Everybody worships something. The worship found in Psalm 95, however, is the only true worship that can satisfy. Using the psalmist’s descriptions as a guide, Johnny walks through how Christians can better conduct our worship. The psalm calls us to shout with joy, bow down, and kneel- make worship more than merely intellectual.

Psalm 84 is a “Pilgrimage Psalm” encouraging the faithful as they travel to Jerusalem to celebrate the prescribed Feasts. The psalmist describes his powerful longing to be in the Temple, in the presence of Yahweh, the God of Israel. He is passionate in his love for God’s house and the whole direction of his life, not just his pilgrim journey, is aimed godward. He knows, as we all are encouraged to remember, that God meets us in physical time and space, in locations, like the Temple, in a person–Jesus, and as we gather as his people in the local church.

Psalm 39 is a Lament psalm: the psalmist cries out in the midst of suffering, the sinfulness of his life and the world, and the heavy hand of God upon him. It is a dark psalm of a man in desperation–even ending with the plea for the Lord to look away from him that he may again have gladness in his life before he dies (v.13). And yet in the middle he declares: “my hope is in you” (v.7).

The nations rage and the peoples device a vain thing against the Lord and his anointed. But the Psalmist assures his readers that the Lord is in control–he laughs at the nations. He is judge. He has set his anointed on the throne–who will rule and judge–and all are warned to serve him and be blessed or reject him and perish. The “Royal Psalm” written for the coronation of an Israelite king looks ahead to the true and eternal “anointed one”–Jesus, the Christ, who established his Kingdom through his death and resurrection and who will come again as ruler and judge.

Psalm 1 is the Introduction to the Psalter: the book of Psalms (1-150). It presents as a Wisdom poem contrasting the Righteous and the Wicked, inviting the reader deeper into the Psalms. Blessed is the one who delights in God’s law and meditates on it day in and day out–who is transformed by a lifetime of dwelling in God’s word.

James warns his readers against making plans, spending and using wealth without reference to God. He warns us against this same illusion of control–that if we plan, we can guarantee outcomes or if we have wealth, it is our to use as we please. Our life is short and only God is sovereign over all of it. The faith that works lives in light of the will of the Lord.

Note: At the beginning of this sermon, Pastor Johnny Kurcina addresses the topic of child sexual abuse that took place at another church between 1990-2002.

In James 2:14-26, James calls out the hypocritical nature of believers in the churches. Faith without works is dead–it is useless, it does not save. Both a words only faith (saying you believe) and a thinking only faith (knowing Christian doctrine) does not matter if your life does not demonstrate your faith. In contrast, both Abraham and Rahab are Hebrew Bible saints who acted in ways that revealed the authenticity of their faith. Authentic Christian faith involves integrity of life with professed beliefs, a tree is know by its fruit, as Jesus said.

[Unfortunately, the audio file for the sermon was not able to record directly through the sound system resulting in a less than ideal recording.]

As James, the brother of Jesus and head of the church in Jerusalem, begins one of the earliest letters in the New Testament, he calls his readers to develop steadfastness–faithful endurance–in all the trials in life. How do we endure faithfully through suffering that tests us? We seek God wholeheartedly, not trusting in our other sources of assurance, remembering we are loved eternally by grace.

Matthew 28 and 2 Corinthians 4-5

Faithful Christianity or honest Atheism are the two worldview systems with the most complete philosophical consistency and intellectual integrity. Atheism says we are here by chance and life is meaningless. Christianity claims there is a creator and a savior in the person of Jesus–and it all hinges on the physical resurrection of Jesus on that first Easter morning. Is it plausible that Jesus rose from the dead? And if he did what difference does it make? The resurrection of Jesus offers us: 1) an identity that is not performance based, 2) a joy that is not fleeting, and 3) the courage to face anything (suffering, injustice, and death).

Before he was handed over to the Romans, Jesus knew who would betray him. Yet, rather than call out Judas by name, he gives him a chance to repent and gives the disciples a valuable opportunity for self-reflection. While he does say one person in particular will betray him, Jesus tells the disciples that they will all fall away. Every one of the disciples in that room fell away after Jesus’ death, and Jesus welcomed them back anyway. If Jesus welcomed Peter back and reconciled him after his denials, how much more will he willingly receive those who turn their backs on their sin to be reconciled with Christ?

In Matthew 15, Jesus has an unusual interaction with a Canaanite woman. She calls on Him for help, and He seems to ignore her. She asks again, and this time he seems rude. What is going on here? Where is the Jesus who loves the forgotten, who listens to the neglected? Jesus, in his behavior, demonstrates the way society expected a good rabbi to treat a Gentile woman. As the story ends, Jesus reveals his true nature to her and challenges the status quo that culture expected him to fulfill.

After witnessing Jesus with his own eyes, John the Baptist is sent to prison, and from prison asks Jesus if he really is the Christ. After seeing God pour down from heaven, Elijah is pursued by Jezebel’s armies and asks God to end him. Many churches can treat doubt like a sin, but many heroes of the faith went through doubting periods of their own. The Psalms are full of cries of despair. Luckily, serve a God who loves us despite our doubts. When John was searching for a sign, Jesus reminded him of his faithfulness.

In the final entry of our Visions and Values series, Johnny reminds us of how God called the Israelites to care for the land of Babylno during their time of exile. Although Babylon was not their eternal home, it was their home for the present, and they were meant to make it a home that honors God with their conduct. They made friends, they invested in their neighborhoods, and they gave their daughters to be married- God did not want them to stay in tents and ignore the world they were exiled in. Instead, they were called to seek Babylon’s shalom.

Continuing our new series on CCV’s visions and values, Johnny looks at what it means for the church to be externally focused as Jesus was. Rather than only letting those who were considered clean enough to teach be near him, Jesus actively sought out those whom the Pharisees had totally given up on, and importantly, they sought him out too! As a church, we should work to demonstrate the kind of loving character that attracts those who feel like the religious-types in their lives have given up on them.

After our sermon series on what it means to be the people of God generally, Johnny begins a new sermon series covering the vision and values of Christ Church Vienna specifically. Today, he covers what it means to be a Gospel-driven church. Being in-step with the Gospel means having a deeper understanding of the fact that it’s not works that save you, but faith in Jesus Christ. Even Peter had to be rebuked by Paul to understand this message, which means its an easy one to forget. Rather than works of the law, which literally refers to the Mosaic law of the Old Testament, a modern Christian turns to their own cultural significance and success as a measure of justification. We can turn what should be something subjective about our lives and turn it into a measuring stick for others. Once we better understand the Gospel’s message of hope for everybody regardless of success or stature, we can better fulfill our role as a church meant for sinners who are looking for God.