The video I mentioned in Sunday's sermon...

Cherishing and Guarding the Gospel...

If you like Antiques Roadshow, you're familiar with the basic formula. Folks who know very little about what they possess bring their valuables (or rubbish) to this travelling appraisal crew for expert assessment. It's fairly boring except for the moments when someone brings in something they've always thought was unusual... and then find out that it's unbelievably priceless.

These last two weeks have been a lot like that for us as a church. We've pulled out the dusty, often neglected, antique-sounding, old-time message of the gospel- the truth that Jesus Christ died and rose for my sins according to God's eternal plan. God called that message the most important truth we can know and rest in. It's not a ticket intended to get us into heaven... instead, Jesus's work in saving us will be the ongoing focal point of God's glory into eternity (Rev 5).

For that reason, we spent the last two weeks introducing our mission possible series by remembering that the church is called to cherish and to guard the gospel. What we value, we protect... and the fact that God placed this message as being of first importance means we want to understand how important it is that we believe, suffer for, and defend the gospel. In order to help us dig into the messages even more, I've attached two review sheets from the past two sermons. Going forward, I hope to have these up Sunday night for your review... thanks!

• May 1- Cherish the Gospel


• May 8- Guard the Gospel

Recapping the Refuge Series...

Even though I've been alive for almost 4 decades, I've never met anyone who was obsessed with killing me. I've been a part of soccer teams and college rivalries, but not once did I face down another group whose main goal was anihilating me and my friends. So, sometimes it's hard to relate with the psalms- especially since that seemed to be a large part of their experience.


David had to deal with people who hated him and wanted to kill him, Israel was regularly threatened by large armies bent on their complete destruction. But what I've been grateful for this last month is that we've been able to look at the way God sought to reassure His people when they were oppressed, discouraged, jealous, fearful, and guilty. And through it all (using a variety of different pictures), God always called for Israel's trust because He was their refuge.


When I consider how frequently in life I am feeling weak or weary or envious or afraid or condemned... it's reassuring to know that nowhere else in life will I find a place of safety for my soul other than in God Himself. He wants to me remember that He is my Shield... He is my Stream, He is my Portion, He is my Fortress, He is my Shelter. And when I find Him to be a refuge to my soul and when I actively place my faith in Him, He alone receives all the glory.


Over these last 5 weeks, we received the "Take It Home" sheets for follow-up. So, here they are online- sorry for the delay in getting them out to you! (Click the link below to find the PDF)...

• Ps 115- "A Shield to the Weak"
• Ps 42/43- "A Stream to the Weary"
• Ps 73- "A Portion to the Envious"
• Ps 46- "A Fortress to the Fearful"
• Ps 32- "A Shelter to the Guilty"

In light of the weather, I know that some of your groups have cancelled yesterday and tonight. In addition to the posts here, we're going to have an updated devotional as a follow-up to this series. Moving into February, we'll be posting the follow-ups here as we get back into 1 Thessalonians.

Have a great week!
Darren