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Tamar’s Story

Bible Text: 2 Samuel 13 | Preacher: Kyle Wells | Series: The Stories We Live By

Since the fall, every family experiences enmity and strife. Instead of belonging and safety, some people experience great violence in their families. The Bible is not silent on the depths of family dysfunction. This Sunday we continue our series in 2 Samuel and hear the story of a young woman named Tamar who came from a royal, but deeply harmful family.

Nathan’s Story

Bible Text: 2 Samuel 12 | Preacher: Kyle Wells | Series: The Stories We Live By

If you were deceived would you even know it? One of the first things sin does is to deceive us and distort our view of the world. Today with Christians around the world we celebrate the outpouring of the Holy Spirit on the day of Pentecost. This is good news for those deceived by sin because the Spirit was given to lead us into all truth, especially the truth about our true condition and the truth about God’s amazing grace.

Bathsheba’s Story

Bible Text: 2 Samuel 11 | Preacher: Kyle Wells | Series: The Stories We Live By

This Sunday we celebrate the Ascension of Jesus—the reality that God became a man, who now  rules and reigns over the universe. As we will see this week: this is good news, especially where our sin is concerned. Because the Ascension reminds us that there is no sin that can ultimately thwart the purposes of God’s grace.

What do I do with my regrets?

Bible Text: Romans 3:23-25 | Preacher: Kyle Wells | Series: Eternal Questions for Modern Times

See full service liturgy at https://www.cpcgallery.com/07-19-20/

The Serpent-Crusher; The Sin-Destroyer

Bible Text: 1 John 3:4-10 | Preacher: Kyle Wells | Series: 1 John

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From now on, we are enemies… You and I. Because You choose for Your instrument a boastful, lustful, smutty, infantile boy and give me for reward only the ability to recognize the incarnation. Because You are unjust, unfair, unkind, I will block You, I swear it. I will hinder and harm Your creature on earth as far as I am able. I will ruin Your incarnation..
— Salieri, from the movie Amedaus
 

Sermon Summary: Jesus, the Serpent-Crusher; the Sin-Destroyer, came to destroy the works of the devil and we must place our confidence in him.

 

Passages to Consider:

John 10:10

The thief comes only to steal and kill and destroy. I came that they may have life and have it abundantly.

Rom 5:20–21

Now the law came in to increase the trespass, but where sin increased, grace abounded all the more, so that, as sin reigned in death, grace also might reign through righteousness leading to eternal life through Jesus Christ our Lord.

 

Preparation Question: How are we to understand our sin? Does our continual sin mean that we are not really Christians?

 

Confession of Sin: 

Gracious God, our sins are too heavy to carry, too real to hide, and too deep to undo.

We have neither honored you as God, nor given you thanks.

      Father, in your mercy, forgive us.

We have been quick to condemn our neighbors, while ignoring our own need for you.

      Jesus, in your mercy, forgive us.

We have trusted in our own resources, rather than resting in your transforming grace.

      Holy Spirit, in your mercy, forgive us.

Set us free from our sins and give us the grace to grow more into your likeness, through Jesus Christ.
Amen