All Nations Presbyterian Church: Afternoon Sermon Series

Galatians 1:1-9 - Don't Chase a Different Gospel

On Sunday afternoon, we looked at the opening verses of Galatians. We saw that Paul wanted his readers to be clear on the gospel, the most important news, the news that you need to believe in order to be saved. The gospel is all about Jesus, that He has saved us from sin by his death and resurrection. It is all about what Jesus has done for us, not what we do. This is the opposite of how our lives usually work. We never deserve to be saved and loved by God. We can never been good enough, religious enough, or from the right family. It is all Jesus, not us. This means that we should be often joyful and thankful rather than burdened by duty and effort. We should serve God and others as a response to Jesus, not because it is needed for God to love us. Take some time to thank God for Jesus, and consider why you serve Him.

Leviticus 26:1-46 - Blessing or Curse

Last Sunday afternoon, we finished our series in Leviticus by hearing from Leviticus 26 together. This is a confronting chapter which shows us both God’s blessing for obedience and God’s curse for disobedience. We saw that while God’s blessing is unspeakably glorious, God’s curse is unspeakably terrible. Ultimately, all of us deserve God’s curse for our sins. Yet the wonder of the gospel is that Jesus perfectly obeyed God’s law to earn God’s blessing for us, and Jesus also suffered the curse that we deserved for our disobedience. Surely Jesus is the perfect Savior that we so desperately need! How should we respond? By confessing our sins to God and by putting our faith in Jesus Christ. This week, take some time to read back through Leviticus 26. As you read, thank God that Jesus willing took God’s curse for us and that He brings us God’s blessing. Then, consider if there are patterns of disobedience or sin in your life that God is calling you to repent of and address by the power of His Holy Spirit.

Leviticus 23:1-44 - The Calendar

Last Sunday afternoon, we heard from Leviticus 23 together. This passage tells us about the different feasts on Israel’s calendar. We saw the major themes tying these feasts together were remembering God’s work, resting from our work, and worshipping God together. As Christians today, we no longer celebrate all these ancient feasts, but we do still celebrate the Christian Sabbath every single Sunday. As Christians, our weekly Sabbath reminds us of God’s greatest work of all—the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead. The Sabbath also gives us a day to enjoy the blessing of rest from our work and to assemble with God’s people to worship God together. In the process, the Sabbath makes us long for the even better Sabbath rest that is coming in a new heavens and a new earth. This week, take some time to thank God for the gift of a day of rest and worship every week and prayerfully consider how you can make the most of this day of blessing that God has given us.

Leviticus 19:1-37 - Holiness

Last Sunday afternoon, we heard from Leviticus 19 together. This chapter especially calls God’s people to be holy. We saw that holiness means obeying God’s commands and applying those commands to the specific circumstances of our lives. When we strive to love God completely and love our neighbor as ourselves, then we will inevitably live and act differently to the world around us. Ultimately, however, the only way that we can grow in holiness is because the holy God has saved us in Jesus Christ and poured out His Holy Spirit into our hearts. This week, re-read Leviticus 19. Identify one command or principle from the chapter that you especially need to work on in your life, pray for the help of the Holy Spirit, and then take specific steps to grow to grow in holiness in that area.

Leviticus 12:1-8 - Original Sin and Total Obedience

Last Sunday afternoon, we heard from Leviticus 12 together. This unusual chapter is especially about the birth of children. In particular, it reminds us that children are a wonderful gift from God, but childbirth is now painful and bloody because of Adam’s sin. Even more, it shows us the reality of original sin: because of Adam’s sin, we are born into this world sinful and deserving God’s wrath. Yet there is hope. Even in Leviticus 12, God provided a way of cleansing and salvation for His people through circumcision and sacrifices. These were shadows that pointed forward to the one way of salvation in Jesus Christ. Jesus perfectly obeyed God’s law for us, and He suffered the penalty that our sin deserves. All who trust in Jesus are born again into a living hope through Jesus Christ. This week, take some time to thank God for the incredible gift of Jesus Christ and pray for those who still need to hear this news.

2 Corinthians 1:1-11 - The Strength of Weakness

Genesis 7:6-8:19 - Salvation and Destruction

On Sunday afternoon, we looked at the flood account from Genesis 7 and 8. While this is often known as the story of God saving Noah, his family, and the animals, it is also a story of judgement on sin. All except 8 people died. The way this story is told emphasizes the reality of waiting as a believer. Noah knew that God was going to bring him to safety; he didn't know when this would be. He tried to find out with birds, but in the end he waited for God to tell him when to leave. Our Christian lives have a lot in common with this. We know that judgement is coming and our rest will come. Yet we wait. We trust that God will do the right thing at the right time. While we wait, we try to remain faithful and we trust in the One who is in control. Take time today to pray for Jesus' return, and to ask for patience while we wait.

Leviticus 11:1-47 - Clean and Unclean

Last Sunday afternoon, we heard from Leviticus 11 together. This chapter is all about clean and unclean food—what animals the Israelites could and could not eat. We saw that the animals themselves are not sinful; instead, the animals serve as a symbolic object lesson for the people about the holiness of God. In particular, the unclean animals are symbolically linked with death and disorder, reminding the people that God is a God of order and life who must be separated from death and disorder. Even more, the clean and unclean foods show us that the holy God calls His holy people to live differently and distinctively in this world. How does Jesus change the way we think about clean and unclean food? Jesus shows us that ultimately, sin is a matter of the heart, not a matter of what we eat. Even more, Jesus died to wash our hearts clean, and now we have freedom in Christ to eat all kinds of food. Yet, God still calls us to live differently as His blood-bought people, not in the food that we eat but in our joyful service from the heart. This week, take some time to think about whether you are really living any differently from the world around you. Is there some area of your life where you need to ask for the Holy Spirit’s help to live as the holy people God has called us to be?

Leviticus 10:1-20 - Worship

Last Sunday afternoon, we heard from Leviticus 10 together. This is a confronting and sobering passage that reminds us of how seriously the holy God takes our worship. In particular, we saw that God struck Nadab and Abihu dead for their false worship. This shows us that our worship is always a matter of life and death, and God is deeply concerned that we only worship Him as He commands. Yet, we also saw there is hope: although we all deserve to die for worshipping wrongly, Jesus took God’s judgment in our place and now He leads us into God’s presence so that we can worship the living God with confidence and joy. This week, take some time to re-read Leviticus 10. Then, pray for God to convict you of ways that you have not treated His worship as seriously as you should, and ask for the help of the Holy Spirit to worship God rightly—all in response to the incredible salvation God has given us in Jesus Christ.

Leviticus 8:1-13; 9:1-24 - Priests

Last Sunday afternoon, we heard from Leviticus 8-9 together. These two chapters especially show us that we can only draw near to the holy God through our great high priest. We saw that the high priest was clothed in glorious, beautiful garments from head to toe. The high priest in his beautiful robes is a shadow of Jesus Christ, our true and final High Priest who shines in His own glory and righteousness. We also saw that the priest has two main roles: offering sacrifices and interceding for God’s people. Again, this points us forward to Jesus Christ, who has offered the final sacrifice for our sins and ever lives to intercede for us. Why does all of this matter? It reminds us of the beauty and glory of Jesus Christ. It is only as we know Jesus more and more that we will be able to fight against sin and grow in godliness in our lives. This week, take some time to re-read Leviticus 8-9 and Hebrews 7-8. As you do, thank God for the perfect work of Jesus Christ, our Great High Priest.