The Cross and the Sepulcher

The Glories of The Church: Ephesians 1:15-23

leethaxor4christ@gmail.com (Kyle Mann) — Sun, 10 Apr 2016 15:18:00 -0700

Sermon preached by Kyle Mann at Highpoint Church on 4/10/2016

Scripture

[15] For this reason, because I have heard of your faith in the Lord Jesus and your love toward all the saints, [16] I do not cease to give thanks for you, remembering you in my prayers, [17] that the God of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of glory, may give you the Spirit of wisdom and of revelation in the knowledge of him, [18] having the eyes of your hearts enlightened, that you may know what is the hope to which he has called you, what are the riches of his glorious inheritance in the saints, [19] and what is the immeasurable greatness of his power toward us who believe, according to the working of his great might [20] that he worked in Christ when he raised him from the dead and seated him at his right hand in the heavenly places, [21] far above all rule and authority and power and dominion, and above every name that is named, not only in this age but also in the one to come. [22] And he put all things under his feet and gave him as head over all things to the church, [23] which is his body, the fullness of him who fills all in all.

(Ephesians 1:15-23 ESV)

Outline

I.) God called the church to an eternal hope
II.) God chose the church as His inheritance
III.) God infuses the church with His limitless power

Full Audio (to download, right-click and choose the download or save option)

Full Notes

We Are His Inheritance

leethaxor4christ@gmail.com (Kyle Mann) — Sat, 9 Apr 2016 14:22:00 -0700

Ephesians 1:18 ...what are the riches of his glorious inheritance in the saints…

I can’t comprehend the richness and depth that is woven throughout this phrase. I tried to fathom it this week as I read, re-read, and studied the text, but the full mystery of what is here eluded me and I think will continue to elude me until we are in glory.

My grandmother died six months ago, and she took no possessions with her into glory, as none of us do. And of course there was then the sad but necessary process of dividing up her money and goods among ourselves, selecting for ourselves an inheritance or receiving a portion of the estate as was allotted by documentation and paperwork set out before her death. Many of us have gone through this as loved ones in our family have passed away.

And so picture God in His triune being, satisfied in His own glory in eternity--and He decides to create the heavens and the earth. He looks out over the height and breadth of time-space history, everything from the founding of the earth to its final decaying days as creation groans for His redemption and is at last satisfied.

He decides to select for Himself an inheritance: something to keep, something to enjoy forever. He does not choose the mountains, covered in glittering snow. He does not choose the oceans in all the splendors of their depths. He does not choose to inherit the stars in their awesome wonder.

He chooses a people.

The very thought of this knocks me over with its weight. That God would look out over all the astoundingly beautiful and terrifying works He created, all of which reflect His great nature, and choose His people as the inheritance that would last forever--the thought is too great for me.

God knew this inheritance would come at a price. The Father knew this inheritance would in fact cost the life of His Son, and the Son knew it too. It was not as if they were surprised that man fell and would now have to be redeemed in order to begin the process of being transformed into the riches of this inheritance. And yet he still chose to inherit us, the church.

Why did He do this? We may never know, not fully. It was according to the good pleasure of His will, as we read earlier in Paul’s long sentence of praise to God for His mercies. And yet there are hints of why in the chapter: “to the praise of His glory.” God in His all-knowing, all-powerful greatness decided He would get the most glory if the world played out this way, if He redeemed for Himself a people of His own possession.

Christian, you are His inheritance. He has brought you this far and so will surely carry you into eternity.

Resurrection Sunday: 1 Corinthians 15

leethaxor4christ@gmail.com (Kyle Mann) — Mon, 28 Mar 2016 08:37:00 -0700

Sermon preached by Kyle Mann on March 27, 2016

Scripture: 1 Corinthians 15:12-20

Outline:

A False Resurrection Would Mean:

1.) An Empty Faith
2.) A False Forgiveness
3.) A Worthless Hope

Audio (to download, right-click and choose the download or save option)

Our Good Friday Service

leethaxor4christ@gmail.com (Kyle Mann) — Sat, 26 Mar 2016 07:15:00 -0700

I help pastor a church in San Diego--and it's small. So small in fact, that we often cancel events if we get notice that one or two of our larger families aren't going to be able to make it. "Oh, the Burnley's aren't coming? I'll call the other two people that planned on coming and let them know we're pushing it off 'til next week." That kind of thing.

We did not have a Good Friday service this year. We had talked about it, but decided we wouldn't have enough attendees to make it worth our while.

It ended up being a smart choice, because one of our core families happened to have a major crisis before the week was out. So the rest of us rallied around them to help. We spent our Good Friday, the day we remember our Savior 'stricken, smitten, and afflicted,' by being the body of Christ. I saw people mourning with those who mourn, I saw church members scrapping personal plans and desires in order to help a family of saints in need. I saw servants serving and deacons... deaconing.

I missed the hymns we'd have sung on Friday: "How Deep the Father's Love For Us," "Nothing But the Blood," maybe an old favorite "Hallelujah, What A Savior!" I missed the sermon that wasn't to be and the joining together over the Lord's Supper table as we remember those moments of increasing anguish on the road to the cross.

Our hymns were the voices of the saints comforting those in anguish and despair. Our sermon was the living picture of the body of Christ considering one another greater than ourselves. Our Lord's Supper was feasting on the Word of God and obeying its commands: that "Religion that is pure and undefiled before God, the Father, is this: to visit orphans and widows in their affliction, and to keep oneself unstained from the world."

As the old, sappy song and saying go, "You're the only Jesus that some will ever see." The only thing that was lacking in Christ's afflictions was that aside from a few thousand in an angry crowd jeering, "Crucify Him!" no one saw our Lord suffer and die. Almost 2,000 years after the historical death and resurrection of Jesus Christ, the vast majority of believers throughout ages past never once saw their Lord. If the many hundreds who witnessed Him risen from the clutches of death kept their mouths shut, there would be no Christianity today.

So how do we see the Lord now? In the local church. In preaching the gospel to ourselves and to others. In living out the command of our Lord to take up our cross and follow Him. That's how we see Jesus, and that's how we fill up what was lacking in Christ's afflictions. That was the Father's sovereign plan all along, that we bring the message to others in word and in deed.

We did not get to hear a preacher exposit the Word for us and draw us into the narrative of Christ on the road to Calvary, each step more painful than the last. Each step taken in faith that the Father would avenge Him and would draw His people to Himself through a brutal execution and brilliant resurrection. Each step taken "leaving you an example, so that you might follow in his steps." But we did get to see Jesus that night.

So next year, I hope we have a real Good Friday service. But this will do for now.

Living in Light of His Glory

leethaxor4christ@gmail.com (Kyle Mann) — Mon, 2 Sep 2013 10:30:00 -0700

Sermon preached on Sunday, Sep. 1 at Highpoint Church in San Diego, CA.

1 Peter 1:13-16

Notes
Audio

Beholding the Son

leethaxor4christ@gmail.com (Kyle Mann) — Sun, 18 Aug 2013 15:56:00 -0700

Sermon preached on Sunday, August 18, 2013 at Highpoint Church in San Diego CA.

Scripture: Hebrews 1:1-4

The Cross and the Sepulcher

The Glories of The Church: Ephesians 1:15-23

We Are His Inheritance

Resurrection Sunday: 1 Corinthians 15

Our Good Friday Service

Living in Light of His Glory

Beholding the Son

Good News And A Warning

Psalm 42 - Andrew Cress

Christ in You: A Study in Colossians Pt 7

Christ in You: A Study in Colossians Pt 4

Christ in You: A Study in Colossians Pt 1

Sacrifice Pt. 1: Abraham & Isaac

From Fear to Faith

Philippians Pt. 3: Joyful Loss, Joyful Gain

Philippians Pt. 2: Joyful Exaltation, Joyful Humiliation

The Cost of Discipleship Part 7: The Right to Boast

Philippians Pt. 1: Joyful Life, Joyful Death

The Cost of Discipleship Part 6: The Right to Speak

Evangelism on Stage

The Cost of Discipleship Part 5: The Right to Worship

The Cost of Discipleship Part 4: The Right to Remain

Treasuring Christ in Suffering

The Cost of Discipleship Part 3: The Right to Retire

The Cost of Discipleship Part 2: The Right to Identify

The Cost of Discipleship Part 1: The Right to Settle