Hope Presbyterian Church In Winston-salem Sermons

Series: Clyde's FarewellScripture: Isaiah 57:14-21 “I was regretting the past; And fearing the future. Suddenly my Lord was speaking: ‘My name is I Am.’ He paused. I waited. He continued, ‘When you live in the past; With its mistakes and regrets, It is hard. I am not there, My name is not I WAS.’ ‘When you live in the future; With its problems and fears, It is hard. I am not there. My name is not I WILL BE.’ ‘When you live in this moment, It is not hard. I am here. My name is I AM.’” —Helen Mallicoat, I Am Poem “As my sufferings mounted, I soon realized that there were two ways in which I could respond to my situation—either to react with bitterness or seek to transform the suffering into a creative force. I decided to follow the latter course.” ―Martin Luther King Jr., Suffering and Faith “In a futile attempt to erase our past, we deprive the community of our healing gift. If we conceal our wounds out of fear and shame, our inner darkness can neither be illuminated nor become a light for others.” ―Brennan

Series: Clyde's FarewellScripture: Isaiah 30:15-22 “We can all be Mary, even if we don’t have an hour to sit down for ‘quiet time.’ It’s all in our attitude toward the things that need to be done and the people we are serving. If we view our husbands, families, and guests as so many leeches crying, “Give, give!” then we are not going to develop a godly joy as we serve them. If we resent the fact that our husbands sit down to read with the children while we are preparing supper, we are being harpies, just like Martha. Choose the better part. Be Mary in the kitchen. Sing praises while you sweep up those never-ending crumbs. Whistle hymns while you wipe down the bathroom. Meditate upon Scripture while you are folding that third pile of laundry. Be a Mary! When the laundry piles rise up in rebellion, the children don’t do their chores right, or the kitchen sink never seems to quite empty itself, rejoice! Choose the better part, crank up the praise, and lay down your life.” —Wendell Berry Passionate Housewives Des

Series: Union with ChristScripture: Ephesians 2:11-22; 1 Peter 2:9-10 “We have been so soaked in the individualism of modern Western culture that we feel threatened by the idea of our primary identity being that of the family we belong to – especially when the family in question is so large, stretching across space and time. The church isn’t simply a collection of isolated individuals, all following their own pathways of spiritual growth without much reference to one another. It may sometimes look like that, and even feel like that. And it’s gloriously true that each of us is called upon to respond to God’s call at a personal level. You can hide in the shadows at the back of the church for a while, but sooner or later you have to decide whether this is for you or not.” —N. T. Wright “Membership in a local church means joining your imperfect self to many other imperfect selves to form an imperfect community that, through Jesus, embarks on a journey toward a better future . . . together.” —Scott Sauls “He can

Series: Union with ChristScripture: John 15:1-17 “The most beautiful people … are those who have known defeat, known suffering, struggle, and loss, and have found their way out of those depths.” —Elizabeth Kubler-Ross “Heaven will work backwards and turn even … agony into a glory.” —C.S. Lewis “On her website, Joni (Eareckson Tada) summarizes these same sentiments in a single sentence, where she says that God will permit what he hates in order to accomplish what he loves. How can she say something like this? I suspect that it has to do with her deep awareness of the cross of Jesus, where God permitted what he hates (the violent marring and death of his only begotten Son) to accomplish what he loves (salvation for sinners, whom he loves).” —Scott SaulsThe post Abiding — the Renewable Energy first appeared on Hope Church PCA.

Series: Union with ChristScripture: John 15:1-17 “Where a man’s wound is, that is where his genius will be.” —Robert Bly “The Christian often tries to forget his weakness; God wants us to remember it, to feel it deeply. The Christian wants to conquer his weakness and to be freed from it; God wants us to rest and even rejoice in it. The Christian mourns over his weakness; Christ teaches His servant to say, ‘I take pleasure in infirmities. Most gladly … will I … glory in my infirmities’ (2 Cor. 12:9). The Christian thinks his weaknesses are his greatest hindrance in the life and service of God; God tells us that it is the secret of strength and success. It is our weakness, heartily accepted and continually realized, that gives our claim and access to the strength of Him who has said, ‘My strength is made perfect in weakness” ―Andrew Murray Abide in Christ “To do for yourself the best that you have it in you to do—to grit your teeth and clench your fists in order to survive the world at its harshest and worst—is

Series: Union with ChristScripture: John 14:1, 15-18; John 16:7, 14; Romans 8:9-11; Colossians 1:24-27 “He who dwells in a house, keeps the house in repair; so the Spirit dwelling in a believer, keeps grace in repair. Grace is compared to a river of the water of life (John 7:38). This river can never be dried up because God’s Spirit is the spring that continually feeds it.” – Thomas Watson “The movement of God’s Spirit is very gentle, very soft – and hidden. It does not seek attention. But that movement is also very persistent, strong and deep.” – Henri Nouwen “For your gift of God the Spirit, power to make our lives anew, pledge of life and hope of glory, Savior, we would worship you. Crowning gift of resurrection sent from your ascended throne, fullness of the very Godhead, come to make your life our own. Father, grant your Holy Spirit, in our hearts may rule today, grieved not, quenched not, but unhindered, work in us his sovereign way. Fill us with your holy fullness, God the Father, Spirit, Son; in us, t

Series: Union with ChristScripture: 2 Corinthians 5:17, Galatians 2: 15-21, and Colossians 3: 1-3 “Jesus Christ is not to be relegated, like other religious leaders, to history and the history books.  He is not dead and gone, finished or fossilized.  He is alive and active. He calls us to follow him, and he offers himself to us as our indwelling and transforming Savior . . . Once again this is unique. There is nothing comparable to it in the other religions. The Buddhist does not claim to know the Buddha, nor the Confucianist Confucius, nor the Muslim Muhammad, nor the Marxist Karl Marx. Each reveres the founder of his religion or ideology as a teacher of the past.  To Christians too Jesus is a teacher, but even more he is our living Lord and Savior. Phrases claiming this “recur on page after page of the New Testament, and make it clear that it is this intimate and personal relationship of trust, devotion, and communion, which the very heart of the Christian faith.” —John Stott “Union with Christ is strong pr

Series: Union with ChristScripture: John 17:1-3 & 20; Ephesians 3:14-19; Revelation 3:20 “Communion between God and man is the end to which both creation and redemption are the means; it is the goal to which both theology and preaching must ever point; it is the essence of true religion; it is, indeed, the definition of Christianity.” – J.I. Packer “How few of us are experimentally acquainted with the privilege of holding immediate communion with the Father in love!” – John Owen “Union with Christ is not an idea to be understood, but a new reality to be lived.” – Rankin Wilbourne “The King of love my shepherd is, Whose goodness faileth never; I nothing lack if I am his And he is mine forever.” – Henry BakerThe post Union With Christ: Which Side of the Door first appeared on Hope Church PCA.

Scripture: Isaiah 53:7-12 “The message of Easter is that God’s new world has been unveiled in Jesus Christ and that you’re now invited to belong to it…. Christian holiness consists not of trying as hard as we can to be good, but of learning to live in the new world created by Easter, the new world which we publicly entered in our baptism.” – N.T. Wright, Surprised by Hope “O Death, where is your sting? O Hell, where is your victory? Christ is risen, and you are overthrown. Christ is risen, and the demons are fallen. Christ is risen, and the angels rejoice. Christ is risen, and life reigns. Christ is risen, and not one dead remains in the grave. For Christ, being risen from the dead, is become the first fruits of those who have fallen asleep. To Him be glory and dominion unto ages of ages. Amen.” – St. John Chrysostom, “The Paschal Sermon” “There is an intimate relationship between joy and hope. While optimism makes us live as if someday soon things will go better for us, hope frees us from the need to predict

Scripture: Luke 23:33-34; 1 Peter 2:21-24 33”And when they came to the place that is called The Skull, there they crucified him, and the criminals, one on his right and one on his left. 34And Jesus said, “Father, forgive them, for they know not what they do.” And they cast lots to divide his garments. —Luke 23:33-34 21”For to this you have been called, because Christ also suffered for you, leaving you an example, so that you might follow in his steps. 22Hecommitted no sin, neither was deceit found in his mouth. 23When he was reviled, he did not revile in return; when he suffered, he did not threaten, but continued entrusting himself to him who judges justly. 24He  himself bore our sins in his body on the tree, that we might die to sin and live to righteousness. By his wounds you have been healed.” —1 Peter 2:21-24The post Preemptive Forgiveness first appeared on Hope Church PCA.

Scripture: Isaiah 52:13-53:6 “How we deal with loss and suffering will mostly depend on our ability to see what painful events do to our hearts. If we refuse to face the damage, the dysfunctional patterns set in motion to handle it will continue to exacerbate the wound. Like a broken arm that is not properly set, it may fuse and heal improperly. We may learn to adapt to the way the fissures set, but it is unlikely to provide us with the optimum opportunity to live the way we were meant to live. Suffering changes the human heart—sometimes for good and often for ill. We are faced with the challenge of learning how to wrestle with sorrow so it can bring about the greatest good. If we want to become more like God wants us to be, we must consider what it means to live well in a fallen world rather than scramble to escape the veil of sorrow. As men and women after God’s own heart, we are called to walk the path Jesus walked. Jesus, “a man of sorrows, and familiar with suffering” (Isaiah 53:3), never once dealt with

Series: RevelationScripture: Revelation 7:9-17 “Those who pay regard to vain idols forsake their hope of steadfast love …Salvation belongs to the LORD” — Jonah 2:8-9 “My people have committed two sins: they have forsaken me, the spring of living water, and have dug their own cisterns, broken cisterns that cannot hold water.” — Jeremiah 2: 13 “I never wanted to follow Jesus. I never wanted to follow Jesus. I never wanted to follow Jesus. He rescued me; He rescued me. No turning back, No turning back.”   — Red Mountain MusicThe post Salvation Belongs to the Lord first appeared on Hope Church PCA.

Series: RevelationScripture: Revelation 5:1-11 I arise today; Through the strength of Heaven, Light of the sun, Splendor of fire, Speed of lightening, Swiftness of the wind, Depth of the sea, Stability of the Earth, Firmness of the rock. I arise today, Through God’s strength to pilot me, God’s might to uphold me, God’s wisdom to guide me, God’s eye to look before me, God’s ear to hear me, God’s word to speak for me, God’s hand to guard me, God’s way to lie before me, God’s shield to protect me, God’s hosts to save me, Afar and near, Alone or in a multitude. Christ shield me today, against wounding, Christ with me, Christ before me, Christ behind me, Christ in me, Christ beneath me, Christ above me, Christ on my right, Christ on my left, Christ when I lie down, Christ when I sit down, Christ in the heart of everyone who thinks of me, Christ in the eye that sees me, Christ in in the ear that hears me. I arise today, Through the mighty strength, Of the Lord of creation. —Prayer of St. PatrickThe post The Lion wh

Series: RevelationScripture: Revelation 4:1-11 No awesome thing in creation was meant to give you what only the Creator is able to give. Every awesome thing in creation is designed to point you to the One who alone is worthy of capturing and controlling the awe of your searching and hungry heart…. If awesome things in creation become your god, the God who created those things will not own your awe. Horizontal awe is meant to do one thing: stimulate vertical awe.—Paul Tripp, Awe Even when it makes no sense to sing Louder then I’ll sing your praise —Hillsong United, “Even When It Hurts” I must keep alive in myself the desire for my true country, which I shall not find till after death; I must never let it get snowed under or turned aside; I must make it the main object of life to press on to that country and to help others to do the same.—C.S. Lewis, Mere ChristianityThe post An Invitation to See the King first appeared on Hope Church PCA.

Series: RevelationScripture: Revelation 3:14-22 “Made for spirituality, we wallow in introspection. Made for joy, we settle for pleasure. Made for justice, we clamor for vengeance. Made for relationships, we insist on our own way. Made for beauty, we are satisfied with sentiment. But new creation has already begun. The sun has begun to rise. Christians are called to leave behind, in the tomb of Jesus Christ, all that belongs to the brokenness and incompleteness of the present world. It is time, in the power of the Spirit, to take up our proper role, our fully human role, as agents, heralds, and stewards of the new day that is dawning. That, quite simply, is what it means to be Christian: to follow Jesus Christ into the new world, God’s new world, which he has thrown open before us.”—N.T. Wright, Simply Christian, 237. “Only under great duress does a religious person admit they have sinned—because their only hope is their moral goodness. But in the gospel, the knowledge of our acceptance in Christ makes it eas

Series: RevelationScripture: Revelation 3:7-13 “Made for spirituality, we wallow in introspection.  Made for joy, we settle for  pleasure. Made for justice, we clamor for  vengeance.  Made for relationships, we insist on our own way. Made for beauty, we are satisfied with sentiment.  But new creation has already begun.  The sun has begun to rise. Christians are called to leave behind, in the tomb of Jesus Christ, all that belongs to the brokenness and incompleteness of the present world.  It is time, in the power of the Spirit, to take up our proper role, our fully human role, as agents, heralds, and stewards of the new day that is dawning.  That, quite simply, is what it means to be Christian: to follow Jesus Christ into the new world, God’s new world, which he has thrown open before us.”—N.T Wright, Simply Christian, 237. “The Spirit of the Lord God is upon me, because the Lord has anointed me to bring good news to the poor; he has sent me to bind up the brokenhearted, to proclaim liberty to the captives,

Series: RevelationScripture: Revelation 3:1-6 The glory of God is man fully alive. —Saint Irenaeus The way through the world is more difficult to find than the way beyond it. —Wallace Stevens You are never a great man when you have more mind than heart. —Beauchene Wallowing in shame, remorse, self-hatred, and guilt over real or   imagined failings in our past lives … shows that we have not  accepted the acceptance of Jesus Christ and thus have rejected the total sufficiency of his redeeming work … In order to grow in trust, we must allow God to see us and love us precisely as we are. The best way to do that is through prayer. As we pray, the unrestricted love of God gradually transforms us. —Brennan ManningThe post Waking the Dead first appeared on Hope Church PCA.

Series: RevelationScripture: Revelation 2:18-29 “I am very easy of belief when the Creed pleases me.”—Charlotte Bronte “We carry a terrible wound: alienation from our embodied life. Your flesh shall become a great poem.”—Walt Whitman Almost everyone is acutely aware of how the incessant clamorings of their body defeat their intentions to “be spiritual.” The Apostle Paul explains that, “The flesh desires what is contrary to the Spirit, and the Spirit what is contrary to the flesh. They are in conflict with each other, so that you do not do what you want.” (Gal. 5:17) And Jesus’s words, “The spirit is willing but the body is weak”, are generally accepted as a final verdict on what human life must be like until we escape the body through death. On the other hand, if the body is simply beyond redemption, then ordinary life is too. Many Christians seem prepared to accept this — at least in practice. But then “spiritual formation” really becomes impossible. That would be a defeat of major proportions for Christ’s c

Series: RevelationScripture: Revelation 2:12-17 “The most precious part of each day for me is the 30-40 minutes I spend each morning before breakfast with the Bible.  All the rest of the day I am bombarded with the stories the world is telling about itself.  As I take time to immerse myself in the story the Bible tells, my vision is cleared, and I see things in another way.  I see the day that lies ahead in its place in God’s story.” —Lesslie Newbigin “The crisis in the U.S. church has almost nothing to do with being liberal or conservative; it has everything to do with giving up on the faith and discipline of our Christian baptism and settling for a common, generic U.S. identity that is part patriotism, part consumerism, part violence, and part affluence.” —Walter Brueggemann “If the Gospel is about anything, it is about a God who meets us where we are, and not where we ought to be.” —Robert Farrar CaponThe post Sharpening the Sword first appeared on Hope Church PCA.

Series: RevelationScripture: Revelation 2:8-11 When opponents do their worst, and we’re still standing for Christ, that is “a clear sign,” a prophetic warning, that God is with us.  For example, when the Empress Eudoxia, in the fourth century, threatened John Chrysostom with banishment, he told her, “You cannot banish me, for this world is my Father’s house.”  “But I will kill you,” she said.  “No, you cannot, for my life is hidden with Christ in God.”  “Then I will take away your treasures.”  “No, you cannot, for my treasure is in heaven, and my heart is there.”  “But I will drive you away from your friends, and you will have no one left.”  “No, you cannot, for I have a friend in heaven from whom you cannot separate me.  I defy you, for there is nothing you can do to harm me.”—Ray Ortlund “There is no attribute more comforting to His children than that of God’s Sovereignty. Under the most adverse circumstances, in the most severe trials, they believe that Sovereignty has ordained their afflictions, that   So