St Paul's Evangelical Church

06/08/2026

True Heart
Hebrews 10:19-25; John 8:24-30

Faith is a combination of allegiance and fidelity, where allegiance refers to loyalty to a larger entity, such as a country or government and implies a sense of duty, while fidelity emphasizes faithfulness and trustworthiness in our own personal relationships. Biblical faith is both of these things. We trust in God and His sovereignty. He is in control, such that we can pledge allegiance to Jesus Christ.

But our allegiance to Jesus is more than just me and Him. It also means that we must be faithful and trustworthy in our own personal relationships with other people, especially other people who are also in allegiance to Jesus Christ. We must be faithful and trustworthy to Jesus Christ, of course, but we must also be faithful and trustworthy in all our personal relationships. Trusting in Jesus Christ also means being trustworthy ourselves. Faith in Christ binds us to Jesus, of course, but it also binds us to God’s people, to all of God’s people. Now add in the idea of boldness, where boldness denotes a willingness to take risks or to act innovatively, in a courageous and confident manner. …

In Christ we are not only new creatures, but we live life differently than people who don’t know Jesus, who don’t believe in, and trust Jesus Christ. Christians give their lives to Jesus, and Jesus gives His new life to Christians. As Christians, the lives that we live are not our own; they belong to Jesus. Jesus opened for us a new and living way “through his flesh” (v. 20). This means that in Christ our flesh belongs to Jesus; it becomes His flesh. …

Excessive, persistent guilt can influence your mood and actions, which may become serious mental health problems like depression or anxiety when the guilt is left unresolved. Guilt can lead to excessive sensitivity to criticism, and difficulty setting and maintaining healthy boundaries. Doctors, counselors, drugs, medications—even improved health habits—can help relieve symptoms. But they do not address the unresolved guilt. Treating symptoms can be helpful, but it doesn’t resolve the underlying problem—the guilt.

Dealing with unresolved guilt, or unforgiven sin is the primary psychological cause of all of these symptoms. And this illustrates the value of the forgiveness of Jesus Christ. …

06/07/2026

At The Cross

06/01/2026

Confidence
Deuteronomy 28:58-68; Hebrews 10:19-39

In order to understand this section of Hebrews 10 we need to see it in the context of Deuteronomy 28. Deuteronomy is the continuing story of the development of God’s law. The Ten Commandments are repeated in Deuteronomy 5. Then various situations in which they apply are discussed, clarifications are added, and the people swear to obey God’s Ten Commandments. Deuteronomy 28 then lists the benefits of obedience and disobedience. …

And God promises to be eternally faithful to this promise. Christian faith is grounded on this promise of God’s faithfulness to His people. But note the elements of God’s covenantal promise. First and foremost, God’s eternal covenantal promise begins with God’s promise to Abraham:

“I will bless those who bless you, and him who dishonors you I will curse, and in you all the families of the earth shall be blessed” (Genesis 12:3).

God wants humanity to flourish. And said as much to Abraham:

“I will surely bless you, and I will surely multiply your offspring as the stars of heaven and as the sand that is on the seashore. And your offspring shall possess the gate of his enemies, and in your offspring shall all the nations of the earth be blessed, because you have obeyed my voice” (Genesis 22:17-18).

In essence, this was an ancient promise to populate the earth with an exceedingly large number of people, faithful people. …

But ancient Israel could not do live consistently in faithfulness. They were not able to do it consistently. God knew that this would be the case from the very beginning; He created humanity. But we didn’t know it. Ancient Israel didn’t know it. They thought that they were able because God had chosen them. They were God’s chosen people! The were willing, but Satan’s sin foiled them. They could not see through Satan’s lies. They needed help. They could not do it themselves.

And this is the central lesson of the Bible: we cannot do it ourselves either, because we don’t want to, because we think we know better. But we don’t! So God sent help. God sent His only begotten Son—whom we killed. …

Deuteronomy 28:58-68; Hebrews 10:19-39

05/31/2026

Be Strong In The Lord

05/25/2026

Memorial Day: Lessons From the Betrayal of Vietnam

Memorial Day: Lessons From the Betrayal of Vietnam Former Air Force Wing Commander Col. Rob Maness and our own Rod D. Martin discuss in-depth the betrayal of Vietnam and its lessons for today. It's a Memorial Day special you won't want to miss.

05/25/2026

Singing Hallelujah

05/23/2026

05/23/2026

Sons & Daughters of the American Revolultion, May 21, 2026

05/19/2026

The ceiling collapsed above the Lecturn.