Although it’s common today to think of Jesus as God, he’s the human mediator between God and mankind (1 Tim 2:5). God never feels the pull of sin. Like eating liver and onions, sin holds no temptation for God (Jam 1:13). Jesus, however, faced temptations to sin throughout his life, but he overcame each one (Heb 4:15).

Scripture reveals that although Jesus had a miraculous conception (Luke 1:35), he was genuine human being. He was born in the usual manner (Luke 2:7), grew up and became strong (Luke 2:40), and increased in wisdom over time (Luke 2:52).

Peter recognized that Jesus was a man attested by God (Acts 2:22-23). Paul saw him as the man who righted Adam’s wrongs (Rom 5:12-21). Even when Jesus returns as judge, he will still be a man appointed by God (Acts 17:31).

To be human is to be in the image of God (Gen 1:26-27) and to have dominion over creation (Psalm 8:3-8). Jesus, though initially lower than the angels, has received glory and honor as the ultimate man who served God faithfully (Heb 2:5-18).

The secret to Jesus’s success of living righteously was his dependence on the Father (John 4:34; 5:19, 30; 7:16, 28; 8:26, 28-29; 10:25, 37; 12:49-50; 14:10, 24, 31; 15:10, 15; 17:4, 7-8). The greatest demonstration of his humble obedience was when he faced Satan’s temptations in the wilderness (Mat 4:1-11).

Jesus is the perfect man, our ultimate example in whose steps we can follow (1 Pet 2:18-25).

Our hope should be the anchor of our soul as we navigate the struggles of life. Scripture gives us abundant and vivid information about the coming Kingdom, providing a clear picture of the future we can confidently anticipate, rather than relying on vague or speculative ideas about heaven.

Romans 8:18 The more we know about glory, the better.

Romans 20 – Futility means emptiness, frustration, inability to achieve the purpose for which something was created.

Genesis 1:28-31

Isaiah 45:18 God’s original plan

Genesis 3:17-19 the earth radically changed

Genesis 7:11 Man’s sin caused a catastrophic alteration of both the heavens and the earth. It is not how God originally created it.

Romans 8:18-21

2 Peter 3:1ff

Isaiah 11:6–9 animals peacefully co-exist

Isaiah 35:1–2 the desert shall rejoice and blossom like the crocus

Isaiah 40:4; Luke 3:4-5 valleys lifted up, and mountains and hills made low

Isaiah 41:18–19 wilderness a pool of water, and the dry land springs of water

Ezekiel 47:1-12 water from the temple

Isaiah 65:17–25; Revelation 21:1-4 new heavens and a new earth

Revelation 21:23-25 no need for sun and moon

Revelation 22:1–6 Hallelujah!

2 Corinthians 4:16-18 do not lose heart

Pastor Sean uses the Bible version NRSVue

In part two of our gospel series, we consider how sin separates us from a holy God and causes negative consequences in our lives.

Isaiah 6:1-5 The prophet Isaiah saw God in an incredible vision. This intense experience made him acutely aware of his own sin as well as that of his people.

Isaiah 59:1-4 The people of Israel were mired in sin. It came out of every part of their bodies, their hands, fingers, lips, and tongues.

Isaiah 1:11-17 Even though the people were pursuing evil and taking advantage of the vulnerable, they continued to perform their religious rituals. This hypocrisy greatly offended God.

Isaiah 6:5-13 God called Isaiah to be a witness to the coming judgement in full knowledge that the people would not repent. God had been patient for centuries, but it was time for judgement.

Mark 4:10-12 Jesus saw a parallel to Isaiah’s mission in his ministry. He knew people would reject him and fail to hear his message.

Luke 19:41-44 Like Isaiah, Jesus saw the storm cloud looming on the horizon. About thirty years later, the Jewish people rebelled with the result that the Romans conquered Jerusalem and destroyed the temple. (It has never been rebuilt.)

Revelation 20:11-15; 21:7-8 In the end we will each stand before the throne of God. What excuse can you give for your sin then? Today is the day of repentance. Now is the time to get right with God and receive his forgiveness. Then it will be too late.

Genesis 1 portrays God as unique among the so-called gods of the ancient world, a God who loves and intimately cares for his people. Instead of describing scientifically what happened in the beginning, Genesis 1 is telling us who God is and why he alone is worthy of trust and worship.

“In the beginning, God created the heavens and the earth.” The first words of scripture are some of the most recognized and familiar words of scripture. Because we live in our modern world, we unknowingly bring a context and meaning to the text. We read Genesis 1 as an introduction to creation rather than an introduction to God’s relationship with humanity.

In doing this, we bring our own questions to the text. But these are not the same questions that the original audience would have had.

Genesis 1:1-5 If we imagine the world of the ancient Israelite, we see the questions that they would have had. We see the struggles that they would have had. And then we can read these familiar words with a fresh perspective.

Genesis 1:14-19 Notice that the Hebrew word for sun does not appear in this text. The Israelites would have been familiar with the stories of the Babylonians and the Egyptians, and the Egyptian creator God (Re) was the sun god! So Moses is correcting the old way of thinking and leading the people to the true God.

When we think about what this means to us, we don’t struggle with idolatry like ancient people did. It’s more subtle for us. We must confront the idols of our time: success, comfort/security, technology, or control, just to name a few.

According to Jim Wilder, narcissists are those who cannot metabolize shame in a relational way. What do you do when you’re confronted? Do you shift the blame, counterattack, or get defensive? A great key to transformation is learning to process shame and take responsibility both with people you’ve wronged and with God.

Proverbs 28:13 Our tendency is to conceal our transgressions (sins against other people). We don’t want to face the music. We’d rather cover it up. Why? We don’t want to feel guilt and shame.

Genesis 3:8-13 Avoiding shame is part of the human condition. Right from the beginning, Adam and Eve shifted the blame rather than taking responsibility. Although we may gawk at their obvious immaturity, many of us do the very same thing when we are confronted.

Genesis 4:3-9 Likewise, even after God worked with Cain to understand why his sacrifice was not accepted, Cain went on to murder his brother. When God confronted him, he lied to God’s face. This landed him in a world of consequences and alienation from God.

2 Samuel 12:1-15 Perhaps the greatest example of accepting intense shame, King David shows us how to do this after Nathan confronted him for adultery and murder.

Matthew 26:31-35, 75 Peter, too, provides a sterling example of someone who metabolized his shame and made it through the other side. Although he had denied Christ, he was able to find a path back.

1 John 1:8-2:2 Even after we’ve accepted responsibility for wrongdoing, we should also take the time to get right with God. Doing so involves confession and repentance. Thankfully, God promises to forgive and cleanse those who come clean to him.

1 John 2:28 Ultimately, we have two choices at the coming of Christ: shame or confidence. Which would you rather have?

If we are open to improve, the Scriptures will guide us and God’s family will help by providing the example and godly reproof and correction as needed. There are two types of mourning or shame; (1) Godly and healthy, and (2) Worldly and toxic. The first inspires change and the second causes resentments, guilt, condemnation and escapism.

2 Timothy 3:15-17 doctrine – reproof – correction

Proverbs 12:1; 15:10 the person who hates reproof is stupid

Matthew 19:16-22 the rich man was not open to improve

1 Kings 12:1-19 Rehoboam did not receive wise counsel

2 Corinthians 7:8-11 the Corinthians received reproof and correction and changed. Right sorrow can cause transformation and change.

Two kinds of sorrow – (1) Godly sorrow causes godly change and (2) Worldly sorrow causes guilt, isolation, condemnation and usually escapism.

Biblical education and godly community are important to develop conscience and character.

1 Corinthians 6:2, 3, 9, 15, 16 Paul taught them during the 18 months he was with them so why the negative lifestyle change? The culture of Corinth continued to exert a strong influence on the believers. Rather than transforming their society, many of the saints were being shaped by it. The values, practices, and attitudes of the surrounding pagan culture had begun to infiltrate the church, producing the very problems that Paul was compelled to confront in his letter.

How do we help others to change? Two kinds of shame – toxic and healthy

1 Corinthians 1:1-9 he built them up, did not belittle, tear down, reject; rather he loved them and reminded them of who they really are in Christ.

Luke 10:17-24 Jesus is the example

Luke 10:38-42 Martha, Martha

Hebrews 10:22-25 we need the word and each other

If we are open to improve, God will help through His Word and people.

Rev. Vince uses the Bible version NASB-95

Ḥesed is God’s steadfast covenant love and faithfulness as revealed in His character, His promises to Israel and David, and ultimately fulfilled in Jesus Christ. Because God has shown us this loyal love, He calls us to reject empty religion and become a ḥesed-shaped people who faithfully love Him and one another.

The Hebrew word ḥesed describes God’s steadfast, covenant love: loyal, merciful, faithful, and kind. God’s ḥesed calls us not only to receive His love and faithfulness with confidence, but also to practice the same kind of loyal love toward Him and one another in the church.

Exodus 34:6–7 — God reveals Himself as merciful and gracious, abounding in covenant faithfulness (ḥesed).

Deuteronomy 7:9 — God faithfully keeps His covenant faithfulness (ḥesed) across generations.

Psalm 136 — The ḥesed psalm: God’s ḥesed endures forever.

2 Samuel 7:11b–16 —God’s loyal love (ḥesed) is expressed in God’s covenant promise to David’s house.

Luke 1:68–75 — Jesus as the fulfillment of God’s covenant faithfulness (ḥesed).

Hosea 6:6–7 — Essentially, God is saying, “I do not want empty ceremonies from people who are betraying Me in their heart. I desire ḥesed.”

Micah 6:8 — To love ḥesed is to love covenant loyalty. It means we do not treat our relationships with God as a convenience or something to discard when it doesn’t align with our desires.

Ruth 1:16 — “For where you go, I will go, and where you lodge, I will lodge; your people are my people, and your God is my God.”

Galatians 6:1–2 — A ḥesed community is one filled with loyal, gentle, burden-bearing love and faithfulness.