We stop right where we are in the story of Ruth and rerun the scene zooming in on Boaz. What we see is a worthy man, and upon more than a cursory glance, we see the marks of his vocation or work. There were marks of how Boaz ran his business that showed he loved God deeply. It made his work different; it made his work worthy. In our story, we’ll see God has given us our work as a venue to display our love for Him. What marks of your work show you’re a gospel-infused follower of Jesus?...
Nov 01, 2020•35 min
The gospel births in us a relentless optimism because we have entrusted ourselves to a God of limitless grace. That doesn’t mean we presume that everything will go our way every time. But it does mean that, by faith, we get up every day and give ourselves - energetically and expectantly - to doing the next gospel-shaped thing, confident that God will meet us with all the grace we need … and often more than we could even have imagined! This Sunday we’ll see Ruth, in love for Naomi, doing just tha...
Oct 25, 2020•41 min
The gospel life is a life of love. We’ve been loved – deeply, steadfastly, sacrificially – by God, and now we bend that love out to others. The Hebrew word for this kind of love is “hesed,” a concept so beautifully rich we don’t have a single, compatible word for it in English. In this sermon, our breath will be stolen (as Naomi’s was!) as we see Ruth put the beauty of “hesed” on full display in her refusal to leave Naomi’s side no matter the cost.
Oct 18, 2020•39 min
The book of Ruth spins tragic fast: within a few sentences a woman named Naomi has everything that mattered in her life taken away. Everything. She's not technically dead, but she might as well be. What does a daughter (or son) of God do in those moments? We fall towards God, and that falling is called "lament." In this sermon we think on how we can build a culture in our church where lament is allowed and embraced.
Oct 11, 2020•44 min
For the next 3 months we are going to be swimming in the deep gospel waters of the Biblical book of Ruth. It’s a love story ... but not the kind you’d think. It’s a hope story … in bitter and bleak circumstances. It’s a 3,100 year old story … yet strikingly relevant for today. It’s a gospel story … the best kind there are. We dive in in this sermon.
Oct 04, 2020•29 min
When have you felt so close to someone or a cause that you opened your wallet? What convinced you to actually give money to something or someone? The next section of the letter of Philippians confronts us square in the face about our giving. Rather than sidestep this, we have the duty to unpack a theology of Christian giving. This isn’t a heavy handed ask that the apostle Paul is making, instead he is thanking the Philippians for giving and explaining why Christians give. Here’s a spoiler: as we...
Sep 27, 2020•33 min
This Sunday we unpack one of the most coffee-mugged verses in all of Scripture: "I can do all things through Christ who gives me strength." Nope, this verse is not a promise that being a Christian means being able to actualize all our dreams and desires. It's about something so much better --> learning the secret to being content in every possible circumstance or season of life, from the best to the worst. (Hint: If we have Christ, we're good.) Philippians 4:10-13...
Sep 20, 2020•43 min
In Philippians 4:8, we hear the Spirit calling us to set our thoughts on "whatever is true, honorable, just, pure, lovely, and commendable." To do this would require at least two things: 1. there needs to be an objective standard of truth, goodness, and beauty in our world. 2. we need to have the ability to actually pursue a life shaped by those things. So ... are 1 and 2 true? Find out in this sermon!
Sep 13, 2020•32 min
Two of the most solid gospel women in the early church ... had a real big fight! Does that surprise you? It shouldn't. Life lived by sinners in community with other sinners will inevitably be attended by conflict. So the question is never "How can we avoid all conflict?" but rather "How can the gospel inform how we move through conflict together?" In this sermon the Sprit gives us some words meant to help us do just that. Philippians 4:2-3
Sep 06, 2020•40 min
This week the Spirit hits us with a helpful one-two punch. First, we are shown the dead-end of a life lived as an "enemy of the cross." Second, we are taught what our disposition should be toward those who do. Might not be what you are expecting!
Aug 30, 2020•36 min
If you had 48 unrushed, undistracted hours with a group of young men who were serious about living a gospel-centered life, what truths would you press with them? On Sunday we’ll be inviting everyone into what our answer was this past weekend at our Young Men’s Intensive. We walk through a handful of texts that cast a beautiful vision for Seven Mile Road being filled with tough and tender men who take responsibility for themselves, their homes, and their church, sweating and bleeding for the good...
Aug 23, 2020•47 min
In this sermon we were delighted to have Johnny Aleman and his wife Brianna from Highland in Fitchburg* with us at Seven Mile Road!! Johnny has been handling much of the pastoral work in this season of transition for their church, and doing it beautifully. He and his wife are committed long-term to the advance of the gospel in their city in whatever way Christ would have them be a part of it. In this episode we hear their story. * This is the church who is considering finishing their course by s...
Aug 16, 2020•54 min
Which question better captures your response to the suffering that God allows in your life? 1: “I shouldn’t have to suffer like this. How do I escape it?” 2: “This suffering is hard, but it’s a means of knowing Christ more deeply. How can I endure it toward that end?” In this Sermon we do some work in Philippians 3:10 and see that, beautifully, the gospel-centered answer is #2. Note: If God has you in a season of suffering right now, especially of the kind where you’ve been treated unfairly, the...
Aug 09, 2020•38 min
The ring. The trophy. The badge. The degree. The stage. Whatever your profession, hobby, or calling there’s a reason why you continue to persevere in it. And sooner or later, we realize that thing falls short of satisfying you completely. This week we look with Pastor Dan of Seven Mile Road Malden to Philippians 3:12-16 as Paul gives us a clear picture of why Jesus is worth every effort.
Jul 26, 2020•25 min
After hearing of Paul’s warning against putting confidence in our flesh, we are given one of the clearest and strongest summaries of what it means to know Jesus. We will see that the Christian faith in Jesus is not a code of conduct or practice of religious activities. It is a relationship with Jesus Christ by faith. There are powerful realities that come from personally knowing Jesus that we will unpack together. Philippians 3:8-11
Jul 19, 2020•34 min
In this sermon as we embark on Philippians chapter 3, we run into the Apostle’s autobiographical accounting of his life before following Jesus Christ. As he takes stock, he reminds us to “put no confidence in the flesh.” The marvelous gospel work that must begin in each of us is recognizing that we are spiritually bankrupt on our own. What things are we and our fellow Bostonians tempted to find our worth and value in? How do those ultimately rate? Philippians 3:1-7
Jul 12, 2020•31 min
One of the marks of a church's embrace of gospel-centrality is the curtailing of self-interest by everyone --> we all begin to live for what's best for the mission and not just best for ourselves. OK, sounds nice, but what does that look like in real-life? This Sunday we'll see as we finish our look at the glorious second chapter of Philippians.
Jun 28, 2020•39 min
For this sermon, we are in the Biblical book of Philippians and feel the import of Paul referring to Timothy's work with him being "like a son with his father." Being a dad is a good and glorious reality, but not because Hallmark says so once a year. The earthly fatherhood that we experience is rooted in a prior and deeper and holier Fatherhood. And the way that God is Father to His sons and daughters needs to shape the way we are to ours. Philippians 2:19-24
Jun 21, 2020•41 min
We don't preach to the news cycle at Seven Mile Road, but we do work hard to help all of us see all of life through the lens of the gospel. So how are gospel people to understand and respond to plagues and riots and everything else that's happening. In this sermon, we hear some strong words from the prophet Amos about how the public worship life of the church MUST BE accompanied by a concern for and pursuit of justice and righteousness ... and how God responds when it's not.
Jun 14, 2020•45 min
In this sermon, we pause from our happy trek through the book of Philippians to spend some time in Psalm 84. In this psalm, the singer bears his soul about how exhausted he is from being kept out from the physical assembly of God's people. We're reminded that gathering together in this life is a grace, not a given, allowing these words to orient our hearts to the big "why" of gathering together, whether it's this Sunday for us or in the near future.
Jun 07, 2020•36 min
The Spirit calls us to do EVERYTHING we do with "no grumbling and no disputing," that we might stand out (like stars in the sky do) from the darkness and animosity that marks the culture we live in. Over the next few weeks, we are being given a HUGE OPPORTUNITY to live this out as a church as we navigate Phase 1 of re-entry together. This Sunday we talked about why and how we can do this with a humility and unity that springs from and shows off the gospel.
May 31, 2020•37 min
On Sunday, May 4 we heard from 7 folks about their laments, joys, and opportunities for gospel advance that have been unique to this season. Stories start at 17:25.
May 24, 2020•1 hr 12 min
The gospel life is shaped by three different "time" realities: the past, the present, and the future. We have been saved, we are being saved, and we will be saved, 100%! This Sunday the Spirit zeroes in on the present, calling us to "be who we are" by working out our salvation in real-time, happily aware that it is God who is working in us. Philippians 2:12-13
May 17, 2020•30 min
Here is the audio from the May Intensive on How To Read Your Bible On Your Own. To follow along with the notes, open this Google doc: https://docs.google.com/document/d/1lVq4BGYciFmn6GzJyRFcTF5RcjAJnZSnRUJz73JRBmk/edit?usp=sharing
May 11, 2020•1 hr 17 min
After humbling Himself to the lowest of lows, He was finally raised to the rafters. He has been highly exalted and given a name. This has huge implications for us on how we live, why we worship, and to knowing what God is like. We learn about Jesus this Sunday in His exalted place and why it matters. Philippians 2:9-11
May 10, 2020•32 min
After calling us to embrace a gospel "mentality" that looks to the interest of others, even at great cost to ourselves, the Spirit now presents us with the archetype of such a mentality: Christ . He who was "very God of very God" humbled Himself to the lowest of lows, looking not to His own interests, but to the interests of others. In this sermon, we watch Christ live out what He calls us to. Reference: Philippians 2:5-8
May 03, 2020•32 min
Imagine a church culture where every-single-body is as (or more!) concerned with the interests of others as they are of their own? Where there’s no rivalry or conceit or self-interest? Woah. As we move into the “second chapter” of the Spirit’s words to the Christians at Philippi, this is exactly what we hear Paul calling them – and us - to. Reference: Philippians 2:1-4
Apr 26, 2020•34 min
As we continue to press in on the letter to the Philippians hearing about how Paul worked during his lockdown, we come to the concept of a citizen. More than mere civic responsibilities, Paul writes about Gospel Citizens. To a church distanced some 4600 miles, Paul explains this concept. We too a church distanced, not by so many miles but still feeling very dispersed, receive the same concept that shapes our understanding of what God is calling us to be in the world together –even during a pande...
Apr 19, 2020•30 min
All of us come into Easter 2020 with heavy, heavy hearts. Sorrow, fear, and confusion abound, and rightfully so. Yet it's important to remember that the very first Easter began similarly. Jesus was dead, and everyone who loved and hoped in him thought all was lost. Into that space the Risen Christ showed up, speaking words of comfort and hope. In this sermon, we hear what a life shaped by the truth of His resurrection looks like. Reference: Philippians 1:18b-26
Apr 12, 2020•34 min
In this update, we hit on the essentials of how we are going about our mission in this unusual Holy Week.
Apr 06, 2020•24 min
