It is a joy to be in a worship service around Christmas time. All of the sights, sounds, and smells of the season converge when God's people gather and sing with gusto, "Joy to the world! The Lord is come!", or, "Come and worship! Come and worship! Worship Christ the newborn king!" There are two opportunities in the coming days to gather for worship and sing about the Savior's birth. This Sunday evening at 6:30pm the Children and Adult Choirs will be leading the congregation in Christmas songs. Then, on Christmas Eve at 5:00pm we will hold a candlelight service in which we will focus the person and work of Christ in typical "carols and lessons" format. Both services should be encouraging to you and your family! The sermon text for Sunday is Psalm 32, which you can read here. Songs that the choir will lead in the evening service can be found in a playlist here: 1. Joy to the World (Shout for Joy) 2. Hark the Herald Angels Sing (King of Heaven) 3. Prepare Him Room 4. Christmas Offering 5. This is Love (Come Thou Long Expected Jesus) 6. O Come All Ye Faithful (We Adore You).

The sermon text for this week is from Luke 17, which you can read here. There are a number of core Christian truths that are found in the first 4 verses. Jesus uses one of his "better than" sayings (cf. Matt 5:29-30; 18:6-9; 26:24; Mark 9:42-47; 14:21) to make the important point that if a person causes a brother or sister to sin, he is no better than the rich man in the previous parable (16:19-31). "Woe" to the person through whom the temptation comes! Temptations to sin are a given, which is part of living in a fallen and broken world. True disciples of Jesus, therefore, should be supporting one another, and helping one another overcome sin. How might one support a brother or sister who is tempted to sin? Jesus gives an example in verses 3-4. If he/she sins, we should rebuke them, which is the most loving thing we can do in that situation. And if he/she exhibits true repentance, Jesus says to forgive them. How many times? Everytime. Genuine faith will manifest itself in genuine repentance. It is hard not to think about some of Jesus' final words on the cross when we read Luke 17:1-4. Forgiveness was on his heart even as he as dying: "Father, forgive them, for they do not know what they do" (Luke 23:34). Therefore, we should be like Christ, lovingly forgiving those who fall into sin or even sin against us. Songs that we will sing this week include the following, provided in a playlist here: 1. Come Praise and Glorify 2. God of Wonders 3. Lord of Lords 4. Your Love, Oh Lord 5. Shine Into Our Night.

The Christmas season calls for believers to focus not only on what is in thepast but also what is in thefuture. Jesus' incarnation is certainly past—Jesus came to earth! ButChristmas is also a time for patient waiting and hopeful expectation—Jesus will come again! This idea is expressed perfectly in the song, "A Day of Glory," which reflects on the "day of promise" of which the OT prophets looked forward (i.e., the day when Jesus arrived in his first advent), and also on the "day of glory," when God will establish his eternal kingdom on earth with Jesus at its head. Isaiah wrote about both advents: a first, inaugurated advent (advent means "coming"), and a second, end-of-time advent. In Isaiah 9:6, the prophet writes,

For to us a child is born, to us a son is given; and the government shall be upon his shoulder, and his name shall be called Wonderful Counselor, Mighty God, Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace.

And yet in Isaiah 60:1-3, he writes about a future advent:

Arise, shine, for your light has come, and the glory of the Lord has risen upon you. For behold, darkness shall cover the earth, and thick darkness the peoples; but the Lord will arise upon you, and his glory will be seen upon you. And nations shall come to your light, and kings to the brightness of your rising.

So in thinking about both advents, let us keep Jesus as the center and greatest treasure of this season. Let us look back on what he has done in his first coming, and look forward to what he will do when he comes again. The sermon text this week is from Luke 16:10ff., which you can readhere. Songs we will sing this week include the following, provided in a playlist here:

1. Hark the Herald Angels Sing
2. O Come All Ye Faithful
3. You Are Worthy
4. In the Name of God
5. Abide with Me

Josh Philpot Pastor for Worship.

In thinking on the Thanksgiving Day now behind us, I was encouraged by the following prayer from a collection of Puritan devotionals, "Valley of Vision":

O My God, Thou fairest, greatest, first of all objects, my heart admires, adores, loves thee, for my little vessel is as full as it can be, and I would pour out all that fullness before thee in ceaseless flow. When I think upon and converse with thee ten thousand delightful thoughts spring up, ten thousand sources of pleasure are unsealed, ten thousand refreshing joys spread over my heart, crowding into every moment of happiness. I bless thee for the soul thou hast created, for adorning it, for sanctifying it, though it is fixed in barren soil; for the body thou hast given me, for preserving its strength and vigour, for providing senses to enjoy delights, for the ease and freedom of my limbs, for hands, eyes, ears that do thy bidding; for thy royal bounty providing my daily support, for a full table and overflowing cup, for appetite, taste, sweetness, for social joys of relatives and friends, for ability to serve others, for a heart that feels sorrows and necessities, for a mind to care for my fellow-men, for opportunities of spreading happiness around, for loved ones in the joys of heaven, for my own expectation of seeing thee clearly. I love thee above the powers of language to express, for what thou art to thy creatures. Increase my love, O my God, through time and eternity.

What a beautifully written prayer! I hope that it ministers to your heart as it did to mine over the last few days. Songs we will sing this week include the following, provided in a playlist here: 1. O Come All Ye Faithful 2. Trisagion 3. Come, Thou Long Expected Jesus 4. Our Great God 5. How Sweet and Aweful is the Place Josh Philpot Pastor of Worship.

Last week, Pastor Caldwell began a study on Luke 15 and the "prodigal son." He ably demonstrated that the parable is not about the lost son, per se, and that the thrust of the passage is more about both sons of the father instead of just the one. Indeed, verses 25-32 focus explicity on the "other" son who stays on with his father and works in the field. This son is jealous and has no concept of the love that his father is showing to his prodigal brother. His heart is hardened when he sees how his father reacts to the lost son. After all, he never demanded an early birthright; he stayed in the home and worked diligently! Why isn't he getting a reward for his actions? As a result, the older son does not experience same sort of grace, mercy, and joy being given to his brother. He has no sense of forgiveness, and thus no love for the "salvation" of the lost. It is interesting that at the end of the parable Jesus equates the son's return with resurrection. The son was "lost but now found," to be sure. But he was also "dead, and is alive." This parallels our experience of salvation in Christ, which is "already," but "not-yet" fully realized. When a person comes to the Father—confessing his sin and placing his faith solely in the finished work of Jesus—he is saved. He is justified before God because of Christ, and regenerated by the Holy Spirit for righteous living. He is no longer under condemnation (Rom 8:1) even though he was once dead in his sins (Eph 2:1). He is made alive together with Christ, raised up to be seated with Christ in the heavenly places (Eph 2:6). All of this is what has "already" happened to those who place their faith in Jesus. But there is a final salvation that is "not yet" realized. This is the time when Christ returns to establish his kingdom on earth, and to abolish every rule, authority, and power, and finally defeat sin for all time. Paul says that Christ's resurrection from the dead is the "firstfruits," and only at his second coming will "those who belong to Christ" receive their final salvation, the redemption of their bodies (1 Cor 15). I'm looking forward to studying the remainder of Luke 15 with you. Songs that we will sing this week include the following, provided in a playlist here: 1. Always 2. It is Well with My Soul 3. Before the Throne of God Above 4. Come Behold the Wondrous Mystery Josh Philpot Pastor for Worship.

Many methods, programs and conferences have been created to stir up the church to evangelize. While many are helpful and serve their necessary purpose, we can often complicate why and how to evangelize and overlook a simple principle that is a central theme in the scriptures—love. In what ways does love influence our evangelistic efforts? There are two primary ways in which love will motivate us. 1. Love motivates us to seek God's glory One of the biggest temptations as we evangelize will be self-preservation. The thought of being verbally or physically assaulted makes most of us fearful; however, a love for God's glory and his name will embolden us to set aside our own physical comfort with a single desire to please him (see 1 Timothy 2: 3-4). This means the supreme object of our heart is God and his approval rather than seeking the praise and approval of men (Galatians 1:10). 2. Love motivates us to seek souls Just as Christ was moved with compassion and wept over Jerusalem (Luke 19:41). And just as Paul was full of anguish and wished that he be accursed from Christ so that his kinsmen would be saved (Romans 9:3), our love should also stir us up as we consider the plight of the lost. It was love that motivated God to send his Son to save us, and this same love has been poured out into our hearts (Romans 5:5). So more than just a method or 5-step process, true and biblical evangelism requires the love of Christ. Through regeneration, the Holy Spirit gives us a love that is actively pursuing the glory of God and the souls of men. My prayer is that God will give Founders Baptist Church a love that will not rest until his name is known in all of Spring, TX and a love that is willing to spend and be spent for the souls of men. Richard Guerra.