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Our new church location starting August 6, 2017!

615 Perrymont Ave., Lynchburg, VA 24502

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We invite all of our friends, old and new, to come and visit us.

Our service begins at 9:00am, as usual.

We hope to see you soon!

Books Read List Loopy

Not sure why my Books Read lists have gone loopy. I have read all the books on the lists, just not in the years they are listed. Oh well. Maybe one day I will get around to getting a real website!

Matthew 27:1-31 Sermon

Matthew 27:1-31

Sermon Notes

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Judas and Pontius Pilate

June 25, 2017

Lynchburg, Virginia

EXHORDIUM

         We have been making our way through Matthew for some time now. We finally come to this difficult chapter of the trial, torture and crucifixion of our Lord Jesus. The chapter is loaded with bad guys. Bad guys seem to rule the day, from Judas to the chief priests and elders, to Pontius Pilate, to the maddened crowd and even Barabbas.

         The kings and rulers are gathered together against our Lord and His Christ to do whatsoever they please to Him. It is a colossal travesty in every way. The innocent is persecuted and

God's Kindness

Today’s sermon was full of wicked men: Judas, Pontius Pilate, Barabbas, Chief Priests, elders, a temple going crowd. What a company of malcontents.

And yet they are not that unlike us. They are sinners in need of repentance. They, too, could have supped with Jesus in peace but they refused to humble themselves.

The difference between them and us is not our goodness. It is Christ’s blood shed for the remission of sins. It is God’s kindness to us to grant us repentance and newness of life. It is the Holy Spirit who dwells with us, even unto the end of the age.

Do not be proud but humbled, looking to our Father with gratitude for His Son, and filled with the glory and joy of the Holy Spirit. We are not seated here with wicked men but rather, we are seated with righteous sons and daughters made righteous through the obedience of Jesus Christ. Let us give Him the praise and honor and glory. Amen.

Meal Prep Prayer

O Lord, as we prepare to eat this meal that You have provided for us, prepare our hearts to truly receive Christ by faith. Many of Your great saints through the ages have failed You miserably. And yet, they repented, and You forgave them fully and welcomed them to Your Table. We come to You as forgiven sinners. We receive Your forgiveness and respond to You with gratitude. Thank You for Jesus. Thank You for Your Holy Spirit. Fill us to overflowing, we pray. Amen.

Thanks

Our Father, we have much to thank You for. You provide each day our daily bread. You provide our jobs, homes, cars, and all that we possess. May we use all these things for Your glory. We give a portion of our blessing back to You and we pray for a blessing upon them. Grant us an abundant return, 30, 60 and 100 fold, that we might use all that You give us to Your glory, spending ourselves fully on You, for the sake of the Kingdom of Your Son, our Lord Jesus Christ. Amen.

Look to Jesus

Dear Saints, God has made it easy for us to rest in His assurance. We just need to be clear. We are not sure of our standing with Him because of our goodness or how well we walked in faithfulness yesterday or the fact that our parents raised us up in Christ.

Likewise, we are not cast down because we have sinned again in that old grievous way, or had that same struggling thought or have come from rough roots. Our victories do not save us and our sins and past do not damn us.

Why? Because we look to Jesus in faith. His work on the cross. His faithfulness to His Father. His victory over sin. Him, as sin, in our behalf. And our looking to Him in faith compels us both to repentance of sins and to act according to the love of God.

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Jesus is God’s promise to you. If you look to Jesus, in faith, then rest assured, God’s love is towards you and nothing can separate you from the love of God in Christ Jesus.

Confession

Our merciful Father, we confess that we have sinned against You in thought, word, and deed, by what we have done, and by what we have left undone. We have failed to love You with our whole heart and we have not loved our neighbors as ourselves. Forgive us through the perfect sacrifice of Your Son Jesus Christ, for it is in His name that we pray. Amen.