Living Under These Present Powers

“Esther” Series - Part 1

Esther 1:1-12, 19

“Now in the days of Ahasuerus, the Ahasuerus who reigned from India to Ethiopia over 127 provinces,  2 in those days when King Ahasuerus sat on his royal throne in Susa, the capital,  3 in the third year of his reign he gave a feast for all his officials and servants. The army of Persia and Media and the nobles and governors of the provinces were before him,  4 while he showed the riches of his royal glory and the splendor and pomp of his greatness for many days, 180 days.  5 And when these days were completed, the king gave for all the people present in Susa, the citadel, both great and small, a feast lasting for seven days in the court of the garden of the king's palace.  6 There were white cotton curtains and violet hangings fastened with cords of fine linen and purple to silver rods and marble pillars, and also couches of gold and silver on a mosaic pavement of porphyry, marble, mother-of-pearl and precious stones.  7 Drinks were served in golden vessels, vessels of different kinds, and the royal wine was lavished according to the bounty of the king.  8 And drinking was according to this edict: "There is no compulsion." For the king had given orders to all the staff of his palace to do as each man desired.  9 Queen Vashti also gave a feast for the women in the palace that belonged to King Ahasuerus.  10 On the seventh day, when the heart of the king was merry with wine, he commanded Mehuman, Biztha, Harbona, Bigtha and Abagtha, Zethar and Carkas, the seven eunuchs who served in the presence of King Ahasu-erus,  11 to bring Queen Vashti before the king with her royal crown, in order to show the peoples and the princes her beauty, for she was lovely to look at.  12 But Queen Vashti refused to come at the king's command delivered by the eunuchs. At this the king became enraged, and his anger burned within him…. 19 If it please the king, let a royal order go out from him, and let it be written among the laws of the Persians and the Medes so that it may not be repealed, that Vashti is never again to come before King Ahasuerus. And let the king give her royal position to another who is better than she.”

Rising Up in Love for the Lost - Part 2

Rise Up Series - Part 15

“Now an angel of the Lord said to Philip, "Rise and go toward the south to the road that goes down from Jerusalem to Gaza." This is a desert place.  27 And he rose and went. And there was an Ethiopian, a eunuch, a court official of Candace, queen of the Ethiopians, who was in charge of all her treasure. He had come to Jerusalem to worship  28 and was returning, seated in his chariot, and he was reading the prophet Isaiah.  29 And the Spirit said to Philip, "Go over and join this chariot."  30 So Philip ran to him and heard him reading Isaiah the prophet and asked, "Do you understand what you are reading?"  31 And he said, "How can I, unless someone guides me?" And he invited Philip to come up and sit with him.  32 Now the passage of the Scripture that he was reading was this: "Like a sheep he was led to the slaughter and like a lamb before its shearer is silent, so he opens not his mouth.  33 In his humiliation justice was denied him. Who can describe his generation? For his life is taken away from the earth."  34 And the eunuch said to Philip, "About whom, I ask you, does the prophet say this, about himself or about someone else?"  35 Then Philip opened his mouth, and beginning with this Scripture he told him the good news about Jesus.  36 And as they were going along the road they came to some water, and the eunuch said, "See, here is water! What prevents me from being baptized?"  37   38 And he commanded the chariot to stop, and they both went down into the water, Philip and the eunuch, and he baptized him.  39 And when they came up out of the water, the Spirit of the Lord carried Philip away, and the eunuch saw him no more, and went on his way rejoicing.”

- Acts 8:26-39

Rising Up in Love for the Lost

Rise Up Series - Part 14

“Now an angel of the Lord said to Philip, "Rise and go toward the south to the road that goes down from Jerusalem to Gaza." This is a desert place.  27 And he rose and went. And there was an Ethiopian, a eunuch, a court official of Candace, queen of the Ethiopians, who was in charge of all her treasure. He had come to Jerusalem to worship  28 and was returning, seated in his chariot, and he was reading the prophet Isaiah.  29 And the Spirit said to Philip, "Go over and join this chariot."  30 So Philip ran to him and heard him reading Isaiah the prophet and asked, "Do you understand what you are reading?"  31 And he said, "How can I, unless someone guides me?" And he invited Philip to come up and sit with him.  32 Now the passage of the Scripture that he was reading was this: "Like a sheep he was led to the slaughter and like a lamb before its shearer is silent, so he opens not his mouth.  33 In his humiliation justice was denied him. Who can describe his generation? For his life is taken away from the earth."  34 And the eunuch said to Philip, "About whom, I ask you, does the prophet say this, about himself or about someone else?"  35 Then Philip opened his mouth, and beginning with this Scripture he told him the good news about Jesus.  36 And as they were going along the road they came to some water, and the eunuch said, "See, here is water! What prevents me from being baptized?"  37   38 And he commanded the chariot to stop, and they both went down into the water, Philip and the eunuch, and he baptized him.  39 And when they came up out of the water, the Spirit of the Lord carried Philip away, and the eunuch saw him no more, and went on his way rejoicing.”

- Acts 8:26-39

Rising Up in Love for One Another

Rise Up Series - Part 13

“But grace was given to each one of us according to the measure of Christ's gift. 8 Therefore it says, "When he ascended on high he led a host of captives, and he gave gifts to men." 9 (In saying, "He ascended," what does it mean but that he had also descended into the lower parts of the earth? 10 He who descended is the one who also ascended far above all the heavens, that he might fill all things.) 11 And he gave the apostles, the prophets, the evangelists, the pastors and teachers, 12 to equip the saints for the work of ministry, for building up the body of Christ, 13 until we all attain to the unity of the faith and of the knowledge of the Son of God, to mature manhood, to the measure of the stature of the fullness of Christ, 14 so that we may no longer be children, tossed to and fro by the waves and carried about by every wind of doctrine, by human cunning, by craftiness in deceitful schemes. 15 Rather, speaking the truth in love, we are to grow up in every way into him who is the head, into Christ from whom the whole body, joined and held together by every joint with which it is equipped, when each part is working properly, makes the body grow so that it builds itself up in love.”

- Ephesians 4:7-16

Rising Up in Love for God

Rise Up Series - Part 12

“But when the Pharisees heard that he had silenced the Sadducees, they gathered together.  35 And one of them, a lawyer, asked him a question to test him.  36 "Teacher, which is the great commandment in the Law?"  37 And he said to him, "You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind.  38 This is the great and first commandment.  39 And a second is like it: You shall love your neighbor as yourself.  40 On these two commandments depend all the Law and the Prophets."
- Matthew 22:34-40

O Death, Where is Your Victory, Where is Your Sting?

Easter Sunday Service

“Behold! I tell you a mystery. We shall not all sleep, but we shall all be changed,  52 in a moment, in the twinkling of an eye, at the last trumpet. For the trumpet will sound, and the dead will be raised imperishable, and we shall be changed.  53 For this perishable body must put on the imperishable, and this mortal body must put on immortality.  54 When the perishable puts on the imperishable, and the mortal puts on immortality, then shall come to pass the saying that is written: "Death is swallowed up in victory."  55 "O death, where is your victory? O death, where is your sting?"  56 The sting of death is sin, and the power of sin is the law.  57 But thanks be to God, who gives us the victory through our Lord Jesus Christ.”

- 1 Corinthians 15:51-57

Do You See the Glory of the Cross?

Good Friday Service

“When Jesus had spoken these words, he lifted up his eyes to heaven, and said, "Father, the hour has come; glorify your Son that the Son may glorify you, 2 since you have given him authority over all flesh, to give eternal life to all whom you have given him.  3 And this is eternal life, that they know you the only true God, and Jesus Christ whom you have sent.  4 I glorified you on earth, having accomplished the work that you gave me to do.  5 And now, Father, glorify me in your own presence with the glory that I had with you before the world existed.”

- John 17:1-5

A Focused Seeking After God's Presence

Rise Up Series - Part 11

“Then the LORD sent a plague on the people, because they made the calf, the one that Aaron made.  33:1 The LORD said to Moses, "Depart; go up from here, you and the people whom you have brought up out of the land of Egypt, to the land of which I swore to Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob, saying, 'To your offspring I will give it.'  2 I will send an angel before you, and I will drive out the Canaanites, the Amorites, the Hittites, the Perizzites, the Hivites, and the Jebusites.  3 Go up to a land flowing with milk and honey; but I will not go up among you, lest I consume you on the way, for you are a stiff-necked people."  4 When the people heard this disastrous word, they mourned, and no one put on his ornaments.  5 For the LORD had said to Moses, "Say to the people of Israel, 'You are a stiff-necked people; if for a single moment I should go up among you, I would consume you. So now take off your ornaments, that I may know what to do with you.'"  6 Therefore the people of Israel stripped themselves of their ornaments, from Mount Horeb onward.  7 Now Moses used to take the tent and pitch it outside the camp, far off from the camp, and he called it the tent of meeting. And everyone who sought the LORD would go out to the tent of meeting, which was outside the camp…. 15 And he said to him, "If your presence will not go with me, do not bring us up from here.  16 For how shall it be known that I have found favor in your sight, I and your people? Is it not in your going with us, so that we are distinct, I and your people, from every other people on the face of the earth?"  17 And the LORD said to Moses, "This very thing that you have spoken I will do, for you have found favor in my sight, and I know you by name."  18 Moses said, "Please show me your glory."

- Exodus 32:35-33:7,15-18