard struggle with suffering, had been publicly exposed to reproach and affliction and had even joyfully accepted the plundering of their property. Clearly, following Jesus came at a high cost for these believers. While they had endured thus far, the author of Hebrews was concerned that over time they might be tempted to look to something or someone other than Jesus to hold on to. Most likely, they were Jewish Christians tempted to return to their Jewish way of life under the Old Covenant, which would have been an easier path with less opposition.

Due to these trials and temptations, Hebrews expounds on the supremacy of Christ and the need to hold fast to Jesus. Regarding the supremacy of Christ, the author described Jesus as superior to angels, Moses, the tabernacle priesthood, and the sacrificial system. In short, Jesus is far better than anyone or anything.

In expounding the glory and supremacy of Christ, the author had a purpose for his audience. He referred to his letter as a word of exhortation (13:22). Thus, the superiority of Christ served as the basis to exhort his audience to endure and persevere in the faith.

Throughout the letter, we see many words of exhortation, including ‘don’t drift ‘(2:1); ‘guard your heart against hardening unbelief’ (3:12); ‘strive to enter God’s rest’ (4:11); ‘don’t fall away’ (6:6); ‘hold fast to the hope’ (6:18); ‘let us hold fast to the confession of our hope’ (10:23);  ‘do not throw away your confidence’ (10:29); and ‘run with endurance’ (12:2). The author was clear that the judgment for those who reject Jesus is severe, while the cost of following Jesus is worth it.

As followers of Jesus, we can expect to experience trials and turbulence in our lives. By God’s grace, we have a sure and steady anchor to whom we are called to hold fast. His name is Jesus, and there is nothing and no one greater than him. We have many heroes of the faith who have gone before us, enduring suffering for the name of Christ. Whatever we might endure to follow him is worth it, just as it was for them. Therefore, let’s resist the temptation to drift away and remain confident in Jesus Christ as we run the race with perseverance.

In prepation for our Hebrews sermon series, we did a three-part sermon series going through the book of Leviticus. If you did not get a chance to listen to the sermons you can find them here: Leviticus

Navigating life is complex and challenging. Moreover, as the Lord’s people, we are called to live our lives in a pleasing way to Him. We are called to do what is good and right in his eyes. The Lord gives us good commands to this end. Yet, when we set out to live our lives for the Lord, we face opposition, temptation, and unforeseen circumstances. In 1 Peter 4:12, we read, “Beloved, do not be surprised at the fiery trial when it comes upon you to test you, as though something strange were happening to you.” Sometimes it is hard to do what is good and right during a trial because doing the right thing is costly. But there are also times when it is hard to do the right thing because we don’t know what the right thing is. We regularly face situations and circumstances that catch us off guard and perplex us. Knowing what is good and right in each case is not always obvious. Navigating life in a sinful and broken world is tough! Thus, we desperately need wisdom. Thanks be to God that he graciously gives wisdom to those who seek it in him!

The book of Proverbs is one way God imparts wisdom to his people. The Lord gave Solomon understanding and inspired him and a few others to write the words of this precious book. Proverbs is full of wise sayings and instructions, often said in a memorable way, written to help us walk in righteousness. However, we need to understand that Proverbs is not a detailed playbook providing instructions telling us exactly what to do in every situation. Nor is it a book of promises that, if followed, will guarantee specific outcomes. Instead, Proverbs provides us with wise sayings and principles from the Lord, which help us navigate the complexities and challenges of life and walk in his righteousness.

Rightly applying Proverbs to our lives requires thoughtful reflection and meditation. In a world that values instant gratification, we need to slow down and patiently seek the treasure the book of Proverbs affords us. It will be worth it! Proverbs 3:14-15 tells us:

Blessed is the one who finds wisdom,
    and the one who gets understanding,
for the gain from her is better than gain from silver
    and her profit better than gold.
She is more precious than jewels,
    and nothing you desire can compare with her.

While the Lord granted Solomon extraordinary wisdom, he sent one whose wisdom surpassed Solomon's. In Isaiah 11:1-5, the prophet Isaiah offered hope of the Messiah who would come. He described him as having the Spirit of the Lord, the Spirit of wisdom and understanding, who will delight in the fear of the Lord. The Lord fulfilled this promise with the coming of our Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ.

As we go through the book of Proverbs, we pray that the Lord will grant us the wisdom we need, that we will acknowledge him in all our ways, that he will make straight our paths, that we will walk in righteousness, and that we will become more like Jesus, who is the embodiment of the wisdom in Proverbs.

When we think of freedom, we tend to have positive thoughts and feelings and in our cultural context freedom is valued, pursued, protected, enjoyed, and celebrated.

When Paul wrote his letter to the churches in Galatia, he encouraged his fellow believers regarding their freedom. The freedom he spoke of, however, is far superior than any other form of freedom we might enjoy. In Galatians 5:1 Paul wrote, “For freedom Christ has set us free; stand firm therefore, and do not submit again to a yoke of slavery.”

The freedom we have in Christ is the greatest freedom of all.  John Stott writes, “The Christian freedom he describes is freedom of conscience, freedom from the tyranny of the law, the dreadful struggle to keep the law, with a view to winning the favour of God. It is the freedom of acceptance with God and of access to God through Christ.”^[1]

Because we are saved by grace through faith we are not meant to live under the burden of the law. We are not meant to live with the pressure of trying to justify ourselves before the Lord or prove that we have done enough. We are not meant to live with the fear that if I don’t do all the right things God will reject me.

Instead, we are to walk in the freedom that Christ has provided because he has paid it all! We can be certain that God has forgiven all our sins: past, present, and future. The freedom we have in Christ is not a freedom to live however we want but a freedom to live for the glory of God and the good of others without any need to prove or justify ourselves.

Therefore, we should not understand the fruit of the Spirit in Galatians 5:22-23 as a burdensome list to be checked off to prove that we are good Christians. Rather, we should recognize that the Holy Spirit desires to produce this fruit in us for our good, the good of others and the glory of God. As we seek to grow in the fruit of the Spirit, we will have times when we stumble and fall short. But God’s grace is greater than our sins and failures and when we fall short, we do not lose God’s acceptance and favor. Indeed, we are free to live for his glory with no fear of judgment! By God’s grace, we will also have times of success where we will see evidence of Spiritual growth in our lives. Rather than downplaying the growth we see or taking credit for ourselves, let’s rejoice when we have success giving thanks and praise to the Lord for his kindness toward us.

As we seek to grow together in the fruit of the Spirit, let’s do so from a place of true freedom giving God the glory for the good work he is producing in us.

^[1] Stott, J. R. W. (1986). The message of Galatians: Only one way (p. 132). Leicester, England; Downer’s Grove, IL: InterVarsity Press.

In his letter to the Galatians, Paul contended for the true gospel to prevent the churches in Galatia from being led astray by false teaching. He emphasized that we are saved by faith in Jesus Christ and not works of the law. We are not able to save ourselves through obedience to the law of God, rather our only hope is the finished work of Jesus Christ on our behalf.

The wonderful news that we are saved by faith in Jesus Christ brings tremendous freedom for the believer. Christ’s work on the cross is sufficient to cover all our sins: past, present, and future. Our consciences are free from the guilt of sin, and we are fully accepted by God. We do not have to live under the burden of the law. We do not have to wonder if we measure up. We do not have to fear that our good works will fall short on the day of judgment. We are free! The gospel refreshes us time and time again when we are continually made aware of the many ways we sin and fall short.

We would be mistaken, however, to think that our freedom is a license to indulge sinful desires. Instead, we are to use the refreshing freedom we have in the gospel to serve one another.  The difficulty is that we cannot do this in our own strength. Thanks be to God that he does not leave us to do this in our own strength. He graciously gives us the incredible gift of the Holy Spirit who indwells us.

In Galatians 5:18-24 we read,

“But if you are led by the Spirit, you are not under the law.  Now the works of the flesh are evident: sexual immorality, impurity, sensuality, idolatry, sorcery, enmity, strife, jealousy, fits of anger, rivalries, dissensions, divisions, envy, drunkenness, orgies, and things like these. I warn you, as I warned you before, that those who do such things will not inherit the kingdom of God. But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, self-control; against such things there is no law. And those who belong to Christ Jesus have crucified the flesh with its passions and desires.”

As we walk in the power of the Holy Spirit, the wonderful fruit of the Spirit will be increasingly evident in our lives together.

As we begin the new year, we want to give time and attention to growing in the fruit of the Spirit. The hope and prayer for our sermon series is that fruit of the Spirit will increase in our lives individually and collectively as a church family. The evidence of the fruit of the Spirit appears in the context of relationships. After all, it’s easy to be patient when no one is around to test your patience! 

When you become a member of a local church, you commit yourself to living as a member of the body of Christ with a particular group of people, which is a good thing as love flourishes in the context of committed relationships. Our aim is to see our love for one another, as well as all the pieces of the fruit of the Spirit, flourish in the context of the Restoration Road Church family. We hope you will join us in praying for our church to this end.

Reformer, Theologian, and Pastor John Calvin wrote: “Those, therefore, who set up a fictitious worship, merely worship and adore their own delirious fancies; indeed, they would never dare so to trifle with God, had they not previously fashioned him after their own childish conceits.”¹  We are creatures created to worship. Period. We will either worship the Creator or someone or something of our own childish imaginations. It is innate in how we were created. The question is not will you worship, but who and what will you worship? Will you worship the true and living God, the only One deserving of worship. Or will you worship a lesser god?

Often when we think of worship, we think of singing and music. Though singing is a method of worship, it is not synonymous with worship. Worship essentially is assigning value to something. We give our attention and affection to that which is most valuable to us. When we begin to invest much of our time and our resources into something other than God, we are in danger of elevating it to an unhealthy level, which scripture labels as idolatry.  

In John 4:19-24, Jesus is questioned regarding the method of worship by a Samaritan woman. He ignores the question and speaks instead to the motivation, the underlying attitude rather than the outward action, declaring worship is a spiritual offering according to the Truth of God's Word. Worship in spirit is not exclusively an emotional or mystical experience. Instead, it transcends outward, physical actions and reaches the inward man, the spirit, directing our attention and affection toward God, who is Spirit (Jn. 4:24). Although one may give an offering of worship through music; worship is not music. True worship is a disposition of humility, reverence, and awe directed toward God. Jewish men wear a piece of cloth on their heads called a Yarmulke or Kippah, as an aid to remember that God alone is above. No matter how important, wealthy, or influential one becomes, God always stands above. We would do well to emulate their attitude of humility in our worship.

To have the right attitude, Truth must be present. Theology and Doxology must both be present for orthodox worship. As Pastor/songwriter/author Matt Boswell wrote, “Worship should not to be driven by pragmatism, but informed by the Word of God. There must be a marriage between theology and doxology.”²

Or consider what pastor/rapper Shai Linne states in the introduction to his Lyrical Theology Part 2 hip-hop album:

"Theology is the study of God and it's very important; Doxology is an expression of praise to God. So, the point here is that all theology should ultimately lead to Doxology. If theology doesn't lead to Doxology, then we've actually missed the point of theology. So if you have theology without Doxology, you just have dead, cold orthodoxy. Which is horrible, right? On the other side, we have people who say: "Ugh! Forget theology; I just wanna praise!" Right? But, if we have Doxology without theology, we actually have idolatry! Because it's just a random expression of praise, but it's not actually informed by the Truth of who God is So, God is concerned with both! He's concerned with an accurate understanding of Him; And that accurate understanding of Him, leading to a response of praise, adoration and worship towards Him."³

At the core, worship is a disposition of humility formed by the Truth of God's Word. A true worshipper has an honest view of themself and their need for God’s grace. A true worshipper is less concerned with their passionate expression than about the truth that governs their lives. Consider the following questions:

• Are you living according to the truth of Scripture? 
• Does your life reflect an attitude of humility toward God? 
• Do you see your great need for God’s grace and cannot keep from praising God when you think of what he has done to restore you? 
• Does your life (word & deed) demonstrate that He is most valuable to you? 

The worshipper acknowledges the great and awesome God who has condescended to earth, took on flesh (John 1) to live the perfect, sinless life we couldn’t, not even the best of us. Additionally, Christ endured the punishment that was rightly ours. Though he was sinless, he became the sacrifice to cover sin, satisfying God’s wrath, and redeeming man (2 Corinthians 5:17-21). Jesus in my place. This is the good news of the Gospel and those who hear it worship in awe of a gracious and loving God. May you and I worship Jesus for who he is and what he has done to the glory of his name.

¹ Calvin, John. Institutes of the Christian Religion (p. 25). Digireads.com. Kindle Edition.

²  Boswell, Matt. Doxology and Theology: How the Gospel Forms... (p. 7). B&H Publishing Group. Kindle Edition.

³ Linne, Shai. Lyrical Theology Part 2: Doxology, Doxology Intro

In other words, the Mona Lisa is so definitively regarded as a masterpiece that it is no longer subject to scrutiny, but the painting does reveal something about those who view it based on how they respond. Similarly, the bible is definitively the authoritative word of God and is not subject to human scrutiny. But the Word reveals and exposes things about people based on how they respond to it.

The question, therefore, is how do you respond to the word of God?

When Paul wrote to the church in Thessalonica, he expressed a deep sense of gratitude for the believers in that city. The Christians in Thessalonica encouraged the apostle by the way they responded to the word of God. Paul wrote,

And we also thank God constantly for this, that when you received the word of God, which you heard from us, you accepted it not as the word of men but as what it really is, the word of God, which is at work in you believers.

Paul was grateful for the way the Thessalonians received the word of God because they received it as the authoritative word of God. Paul contrasted the word of God with the word of men as the word of men simply does not carry the same weight as the word of God. When we hear the word of men, we have to consider many things including whether or not it is good or bad, right or wrong, wise or unwise, important or unimportant, and relevant or irrelevant. However, when we hear the word of God, we do not need to render these judgments. Rather, when we rightly receive God’s word, we know that it is good, right, wise, important and relevant. In other words, we treat God’s word as authoritative.  We do so with the confidence that “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.” (2 Timothty 3:16-17)

In his Systematic Theology, Wayne Grudem writes, “The authority of Scripture means that all the words in Scripture are God’s words in such a way that to disbelieve of disobey any word of Scripture is to disbelieve or disobey God.”

At Restoration Road Church we confess this in our statement of faith, which reads, “The Bible is to be believed, as God’s instruction, in all that it teaches; obeyed, as God’s command, in all that it requires; and trusted, as God’s pledge, in all that it promises. As God’s people hear, believe, and do the Word, they are equipped as disciples of Christ and witnesses to the gospel.”

So, why is this doctrine important and why is it important for your growth in Christ? The doctrine is vitally important as it provides the foundation for how we know and relate to God. First of all, we are able to have confidence in our knowledge of God and his character and nature as we learn about him in the bible. We are also able to have confidence that God loves us and cares for us. We are able to approach him knowing that he delights to forgive ALL of our sins in Jesus Christ. We rest assured that he is working all things according to the counsel of his will and he is working all things for our good. We have certainty regarding these wonderful truths and many more because God has revealed them authoritatively in His word.

Moreover, this doctrine leads us into a right relationship with the Lord. As followers of Jesus, we do not sit in the seat of judgment regarding God’s word. Instead, we sit under God’s word in a seat of humble submission. When we joyfully and humbly submit to God’s word we demonstrate that God is in charge of our lives and we are not. We don’t have the freedom to pick and choose what applies to us. We also demonstrate that God is trustworthy as we entrust ourselves to his ways rather than our own preferences and choices.

We have particularly powerful opportunities to demonstrate this when the Bible contradicts our own desires. For example, it is much more difficult to obey 1 Timothy 2:2, which commands us to pray for those in authority when the ones in authority include people we did not vote for and with whom we strongly disagree. But we demonstrate the Word’s authoritative role in our lives by genuinely praying for the leaders with whom we disagree as the Lord commands us.

When we joyfully submit ourselves to the Lord by walking in obedience to his word, we enjoy the blessing of living in a right relationship with Him. Enjoying a right relationship with the Lord is better than anything this world has to offer.

Not only do we seek to submit to the authority of God’s word individually, we also do so collectively as a church family. The elders of RRC understand that we are men under authority and therefore we work to submit all of our decisions to the will of the Lord as revealed in his word. We do not lead based on what is right in our own eyes rather everything we do is examined in the light of God’s word.

Thus, affirming the authority of God’s word is vital to our faithfulness as followers of Jesus and vital to the health of our church.

Brothers and sisters, as we seek the Lord in his word let us wholeheartedly submit to him demonstrating the authority that his word has over our lives. As we do so, we will enjoy his blessing and display his goodness.