Embracing Freedom and Community in Christ

"God, we come here and gather here to worship because you've called us. You invite us. But most importantly, God, we know we need it. We need you. And whether we're grateful or upset, whatever it is in our life going on, God, we are just mostly grateful that you're on the throne. We are grateful for what you've done and what you're doing and what you will do." [00:06:40] (25 seconds) (Download raw clip | Download cropped clip)


"And sometimes we act like children who have been abandoned by their father, but you have never left us. You have been there through all times and you will be. And so, God, we recognize you here in this midst right now, that you're with us, and we want more of you. We just want more of you, God, in our life. More of you in every part of life, which you just permeate it all." [00:07:09] (26 seconds) (Download raw clip | Download cropped clip)


"You know, the Lord is our Savior. And we profess that and we celebrate it. And we often think of just Easter. And we think about what he's done in that Easter moment. But the God is a God who's always saving us. He's watching us, he's protecting us, he's sustaining us in a true faith. And so, where does the psalm say? Where does our help come from? It comes from the Lord. The Lord who is great. Who is mighty. And so he is worthy of our praise." [00:12:03] (34 seconds) (Download raw clip | Download cropped clip)


"The Apostle Paul has been going around the mountain of the gospel, we say. He keeps walking the same trail, yet discovering stuff new. And he's been like hammering the gospel, how it's Christ alone, grace alone, faith alone. This is what saves you. And these false teachers who attacked me are teaching a false gospel, which is the law, which is no gospel. And it is bound you." [00:24:27] (23 seconds) (Download raw clip | Download cropped clip)


"And so this time, the Apostle Paul circles back around to reassure them of the relationship and invites them to say, look, you are children of God. We have laid this down objectively. God has made you his child. He's given you his freedom. This is your gift. It's yours to take hold of. He says, take hold of it." [00:24:48] (23 seconds) (Download raw clip | Download cropped clip)


"And so Paul, again, is referring to kind of that, his testimony here that, I mean, he is the Jew of Jews. He has Jewish lineage. He is of the tribe. And then he's also, Daniel, he's also has this birth right now. He's been born in a Pharisee home. And he's been the enforcer of the laws. And yet Jesus intervened in his life. And he learned the gospel. And the gospel set him free. Those chains are gone." [00:26:56] (28 seconds) (Download raw clip | Download cropped clip)


"And he is reminding them God has done that for them also. And they have been liberated through Jesus and the Holy Spirit and baptism. And so they can join him in his freedom. In fact, Paul, what did he do? He exercised that freedom right in their midst. He being a Jew and them being Gentiles, when he came in their midst, he did not hold to his Jewish traditions and laws." [00:27:44] (21 seconds) (Download raw clip | Download cropped clip)


"Because faith and habits are not necessarily taught, they are taught. Caught. They are caught by someone modeling to us over and over again, us hearing about it again and again and again. It's caught. I mean, we've seen the illustrations, I mean, we can see the illustrations even with the election of the group think." [00:31:32] (29 seconds) (Download raw clip | Download cropped clip)


"Paul says in Ephesians, Instead, we will speak to truth and love, growing in every way more and more like Christ, who is the head of the body of the church, he makes the whole body fit together perfectly as each part does its own special work. I don't mind that. He helps the other parts grow." [00:45:23] (18 seconds) (Download raw clip | Download cropped clip)