Ambassador Presbyterian

Resolute Faith - Daniel

To stand firm in the faith when everything in the world around you is working to deconstruct that faith and to shape you into its mold is one of the greatest challenges we face as followers of Christ. It comes at great risk, but it promises a great reward.  As exiles in Babylon, Daniel and his friends found themselves under great pressure to shed their faith in God and conform to the ways of a pagan king and kingdom. Their resolute faith reveals the faithfulness of God to protect and provide for his own as we seek to serve him in this world, while not being of this world. Here we look at Daniel 1 and the risk and reward of resolute faith like that of Daniel.

Changing Times, Unchanging God - Daniel

We live in a world of constantly changing leaders and shifting cultures, and as believers we find ourselves caught in the current of an increasingly worldly, godless culture that is pulling us in a direction we do not want to go. As citizens of God's kingdom, we are called to live as aliens and strangers in this world, to be in it but not of it. Such was the case for Daniel and his friends after Israel was conquered and carried off to Babylon. The book of Daniel gives us a historical as well as an eternal perspective that points us to the true hope we have in the providential grace and power of our sovereign God, as well as the true change that comes when we stand resolutely by faith against the strong currents of worldly culture. Join us as we introduce our study of the Book of Daniel: Resolute Faith in the God Who Reigns.   

Standing Firm: The Encouragement We Have - Ephesians: Grace in Christ

Ephesians 6:18-24

God, through the apostle, has reached the end of his letter, and we the end of our sermon series. For his very last impression, his dying words, he wants us to know this: encouragement. Encouragement from intimate knowledge of how God is and what He is doing. Encouragement to persevere in His love through prayer. So listen and be encouraged by love in prayer.

Standing Firm: The Armor We Bear - Ephesians: Grace in Christ

Ephesians 6:10-20

Before he heads into battle, the well-prepared soldier is issued all the equipment he needs to carry out the mission ahead and to protect him against his enemy. However, it does no good to have the proper gear at your disposal, but fail to take it up and use it properly.  In Christ, God has equipped his church with all we need to stand firm against the devil's schemes, but he calls us to put on the full armor of God in order that when all is said and done, we indeed will stand.  Today we continue our look at standing firm in the spiritual battle, and the armor we bear in doing so. 

Standing Firm: The Enemy We Face - Ephesians: Grace in Christ

Ephesians 6:10-13

As followers of Jesus, God's word reminds us that we are soldiers at war. Our hearts, our minds, our bodies, our relationships, our families, our jobs, and other areas of life are all potential fields of real conflict. This is why Paul ends his letter to the believers at Ephesus with a call to arms for the church to stand firm in the strength of the Lord. To do so, we need to understand the enemy we face and it is not who or what we often think it is. Here we look at the spiritual war we're in and consider the powerful enemy we face.  

Rendering Service as to the Lord - Ephesians: Grace in Christ

Ephesians 6:5-9

How do you view your work? Do you see it as having some lasting value, some greater purpose, indeed as being a means of honoring and serving the Lord in how you go about the job God has given you? For many the relationship of faith and work seems distant, often stemming from a false dichotomy between the sacred and secular. Scripture is clear that work matters, and as Christians, how we approach our work whether as employees or employers is to flow out of God's grace in the gospel and our calling as servants of the Lord Jesus Christ. Today we look at God's instructions for servants and masters to render service as unto the Lord.  

Honoring Parents and Parenting Honorably - Part 2 - Ephesians: Grace in Christ

Ephesians 6:1-4

Last time we looked at God's calling for children to honor and obey their parents as those to whom God has given his authority for their blessing. God also calls parents, and particularly fathers, to exercise that authority with grace and with the goal of leading their children to know and trust the Lord. Join us for part 2 as we look again at Paul's instructions for Christian parents. 

Honoring Parents and Parenting Honorably - Part 1 - Ephesians: Grace in Christ

Ephesians 6:1-4

Just as marriage is an amazing arena of learning and growing in our relationship with Christ as his bride, so God has blessed children with parents and parents with children in order that we might know his care and concern for us as our heavenly Father and how we are to respond to him as his children. As we continue in our look from Ephesians at how God's grace in Christ informs and impacts the key relationships in the family, we see what that means for children and parents.

 

The Ministry of Marriage - Ephesians: Grace in Christ

Ephesians 5:22-33

The covenant bond of marriage between a husband and wife is designed by God as a living parable and reflection of Christ's relationship with his Church. That union is lived out in the beautiful ministry of service between the Bridegroom and his bride, the Head and his body. The union of husband and wife is likewise a beautiful ministry of service together when both understand and pursue their mutual callings in Christ and by the power of his Spirit.  Now we look at the ministry of marriage between husband and wife.  

The Harmony of Marriage - Ephesians: Grace in Christ

Ephesians 5:18-33

To hear a duet sing or see a couple dance in perfect harmony together is a thing of beauty and grace. Two different individuals, each uniquely gifted, each singing different parts or moving to different steps, yet together seeming to sing or move in perfect unison. That is the design and desire God has for marriage, and yet, too often husbands and wives find themselves singing off-key or stepping on each other's toes, rather than displaying the beauty and union we have in Christ and with each other. But God has uniquely gifted and called husbands and wives to live in harmony together in marriage by the power of his Spirit and in the pattern of Christ.  Join us Sunday as we continue in Ephesians and consider the harmony of marriage.