Week of January 4, 2009
Morning Worship 11:00 AM
Sermon Text: Hebrews 12:5-11
Sermon Title: “Discipline's Blessings”
Evening Worship 6:00 PM
Sermon Text: Ezekiel 36:26-27; John 6:37, 44-45
Sermon Title: “God's Covenant with Man”
Announcements
Today – Pastor Parker will preach at the Morning and Evening Worship Services.
Sunday School – We have started the R.C. Sproul Series: “Fear and Trembling”
Sunday School Next Sunday - Our missionaries, Jonathan and Rebecca Hastings will be speaking during our Sunday School.
Family Bible Study and Prayer – This Wednesday at 7:00 p.m. We will be studying Westminster Larger Catechism #151. All are welcome to attend.
Congregational Meeting – will be Wednesday, January 21,2008. Please put this date on your calender.
New Members/Communicant Class – If you are interested in joining the church or learning more about the church, contact Pastor Parker.
Southern California Reformed Fellowship - The SCRF invites young adults, both single and married, to an unforgettable weekend of Bible teaching (by Dr. Dennis Johnson), fellowship, skiing, fun and relaxation at a lodge outside Wrightwood, CA. Lodging for two nights and all meals is only $120; January 30 – February 1, 2009. Skiers may ski Snow Summit on Saturday while non-skiers may sled, tube, hike, shop or simply relax. For information, maps, and a registration form - visit http://www.socalrf.org. Don’t delay, registration is limited! To register or ask questions, contact either the Rev. Stephen Donovan at
or (760) 740-6617, or Executive Director John Novinger at
phone 714-890-9705 x264.
Week of December 28, 2008
Morning Worship 11:00 AM
Sermon Text: “Don't Get Discouraged“
Sermon Title: Hebrews 12:3-6
Announcements
Sunday School – We have started the R.C. Sproul Series: “Fear and Trembling”
Feast Day Today – We call the last Sunday of the month “Feast Day”. Everyone is invited to stay after the morning service to have a meal together.
Family Bible Study and Prayer – There will be no Meeting this week
Congregational Meeting – will be January 21,2008. Please put this date on your calender.
Southern California Reformed Fellowship - The SCRF invites young adults, both single and married, to an unforgettable weekend of Bible teaching (by Dr. Dennis Johnson), fellowship, skiing, fun and relaxation at a lodge outside Wrightwood, CA. Lodging for two nights and all meals is only $120; January 30 – February 1, 2009. Skiers may ski Snow Summit on Saturday while non-skiers may sled, tube, hike, shop or simply relax. For information, maps, and a registration form - visit http://www.socalrf.org. Don’t delay, registration is limited! To register or ask questions, contact either the Rev. Stephen Donovan at donovan@escondidourc.org or (760) 740-6617, or Executive Director John Novinger at scrf@ca.rr.com phone 714-890-9705 x264.
Week of December 21, 2008
Morning Worship 11:00 AM
Sermon Text: Matthew 2:1-12
Sermon Title: Savior or Stumbling Block?
Evening Worship 6:00 PM
Sermon Text: Matthew 2:1-12
Sermon Title: He Is Worthy of Worship
Announcements
Christmas Open House – Monday the 22nd, 6:30 p.m. at the Parker’s home, 8949 Corte Pellejo, Spring Valley.
Christmas Eve Service – This Wednesday, 6:30 p.m. at the church. Pastor Parker will be preaching on Light for a People Living in Darkness
Southern California Reformed Fellowship - The SCRF will hold its Annual Winter Retreat January 30 through February 1, 2009. This retreat is open to college or career young adults, both single and married, who are at least 18 years old at the time of the Retreat. This refreshing getaway to a lodge outside Wrightwood, CA, offers good fellowship and fun as well as some great Bible teaching by Dr. Dennis Johnson. Skiers may ski at Mountain High Resort on Saturday while non-skiers may sled, hike, shop, or simply relax. The $120 registration fee includes lodging and all meals (but not skiing). For information, maps, and a registration form - visit http://www.socalrf.org. Don’t delay, registration is limited! To register or ask questions, contact either the Rev. Stephen Donovan at donovan@escondidourc.org or (760) 740-6617, or Executive Director John Novinger at scrf@ca.rr.com phone 714-890-9705 x264.
Week of December 14, 2008
Morning Worship 11:00 AM
Sermon Text: Matthew 1:18-25
Sermon Title: You Shall Call His Name Jesus
Evening Worship 6:00 PM
Sermon Text: Romans 7:14-23; I John 1:8-10 WCF 6:5,6
Sermon Title: How Far Is the Curse Found?
Announcements
Christmas Caroling - This Wednesday, we will meet at the church between 6:00 and 6:10 p.m., or at George Smith's 7:00 p.m. (map on the back table). We will end up at the Weld's for refreshments and games. Those who want to ride and not drive, will be brought back to the church to their cars.
Women's Bible Study – This Thursday at 1:00 p.m.. Carolyn Parker is leading a Bible Study in the book of James at her home.
Choir Rehearsal – Will be this Thursday at 7 p.m.
Christmas Open House – Given by the Parkers. Monday, December 22nd at 6:30 p.m.
Southern California Reformed Fellowship - The SCRF will hold its Annual Winter Retreat January 30 through February 1, 2009. This retreat is open to college or career young adults, both single and married, who are at least 18 years old at the time of the Retreat. This refreshing getaway to a lodge outside Wrightwood, CA, offers good fellowship and fun as well as some great Bible teaching by Dr. Dennis Johnson. Skiers may ski at Mountain High Resort on Saturday while non-skiers may sled, hike, shop, or simply relax. The $120 registration fee includes lodging and all meals (but not skiing). For information, maps, and a registration form - visit www.socalrf.org. Don’t delay, registration is limited! To register or ask questions, contact either the Rev. Stephen Donovan at donovan@escondidourc.org or (760) 740-6617, or Executive Director John Novinger at scrf@ca.rr.com phone 714-890-9705 x264.
A Sears Marketing Approach and the Christian Walk
Sears stores use a technique which gently move you to the higher end products. They will grade some of the appliances as “Good” which are lower-middle of the line, “Better” which move up in features and cost, and “Best” which are the “top-of-the-line”. One could apply these categories to the response in Ezra 10.
It says that a large number of the people “wept bitterly” over their sin. This is “Good”. Biblical repentance must start with a sorrow or true broken heartedness over our sin. They confessed the sin of marrying unbelieving (not Jewish) women. They repented and the action of the repentance was to “divorce” or put away the foreign wives and their children. The is the “Better”. Reformation from sinful actions is always better, and in Christ, we can do it. But the “Best”, the “top-of-the-line” of Christian living is obedience! To have obeyed God in the first place, would have avoided all of the pain, sorrow and hardships that their sin produced. So, which have you chosen? The “good” - weeping over your sins? The “better” - reform, turning from your sins? Or the “best” - obedience in the first place (which we can choose in Christ)?
Taken from "A Picture of Biblical Repentance", June, 17, 2007.
Transplanting Roses
This last week my intern and I, set about transplanting 7 rose bushes. I had placed them on a slope in my front yard, with partial shade from a camphor tree. When I planted them, I really did not know much about their needs. These roses had been struggling for 3 years and were not thriving well. There were several problems:
- The tree roots were pervasive and choking them out, they were in a kind of "bondage" to the tree roots, which limited them and was gradually killing them.
- They were in "darkness", getting very little direct sunlight.
- The tree took most of the water and nourishment.
- The tree dropped all kinds of dead trash on them.
Just Like These Roses
In their new soil, they have open sunlight, no tree roots to choke and compete with them, and no trash dropping on them. Now they can grow, produce blooms as they were designed and give glory to their Creator…just like us, in Christ. Our natural environment is like those roses, in bondage to sin, choked by it, dying, in darkness with no light. We can't do anything about the tree, and we can't transplant ourselves. All that we can do is die under the domination of the "tree/our sin". God in Christ, sets us free, transplanting us as it were, and the bondage of sin is broken.
Live In The Will of God
Peter, in his epistle, ch. 4:2, tells the dispersed believers, that they should "no longer live the rest of his time in the flesh for the lusts of men, but for the will of God." As I used this as an illustration in my evening sermon, my point was that we should live in our new "soil"/circumstances, not in the old bondage, because we have been set free in Christ. And then we can "bloom" as our Creator designed us, and give Him all of the glory. ref. - June 3, 2007, "Armed with an Attitude".
A Study on the Definite Atonement of Christ.
I received a story about a teacher who wanted to get the message of Christ’s death across to his students, who seemed disinterested. He offered then each a donut, but had a student with perfect grades, do 10 push-ups for each one, whether or not they wanted the donut. It paralleled the free offer of the gospel, Christ dying for everyone, whether they accepted it or not. This is a flawed view of the substitutionary atonement. So, here is a short Bible study on the atonement.