The Father of Faith and the Power of Saying, “Yes Lord, I Believe."

Key Text: Romans 4

A key concept in Paul’s argument that righteousness comes through faith and not by works is unpacked in Romans 4. To close out this series, we turn our attention back to Abram, and in particular to the moment that righteousness was credited to him in God’s sight. What was the pivotal moment? What plucked this wandering exile from ‘excluded’ to ‘included’? And what lessons does that moment hold for us?

There is a blessing in belief, and it goes far beyond mere positive thinking or even answered prayers — it stretches far back into eternity past and forward into eternity future, and it places you securely into the gentle hands of a loving Father; “Yes Lord, I believe”, alters eternal destinies.

The Meekness and Might of Mary: How wonder and curiosity magnify God’s glory

Key Text: Luke 1:26-56

At first glance, Mary’s response to the news of her pregnancy seems not too dissimilar to Zechariah’s. Yet the angel’s response is dramatically different; rather than rebuke, Mary receives a blessing. Something about Mary’s posture before God was different. Mary’s heart was meek, yet her simple belief was mighty. Rather than belittle God, our awestruck wonder and holy curiosity magnify the glory of God. To Mary, it didn’t seem possible, but God was in it, so she sat back in wonder to wait on how he would fulfil his promise. When that happens, when our lives are filled with expectant wonder and curiosity, God gets even more praise.

The Harm And Hope Of Scoffing: Learning a lesson from Zechariah

Key Text: Luke 1:5-24, 57-79

When Gabriel the Angel delivers the exciting news of a promised son for Zechariah the priest and his barren wife, the aged man’s first response was scoffing laughter and disrespectful questioning. There’s harm in that type of response. Laughing at God in disbelief comes with a warning label. But there’s also hope in this story. The story doesn’t end in mute silence, instead, it climaxes in joyful prophetic singing. Zechariah’s hope — our hope — was about to step into our world.