Good Shepherd Community Church

Happy Independence Day/ Happy Birthday to America There is a greater freedom than political independence from a foreign power. It is the spiritual freedom that Jesus accomplished for those who believe on him. He came on the divine mission of the rescue of rebel sinners from the slavery of Satan and sin and its consequence of death and hell. (Genesis 3:13-15) His incarnation- the Word, the eternal Son taking mortal flesh - was necessary to free us from slavery to sin, death and ultimate hell. (Hebrews 2:14) He did this by undergoing, submitting himself to the suffering, death on the cross in our behalf in our place. (Colossians 2:15) For the law of the Spirit of life has set you free in Christ Jesus from the law of sin and death! He is the true Liberator who fought and won the battle for all who place their faith, their trust in Him. If the Son sets you free you are free indeed! (John 8:36)

How important is the church to God? To answer the question we will need to understand what is meant by the word "church". There are many misconceptions. However the Bible in both New and Old Testaments define the church. The world and time spanning company of believers take visible forms. How important is the assembly of Christians in particular places and time?

Paul and his two companions wanted to clear up any doctrinal cloudiness that the believers at Thessalonica needed in regards to the events that would occur at Christ's return. Some were evidently confused about the fate of loved ones who had already died in Christ. So in this passage Paul gives four basic reasons that they should take great comfort in Christ's coming: I. The Fundamental Fact of Jesus' Death and Resurrection II. II. The Happy Fate of Those who Had Previously Died in Christ III. III. The Good Fortune of Those who Will Be Alive at Christ's Return IV. IV. The Never-ending Face-to-Face Fellowship of All Believers with Their Lord will take place. For all believers, deceased or living, Christ's return will commence blessed resurrection life with the Savior.

The Holy Spirit is called the lifegiver in the Nicene Creed that was published 1700 years ago. This universal creed of the Christian church is thoroughly biblical. I considering its declaration concerning the Spirit as the giver of life we noted this points to his regenerating work of giving spiritual life to dead sinners followed by his indwelling presence in the lives of believers corporate and individual. We are made the temple of the Lord. Also his presence in our mortal bodies in the reason for our resurrection from the dead with immortal bodies like our Lord Jesus at his return.

Jesus' constant companion was the Holy Spirit. He told his disciples that he would send another person "just like me to be right beside you forever." His own presence would be communicated to them by the Holy Spirit. His Spirit was Christ's greatest gift to all God's people. The Holy Spirit is so necessary to us, we need to be aware of him, and to know him. He is not impersonal energy but a person; he is, in fact, God. He is the "life-giver;" we owe our lives to him.

The Holy Spirit is essential to the existence and reality of the church. Jesus makes this truth clear to his apostles in the Upper Room just hours before his arrest and an execution o the cross. John 14 records Jesus promise to return to the disciples after he goes away. His first return was his post resurrection appearances and after he return to the Father he promises to send the Helper, the Comforter who is the Holy Spirit. John 14:18-24 contains the great truth of the Tri-unity of God and the essential ministry of the Holy Spirit to make the ones believing in Jesus a dwelling place of God. By the Holy Spirit Jesus said "will come to him and make our home with him."

In June of 325 AD the Roman emperor Constantine called 318 bishops of Christian churches scattered throughout the Roman Empire to convene at Nicaea (in present day Turkey). The purpose of their gathering was to discuss a thorny theological controversy regarding the divinity of the Lord Jesus Christ. After two months of careful discussion the bishops wrote the Nicene Creed, a short document of about 35 lines in careful and concise language describing the Biblical doctrine of the Holy Trinity, the One God revealed in three persons, Father, Son, and Holy Spirit. The majority of the Creed is given over to a delineation of the divinity and glory of the Lord Jesus Christ, him being equal in all the divine attributes with the Father and the Holy Spirit. For 1,700 years this Creed has been the cornerstone of the Church's confession of the being of God, especially as regards the Lord Jesus Christ.

Jesus is known to refer to himself under a number metaphors that usually pertain to something in the history of Israel or to its system of laws. Leviticus 23 lists the festivals and among them are the Feast of Firstfruits and the Feast of Weeks, known as Pentecost. Both of these festivals concern the firstfruits of a harvest. The first one relates to the barley harvest but the second one relates to the wheat harvest. Jesus in John 12 says that he is the kernel of wheat that falls into the ground and sprouts as a new plant bearing much fruit. His death by crucifixion, burial, and resurrection on the third day was prefigured by the wheat harvest of the Feast of Completion. It is for this purpose he came into the world.

What is the relationship of the Christian to the kingdom of God? The New Testament has a lot to say about the kingdom. John announces it soon arrive in the Christ. Jesus came preaching the kingdom. He was going around from one city and village to another, preaching and proclaiming the good news of the kingdom of God. The twelve were with Him. Luke 8:1 And he asserted to a group of Pharisees in Luke 11:20 if I cast out demons by the finger of God, then the kingdom of God has come upon you. and in Luke 17:20f, Now having been questioned by the Pharisees as to when the kingdom of God was coming, He answered them and said, "The kingdom of God is not coming with signs to be observed, nor will they say, 'Look, here!' or, 'There!' For behold, the kingdom of God is in your midst." He as God's appointed King was there in their midst, among there. Where the king is there is the kingdom. How do people enter the kingdom of God? It is through the new birth, the supernatural birth of the Spirit. John 1:12 and John 3:3,5 1

Jesus Christ's ascension back to heaven is just as crucial to God's saving and sanctifying work of his people as is his death and resurrection. In this passage we discover the following truths: I. The Ascension flowed from the Resurrection. II. The Ascension was the exaltation of Jesus Christ to Kingship and Authority. III. The Ascension set the stage for the defeat of the enemies of Christ. IV. The Ascension triggered the pouring out of the Spirit on the Church.

Jesus' life did not end with his death and burial. No, on the third day he arose bodily from the dead. Also he did not simply arise and disappear. He spent 40 more days on earth visiting with his disciples before he ascended back to heaven. Luke gives us this summary in Acts 1:1-3 "The first book I wrote, Theophilus, concerned all that Jesus began both to do and to teach, until the day in which he was received up, after he had given commandment through the Holy Spirit to the apostles whom he had chosen. To these he also showed himself alive after he suffered, by many proofs, appearing to them over a period of forty days and speaking about God's Kingdom. A review of a number of these instances are recorded in the longer ending of Mark 16 plus the more detailed events recorded in Luke 24 and John 20-21. Here is the longer ending of Mark 16 plus the shorter ending for your reference from the Berean Standard Bible. This podcast is an overview of these appearances. They function as proof of the physical resurrecti

The kingdom of God has been defined by Anthony Hoekema as "the reign of God, dynamically active in human history through Jesus Christ, with the purpose of redeeming God's people from sin and demonic powers, and ultimately establishing the new heavens and the new earth." The kingdom of God began to be manifested among men when Jesus Christ began his public ministry and proclaimed that it had arrived in his person. His kingdom is now manifested in the lives of his redeemed people, especially as they gather in local churches for worship and instruction. The book of Acts, in fact, begins with Jesus teaching his disciples about the Kingdom of God and it ends with Paul "proclaiming the kingdom of God and teaching about the Lord Jesus Christ" Acts 28:31. As we await the full revelation and consummation of Christ's kingdom at his return, we Christians are ambassadors for King Jesus as we proclaim his Gospel, and as we pray, live, and teach by the Holy Spirit.

Peter no doubt received Jesus' forgiveness for his sin of denying knowing him when the risen Christ visited him on resurrection Sunday. But it was later at another meeting on the seashore in Galilee that Jesus restored Peter to his place of pastoral leadership in the early church. We see here the vital role the ministry of pastor (under shepherd) was then and now for the people of God.

We meet Peter on numerous occasions in the gospel narratives. He was the great confessor at Caesarea Philippi for all Twelve of the apostles when he declared, "You are the Christ, the Son of the living God." But we also encounter him at the last Passover with Jesus when he declared his unwavering loyalty, "Even if they all fall away because of you, I will never fall away. Peter said, "I will lay down my life for you." Jesus replied, "Will you lay down your life for me? Truly I say to you, a rooster will not crow until you deny me three times." Then tragically we read of his warming himself in the courtyard where Jesus was being interrogated. Three times he was ask if he was not a follower of Jesus. But he denied it. Even asserting, "I do not know the man." On tge third denial he even cursed in his denial! What will happen to Peter? Surely his sin has permanently disqualified him as chief of the Apostles. John records for us the gentle beautiful interaction of Jesus with Peter on his third appearance to seven

The Apostle Thomas is often called "Doubting Thomas," but that is only part of his story. We see that at one point he was the "Fearless Thomas" - urging the other disciples to join him in going to Jerusalem and dying with him. At another point he was the "Inquiring Thomas," asking Jesus to show the way to the place he was going. He clung to unbelief during that first week after Christ's resurrection because he had not been at that initial appearance of Christ among the disciples. But then Jesus appeared again when Thomas was with the disciples and he told Thomas to throw aside his unbelief and come forward to touch the wounds he bore from the cross. At that point Thomas saw, believed, and confessed, "My Lord and God!" Jesus' word to the church from then on is, "Blessed are those who have not seen, and yet have believed."

Witnessing is very important in the Christian life. We are commanded by the Lord Jesus to be his witnesses to others. This involves a focus on him as he is revealed in the Scriptures. The content of our witness is Christ Jesus not a plan of salvation or a story of our experience, although we can use what has happened to us as an example of believing. Too often we are focused on a few prooftexts that support steps to salvation. This can lead to faulty conversions that center on the wrong focus. The story of Jesus Christ in fulfillment of prophecy given in the Old Testament leading to an acknowledgement of his identity and the meaning of his death-burial-resurrection and ascension in our behalf must be the substance. Belief is expressed in a change of mind and direction of life (repentance) and faith in Jesus himself expressed in confession that is marked by baptism. This is our calling by the command of Christ our Lord. "You shall be witnesses unto Me." Tell people who I am and what I have done in fulfillment

On that first Resurrection Sunday, Cleopas and his companion's walk to Emmaus that afternoon proved to be monumental, not only for them, but for the Christian church. The stranger who accompanied them turned out to be Jesus, who pointed them to the OT scriptures which spoke of him. At the conclusion of their walk, Jesus showed them he himself had resurrected. Hurrying to Jerusalem with the good news of their encounter, the disciples had their resurrection joy strengthened by the news that the risen Lord had also appeared to Peter. And so for us today it is also the scriptures which prophesied and then testified to Jesus' death and resurrection that is our strength and help when we face sadness and fear. The risen Jesus is alive and always with us by his Spirit!

I believe in the resurrection of the dead because Jesus Christ arose from the dead. He is the first fruits of all the harvest that is to come,that is all those joined to him in faith. 1 Corinthians 15:20-23 But Christ has indeed been raised from the dead, the firstfruits of those who have fallen asleep. For since death came through a man, the resurrection of the dead comes also through a man. For as in Adam all die, so in Christ all will be made alive. But each in his own turn: Christ the firstfruits; then at His coming, those who belong to Him. 1 Cor. 15:35 But someone will ask, "How are the dead raised? With what kind of body will they come? Our resurrection body will be like Christ Jesus' resurrection body.