Hello All,

*EDITOR’S NOTE: We had extra things going this past Sunday, so this message became the introduction to Romans 9-11.

The gospel of God …

The gospel of God begins all the way back in Genesis, when after the sin of Adam and Eve, God speaks to the serpent of the coming war between the offspring of the serpent and the offspring of the Son of God.

In this gospel story throughout the history of this world, the nation of Israel was given a very special place. God’s chosen people. Unique among the nations and tremendously blessed.

But somewhere along the way, they lost the truth of God’s message. The truth of God had escaped them. But how? Why? They quit listening to God.

They would vehemently protest, but this is exactly what they did. They listened to themselves so much that they thought it was God talking.

Paul states in Romans 9:1: “Truth I am speaking in Christ.”

How did he do that? How do we?

MP3: Truth I Speak in Christ : Romans 9:1 : FFC : dave scott 020815

BONUS STUDY SHEET (Gospel of God HISTORICAL OVERVIEW): PDF OVERVIEW gospel seed promise Israel 020815

Hello All,

What a blessing it was to have Phil Bell share in our SS time this past Sunday.

Here is the MP3: Phil Bell FFC Sunday School 020815

Hello to You,

“Truth I am speaking in Christ.”

That is how the Apostle Paul begins this section of Romans. Chapters nine through eleven speak to Israel’s current and past relationship with God. Paul anguishes as he describes their spiritual status. They had it all as God’s chosen people. Nine unique, God-given privileges which Israel squandered.

Things had gotten so bad that they did not even know when their Messiah came to Earth.

• “He came to his own, and his own people did not receive him” (John 1:11 ESV).

They did not receive him because they had a really bad habit of not listening to God.

So how do we do that? Speak the truth in Christ?

• How Do We Tell the Story of God?
  Not our story …
  And calling it God’s Story …
  But God’s Story …
  And sticking with it …

Message Title: Truth I Am Speaking in Christ

Message Text: Romans 9:1-5

• PDF 22A Truth I Am Speaking in Christ : Romans 9:1-5 : ffc : dave scott : 020815 : STUDY SHEET ONE
• PDF 22A Truth I Am Speaking in Christ : Romans 9:1-5 : ffc : dave scott : 020815 : STUDY SHEET TWO

Hello All,

Brrrr……

Here is this week’s bulletin for Sunday February 8, 2015.

• PDF Bulletin FFC February 8 2015

Hello All,

Should have posted this sooner.

NO SERVICES TODAY–FEBRUARY 1, 2015

Heavy, heavy snow! Sit by the fire and enjoy a nice cup of tea. 🙂

How do we handle truth?

The Apostle Paul begins today’s text with: “Truth I am speaking in Christ.” He anguishes over his message as he begins to address the spiritual condition of his fellow countrymen. What he says is very true, very tragic and also very difficult to understand. (That is understand as in accepting the words. The words themselves are pretty blunt.)

In fact, Paul anticipates a question from his listeners. Is God unjust? Or unfair?

• (Romans 9:14–16 ESV) ¹⁴ What shall we say then? Is there injustice on God’s part? By no means! ¹⁵ For he says to Moses, “I will have mercy on whom I have mercy, and I will have compassion on whom I have compassion.” ¹⁶ So then it depends not on human will or exertion, but on God, who has mercy.

And sometimes, instead of hearing the clear words in the text, instead of reading the bold print, we read between the lines and try to defend God and spend our time explaining how God is not unfair or unjust.

But in this attempt to “apologize” for the teaching on God’s choices as Sovereign Lord, what we actually do is obscure the text. We try to answer questions that are not answerable, and we blur our vision of God’s great plan.

The covenants, both old and new, are based on God’s promise.

• (Romans 4:13–16 ESV) ¹³ For the promise to Abraham and his offspring that he would be heir of the world did not come through the law but through the righteousness of faith. ¹⁴ For if it is the adherents of the law who are to be the heirs, faith is null and the promise is void. ¹⁵ For the law brings wrath, but where there is no law there is no transgression. ¹⁶ That is why it depends on faith, in order that the promise may rest on grace and be guaranteed to all his offspring—not only to the adherent of the law but also to the one who shares the faith of Abraham, who is the father of us all.

• (Romans 9:8 ESV) ⁸ This means that it is not the children of the flesh who are the children of God, but the children of the promise are counted as offspring.

Message Title: The Children of the Promise

Message Text: Romans 9:1-18

• PDF The Children of the Promise : Romans 9:1-18 : ffc : dave scott : 020115 : STUDY SHEET ONE
• PDF The Children of the Promise : Romans 9:1-18 : ffc : dave scott : 020115 : STUDY SHEET TWO

Hello All,

Yay! This Sunday is February 1. That means it is only 28 days until March. Yay again!

Here is this week’s bulletin.

• PDF Bulletin FFC February 1 2015

The commanded love of God.

• God commands us to love him, commands us to love our neighbors. God commands us to love our enemies. And now John echoes the words of Christ where Christ commands us to “Love one anther.”

Why? Why all the commands? I know that God is God but why so bossy?

Why? So he can perfect his love in our lives that we might truly live in Christ.

Have you ever heard this? “Do you know what you need?” Or maybe you’ve said it. “Do you know what you need?”

Well, God does know what we need, and he knows how to get us there.

“Beloved, let us love one another.”

Message Title: Perfect Love

Message Text: 1 John 4:7-18

• MP3: Perfect Love : 1 John 4:7-18 : ffc : dave scott : 012515

“Love one another.”

Allowing God to love us to the fullest extent of his love.

• In some ways this has been a “How to Let God Love Us” series.
  God commands us to love him.
  God commands us to love our neighbors.
  God commands us to love our enemies.
  And echoing Christ the Apostle John exhorts us to love one another.

Why? Why all the commands? I know that God is God but why so bossy?

So he can perfect his love in our lives, so we can truly live through Christ and receive the love of God to its fullest extent.

God does know what we need, and what we need is to be completely filled and transformed by his great love.

*This is how he started the “Save the Humans Project” on Earth.

“For God so loved …”

How great is this love of God’s?

• Great enough and powerful enough and all-consuming enough to quash even our greatest fears … WHEN we allow God to perfect this love in our lives!

Message Title: Perfect Love!

Message Text: 1 John 4:7-18

• PDF Perfect Love : 1 John 4:7-18 : ffc : dave scott : 012515 : STUDY SHEET ONE
• PDF Perfect Love : 1 John 4:7-18 : ffc : dave scott : 012515 : STUDY SHEET TWO

Good Friday Afternoon,

Here is our bulletin for Sunday January 25, 2015.

• PDF Bulletin FFC January 25 2015