3/6/2022 Worship Service and Sermon: Responding to Calamity - Esther 4

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3/6/2022 Worship Service and Sermon from Brick Lane Community Church in Elverson, PA.

Worship Leader: John Sletta
Speaker: Andrew Hageman
Title: Responding to Calamity
Scripture: Esther 4

Main Points

1. Mordecai's Grief -- Feeling responsible for the coming calamity
2. Esther's Dilemma -- Contemplating responsibility to avert calamity
3. Esther's Response -- Living out faith as a sacrifice for many

Conclusion and Application

1. God's silence is not evidence of His absence.
a. God's sovereignty is much bigger than us.

2. The Bible's response to grief and difficulty is to turn our eyes upon God.
a. We can come boldly before the throne of God in our grief.

3. Esther's choice may be upon us.
a. Ask God to prepare us to sacrifice for the sake of Christ.

4. Only by Christ's power can we ever follow in Esther's footsteps
a. Christ is the true and better Esther, making atonement before the throne of God on behalf of all believers.

#Purim #calamity #Esther #responsibility

2/27/2022 Worship Service and Sermon: Israel Asks for a King - 1 Samuel 8

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2/27/2022 Worship Service and Sermon from Brick Lane Community Church in Elverson, PA.

Worship Leader: Mike Culbert
Speaker: Joe Whalen
Title: Israel Asks for a King
Scripture: 1 Samuel 8

Notes:

vv. 1-3: As the faithful judge Samuel becomes old, the Israelites don’t want his corrupt sons to succeed him.
vv. 4-6a: The Israelites demand a king, like their neighbors had.
vv. 6b-9: …and God tells him to give them a king, but with a warning.
vv. 10-18: Samuel warns Israel what a king will do to them.
vv. 19-20: Israel rejects the warning outright.

Two truths:

1. We never just reject God; we replace Him
2. Our biggest problem is the unbelieving heart inside ourselves, not outward circumstances

Good news:

God gave us a King who paid for our sins and who adopts us into His family

#idolatry #faith #1Samuel

2/20/2022 Worship Service and Sermon: Cancer in the Church - Joshua 7

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2/20/2022 Worship Service and Sermon from Brick Lane Community Church in Elverson, PA.

Worship Leader: Randy Hepler
Speaker: Mark Estes
Title: Cancer in the Church
Scripture: Joshua 7

1. Sometimes a great victory is followed by a great defeat
a. Sin leads to defeat
b. Dissatisfaction leads to coveting
c. Decisive action is needed
d. Sin is a cancer-like threat

2. Unrepentant sin cannot be tolerated in the Christian life
a. Individually
b. Corporately
c. A word to the young

#sin #unrepentantsin #churchdiscipline

2/6/2022 Worship Service and Sermon: Spiritual Certainty - Romans 8:28-30

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2/6/2022 Worship Service and Sermon from Brick Lane Community Church in Elverson, PA.

Worship Leader: Steve Boyer
Speaker: Dr. Timothy Witmer
Title: Spiritual Certainty
Scripture: Romans 8:28-30
Bonus Scripture: Ephesians 1:3-5

1. The Certainty of His PROMISE

Romans 8:28: "And we know that for those who love God all things work together for good, for those who are called according to his purpose."

2. The Certainty of His PLAN

Romans 8:29-30: "For those whom he foreknew he also predestined to be conformed to the image of his Son, in order that he might be the firstborn among many brothers. And those whom he predestined he also called, and those whom he called he also justified, and those whom he justified he also glorified."

Ephesians 1:3-5: "Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who has blessed us in Christ with every spiritual blessing in the heavenly places, even as he chose us in him before the foundation of the world, that we should be holy and blameless before him. In love he predestined us for adoption to himself as sons through Jesus Christ, according to the purpose of his will..."

#goldenchain #spiritualcertainty #predestination #foreknowledge #Ephesians #Romans

1/23/2022 Worship Service and Sermon: The Friendship of the LORD is for Those Who Fear Him - Psalm 25

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01/23/2022 Worship Service and Sermon from Brick Lane Community Church in Elverson, PA.

Worship Leader: Matt Carter
Speaker: Rick Renninger
Title: The Friendship of the LORD is for Those Who Fear Him
Scripture: Psalm 25

Notes:

Psalm 25 uses Chiasm (a literary device in which a sequence of ideas is presented and then repeated in reverse order)

Creative outline that shows the Chiasm of Psalm 25 as a flight of stairs going up and then down:

D. Pardon my iniquity
(v. 11)

C. Growing confidence C. Growing confidence
(v. 8-10) (v. 12-14)

B. Wanting insight and recalling B. Still waiting in faith but with
the LORD’s faithfulness increased distress
(v. 4-7) (v. 15-18)

A. Waiting on Yahweh in confident A. Waiting on Yahweh in the
trust in the face of his enemies face of his enemies
(v. 1-3) (v. 19-22)



We can also view it more like a ladder:

A. Waiting on Yahweh with confident trust in the face of his enemies (v. 1-3)
B. Wanting insight and recalling the LORD's faithfulness (v. 4-7)
C. Growing confidence (v. 8-10)
D. Pardon my iniquity (v. 11)
C. Growing confidence (v. 12-14)
B. Still waiting in faith but with increased distress (v. 15-18)
A. Waiting on Yahweh in the face of his enemies (v. 19-22)

#steadfastlove #faithfulness #truegospel #chiasm #psalm25 #iniquity

1/16/2022 Worship Service and Sermon: Amazing Grace or accustomed grace? - Jonah 4

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01/16/2022 Worship Service and Sermon from Brick Lane Community Church in Elverson, PA.

Worship Leader: Dave Stoltzfus
Speaker: David Royes
Title: Amazing Grace or accustomed grace?
Scripture: Jonah 4

“We sing about ‘amazing grace’ and speak of ‘amazing grace’, but far too often it [grace] has ceased to amaze us. Sadly, we might more truthfully sing of ‘accustomed grace.’ We have lost the joy and energy that are experienced when grace seems truly amazing.” ~ Sinclair Ferguson

Literary Structure of Jonah:

Jonah 1: Jonah commissioned & disobedience → Jonah 3: Jonah recommissioned & obedience
Jonah 1b: Jonah & pagan sailors → Jonah 3: Jonah and pagan Ninevites.
Jonah 2: Jonah’s grateful prayer → Jonah 4a: Jonah’s angry prayer.
Jonah 4b: GOD Schools Jonah in Compassion. (*1)

1. Accustomed Grace: Jonah’s Angry Prayer
2. Amazing Grace: God’s Gracious Pursuit

a. His appointing is perfect
b. His word is persistent
c. His compassion is plentiful

3. Extending Grace: The Author’s hanging question

(*1) Adapted from David Dorsey, Literary Structure of the Old Testament (Baker Books, 2004).

1/9/2022 Worship Service and Sermon: A Most Unlikely Repentance - Jonah 3

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1/9/2022 Worship Service and Sermon from Brick Lane Community Church in Elverson, PA.

Worship Leader: Matt Griffith
Speaker: David Royes
Title: A Most Unlikely Repentance
Scripture: Jonah 3


1. A Recommissioned Prophet
* Highlight’s God’s perfect patience

2. A Repentant People
a. Their repentance is Godward
b. Their repentance is sincere
c. Their repentance is comprehensive

3. A Relenting God

JONAH 3 (ESV)

1 Then the word of the Lord came to Jonah the second time, saying,

2 “Arise, go to Nineveh, that great city, and call out against it the message that I tell you.”

3 So Jonah arose and went to Nineveh, according to the word of the Lord. Now Nineveh was an exceedingly great city, three days' journey in breadth.

4 Jonah began to go into the city, going a day's journey. And he called out, “Yet forty days, and Nineveh shall be overthrown!”

5 And the people of Nineveh believed God. They called for a fast and put on sackcloth, from the greatest of them to the least of them.

6 The word reached the king of Nineveh, and he arose from his throne, removed his robe, covered himself with sackcloth, and sat in ashes.

7 And he issued a proclamation and published through Nineveh, “By the decree of the king and his nobles: Let neither man nor beast, herd nor flock, taste anything. Let them not feed or drink water,

8 but let man and beast be covered with sackcloth and let them call out mightily to God. Let everyone turn from his evil way and from the violence that is in his hands.

9 Who knows? God may turn and relent and turn from his fierce anger, so that we may not perish.”

10 When God saw what they did, how they turned from their evil way, God relented of the disaster that he had said he would do to them, and he did not do it.

1/2/2022 Worship Service and Sermon: Our Need for Self-Control - Galatians 5:22-23

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1/2/2022 Worship Service and Sermon from Brick Lane Community Church in Elverson, PA.

Worship Leader: Mark Estes
Speaker: Rich Goswiller
Title: Our Need for Self-Control
Scripture: Galatians 5:22-23

"But the fruit of the Spirit is live, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, self-control; against such things there is no law."

#selfcontrol #spiritualfruit

Notes:

The fruit of the Spirit is produced by God the Holy Spirit, not by us as His people.

Branches (believers) have no ability to produce the fruit; they just bear the fruit that the vine (Jesus Christ) is producing through the Holy Spirit

The Holy Spirit doesn't just give us self-control with the snap of His fingers; He develops it in relation to other qualities, primarily the wisdom that comes from Him.

In the moment, at a crossroads--heavenly wisdom directs--self-control settles the matter.

12/26/2021 Worship Service and Sermon: The LORD Surrounds His People; A Song of Ascents - Psalm 125

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12/26/2021 Worship Service and Sermon from Brick Lane Community Church in Elverson, PA.

Worship Leader: Randy Hepler
Speaker: Wendell Stoltzfus
Title: The LORD Surrounds His People; A Song of Ascents
Scripture: Psalm 125

Those who trust in the LORD are like Mount Zion, which cannot be moved, but abides forever. As the mountains surround Jerusalem, so the LORD surrounds his people, from this time forth and forevermore. For the scepter of wickedness shall not rest on the land allotted to the righteous, lest the righteous stretch out their hands to do wrong. Do good, O LORD, to those who are good, and to those who are upright in their hearts! But those who turn aside to their crooked ways the LORD will lead away with evildoers! Peace be upon Israel!

Notes:

Those who trust in God are secure because God is immovable. God surrounds the church, just as the mountains surrounded Jerusalem. Bad rulers come and go, but the sovereign God is forever. Pray for leaders.

#trustgod #prayforleaders