Sermon Preview:

Beloved Brothers and Sisters in the Lord,

This coming Sunday we will resume our series of messages from the Epistle to the Hebrews. Our text will be taken from Hebrews 5:11-6:1.

You will likely remember that chapter 6 contains some of the most controversial and disputed verses in the New Testament. In this section of the letter, the author warns his readers about the possibility of committing the sin of apostasy, and states that once this transgression has been committed there is no coming back, for repentance is impossible (6:6).

Before raising this most solemn topic, the inspired author urges his audience to “ go on to maturity” (6:1). In 5:11-14, we find the hallmarks of a mature faith, which we will examine this Lord’s Day. You will benefit from reading 5:11-6:20 as you prepare for the preaching of God’s Word.

Sunday School Resumes on January 10, at 9:30 AM

Along with our classes for Infants, Children, and Youth, our Adult class will examine the topic of ‘ The Church and the State.’ From the pages of Scripture, we will consider issues such as: the role of the civil government, the limits of civil obedience and disobedience, and the nature of Christian citizenship.

I hope you will plan on joining us as we study God’s Word together!

May our Father bless you all with a wonderful start to the New Year, and I love you dearly!

Mike

Announcements:

COVID-19 Message:

For those of you who are attending worship in person on Sunday morning, please practice social distancing as much as you are able and observe the pew markers so that we may keep a safe, 6-ft between families. During this time, we will not have nursery or fellowship time with food and drink. If any family member has been sick, or you have a pre-existing condition, please consider staying home and joining us by watching the recorded service when it is sent out. Masks are not required if you are maintaining social distance, but are welcome. We hope and pray that if you have any needs, you will let a staff member or deacon know so that we can serve you well during this trying time.

Sunday School:

Sunday School is on hiatus and will resume on January 10. We will have a time of fellowship beginning at 10:15 AM each Sunday, with our service of worship beginning at 10:30 AM.

Senior Fellows:

At 9 AM, Tues, Jan 5, 2021, the Senior Fellows will start a 4-6 week Zoom Bible Study on “Days of Creation”. The first session will introduce the issue, the history, the antagonists, and the general background. Members and visitors are welcome to join us. For more information contact: seniorfellows@christpreshamptoncove.org.

Prayer Requests:

Healing: Please pray for the health of the following individuals: Lincoln Ely, Rich Bagdazian, Zig and Virdia Jastrebski, Ramona Edwards, Bill Dent, Jacky Haynes, Steve Terry, Bill Cowley, Larrabee Kirkland, Elizabeth Holton, and Nolan Osmer.
Ministries: Please pray for the following missionaries and ministries: Seth and Jessica Lewis (Ireland); Steve and Rita Williams (New Zealand); Noah and Karleigh Stephens (Thailand); Vinnie and Molly Athey (RUF at UAH); Amos and Jessica Williams (RUF at Alabama A&M); Ken and Angie Burnett (FCA); Franky and Alaina Garcia (church plant in Canada); Dieter Paulson (church plant in Scottsboro, AL); Gannon Miles (seminary student); The Huntsville Pregnancy Resource Center.

Online Donations:

If you would like to give to Christ Presbyterian, you can do so at the following link:

Emails:

general inquiries: admin@christpreshamptoncove.org
benevolence needs: benevolence@christpreshamptoncove.org
counsel and ministry needs: matthew@christpreshamptoncove.org
men’s ministry: men@christpreshamptoncove.org
women’s ministry: women@christpreshamptoncove.org
children’s ministry: children@christpreshamptoncove.org
youth ministry: youth@christpreshamptoncove.org
senior fellows: seniorfellows@christpreshamptoncove.org

Address:

288 Old Highway 431
Owens Cross Roads, AL 35763

“ do not imitate what is evil, but what is good” (3 John 1:11).

My Beloved Brothers and Sisters in the Lord,

Normally the word ‘imitation’ conjures up very unpleasant thoughts. I immediately think of visiting New York City many years ago, and encountering a very nice man on a busy street near the Empire State Building selling ‘Rolex’ watches at a substantial discount (I didn’t’ buy one!!). Perhaps you have met the same man! When we hear this word ‘imitation’ we can’t help but think ‘fake,’ or ‘knock-off.’

What is most surprising is how this word, or a form of it, frequently appears in our New Testaments and is deployed in a very positive sense. Let me give you some quick examples.

The word “ imitate”:

2 Thessalonians 3:7

For you yourselves know how you ought to imitate us, because we were not idle when we were with you. . . .

2 Thessalonians 3:9

It was not because we do not have that right, but to give you in ourselves an example to imitate.

Hebrews 13:7

Remember your leaders, those who spoke to you the word of God. Consider the outcome of their way of life, and imitate their faith.

The word “ imitators”:

1 Corinthians 4:16

I urge you, then, be imitators of me.

1 Corinthians 11:1

Be imitators of me, as I am of Christ.

Ephesians 5:1

Therefore be imitators of God, as beloved children.

1 Thessalonians 1:6

And you became imitators of us and of the Lord, for you received the word in much affliction, with the joy of the Holy Spirit . . .

1 Thessalonians 2:14

For you, brothers, became imitators of the churches of God in Christ Jesus that are in Judea. For you suffered the same things from your own countrymen as they did from the Jews . . . .

Hebrews 6:12

so that you may not be sluggish, but imitators of those who through faith and patience inherit the promises.

These exhortations to imitate others are very significant, especially in light of the modern propensity to cast aside the past, to dispense with anything ‘old,’ and to create one’s own version of the ‘authentic’ life. No one wants to follow the path of others, for the urge to be a trailblazer who autonomously determines how life should be lived is very strong in all of us these days.

Yet, as you can see, the Word of God will not allow us to adopt such an isolated, individualistic mentality regarding the way we chose to live. We are not permitted to live out our own personal version of the Christian life. Rather, in the New Testament (and in the Old as well), it is simply assumed that t he correct pathway has already been set forth, and our job is to walk where other believers have trod.

To state this a little more bluntly, there is really nothing at all ‘new’ about the pathway of Christian discipleship. We travel on an ancient road. And as we walk, we are to keep in step with others who have moved in faithfulness, devotion, and in love for Christ Jesus the Lord.

In the verses above, a logical sequence seems to develop. We imitate others who were and are faithful to Christ and to the Word of God. These have imitated and followed faithful believers in front of them. And the ones before them have followed the Apostles. And the Apostles have imitated Jesus. While those outside of Christ say, ‘Forge your own trail,’ we say, ‘Let us follow Jesus!’

Our task each day is to mimic, to imitate our Savior, and those who have gone before us who walked with Him in faithfulness. And strangely enough, this is what Christian ‘authenticity’ really is! It is stepping where Jesus stepped. It is replicating His faith, His obedience, His Scripture-saturated life, His direction, His character, His love, and His determination to glorify His Father. Nothing could be more real or genuine than this!!

So as we come to the beginning of another New Year, our task for the next twelve months and beyond is quite simple. We have Someone to follow, to mimic, to be like. And this requires that we look closely at our Savior, and that we also take our clues and encouragement from those faithful brothers and sisters in the Lord who have ended their journey well.

As we carry out this most solemn duty in the power of the Holy Spirit, the result will be a life that is of infinitely more value than a gold Rolex watch, even a real one! For, as Peter declares, “ the tested genuineness of your faith—more precious than gold that perishes though it is tested by fire—may be found to result in praise and glory and honor at the revelation of Jesus Christ” (1 Peter 1:7).

I love you all with all my heart, always!

Mike

Dear Brothers and Sisters in the Lord,

We look forward to gathering together tonight at 5:00 PM for our Christmas Eve  Service of Worship and Communion. The theme for tonight’s worship is ‘ The Whole Christmas Story.’

Our Scripture lessons and carols will trace the story of Christmas from the very beginning, all the way to the consummation on the great Last Day when our Lord comes again. Then our brief Lord’s Table sermon will reflect upon the familiar words of Isaiah 53, where the Savior is set forth as the Suffering Servant who atones for the sins of the whole world.

I hope to see each of you, and our guests, this evening as we come before our Lord in adoration and praise.

This Coming Lord’s Day December 27

Each year as the final Lord’s Day approaches, I think about what we need from God’s Word in order enter a new year full of encouragement and hope. This year, with all of its unusual challenges and adversities, our last sermon of 2020 will focus upon the words of Revelation 21:1-6.

In these verses, the Apostle John speaks of what is surely coming for us as the Bride of Christ. The inspired message appears in the form of a great vision the Apostle witnessed.  And the vision, set forth in breathtaking language, is of “ a new heaven and a new  earth” (v. 1).  In the end, all things will be made new! In this passage we will find a very deep well of hope and strength, and I can’t wait to explore it with you on Sunday!

Carol and I love you all more than words could ever express!  And from our family to yours, we pray that your Christmas will be most blessed one indeed!

Mike

“ For unto you is born this day in the city of David a Savior, who is Christ the Lord”–Luke 2:11

My Beloved Brothers and Sisters in Christ Jesus our Lord,

One of the real oddities of early Church history is the fact that for the first three-hundred years of the Church’s existence, Christians did not celebrate the birth of Jesus.

Oscar Cullmann, the noted Lutheran theologian and Church historian, has claimed that, “ Our festival of December 25^th was unknown to the Christians of the first three centuries” ( The Early Church, p. 21).  The simple fact was that these early believers felt “ no need to celebrate Christ’s coming down to earth at all” (p. 23).

A number of other Church historians have affirmed the same truth. For example, Paul Bradshaw, theology professor at Notre Dame, asserts that there is “ no firm evidence for the Christian observance of either December 25 or January 6 before the fourth century” ( Early Christian Worship, p. 86).

For the first few hundred years, Christians were singularly focused upon the resurrection of Christ rather than His birth. Every Sunday morning when they gathered early (often in the dark before sunrise) for worship, the first Christians celebrated the empty tomb of the Lord. The day we now call ‘Sunday,’ they referred to as ‘the eighth day.’ That is, the day of new creation, brought about by the bodily resurrection of Christ. This was supplemented by the celebration of Easter Sunday once per year, as well as “ the holy days associated with it,” such as the days we now refer to as ‘Maundy Thursday’ and ‘Good Friday’(Cullmann, p. 23).

However, in the early fourth century, serious theological debates and controversies about the nature and identity of Jesus began to rise. Some argued that Jesus was only an exalted creature, and not fully divine. Others claimed that Jesus was only divine, and not human at all. Still others asserted that the ‘eternal Christ’ came upon ‘the man Jesus’ at His birth, and then departed from Him at the time of His death.

It was from these very controversies that the Christological Creeds of the Church were born. We know them as The Nicene Creed (AD 325), The Definition of Chalcedon (AD 451), and The Athanasian Creed (AD 500).  Each of these Creeds sets the record straight on the Second Person of the Holy Trinity. He is the Divine Son of God, incarnate in human flesh, fully God and fully man.

It was during these serious debates that Christians first began to celebrate Christ’s birth, the season we know as ‘Advent.’ As Cullmann states, “ the first impulse to celebrate Christ’s appearance on earth was provided, not by date, but by theological considerations” (p. 23). In other words, believers in the fourth Christian century felt it absolutely necessary to argue and boldly affirm that the One crucified, entombed, and resurrected on the third day, was indeed the Divine Son of God who had taken on human flesh. So, in the end, Christmas was celebrated for apologetic reasons. The day of the Lord’s birth provided the Church with the opportunity to affirm both His full humanity and His full deity! By celebrating His birthday each year, the Church would say to the world that the One born of the virgin, who had died upon the cross for our sins, and who was raised for our justification, was the God-man!  It was to affirm exactly what the angel declared to the shepherds on that most holy night: A Savior had been “ born,” and He is none other than “ Christ the Lord”!

This, then, is why we celebrate Advent!

As we rejoice in this season, we too are declaring to the world that God Himself came down to save us. Christmas Day includes Easter! One is meaningless without the other. A Divine Savior becoming a man cannot save anyone from God’s wrath unless He dies for our sins and is raised on the third day. And a mere man dying upon the cross, and even, by some miracle, being raised from the dead, is no help if He is not the Divine Son of God, incarnate in human flesh!

When we faithfully observe this blessed season of Advent, we join with past generations of Christians in declaring the whole Gospel to the whole world! And as we rejoice in our Lord and Savior, who first came to us in Bethlehem’s manger, we discover anew the real source and foundation for our joy and peace! This, then, is why we celebrate Christmas!

I love you all so very much, and I rejoice with you in the coming of our King!

May your celebration of our Lord’s birth be filled with His love and joy!

Mike

Sermon Preview:

Beloved Family in Christ Jesus,

It’s hard to imagine that this coming Lord’s Day is the fourth and final Sunday of Advent 2020! I pray that the speed at which the days and weeks have passed has not diminished our appreciation for Isaiah’s magnificent depiction of our Lord and Savior in his ‘ Servant Songs.’

This Sunday, we will carefully examine the last of these ‘songs’ which is discovered in Isaiah 52:13-53:12. Someone has suggested that this incredible passage “ sounds as if it had been written under the very cross of Golgotha”! And when you read it, you’ll see why such a thing might be claimed.

As we’ve stated frequently along our journey through these four prophetic passages, Isaiah is giving us an inside look at all that our Lord and Savior would accomplish through His incarnate life. And in this fourth great song we see the whole story of redemption playing out!

The final song of the Lord’s Servant will reveal His suffering and death for humanity’s sins, His resurrection for our justification, His ascension to the Father’s right hand, and His reign over all creation! What a story it will tell! What a wonderful ‘Christmas Song’!

Christmas Eve Service

We look forward to our annual Christmas Eve Service of Worship and Communion on Thursday night, December 24, at 5:00 PM. We will gather together in the Name of our Savior to read the Scriptures, sing the songs and carols of Christmas, and commune together at the Lord’s Table. As always, guests are most welcome!

I love you all so much, and rejoice each day that we serve and worship our great King together!

Mike

Announcements:

COVID-19 Message:

For those of you who are attending worship in person on Sunday morning, please practice social distancing as much as you are able and observe the pew markers so that we may keep a safe, 6-ft between families. During this time, we will not have nursery or fellowship time with food and drink. If any family member has been sick, or you have a pre-existing condition, please consider staying home and joining us by watching the recorded service when it is sent out. Masks are not required if you are maintaining social distance, but are welcome. We hope and pray that if you have any needs, you will let a staff member or deacon know so that we can serve you well during this trying time.

Sunday School:

Sunday School is on hiatus and will resume on January 10. We will have a time of fellowship beginning at 10:15 AM each Sunday, with our service of worship beginning at 10:30 AM.

Children’s Ministry:

There will be gift bags in the Narthex on Christmas Eve for families to take home with them. You may pick up enough supplies for your family to enjoy. Merry Christmas from Christ Pres Children’s Ministry!

Career/Singles:

The young career/singles group meets every Sunday evening at 5:30 at the home of Jim and Sharon Daughtry, for a time of fellowship & spiritual encouragement.

Prayer Requests:

Healing: Please pray for the health of the following individuals: Lincoln Ely, Rich Bagdazian, Zig and Virdia Jastrebski, Ramona Edwards, Bill Dent, Jacky Haynes, Steve Terry, Bill Cowley, Larrabee Kirkland, Elizabeth Holton, and Nolan Osmer.
Ministries: Please pray for the following missionaries and ministries: Seth and Jessica Lewis (Ireland); Steve and Rita Williams (New Zealand); Noah and Karleigh Stephens (Thailand); Vinnie and Molly Athey (RUF at UAH); Amos and Jessica Williams (RUF at Alabama A&M); Ken and Angie Burnett (FCA); Franky and Alaina Garcia (church plant in Canada); Dieter Paulson (church plant in Scottsboro, AL); Gannon Miles (seminary student); The Huntsville Pregnancy Resource Center.

Online Donations:

If you would like to give to Christ Presbyterian, you can do so at the following link:

Emails:

general inquiries: admin@christpreshamptoncove.org
benevolence needs: benevolence@christpreshamptoncove.org
counsel and ministry needs: matthew@christpreshamptoncove.org
men’s ministry: men@christpreshamptoncove.org
women’s ministry: women@christpreshamptoncove.org
children’s ministry: children@christpreshamptoncove.org
youth ministry: youth@christpreshamptoncove.org
senior fellows: seniorfellows@christpreshamptoncove.org

Address:

288 Old Highway 431
Owens Cross Roads, AL 35763

“ so that the tested genuineness of your faith—more precious than gold that perishes though it is tested by fire—may be found to result in praise and glory and honor at the revelation of Jesus Christ.”1 Peter 1:7

My Dear Brothers and Sisters in the Lord,

During this election year, we’ve once again witnessed what political scientists refer to as the ‘coattail effect.’ It’s when a candidate for one office wins, and then sweeps up others of the same party to victory as well. A popular online dictionary provides the following definition:

“ The tendency for a popular political party leader to attract votes for other candidates of the same party in an election. For example, the party of a victorious presidential candidate will often win many seats in Congress as well; these congressmen are voted into office ‘on the coattails’ of the president.”

Well, in the passage from 1 Peter quoted above we find a similar, but eternally more important and glorious example of such an effect. In the first chapter of his epistle, Peter is all but guaranteeing his readers that they will indeed suffer greatly for their faith in Christ (v. 5). Yet he also provides the blessed assurance that as they suffer, they are being protected by the very omnipotence of God the Father!

But then, the Apostle speaks of the divine purpose for the suffering that shall come into their lives. While the enemies of the cross seek their destruction, the Father uses their opposition in order to refine and strengthen their faith in Christ, as well as their unity as the very Bride and Body of the Savior. Such a realization in itself is all the grounds needed for rejoicing, even in tribulation!

But there is more to this message of assurance, and the subsequent exhortation to “ rejoice” always in Christ (v. 6).

Peter declares that something, which seems almost too good to be true, surely awaits them when Jesus comes again! At the Lord’s “ revelation,” or Second Advent, they will share in “ praise and glory and honor” (v. 7).

The exaltation and honor spoken of here rightly belongs to “ Jesus Christ.” That’s clear enough and easy to understand. But Peter is also telling us that Jesus will not be honored and glorified alone! We too shall be praised, and shall receive glory and honor at that last great hour! It’s as if we will ride to victory on the coattails of our Sovereign Lord and King when He is publicly inaugurated as the Ruler of all Creation! His victory is ours! His glory is ours! His praise is ours! And all of this for all eternity!

Then, if we truly believe this, we will be prompted and empowered to “ greatly rejoice with joy inexpressible and full of glory” (v. 8 NASB).

My Dear Ones, this is how our Father wants us to live! Though we are in the process of being purified, sifted, and made stronger by the fires of testing and tribulation, we are to rejoice without ceasing on the basis of the promise that we shall receive all that Jesus receives on the Day of His vindication! While earthly, material things can and will be lost eventually, nothing can ever alter our destiny to share all that Christ possesses and is His by right!

I pray that you will find your encouragement in this one grand truth, and that we might stand together in joy until that Day that our Beloved Savior comes for us!

I love you all with all of my heart!

Mike