Church of the Nazarene

Dec 06 2022

12/04/22- Harrisonburg Campus: Christmas Gifts: Mercy- Pastor Adrian Mills

Church of the Nazarene – Harrisonburg

The Christmas Gifts – Mercy

The manger is the perfect picture of mercy.

Throughout this Advent season for 2022, we will seek to grow deeper in our understanding of the free gifts available to us through Christ and His coming. These are gifts we cannot earn and do not deserve.

Christmas is a time to celebrate the presence that came at that first Christmas, and it’s an opportunity for all to receive the greatest gift in Christ. It is no accident that gift giving is a part of Christmas since Christmas itself is a great gift!

‭‭Luke‬ ‭1‬:‭39‬-‭55‬‬

At that time Mary got ready and hurried to a town in the hill country of Judea, where she entered Zechariah’s home and greeted Elizabeth. When Elizabeth heard Mary’s greeting, the baby leaped in her womb, and Elizabeth was filled with the Holy Spirit. In a loud voice she exclaimed: “Blessed are you among women, and blessed is the child you will bear! But why am I so favored, that the mother of my Lord should come to me? As soon as the sound of your greeting reached my ears, the baby in my womb leaped for joy. Blessed is she who has believed that the Lord would fulfill his promises to her!” And Mary said: “My soul glorifies the Lord and my spirit rejoices in God my Savior, for he has been mindful of the humble state of his servant. From now on all generations will call me blessed, for the Mighty One has done great things for me— holy is his name. His mercy extends to those who fear him, from generation to generation. He has performed mighty deeds with his arm; he has scattered those who are proud in their inmost thoughts. He has brought down rulers from their thrones but has lifted up the humble. He has filled the hungry with good things but has sent the rich away empty. He has helped his servant Israel, remembering to be merciful to Abraham and his descendants forever, just as he promised our ancestors.”

-There are a lot of words that we use to describe Christmas: joy, peace, wonder. But rarely do we talk about mercy. Of all the gifts we could talk about, mercy doesn’t seem very high on the list.

-But it was first on Mary’s list. In these moments of worship, she celebrates the gift of Jesus as a gift of mercy.

-In case we might miss the significance, Mary then concludes with another declaration of mercy: “[the Lord] remembering to be merciful” (verse 54).‭‭

Colossians‬ ‭1‬:‭13‬-‭14

‬‬For he has rescued us from the dominion of darkness and brought us into the kingdom of the Son he loves, in whom we have redemption, the forgiveness of sins.

-Jesus’ life was a rescue mission, our rescue mission.

-We could not rescue ourselves from sin. And we deserved whatever we had coming to us. Instead, we received a Savior.

-The greatest act of mercy is a Father sending his own Son to show us the way back to the Father.

Bottom Line:

The manger is the perfect picture of mercy.

Verses for further study/reflection:

Luke 1:67-80

1 Peter 1:3

Psalm 145:9

James 2:13

Matthew 5:7

Hebrews 4:16

Ephesians 1:7

Acts 10:43

Dec 05 2022

12/04/22- East Rock Campus: Christmas Gifts: Mercy- Pastor Billy Logan

https://www.bible.com/events/48996040

Church of the Nazarene – East Rock

The Christmas Gifts – Mercy

Peace on earth and mercy mild,

God and sinners reconciled:

MERCY:

compassion or forgiveness shown toward someone whom it is within one’s power to punish or harm or execute justice against‭‭

Luke‬ ‭1‬:‭39‬-‭55

‬‬At that time Mary got ready and hurried to a town in the hill country of Judea, where she entered Zechariah’s home and greeted Elizabeth. When Elizabeth heard Mary’s greeting, the baby leaped in her womb, and Elizabeth was filled with the Holy Spirit. In a loud voice she exclaimed: “Blessed are you among women and blessed is the child you will bear! But why am I so favored, that the mother of my Lord should come to me? As soon as the sound of your greeting reached my ears, the baby in my womb leaped for joy. Blessed is she who has believed that the Lord would fulfill his promises to her!” And Mary said: “My soul glorifies the Lord and my spirit rejoices in God my Savior, for he has been mindful of the humble state of his servant. From now on all generations will call me blessed, for the Mighty One has done great things for me— holy is his name. His mercy extends to those who fear him, from generation to generation. He has performed mighty deeds with his arm; he has scattered those who are proud in their inmost thoughts. He has brought down rulers from their thrones but has lifted up the humble. He has filled the hungry with good things but has sent the rich away empty. He has helped his servant Israel, remembering to be merciful to Abraham and his descendants forever, just as he promised our ancestors.”

Mary describes that God “has done great things” for her…And the first of those “great things” on her list is mercy.

She starts with the action of God’s mercy.‭‭

Luke‬ ‭1‬:‭67‬-‭80

‬‬His father Zechariah was filled with the Holy Spirit and prophesied: “Praise be to the Lord, the God of Israel, because he has come to his people and redeemed them. He has raised up a horn of salvation for us in the house of his servant David (as he said through his holy prophets of long ago), salvation from our enemies and from the hand of all who hate us— to show mercy to our ancestors and to remember his holy covenant, the oath he swore to our father Abraham: to rescue us from the hand of our enemies, and to enable us to serve him without fear in holiness and righteousness before him all our days. And you, my child, will be called a prophet of the Most High; for you will go on before the Lord to prepare the way for him, to give his people the knowledge of salvation through the forgiveness of their sins, because of the tender mercy of our God, by which the rising sun will come to us from heaven to shine on those living in darkness and in the shadow of death, to guide our feet into the path of peace.” And the child grew and became strong in spirit; and he lived in the wilderness until he appeared publicly to Israel.

Zechariah ascribes praise to the Lord, the God of Israel, because he has personally come to help his people‭‭

Romans‬ ‭6‬:‭23‬‬

For the wages of sin is death, but the gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord.

Bottom Line:

GOD’S GIFT OF MERCY WAS GIVEN IN A MANGER

Henry Smart

Sinners, wrung with true repentance, Doomed for guilt to endless pains, Justice now revokes the sentence, Mercy calls you; break your chains.”

Glory to the newborn King”

Verses for further study/reflection:

Luke 1:67-80

1 Peter 1:3

Psalm 145:9

James 2:13

Matthew 5:7

Hebrews 4:16

Ephesians 1:7

Acts 10:43

Nov 29 2022

11/27/22- Harrisonburg Campus: Christmas Gifts Part 1: ” Presence”- Pastor Adrian Mills

http://bible.com/events/48992092

Church of the Nazarene – Harrisonburg

The Christmas Gifts – Part 1Christmas Gifts Part 1 “Presence”

As we enter the Advent season for 2022, we will seek to grow deeper in our understanding of the free gifts available to us through Christ and His coming. Gifts we cannot earn and do not deserve.

‭‭Matthew‬ ‭1‬:‭18‬-‭23

‬‬This is how the birth of Jesus the Messiah came about: His mother Mary was pledged to be married to Joseph, but before they came together, she was found to be pregnant through the Holy Spirit. Because Joseph her husband was faithful to the law, and yet did not want to expose her to public disgrace, he had in mind to divorce her quietly. But after he had considered this, an angel of the Lord appeared to him in a dream and said, “Joseph son of David, do not be afraid to take Mary home as your wife, because what is conceived in her is from the Holy Spirit. She will give birth to a son, and you are to give him the name Jesus, because he will save his people from their sins.” All this took place to fulfill what the Lord had said through the prophet: “The virgin will conceive and give birth to a son, and they will call him Immanuel” (which means “God with us”).‭‭

Isaiah‬ ‭7‬:‭14‬‬

Therefore the Lord himself will give you a sign: The virgin will conceive and give birth to a son, and will call him Immanuel.-His name, Jesus, specifies what he does (“God saves”), and Immanuel specifies who He is (“God with us”).

-Part of Jesus’ saving activity is indelibly connected to His presence with us. You don’t get one without the other.

-It’s difficult to imagine the presence of God unless you know what it’s like to be away from His presence, which is what the people in Isaiah’s time would have known. They knew darkness and despair and what seemed hopeless. Thus, the reason for the promise. Immanuel is coming!

‭‭John‬ ‭1‬:‭9‬-‭14

‬‬The true light that gives light to everyone was coming into the world. He was in the world, and though the world was made through him, the world did not recognize him. He came to that which was his own, but his own did not receive him. Yet to all who did receive him, to those who believed in his name, he gave the right to become children of God— children born not of natural descent, nor of human decision or a husband’s will, but born of God. The Word became flesh and made his dwelling among us. We have seen his glory, the glory of the one and only Son, who came from the Father, full of grace and truth.

Bottom Line:

He was born in that manger so He could be with you.

It’s not that Jesus came to be with you (past tense), it’s that His presence is still with us now!

Verses for further study/reflection:

Philippians 2:6-8

Isaiah 41:10

Isaiah 8:8-10

Nov 28 2022

11/27/22- East Rock Campus: Christmas Gifts Part 1: ” Presence”- Pastor Jared Link

Church of the Nazarene – East Rock

The Christmas Gifts Part 1Christmas Gifts Part 1 “Presence”

This year, as the UPS and Amazon delivery drivers are taking up residence at our houses and the wrapping gets under way- let’s make time and space to receive and appreciate the true gifts of Christmas.

The Christmas gifts that we couldn’t earn, yet are free and available to everyone, and that last forever-As we enter the Advent season for 2022, we will seek to grow deeper in our understanding of the free gifts available to us through Christ and his coming. Gifts we cannot earn and do not deserve.

Matthew‬ ‭1‬:‭18‬-‭23

In naming him Jesus, which means “God Saves”, we are given a picture of what he will do. And in being called Immanuel, it is revealed who he is- “Immanuel- God with us”

Immanuel- The gift of presence!

In this beautiful portrait Matthew ties together two important ideas, to show the significance of this Christmas announcement. God has come to be with us, to save us.

That’s the gift of presence. That’s the promised Christmas Gift.

As we enter this season, we were very intentional to begin with the idea of presence because that’s where the story of the Messiah begins in the Book of John. When Jesus’ close friend John, began to write a letter to share the story of Jesus- he interestingly doesn’t begin with details you might expect.

No details of the angels, the shepherds in the fields, no bright star, no magi, not even the manger. No, John begins with presence!

‭‭John‬ ‭1‬:‭9‬-‭14

To a first century audience, that would immediately take them back to the Tabernacle in the wilderness set up by Moses. In Exodus 25 God begins to give Moses details on how to erect this special tent where the presence of God would dwell among his people. This tabernacle was an ornate structure, with precious metals, jewels, and fabrics throughout. And you didn’t just go waltzing in there either- to come into the presence of God was a reverent and sacred thing.

John is taking up that idea of tabernacle and saying that in Christ- rather than us going to the tabernacle to encounter God, God has brought the tabernacle to us.

This is literally a history-changing move on God’s part.

My prayer is that whether Christmas is already hard, or it’s the highlight of the year, that you will experience the true gift of Christmas.

The gift of Presence, the gift of Emmanuel, God with us.

Carry it with you everywhere you go. Take the story to bed with you as you lay down to rest. Get in the story.

And as we do that- I also pray that we would give ourselves to him.

Vance Havner says “Christmas is based on an exchange of gifts, the gift of God to man – His unspeakable gift of His Son, and the gift of man to God – when we present our bodies a living sacrifice.”

Friends it is in this gift exchange that we can experience new life-

Life as part of God’s family.

Merry Christmas! Christ has come!

Nov 22 2022

11/20/22- Harrisonburg Campus: What We Believe: Resurrection- Pastor Joe Stoner

http://bible.com/events/48988709

Church of the Nazarene – Harrisonburg

What We Believe Part 4What we believe: Resurrection

Together we want to get a clearer picture of the nature of our faith as the Church of the Nazarene, not just to gain knowledge, but to value the freedom and joy found in living out the way of Jesus of Nazareth.I welcome you to our teaching series “What we believe”

Church of the Nazarene Article of Faith 16

16. We believe in the resurrection of the dead, that the bodies both of the just and of the unjust shall be raised to life and united with their spirits— “they that have done good, unto the resurrection of life; and they that have done evil, unto the resurrection of damnation.”

16.1 We believe in future judgment in which every person shall appear before God to be judged according to his or her deeds in this life.

16.2 We believe that glorious and everlasting life is assured to all who savingly believe in, and obediently follow, Jesus Christ our Lord; and that the finally impenitent shall suffer eternally in hell.

1.Jesus’ Resurrection was necessary to guarantee us eternal life through resurrection.

2.Jesus’ Resurrection is a foretaste of what we can expect in our own resurrection.

3.Our resurrected bodies will be like Jesus’ resurrected body.

‭‭John‬ ‭3‬:‭16

‬‬For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life.

‭‭John‬ ‭6‬:‭40

‬‬For my Father’s will is that everyone who looks to the Son and believes in him shall have eternal life, and I will raise them up at the last day.”‭‭

John‬ ‭5‬:‭24‬-‭29

‬‬“Very truly I tell you, whoever hears my word and believes him who sent me has eternal life and will not be judged but has crossed over from death to life. Very truly I tell you, a time is coming and has now come when the dead will hear the voice of the Son of God and those who hear will live. For as the Father has life in himself, so he has granted the Son also to have life in himself. And he has given him authority to judge because he is the Son of Man. “Do not be amazed at this, for a time is coming when all who are in their graves will hear his voice and come out—those who have done what is good will rise to live, and those who have done what is evil will rise to be condemned.‭‭

1 Corinthians‬ ‭15‬:‭3‬-‭8

‬‬For what I received I passed on to you as of first importance: that Christ died for our sins according to the Scriptures, that he was buried, that he was raised on the third day according to the Scriptures, and that he appeared to Cephas, and then to the Twelve. After that, he appeared to more than five hundred of the brothers and sisters at the same time, most of whom are still living, though some have fallen asleep. Then he appeared to James, then to all the apostles, and last of all he appeared to me also, as to one abnormally born.‭‭

1 Corinthians‬ ‭15‬:‭12‬-‭23

‬‬But if it is preached that Christ has been raised from the dead, how can some of you say that there is no resurrection of the dead? If there is no resurrection of the dead, then not even Christ has been raised. And if Christ has not been raised, our preaching is useless and so is your faith. More than that, we are then found to be false witnesses about God, for we have testified about God that he raised Christ from the dead. But he did not raise him if in fact the dead are not raised. For if the dead are not raised, then Christ has not been raised either. And if Christ has not been raised, your faith is futile; you are still in your sins. Then those also who have fallen asleep in Christ are lost. If only for this life we have hope in Christ, we are of all people most to be pitied. But Christ has indeed been raised from the dead, the first fruits of those who have fallen asleep. For since death came through a man, the resurrection of the dead comes also through a man. For as in Adam all die, so in Christ all will be made alive. But each in turn: Christ, the firstfruits; then, when he comes, those who belong to him.

First-Fruits:

1. All the harvest came from God and belonged to Him.

2. It was an expression of faith. Because you gave the first harvest to God, you were trusting that He would provide the rest of the harvest.

3. The First-Fruits offering consecrated the entire harvest.

‭‭1 John‬ ‭3‬:‭2‬‬

Dear friends, now we are children of God, and what we will be has not yet been made known. But we know that when Christ appears, we shall be like him, for we shall see him as he is.‭‭

Philippians‬ ‭3‬:‭20‬-‭21

‬‬But our citizenship is in heaven. And we eagerly await a Savior from there, the Lord Jesus Christ, who, by the power that enables him to bring everything under his control, will transform our lowly bodies so that they will be like his glorious body.

‭‭John‬ ‭11‬:‭23‬-‭25‬‬

Jesus said to her, “Your brother will rise again.” Martha answered, “I know he will rise again in the resurrection at the last day.” Jesus said to her, “I am the resurrection and the life. The one who believes in me will live, even though they die;

Bottom Line:

If you are in Christ because you believe in him, Resurrection is a most precious hope.

But if you don’t believe in Christ, resurrection is a most dreaded reality.

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