Sustained Spiritual Strength

No matter where you are or what circumstances you’re in, sustained spiritual strength is available to and enjoyed by those that are weak and by those who wait. Pastor Dustin Rogers takes us through Isaiah 40:28-31 showing that the promises of comfort from Isaiah 40 are ultimately sustained by God’s power.

Lift Yours Eyes and See

Have you ever felt forgotten by God? Maybe you’ve encountered a season where it seemed like all your prayers were going unanswered. Maybe you’ve run from God and just assumed that He’d taken you off His radar. Though you know rationally and theologically that it isn’t true, perhaps you’ve felt the silence of God.

 

In the midst of their captivity, the children of Israel reached points of discouragement where it seemed like they had been forgotten by their God. Yet, God never forgets His people! In fact, it is in those times of discouragement that God compels us to look harder and see deeper into the glories of His greatness!

 

Please join us as Pastor Dustin Rodgers as we life our eyes and see Gods greatness in Isaiah 40:26-28.

The Holy One

Is it possible the ultimate cause of fear could be the ultimate cause of comfort? Pastor Dustin Rogers takes Isaiah 40:25 and sees the holiness of God in the line of attributes that also point us to God as comforter. We recognize that God’s holiness is the foundation of His comfort.

Remember

We forget for many reasons. Whether it is simple human forgetfulness or if we become distracted or willfully forget, God knows that we have the knowledge we need but we need to remember it. And in Isaiah 40:21-24, our attention is drawn to those things that help us remember the goodness and glory of God.

Christ at the Center – part 2

Last week we took a very practical glance at what it looks like to have Christ at the center of your life. We took a bit of a survey of the book of Colossians and noted that Christ-centeredness must begin with a proper perspective. We must see Christ as all of life and in all of life…being captivated by His infinite worth and joyfully yielded to His Lordship. Christ is the whole pie! He flavors every slice of the pie that is the Christian’s life. Do you see your life this way? Do you have a Christ-centered perspective?

 

While a proper perspective is crucial to Christ-centeredness, Paul doesn’t stop there in His writing to the Church. For, Christ-centeredness requires effort – a grace-driven, Spirit-empowered effort. In other words, you’re not going to just cruise towards an increasingly Christ-centered life. As the Scripture says, we must “discipline ourselves for the purpose of godliness” [1 Tim. 4:7-10]. Today we’ll briefly remind ourselves of three basic disciplines that should be a part of a Christian’s life. These three godly rhythms will prove indispensable to your Christ-centered pursuit!

Christ at the Center

Last week we continued our brief excursion to consider the relevance and prominence of idolatry that is present in our world…and in our lives. We saw Jesus’ warnings and instructions to beware of things that can so easily consume our thoughts and absorb our investment. He taught us what real life really is and what should consume our thoughts and absorb our investment of time and resources.

Paul straightforwardly echoed Jesus’ words to the Colossians in chapter 3:1-4. The central point of these scriptures is abundantly clear – Christ should hold the central place in our lives. Christ should be at the center of your life around which everything else orbits.

Made For Another World

In our continuing discussion concerning idolatry, we take a look at Colossians 3:1-4 to delve upon what do we make ultimate. We are so tempted to make present things ultimate and place them at the center of our existence. But as Paul explains, when we do the real ultimate things become cloudy at best.

The Relevance and Allure of Idolatry

It’s easy for us to simply assume that idolatry was just an Old Testament issue. Moreover, it’s easy to assume that turning from idolatry to the living and transcendent God is just one time move. It’s sometimes difficult to see how the image of someone bowing before a fancy statue or dancing around a totem pole could possibly be relevant to my life and in my culture.

Perhaps, like me, you’ve wondered why idolatry was ever alluring to the people of Israel to begin with. Perhaps you continue to wonder if idolatry really is something that we have to battle against today.

The Living Transcendent God

As people we attempt to capture things in pictures and words to describe them to others. Oftentimes, what we capture fails to convey the experience in real life. So it is with our God. Listen as Pastor Dustin Rogers digs through Isaiah 40 showing us a Living God that cannot be depicted by anything we can imagine.

An Unrivaled King

Isaiah 40:12-14 have helped us to behold our God – namely to behold His sovereign omnipotence and omniscience. Our God is all-powerful and all-knowing and is utterly worthy of our worship and trust! These attributes, though ever true, are perhaps never more applicable to us than they are in the midst of trial and test.
As C.H. Spurgeon eloquently states, “Oh, there is, in contemplating Christ, a balm for every wound; In musing on the Father, there is a quietus for every grief; and in the influence of the Holy Spirit, there is a balsam for every sore. Would you lose your sorrow? Would you drown your cares? Then go, plunge yourself in the Godhead’s deepest sea; be lost in His immensity; and you shall come forth as from a couch of rest, refreshed and invigorated. I know nothing which can so comfort the soul; so calm the swelling billows of sorrow and grief; so speak peace to the wind of trial, as a devout musing upon the subject of the Godhead.”
My friends, notice that the 19th century pastor didn’t offer a balm or rest or refreshment in connection with circumstances. No, these beautiful experiences of believers are found not in new situations but in God.