Sermon Preview:

Brothers and Sisters in Christ,

Let’s take a little Biblical pop-quiz together.

In the New Testament, who is presented as the greatest, most exemplary Christian of all? (and it’s not our Lord Jesus, but good try!).

Well, there are plenty of guesses that we might make.

Likely first on our list would be the Apostle Paul, for after all, he wrote half of the New Testament books and was the first and greatest missionary and Church-planter of the early Christian era. Also high on our list might be one of the other original twelve disciples, perhaps Peter, or John. Another Christian highly regarded in the New Testament is Apollos, who is commended no less than ten times in the New Covenant Scriptures. And then there is the more well-known Timothy, the young pastor and beloved companion of Paul who is so highly esteemed by his older apostolic mentor.

But what if the answer is none of the above? And what if the answer is not even a character from the New Testament at all? What if the greatest ‘Christian’ believer set forth in the New Testament is actually an Old Testament figure? I know. . . sounds crazy!

Well, we have it on very good authority that this is true, and that the man’s name is Abraham! That right, the Abraham of the Old Testament!! You might even take some time over the weekend to do a search of “Abraham” in the New Testament, and then you’ll see what I mean.

One of the many New Testament passages that make this amazing case is Hebrews 6:13-18, our text for this Sunday’s message. In this passage we find that Abraham is the man that we should imitate as we seek to be faithful to Christ. And this is really remarkable, given that Abraham lived 2000 years before Jesus came! And yet, in this passage and in others that we will discover, he is held up as the prototype Christian believer! Now, if you are wondering how this can be true, then you are not alone!

This Lord’s Day we will explore this wonderful mystery together from the pages of God’s Holy Word. Let’s pray that we might understand how this can be true, and how the life of Abraham brings us not only a worthy model to follow, but great encouragement and hope as well!

I love you all 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.

Youth Group:

Youth Group meets February 7 at 4:30 PM at the church house.

Also, the presbytery-wide youth event, the ROOTS Retreat, will be March 5-7 at Camp ToKnowHim. This year’s speaker is Rev. Braden Benson. He’s an ordained PCA minister, and ACBC Christian Counselor working with the Owen Center in Auburn. He’ll be presenting a series on Fear, Anxiety, and Depression (using Running Scared by Ed Welch). Braden holds a Masters of Arts of Christian Counseling as well as a Masters of Divinity from Reformed Theological Seminary in Charlotte, NC. He received a degree in Psychology from Mississippi State University with a special focus in Marriage and Family Therapy. He is also a member of the Association of Certified Biblical Counselors (ACBC). For the past six years he and his wife have worked in ministries of counseling, adult Christian education and with Joni & Friends, a Christ-based ministry to the disabled. Through the Owen Center Braden pursues a life-calling to serve Christ by cultivating the ministry of biblical counseling in His church. This year’s Cost is $100 +$12 for a shirt. The deadline to register is February 12th.

Children’s Ministry:

This continues to be a strange time and hard for churches to plan and execute as they normally would. I am thinking and praying how we can continue to minister to families and children in 2021. I would love to have input and help in planning for 2021. I have some great ideas to continue Vacation Bible School (although in a different, smaller format) as well as outdoor summer fellowships for our children throughout the summer. Additionally, I am so thankful to have so many of your children in Sunday school each week – they are growing and learning BIG truths! Thankful for the teaching of Amanda, Denise, Tim, and Kerry! Please reach out if you have any questions regarding Sunday school. And don’t forget to fill out our survey and include any feedback!

Children’s Survey 2021

Women’s Ministry:

Women’s Bible Studies have resumed for the new semester. Times and subjects below:

Mothers Morning Bible Study
Date: Tuesdays through May
Time: 9:30 am
Location: Christ Pres Church

Women’s Morning Bible Study
Date: Wednesdays through May
Time: 10-11:30 am
Location: Christ Pres Church
Topic: Book of Acts Ch, 1-12 by R. Albert Mohler Jr.
Acts 1-12 For You (a companion commentary ) by R. Albert Mohler Jr.

Women’s Evening Bible Study
Date: Wednesdays through May
Time: 6-7:30 pm
Location: Christ Pres Church
Topic: Book of Acts Ch, 1-12 by R. Albert Mohler Jr.
Acts 1-12 For You (a companion commentary ) by R. Albert Mohler Jr.

Career/Singles:

The weekly bible study and fellowship for career/singles has resumed at 5:30 PM Sunday evenings at the home of Jim and Sharon Daughtry.

Senior Fellows:

The Senior Fellows begin a new weekly Bible study on Tuesday, February 16 from 9:00 to 10:00 AM. We will use the Zoom virtual meeting application to study The Last Days According to Jesus by R.C. Sproul. The topics for the 12 week series are listed below. Church members are welcome to join us. For further information, email us at seniorfellows@christpreshamptoncove.org.

Feb.16 – Crisis in Eschatology
Feb.23 – Understanding the Parousia
Mar. 2 – A Question of Time
Mar. 9 – Literal or Figurative?
Mar. 16 – This Generation
Mar. 23 – The End of the Age
Mar. 30 – The Destruction of Jerusalem
Apr. 6 – The Book of Revelation
Apr. 13 – The Antichrist
Apr. 20 – The Beast
Apr. 27 – The Rapture
May 4 – The Millennium

Prayer Requests:

Healing: Please pray for the health of the following individuals: Dustin and Katie Jackson, Zig and Virdia Jastrebski, Ramona Edwards, Bill Dent, Jacky Haynes, Steve Terry, Bill Cowley, Larrabee Kirkland, and Elizabeth Holton.
Expecting: Please pray for the Deans, expecting in July.
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

One Last Thing . . . “Grace”

As you know, the New Testament epistles are first-century letters that were sent to local churches just like ours. And they appear in the form of the typical personal letters that would have been composed at the time. They share common elements, particularly in their structure. Like their secular counterparts, the New Testament letters included the greeting, which would announce an opening blessing upon the readers and the identification of the author and the recipients. Then the main body of the letter would follow. And finally, the author would include any personal greetings or messages leading to the final blessing or benediction.

The Apostle Paul, who wrote thirteen New Testament letters, employed this very structure. Following the letter-writing pattern of the day, Paul concluded his epistles with a benediction. Some examples are below:

The grace of our Lord Jesus Christ be with you” (Romans 16:20).

“ The grace of the Lord Jesus be with you” (1 Corinthians 16:23)

“ The grace of the Lord Jesus Christ and the love of God and the fellowship of the Holy Spirit be with you all” (2 Corinthians 13:14)

“ The grace of our Lord Jesus Christ be with your spirit, brothers. Amen” (Galatians 6:18).

“ The grace of the Lord Jesus Christ be with your spirit” (Philippians 4:23).

“ Grace be with you” (Colossians 4:18).

Upon a cursory examination, it would be quite natural for us to conclude that Paul is simply following the convention of his day as he rounded off his letters (see also 1 Thess. 5:28; 2 Thess. 3:18; 1 Tim. 6:21; 2 Tim. 4:22; Titus 3:15; Philemon 1:25). These virtually identical benedictions, then, would be like our practice of concluding our letters with the word “Sincerely.” We do it simply because that’s the way it’s done. However, it’ s all but certain that the Apostle was not simply following the letter-writing rules of the day. He was doing much more than that!

Within these concluding lines of his letters, Paul speaks of God’s “ grace” in Christ Jesus. And for him, “ grace” is never just a conventional term that one throws around! Rather, poured into this little word “ grace” is the full content of the Gospel! And this means that as his epistles were brought to their conclusion, the last thing that Paul desired to say, the final truth he wanted to emphasize, and the one blessing that he desired that his readers remember and live by, is God’s “ grace”!

We can imagine a little house church meeting in one of the great first-century cities, say Thessalonica. There, on the Lord’s Day, a small cadre of Christians huddle together around a copy of Paul’s inspired letter written especially for them. It is read aloud, and they listen intently, reflecting deeply upon every word and phrase. And the last thing they hear as they prepare to go back out into the world is the Divinely given word of “ grace”! It is the “ grace” of God that they have come to know and possess in Christ Jesus their Lord!

Now, I’d like for you to consider what this implies, and how it applies to each of us.

First, it would suggest that the abundant grace that we share in our Lord is the last thing we must remember and cling to, not only as we depart Sunday Worship each week, but also as we leave our homes each work-day and head off into the world to serve our Master. We always go out in His grace! We depart both armed and protected by His grace. We leave worship or home and enter our mission station saturated in His grace, secure in His grace, and looking forward to the experience of even more grace the next morning!

Second, it would suggest to us that the grace our Lord is the first thing we must remember and cling to when we are tempted, when we sin, when we find ourselves temporarily defeated, or in the throes of an episode of doubt or fear. Grace not only sends us out among the lost as salt and light, it sustains us as we go, as we follow Christ, as we fight the good fight of faith, and as we resist the world, the flesh, and the devil!

Finally, these blessed words at the end of the epistles powerfully affect our attitude and disposition as we live throughout the course of every new day. We have received God’s grace! We stand in that grace! His grace will never fail us! His grace will keep us saved and safe forever! Our Father will always look down upon us though His eyes of grace! And this incredible realization will radically transform our outlook upon life! We will be freed from worldly entanglements and worries, and moved to praise Him at all times, to count all things as loss in view of His love and mercy, to joyfully embrace His providence as His eternal will is worked out in our lives, and to be filled with gratitude for the gift of salvation that will be ours in full when our Savior returns!

Now it is clear why the Apostle would write this way!

My prayer for each of you, my dearly beloved family in Christ, is that grace will be the controlling theme of your life today, and every day, from sun-up to sun-down!

I love you all, and you are my joy and my crown,

Mike