Calvary Monterey Podcast

A message from Christina Holdridge at our Women's Gathering as we begin character studies of different women in the Bible. Today we talk about Hannah.

Title: God As FatherSpeaker: Nate HoldridgeText: Galatians 4:1-7Galatians Theme: Galatians describes a life that is free. It is a life in flight. If we cling to the true gospel, if we accept it for what it is, we can fly. But Paul wrote Galatians because the Galatian believers—and all future believers—were in danger. If we adulterate the gospel, if we add to it in any way, we will not fly. Like a bird chained in a birdcage, we will (at best) hinder ourselves from flying into God's ideal for our lives or (at worst) hinder ourselves and others from true salvation.Overview: So our passage tells us the great lengths God went to make us his adopted sons. He sent his Son at the perfect moment in human history to live as a man under the law, fulfilling it for us before dying on our behalf. It would have made no sense for the Galatian Christians to submit to the elementary principles of the very law God redeemed them from!But God was not content to only do the excruciating work of positioning us as his children. He also wants us to experience and feel his presence as our Father right now, so he gave us his Spirit to drive us to him. The Spirit puts an urge within us for the Father, so we must yield to the Spirit's nudges.If the concept of God as Father is so important to God that he specifically commissions the third person of the Trinity to make it real to us, how can we better yield to his mission? How can we allow our inner person to become rewired to view God as our loving, good, and benevolent Father? Here are some suggestions:First, search out the work of Christ as revealed in Scripture. In a sense, this passage makes the world's greatest case for Bible study and prayer. Studying the Bible helps you meditate on the work of the Son, while prayer yields you to the work of the Spirit, both of whom want to get you to the Father.Second, preach the gospel to yourself every day. Paul said we must reckon ourselves to be as Christ is, with his righteousness and position, dead to sin and alive to God (Rom. 6:11). At the beginning of your day, and then all throughout it, tell yourself who you are in him.Third, pray the Lord's prayer, and do not allow yourself to get past the first words until you feel them to be true. "Our Father, in heaven..." (Mat. 6:9). In a sense, if you can get that first truth of God as your Father instilled within, you are well on your way. Pass "Go" and collect your two-hundred dollars.Fourth, pause to consider how you currently feel about God. If you have to journal or write to get your thoughts out, do it. I'm not asking for a report on what you know the Bible says about God, but how you perceive him at the moment. Know that anything out of line with the way he is presented in Scripture is a lie. Any perception of him not aligned with the truth of him as your Father in heaven is designed to keep you from him.Finally, go to him. The Spirit is trying to drive you in his direction, but we all have a sinful flesh that wars against the Spirit. Don't allow the flesh to win, but cut it off by feeding the Spirit. Run to him. He loves you.Links:Sermon Notes

Title: Agape NightSpeaker: Nate HoldridgeText: John 13:31-38

Title: Esther 4Speaker: Zach VestnysText: Esther 4

Final session at our 2023 Men’s Conference by Pastor Zach Vestnys.

Third session at our 2023 Men’s Conference by Pastor Matt Kehler on being an All In Man from Hebrews 10:22-25.

Second session at our 2023 Men’s Conference by Pastor Nate Holdridge on “Tonic” Masculinity from Titus 2:2.

First session at our 2023 Men’s Conference by Pastor Zach Vestnys.

Title: What Faith In The Gospel Does To YouSpeaker: Nate HoldridgeText: Galatians 3:23-29Galatians Theme: Galatians describes a life that is free. It is a life in flight. If we cling to the true gospel, if we accept it for what it is, we can fly. But Paul wrote Galatians because the Galatian believers—and all future believers—were in danger. If we adulterate the gospel, if we add to it in any way, we will not fly. Like a bird chained in a birdcage, we will (at best) hinder ourselves from flying into God's ideal for our lives or (at worst) hinder ourselves and others from true salvation.Overview: All the truths we've talked about today should fill us with meaning and significance. We are no longer imprisoned and guarded by the law. We are now sons of God because of the Son of God. We are now one in Christ because Christ broke down every wall of hostility between us (Eph. 2:14-16). We are now Abraham's offspring because we believed the promise just like he did (Gal. 3:11-14).Notice the direction of all these changes. Our relationship with the heights of heaven has changed—we are sons of God. Our relationship with the breadth of humanity has changed—we are one in Christ with all others who've believed. And our relationship with the length of human history has changed—we are now part of God's long program of introducing his kingdom. This should infuse every one of us with a feeling of great significance, and I encourage you to meditate on each truth until that feeling arises. Up to heaven, around the globe, and deep into history, our lives have been changed by Jesus.But how should we respond to all these truths? Here are a handful of suggestions:First, if life under the law was one in captivity and under a guardian—if it couldn't produce true transformation—then we believers must turn to the right source for personal growth today. God has given us a new nature, and our flesh or old body of sin competes with that new nature, so we should feed the Spirit because he is the one who will transform us into all God has intended.Second, if we are now sons of God, we should expect a lifetime of learning to experience God as our Father. We will jump into this more in our next study of Galatians, but this aspect of knowing God is of vital importance and is not gained overnight. Learning of God as our Good Father is clunky and awkward at times. We will often revert to a law code or angry dad way of relating to him. But we must keep pressing until we feel him for who he is: our loving and good Father in heaven.Third, if we are one in Christ, we should resist the voices of division that seek to inflame us against other cultures, other classes, or the other gender. Instead, we should appreciate our differences and rejoice that, despite them, we are one in Jesus! Then, we should treat one another with the utmost respect.And last, if we are Abraham's offspring, we should let it sink in that our lives are not accidents. We are part of God's long and beautiful redemptive plan, a massive family tree connected to Abraham, the father of faith. Many have come before us, and we are part of them. And many will come after us—hopefully from us—and we are part of them as well.Links:Sermon Notes

Title: The Law Compliments The GospelSpeaker: Nate HoldridgeText: Galatians 3:15-22Galatians Theme: Galatians describes a life that is free. It is a life in flight. If we cling to the true gospel, if we accept it for what it is, we can fly. But Paul wrote Galatians because the Galatian believers—and all future believers—were in danger. If we adulterate the gospel, if we add to it in any way, we will not fly. Like a bird chained in a birdcage, we will (at best) hinder ourselves from flying into God's ideal for our lives or (at worst) hinder ourselves and others from true salvation.Overview: Now that we've considered how the law compliments the gospel, how should we respond? Since it arrived well after God began dealing with us by grace, promise, and faith, it cannot void his grace, his promises, or justification by faith, but what do we do with that information? It was useful among the Israelites before Jesus arrived as a way to suppress evil, but how does that impact us? And it reveals our deep need for Jesus Christ and his cross to save us from sin, but does that have any meaning for us after we've trusted in Jesus? How should we respond to this passage?First, if God promised to be enjoyed by faith in his promise and not by works of the law, we should be encouraged to enjoy God by faith. Hebrews held out a man from Genesis called Enoch as an example of this type of faith. Enoch used to walk with God every day until one day he disappeared because God took him (Gen. 5:25). Hebrews then says that "without faith it is impossible to please God, for whoever would draw near to God must believe that he exists and that he rewards those who seek him" (Heb. 11:6). We cannot enjoy God by works and wage, but by grace and faith.Second, if it was good for Israelite society that the law acted as a lid holding down the toxic waste of sin, we should rejoice that we are on this side of the cross. With the Spirit living inside us, we can be transformed from within. And that very real change in us is bound to be a major blessing to the communities we are in—our relationships, families, workplaces, cities, states, and nations all benefit when Christ changes us by his Spirit.Third, we should recognize that if the righteous standard of the law points us to our need for Jesus, then righteous living fueled by the Holy Spirit is a powerful witness. Jesus said to let your light shine before mankind (Mat. 5:16). When, by the power of the Spirit, it does, your life serves as a signpost to Jesus.Finally, thank God that he is a promise keeper who put you on earth at this moment in time. You can look back to the cross of Christ. Abraham had to believe offspring would come to bless the world, but we know his name—Jesus! God fulfilled his promise. Respect God and the time he has placed you in. The law has been fulfilled. Christ has come. And now he can transform you from the inside out!Links:Sermon Notes