Pastor's Corner: WHAT'S THE BIG IDEA?

  Pilgrim Living: Hopeful Holiness I Peter 1:13-16 Introduction :   One of the themes in the news has been the question of immigration, foreigners, and exiles. Recently a surge of refugees from Haiti has been in the headlines. Without entering into the political issue, it’s not too surprising that that theme is prevalent at several levels in the Bible. After all, after the Fall, our first parents, Adam and Eve, were exiled from the Garden they had been placed in, and were sent out into this sin cursed world. Since then, believers in God have been exiles, pilgrims living (for a little while) in a fallen world . That theme was reflected at different moments in biblical history. Abraham was called to leave his native land and headed to a land that he did not know. There he became a “ resident alien ” and had to purchase a burial place for his wife. The sons of Jacob were refugees in Egypt during a time of famine, and eventually their descendants were enslaved. They were fore...

  Our Great Salvation I Peter 1:10-12 Introduction :   It was over a decade ago, so perhaps you have forgotten the story. A cave in at the San Jose’ copper mine in northern Chile on August 5, 2010 trapped 33 miners a half mile underground. For two weeks it was feared they were dead. But they had made it to an emergency “refuge” room, a reinforced safety area supplied with some survival necessities including food and water. It would take over two months for them to be rescued... Three different plans were initially worked side by side to save the men.   Finally, after over two months, a narrow shaft was drilled down to them, and one by one they were brought up in a small rescue capsule.   Each emerged to the television cameras and cheers of the crowds. That was one of the greatest mine rescues in history. It brought joy to the miners, their families, and to many around the world who followed the story. However, even that was not the greatest rescue plan ever accom...

  PILGRIM LIVING IN A FALLEN WORLD 3 Marks of Authentic Christianity: Love, Faith, and Joy I Peter 1:8,9 Introduction : One of the jobs I had after high school occasionally put me in the office, collecting cash payments from truck drivers. When the boss came in at the end of the day, he would quickly count through the bills in the cash box, and take the deposit to the bank. I recall on one occasion he was zipping through the bills and as soon as his fingers touched a particular $20 bill he stopped, felt it between his fingers, looked at it closely and said, “This bill is counterfeit!”   Whether intentionally or not, someone had paid with “funny money!” My boss used to be a bank manager, and he had extensive experience handling cash – I was a 20 something part-time college student working at a garbage dump– I didn’t have very much experience with cash at all. He tried to show me how the bill was clearly false. To me, it looked the same as the real thing, I couldn’t tell ...

  Pilgrim Living in a Fallen World: Hope in Time of Trial I Peter 1:6,7 Introduction :   As we began our look into this first letter of the Apostle Peter, we noted that the apostle wrote to believers in Jesus, both Jews and Gentiles, who were scattered through the nations of Asia Minor. They were exiles and pilgrims, sojourners in a fallen world. Even so, as the letter begins it is already clear that the “brokenness” of the world does not leave us in despair. There are trials and there is suffering in the world, but we have a living hope because we have a living Savior! As we quoted Dr. Ed Clowney last week:   “ Our hope is anchored in the past: Jesus rose! Our hope remains in the present: Jesus lives! Our hope will be completed in the future: Jesus is coming (1:5,7,14)!”             We were reminded that at the beginning of the Christian life, as we are born again to a living hope, we have the promise that our inheritan...