GOD SPEAKS THROUGH HIS CHURCH.Ephesians 4:11–16, 25–29 KJV God never intended the Christian life to be lived in isolation. He places believers together in the body of Christ, where we worship, grow, serve, encourage one another, and hear His truth proclaimed. In Ephesians 4:11–16, Paul explains that Christ gave leaders to His church "for the perfecting of the saints, for the work of the ministry, for the edifying of the body of Christ." Through faithful preaching, biblical teaching, godly counsel, encouragement, and the fellowship of mature believers, God often uses His church to bring His Word to bear upon our lives. But God speaking through His church never means that human opinion replaces Scripture. Everything must be tested by the Word of God. The church is most useful in speaking into our lives when it faithfully communicates what God has already revealed in His Word. Paul also teaches that spiritual maturity changes the way we communicate with one another. We are commanded to "speak the truth in love" and to use words that are "good to the use of edifying." That means every believer has a responsibility. Our words can discourage or strengthen, wound or heal, tear down or build up. This lesson challenges us to ask: Am I listening when God uses His church to speak truth into my life—and are my words helping others hear and follow Him? God speaks through a church that is grounded in Scripture, growing in Christ, speaking truth in love, and building up the body.
1 Oct 2026
Look • Listen • Live
Look • Listen • Live The message centers on God's gracious instruction in Numbers 15:37–41, where He gave Israel tassels with a blue thread as a visible reminder to look, remember, and do what He had commanded. The principle carries directly into our lives today: look to Jesus, listen to what He has said, and live by faith in what He gives us. We do not naturally drift toward obedience. Our hearts and eyes are inclined toward the flesh, so walking with God requires intentional faith and continual dependence upon His light. God is not looking for the best version of us or even our version of Jesus. He desires for the life of Jesus to be manifested through us. That means we need Him to reveal what we cannot see and correct what we are seeing wrongly. Faith comes by hearing, so in the kingdom of God we often see by hearing—God speaks, His Word sheds light, and suddenly we can interpret our circumstances from His perspective rather than our own. The illustration of "life in a jar" pictures the many experiences that fill our days. The ordinary moments are like buttons. The unforgettable "ever since" moments of God's grace and faithfulness are like pearls. And then there are the lemons—the losses, disappointments, griefs, hardships, and wounds that leave a sour taste in our lives. God does not necessarily remove those lemons, but when He pours His light into our lives, His light changes how we see everything in the jar. The pain may still be painful, but it no longer gets to interpret God for us. That is why we must continually look to Jesus. Hebrews 12 reminds us that when we become weary and discouraged, we are to consider Him. Jesus endured the race set before Him, trus
1 Oct 2026
Be not discouraged by scoffers
~~~~~ No 32 in the series - The Epistles of Peter. ~~~~~ **Considering 2 Peter 3:1-7** This second epistle, beloved, I now write unto you; in both which I stir up your pure minds by way of remembrance: ....Knowing this first, that there shall come in the last days scoffers, walking after their own lusts.....But the heavens and the earth, which are now, by the same word are kept in store, reserved unto fire against the day of judgment and perdition of ungodly men. *1/ The certainty of scoffers in the last days. 2/ How we are not to be discouraged by them.* **Sermon summary:** This sermon addresses the challenge of maintaining faith in the face of scepticism and ridicule, drawing from 2 Peter 3 to encourage believers not to be discouraged by scoffers. The central message emphasizes that the last days are characterized by those who mock the promise of Christ's return, yet God's people are called to remain steadfast through the power of remembrance. The exposition highlights how believers should stir up their pure minds by recalling biblical truths, such as the flood and the Passover, which serve as historical proofs of God's judgment and salvation. Furthermore, the sermon instructs the audience to rely on the authority of both the Old and New Testaments, rejecting the scoffers' claim that all things continue as they were. Ultimately, the tone is pastoral and fortifying, urging the church to find assurance in the certainty of God's promises and the coming new heavens and earth, rather than yielding to the world's contempt.
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