Father's Day

Vail Christian Church

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Father's Day

Genesis 8:20-9:17

June 18, 2023 • Pastor Ben Pitney • Genesis 8:20—9:17

Give

Love should be the empowering force that gives you the strength to stand firm in the faith for the Christ that you love. True masculinity is not negligent in watchfulness; wishy-washy in doctrine; not timid against adversaries and certainly not deficient of love. Masculinity is more than how a man should act; it’s an expression of a man’s love. This call to love certainly is not unique to men. Jesus calls both men and women to love the Lord God with all your heart, mind, and strength and to love your neighbor as yourself. The question of masculinity (and femininity) gets at how that looks distinctive. For masculinity, the distinguishing feature is self-sacrificing leadership. So then, we can say that Masculinity is gladly assuming sacrificial responsibility.

The Righteous By Faith Will Live

July 16, 2023 • Pastor Ben Pitney • Habakkuk 2:1–4

Into our fears and confusion in these times, Habakkuk has an amazingly relevant message to us: “The righteous by faith will live” This little book of only three chapters contains this important statement quoted at key points in three books in the New Testament (Romans 1:17; Galatians 3:11; Hebrews 10:38). If we can understand this verse in its context in Habakkuk, we will have a clear view into the heart of being a Christ Follower. And being a Christ Follower is clarified with refined purpose, in difficult times.

The Valley of Decision

July 9, 2023 • Pastor Ben Pitney • Joel 1:13–15

Citzens and Servants

July 2, 2023 • Pastor Kevin Canterbury • John 11:50

You do not realize that it is more to your advantage to have one man die for the people than for the whole nation to perish. The words of Caiaphas are the words of God. In his own mind, Caiaphas was no doubt giving voice to a common-sense statement of political expediency. Yet he was unconsciously echoing a saying of Jesus himself (cf. Mark 10:45). Caiaphas was right; the death of Jesus would save the nation from destruction. Yet Caiaphas could not suspect that Jesus would die, not in place of the political nation Israel, but on behalf of the true people of God; and he would save them, not from physical destruction, but from eternal destruction (cf. 3:16-17). The understanding of Caiaphas’ words in a sense that Caiaphas could not possibly have imagined at the time he uttered them serves as a clear example of the way in which John understood that words and actions could be invested retrospectively with a meaning not consciously intended or understood by those present at the time.