Ambassador Presbyterian

What in Heaven is Going On?

Passage: Job 1:6-2:10

The book of Job opens with a series of tragic events that leave Job materially destitute, physically disabled, and emotionally isolated. It is suffering and pain almost unimaginable in its proportions, yet all to familiar in its effect of leaving us wondering what in the world is going on? We are given a glimpse of what Job could not see, but what in his heart he knew and believed. Behind these earthly trials there was a heavenly purpose which God was ultimately working, and though he could not fully understand, he still believed and trusted. His initial response proves that and sets the table for dealing with the many questions that will follow. Job's story is given to us not to answer all the questions that suffering brings, but to prepare us to respond in faith when it comes. Join us Sunday as we consider what in heaven is going on in times of suffering.

There Was a Man Named Job

Passage: Job 1:1-12

In our series in Proverbs this summer, we saw that those who pursue and live according to God's wisdom generally experience blessings such as prosperity, peace, health, protection, guidance and long life. The overall message of Proverbs is the way of the wise or righteous leads to life and joy and the way of the foolish or wicked leads to suffering and death. But what about when the righteous suffer? What are we to make of deep pain, loss, tragedy and suffering in the lives of those who trust God and whose way is blameless and upright? That question is at the heart of the story of Job, a great man who suffered greatly. And while Job does not get all his questions answered (and neither do we), his life and his response to suffering, have a great deal to teach us about facing suffering of our own or of others, trusting God's sovereignty in suffering, and hoping in the redemption that comes through suffering, even when we don't have all the answers. Join us this Sunday as we kick off our fall series in the book of Job: When the Righteous Suffer.

Find Wisdom, Find Life

Passage: Proverbs 8:22-36

Wealth and Wisdom

True Friendships

Passage: Proverbs 13:20; 17:9,17; 18:24; 27:5-6, 9-10, 17

How many friends do you have? How you answer that depends on what you mean by friends. If you have a Facebook page, you may have hundreds or even thousands of "friends," but it is likely that you have never even met many of them. Some of us might have a hard time coming up with many people we would consider really good friends. Of course true friendships are not formed by clicking a button, and deep friendships are often formed with a limited number of people. True friendships are something we all desire and we all need, but to have true friends and to be a true friend takes wisdom and work, . Thankfully, God not only gives us wisdom for true friendships, but he enters into friendship with us through Jesus, who came to make us his friend, and to model and equip us for true friendships with others. Join us this Sunday as we continue in Proverbs to find wisdom for building true friendships.

The Wisdom of Words

Proverbs 10:11-14,19-21,31; 15:1-4; 16:23-24; 18:20-21

The most powerful muscle in the body is the tongue. Not because it of its physical strength or endurance, but because of the incredible impact it can have for good or evil, to cultivate life or death. Every day from the time we wake up to the time we go to sleep, we wield a powerful instrument that can either tear down or build up, inflict hurt or promote healing, bring curses or blessings. What comes out of our mouths reveals a great deal about what is going on in our heart which is why Proverbs, like the rest of Scripture, has a great deal to say about the wise use of words, and helps us see our need for the living Word that is the only hope for our words. Join us this Sunday as we continue our summer in the school of wisdom and see what God has to say to us about what we say to others.

Hope for a Heavy Heart

Passage: Proverbs 12:24; 13:12; 14:10,13; 15:13-15,30; 30:1-5

We all know what it is to experience a heaviness of heart, a weightiness of spirit that can profoundly affect us physically, emotionally and spiritually. The causes may be many and varied, while the impact is often unique and specific to the individual, but the reality is universal. At some point, we all experience an inner turmoil or heaviness of heart. The book of Proverbs gives us practical wisdom and guidance from the One who knows and understands the reality, reasons and remedy for a heavy heart. Join us Sunday as we continue in our look at what God's wisdom says regarding hope for the heavy heart.

Rebel Hearts, Righteous Hearts, and the Reign of King Jesus

Passage: Proverbs 16:1-33

Once upon a time, and not so long ago, the idea of pride had mostly a negative slant. We routinely chided youngsters and people in the public sphere for boasting and displaying a prideful spirit. Society took a dim view of self-promotional displays as something unbecoming to society’s good order and decorum. Instead we valued honest humility and saw it as a virtue highly prized, and as the proper opposite and antidote to pride. Yet now our culture demotes humility and celebrates pride, which tells us how distant our culture is from biblical wisdom. As we see in Proverbs 16, Wisdom gives us God’s rejection of human pride while commending proper humility. And in addition, Wisdom will reveal God’s reign over all the affairs of His creation, including hearts that are proud and hearts that are humble. This Sunday’s sermon, then, will focus on this section of the word of God, as well as other important passages, in order to teach us about Rebel Hearts, Righteous Hearts, and the Reign of King Jesus over all.

The Joy of Justice

Passage: Proverbs 21:1-15

As we celebrated July 4th this past week, I was reminded of the ending of the Pledge of Allegiance which states we are "one nation, under God, indivisible with liberty and justice for all." Long before our founding fathers signed the Declaration of Independence, God called all individuals created in his image and institutions ordained by his will to pursue justice for all. One of the fundamental principles of living by God's wisdom is the pursuit and practice of true justice, which as we hear again and again in Proverbs, leads to joy and flourishing for individuals, families, communities and even countries. But such joy and flourishing is not ultimately found in the laws or judgments of men, but in the wisdom and ways of the One who is both just and justifier. It is found in knowing Jesus who suffered every injustice from us and bore God's justice for us, that we might share in the joy of seeing God's justice restored in the hearts and lives of individuals and institutions through Christ Jesus. Join us Sunday as we consider the joy of justice in the book of Proverbs.

Two Feasts

Passage: Proverbs 9

Every one of us has been invited to two very different banquets, and each of us decides daily to feast at primarily one or the other of these banquets. You can tell where you've been eating by the way you're living or the way you're dying.