Restoration is a network of house churches.
We make disciples, gather together, and
equip people to minister.
All tagged Gospel
Acts 8 begins with Saul persecuting the church in Jerusalem, leading to the gospel spreading to Judea and Samaria in partial fulfillment of Acts 1:8. But, the focus soon turns to Philip as he explains the gospel to a God-fearing Ethiopian on his way to Africa. Praise God!
Every year we celebrate Christ’s victory over death. This year we talked about 1 Corinthians 15 (as usual) and also mentioned the pre-textual creed Paul refers to in verses 3-7 (“what I received”) as a reminder of the simplicity and power of the Gospel message.
The doctrine of the atonement is central to the Gospel. Jesus paid our sin debt, restoring us back to God. This doctrine has been under attack from liberals and “progressives” for years. However, the truth of the Gospel as it relates to Christ’s substitutionary atonement stands strong. In this sermon, we address several key passages to define the doctrine and understand how it relates to our salvation and to our evangelism efforts.
This sermon is a continuation of our series on The Doctrines of Grace in which we are addressing the topic of evangelism by taking an in-depth look at the gospel. This sermon focuses on Ephesians 1 which describes God’s adoption of the believing in Christ. This adoption is unconditional and before the world began, emphasizing that it is God who is the Author and Finisher of our faith.
Jesus rose from the dead! Pastor Dan takes us through 1 Corinthians 15 as it address the implications of the resurrection as well as the evidence mentioned by the Apostle Paul. This chapter addresses issues related to present life, eschatology, and eternal hope. More than that, this chapter brings glory to Christ!
Last time we learned how God created us in His image for His glory. This has profound implications for the sanctity of human life, for Who owns us (God), and for how we are to treat one another. However, as we mentioned last time, mankind has sinned and separated ourselves from God. The effects of sin on humanity are severe. While we are still created in God’s image, we are fallen. Humans are bent toward evil, hating God and one another, deserving of God’s wrath. Yet, God has made a way for salvation in Christ Jesus through his atoning death and resurrection. Further, God is forming us into His image! As you can imagine, this has profound effects on the image of God for good! We will be in Romans 5:12-21 primarily as we look at the effects of the first Adam and the Last Adam (Christ).
Weeks ago, I started prepping for a First Sunday sermon series on biblical anthropology. At the time I was primarily concerned with research showing that evangelicals do not hold to key beliefs about humanity being created in the image of God. Things like human sinfulness, issues of gender, and marriage roles all come together in the biblical understanding of humans being created in the image of God.
The events of recent weeks make the study all the more critical. I have been grieved to see godless men and women deny the authority of Scripture and then try to argue for what justice is as it relates to the the dignity of human beings in the futile manner we have seen. This past week is a good example of how apart from God, people will not value their fellow image bearers. Further, it is clear that apart from God's Word, there is no standard for human dignity.
So, I'm all the more eager to enter into our study of God's Word as it relates to humanity, our sinful state, and need for Christ's saving work.
Pastor Daniel Samms teaches on the authority of Scripture as the primary authority for Christians. Addressing the biblical concepts of Scripture as God-Breathed (theopneustos) and sufficient, we point out that there is no need for further revelation (contra New Apostolic Reformation) and note that our experience, emotion, opinions, etc. must bow to the authority of Scripture (not the other way around). In the process, we address the centrality of Christ and His redeeming work as being the focus of Scripture (Creation, Fall, Redemption, Restoration). Notably, if there were to be “new revelation” (there isn’t), it should have the same focus. Sadly, all that is elevated as authoritative outside of the Word of God turns out to focus much more on man than on Christ, a telling reality to the false teachers of our day. In the process of teaching we affirm the verbal, plenary inspiration of Scripture as we teach from 2 Timothy 3 and 2 Peter 1.
Guest Speaker, Calvin Dorsey teaches from Scripture on Revelation 7 and what it means for people of all nations and tribes to be gathered before the throne. He addresses what "nations" means in the original text and how the concept of ethnic division has entered into the Church and how it can and must be overcome by the gospel. This is a powerful message that everyone needs to hear.
Dan and Kevin talk about what happens when a person puts their trust in God. We discuss forgiveness, the draw of the Holy Spirit, and the miraculous work of God to restore everything.
