Sam Ford – Page 14

More confession, more ___________

2011-05-13T14:51:31+00:00By Sam Ford|Random Thoughts, Re:Sermon|

If we confess our sins, He is faithful and just to forgive us our sins, and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness. 1John 1.9 The Bible doesn’t actually speak about confession of sin as often as one might think. The New Testament speaks regularly about “confessing the gospel” or making the “good confession” of faith. Confession of sin may be indirectly implied in the direct call to repent from sin, but such calls seem to come through faith invitations to non-believers, not necessarily calls to believers to confess their sins regularly. In the N.T., James 5.16 and John 1John 1.9 appear to be among a select number of passages where the practice of confessing sin is encouraged. I am not sure if Scripture’s relative silence concerning confession is the reason I never developed a personal practice of confession. The reformer in me wants to blame my aversion for the practice [...]

Why you’re not in a small group

2011-05-11T23:01:01+00:00By Sam Ford|Church Plant Lessons 101, Note to Self...and Others, Random Thoughts|

Not in, never in, and no such thing as darkness (1John 1.5-2.2)

2011-05-09T11:34:59+00:00By Sam Ford|Random Thoughts, Re:Sermon|

Today's sermon text was 1John 1.5-2.2. An hour long-tirade on confession and sin isn’t the most uplifting of Mother’s Day sermons but, alas, honoring Mom’s is biblical and mother’s day is not. What is biblical and the purpose of gathering as a church is to worship Jesus by preaching the gospel. And if we don’t leave Sunday morning offended by God’s truth, the gospel probably wasn’t preached. The more I study John, the more I am coming face to face with my sin. His words are simple to understand and difficult to misunderstand. As he writes to condemn false teachers and refute false doctrine, I can’t help but feel like he is challenging me. No matter how hard I try to distance myself from the text, to point the finger that “those other people”, I can feel the finger of the Holy Spirit making a dent on my chest. In [...]

John 1.1-4: Doctrine Matters

2021-07-04T18:06:48+00:00By Sam Ford|Re:Sermon, Theology 101|

This week we began our series titled ASSURANCE, a 14-week traipse through the three letters of John. The letters of John are essentially a basic introduction to New Testament Theology. Unlike a traditional letter, John begins his by establishing his authority to teach as an eyewitness to Jesus. False teaching wolves have infiltrated the flock and are now leading sheep astray and away into new grazing fields. These are the fields are full of ear-tickling false doctrine, specifically, a false understanding of who Jesus is. Paul warned in 2Corinthians 11 of false teachers coming with "another Jesus, another spirit, and another gospel" , and in these letters, we read how a 90+ year old "Son of Thunder" faces them head on. Like often happens today, persuasive wolves have drawn people out of a gospel-centered community and started their own church. John carefully delineates between these two churches, a new false [...]

The Resurrected Life Looks Different

2021-07-04T18:05:14+00:00By Sam Ford|Church Plant Lessons 101, Re:Sermon|

Galatians 2.20 20 I have been crucified with Christ. It is no longer I who live, but Christ who lives in me. And the life I now live in the flesh I live by faith in the Son of God, who loved me and gave himself for me. Believing in the Resurrection means living a TRANSFORMED life, not for something different, but through someone different. It is GIVING up, the denial, the death of our old life as Jesus lives through us in a completely new one (not improved version of the old). And though I could describe what I think this life looks like, I've realized that trying to write blogs that speak for God's Word, instead of just stating what it already says, is kind of foolish. A resurrected life, therefore, is a life that looks like the life of a man named Paul who began as a [...]

Monday’s Obscure Bible Passage: Leviticus 10.1-3

2021-07-04T18:05:28+00:00By Sam Ford|Church Plant Lessons 101, Re:Sermon|

The Book of Leviticus isn't the first book you'll probably choose to read for personal devotions. Leviticus follows the last verses of Exodus which record the glory of God filling the newly constructed tabernacle. In a very tangible way, a Holy God now "dwells" with His people. Unholy Israel can now approach their Holy God, but only according to the God-ordained rules. The Book of Leviticus is filled with God's instructions for his priests to ensure the holiness of Israel through rituals, sacrifices, and festivals. Unfortunately, many people dismiss the book of Leviticus as irrelevant to our age of grace and, in the process, ignore the central truth of the entire book that will never change--God takes His Holiness seriously. I have been reading Leviticus as I am preparing for Easter. I came across this passage that, at first reading, will probably offend you: Now Nadab and Abihu, the sons [...]

Glory for, by, and with

2021-07-04T18:05:49+00:00By Sam Ford|Theology 101|

I don't know why I am writing this blog right now. And though I would like to pretend it is an effort to "teach" others, I have a feeling it is in fact intended as a lesson for me. A lesson about what? It's the same lesson I am always learning--sanctification. What is sanctification? A simple definition is, "loving Jesus more and sin less." This simple definition does not explain how exactly this happens, which is why I think I am writing. The following quote is what inspired me to write: "It is when we change from looking at ourselves with our imperfections, sinfulness, and helplessness and turn to the Lord Jesus and see and depend on His power and perfection, that we can expect a transformation to begin." The motivation is glory for God. There are a lot of reasons that men and women will fight against their sinful [...]

The “first” words I wish I spoke

2021-07-04T18:06:31+00:00By Sam Ford|Church Plant Lessons 101, Shearing Sheep|

On the journey of planting Damascus Road Church, there have been a lot of "firsts." There was the first set up, first public service, the first worship set, and the first communion. There were the first leaders, the first elders, the first converts, the first members, and the first baptisms. I remember the first "Amen", the first mean email, the first stupid decision, the first confrontation, the first church discipline, even the first people who left. Then there is the first big move into a new building, the first roots put down, the first "home." What I don't remember are what the first words preached at our new building were. I'm sure they are recorded but the fact that I don't remember them means I didn't try to make them memorable. Quite honestly, I don't think I really considered those as a "first", didn't try to make them "special", or [...]

Encouraged to Encourage

2011-04-04T13:31:31+00:00By Sam Ford|Note to Self...and Others, Random Thoughts|

I love our church. When I say that, I don't mean that I simply love our name, building, music, or whatever parts you might consider make up the "church" and its "steeple." What I love are the hearts of our people, and the love they have for one another. Though I have been a part of many churches, this is the first time that I have experienced the church as a genuine family of families (this new experience is more about my own sanctification than it is about any church's past failure). This has not resulted from some master leadership plan I had when planting the church. It is a gift from the Spirit of God. Last week, after what is often coined as another "Sunday hangover", I lamented about all of the things that I should have said, shouldn't have said, or would say given another chance in the [...]

A Paradoxical Tension

2011-03-27T16:02:14+00:00By Sam Ford|Random Thoughts, Re:Sermon|

I have found that whenever I preach a sermon that calls people to actively "repent", or "obey", I am expected by many to explain exactly what I "don't mean", namely, self-righteousness. My hope is that we live and preach the gospel so regularly that it can be assumed that we always fight FROM our righteousness and not FOR it. The truth is that we will always fall short in our obedience. We we never fully stop "hating" as we ought not, but we certainly never "love" as we ought. That is why our salvation is secured through the perfect life of Jesus by his sacrifice on the cross. Our obedience will never serve as an effective means to obtain approval; it is, at best, response to the love of Jesus who, by grace, makes us more loving every day. Praise to the Lord that our rightness before God does [...]

About Sam Ford