Omc: Family Chapel

Due to false teaching, the Colossians were being drawn away from Christ to look for security and satisfaction elsewhere, namely in other spiritual powers. Paul reminds them that Jesus is supreme as the Creator who has made all things and as the Savior who reconciles all things. Thus, Christians find their true hope in Christ alone and must hold on to that hope.

We're starting a new series through the epistle of Colossians! Colosse wasn't started or visited by Paul in his journeys but he wrote to them to not only write against false teachings, but to also uphold the pre-eminence of Christ. Ultimately, we are saved and sanctified through our relationship with Jesus.

Suffering is an unavoidable and indispensable part of experiencing change. While the suffering itself is not good, God brings about good through our suffering. In our process of change, suffering shatters the illusion of self-sufficiency, disciplines us for our sin, deepens our compassion for others, and serves as a pathway for ministry. As such, we can actually embrace seasons of suffering as God's gracious avenue of sanctification.

The end goal of change is to become more like Jesus. God is at work in producing in us greater Christlikeness so that we would be positioned to thrive, develop godly character to bless others, persevere through all seasons, and be effective in our God-given callings. The great promise is that one day when we finally see Jesus face to face, we will fully be as He is.

Often, it's not that we don't know that we need to change nor is it that we have no desire to change – but it’s that we don’t know how to change. Thankfully, God provides us with a working theory of change. We need biblical teaching to correct the false stories we believe. We need healthy practices to replace the unhealthy habits we have developed. We need robust community to encourage us in our process of change. Underlying all those things is the Holy Spirit who works in us and with us to produce change.

33rd Anniversary Service

The prophet Isaiah ends his message to God's people with an overarching reminder of God's judgment and mercy. He is the Lord of all righteous judgment. And He is the Lord of salvation. In the end, God will receive his glory and secure for Himself his people.

God once again shows the full scope of salvation, which is people from all nations enjoying the glory of God. God's people have a very important role in seeing salvation spread to the ends of the earth by reflecting God's glory. They can faithfully do that by preaching the Gospel and by persisting in prayer. Even with such an overwhelming mission at hand, God's people can take heart because God will see this mission to completion.

In light of the salvation we have received through the Suffering Servant, we are to be a righteous people. We are to rightly relate to God by turning away from idolatry through the practice of Sabbath. We are to also rightly relate to our neighbors by turning away from injustice through the practice of mercy. In doing so, we reflect the very righteousness of God and show that we belong to His Kingdom.

God issues the invitation to receive the gift of salvation that He has secured through the Suffering Servant. This gift of salvation brings a great reversal from shame to honor and from fear to power. This gift of salvation is freely available to all those who repent. While this gift might sound too good to be true, it is guaranteed by God's way, God's word, and God's sign.

Isaiah points to the coming Messiah as the suffering servant. This Messiah shall come and bring salvation and heal many through his sacrifice and death. In this passage, we will see not only the merciful salvation that we have received, but also our Lord who fully identified with all our pain, brokenness, and suffering as he was crushed on our behalf.

After the people have returned from exile and received God's great vision of salvation through the Servant of the Lord, they are still left waiting for this salvation. Likewise, we too find ourselves waiting for Christ to return in order to fully establish God's Kingdom. We can rightly wait for our future salvation by crying out to God in faith to bring salvation soon, by maintaining courage in the face of fear, by remembering the free gift of God's grace, and by leaving behind the old life of sin.

After prophesying the unexpected deliverance of Israel through Cyrus, Isaiah then points to the true servant of God, the Messiah of the Lord, who will bring ultimate deliverance and salvation. Jesus is the fulfillment and true servant of God who came not to be served but to serve, and to give his life as a ransom for many. Through his obedience, God proves his love, care, and mercy for us. Through his obedience, we are healed. He served us completely so that we may serve in full obedience and trust.

As God has hinted at before, He now makes it very clear that He will deliver His people out of exile, but He will do so through the Persian emperor Cyrus. With this move, God shows Himself to work in mysterious ways beyond our narrow set of expectations, which can lead us to question His wisdom and goodness. But when God works in mysterious ways, we should respond by putting aside our arrogance, trusting that God will exceed our expectations, and resting in God's commitment to us.

After presenting the salvation that He alone offers, God points out the folly of idolatry. God's people were prone to look for salvation elsewhere - just as we are prone to do so today. But God shows that idolatry is futile, burdensome, and blinding. God invites us to turn away from our idolatry by remembering His power, returning to Him in repentance, and rejoicing in Him through singing.

As God has comforted His people and reaffirmed their place in His Kingdom, He now unpacks what their salvation entails. Salvation is like a multi-faceted diamond that shines in many different ways. In this passage, we see five major facets of salvation: adoption, revelation, deliverance, forgiveness, and revival. This multi-faceted salvation is ultimately made available for us in Christ.

While God's people are stuck in exile and wondering if God's done with them, God affirms that they are still His servants. As His servants, God's people are chosen by God's grace, protected by God's presence, empowered for God's mission, and sustained by God's compassion. The surprising irony in all this is that in God's Kingdom, servants of the Lord are served by the Lord. This is most exemplified by the True Servant (Jesus) who came not to be served but to serve by giving his life as a ransom for many.

Isaiah 40 is the beginning of a shift in context and tone of Isaiah's message as he is now speaking to a people of exile in Babylon. And within that context, chapter 40 is a message of God's comfort for his people. There is a lasting hope of God's comfort through his promised victory, his enduring word, his incomparable character, and his gracious strength.

With the Assyrians surrounding Jerusalem, King Hezekiah faces a crisis. Through his actions, he demonstrates that the only proper response for the people of God in the face of crisis is to humbly surrender to God. Humble surrender admits our need for God to save us and it prioritizes God's glory above all. Humble surrender is not a one-time emergency act, but should be the way of life for all God's people.

Isaiah has been encouraging the people to wait upon the Lord. But what is it that they are waiting for? They are waiting for salvation. This salvation is worth the wait because it brings abundant joy, courageous hope, newness of life, and God's holy presence. All these things are secure for us in Christ and will be fully experienced at His return.