Good Shepherd Community Church

Psalm 110 verse 1 is the most quoted of Old Testament verses in the New Testament. It's proper interpretation is dependent upon the identity of the speaker in each section. Jesus in his encounters with the Scribes and Pharisees cited this psalm as a key to his identity as the Son of David. Paul in his letter to Timothy said Jesus as the Sonof David is essential to the gospel. Remember Jesus Christ, risen from the dead and descended from David, according to my gospel, 2 Timothy 2-8-The Gospel begins with our understanding of the identity of Jesus of Nazareth, the son of Mary.

Christians rightly celebrate the birth of Jesus of Nazareth the son of Mary because it was in fulfillment of God's promise to send a Deliverer, a Redeemer. And he came--This unique Son of God, the Word taking to himself human nature offered himself as the atoning sacrifice for our sins. He died. He was buried in the cave. Three days later in that body he was raised to life. Forty days later he ascended into heaven.His departure was seen by his disciples.--Where exactly did he go-- How did he get there-- Why is he there-- HHow long will he be there--

Paul details in Ephesians 6 the spiritual armor our Lord has provided for each of his disciples, his soldiers. The last grouping is found in Ephesians 6-16-18- In all circumstances take up the shield of faith, with which you can extinguish all the flaming darts of the evil one- and take the helmet of salvation, and the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God, praying at all times in the Spirit, with all prayer and supplication.-This 3rd episode in a three-part series on our spiritual armor considers what a solider connects to his body at the time of a spiritual battle. We place the helmet on our head, take up the shield and grasp the sword and go forth to meet the enemy. Christ's solders remain alert for the bugle call or the sound of the enemy approaching. For the weapons of our warfare are not of the flesh but have divine power to destroy strongholds. 2 Corinthians 10-4

Main Idea of Psalm 98- Yahweh merits exuberant praise for his works of salvation and his coming judgment. -The three sections of this psalm teach us--I. Yahweh's works of salvation call for a new song of praise. - v. 1-3-II. Yahweh's Kingship calls for exuberant worship. - v. 4-6-III. Yahweh's coming judgment calls for rejoicing. - v.7-9

Message 2 of a 3 part series on the Christian Armor listed by Paul in Ephesians 6. The armor can be seen as defensive weapons and defensive-offensive weapon. This message looks at the what the solider wears next to his body for protection from the enemy's assaults. . 14 Stand firm therefore, having girded your loins with truth, and having put on the breastplate of righteousness, 15 and having shod your feet with the preparation of the gospel of peace. This are then followed by the weapons he takes up in times of actual combat.--What is the belt of truth, the breastplate of righteousness and the shoes of the gospel of peace--

In Psalm 2 we see--I. Humanity's Opposition to Yahweh's rule is futile. v. 1-3-II. Yahweh's Response to Human Opposition is Decisive v.4-6-III. Yahweh Has Issued Sure Decrees Regarding his Son v.7-9-IV. Yahweh Declares the Necessity of Submission to the Son - v.10-12-Submission to the Son is the avenue of joy, please, and usefulness.

This is the first episode of a 3 part consideration of the spiritual armor Paul list in Ephesians 6. Before one can understand and interpret the various pieces of armor he must consider the whole suit on the Christian. A couple of verse in Paul's other writings can help as well as consideration of the context in Ephesians in which the armor is discussed. Romans 13-14 But put on the Lord Jesus Christ, and make no provision for the flesh, to gratify its desires.-1 Thessalonians 5-8 But since we belong to the day, let us be sober, having put on the breastplate of faith and love, and for a helmet the hope of salvation.

The Reformations of the 16th century was no less than the rebirth and resurrection of the church of Jesus Christ from false doctrine that laid an impossible burden on people and robbed christ of his glory as the all sufficent Savior of sinners through personal faith in him. The recovery of key doctrine is expressed in later adopted mottos of the five solas- Scripture alone, Grace aloe, faith alone, Christ alone for the glory of God alone.

Two major ideas in this passage are opened up here--I. Christ's suffering calls us to a radical break with sin. -2. Christ's coming calls us to a radical commitment to the will of God. -These two truths are bedrocks of what it means to be a Christian.

Major conflict among nations especially if it involves Israel usually leads to many people feeling the end of the world is at hand. However, a careful read of Jesus words in Luke 21, Mark 13 and Matthew 24 reveals that Jesus said, this is the beginning of birth pangs and the end is not yet. He went on to say no one knows or can know the time of his return in power and glory.-Let's assume that the end is near. How then should we prepare-- Jesus, Peter, Paul and the author of Hebrews all speak to this question.

Informal reflexions on the historical roots of Thanksgiving in our nation and how this foundational religious background directs us to the real source of our blessings- God himself and his mercies. Wayne and special guest Jeff Gregory recount the historical record, Scripture and personal testimony which engender great thankfulness in our lives, especially at this season of the year.

The Protestant Reformation recovered a number of fundamental truths. These are expressed in the five solas. At the foundation of the recovery of the gospel was the recover of God's Word to the people in translations based on the Greek and Hebrew, read and preached. All doctrine taught must be based on the Scriptures of the Old and New Testaments. This podcast looks at four statements of the Reformers and one from today. God's Word of the Holy Bible as the supreme and sufficient authority was recovered. We must guard this truth in all generations.

In Psalm 65 we see- that God is to be praised for-- --his merciful kindness is in hearing the prayers of his people. ---his merciful kindness in atoning for the transgressions of his people. ---his merciful kindness in choosing his people to bring them near to himself by allowing them to dwell in his courts, to join in to congregational worship. --... his merciful kindness in dealing with his people in righteousness through the death and resurrection of his Son to bring us to salvation. --Praise Yahweh...Hallelujah-

What was recovered at the Protestant Reformation in the 16th century. The short but accurate answer is, The Gospel- Now the gospel is the announcement of the person of Jesus Christ and what he accomplished for us people and our salvation.-It is the good news of salvation from sin and its consequences to eternal life in fellowship with the holy God through the actions of Jesus- lI delivered to you as of first importance what I also received- that Christ died for our sins in accordance with the Scriptures, 4 that he was buried, that he was raised on the third day in accordance with the Scriptures, and that he appeared to Cephas, then to the twelve. 6 Then he appeared to more than five hundred brothers at one time, most of whom are still alive, though some have fallen asleep. 7 Then he appeared to James, then to all the apostles. 8 Last of all, as to one untimely born, he appeared also to me....He presented himself alive to them after his suffering by many proofs, appearing to them during forty days and speaking

In this crucial passage, 1 Thes. 2-13, we see--I. The preachers' gratitude for the Thessalonians' attitude -II. The Thessalonians' Reception of the Revelation- A. They recognized its true source was from God himself. -III. The Working of the Word in the Thessalonian believers-IV. The Word is Working Today

When the various movements of Reformation came the worship services of the churches were transformed. Out with the old form of singing by choirs and monks and other clergy and their musical instruments. Any thing that was only for entertainment and passive worship in Latin was to go or be transformed into the language of the people in a style that was easy to memorize and sing. Based on the principle that what the church did in the worship of God must be based on the Scripture alone two schools of thought emerged. One could do in the service what was glorifying to God and upbuilding to the church if it was not prohibited by Scripture. This normative principle was followed by Luther and later the Anglicans. Luther himself wrote 37 hymns many based on the Psalms but all containing truths of Scripture. This was a major way the Reformation truths were taught and spread.-The second principle followed by the Reformed such as Zwingli and Calvin is known as the regulative principle. Therefore one could only do in the

When Ulrich Zwingli mounted the pulpit in the great Grossmunster Cathedral in Zurich, Switzerland, on Jan. 1, 1719, he began his preaching ministry by opening up to Matthew 1-1. Thereafter he preached consecutively through this book and others that followed. He had previously discovered the treasures in Erasmus' newly published Greek New Testament and he believed his people needed to be fed the Word of God in this manner, rather than the Roman Catholic tradition of prescribed lectionary readings, accompanied by homilies often unrelated to the text. Like Martin Luther, he believed the Word of God had truth and power within itself to meet the spiritual needs of the people. Zwingli and other Reformers replaced the sacrifice of the Mass with the preaching pulpit as the primary source of spiritual life and power as the Word of God was proclaimed. The restoration of Biblical preaching by these great Reformers thus began.

The restoration of the gospel, the Bible in the languages of the people and the restoration of aspects biblical worship began around and throughout the 1520's. There are 4 key players. This podcast relates a simple summary of their principal contributions.

In the early 1500's the various church reform movements led by Luther, Zwingli and Tyndale tore apart the political landscape of Europe. Although many recognized the corruption and moral laxity of the Roman Catholic Church, they only advocated clean- up actions within. Why was it necessary to separte from Papal Rome-- At an Imperial Diet at Speyer John Calvin's letter to the Emperor Charles V was read. In it he sets forth the necessity of reformation and why the Protestants are not guilty of schism. On the contrary, the Papists had so corrupted the church in the vital areas of worship and salvation that a total reformation was needed. The church needed to return to the Bible as its standard and authority. So the Protestant Reformation was a necessity in order to rescue the church from the fatal disease of extraneous doctrine and practice that had engulfed the Roman Catholic Church.

The continued drift of the Roman Catholic Church away from the authority of the Word of God faced a major challenge when the Reformers in the early 16th century declared that supreme authority in the Church for teaching and practice must be the Bible alone - -Sola Scripture.- This sermon traces both the drift away and the return to Biblical authority in Christ's church.