Grace Blog

This past Sunday Pastor Merritt preached Luke 16:1-18. The majority of the text (vv.1-13) was dealing with the Parable of The Dishonest Manager, which ended with "You cannot serve God and money." In verses 14-18, Jesus begins to address the Pharisees (they were "lovers of money" as the text says) directly because they were ridiculing him after hearing all that he had to say about money. Jesus' main rebuke against the hypocritical Pharisees is that they twisted God's law to justify themselves before man. To illustrate how badly the Pharisees misunderstand the Law, Jesus, in v.18, picks up one of the most common ways they mislead people while claiming to accurately represent God: Divorce and Remarriage. Divorce & remarriage is a tough topic no matter the context and Luke in this passage is not seeking to represent all that Jesus and the New Testament writers would say about this subject in verse 18. Because of this, Pastor Merritt didn't cover the topic any more than was necessary to preach the meaning of what Jesus was getting at with bringing up this particular law. 

With that in mind, Pastor Merritt mentioned that we there would be resources on the blog this week and this post is serving that purpose. Below you'll find a link to a PDF of a sermon that Pastor Dan preached last year on this very topic. Also, there is a video of CCEF counselor David Powlison discussing this topic and a link to an article by him on the topic of renewing marriage intimacy. We sure hope these serve you as you explore this topic more. Most of all, the greatest resource we have in considering the topic of divorce and remarriage is the Gospel of Jesus Christ. No matter your situation - past, present, or future - the Gospel of Jesus Christ offers you hope and grace unmeasured. It's in the Gospel were we learn of Jesus Christ the righteous; who lived the perfect faithful life, died the substitutionary death, and rose victoriously from the grave; and all those who put there trust in him, no matter what sins you have or will commit, can stand right before God the Father. In this faith, all your sins are put on Christ and all his righteousness is put on you.

ARTICLES:
PDF - Marriage, Divorce, And Remaining As You've Been Called
[An Exposition of 1 Corinthians 7:10-24]
by Pastor Dan Hopkins

Renewing Intimacy in Marriage: Closing the Gap Between You and Your Spouse
by David Powlison

VIDEO:

[HT: Justin Taylor]

Sam Storms, lead pastor for preaching and vision at Bridgeway Church, Oklahoma City, Oklahoma, writes regarding the recent events in Oklahoma. His thoughts are helpful, clear, and pastoral for such a time as this:

I'm inclined to think the best way to respond to the tragedy that struck our community today is simply to say nothing. I have little patience for those who feel the need to theologize about such events, as if anyone possessed sufficient wisdom to discern God's purpose. On the other hand, people will inevitably ask questions and are looking for encouragement and comfort. So how best do we love and pastor those who have suffered so terribly?

I'm not certain I have the answer to that question, and I write the following with considerable hesitation. I can only pray that what I say is grounded in God's Word and is received in the spirit in which it is intended.

Here is an outline of his seven observations (thanks to Justin Taylor for the quick outline):

(1) It will not accomplish anything good to deny what Scripture so clearly asserts, that God is absolutely sovereign over all of nature.

(2) God is sovereign, not Satan.

(3) Great natural disasters such as this tell us nothing about the comparative sinfulness of those who are its victims.

Brief Course on Serving
Spring 2013

Purpose of Course

The general purpose of this course is to strengthen and build up the church body. The more we collectively know about God's desire for the church, the stronger our church will become. We want to search out and understand what God has to say about biblical serving to all of us. In this sense, this course is for everyone.

A specific purpose of this course is to begin equipping potential deacons: men who, under the direction and oversight of the elders, seek to attend to the ministry needs of our local church; this valuable service enables the elders to devote themselves "to prayer and to the teaching of the word" (Acts 6:4). To that end, this course is a requirement for those who would be willing, and called, to serve in the role of deacon, whether in the near or further future.

Specifics of the Course

- Schedule: Three Tuesday evenings, from 7-9pm; May 21, June 4, and June 18

- Text: The New Testament Deacon: the Church's Ministers of Mercy, by Alexandar Strauch (other articles deemed helpful will be provided as well)

- Registration: CLICK HERE

Online giving is now available! Grace is funded by the generous financial giving of those who call it their local church home and other supporters who have partnered with us. Your gifts help further the work of the advance of gospel in the Lorton - Northern Virginia area and beyond. Safe, secure, and easy online giving is one of many ways that you can worship through your giving.

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This past Sunday, we had the great joy of witnessing two baptisms! Baptism is God's grace on display.

Romans 6:3-5: "Do you not know that all of us who have been baptized into Christ Jesus were baptized into his death? We were buried therefore with him by baptism into death, in order that, just as Christ was raised from the dead by the glory of the Father, we too might walk in newness of life. For if we have been united with him in a death like his, we shall certainly be united with him in a resurrection like his."

In these verses, the Apostle Paul is saying that God the Father considers the believer's unity with Christ to be from the time of His death and resurrection and credits the believer with their benefits. Simply put, God considers what happened to Jesus to have happened to you, if you've placed your faith in Christ alone.

When you believed, you were united with Christ by faith, and you now share in the accrual of His work. In His love, He assumes the debt of all your sin against God and pays what is due. But He also allows you to share in His wealth – acceptance by God and eternal life. The value and accomplishments of what Jesus did two thousand years ago became yours now and forever when the Spirit of God wed you to Christ.

Water baptism symbolizes this unity. It is an external expression of faith of what happened to you internally by the Holy Spirit - that you have been placed into Christ, united to Him spiritually. Receiving baptism with water expresses your belief that you have received the baptism by the Spirit into Christ. Baptism is the sign of the eternal union with Jesus Christ that was established at the moment God saved you.

Have you been baptised? If you're interested in being baptised, please contact the church office at This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it  or call 703-339-7292