Lamentations, Media, Sermons | by Pastor Adam Sinnett

Today, in Lamentations 5, we have a prayer of the people of Jerusalem reaching out to God for help and hope amidst the dark times they found themselves in. Even though this is an ancient book, it is deeply relevant because nothing transcends time like pain, heartache and disappointment. Today, whether you’re stuck in darkness or trying to help someone through theirs, we get help on how to walk in the dark with hope.

Lamentations, Media, Sermons | by Pastor Adam Sinnett

Lamentations chapter 4 continues the accounting of the raw and painful aftermath of the destruction and exile of Jerusalem. The grief expressed in this book speaks to our deepest needs in a powerful way. As we look at common questions raised when humans experience suffering, we can take comfort in who God has declared himself to be. He is holy, and as such has a just and measured wrath against against sin. He is working all things, even suffering, together for our good, will walk through our suffering with us, and will do what he must to root out our destructive self-dependence. God's wrath helps us forgive, knowing that He will execute perfect justice. And, God's wrath helps us grasp how much Christ loved us through His costly, wrath bearing sacrifice.

Lamentations, Media, Sermons | by Pastor Adam Sinnett

Today we will move into Lamentations 3, the third poem of Lamentations. This chapter is utterly unique among the rest of the book. Why? There’s actually a glimmer of hope amidst the carnage of a destroyed city. This section offers us some serious help in how to face suffering, difficulty, disappointment and heartache – with hope.

Lamentations, Media, Sermons | by Pastor Adam Sinnett

Lamentations chapter 2 focuses on the sovereign calamity that was the destruction of Jerusalem. This sobering and humbling poem reminds us of our great need for a great savior. It is clear throughout the book that God has sovereignly used Babylon to discipline His wayward people of Israel. This brings to the forefront several questions of God's nature and what we believe about Him, specifically concerning His sovereignty and wrath towards sin. We have a holy, incomparable, incomprehensible God who is sovereign over all life. History and future belongs to His good, right, and just will. Because of His holy and eternal nature, God has a settled, measured wrath against sin that carries eternal weight. We see through God's discipline that He is after our hearts at whatever cost, and ultimately sent Jesus to deliver us from the wrath we deserve.

Lamentations, Media, Sermons | by Pastor Adam Sinnett

Today we are beginning a new study through Lamentations that will take us through the next five weeks leading up to Good Friday. In this sermon we will cover Lamentations 1:1-22. Lamentations chronicles the painful aftermath of the destruction and exile of Jerusalem in 587 BC by the Babylonians. As we will see over the course of the next month, this book is still very relevant today. It is raw and real – a bit unnerving – which is why we need it. We need it to wake us up from our 21st century American spiritual slumber and help us get real with God and for God to get real with us.

Media, Philippians, Sermons | by Pastor Adam Sinnett

Even though preaching the Gospel landed Paul in prison on numerous occasions, as we’ll see today in his closing remarks in Philippians 4:10-23, he is content for “to live is Christ and to die is gain”. His final remarks are fitting given that the intent of his letter was to both thank the Philippians for their generous support and to further encourage them to allow the supreme worth of Jesus to frame their every day lives. As he signs off he teaches us some important lessons, in light of the supremacy of Jesus in all things, about our contentment, our cash and our view of the local church.

Media, Philippians, Sermons | by Pastor Adam Sinnett

In Philippians 4:2-9 we are nearing the end of Paul's letter to the church. He continues his encouragement to “press on toward the goal” with some final pastoral words addressing the everyday needs of the church. Paul urges the church toward their identity as the redeemed people of Christ, one body and one family, through pressing in on our relationships with one another to achieve unity. He reminds us to press on in joy, making Jesus the center of our existence. Finally, he encourages us to press on reasonably, not letting anxieties steal our peace, but through prayer and thanksgiving approach God with our requests, and turn our focus to the good and true excellencies of our Lord.

Media, Philippians, Sermons | by Pastor Adam Sinnett

Last week we looked at Philippians 3:12-4:1. We will be revisiting the same passage today, though from a different angle. In this passage Paul is encouraging us to press on, strain forward and persevere as we follow Jesus. Last week we looked at “why” we should do that (i.e. our motivation). Today we will look at the “how”. Practically, what does it look like to “press on” to make Jesus our own?

Media, Philippians, Sermons | by Pastor Adam Sinnett

Today in our study of Philippians we have reached chapter 3:12 – 4:1, in which Paul is exhorting us, amidst the many varied difficulties and discouragements of life, to keep trusting, straining, and pressing on to know Jesus and, one day, be with him. The summary statement of this passage is in verse 12, “I press on to make it my own because Christ Jesus has made me His own.” Paul describes our condition outside of Christ as those who through indifference to Christ and dedication to our own appetites and desires have become enemies of the cross, headed toward destruction with eyes fixed on earthly things. But, in Christ we are described as citizens of heaven, our hope found in our savior who will transform our lowly bodies to be like His glorious body, and because of this hope can stand firm in the Lord.

Media, Philippians, Sermons | by Pastor Adam Sinnett

In Philippians 3:1-11 we get to the heart of Paul's letter to the the church at Philippi. Here Paul explains that one of the primary ways we display the all-sufficiency of Jesus is by trading in our bankrupt self-righteousness for His perfect righteousness. We are all asking at some level the questions of what our purpose and place is in life, and as humans the default mode of our hearts is to find worth in our works. Paul warns against adding our own merits to those of Christ however. In order to gain Christ we must put no confidence in our own efforts, but rather count everything as loss because of the surpassing worth of knowing Jesus and being found in His righteousness.