Sunday April 1, 2012

Welcome to Dakota Community Church

Grace, Freedom, Laughter

We are a Christ centred, cross focused community of believers united by the good news of salvation by grace through faith!

This morning we are celebrating Palm Sunday.

Enjoy the service and feel free to follow along in the scriptures using the links below.

Scripture for today’s sermon:

Luke 19:28-44; Isaiah 11:1-3; John 18:36-38; Luke 24:13-21; Psalm 113:2-3; Romans 1:18-25; Luke 18:31-33   

 

Palm Sunday at Dakota

A day of joy and victory, the triumphal entry into Jerusalem, voices shout “Hosanna” and “Blessed is He who comes in the name of the Lord!” 

Palm Sunday is a day that celebrates great insight - the King had arrived after all and the disciples rightly rejoiced in this knowledge - but this was also a day of great misunderstanding. Only Jesus himself would have had any idea of the events that were about to unfold; of just how this King would be crowned and how He would ultimately rise to take His throne. 

I hope you will join me this Sunday morning as we consider a few of the contrasts that are presented to us in Luke’s account of the day we have come to celebrate as Palm Sunday. 

On the one hand; amazing insight, worshipful acceptance, and tearful mercy. 

On the other; great misunderstanding, murderous rejection, and absolute authority!

Our Condition

But he continued, "You are from below; I am from above. You are of this world; I am not of this world. I told you that you would die in your sins; if you do not believe that I am the one I claim to be, you will indeed die in your sins."

Faith in Christ or death in our sins. 

Grace, Freedom, Laughter! 

The "Required" Work

"Do not work for food that spoils, but for food that endures to eternal life, which the Son of Man will give you. On him God has placed his seal of approval."

Then they asked him, "What must we do to do the works God requires?"

Jesus answered, "The work of God is this: to believe in the one he has sent." - John 6:27-29

Grace, Freedom, Laughter! 

The Freedom I Need

I do not need easing of circumstance, relief from difficulty, and distance from pain and suffering in order to be free. The freedom Jesus has secured for me is freedom from bitterness, anger, fear, resentment, self-pity, offense, and hopelessness in the crucible of present pain and suffering; it is freedom from my burdensome sense of "I deserve better," the encumbrance of entitlement. Only the gospel can free us from the enslaving pressure to defend ourselves. That is real freedom - God sized freedom! (Tullian Tchividjian -slight paraphrase)

Grace, Freedom, Laughter! 

Contentment

Content makes poor men rich; discontentment makes rich men poor.
-- Benjamin Franklin

Sent from my iPad

This Sunday at DCC (Mar. 11, 2012)

This Sunday morning we will share communion before continuing our journey through the Old Testament Book of Judges. You may wish to review the Series opening sermon here and/or week 2 here.

The passage we are looking at this week (Judges 3:1-11) reveals that God does not defeat some of Israel’s enemies in the Promised Land in order to teach and test His people. 

Does that rub anyone else the wrong way taken at face value? Keep in mind the terrible acts of war that occurred as a result of these “lessons and tests”; how is God just if this is true? For that matter - how is God good, and right, and holy, and perfect, and our loving heavenly Father; if He allows lessons and tests such as these?

One common response to these types of difficult biblical passages is to say that the author’s humanity entered into the picture as he wrote - in other words, it seemed to the author that God “did” or “allowed” this - but he was mistakenly writing from a fallen human perspective that is ultimately incorrect. We’ll see why that response is way off base and we’ll look at how to reconcile our theology to tough passages like this, rather than trying to bend the scripture to fit our understanding!

The plan now is to finish up the life of the first judge: Othniel and hopefully to get a good portion of the life of the left-handed (2nd) judge - Ehud - completed as well! Hope to see you 1 hour earlier (but still) Sunday at 10:30

March 4, 2012

Welcome to Dakota Community Church

Grace, Freedom, Laughter

We are a Christ centred, cross focused community of believers united by the good news of salvation by grace through faith!

This morning we are continuing our study in the Book of Judges with a look at the first Judge - Othniel! Enjoy the service and feel free to follow along in the scriptures using the links below.

Scripture for today’s sermon:

Judges 3:1-11; Judges 1:28; Matthew 12:14-21; Hebrews 13:8; 2 Timothy 3:10-17; Genesis 6:5-6; Jeremiah 17:9; Judges 3:7-11; 2 Timothy 3:1-5   

This Sunday at DCC

This Sunday morning we are going to resume our journey through the Old Testament Book of Judges.

 

The Book covers a chaotic period in Israel's history between the years 1380 and 1050 B.C. Under Joshua's leadership, Israel had conquered and occupied the land of Canaan, but extensive areas hadn't yet passed into the hands of the individual tribes.

Over time the following pattern, known as the “Cycle of Sin”, emerged: Israel did evil - GOD delivered them into the hands of various oppressors - the people cried out to the LORD for help - a judge brought God’s deliverance. This Sunday morning the plan is to over the life of the first judge: Othniel and if there is time the 2nd - Ehud.

The passage we are looking at this week indicates that God does not defeat some enemies in order to teach and test His people. Is that right? If so is God just in doing that and how is that possible?

Hope to see you Sunday - 230 Provencher Blvd (Downstairs)