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Glory in the Gospel

John 17:1

Pastor Kim

2/7/21

Glory – The manifestation of God’s holy goodness and greatness.

“glorify your Son that the Son may glorify you.”

Of course we start our prayer with praise.

Nothing should hold our hearts like his glory. We are drawn to art because its an image of glory.

Lives are meant to thank much of God and make much of God.

Kevin DeYoung: “The glory of God refers to his splendor, his majesty, his beauty, his weightiness, his gravitas, his wow, his awesomeness, his unbelievable-ness. [Thus] To glorify God means to honor God. When you glorify someone, you celebrate them, you give them honor… [To use street language] to glorify God is to make a big deal of God.”

Theme of Jesus’ prayer in John 17: It is a prayer for God’s glory to be made know in the accomplishing, outworking, and expansion of the Gospel. More simply, it is a prayer for glory in the Gospel.

It isn’t a prayer teaching the disciples to pray, but praying for the immediate things that are coming. 

Key idea (for John 17:1): Life and prayer must be defined and directed by the glory of God

Glory of God isn’t about potential, its about promise.

Three truths to give us a greater vision of God’s glory:

1. God’s glory is about everyday life

1 Corinthians 10:31 — So, whether you eat or drink, or whatever you do, do all to the glory of God.

2. God’s glory is about Gospel blessings

3. God’s glory is about a better story

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Loving our Family

1 John 4:7-12

Key Idea: Three realities of God’s love that strengthen our family in this unique season

God’s love enables our love (v. 7-8)

God’s love guides our understanding of life (v. 9-10) - our worship is of God’s love not our ability to love.

God’s love working through us makes Christ visible (v. 11-12)

Practical ways to make our Savior visible through our love in this season:

Consider where you might need to repent of a lack of love

Consider attending an in-person service as a way to bless others

Hope the best of others around you

Connect with others

Look for opportunities to grow in patience with others

Sacrifice can be a part of love, but sacrifice isn’t always love.

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We are a People Who Need One Another

Hebrews 10:19-25

Pastor Mat Pau

1/24/21

Key Idea: For Christ to be treasured in our hearts, we must be meaningfully invested in the lives of each other.

We must be meaningfully invested in the lives of each other…

To Draw Near in Worship (19-22)

To Hold Fast in Endurance (23) - disciples were excommunicated, 

To Stir Up One Another (24-25) -  neglect is willfull abandonment. the focus is on relationship, and less on the physical place

What does it look like practically?

“Who do I see in front of me?”

“How can I thoughtfully love them?”

“What words can I use to encourage them toward Jesus?”

Affirmation - recognizing christ in the lives of others

Correction - 

Be thoughtful with how you correct - not necessarily rebuke.take a patient route

Be thoughtful with your posture - stand side by side, and not above

John Newton: In a little while you will meet in heaven; he will then be dearer to you than the nearest friend you have upon earth is to you now. Anticipate that period in your thoughts; and though you may find it necessary to oppose his errors, view him personally as a kindred soul, with whom you are to be happy in Christ forever.

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Disciplines of a Godly Woman Ch. 2: Discipline of the Gospel

Do I treat Christianity as a ticket to heaven, something that I need to get serious about later when I’m closer to death, but don’t need to worry about at the moment?

Gospel belongs to God. It’s His Gospel, not ours, not mankinds.

What is the Gospel? that Christ died for our sins according to the Scriptures, that he was buried, that he was raised on the third day according to the Scriptures (1 Corinth 15:1-4)

For no matter how many promises God has made, they are yes in Christ (2 Corinth 1:20)

The discipline of the Gospel is coming to God on His terms.

The Gospel brings definition: We are sinners, we can be saved from God’s wrath, we can become children of God, we are partners with all the saints.

“In their search to find what is lacking, they casually diminish and even dismiss what they have taken for granted - the knowledge of God and His gracious provisions for us discovered in the pages of Scripture.

The Gospel is the first and most important discipline for it is the source of godliness.

Questions:

What is Christianity about?

1. God the loving ruler and creator (Revelation 4:11)

a. We praise and honor God because he created all things

b. Everything depends on God’s will.

What is the Gospel encouragement when you’re in the lows? Remembering that our sole purpose is for God to be glorified. When I feel like a failure, when I feel like things aren’t going as planned, I need to remember that my purpose isn’t to be in a high place, or to be glorified myself, but to glorify God through whatever season or situation He has placed me in.

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Court - Wants to find a job, but also struggling with feeling low because she turned 28 and feels like she hasn’t accomplished a lot at her age. Feeling pressure to have moved on in her life, moving to the next steps to get married and have kids and stuff. Looking for administrative work, hoping for HR.

Kimi - Things are so up and down between funeral preparations and sister just had a baby

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A Light in the Darkness (Part 2): A Light That Allows Us to See

A Light in the Darkness (Part 2): A Light That Allows Us to See Luke 9:28-43a

Key Idea: the light of Christ allows us to see through the darkness of our world

Moses and Elijah represent the beginning of the Messianic Age.

Peter wasn’t differentiating between Moses + Elijah and Jesus, he was putting them on the same plane. 

Three ways to see in the darkness of the world, through the light of Christ:

I. See life in light of the true salvation of Christ

Rome was a real problem, but a temporal one. Sin is about eternity. Jesus didn’t come to save the Jews from Rome, but to save us from sin.

After the voice speaks, Jesus doesn’t go to stomp out Rome, he goes to love a father and his child.

Through all that is happening, Jesus is most concerned about our hearts. 

II. See life in light of the love of Christ

III. See life in light of the victory of Christ

A. We trust there is more to the story than we see

Is it possible that there’s way more to the story than what we see at this moment.

B. We trust we won’t know the whole story until the end C. We trust in the Author of the story, not the circumstances

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Peace in Tribulation

John 16:25-33

Key Idea: In the trials and tribulations of life we have a peace found only in Christ.

Peace in difficult circumstances: The Father cares for a fallen world

Peace with difficult people: The Son has brought reconciliation in our relational conflicts

We fail to forgive

putting expectations on people that aren’t biblical

Peace in difficult times: The Holy Spirit guides us through an evil world system

Satan stretches truth

A peace that transcends all understanding, doesn’t make sense to be peaceful in these times, and yet we should be

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Better With the Spirit

Chris Wong

John 16:4-15

10/25/20

Key Idea: Three realities about the Holy Spirit for strength in gospel sharing and gospel life. 

Three realities about the Holy Spirit: 

I. The Comforting Presence of the Spirit (v.4b-7) 

Jesus knows that the disciples will be sad when he leaves.

Jesus tells the disciples to wait for the Spirit, not to begin right away. It was a necessary thing for Jesus to leave, and the Spirit to come in.

Our Advantageous Position 

Our Advocate’s Permanence - “the Helper will be with them forever”

II. The Convicting Power of the Spirit (v.8-11) 

The Spirit is not confined to just believers. The Spirit has the power to persuade and convict the world.

Sin of unbelief is the sin underlying all others. Unbelief is a sin that requires supernatural intervention of the Spirit.

Convicts people of their unbelief in Jesus 

Convicts people of their need for Jesus 

Convicts people of unbelief’s judgment 

Knowing that the Spirit is with us, relieves us of the burden when sharing the Gospel. But knowing that the convicting power of the Spirit is with us when we go forth. It is the power of the Spirit, not myself that can change hearts.

Our task is to be conduits of the Gospel.

It’s not important to just live out the gospel, but speak out the Gospel. The Spirit can use our weakest Gospel presentation, but He can’t use our silence.

III. The Clarifying Position of the Spirit (v.12-15) 

Clarifies Truth 

Clarifies His relationship to Father and Son 

Clarifies Jesus - Glorifies Jesus

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Ambassadors for Christ

2 Corinthians 5:20

Key Idea: The gospel in us leads to the gospel from us.

1. The Gospel in Us: What in your life can only be explained by the work of Gospel?

This explains why you’re able to suffer for the Gospel. Paul was completely transformed.

The Gospel transforms him, and so that becomes the new meaning for his life. This applies to all believers.

Do you live a life that can only be explained by Christ? How can you have more opportunities to do things that can only be explained by the Gospel?

For Paul, gospel transformation meant a life with new meaning and purpose.

2. The Gospel from Us: What are you an ambassador for?

The result of the Gospel in us is the gospel from us.

A. Be prepared to turn conversations about COVID into conversations about Christ. - people who are fearful, lonely, or seeking B. Let your love make the invisible God visible to others. C. Use the uncertainty of the world to point to the certainty of Christ. D. Show grace to demonstrate you’ve been shown grace. Colossians 4:5-6 ( 5 Walk in wisdom toward outsiders, making the best use of the time. 6 Let your speech always be gracious, seasoned with salt, so that you may know how you ought to answer each person. ) E. Bring people to church who normally wouldn’t want to come to a church.

God used the time when Paul couldn’t meet with others to write the book of Romans.

Nov 1 Outreach message

Pray for people to embrace the gospel, pray with people to hear the gospel.

Logos Community Church Nagoya: 

Relationships between families will be blessed

God would provide a place for them to meet

More people would be added to their core team

Reach out to the Pagaragans and Pastor Dennis, Marcia, and Thelma

Valor Christian Academy: 

Preschool turned into child care for front line workers (no cases so far!)

Elementary & Middle School --> Day Care

Financial Provision for the school

Be able to reopen and be a blessing

Angie Kim (2nd grade teacher) fighting breast cancer

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In the Comfort of the Father, Comfort One Another

2 Cor 1:3–7

“Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of mercies and God of all comfort, who comforts us in all our affliction, so that we may be able to comfort those who are in any affliction, with the comfort with which we ourselves are comforted by God. For as we share abundantly in Christ’s sufferings, so through Christ we share abundantly in comfort too. If we are afflicted, it is for your comfort and salvation; and if we are comforted, it is for your comfort, which you experience when you patiently endure the same sufferings that we suffer. Our hope for you is unshaken, for we know that as you share in our sufferings, you will also share in our comfort.”


1. Concentrate on the Person of Comfort

God is both divine and Dad. He demonstrates how bad we are through how good He is. 

Divine mercy is ready to burst forth.

To only be content in the good times robs us of the opportunity to see God through difficulty. We long for comfort. When we are a mess, we tend to turn to other people. At the heart of it, we want someone who cares. But the only the person who can guarantee that is our Father.


2. Cling to the Promise of Comfort

Wrong expectations or distorted understanding of what true comfort looks like. Confuse God’s comfort with being comfortable. Biblical comfort is one that fortifies you.

1 Corinth 10: 13 - when things heat up, God doesn’t just bail us out, he provides us a way of escape by helping us to endure it.


3. Complete the Purpose of Comfort

Comfort doesn’t terminate at the person who is afflicted, but God provides more to spill over to comfort others. We can provide comfort to others through the same comfort we have received from God.

Meditate on how God has comforted you, to look to ways you can comfort others. Paul knew how to encourage because he knew what it was like to be discouraged. One of the reasons why we endure trials is so that we can encourage others. Through the wisdom God has provided in your own trials, you can counsel and care for others.

Trenches of Christian life are training for the battlefield. There is ministry to be done and people to care for. 

Have I been a wise steward of the experiences I’ve had?

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Caring for One Another

Pastor Mat

8/23/20

Philippians 2:19-30 - “So receive him in the Lord with all joy, and honor such men, for he nearly died for the work of Christ, risking his life to complete what was lacking in your service to me.”

Context: Caring as Echoes of Christ (Philippians 2:1-11)

Philippians 2:1-11 isn’t just exhorting us to be positionally humble, but that humility has a direction – it moves toward others. And it has an origin – Jesus. Our caring are echoes of Christ.

Key Idea – We echo the mind of Christ in counting others more significant than ourselves by our care for one another.

I. Genuine Concern for Others

Paul specifically sends Timothy. In some situations, anxious can be good vs. bad. But it depends where the focus is: inwards or outwards. In this case, Paul uses the same word to describe that he is sending Timothy so that he may be less anxious, as he does later describing do not be anxious about anything.

We are in the unique position to meet the needs of our brothers and sisters

This can be a time to wean yourself off of your own selfishness

When I am tempted by my selfishness, I am constantly reminded by the people around me to move towards Jesus. 

Two ways we can begin to practice genuine concern for others: 1. Move Toward Christ 2. Move Toward Others -  Be interested in the seemingly mundane details Respond to the details with prayer - The details of other people’s lives should lead us to prayer. Prayer is a signal that someone is on our hearts. I should be available not just for ranting, but for praying for others

II. Personal Commitment to Others

“Love without an exit strategy.” (Paul Miller)

I am committed to walking alongside

What conditions and limitations are you setting

III. Shared Empathy with Others

Entering into other’s suffering to walk alongside them

ACTION ITEM: Share the ways that Lighthouse has been able to minister to me, even when I’m away. The goodness of God 

See people in three categories: a. See the Good in Others b. See the Hard in Others c. See the Bad in Others

IV. Selfless Service to others

Two ideas: a. We care for others best with thoughtful selflessness - we are tempted to care for people in the ways that are easy/convenient for us. but we need to be caring for others in the way that is best for them. b. Our acts of care are never meaningless

Matthew 25:39-40 – “‘And when did we see you sick or in prison and visit you?’ And the King will answer them, ‘Truly, I say to you, as you did it to one of the least of these my brothers, you did it to me.’”

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Safer-with-The-Church

Pastor Kim

8/16/20

Ephesians 4 (kinda the whole chapter, but mostly v.4-16

Ephesians 4:12 — to equip the saints for the work of ministry, for building up the body of Christ,

Key idea: The church is essential to us, and we are essential to the church.

Church: place to find God in a land of idols, a family among the lost

I. The Church is Essential to Us

What do we see church as? Helpful, uplifting when we’re down, a social club, place of learning?

Unites and matures

The picture we are given is that the church consists of believers transformed by the Gospel of Christ (chapters 1-3), united around the person of Christ (4:13), ministering the truths of Christ (4:15), so that everyone would be rooted in Christ (4:14), resulting in a family who loves like Christ (4:15-16).

Right now it seems like the greatest problem is corona virus. But the corona virus just sets the backdrop to reveal the greater difficulties of life, the greatest problem is our heart issues.

Ephesians 4 accomplishes at least two things:

A. It recognizes the importance of the church B. It reconstructs our understanding of the church

Church is more than Sunday mornings

II. We are Essential to the Church

People of the church are essential workers

There’s the organic 1:1 ministry that happens within the body of the church. Being able to meet practical needs of individuals within the church.

People don’t always need another sermon, they sometimes need the body of Christ. Reaching out with simple truths can have so much more of an impact. 

Three ideas that help define and describe how each of us ministers:

A. The Word we hold in common B. The uniqueness of our gifting C. The overarching call to love

How has God uniquely made me to love others and encourage them in their walk with Christ?

Practical questions to ask as we seek to love others:

A. How can I ensure open communication? - do they have the opportunity and feel the freedom to share joys, struggles, temptations, etc. B. What are their practical needs, and how can I meet those needs? C. What are their spiritual challenges, and how can I offer loving truth about Christ? - what book can i buy them, what ways can we encourage others D. How can I be praying for them?

don’t let pride stop you from asking for help.

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Parenting: Faithfulness and Faith

Pastor Kim

8/9/20

Psalm 127

Psalm 127:1 — 1 Unless the Lord builds the house, those who build it labor in vain. Unless the Lord watches over the city, the watchman stays awake in vain.

“God’s sovereignty is his exercise of power over creation” (Wayne Grudem)

How to have the peace of contentment over the vainness described in v. 1.

Key Idea: We must give up the illusion of personal sovereignty

Parent with the reality that God is the one in control, not us.

I. Faithfulness – giving up the illusion of sovereignty reorients our faithfulness (what we do)

If what we are pursuing for our kids, is not what GOD is pursuing for our kids, God is not in that, and it is ultimately meaningless.

God is sovereign, and so the minutiae does matter to him. He does care whether your child is able to do well, succeed, but first and foremost is the continuation of love, worship, and following Christ.

Parenting is ultimately about addressing the worship of the heart with the truths of the Gospel. Place Christ in front of them.

We see the law as important for wisdom and conviction, but incapable of saving - We place rules, but rules does not mean saving. Don’t be more angry that they’ve broken your law, than that they’ve broken God’s law in sin. Need to use rule breaking to point to Christ. 

We address the worship of the heart, not just their behavior - don’t just set rules, but get to the root of misbehavior. The heart of all of it is misplaced worship, and convince teens that Jesus is better.

We give them an identity that begins vertically, not horizontally; that is tied to the Creator, not the creation - not defined by what they do or how people see them, but what Christ has done for them.

II. Faith – giving up the illusion of sovereignty redirects our faith (who we hope in)

God can overcome our failures as parents.

Its easy to trust in God’s sovereignty over our life, but sometimes harder to believe in his sovereignty over our kids. 

We rest because we believe God can use the difficulties of life to draw our kids to himself, or draw them CLOSER to himself - 

We rest because we believe God’s timing is better than ours (Habb. 2:3)

We rest because God grows US through our kid’s sins and struggles

We rest because there is forgiveness for our failures

We rest because God is greater than our failures

We often think God puts us in our kids’ lives to show them THEIR sin and need for Christ, but we must also believe that God puts our kids in our lives to show us OUR sin and OUR need for Christ.

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Bona Fide Peace

John 14: 25-31 Continuing Upper Room Discourse

7/26/20

Pastor Eufemio

Key Idea: We can experience peace in times of trouble through faith in the sovereign God who is our help and salvation.

Jesus gives a peace to his disciples as he’s preparing to leave.

We have the Holy Spirit who is our Support

Having the Spirit is like having the Author alongside us to explain how the story unfolds.

We have the Father who is Supreme

Jesus’ end goal is his disciples belief

We have the Son who is our Savior

A genuine Christian life is a cross bearing life

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A Christ-Centered Love

John 13:18-38

Pastor Kim

7/5/20

This call to love is “new,” because it is decidedly Christ-centered.

v. 34 new commandment

Key Idea: to love others well, we must first look to Christ.

1. A Christ-Centered standard of love: A love that imitates Christ

A Christ-centered love does not limit WHO we love : from beloved to betrayer

Jesus knowingly loved someone who was going to betray him. 

John wants us to know that this was all part of God’s plan.

John wants the betrayal front and center as we consider Jesus’ love. He depicts the washing of feet, then Judas’ betrayal, then back to love

A Christ-centered love does not limit HOW we love: from the mundane to the monumental) - from the foot washing to the cross

2. A Christ-Centered source of love: A love that begins with Christ

Jesus deals with the sin that devastates

Repentance brings us to Christ in humble dependence, inviting his grace to transform our hearts.

Sanctification comes to a grinding halt when you can’t repent.

Jesus draws our gaze upward

By looking at Christ, we make sense of our world by making Jesus our reference point.

Jesus doesn’t say to love others by looking to them, he says first to look up. Love isn’t on a horizontal plane, we need to use Jesus as the reference point, not ourselves. 

By looking at Christ, we fuel our faith and worship.

Think vertically first by having Gospel truth ready to mediate on when you are tempted to think poorly of a particular person rather than love them.

3. A Christ-Centered message from love: A love that preaches Christ

James Boice, “The person who is born of God is a window through which the love of God shines into the world.” 

No one has ever seen God, so Jesus solves the problem of God’s invisibility

1 John 4:12 - We see God today: 12 No one has ever seen God; if we love one another, God abides in us and his love is perfected in us.

“In other words, the invisible God, who once made himself visible in Christ, now makes himself visible in Christians, if we love one another. It is a breathtaking claim. The local church cannot evangelize, proclaiming the Gospel of love, if it is not itself a community of love.” - John Stott

If your life is preaching a sermon about God in your workplace, in your homes, and with your friends… what do you think the message is?

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A Life Like the Gospel

Look vertically to Christ more than we look to the world.

John 12:20-36

Pastor Kim

Key Idea: Our lives must be shaped by the Gospel, and like the Gospel.

Jesus dreaded going to the cross. We must be mindful of the sacrifice that Jesus made for us.

1. What the Cross Displays: Life Through Death

We must rethink what glory means. Glory consistently refers to Christ’s death.

2. What the Cross Demands: A life not just Shaped by the Gospel, but Shaped Like the Gospel

We must respond in faith, because everything else is a rejection.

The voice of God came from the sky, and yet without faith, they said that it was thunder. Jesus’ call to follow him.

The cross doesn’t just display suffering and deliver salvation, it demands sacrifice. When we are saved by grace alone and faith alone, it changes our hearts to desire to follow Christ. There is a cost to our faith. There’s no such thing as comfortable Christianity.

Selfishness tells us its easier to just wait things out, to live our comfortable lives again.

Fearful of saying the wrong thing

Our goal as Christians isn’t to follow our culture, its to follow Christ.

If we are going to live out our faith, we should hate the injustices we see in our world. We don’t hate racism because our culture does, but because God does.

Jesus is approached by non-Jews. And he uses it to draw both Jews and Gentiles.

The Bible is anything but silent on the issue of race. Many of the books of the Bible are addressing the issue of Jew-Gentile relations.

Until we better understand the situations, we won’t know how to properly apply Scripture and the Bible. We need to listen to the plight of those around us. This doesn’t mean that we are complacent, but actively listening and loving.

Five starting points to engage the racial injustices in our culture:

Pray (Romans 12:12) - Its not what we do, but what can God do?  Keep this upon our hearts with prayer

Examine your own heart, and repent if necessary (Psalm 51) - It’s easy to think what needs to change in this world, but we also need to look to ourselves. We can’t condemn the bigotry that we see in the world, until we can condemn what’s in our heart.

Listen well (Proverbs 18:13) - “If one gives an answer before he hears, he is of shame” We can’t just see this as a problem to be solved, but as a people to be loved.

Empathize and lament (Colossians 3:12-14) - Our hearts should be for all who are suffering in this time. We should be crying out to God. If not, we are just waiting for it all to blow over.

Love your neighbor (Mark 12:31) - Most of us don’t have the means or the voice to make a huge change.

We don’t want to rush to hold events, then forget about it when things die down.

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xJohn 4: Jesus takes on a receiving posture when he asks can i have a drink.

How we want to respond is with the flesh. But we need to go to the Word.

Store front windows weren’t made in the image of God. George Floyd was.