6/26/2022 Worship Service and Sermon: Sanctification Sermon #1: What is Holiness? Do I need it?

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6/26/2022 Worship Service and Sermon from Brick Lane Community Church in Elverson, PA

Worship Leader: Matt Griffith
Speaker: Pastor Steve Estes
Title: Sanctification Sermon #1: What is Holiness?  Do I need it?
Scripture: Leviticus 19:1-2

Now the LORD said to Moses, "Speak to the entire assembly of Israel and say to them: Be holy because I, the LORD your God, am holy."

Notes:

1. God says, "I am holy."
     A. The meaning of "holy"
     B. First: God's holiness means He is separate from us
     C. Second: God's holiness means separate because He is superior to us
     D. Third: God's holiness means He is different from us
     E. Fourth: God's holiness means He has no evil in Himself

2. God sometimes declares certain places and objects "holy"
     A. Moses and the burning bush
     B. Other objects, places, and times
     C. These things are not ethically holy

3. God sometimes sets certain people aside to be "holy"
     A. Levites
     B. Israelites

4. God not only declares Christian believers "holy"--He commands us to be holy
      A. God's demand for holiness seems unattractive
      B. God's demand for holiness seems scary
      C. God's demand for holiness seems impossible

5. Three thoughts in response
      A. Regarding holiness as unattractive

      B. Regarding holiness as scary

      C. Regarding holiness as impossible

Benediction: May God himself, the God of peace, sanctify you through and through.  May your whole spirit, soul and body be kept blameless at the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ.  The one who calls you is faithful and he will do it. (1 Thessalonians 5:23-24)

6/19/22 Worship Service and Sermon - Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego - Daniel 3:16-18

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6/19/2022 Worship Service and Sermon from Brick Lane Community Church in Elverson, PA.

Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego answered and said to the king, "O Nebuchadnezzar, we have no need to answer you in this matter. If this be so, our God whom we serve is able to deliver us from the burning fiery furnace, and he will deliver us out of your hand, O king. But if not, be it known to you, O king, that we will not serve your gods or worship the golden image that you have set up." - Daniel 3:16-18

Worship Leader: Mark Estes
Speaker: Tyler Estes
Title: Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego
Scripture: Daniel 3:16-18

1. Their principled resolve. Note the timing of their resolve. The matter is already settled. They were resolved to worship only God long before the statue was built.

2. Their trust in God. First, they know the power of God. Second, they know the salvation of God. Third, they know their service to their true King

3. Their submission to God's sovereignty. Duties, not events

4. The outcome: God saved them. They still went into the flames. God went with them into the flames

5. "How do I become firm in my resolve?" Read the Bible frequently. Make church a priority/. Do these things through faith in Christ

#Daniel #fierytrial #integrity #resolve #Shadrach #Meshach #Abednego

6/12/22 Worship Service and Sermon: The Dark and Light Paths - Proverbs 4:18-19

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6/12/2022 Worship Service and Sermon from Brick Lane Community Church in Elverson, PA.

Speaker: Pastor Steve Estes
Title: The Dark and Light Paths
Scripture: Proverbs 4:18-19

The path of the righteous is like the first gleam of dawn, shining ever brighter till the full light of day. But the way of the wicked is like deep darkness; they do not know what makes them stumble.

1. The Bible places everyone into just two categories
A. This is odd to modern people.
i. at best, "old-fashioned and overly simplistic"
ii. at worst, "There those holier-than-thou Christians go again"
B. Why does God use these terms?
i. consider what God is like
ii. all human beings are born resistant to God
iii. in the Bible, God calls His people (worshipers, followers) "righteous"

2. For those who are not His, God describes their lives as a DARK PATH
A. A figure of speech
i. main idea: danger
ii. further idea: a certain confusion/bewilderment
B. What the dark path looks like
i. may be obvious
ii. may not be obvious
iii. on a national level
iv. person is not prepared for death

3. For those who are His, God describes their lives as a path of light
A. Their path has light
B. The light they have grows

Benediction: Hear God's promise: "The path of the righteous is like the first gleam of dawn, shining ever brighter till the full light of day."

#righteousness #wickedness #proverbs #Proverbs 4:18-19

3/13/22 Worship Service and Sermon: Love & Loss - Ruth 1:1-22

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3/13/2022 Worship Service and Sermon from Brick Lane Community Church in Elverson, PA.

Worship Leader: Mark Estes
Speaker: Dr. Craig Garriott
Title: Love and Loss
Scripture: Ruth 1

1. It was the worst of times
a. A dark national time
b. A dark economic time
c. A dark family time

2. A love greater than the losses
a. Elimelech's faithlessness didn't diminish God's faithfulness
b. Naomi's loss drove her to God
c. Ruth's love is God's response to Naomi's lament

3. Applications
a. Sometimes God permits what He hates to accomplish what He loves

#Ruth #hardtimes #ruth1 #godsfaithfulness #naomislament #Elimelech #Naomi

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).