The Town of Odyssey

A bump, but I'd like to hear from y'all what you're being taught

My pastor taught on Exodus 14. He focused on the Israelites response to seeing Pharaoh's army. God had made himself known to Egypt and his people when he displayed his power through the plagues, but what the Israelites saw did not produce faith in them. They knew God was real and knew he was there because he showed himself in the pillar of cloud and fire, but they were not living by faith. Only after he delivers them through the Red Sea do they believe in him and Moses, but this was not true faith. They continue to display this pattern of not living by faith and then believing only after God provides for them. Hebrews affirms this in Hebrews 3:16-19. My pastor gave three application points for what it means to live by faith: not trusting in your own righteousness but in Christ's, not trusting in your own abilities but in God's, and waiting in hope for God's salvation.

That's great. We are going through 1 John and the primary focus was on 1 John 1:7, "But if we walk in the light, as he is in the light, we have fellowship with one another, and the blood of Jesus his Son cleanses us from all sin."

I sadly don't remember very much of it, but the part that I do remember was that as those who have gone to church all our lives, (at least for me) we have all this knowledge in our heads and we need the Holy Spirit to move it into our hearts and our hands. None of us really want to live as Christians who have all this head knowledge and all this teaching that we've heard and it doesn't affect our lives. And I guess I really identified with that because that's what I want. Not to be driven by my flesh but that the knowledge that's stuck in my head begins to flow through my heart and my hands.

And also just considering the miraculous work of the blood of Jesus and how it cleanses us from all sin. Not some sin, but all sin. I'm just grateful today for that.

My pastor's sermon was about contentment, and how sometimes we have a wrong view of what it is and about prayer, if we expect all our prayers to be answered by our standards, not God's plan. It was a good reminder that God calls us to prayer and thanksgiving regardless of circumstances, and that we need to build good habits to trust God and be content at all times.

The sermon I heard was the same as Pengwin's but I wanted to say that I really enjoyed reading what y'all wrote, Catspaw and Delfos. Those are some really great reminders. Thank you so much for sharing.

Today the sermon was on the last verses of 1 John 1

1 John 1:8-10 wrote:If we say we have no sin, we deceive ourselves, and the truth is not in us. If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness. If we say we have not sinned, we make him a liar, and his word is not in us.

I really enjoyed the sermon. A few things I got out of it.

The first is truth is from God.

Be vulnerable with who you are. The word confess here in verse 9, it means to agree with God. Yes, I'm a sinner. And He is faithful and just to forgive us our sins. But it doesn't stop there. He also cleanses us from all unrighteousness, Jesus forgives and cleanses us from our sins. Can you trust God when He says you are a sinner?

Sometimes, we would rather go to hell in our pride than to admit to God that we have sinned and confess to Him and others that we are a sinner. We would rather die as self-righteous Pharisees holding onto our pride than to humble ourselves and admit who we are to God.

'Tis Sunday, my brethren!

Our topic was on "Tomorrow", the main text Ecc. 3:1-11.

"All You Need Is Your Voice"

When you've hit rock bottom. Using your voice to cry out to God can do more for your situation than anything else.

"The Lamb and the Dove" based on John 1:26-34.