Posts Tagged romans

Ridiculous Love – Romans 3.21-26

Feb 22

Posted by Big Island BC Admin in Pastor Bryon, Sermons | 2 Comments

Friends,

Another great day to be in the House of the Lord!  Last week I talked about “Ridiculous Faith”, and today I looked at the story of Christ on the Cross and spoke of “Ridiculous Love.”  When we look at the story of how the Creator of the entire universe could be so concerned that He would send part of His very essence in order to redeem us to Him…well, that’s pretty out there by itself.  But the way He would do it, to allow His Son to be beaten, tortured, and killed in such a way – well, to call that a story of love is absurd.

And yet, that is exactly what scripture says to us.  It invites us into an understanding of how deep the Master’s love is for us, and how much much we are in need of it.  It is the greatest love story ever told, and though our world today cannot understand it, we still stake our faith on it, because we know that it is through the sacrificial atonement of Christ on the cross that we are redeemed, that our sins are canceled, that the debt of sin is paid.

And you?  What does this great story mean for you?  How has it moved you into a real, deeper relationship with God through an understanding of what He has done for you in and through Jesus Christ?

You can listen to/download my sermon here: Ridiculous Love – Rev. Bryon LePere

Scriptures Referenced:

  • Romans 3:21-26
  • (Romans 3:21-22)
    • Matthew 5:17, Romans 10:4
    • Hebrews 10:10
  • (Romans 3:23)
    • Job 15:14-16
    • 1 Peter 4:5, Colossians 1:13-14
  • (Romans 3:24)
    • Romans 5:6-8
    • Jeremiah 44:4, Psalm 5:4-5
    • John 3:16, 1 John 4:10, Romans 8:22-23
    • Ephesians 1:4, Genesis 1:27ff, Psalm 139:1ff
    • Galatians 4:4-5, 1 Peter 3:18
  • (Romans 3:25-26)
    • Colossians 1:20-22, Acts 9:1
    • Colossians 2:14, Galatians 3:13
    • 2 Kings 4:1-7
      • Psalm 23:5, Matthew 20:28, Mark 10:45
      • Philippians 2:7

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Six Feet Under – Romans 6.1-14

Jan 25

Posted by Big Island BC Admin in Pastor Bryon, Sermons | 1 Comment

Friends,

What a great time in worship this morning!  Of course, I’m biased because any baptism service is a great service.  In my sermon I looked at the symbolic act of baptism and reminded of that in our baptism we are buried with Christ and His death and than raised up with Christ and His Resurrection.

Jesus, when He died, was fully dead.  As scripture tells us, he “emptied himself.”  We also, when we become Christians, must strive to make our sinful nature fully dead and buried.  In the same way, just as Christ in His Resurrection was fully alive, we should strive to allow the Holy Spirit to be fully alive within us.

But I realize that nobody’s perfect, so let’s be honest.  This doesn’t happen over night; but we should work and pray in a way that we grow closer and closer into the image of Christ.  This is called sanctification and is what should strive for until our time of glorification when we are taken up to be with God in Heaven.  May God bless you as you seek to live this out each and every day.  Your thoughts?

Click below to listen/download this sermon.  (File size = ~20mb)

Six Feet Under – Romans 6.1-14 by Pastor Bryon

Scriptures Referenced:

  • Romans 6.1-14
  • 1 Corinthians 15.3-4
  • Isaiah 25.8, Revelations 1.18
  • Philippians 2.8-9
  • 2 Corinthians 5.17
  • Galatians 5.19-21
  • Galatians 5.22-23
  • 1 Peter 5.8
  • 2 Peter 3.18, Philippians 2.12
  • 1 Peter 4.1-3, 1 Corinthians 6.9-11
  • 1 Thessalonians 5.23-24

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Reflexions – 1.22.09

Jan 23

Posted by Big Island BC Admin in Pastor Bryon | No Comments

REFLEXIONS 1.22.09

Friends,
Happy New Year! It seems that 2009 is already moving quite fast. And this past week has certainly been historical. I know that most everyone witnessed the inauguration of Barack Obama as our new president. I caught most of it either on tv or radio. It was hard not to be proud of our country. I was particularly interested in hearing Rick Warren’s invocation prayer.
There was controversy leading up to his prayer because some of his stated views did not match up Obama’s. Many felt that he should not have been asked at all, while some thought it was Obama’s way of reaching out to the evangelical community. As I listened to his prayer, there were a couple of things that touched me:

1. It was authentic. I thought it truly reflected Warren and his faith. I would expect a rabbi to do a Jewish prayer, for example. I think it is unreasonable to ask a Christian pastor to do a prayer that does not acknowledge Christ. When I am asked to do weddings, I tell the couple that I will do what I feel reflects a Christian wedding. Makes sense to me.

2. It didn’t assume faith upon everyone. When Warren referred to Christ, he described Him as “the one who changed my life.” I believe that Christ has the power to change everyone’s life, but only if they accept it. I thought Warren’s words here were very well done.

3. As much as it did not assume anything upon anyone, it was also very inclusive. When Warren started saying the Lord’s Prayer, I immediately wondered how many people in that crowd were saying it with him. Yes, the US is a very diverse country, but the overwhelming majority still claims Christianity as their faith. I thought this was an excellent way of drawing many in the crowd into the moment.

I’m sure there is more, but these were some of my thoughts. How about you? What surprised/impressed you the most at the inauguration?
I do feel we need to be sensitive to others in how we project our faith. But being sensitive does not mean that we compromise who we are and what we believe. Romans 1.16, “I am not ashamed of the gospel, because it is the power of God for the salvation of everyone who believes: first for the Jew, then for the Gentile.” (NIV) Never compromise your beliefs and your faith!
Hope to see you Sunday!

Blessings
Pastor Bryon

Special Note: Our church website officially has podcasts now. You will be able to download my sermons within 24 hours of worship each week. In addition, you can find a recording of Chris Brown, Curtis Goff, Bob Brooke, Evelyn Goff, and Susan Brown singing Because He Lives and Victory in Jesus from a few weeks ago. Awesome track! Each of these will be a .mp3 file. Email me if you have any questions.

–
Rev. Bryon LePere
Pastor
Big Island Baptist Church
434.610.6125
pastorbryon@gmail.com

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Are you coming or going? Genesis 3.8-24

Nov 16

Posted by Big Island BC Admin in Pastor Bryon, Sermons | 1 Comment

Friends,

What a morning!  What a blessing to be in God’s house!  I looked at Genesis 3 where Adam and Eve and the serpent are judged, cursed, and cast out of the Garden of Eden.  In our own lives and faith, we are either moving away from God through our sin (going) or we are growing closer to Him through our maturing faith (coming).  My 3 points:

  1. Are you going?  Are you living in sin absent a relationship with Jesus Christ?  Just as Adam and Eve through their disobedience were driven out (and away) from God, so too we are moving away from Him when we persist in our sinful disobedience.
  2. Are you coming?  Are you a believer, having truly repented and been baptized into a community of faith?  2 Peter 3.18 tells us to grow in the grace and knowledge of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ.  Our lives should be lived in the constant pursuit of knowing Christ and growing in Christ each and every day.
  3. If you are coming, if you are a believer, how are you influencing others?  Does your life and witness cause them to move closer to faith in God (coming) or are you driving them away (going)?  Too often we get comfortable, thinking that we are saved and have little left to do.  That in itself is wrong, but how much worse to consider that because of our negative or hypocritical example of faith we might keep others from coming into the saving grace and knowledge of Jesus Christ?

Scriptures Referenced:

  • Genesis 3.8-24
  • Isaiah 59.2
  • Matthew 7.13-14
  • Luke 17.1-3
  • Romans 5.18-19, 6.23, 10.9-10, 12.17
  • 1 Corinthians 10.31-32
  • 2 Corinthians 5.16-21
  • Ephesians 2.1-2
  • Hebrews 6.4-12
  • Revelations 21.25

Your thoughts?

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