Crossway Christian Church: Recent Episodes
Doug Wallaker
Academics, especially in the sciences, are often proclaimed as underpaid servants of the good. They spend their lives in laboratories and offices, working out the mysteries of the universe for the greater good of humanity. But the truth is that they are driven by the same worldly passions as the rest of us, if not more so: fame and recognition are, in many respects, the be-all-end-all of their professions. God, too, is in the fame business. But he seems to go about getting his name known all wrong. He reveals himself to the lowly and the meek, not the kings and great men in power. Yet, in doing so, he shows us his greater glory. As we approach our text, let us see the greatness of God in the fact that:1. God presides over the mighty2. God is pleased with the meek3. God puzzles the masses
s birth helps us to be prepared this morning:1. Prepare in fear of Jesus2. Prepare for freedom through Jesus3. Prepare for forgiveness in Jesus
t go far enough. We, however, need to not push too far in the other direction, for Mary and the events surrounding her were not normal by any means. Today, Luke sets out for us the uniqueness of that event. We ought to appreciate that uniqueness through these 5 aspects this morning:1. Reputation2. Conception3. Reception4. Protection5. Profession
t always recognize them. Today, Luke emphasizes the nature of how God keeps his promises to us, both individually and corporately. As we think through our text today, note:1. The persistence of his promises2. The power of his promises3. The prosperity of his promises
Peter continues to exhort his people, and us, to beware false teachers within the church. Their path leads only to destruction, As Peter in the past has exhorted us to pursue the best things, here he contends that such false teachers are to be avoided at all costs. To do this, he paints a bleak picture of them:1. False teachers are prideful (v10-12)2. False teachers are perverse (v13-14) 3. False teachers are profit-seekers (v14-16)4. False teachers will perish (v17-22)
s protection becomes clear as we consider: 1. The error of the deceivers 2. The end of the deceivers3. Our escape from the deceivers
people, and today he will tell us precisely how to build it. 1. The picture 2. The instructions 3. The support
Walking on two feet is an exceptionally difficult skill, but a skill that we master with ease at a young age. But running fast, with efficiency, over long distances takes a great deal of work and some wonderful genetics. Likewise, what Paul has called us to do is easy. We uphold the gospel and do good works. Yet, to do it with efficiency, with devotion and perseverance, is exceptionally difficult. But it is what we are called to do. Paul insists on three things this morning for us, and every church, to be a church in good order:1. We must insist on the gospel2. We must insist on good works3. We must insist on unity
Autism, as many know, exists as a spectrum. The numerous characteristics that form the basis of that particular diagnosis can be stronger or weaker in individuals. One such characteristic is the tendency of autistic people to focus intently on certain things with varying intensity. In our text this morning, Paul has called Titus to remind the Cretan believers of the difficult task in front of them, as they relate with grace to the people around them. What will motivate them to act this way, over and against the problems it may cause? A focus on the cross, which would remind all of us that:1. We are holy2. We are humble3. We are hopeful4. We are heirs
At Crossway, we care a lot about membership. Part of that care is shown in the detail of the process prospective members must go through, including an elder interview. In that interview, we ask numerous questions, but focus most on one: What is the gospel? Today we get to hear Paul speak about the salvation of the gospel. Let us consider three aspects of it that, while perhaps not surprising, will at the very least be good reminders for us all. 1. The age of salvation2. The outcome of salvation3. The purpose of salvation
t do that; here, telling Titus to stay himself on sound doctrine, to proclaim the ethical and moral norms of Christian behavior. To that end, Paul insists that:1. Men are to be masters2. Women are to be ministers3. Teachers are to be models4. Servants are to be meek
parenting might be all well and good, but there is a time when sharp rebukes must be given. Paul desires to be gentle with churches, but the church in Crete needs a stronger hand. Today we hear more about the problems that are plaguing the church there, and how Paul desires to deal with them. Let us ask some questions of our text, and see what answers it has for us:1. Who needs discipline?2. What must happen in discipline?3. What is the desired outcome of discipline?4. What is the guiding principle in discipline?
resurrection?1. In his resurrection, Jesus is better2. In his resurrection, Jesus is new3. In his resurrection, Jesus is our hope
There is a lot that can go wrong on a space shuttle. The margins of engineering are so slim that a tiny, seemingly insignificant mistake can end in tragedy. Elders, likewise, must have even the tiniest detail in their lives worked out the best they can, for many have done great damage to the gospel as the Devil pries at their failures. Thus, the qualifications that Paul lists should be of great importance to us. What should an elder look like?1. The commitment of an elder2. The character of an elder3. The commission of an elder
t expect that these conversations, filled with jokes, opinions, observations, to imply anything official. Yet, today, we spy in on just such a conversation between Paul and his faithful child in the faith, Titus. Paul wants Titus to continue to strive to put the churches of Crete in good order. But how is he to do that? Let us consider the good order of the church by considering:1. The agent of good order2. The aim of good order3. The assurance of good order
s aim was to encourage Christians to stand firm; enduring suffering and persecution by giving themselves entirely to God. The death and resurrection of Christ stand as the paradigm for the lives of believers. Just as Christ suffered and then entered into glory, so too his followers will suffer before being exalted. Today we come to the last section of the epistle. In this short list of commands Peter is calling all believers to remember the fundamentals of our faith. Peter is drawing our attention to at least four fundamental attitudes essential for growing in spiritual maturity: 1. Trust 2. Steadfastness 3. Hope 4. Fellowship
But we are never called upon to take up the sword for the faith, but rather to be willing to suffer under it. Today Peter calls upon us to be armed and ready for the true fight of the faith.1. Be armeda.Because of timeb.Because of judgmentc.Because of resurrection2. Be readya.Be sober for prayerb.Have love, not grudgesc.Be hospitable, not grumblingd.Serve others in Christ
The Olympics are in full swing. The beauty of them is found in that most of these athletes suffer so much for this, typically, once-in-a-lifetime opportunity. They sacrifice time with family, friends; they suffer physical hardships and pressures. But they do it all the same, simply for the opportunity. Peter has called us to much the same fate: sacrifice and suffering. But we do so, not simply for the opportunity, but for the sake of a Savior who has given us a perfect guarantee of redemption. We are called to suffer for Jesus, and Peter gives us three ways to do that this morning:1. We suffer for Jesus by acting like Jesus2. We suffer for Jesus by answering for Jesus3. We suffer for Jesus by aligning with Jesus
Introduction Puzzles are not my thing. I know others love them, but I find them difficult and unrewarding. Yet, there are some puzzles that need putting together; some mysteries that need unravelling. Jesus was rejected by the leaders at the time, those who knew Scripture and prophecy the best. Why? Because God was building something wonderful through him: a living and working Temple, made without human hands, to showcase his wonder and excellencies. Peter reminds us of the abiding and true reality of the Temple. Let us then consider today:1. What the Temple represents2. What the Temple really isa.We are the stonesb.We are the priestsc.We are the sacrifice
s salvation in this world, for our security lies in God. 1. Our security is found in the will of God 2. Our security is found in the work of God 3. Our security is found in the watch of God 4. Our security is found in the word of God
s salvation in this world, for our security lies in God.1. Our security is found in the will of God2. Our security is found in the work of God3. Our security is found in the watch of God4. Our security is found in the word of God
We in America have learned to despise kings, and for good reason. It seems a bad idea to put all that power in one man's hands. Israel had a good King: none other than God. But they wanted one that made them "like the nations." God, however, had different plans. Plans for peace and redemption far beyond what they could imagine.
There is a great deal of irony in Christmas. There is much simply in how so many spend it. It is a time of peace, but it is full of stress. A time to remember the humble birth of our savior, but we lavish each other with expensive gifts. But the real irony is in Jesus himself. God made flesh. Creator taking on that which he has created. The sovereign Lord making himself, in a fashion, dependent upon his own creation. Yet, for all this humility in the flesh, God is still there, mighty is sovereignty. But just how sovereign is he? Our text this morning helps to show us that our God is in full control of all things, both great and small.1. God is sovereign over the evil2. God is sovereign over the good3. God is sovereign over all the rest
s sons are tested by Joseph, and for good reason. Like them, God tests us as well. He does this, not to break us, nor to crush us, but to show us who we are.1. The reason for the test 2. The substance of the test3. The outcome of the test
s nearness to us? Our text today starts with Joseph as a slave, and then as a prisoner, before becoming second only to Pharaoh in all of Egypt. Yet for all that, the greatest gift he has, and we have, is the very presence of God. 1. Pursue the presence of God 2. Rest on the remembrance of God3. Trumpet the truth of God
We take directions for granted now. Cell phones have made finding your way around, even in a foreign place, easy. It was not always so; there was a time when physical maps and hand-written directions were the best you could do. Good directions are good things; they save time and energy and point us toward our goal. Our text today features directions, not as commands, but as symbols of how to get to the blessing of God. 1. Down and up2. Backwards and forwards3. Out and in
s vengeance is good2. Our vengeance is emotional 3. Our vengeance is ungodly4. Our vengeance is overpaid5. Our vengeance is cyclical6. Our vengeance is unfaithful
s is as well. A scoundrel, a cheat, a liar; but by the grace of God, now a new man. What is his conversion like? What are signs of it? In our passage this morning, Jacob shows us:1. Repentance2. Penitence 3. Deference4. Persistence5. Prudence
Family strife is nothing new in this world. The Greeks had a number of horrible stories about fighting families: from Oedipus killing his father so he could marry his mother, to the Atreus family, who routinely served their children to the gods (much to their chagrin). The Bible has much of this as well: the first four people mentioned all had their issues with one another, ending in a story of murder. Our story today continues the thread of family problems. Conflicts over our sin arise, and there is one clear solution: loving the Lord.1. The conflict of coveting2. The conflict of cash 3. The conflict of conceit
As we look back at the actions of the patriarchs, we often see behaviors and attitudes that do not seem to match the holiness of God. Abraham often failed, and yet he was counted faithful, included in the kingdom of God. Today we see the actions and failures of four different people, and through this we see God's grace and faithfulness despite their sin. The blessing of being in God's family only comes by the grace of God.1. Jacob deceives2. Jacob departs
Most ancient writers used very discernable structures in their writings. This allowed them to clue their readers in on central points and highlight similarities. One of the most basic of these is chiasm, where a central text has mirroring parts as you move away from it. Our text today has that same structure, and it helps to point us to the central idea: we are to trust our God in all things. 1. Trust the protection of God2. Trust the promise of God3. Trust the priorities of God
s true and lasting justice. 1. True justice punishes sin2. True justice pursues sin3. True justice cannot placate sin4. True justice cannot prevent sin
s standard, who God is and what he is like, we see a clear and concise contrast.1. The Wicked are Extensively Evil2. The Lord is Overwhelmingly Good
John Newton was a scoundrel before he ever saw a slave ship. He was kicked out of the navy and worked hard to do so. He was disliked on the ships on which he worked. Not only was he sold into slavery, but even being a slave did not get him to stop slave trading when he was freed. Yet, the Lord loved him and called him and saved him out of his misery. The Lord loves saving sinners. Like John Newton. Like Abraham and Sarah. Like us.1. The shamefulness of sin2. The confirmation of circumcision3. The greatness of the gift
s trust and faith. That, in the end, is what God truly wants from us all; that we trust him and believe his word. 1. God desires you to believe him2. God helps you to believe him
s life? There is a point, and a surprise ending to all of this however. To let us see this, we should consider: 1. The focus of the text2. A feature of the text3. The future of the text
s relationship to Abram, let us consider:1. The reason for the blessing2. The rejection of the blessing3. The richness of the blessing
s best friend. Some people, however, do not see them in that light, and neglect and abuse them. When rescued, they fear humans, for all they have received from them is harm. We are similar; the lies we are fed in this world about God make us distrust his word and aims in our lives. But through patient love and care, and continual faithfulness to us, God overcomes these lies. We, like Abram, need to learn to trust God in every circumstance.
Nate Yurgaites, pastor of Damascus Baptist Church in Midland, joined us this Sunday as part of our Pulpit swap with Damascus and Sunrise Baptist Church. Nate is seeking to encourage us today through God's word in Acts 13:1-3. Please listen!
Everyone has momentous moments in their lives. Graduation for some, marriage or children for others. Some occasions are momentous, not for the good they remind us of but for the hardship: divorce, death, loss. It is rare, though, for such an individually important moment to be shared through one person by the many. Today, we have just such an event. The Lord will demonstrate his grace and kindness, and put into place his eternal plan for our redemption here, in the calling of this one man, Abram. His calling is not dissimilar to ours, for it points towards it.
s story, but a wrathful judgment against sin in the world. In our passage this morning, we see what happens after the devastation and destruction of the flood. Noah and his family have been spared, and these next steps are crucial in the redemptive history of mankind. Despite our rebellion, God is merciful and faithful to his promises.
The story of the flood is treated as myth by most who do not uphold the Bible as the Word of God. But the nature of the text implies that it is recounting real, true history. But it is not history for history’s sake, and we do not just study the account of the flood for its factual nature. Rather, we know that it is written so that we might not fall as others did. This morning, we are shown how to pass through the waters of God’s judgment. To do this, we must understand the nature of what we read here in Genesis 6:9-7:24
Genealogies are not often thought of as holding a great deal of intrigue for readers. Names and lists of people do not advance characters or provide any sort of action. Yet, for those who read closely, there is much to learn from them. Today, we get to hear of the genealogy from Adam to Noah, and how God is faithful to his word through them.
Movies often present people as the embodiment of the devil, or at least possessed by him. His presence is easily noticed: the sly look, the bodily distortion, the glowing flames and the maniacal laugh. Dead giveaways all. But real life is harder. We read last week of the promise from God that the seed of the woman would crush the head of the serpent. But what of his seed? Today, we read of it, from an unexpected place.
Genesis 3 is another fundamental text in the Christian religion. It chronicles the sin of Adam and Eve in the perfect garden, as they turned against God and listened to the voice of the serpent. Yet, this sin is not a one-time event, something that was huge and large and unrepeated. The basic essentials of this sin are repeated by us every time we sin. And still, God’s love persists, and his mercy shines. As we consider this chapter, let us be reminded of the nature of our sin, and the greatness of God's mercy
As people made in the image of God, we understand what it is like to create something. We get to determine how our creation is structured and ordered. In our passage this morning we continue on with God’s creation story and we see how our perfect maker ordered his creation, and we get to see the results. God's creation design is a good thing.
“He’s the spitting image of his father” is not as common of a phrase as it used to be. It is from an old expression, sometime in the 17th century, when people would say “it is like he was spat out of his father’s mouth.” Biologically incorrect, but when it comes to man being made in God’s image, it’s not far from the truth (cf. Genesis 2:7). But what does it mean that we have been made in God’s image? Genesis affirms without hesitation that God’s likeness is the basis of all human identity as they image God to the world, but what does that really mean?
“In the beginning, God created the heavens and the earth” is one of the best-known phrases in all of the Bible. Today, the chapter is used mostly to battle evolution and fuel arguments over the age of the earth. But, if we focus our attention, we find that Genesis 1 has much more to offer us than that. It gives us the plan of God for all of creation. And what is more, patterns for what happens when that plan is rolled back by sin. How then are we to understand Genesis 1?
Some things are hard to top. Achievements in sports and music are sometimes so amazing, that trying to top them seems nigh impossible. Certainly, the resurrection of Jesus is greater than anything anyone has ever done. But Matthew doesn’t leave his gospel with the simple, if amazing, pronouncement that he has risen. Rather, he desires to show us the amazing and absolute authority of this risen Christ and shows us what it means for us.
We gather, as we typically do, to praise God for the work of Jesus Christ our Lord. That work has found its pinnacle in the death and resurrection of Jesus. But today is set aside as a special remembrance of that resurrection, which is our full hope and promise of glory. Today, as we consider Matthew’s account, let us consider these 5 things about the resurrection of Jesus.
Today is a day we gather to remember the heinous and brutal murder of our Lord and Savior. We call it Good Friday, but what is it precisely that makes it good? To remind ourselves again that this death is indeed good, we turn to the book of Hebrews. The book of Hebrews has one overriding emphasis: to show that Jesus is better. And tonight, let us see how his death, as a better death, makes this day good.
Sealing something as historical “fact” is fairly difficult for most things. We have to rely on what many today might think of as secondary and unreliable reports: eyewitness accounts and other events that are impacted by what happened. Details are always hard to establish. But, if there is one fact of antiquity that is assured, it is this: Jesus of Nazareth was crucified and died. But that bare telling of fact doesn’t help us understand what it all means. What does the death of Jesus mean for us?
Bullies are nothing new. Many of us have experienced their insults and abuse. Such acts are nothing new, as we see today. Jesus, weakened and eventually crucified, was ripe for such abuse, and his enemies took great pleasure in handing it out. Yet, for all their bluster, and for all the pain they inflict, they speak a startling amount of truth. Today, let us look at how Jesus is mocked, that we might marvel all the more as we anticipate his victory.
In our passage this morning, we encounter a great injustice. We see the trial of Jesus before the Roman governor Pontius Pilate. This is the trial that will definitively decide Jesus’ verdict and sentencing. We see three reasons that Jesus was crucified, and behind it all we see that Jesus, though innocent, was convicted so that sinners, though guilty, may be freed.
Jesus is on his way to his execution; Judas is facing the reality and outcome of what he has done. We also see the chief priests tying up loose ends. This sets up what happens in the rest of the book of Matthew, and it highlights something for all of us. All of our attempts to remove our guilt on our own will fail. We need something different.
History is filled with trials that seemed only to mock justice. Nor is this a feature of some bygone era, less enlightened and more open to the whims of the powerful and elite. We suffer from these very things today. The trial of Jesus is perhaps the most famous example in history of such a show-trial. Today, we get a closer look at Jesus before the Sanhedrin, and Peter before the world, to see how each handled the trial that was before them.
We talk about sin quite a lot here at Crossway, and for a simple reason: Scripture seems to talk about it a lot. In the end, sin is nothing but a betrayal of God. It is simply acting as though God’s commands and desires for us are not good for us, and that we know better. We betray him as our creator, designer, and as God. This betrayal leads to our death. In our passage, as Jesus steps in for us, this betrayal leads directly to his death. Let us look at three acts of betrayal this morning, so that we might better know how to avoid it.
Temptations will find us. While it is certainly best to flee from it, there is no way to escape it in this world. What do we do when times of doubt and the allure of sin press hard against us? Jesus was as we are, tempted like us, but without sin. If this is so, and we take it seriously, then watching carefully how he handles his temptation would prove an immense help. Let us see how Jesus faces the most severe temptation anyone has ever faced. When we do, we find that we should:
The Lord is particular in how he is worshipped and approached. Simply having a good heart will not do, for the Lord is keen to have his people follow his instructions and directions. This instinct is very much true in the Lord’s Supper and the Passover it is based on. Today, as we come to think about Jesus’ institution of the Supper, we are reminded of directions; not in how we take it, but the directions the Supper points toward as we take it.
We have all wasted money in our lives on something. Sometimes it is just a poorly thought through purchase, or something that we regret. No one does this better than the government, whose stories of waste are legion. Our story today is one that speaks of waste – an almost unthinkable expenditure of perfumed ointment which could no doubt have helped many in need. But Jesus saw great worth in the act, and so ought we today.
I have only failed two tests in school that I remember. One was an algebra test in 9th grade. The other a Physical Chemistry exam in college. The first was a surprise, the second expected. Neither was pleasant. Being judged and failing never is. In the end, though, these tests were not that important. Most tests aren’t; but there is coming one that will be, though. Jesus will sit on his throne and he will judge between the sheep and the goats. What are the sheep like, that we might be counted in their number?
Andrew Carnegie was one of the wealthiest men who ever lived. He was industrious, clever, personable, and had great financial sense. But he was far from a self-made man. He was born at the right place, got involved in the right business, and took advantage of the opportunities given to him. We ourselves have been given a great opportunity; the Lord has left us with a great treasure to invest. What will we do with it?
There is a crater in Turkmenistan that burns constantly. Because of this, it has a very ominous appearance, it has earned the name The Gates of Hell. While that is a bit of an overstatement, the continual burning is more reminiscent of hell than anything here on earth. Things that burn eventually go out. Including torches. The five foolish women in our passage know this, yet fail to act. Are we headed for their fate?
In 1533, a German preacher promised the New Jerusalem would come in Strasbourg. It didn’t. In 1844, an American farmer promised the return of Christ. He didn’t show. Charles Russell promised Jesus’ return in 1878, 1881, and finally in 1914. All were wrong. Recently, Harold Camping promised it in 1994, 2005, and 2011. Yet, here we are, still awaiting the return. We might be tempted to ask again with the disciples “What is the sign of your coming?” Today, we get to consider Jesus’ own answer.
When I was a child, I had two great and abiding fears: aliens and Armageddon. While I am no longer afraid of aliens, I am still somewhat afraid of Armageddon. Not the event itself, mind you, but the amount of stress and importance people place in figures and signs and times. Eschatology, or the study of the end of the world, should be filled with hope and good for Christians, yet it can be unnecessarily dividing. Today, we will begin to wade into these waters, as Matthew and Jesus lead us. Yet first, Jesus speaks of the fall of the Temple and the crushing of Jerusalem.
I use many words when parenting my children. “No!” comes up quite often, as does the sometimes more exuberant “stop!” I have, at times, used the exhortation “whoa!” when trying to calm my children down. I must admit, though, that I don’t think I’ve ever used the word as Jesus does here. The Pharisees and Scribes are in a pitiful state, filled with hypocrisy and self-assurance, they are fit only for hell. But what about us? What are we fit for?
Controversial opinions are stock and trade of our lives now. The angrier and the crazier the idea, the more clicks it gets, the more money is made, and the more notoriety the talking head gets. But not all controversial opinions are wrong or bad. Jesus, in Matthew 23, will say much that is controversial, both then and now. Taking aim back at those who have sought to trip him up, he takes the Pharisees to task. Yet, we would be foolish to think that he is not also speaking to us. If we are not to be like them, then what ought we do?
I have a bit of a reputation as a Scrooge when it comes to Christmas, but I truly do love this season. However, as a preacher I find it difficult. There are only so many birth passages, and having preached for well over a decade now, I’ve gone through most of them. Yet, by God’s grace, today we may well have stumbled onto an odd and sneaky Christmas passage. Today let us hear about the unique Lord and Son of David, who has come to save his people.
The word “goat” was most often used, outside of just describing a grass-feeding animal, as one who was a victim, blamed for something they didn’t do. It has taken on a rather distinct and somewhat opposite meaning now: the greatest of all time. People love to debate things like this; especially at the close of the year rankings and lists are all the rage. Commandments seem like an odd thing to rank, but today we get the definitive list. But what does it mean to love the Lord with all you are, and your neighbor as yourself?
Today we start our celebration of Advent – of Jesus’ coming into the world. His incarnation as a child led to this very week in his life, his advent into Jerusalem. As we continue our study through Matthew, our text today speaks of the Sadducees as the leadership in Jerusalem continue the questioning of Jesus by asking him about the resurrection; or, rather, by mocking it. But Jesus has an answer for them, and one for us as well.
Every election we are subject to the same effusive language: This is the most important election ever. None of this language is new, but it is almost as old as our democracy. Yet, soon, we will face an election in our midst that is even more impactful on your daily lives than that for the presidency: the election of our two more elders. As we approach that date, it is good to provide some common answers to questions as you think about their qualifications.
Everyone loves a good party, and for all the grief the Old Testament gets for being filled with blood and vengeance, the people of Israel were called upon to throw parties often. Celebrations and feasts were a central feature of Israel’s worship of God, which was fitting: the Lord is a joyous God, and that joy that extends naturally to his people. In our passage this morning, Jesus says that the Kingdom is like a party; but a party that not all are excited to attend. What can we take away from that parable?
No one ever wants to hear their doctor say the dreaded C-word: cancer. At the same time, we understand that not all cancers are the same. Some are very treatable and have almost no effect on your quality of life; others are debilitating and almost always fatal. Good doctors will not just inform you of the disease, but its prognosis as well. Jesus, the good physician, has notified the leaders of Jerusalem of their problem. In this parable, he is telling them the full extent of it. Their problem is not just with some prophet from Nazareth, but with God himself.
The world is filled with authorities. Your boss, your governor, your president. For each of us, escaping authority is an unthinkable dream. We all have someone to answer to. Yet, when it comes to the gospel, we don’t often talk about authority. Gift, grace, compassion? Sure! Authority, demand, obedience? Well, we might whisper something about them, as the fine print of a sermon. For what does authority have to do with the Good News of Jesus? As it turns out, much.
Most, if not all other world religions are based on principles. Islam’s center is not Muhammed, but action. The same can be said about Buddhism and Judaism. Moses and Buddha might be important, like Muhammed, but the principles of the religion extend beyond them. Not so with Christianity – we are a religion that centers not so much on principles as on a person. As we have seen what kind of King Jesus is, the incident with a withered fig tree helps to show us what kind of person Jesus ISN’T.
In our last installment on the Church and Politics, we consider how Christians handle themselves in our American context.
Political turnover in the past was chaotic. No matter how good the former King was, there was no indication as to what the next ruler would be like, or what his policies would be. While the father might have been a good and conscientious king, that was no promise that his son wouldn’t be a bumbling idiot and mean to boot. For many in Jerusalem, while they perhaps had heard of Jesus, they didn’t know much about him. In his introductory and triumphal entry, they learn something important about him: humility.
Many folks in America are "really" political. What of Christians? How political should we be? Maximally, as it turns out!
If we live in a new Kingdom, not of this world, how then are we to interact with the governments of this world? While we are to submit, we also must necessarily subvert.
We are in the political ad season, with every candidate promising that they’ll look out for your interests and, at the same time, telling us the other won’t. “I care about you” is the theme of them all, and for good reason. All politicians know one inevitable human fact – we care about ourselves, and often to the detriment of the good of others. Jesus here tells his disciples that this cannot be so for them. But that inevitable human fact is hard to shake. That is why you need to learn humility.
The Bible is a wonderful book. Written over the course of a millennium, in different languages through the eyes of different cultures and people, it hits on a variety of subjects. Money, sex, anger, power, war are huge issues, but it also tackles smaller ones – friendship, speech, time-management, philosophy, even at times giving us a look at simple personal correspondence. Yet, there is one driving question that lingers in the background, one thing that is the Big Thing in the Bible – how do we gain eternal life? Jesus is presented with that very question and gives a surprising answer.
Marriage is uniquely important in the Bible. In Genesis, we find in the opening two chapters three basic points: God has created everything that is not himself; Humans were made in his image; and humans are given into marriage. That’s quite a place of importance for marriage! The fact that God calls his people his bride, that Jesus is the bridegroom, and one of the few pictures we have of heaven describe it as a wedding feast shows that the emphasis in Genesis is not lost. Today, we see the importance that marriage has in Jesus’ eyes, but also the importance of those who do not fit into that mold.
Everyone has rules. Very few people are true anarchists, and even they are probably kidding themselves. We may differ on what they are, but we all believe that some things are right and some wrong; and doing justice is nothing more than to right the world’s wrongs. But where does forgiveness fit in? What should we forgive, or how much? Today, we follow Peter’s question, and Jesus’ quite difficult answer, and see what it means for us
Discipline, no matter the form, is difficult stuff. No matter how we need to be disciplined, the fact that we must work at it indicates our deficiency in some way. At times, that is just working on the basics of the Christian life, becoming more like Christ in our thoughts and actions. But at other times, more outside help is needed. As we continue to think through how we are to live together as community, Jesus today commands that we be loving one another through discipline. But what does that look like?
Veterinarians are not novel and new things; ever since there has been a need to keep working animals upright and pulling, there has been a need to have people to keep them that way. Quickly, animal care spread from animals that do work for us to the animals that provide for us. The church is both the sheep and paradoxically the vet at the same time. We are to keep each other whole and healed, and work hard to prevent sin and its sickness from spreading.
The Olympics are in full swing, and it is hard not to think of both the triumphs and failures of the past. There are many times that teams, with much more individual talent have failed their ultimate test. USA Basketball, loaded with some of the most talented players in history, were humiliated when they took only a bronze medal in 2004 – the precise opposite of the “Miracle on Ice” of 1980. We know well that it is not just individual talent, but how that talent works together that matters. Jesus has instructed us on our own individual morality in the Sermon on the Mount; now he turns to teaching us how to play well together. These are sermons for the church, beginning in the smallest of places: children
We think that we would love to get whatever it is our hearts desire. To have a genie grant us wishes, or the power and money to get what we want. Some think that this is precisely what Jesus holds out to us, especially in passages like the one before us. “Nothing will be impossible for you” is quite the promise – but what does Jesus mean by that? And what role does our faith play in this great promise? More than you may think!
Humans will endure much, so long as they know what they are enduring for. Athletes like Michael Phelps will stretch their bodies to the limit to win medals and accolades. Ernest Shackleton and crew endured a year in the Antarctic just to survive. Jesus has made it clear that disciples will have to suffer in this world to gain their lives back in the next. What will sustain us through this suffering? Nothing but the most spectacular glory.
We are fallen, which means that, on this side of Adam and Eve’s transgression, we will sin. But it also means that we will just flat out get stuff wrong. Mistakes will be made, errors endured, failures felt. It just so happens that, whether a simple error or a sinful transgression, mistakes are wonderful opportunities to learn from. Peter has made a terrific blunder, but the Lord, in his kindness, never overlooks a good opportunity. He will use Peter’s sinful outburst as a chance to teach what true discipleship looks like, for Peter’s sake and ours.
There are questions and conversations that you will remember forever. Whether from someone who pushed you to be better, or saying “I do”, those moments define a good portion of our lives and who we are. Peter’s defining moment is before us today; yet it is not his alone. All of us share in this moment, for there is no other question that is more important. Who do you say Jesus is?
Bre and I attempted to teach our children some sign language when they were really young. It is an excellent way to get them to communicate with you before they can talk, and it has been useful beyond those early days. We had a limited vocabulary, however, and sometimes when I sign I need to make gestures that, to be frank, are not always understood. Or never understood. Turns out signs must be understood to be helpful. Today, the Pharisees and Sadducees want a sign from Jesus, but they won’t get one. Instead, Jesus pleads with his disciples to see the warning signs of their leaven.
It is probably fair to say that we have all experienced déjà vu at some point in our lives. That odd feeling that whatever we are experiencing we have already experienced before. Today, perhaps, we might feel that way. Just a month ago, and less than a chapter ago, Matthew recorded for us the feeding of the 5,000. Now, in a passage eerily similar, he records the same feat, this time for 4,000. Why do this? What can we learn from this passage that we haven’t learned before?
“Never take no for an answer!” It’s one of the most popular cliches used in our culture. Be persistent to get what you want, keep working and selling and eventually it will happen. Yet, it is also clear that sometimes such thinking is taken too far, and tragedy results. There is one person with whom persistence is of the upmost importance: Jesus. He loves persistent faith! Today, we have a story of such persistence, even amidst great suffering and much silence.
Traditions are fine things. We have a few of them in our house, which we love and follow. But we know that these traditions will one day end or need to be amended. All tradition ends this way. But Scripture, as we all confess, stands above this. God’s word to us is timeless, perfect, and undimmed by time. We do well to confess that it is unerring and good for us in all it says; but we must do more than that! Today, Jesus must deal with the Pharisees and their love of tradition, but it is not just their traditions that Jesus desires to lead us away from, but their way of handling Scripture as well.
Frank Abagnale was a con artist. He was known to forge checks to gain money, pretend to be a doctor, airline pilot, and social worker. When caught by the FBI, they began to uncover how most of the frauds went down, save one: how did he pass the Louisiana bar exam? Easy, he said: I studied! Frank had always shown himself bright and capable. It is one thing to believe what someone tells you – but you ought always believe what they show you. Jesus’ past two miracles show us precisely who he is, the very Son of God.
There are a number of ways that an event can be seen as major in the Bible. Sometimes much that comes after depends on them; sometimes it is the amount of text given over to the event. But there are some events that are shown to be important because they are repeated multiple times. The feeding of the 5,000 is a wondrous miracle, but doesn’t take a lot of text, and nothing explicitly flows from it. But all the Gospels tell us of it, and do so differently, helping us to see that much good can come from studying the nature of Jesus’ provision for his people here.
Nuance can create confusion for people. A distinction is typically, and rightly, drawn between faith and faithfulness; the first being a constant trust and reliance on Jesus, the second walking rightly before him. Matthew, however, wants to make sure that we don’t drive too large a gap between them. To have true faith is to be faithful to the call that Jesus makes on your life. This is why he writes to us about the life of Jesus, that we might walk as he walked. Today, however, he gives us the anti-picture of Jesus: Herod, the unfaithful king. How should we walk faithfully before Jesus?
We have all heard the saying that “familiarity breeds contempt.” The more we get to know people, the more of their issues and problems you are privy to. The people of Nazareth have the same issue with Jesus. His teaching is immaculate, but they are too knowledgeable of his people, indeed they think, of him to trust him. Let us learn from their mistake today!
Treasures are lost and found every day. Many of us have stories of such losses; fewer have stories of such finds. And while we might not find great artwork under our mattresses, or buried in our backyards, we have placed before us the greatest treasure we could ever hope for in the Kingdom of Heaven. But what does it take to make it ours?
Parables are a rich way to teach the truths of the Kingdom to all. Memorable and illustrative, they nevertheless provide a good deal of material for us to think through. Today, Jesus gives us three parables to consider, focusing on how the Kingdom of God relates to the world. Let those who have ears to hear, hear!
Appetizers are designed to simply whet the appetite for the real entrée. Often, though, we make full meals out of them. Last week we looked at the nature of the parables as something of an appetizer for them. While it was a full meal, it is hoped that meal simply made us hungrier for the rest! Today, we start by looking at the parable of parables, the parable of the sower.
The Gospels, as pictures of the life of Christ, run in a general chronological pattern. From his birth to the beginning of his ministry, to the triumphal entry and the eventual and fateful crucifixion and resurrection, the main timeline is kept intact. But the individual events are often compiled for the author’s own reason, as Matthew has done in his 13th chapter. But why teach in parables, when Jesus was so capable of teaching in other methods which were clearer and more straight-forward? The disciples ask the same question of him, and we look at his answer today.
Paul has finished the main body of the letter, the vast majority of his exhortations, and did it with quite a flourish. The resurrection is important to us, theologically as well as personally. We who await a better place than this, who know of bitterness and sadness here, are justifiably excited about a new and better home. Yet, it does us little good to just look up at the sky. Paul reminds the Corinthians that there is yet work to do here on earth, and much of it imperfect and filled with hardship.
Of all the days that Christians celebrate, today is the grandest of them all. Jesus Christ has risen from the grave, overwhelming death and justifying all who believe in him. Praise be to God! And, better still, this is a prelude of our own fate, of our own resurrection. So, let us consider the triumph of our resurrection and what it means for us!
Good Friday is a blessed day if, for no other reason, that it shows off the oddity and irony of the cross of Christ. It is a wondrous exchange: Christ knowingly gives us his life and righteousness and takes our death and sin. We talk often about this, central as it is; yet that very comfortability can, if we are not careful, lead to a flattening of the gospel. Today, with the help of one short verse, let us think about its depth and beauty.
Paul has argued for the basic necessity of the resurrection in the gospel, and its purpose in sealing our redemption and securing his reign. But we still have questions. What, precisely will our resurrection bodies be like? Will we be 20? Have perfect figures and muscles? The Corinthians ask these questions out of spite, but Paul has answers anyway.
We can understand why the Corinthians might have downplayed the resurrection. They were quite immature, and their culture looked down on the physical aspects of the world. They didn’t see the good in it, and they hadn’t thought through the theological implications of it. Paul will remedy that for them, and us, today. Why should we care about Jesus’ and even our, resurrection? What hangs on it? In a word, everything.
The gospel of our Lord Jesus Christ is the proclamation that saves sinners from hell, delivers them from the power of Satan, and gives them an inheritance free from corruption. Such proclamation, if done in the nature of the world, would likely come with many footnotes and small print, needless complications, and debate. But, in truth, the gospel is straightforward to confess, understandable, and relatable. Today, let us consider the nature of the gospel that we confess!
From the very first words of the Bible, we are introduced to a God of order and carefulness. God is not a God of chaos, but of peace. When we gather to worship God, our worship ought to tell of that God; not just in the words we speak and sing, but in the very form and order of that worship. Here, Paul instructs the Corinthians to better picture the nature of God in their worship.
Today, we come to a chapter in 1 Corinthians that can easily be misunderstood if we do not observe the context. It is a very beautiful passage, very famous passage about love. It contains wonderfully crafted prose that resonates with us, and we will see that when it is applied to the local church, it is even more meaningful. The main point of the text is this: the Christian life is marked by love.
Many people today take personality tests, helping them to understand themselves, and even the people around them, better. These same types of tests have been used, certainly erroneously, to assess what gifts God may have given to people. What special advantage has God given to you in the Spirit? How are you to use this for the church? Paul is trying to clarify for us the nature of gifts of the Spirit in Corinth, certainly something that we can gain from! Let us consider Paul’s thoughts this morning.
Everyone likes to be complimented, to know that the job they are doing is being appreciated and seen. Last week, Paul started his comments by commending the Corinthians for their willingness to stick to the traditions. This gives the issues raised there a minor feel, as though they were a blip. This week however, no such commendation was given; Paul explicitly denies that he is doing anything of the such. The Corinthians’ disunity, demonstrated in the Lord’s Supper, is a problem near to their understanding of the gospel and shows just how deep their factions went.
Tetris is one of the best-selling games of all time, and was ubiquitous for the people of my generation worldwide. The point was to arrange blocks as they fell into complete rows, making them disappear. This is not unlike biblical theology, where we take texts and problems and try to arrange them rightly. Sometimes, however, the blocks fall so fast and their arrangement so complicated, that we can feel quite overwhelmed. This is especially true for the most difficult passage in 1 Corinthians, where Paul deals with head coverings. Let us see if we can make some sense of this somewhat strange and enigmatic passage.
Some things in this world are complicated because they need to be. MRI machines, the internal combustion engine, and the space shuttle are all tremendously complicated because they must be to do their job. There are, however, some things that are more difficult than they should be. Windshield wipers, IKEA furniture, and online recipes all seem needlessly complicated. So it is with Paul’s argument about meat in these last three chapters of 1 Corinthians. Why not just say “yes” or “no”? Primarily because Paul knew a good opportunity to teach when it presented itself. How should we handle ourselves in these situations?
Our nation has sprung up from a declaration of rights. We are a people who love to claim their rights, to fight for their rights, even to say that we would gladly die for our rights. What if, for the good of others, God might be calling you to lay down your rights? Would you? Paul pleads with the Corinthians to see the good in setting aside their rights that others might flourish in the Lord.
Doctrine has gotten a bad reputation in some segments of the church. For many, seeing the fights that have split the church over every jot and tittle in the Bible, doctrine is just a divisive force; one that divides but can never unify. We think differently. Yet, we must know the limits of our theology and our doctrine. Even when we get them right, we can be very wrong.
Christians uphold marriage as a foundational part of the culture in which we live. We rightly understand how important marriage is financially for individuals, not to mention for the quality of life of children. 1 Corinthians 7 is the longest straightforward treatment of marriage in Scripture. What Paul has to say is both helpful and surprising.
Each year, we prepare for the Christmas season through Advent. But what do the individual candles mean, and how are we to think of them as a collective whole? Today, let us consider the Advent season in full, and grow in our appreciation of our Savior and Lord, Jesus Christ, come in the flesh.
Christianity, in its most basic form, is quite an easy thing to understand. God, out of love for us and pleasure in his justice, became a man so that he might die in our place, taking our sin and death and defeating them forever. We proclaim this, so that anyone who trusts and believes in that might have eternal life in him. See, easy! But how are we to live here and now? Do we follow the law? Well, sort of, but not really. How are we to determine what is right and wrong? Here, as in many places, Paul gives us a helpful answer.
There are many things in this life that we simply do not associate with one another. Pickles and ice cream; power and modesty; Christmas sweaters and class. These things simply belong in separate categories in our heads. Yet, there are many things that people generally feel do not mix well that are necessarily related. Discipline and love would rank high on that list. Discipline, even formal discipline, is a necessity within the church of Jesus, and is in fact a helpful and needed demonstration of our love.
When diphtheria or scarlet fever hit a home in older days, simple disinfectant procedures were not good enough. No detergents were strong enough nor scrubbing sufficient enough to remove the harmful bacteria. The only tool left was fire – not to purify, but to destroy. In Paul’s desire to destroy the pride and arrogance of the Corinthians, he has appealed to the cross and Scripture. Still, if these appeals are not sufficient, he is prepared to use fire. Such fire can be seen in his very words today, where he instructs the Corinthians that if they really wish to avoid factions, they must remember
When most people consider the meaning of the cross, they think of it in terms of salvation: forgiveness for sins, cleansing, being made right with God. This is good! Such things are true and form the foundation of all Christian preaching of the cross. Yet, the cross has more for us than salvation; it is the very wisdom of God distilled, able to help and guide through all parts of life. This is Paul’s very point in our passage today.
We don’t place a great deal of worth on unity and community in the modern church. While this might be chalked up to many different influences, it nevertheless seems quite true. But what is also true, from even a cursory glance through the New Testament is that Paul doesn’t share that view. For him, unity is hard-baked into the gospel, as sure to be present among those who believe as the Spirit, as certain of an entailment as is forgiveness. We get of sense of why he saw things that way this morning.
Today, we start a new study looking at Paul’s first letter to the Corinthian congregation. This was a congregation built out of new converts, ignorant of many of the right and good practices of God before Paul came, and slow to move in the right direction at times. They were split into factions, had immoral sexual practices, seeking honor and power in the world. Yet Paul is so certain of their right standing in the Lord. Why is this so? Let us take a look at his argument throughout this book today.
In this text, we see judgment pronounced on six specific nations for the sins that they’ve committed. As we look at this verdict, we get a glimpse at the character of God, specifically how the almighty Lord of the universe carries out judgment. The main idea of this passage is this: The LORD will judge the world in righteousness and justice. As we work through this text, we will see eight aspects of God’s judgment.
WWJD bracelets were all the rage at one time. Their intent was to get the wearer to ask themselves, “What would Jesus do?” The problem with this is that one’s answer was totally subjective. Two people could have two radically different views as to what Jesus would do in any given situation. A better question to ask, and one that drives us to the gospels rather than our preconceived notions, is “What did Jesus do?” That’s precisely the question Paul asks as he presents Jesus as the perfect example of humility.
There are a number of things to point to when asking why the western Church is in the state that it is in. Many could point to the lack of quality leadership, preaching of Christ, love, or the insistence on drawing crowds. One of the factors in all of these things is the simple idea of repentance. People like to be forgiven, but hate repentance. It can be a distaseteful and ugly thing. Why ought we to repent? Let us turn to teh words of our Lord and hear him well!
Black holes are widely known and somewhat understood by people now; such was not the case 100 years ago. A completely unexpected outcome of a famous theory, they are monstrous in effect, crushing anything that comes to close to nothing, and stretching out that death forever. A better picture of sin could hardly be imagined. Today, we see how the Kingdom fights against this gravity, and the fate of those who pass beyond the point of no return.
Last week we considered how our interpretation of the law impacted our view of God. This week, we have a chance to see how our view of prophecy effects our understanding of Jesus. Many throughout the ages have been called to serve God’s people, both inside and outside the Scriptures. But only one is God’s chosen servant, sent to bring all his promises to fulfillment. There is only one Jesus.
Controversies are unfortunate things. We are strongly warned to not dip our toes into such streams carelessly, lest we be swept away with envy and deceit. Yet, we cannot always avoid such things – sometimes we must take up the word and fight. So far in his ministry, Jesus has avoided such contentious confrontations, but he can no longer. What is at stake is not merely an interpretation of the Sabbath, but what we think of as the very heart of God.
We are indeed grateful for the beautiful gift of salvation. But we often lose sight of the importance of salvation really and truly being a gift. We still judge people as being closer or further from the Kingdom based on their deeds, as though salvation was somehow dependent upon their goodness. Jesus forcefully reminds us that salvation is not for the good, the great, or the go-getters, but for those who repent and believe.
Doubt is a persistent thing in most human lives; it can be good, sometimes bad, and often irrelevant to our lives. But for those of faith, whose entire life and salvation hang upon belief and trust, doubt is not only a source of anxiety and vexation, but can become a crisis and put people on the edge of devastation. What can we do to battle such doubts? Jesus is here, as always, to help us. Let us turn to him this morning.
Jesus is kind to us, even in the giving of difficult news. While the sermon on the mission opened with some encouraging notes, Jesus quickly and surely turned to the bad news, making certain that the apostles knew what was facing them. Yet he doesn’t leave them without some hope – hope that he places before them today. What can we hold onto, what can we pursue, to help us endure to the end?
While Matthew and Jesus have already spoken to us about the nature of missions, there is much more ground to cover. In this second part of our study through the Lord’s instructions about missions, we have placed before us the stark nature of what we are sent out to do, and the faith that is necessary to see us through.
Why do Christians spend so much time speaking about, giving to, and engaging in missions? Can not the word of God spread, like rain from the heavens, the message on its own, naturally and organically. Yes, indeed it does. But it happens naturally through the disciples of Jesus, not through a mystic movement of God’s word. Today, Jesus summons his disciples to engage in missions, and we would do well to eavesdrop on his comments to them, that we might hear again the importance of taking the good news of Jesus to this lost world.
Today, as we finish our brief study about apologetics, we review the material we have discussed over the past 6 weeks, and field any remaining questions.
We often hear the saying that there are two sides to every story. We tend to only believe one, and often the other is rancid and worthless, a fiction used to prop up sin and lies. Yet even these stories are useful; they show us the lengths that sin will trod to keep its hold on us, and warn us against our own deceptive hearts. Today, Jesus will heal more people, showing his power and his might. And while much faith in him will be demonstrated, we also get examples of the “other side of the story”; those who stand in unbelief and denial. Let us consider both sides this morning!
Television shows like Survivor have become a window into the selfishness that characterizes our culture and fallen humanity as a whole. As contestants lie, cheat, and steal to gain advantage over their opponents, we recognize the same self-seeking, self-aggrandizing mindset that is all around us and, unfortunately, often within us. This mindset, while pervasive in 21st century America, is hardly unique to us. The early church had to contend with it, as well; it was, in fact, threatening to pull the Philippian church apart. As Paul continues the appeal for unity he began at the end of Philippians 1, we see some of the basic facts about the role our humility plays.
Evolution has been a particular thorn in the side of Christians for nearly 200 years. While some see no contradictions between this area of science and our faith, for many the problems between the two are insurmountable. Today, we look at some of the problems that evolution faces, and ways in which Christians can counter the claims of evolutionary biology.
Many people notice evil around them, but if God is good and all-powerful, why does evil exist? What kind of defense can Christians give? Today, we consider the problem of evil and the Christian response.
We often get stuck in seeing things certain ways because of our own culture and conventions. We tend to think we understand the world around us, and can make sense of all others, and their actions, through those lenses. As disciples, however, those ways of looking at things are at times challenged, and when challenged, ought to be discarded. Today, Jesus puts somewhat odd associations together for us, to help us see the world in (perhaps) a new light.
Do we really need to believe in miracles? There are many in our culture who see our belief in miracles as a clinging to the mystical past, a bygone era of superstition and unscientific trust. Friends, let us know better! The miracles of Jesus tell us as much about him, and what he has come to do, as any of his teachings. We need a miracle worker in our lives, and in Jesus we have just that. Praise him this morning as we read of his wondrous works!
As much as Jesus might be known for his wise words of teaching, like in the Sermon on the Mount, he is renowned for his miracles. Many, who would not otherwise be able to tell you almost anything about him, would know that he is held by those who believe in him as a miracle worker. While we have been introduced in a general way to those miracles (4:23), here we have our first introduction to the personal side of them. Matthew is not content just telling us stories, but desires that even those stories be part of an even larger, and more important, story.
Today, we start our 7-part study in apologetics, or the defense of the truth. We begin with a simple introduction to the topic, and review the goals for the class.
Aesop has given us many memorable fables over the years: the boy who cried wolf, the tortoise and the hare, the lion and the mouse. These have been given to us that we might, as little children, learn good morals. One of these, the goose that laid the golden egg, reminds us to flee from greed. But, as fables, we also learn well that anything that seems to good can’t last, or even be true. Today, Jesus challenges that assumption.
Worry and anxiety is, it seems, a part of life. Many in this world know what it is to be hungry and cold, and have understandable worries over their next meal and their clothing. Others have much of both, yet are still haunted by doubts about their security. Still others suffer from such strong and binding anxiety that nothing seems to be able to loosen. Jesus’ words today are for all of us. There is no need to fret over the worries and troubles of tomorrow, for God is Father, caring, concerned, and capable to give us all we need.
It is nice, as a pastor, to know we’re not the only ones who chase rabbits in sermons! Two weeks ago, Jesus starting to warn his disciples of acting like hypocrites, who performed their righteous feats only to get the applause of men. Yet, in the middle of that, he diverted to help us to understand how we ought to pray. Today, we resume and complete his teaching, as we are instructed to store up our treasures in heaven. Let those who have eyes to see, see!
Every sport requires not just a desired goal, but a strategy of how to achieve it. Often, the goals are straightforward, but how the team or the individual will pursue those goals can be quite different. Our own goals in the Christian life have been, to a certain extent, laid out for us in chapter 5 by Jesus. But Jesus has some important words for us about how we are to pursue those goals. His warnings, and admonitions, come to us here in the beginning of chapter 6. How should we pursue righteousness?
The world is filled with advice. Our friends give us advice, our parents, even the youngest among us are apt to spew their wisdom to whomever will listen! Some advice is good, some is bad, but none of it will ever be as good as the words of our Lord. His words are always true, even when difficult. But his words are not advice, but wisdom; this is not just the path to a better life, but the way to live wisely in his Kingdom. Let us listen well to his words as we consider the last 3 of his examples on the Greater Righteousness from Matthew 5.
Humans, not just the scribes and the Pharisees, but all of us in some measure try to do the least we can and still make the grade. We want efficiency, to put in a little effort and get maximal output. Yet, when it comes to our morality before God, Jesus informs us that this simply cannot be the case. This was the error of those of old, keeping the law in its barest requirements, and never seeking more. Today, Jesus begins to show us how we are to stretch for more – for a greater righteousness.
The nature and purpose of the law, now that Christ has come and redeemed us from its curse, has been and continues to be a major problem for Christians. We know that we are not saved by keeping it, but how much shall we look to it? How is it to instruct us, and what portions of it are we to follow? Such questions are given a variety of answers because they are indeed challenging. Today, we get help from the Lord, as he tells us his very condensed thoughts on the matter. This tightly packed statement will not tell us everything we need to know, but does provide some important guard rails for us as we move forward.
Salt and light have become so ubiquitous in our world, so normal and easy to find, that we hardly think of them anymore. This was, for the vast majority of human history, not the case. Salt was as good as gold, and light was perhaps even more precious. These are the very things that Jesus calls us to be. Today, as we hear his familiar words, let us be reminded again of the great call and urgent need there is in us being the salt of the earth and the light of the world.
Humans tend to want the same things, no matter the culture or the climate: we want wealth, power, fame, health. We seek these things, or at least whatever we think will gain them, not because of them alone but because they bring with them a happiness, a flourishing in the world. But Jesus has good news for us: God’s flourishing for us, God’s desires for us, include none of those things! We all can have a sense of happiness, be in a state of flourishing, without the trappings of the world. To understand this, let us consider Jesus’ beatitudes.
The Sermon on the Mount is known rightly as the greatest sermon ever preached. Preaching about it is really a daunting task! Why even try? The words of the sermon are always going to be better than anything that I offer, certainly. But, so it is for all of God’s words, and yet we still preach. Preaching is the method that God has given to clear away misunderstanding and to help his people rightly apply his word. To attempt this for the sermon, it is helpful to cover the overall vision of the message before we get into the particulars. There are three questions we will ask of the sermon this morning.
Jesus has had a busy week! But we celebrate today the dawning of the new week, the new work that God has in store for us in the resurrection. On Good Friday we thought through some of the implications of the cross, and today we get to do the same for the empty tomb. What are we to make of the resurrection of our Lord Jesus Christ?
Jesus has had a busy week! It is not yet over for him, though. The yielding of his life will give way to the resurrection on Sunday. The two days are inexorably linked, yet they different questions surround them. On Friday, the questions are not so much, “Did Jesus die?”, but, rather, “Why did Jesus die?” What was the purpose of his dying, and what did it accomplish?
We teach our children, from the youngest age, about opposites. High and low, right and left, good and bad. These are helpful concepts to have in life! Yet, sometimes, we don’t rightly apply that very basic concept to the Kingdom of heaven. The Kingdom of Jesus comes as the opposite of the world, as an enemy of the world, which is constantly at war with the world. Let us consider what that means for us today, as we listen to Jesus’ words from the very beginning of his ministry.
Temptation, for those striving for holiness, is never a welcome thing. For many, such trials just appear to be new ways to fail, to fall yet again into sin. Our text today is meant to be both a help and a comfort for us. For Jesus, temptation was real and yet overcome. And while he faces and defeats this temptation for us, he does by wielding weapons that we ourselves can wield. Let us be helped, and see the hope, that Jesus’ temptation is meant to provide.
Crossway is a Baptist church, and gladly so. We share much with other Baptist churches, but like any group, we are also quite different. Even amongst those who insist on creedal baptism, we differ quite a bit on the nature of baptism and what it represents. We at Crossway think that it is more than just a symbol (although it is at least that!). Today, we get to see in Jesus the importance of our baptism, and how it is more than just a symbol, but the center of our confession and union with him.
Jesus is a striking historical figure. Attempts to summarize him, to boil down his message or his work, have often failed for the basic reason that he comes to us, not as a simple person, but a complex one. He offers grace to the weakest and the most unholy of people, yet demands more from them than anyone in history had before. What are we to make of him? How do we rightly speak about these two distinct parts of Jesus’ own message? What insight might Matthew’s text today provide for us?
We often look to the skies for signs from God. Even as Christians, we know that the stars and heavens hold a message for us of God’s glory. Even so, we are also knowledgeable of our own failures in understanding that message, and humanity’s ability to pervert that message in the most foolish of ways. God has indeed given us a better revelation of himself. Today, as we think about the magicians from the east and their voyage to Jesus, let us think through what it means to receive God’s revelation, both in the sky and in the Scripture.
Why do evangelicals hold the virgin birth in such high esteem? It is tempting to think that this doctrine’s importance is only held up in relief to the skeptical time in which we live; a fundamentalist response to the challenge of modern science. But such is not the case! The early church felt strongly enough about it to place it in the creeds, and the church universal has long confessed it. Today, let us see how the virgin birth, as recorded in Matthew, should both comfort us and challenge us.
Where should biographies start? At the birth of the subject? But factors that shaped their lives were in place long before they were born. Parents, the nature of the culture that they were born into, the political situation? Each of our four Gospels starts in a unique position. Matthew, for his part, starts with a genealogy. We may question why Matthew would begin this way, but his introduction has questions for us as well!
Today, we come to the end of our study in Exodus. The story has moved quickly for such a long book. God has seen his people’s trials and heard their cries, he has called Moses, destroyed their enemies, given them commands, forgiven their sin, and made a way to dwell with them. Yet, while so much has been completed and done, we are left with the feeling and implication at the end of the book that much more needs to be done. As we finish and recap, what shall we learn from the Exodus?
In 1961, the Soviet Union detonated the largest nuclear bomb ever exploded during a test in the Artic Circle. The bomb was over twice the strength and size as the next largest bomb ever detonated, and remains so to this day. It is staggeringly difficult to imagine the power of the blast. We use numbers and analogies, but still cannot quite grasp it with any meaningful metric. If that is true for a manmade bomb, think of what the glory of God, who made all things, must be like! What could we compare it to? How might we describe it? What’s more, how do we experience it? Our text today is about the bold request of Moses to experience that very glory; but what does it hold for us today?
Anger is a part of the world. With sin so prevalent, and wrong so near, it would be odd if it wasn’t. Anger is rightly applied to the Lord in the presence of sin, so it is likewise a legitimate reaction for his people. Yet, it is never to control us or to be characteristic of God’s people. How, then, shall we be angry and not sin? While exhaustive rules would never suffice, our text today provides a very good model in Moses. Let us see how he handles his anger, that we might better handle ours.
Illusion in the form of magic is so interesting. It is equal part showmanship, psychology, and mechanics. There are a number of well-known and rehearsed illusions, one of my favorites being the quick-change. Exodus 32 provides us with a theological picture of a quick change, but for the worse: the people who were exuberant in their confession of obedience in chapter 24 have suddenly gone rogue in 32. Why the sudden shift? What has happened? And can it happen to us?
The light has come! What a glorious reality. In the deepest hours of the night, the light comes. In the darkest weeks of the winter, the light comes. Goodness and richness flow with it. But John promises something more: the darkness has not overcome it. Today, let us think through what John means by this little phrase as we celebrate the birth of our Lord together!
Moby Dick is considered by many the quintessential American novel, given over to the pursuit of vengeance and retribution, ephemeral monsters, and action pieces of grave import. Yet, it is also filled with much beside: talk of whale anatomy, uses for blubber, and the intricacies of whaling. The planning and building of the tabernacle are viewed in much the same light: distractions from the main thrust of the book. Yet, if we look closely, we can see there is much to learn from this wonderful Tabernacle!
There are plenty of people who believe in a power beyond this world, a thing that controls through a plan long ago put in motion, but one who refuses to dirty themselves by interfering in the things of the world. Our God does not appear to be such a god. But, since we clearly see that as the case, why has God left justice completely up to the Israelites? Our text today reminds us that he hasn’t – indeed, God is instrumental in our carrying out justice.
Mike Tyson famously said that everyone has a plan until they get punched in the mouth. God’s desire for his people has been laid out in the 10 commandments and in their further implications. But sin will punch back, and when it does how are the people to respond? Here, God begins to give his people the outline for justice, as they seek to right the wrongs that sin will cause among them. Justice is necessary where there is sin, so we all must strive for it in all our dealings.
Modern America is littered with megachurches; that is, churches that have over 2.000 weekly attenders. What do many of these churches have in common, and what can we learn from them? This is part of an ongoing series at Crossway in Church history.
The ten commandments are not dissimilar to hot dogs in American culture; most know of them, have tasted of them, even like them, although they have a very limited idea as to what is in them. Today, we have the pleasure of thinking about these commands, their place among God’s people, and what they mean for our lives. They are much more than just black-and-white laws but represent a way of life for us.
Historically, the black church has been quite involved with movements related to social justice, much more so than white churches. Today, we look at the reasons, historically and theologically, why that is so. This is part of an ongoing series during Crossway Sunday School looking at the history of the Church.
There are many works of literature in the world that mean more than what the plain words of the text mean. Animal Farm, the incisive novel by George Orwell, is one of those works. Clearly not meaning to write a book about the social order and governance of creatures on a farm, it is meant to have an importance beyond the animal world and tell us something of ours. The Bible often does this, and does this in our passage today. Let us see the importance of this deeper meaning and follow Jesus up the mountain.
The Catholic Church has both been maintained in its essentials and adapted to the modern world since the Council of Trent. Today, we look at some of those adaptations, and hope for more changes to come. This is part of an ongoing series during Crossway Sunday School looking at the history of the Church.
We are accustomed to war; it is part of the modern world, just as it has been a part of history. Fighting and bloodshed are part of the human condition. In the OT, those enemies were seen and known as the nations surrounding Israel. These both attacked Israel, and were attacked by them. Yet, this is not how we are instructed to handle our enemies – whoever they might be. What can we learn from a text like Exodus 17 if our response is to be so much different from Israel’s? We should learn, first of all, that not all enemies are as obvious as they seem!
How ought we to speak to God when we face grave difficulties? When does crying out to God bleed over into grumbling? We know that such grumbling is never right, but if that is so, are we to never speak to God about our pain and circumstances? And what of God? If God puts us in difficult positions, is he just tempting us to fail? Today, we have an opportunity to hear of the grumbling of God’s people, and God’s gracious response.
Liberalism was a movement, beginning in the 18th Century, that led many to deny the clear and evident words of the text of Scripture. Today, we investigate what theological liberalism is, its effects, and the response to it. This is part of an ongoing series during Crossway Sunday School looking at the history of the Church.
America's religious freedom has provided much good to Christians, allowing freedom of conscience in religious matters. However, this has also produced fertile ground for the production of heresy and cults. While not all of the movements we speak of this morning are cults or heresies, or are even strictly American, they have been produced and encouraged in a large part due to the unique American situation. This is part of an ongoing series during Crossway Sunday School looking at the history of the Church
Christians have long been a singing people. Songs and singing have formed a part of our worship of God from the very earliest of days. But why? What is it about songs that is so important to our right worship of God? And what should our songs say? Today, as we eavesdrop on the song the Israelites sang upon the destruction of their enemies, let us consider the importance of song in the worship of our God and the retelling of his mighty deeds.
The history of the Christian church has placed a great deal of emphasis on God’s glory. It forms the center of our purpose in creation and our goal in life. As the reformation confessions say, the highest purpose of humans is to glorify God and enjoy him forever. This is good biblical exegesis, and most would agree with it, in theory. But in our lives, the glory of God can cost us much more than we may have considered. We have before us a great example, as the people of God are rescued, for his glory, by crossing a sea on dry ground. What complaints could they have?
When reading through history, we are struck with numerous stories of people overcoming great odds and physical pain, only to feel the elation of victory. The majority of us can try to empathize with the wonder they felt at that moment, but the best we can really do is project from our own experiences. It would be hard to know how an Israelite felt when the Egyptians knocked on their door and told them to leave. It was elation of the highest order; centuries of slavery suddenly ended. Let us read of that very moment this morning, and of the Israelites great victory!
Charles Spurgeon was known as the "Prince of Preachers", and rightly so. Today we get to look at the life and ministry of this brilliant Baptist pastor. This is part of an ongoing series during Crossway's Sunday School reviewing church history.
Slavery was absent from Christianity for centuries, and yet suddenly reappeared. Why did this happen, and what justification did slave-holders, claiming to be Christian, give for it? This is part of an ongoing series during Crossway Sunday School looking at the history of the Church
God has a spotless record in his fight with Egypt. A perfect 9-0! Yet, there is unfinished work to be done, one more great and mighty work to perform before Egypt will send his people away. Therefore, this is to be the act of their deliverance that they will always remember – indeed, God thinks this act so important that they were to always recall it forevermore. And so we do, thanks to Jesus, understand the full and complete Passover from death. But what does the Passover mean?
Jonathan Edwards is thought by many to be the greatest philosopher and theologian of the New World. While there is much to applaud in the work and life of Edwards, there is also much for thought. This is part of an ongoing series during Crossway's Sunday School reviewing church history.
We are always trying to make sure that the future is as secure as possible. Is this car I’m buying worth the money? How can I know I’m marrying the right person? What is the weather going to be like next week? Yet, the future remains a mystery to us. What of more important things – what of salvation? Indeed, we are given many assurances, but many of us still have doubts. What if we don’t believe rightly, or enough? What can Pharoah’s failure teach us about our own salvation? To change the question slightly, what can we do to assure our destruction?
As we continue to look at the miracles done in Egypt, we take on the second of the three triads of miracles, the sending of the flies, the plague on the livestock, and the boils sent on humans. In the first set, God took on the power of the magicians and showed himself much more powerful. Here? He directly challenges Pharaoh’s power. It is clear that Pharaoh cannot match God’s power and might. No power in the world can. So, do you trust in the power of God?
As Paul moves into the main body of his letter to the Philippians, he has every reason to be miserable. He is a prisoner of Rome, shackled to a soldier night and day, and facing the prospect of execution. Additionally, a portion of the church at Rome is apparently seeking to bring harm or misfortune to him in his imprisonment. Despite all this, Paul has a true and abiding joy. In our text this morning, Paul gives two reasons for this joy, that we would do well to consider
This morning, we look at one of the greatest evangelists in church history, and perhaps the very first modern Christian celebrity George Whitefield. This is part of an ongoing series during Crossway's Sunday School reviewing church history.
Charles Wesley was a monumental figure for both British and (what would become) American religious life in the middle-portion of the 18th Century. Today, we look at the founder of Methodism, and track some of his lasting impact. This is part of an ongoing series during Crossway's Sunday School reviewing church history.
Today we finally begin to read through and consider the plagues God has visited upon Egypt! These were mighty works, designed to display the power and glory of God above every power conceivable to man. Here, in the first section of these wonders, God turns the Nile to blood, sends frogs upon the land, and brings lice out of the dirt. But what do such things tell us about God? If these are to be a demonstration of God and his power, what are they telling us?
There were, generally, three responses to the increased rigor and dogmatism that seemed to define the Church after the Reformation. Today, we consider the first two of these responses, Rationalism and Spiritualism. This is part of an ongoing series during Crossway's Sunday School reviewing church history.
We at Crossway often talk about the sovereignty of God, his power and purpose being displayed in even the smallest of events, and even over the actions of his free and responsible creatures. There are numerous reasons to affirm this doctrine, but the most important of these is that we think that it is biblical. But is it? The debate over such things has gone on for some time, but often comes back to the texts that we will be talking about soon – the hardening of Pharaoh’s heart. As we consider these texts today, and the other ways in which God is showing his power over the created order, I hope we can bring clarity and inspire faithfulness in this important doctrine!
Jacob Arminius rejected some of the ideas current in his day, particularly regarding Predestination. But what did he, and especially the Remonstants really say? This is part of an ongoing series during Crossway's Sunday School reviewing church history.
Talking about the Devil, or Satan, or Beelzebub, has become passé in many Christian contexts. For whatever reason, while they might hold onto the idea of an all-powerful and sovereign Lord over all, the idea of an angelic enemy that seeks the downfall of humanity is at best worn out, at worst humiliating. Yet, the Bible is relentless in seeing the Devil as our enemy, his attacks as real, and his power as standing behind evil. The OT is less emphatic in ways, but clear to the presence of a real enemy standing against the people of God. What do we do when he attacks? How will God respond?
The Puritans, who were important and instrumental in shaping American Christianity, got their start just after the English Reformation. Today, we see the context in which they arose during the early portions of the 17th Century. This is part of an ongoing series during Crossway's Sunday School reviewing church history.
Families can be sources of the most brilliant moments of your life. Random moments at a dinner table, on some general Tuesday, may be remembered for a lifetime, and bring joy in the darkest of seasons. But those dark seasons may be brought on by that very same family. These are the people we are closest to; and for that very reason they play an outsized role in our lives. Today’s text is all about family, and how we as a family are bound together, for better or worse.
The Catholic Reformation was the counterpart to the Protestant movement in the 16th Century. Here, the Roman Catholic Church attempts to define its theology over and against what they considered the Protestant heresy. This is part of an ongoing series during Crossway's Sunday School reviewing church history.
It has been said that we become what we worship. If that is true, and I believe it to be so, then we would do well to try to form and shape our understanding of God the best we can by what he reveals to us in Scripture. In the stead of vain speculation and wish-fulfillment, we can be sure of that which God has spoken about himself, and trust in it to be true, accurate, and good for us. Moses, no doubt, has some thoughts about what God might be like. But today we get a brief glimpse into God’s introduction of himself to Moses, and how this God is very different from all other gods.
Today, we look at Henry VIII and the mess he made of both his marriages and the church, and the good that God would make from it. This is part of an ongoing series during Crossway's Sunday School reviewing church history.
Last week, we talked about Calvin's life. This week, we take on his contention about baptism; specifically his claim that both circumcision and baptism are meant to symbolize the same reality. This is part of an ongoing series during Crossway's Sunday School reviewing church history.
We have a bit of a mess on our hands. Our construction has just started, and while it is meant to make our lives easier around here, for the present time it will indeed bring dust, stress, and inconvenience to us. This is what happens when you build in this world. The same is true for God – he is not just giving redemption to his people, he is making them into a people, into a nation. This will cause some problems, as there are many who will stand in God’s path, and declare themselves enemies of his plan. In Exodus 1, we see these lines drawn clearly
As the great second-generation reformer, John Calvin did much to set the theological heart of Protestants for centuries to come. Today, we look at his life and think through some aspects of his theology. This is part of an ongoing series during Crossway's Sunday School reviewing church history.
The book of Exodus seems to many like a book of myth; filled with impossible stories meant to build up in the mind of the reader a reason for the existence of Israel. To some, it is a strictly historical book, depicting the long ago and far away rescue of a people that’s importance for us is obscure and somewhat removed from our everyday life. But neither of these is true! It is a book, not about Israel’s escape from Egypt, but about our escape from death. It is about our redemption, pictured. Today, we will try to see the layout of the book as a whole, so that our path through the texts will be clearer.
On June 24, 2022, the United States Supreme Court handed down a monumental and sought after ruling in Dobbs v. Jackson Women’s Health Organization that overturned the precedent of nearly 50 years set down in Roe v. Wade. Since that fateful day, there has been much heat generated, but very few sources of light. This morning, let us seek the light of the Word of God, and hear from it what it has to say about abortion, and pray that it gives us some guidelines on the road ahead.
The Anabaptist movement during the Reformation was a wide and diverse movement. Today, we look at the good and bad of the movement that sparked hatred from Protestants and Catholics alike. This is part of an ongoing series during Crossway's Sunday School reviewing church history.
An important reformer, today we get to look at the life and theology of Ulrich Zwingli, the great Swiss theologian. This is part of an ongoing series during Crossway's Sunday School reviewing church history.
The letter to the Romans is known as one of the greatest theological works of all time. Such a conclusion is hard to disagree with; where else can one find the details of the gospel laid out in such a clear and articulate fashion? And, in the book of Romans, not only does Paul seek to explain the gospel, but to implore others to help in promoting it throughout the world. Today, we get to hear Paul’s conclusion to the book, and see his love, concern, and hope for the Romans.
The continuation of the life of Martin Luther, looking at his major theological points. This is part of an ongoing series during Crossway's Sunday School reviewing church history.
We, as Great Commission Baptists, know well our duty to take the gospel to the nations. The desire to take the gospel to where it has not been named is nearly as central to our identity today as it was to Paul’s as an apostle of the Lord Jesus Christ. Yet, it is a dangerous venture, and one not taken lightly. There are things that we must remember, lest we get sidetracked, lose focus, and in doing so lose the gospel. Today, let us use Paul’s heart for missions as a guide for our own.
The continuation of the life of Martin Luther, including the Diet of Augsburg through the Diet of Worms. This is part of an ongoing series during Crossway's Sunday School reviewing church history.
A recounting of the history of Martin Luther, up to the Diet of Augsburg. This is part of an ongoing series during Crossway's Sunday School reviewing church history.
Our walk through the wilderness of this world can be difficult and exasperating. Many, trying to cope with that reality, do so by lowering their goals and expectations. But Christians ought to rightly know that such a solution doesn’t really solve the problem. Christ places on us high expectations, even when he knows that we will fail. Therefore, Paul seeks to encourage both the Romans, and us, in the difficult tasks laid down in the letter. He does this by showing us his own mind and heart in Romans 15:14-21.
All this talk of unity is not meant simply for the immediate body of believers; rather, it extends out to talk about all of our partnerships and how we are to have unity with them. For us at Crossway, that means the unity we have with our sister churches in the SBC, and our missionaries across the world. Paul sees this connected, not just to practical matters in Rome, but to the very purpose of God in the gospel. How are we to live in that purpose?
At the end of Romans 14, Paul continues his discussion of the weak and the strong. The weak are in a precarious position, and the strong must be careful in how they use their liberty to not hurt the faith of those who are already weak. Why should this matter to them? Is not the sin of the weak their own sin? Why is food such a big deal, anyway? In this text, there are three primary actors, and we can learn much from each of them:
Very early in the act of creation, God’s organization of chaos was seen. Light and darkness separate, as do the heavens and the waters and the land. Yet, God also brings some things together, as he does when Adam and Eve, although separate, are united as one. Today, Paul reminds us that what God has brought together we ought not separate, causing division or disruption to the people of God over our own opinions. Let us hear Paul’s wise advice for how we out accomplish this in the Spirit of God.
Having spoken over specific instructions about love, that we should love our brethren, our enemies, and ourselves, and even speaking about a particular kind of love shown in obeying authorities, Paul turn to summarize why it is that we love the way we do: we are debtors in love to those around us. This high calling is difficult, so Paul likewise gives us encouragement in the trial, as he reminds us the dawn is near.
We often wonder how Christians should handle themselves in the foreign land that is this world. Answers are not easy; problems are legion. So, in coming to Romans 13, we have perhaps the clearest and boldest statement of Paul to these questions. Christians, at the very least, are to have as their first instinct a mind of submission to the authorities of the world. Today, we think through how that applies to us.
In Romans 12:1-2, Paul instructed us to not be conformed to this world, but be transformed through the renewing of our minds. As Paul begins to lay out for us the practice of the Christian life, he gives us a hint at precisely what he means by this. The Christian life is meant to be lived in the body of Christ, his church, striving to serve one another in faith. How are we to do this, though? Paul helps us see how this all fits together in Romans 12:3-8.
In Luke, we have reported that Jesus was crucified with two criminals. Each of these has different and profound responses to Jesus; one rails and him while the other expresses trust. Each of these men, and Jesus' words themselves, provides for us three distinct images from Scripture. Let us hear from these pictures, that we may better see the beauty and wonder of the cross!
“He is risen! He is risen indeed!” Is this just a cute phrase that the early church paraded around to who the worthiness of Jesus for worship and adoration, with out any real meaning? What does his resurrection really mean for us? More, perhaps, than you think. As Paul writes to the Corinthians and defend the resurrection, we learn much about the importance and the necessity of Jesus’ resurrection. Today, we will trace his argument in 1 Corinthians 15. Let us see the good of what we proclaim!
As the end of chapter 11 acted as an epilogue, or an afterword, on the entirety of the first 11 chapters of the book of Romans, the first two verses of Romans 12 do the same for the last chapters of the book. This prologue or foreword helps to summarize all that Paul will call on the people of God to do and be. These famous verses are of great importance, as they set the tone for all Christian ethics and the direction for our devotion to God. May we hear these verses well this morning!
Paul’s discussion of God’s good plan for Israel, as well as the laying out of salvation which has occurred over the past 11 chapters has lead Paul (and us!) to one of the most glorious benedictions in Scripture. We are ever being led by our own hearts to consider ourselves as central – God acts solely on our behalf and the universe itself twirls around our wants and whims. But such things are not for our good, for they are not the gospel – for the gospel itself is from, through, and to God. And all this, for our good!
There is very little in this world than feeling as though your time is being wasted. We get so short a time here on earth, and we typically want to feel as though we are spending it in the ways we desire. So, if that is so, why spend so much time worried about God’s dealings with a foreign nation, one whose people we likely do not deal with on a regular basis? Is this all a waste of time? No, certainly not. Indeed, we ought to find much to help us in hope and humility in his plan for Israel. Let us hear how today in Romans 11.
No one wants to be rejected. It is a horrible feeling, no matter how gently one is let down. Whether rejected for a job or in love, it can crush even the best of us. How much more crushing, then, would it be to be rejected by God? To be sworn off forever, with no hope of salvation? Given what Paul has said in Romans 9-10, is this the very fate of the people that God has called his own, even Israel? No, Paul argues, God has not forsaken completely his people. Today, as we begin Romans 11, we begin to see why.
We live in an unprecedented age of information distribution. Who might have guessed, even 15 years ago, how easy it would be to gain real-time information of world events? Twitter and Facebook give us updates on a war halfway across the globe; the Super Bowl provides opportunities for companies to promote their messages to millions in a single moment. Yet, the mission of God goes forward with a slow and steady pace, not aided by the technological innovations of our modern age, but by the presence of the Spirit in the church. Today, let us see what the mission of God looks like in Romans 10.
Americans love new things. Whether seeking after a new car, a new phone, or new furniture, we love to have the newest and latest things. This is no less true in religious circles – we like innovation in almost every way. This seems embodied in Christianity. After all, we are New Testament people. Even so, Paul seems intent on dissuading the Romans from the pursuit of novelties. Faith in Jesus Christ is new in a real sense, but it is also as radically old as the law itself. Today, let us think about the salvation that Jesus affords us yet again.
Paul has made it clear that salvation depends upon God alone; for he will have mercy upon who he has mercy. Even so, we know that God’s decreed will has clear and noticeable outcomes in people’s actions: Pharaoh’s heart was hardened and he did not let people go. So what has Israel done that demonstrated their failure to obtain the blessings? What is the source of their unbelief? Paul makes it clear: they pursued the law by works, not by faith. This is the failure of all who forsake the grace of Christ!
Paul has started, at the beginning of the 9th chapter, to explain to the Romans the reason for the rejection of Jesus as the Messiah by Israel. Today, we look as Paul continues his discussion of election by looking at the benefits of election, what it tells us about God and how his work in salvation is sufficient and complete. While election can be a difficult subject for us to reconcile with other fundamental doctrines, we should embrace the goodness of it, for in it we see the glory of God.
Following his encouraging discussion of God’s unfailing love at the end of Romans 8, Paul shifts his focus in Romans 9 to consider the sad reality that Israel, who played a central role in salvation history, has failed to embrace their longed-for Messiah. In verses 1-13, Paul begins to tackle this difficult subject using the examples of Isaac and Jacob.
Romans 8:31-39 is Paul’s conclusion, not just to the first thirty verses of chapter 8, but to the train of thought he’s been developing since chapter 5. He’s thoroughly explained the status and blessings that belong to those who are saved by grace through faith in Christ Jesus, apart from the Law, and he concludes now with words of hope and encouragement regarding the love of God.
Last week, Paul briefly mentioned suffering. Such suffering, as we strive for holiness in the world, will be inevitable. What could possibly make such suffering worth persevering through? What assurance did those who gave their lives for the faith have that such acts were truly good for them? And do we have access to such assurances as well? Paul desires that God’s people be encouraged through their suffering to hold on to Christ, and he begins that good work today by reminding us of what we are striving toward: Glory.
Last week, Paul briefly mentioned suffering. Such suffering, as we strive for holiness in the world, will be inevitable. What could possibly make such suffering worth persevering through? What assurance did those who gave their lives for the faith have that such acts were truly good for them? And do we have access to such assurances as well? Paul desires that God’s people be encouraged through their suffering to hold on to Christ, and he begins that good work today by reminding us of what we are striving toward: Glory.
While we have seen that Romans 7 was not meant to imply the struggle that Christians have with sin, we are right to insist that there is indeed a struggle. If anyone was to gain the implication from Paul’s work that the fight with sin is over because of what Christ has done, they are sorely mistaken. Paul knows the battle ahead for all Christians, one of toil and hardship as they battle the sin in their bodies. Today, he not only implores us to do all we can to pursue holiness, he also gives us the ammunition we need to fight that good fight.
Paul continues to hit the same melody, but as a great composer, he tinkers with the arrangement. In the beginning of chapter 8 it is the glorious news that “there is now no condemnation for those in Christ Jesus.” This has been the theme of his letter, and of all Christendom since its inception. But what does this have to do with our sanctification? Is not Christ’s death and resurrection simply our pass out of hell and into heaven? Here, Paul argues that it is not; rather, the very work of Christ is the center of all of our holiness. Let us consider:
The difficulty of Romans 7 comes through in many ways. Is Paul talking about himself? Is he speaking of his life in Christ, or of the struggle he had in the law before his conversion? How could he consider himself once “alive” apart from the law, or the law dead until the command came? Today, we hope to provide some guidance for questions such as this, knowing that full confidence is likely impossible. But we of one thing we are assured: struggling against sin in our own power is futile, but through Christ we have all the victory we will ever need!
The law has a unique pull for Christians, especially those of the first Century. It was the expression of faithfulness for millennia, and held out a type of holiness that Christians wanted to gain. Yet, Paul is clear: not only do we not need the law to gain holiness, it is even a hindrance to the very holiness we seek. Today, as we return to the book of Romans, let us consider how the law is a hindrance to our holiness, as we pursue with passion the things of our God.
The end of the year, or the beginning of the next, is always a good time to reflect on the year, and to assess ourselves. The book of Malachi gives us a unique opportunity to do so; for as Malachi prophesies to his people, he asks them a series of questions seeking to show them their failings and to encourage them in the right pursuit of God. Let us do the same this morning! Today, we ask 5 questions of ourselves:
Zechariah is not best known as the prophet of Christmas. Yet, the themes that we find in his visions and prophecies help us to understand Christmas better. God has promised good for his people, and he will bring that good about. He will do this in unexpected ways, through Jesus himself. And so, we are to feast with our God, as a symbol of our faith that God’s Kingdom is soon in coming. Let us hear from Zechariah himself about God’s grace for us.
Haggai is a very short book, just 37 verses total, covering a mere 4 months of Old Testament history. And not much is known about prophet himself. Despite these two realities, the book is an important one, as it covers a significant event in the history of the Old Testament people of God. By studying the 2 chapters of Haggai, we can observe:
This morning we have had the great pleasure of witnessing 5 baptisms. Praise God! In light of this, I think that it would be a good time to think through in some more detail the meaning of the Lord’s Supper that these new members will be taking for the first time as members of Crossway Christian Church. What does the NT indicate that the Lord’s Supper means? Is it merely symbolic of Jesus’ death, or is it more than that? If more, what? While much more can be said, this morning let us meditate on a couple of features of our Lord’s Supper.
Zephaniah is not a well-known prophet. While a good deal of his writing and style finds its way into the imagery of Revelation, not much is used from him in other places in the NT. This, however, doesn’t mean that he is not important! Rather, he has much to say to God’s people, even today. In his three short chapters, he reminds us of the way in which God deals with all people, with justice and equity, promising destruction and salvation to the world.
The problem of evil, its existence and how God will solve it, is a problem that will evade our understanding forever. We are also, thankfully, not the first to ask such questions. How can God allow evil? Why does he not abolish it forever? What’s more, why does he use evil in the world, even if it is to bring about that which is good? Habakkuk has these same questions, and yet the answers that he gets are not the answers he desires. Nevertheless, he is content to simply trust in the Lord to work good through their wickedness. Can we say the same?
It is not hard to imagine that Nahum was precisely the prophet that Jonah wanted to be. Nahum, like Obediah, was sent to give a particular message of destruction to a particular people. Like Jonah, Nahum speaks of Assyria and its capital of Nineveh, but unlike Jonah, his prophecy is one of unredacted wrath. What has brought such wrath upon Nineveh, and what might we learn from it even today? Let us turn to Nahum and hear what the prophet from Elkosh has to say!
Micah the prophet hits all of the notes that the rest of the prophets do: there will be wrath and destruction over the sins of the people of both Judah and Israel. Yet, the way that Micah plays those notes is distinct from the other prophetic voices we have heard; wrath is present, yet the overriding theme is God’s eventual and faithful deliverance of his people. Deliverance, not just from his wrath, but also from their own sin, through a humble man from the humble town of Bethlehem Ephrathah. What themes do we discover as we read through Micah?
Jonah is a well-loved and well-known story. It is an amazing story about a prophet who doesn’t want to prophesy, and the fish that swallowed him. It is really that last bit that captures our attention – who has ever heard of such a thing? The story is truly amazing, which is why so many people doubt its veracity. But we ought not doubt its truthfulness, for Jonah was not penned to give us an fable or a myth, nor even just a good story, but a realistic picture of ourselves and our savior.
Obadiah is a short book, but don’t let that fool you – it has a powerful and timely message for us. Although the Edomites thought they had done no wrong, and that Judah may have had its destruction coming to them, God knew better. Their pride has deceived them, and led them into their own destruction. So, what shall we learn from this little letter? What does an inner-family rivalry from the 6th Century BC actually have to do with us? Much, in every way!
Amos is not a difficult book to comprehend. He doesn’t mince words, and he doesn’t hold back on his shots. The people of Israel have affronted God; they have largely abandoned seeking to know him, and it shows in all of their works. They do not love their neighbor, they do not seek justice, they do not seem to have any inkling of the depth of righteousness the Lord desires. Rather, they are fat, sleek, comfortable, and content with the world while others suffer in their midst. God will not stand for this among his people – so will he do so among us? What should we do to escape their fate?
Many prophetic books have a similar flow and presentation. The nation of Israel has sinned; the wrath of God is coming upon them and the nations; yet God is glorious in his mercy and love, and will spare his people in the end. Joel, however, sounds different. There is no mention of Israel’s sin, rampant idolatry, or poor leadership. Instead, there are pleas to rightly handle common tragedy, and to practice right responses. This liturgy of Joel, of experiencing hardship and coming close to the Lord, seeks to help us rightly respond ourselves. How should we respond to tragedy?
The book of Hosea is well known for many passages. Even so, readers may find the book daunting as it stands, mixing metaphors and, it seems, even messages. Israel has been adulterous to their God, unfaithful to the last. The Lord, therefore, will cut them off from his presence, and bring all of the curses of the law’s failing down upon them. Yet, in the same breath, Hosea makes it clear that God will also forgive, pardon, and show almost impossible mercy. This mystery of God’s wrath and love, mixed and poured out, is answered ultimately in Jesus Christ, the sacrifice for our sins, and the husband who makes faithful the unfaithful bride.
Many want to have their cake and eat it, too. Christians want to both have assurance of salvation, to avoid hell, but also to live out their sinful lives as they see fit. They take comfort in the idea that Christ forgives their sin. But here in Romans, Paul argues that such ideas are foolish and ignorant. Christians are not free to live lives bound to sin and death; but rather, having been freed from sin, we are to be bound to Christ, to live faithfully before him. Let us read from Romans 6 today, and see how we ought to live as saints, under grace.
Many want to have their cake and eat it, too. Christians want to both have assurance of salvation, to avoid hell, but also to live out their sinful lives as they see fit. They take comfort in the idea that Christ forgives their sin. But here in Romans, Paul argues that such ideas are foolish and ignorant. Christians are not free to live lives bound to sin and death; but rather, having been freed from sin, we are to be bound to Christ, to live faithfully before him. Let us read from Romans 6 today, and see how we ought to live as saints, under grace.
Our culture often uses the phrase “she’s my type” to mean that a person has either the personality or physical traits that another person desires. The NT and theologians also use it in a positive sense, often when looking at how figures in the OT shadow and demonstrate the nature and work of Christ. Melchizedek, Moses, and David are all wonderful examples of this. Yet, here in our text today, Adam stands as our type; not of one who walks faithfully to show us Christ, but one that Christ will be the negative of, his complete and utter opposite. For Jesus has undone the evil and harm that Adam wrought, and he has become the true and better Adam.
The passage we come to today is fraught with difficulties. It is the subject of much debate, both in that parts are difficult to put together, and in that so much rides on our interpretation of them. To manage this difficulty, we will walk slowly through these verses, which on their own are only a prelude to a bigger and better point that Paul wishes to make. Yet, if we do not understand these words correctly, we can misconstrue that larger point, and miss the glory of the work of Jesus for us. What does Adam’s sin and guilt have to do with us? Let us turn to Romans 5:12-14 and hear the Word of our God.
One of my favorite films of all time, The Shawshank Redemption was originally a short-story by Stephen King, best known for his horror novels. Yet, Shawshank is rather a meditation on hope. What happens when a man loses his hope? What’s worse – what happens when a man persists through pain and sorrow in hope, only to have his hopes dashed? King wasn’t the first to think through such issues. In some sense, we all do. We know that sometimes we hope against hope, and we get burned. Yet, for Christians, we have a hope that is both grand and secure. Let us listen to the apostle Paul today as he talks about the nature of our hope as Christians.
The Lord Jesus Christ is the true shepherd of the church. Yet, he has given to the church under-shepherds, men given over to the task of caring for and maintaining the well-being of the sheep. How are we to do this? Let us follow the path of the Good Shepherd to find out!
We are often sold the idea that lives are directed and fashioned by solitary moments in our lives, monumental events that happen to us that change fundamentally who we are and what we are about. Yet, for many of us, this is not our reality. Our lives are not changed by any solitary moment, but by many moments, strung together, slightly altering both us and our trajectory in life. Abraham’s life of faith is no different. Although the promise of Genesis 15 was a momentous occasion for him, his was not a momentary faith, but a lifelong walking with God. What kind of faith did Abraham have, and how should we imitate him?
Circumcision was not a small deal to the Jewish people. It was a religious mark, a physical reminder not only of God’s promise, but of their belonging to God through their father Abraham. Yet, almost offhandedly, Paul sweeps away all concerns about circumcision with 4 small verses here in his letter to the Romans. Why can he do this? He offers a brief, straightforward explanation: Abraham was justified without, so too, then, are we. Other than not becoming Jewish, what does this mean for our lives? What can we learn from Paul’s insistence on faith being not just all we need, but the only thing we can have to be justified before God?
This morning we have the great privilidge of baptizing two young men, Nate LaBo and Isaac Wallaker. Both young men not only are baptized today, but therefore have the opportunity to take the Lord’s Supper for the first time. While we often speak of the meaning of the Lord’s Supper, this is a good opportunity to speak about what baptism means, why we at Crossway handle it as we do, and how it relates to the Lord’s Supper. As we approach thinking about baptism, let us ask some foundational questions
We can no longer live the same lives we lived before there were smart phones, the internet, automobiles, and refrigeration. Yet, of all the events that have changed the course of human history, the cross of Jesus Christ stands at the apex. Nothing has radically shaped the future quite like that one weekend 2,000 years ago. So, what was life like before that? Or, rather, what was salvation like before? If saints of old were saved by faith, what did they believe in? Or were they just saved by works? Today, Paul points to our shared salvation with those who have come before us; even with those who came before Christ.
We love to press forward. We can consider the past, sure, but there is little time to consider what has happened when there is so much that will happen! Paul, having finished announcing our great gift of justification in Christ, would not be faulted for doing the same. We have a great inheritance, a great salvation, glory itself to consider! But, while such things will indeed be spoken of, Paul is in no hurry to look beyond the things of the past. Instead, let us consider with Paul how understanding rightly what has come before helps us to move forward. What does our justification, by faith, teach us about the law?
Previously, as we walked through the first part of these verses, we saw that God’s salvation did not simply entail the putting aside of his justice, but rather the upholding of it. Oddly, when turning to our salvation, Paul notes that God has manifested his righteousness through faith in Jesus Christ. All that is good! But how, precisely, does the work of Jesus make God both the just one and the justifier of sinners? How can God be both faithful to his promises to be merciful and bless us and faithful to his promise to punish sin? By having Jesus Christ, his faithful servant, die in our place!
This week, Bill Cosby, formerly convicted of sexual assault, was allowed to walk free in Pennsylvania. It was not because the court, the jurors, the prosecution, the press, or almost anyone else in America thought that he was truly innocent. Rather, he was released on a technicality. Knowingly guilty, he is now a free man. This is not much different than those who profess Christ; knowingly guilty, we are justified freely by Jesus’ death on our behalf. Yet, what of justice? It is hard to say that justice was served in Cosby’s case; does our forgiveness mean God is unjust? What can we say to these things?
Few people like to be the bearers of bad news. Those who are given such a task do not relish it. To have to inform someone that they are losing their job, that they have cancer, that some untold horror has come true is difficult for anyone. Yet, we have just such news to tell. And worse: our news is the worst that we can imagine; not simply a message of death, but of death eternal; of an all-powerful God whose wrath against us burns hot with no way for us to extinguish it. Yet, this very news is vital to grasp, for only in this, the worst of news, can we truly find the best of our God.
Questions are incredibly useful things. They are the way that we find out what we don’t know, helping to increase our knowledge of the world. They help to clarify our thinking when we are foggy about things. They can likewise be used as weapons and as rhetorical tools. Paul has labored in the first two chapters of his letter to lay the foundational reality of sin that provides the necessity of the gospel – all, Jew and Greek, have sinned and need the work of Jesus in their life. Here, as we begin Romans 3, Paul helps to clarify his points through the use of questions.
Paul has been making his case that no one, on their own, is righteous before God. He has spent time focused on the unrighteousness of the Gentiles, and in the first half of Romans 2 began to turn his attention to the Jews. Now in our passage this morning, he turns his focus explicitly on the Jews. The Jews had great faith that the outward trappings of their religion would guarantee them safety from God’s judgment, but they neglected the deeper reality that was meant to be signified by these exterior marks.
Romans is known for its encouraging and uplifting passages. Few texts are quite as faith building and theologically rich as 3:21-26; few can encourage us in good works as 6:15-19; few are as uplifting in suffering as 8:18-39. These are the bright lights that many consider the heart of the epistle. Yet, we are not in these bright lights, but in Paul’s ongoing discussion of idolatry, sin, and judgment. But, even in these dark themes, we can see the light of the gospel shine brightly. Today, as we consider again God’s judgment, let us hear afresh the good news of Jesus’ grace.
One year ago this week, the dam at Edenville broke, sending some 2.8 billion cubic feet of water downstream, eventually causing the Sanford dam to break, and destroying the small town of Sanford. Even as the waters rescinded, the misery continued, as the devastation lingered, for many, even to this day. Our idolatry has broken the dam of our sin, and we now find that we are awash in it. In the last of Romans 1, Paul helps us to see our great predicament, and begins to prepare the path for the great salvation we are afforded in Christ.
Why is our sin so bad? Some of it is small and light, is it not? Would God send us to hell for lying in court to make sure the right verdict comes out? For simply getting angry now and again? Such questions are not new, but radically old, and are instructive. What is the real problem with our sin? And, if we can rightly identify that, what does the gospel of Jesus do about it? Today, we get a brief initial glance at our great problem, as Paul begins to outline the heart of the gospel in Romans 1:18-23. Let us hear from Paul about our great sin.
Paul was not a man who lacked boldness. He fearlessly strode into places that he knew would not receive him well, where his enemies surrounded him and would relentlessly pursue his life. Yet, all the same, he persisted in preaching the gospel. What gave Paul his great confidence and boldness? Was it a confidence in himself? In his abilities and, if nothing else, his way with words? Let us consider today where that confidence of Paul has come from, and press to make it our own, lest we be said to be ashamed of the gospel.
Luther’s conversion to the true gospel was likely not accomplished in one specific moment. Yet, if there was a moment, it was in studying the passage that lies before us today. It was here, above all else, that Luther came to realize that God’s gift of salvation was truly that, a gift, and that he might leave behind all attempts to earn such favor through his own merits. And it happened as he considered the small phrase “the righteousness of God.” Let us take time to think through this important phrase this morning, and see in it the glory of the gospel of our God.
Many see any claim to authority as a claim to power, and in that, the ability to oppress and use others. Such claims are not typically wrong. We see throughout Scripture and history that men (and women!) use their authority for evil purposes, and seek to control others for their own selfish good. But, through Christ, who is of the highest authority, we have the prime counter-example! He who had all authority came to give his life as a ransom. Paul, in our passage this morning, displays the same understanding of authority, as he serves the Romans through his apostleship.
The authority of the apostle was an ongoing issue in many churches, not least among those very churches that he founded (see 1, 2 Cor or Gal). Why would Rome be different? The Roman churches were not started by Paul, nor did Paul’s preaching and understanding form them as they began to take shape. What right does Paul have to write such a letter to them? Why should they listen? Why should we? Anticipating such questions, Paul gives a lengthy introduction to his letter, where his sets his apostleship from Christ as his authoritative stamp from the Lord himself.
Before you take a trip, it is always a good idea to look at a map of the place you will visit, even if you can navigate the city with your phone’s GPS. Doing so allows you to orient yourself correctly where you visit, and will undoubtedly help you to keep your experiences in context. Today, as we plan our visit to Paul’s letter to the Romans, we will look at the map of Romans, trying to capture the layout of the letter from a 30,000-foot view. What is it that Paul is trying to say in the book, and what are the major themes? Let us find out today, as we study the book of Romans.
Christmas is the American holiday. No other day comes close, really. Christmas has its own music, sweaters, trees, cookies, and movies. Easter, at least in America, cannot compete with that! Yet, since Christianity’s inception, Resurrection Sunday has been the church’s most important day of remembrance. It is not just that we celebrate it one day a year, but every Sunday that we gather is a microcosm of this day. But why make such a fuss? Why spend so much time bothering over something that happened so long ago? Given all that happens in the world today, all that we face, is this worthy of our time? Is Jesus worthy of all this?
Christians do many weird things. Today, we proclaim the day that the Lord of glory, the one in whom we hope for eternal life, dying at the hands of wicked and sinful men, is a day best described as "good." Of course, we have good reason to do so. By his blood, he has redeemed us from our sin and given us hope. Yet, there are some things that even we Christians find odd. What does the Apostles' Creed mean by saying that Jesus "descended to the dead"? Let us consider Jesus' victory over the dead, in his death, tonight.
Today we come to the end of the book of Esther. It has been a time, I hope, of worthwhile reflection on the work of God, even as it shadows the coming of the cross of Jesus Christ. Today, as we read and consider the last two chapters, we will focus on summing up the major themes of the book; themes that we no doubt have hit previously but will reward reflection. What have we to learn about God from a book that steadfastly refuses to even name him? Much, in every way! Let us turn to Esther and see the many ways in which this story reveals God to us.
St. Patrick, the great early missionary, and the man who helped to bring the gospel to the British Isles, is celebrated each year with a day dedicated to drinking and debauchery. How unfitting that is! But it is a good reminder to each of us that our influence and acts live on far after we die. In Esther 7, we reach the emotional climax of our story; yet, even so, there remains work to be done. In Esther 8, we get two major reversals: the first dealing with the enemy Haman, the second with his ungodly and sinful edict. In each of these reversals, we ought to be reminded of the nature of the gospel and the kind reversal that Jesus has secured for us!
Throughout the history of the church, many have questioned the nature and purpose of the OT. If we have Jesus, and he is the focus, why worry about the OT? Why not just focus on the new? The OT, however, is a necessary part of God’s revelation to us: it helps to shape and mold the very ways in which we are to think about Jesus and what he has done. The OT, then, builds up the picture of Jesus, like a mosaic, as each individual part has its purpose. Esther, in its own way, gives us an interesting and helpful picture of Jesus, and the way in which he saves us. Let us today think through the connections between Esther and the gospel.
James will end his epistle in Chapter 5 with his subject matter being a reflection of his heart. He was a godly man who was led by the one true God to be his witness as well as the author of this epistle. James lived a life of obedience to God's Word and law and a devotion to prayer. Today we will look at the first half of Chapter 5, verses 1-11. His audience is sinners and saints. The second half of Chapter 5 is centered on prayer, and we'll look at that at a later date. Today's Scripture has two topics. First, the faithless and merciless will be condemned. Second, he call believers to patiently persevere in the faith.
Jesus, in speaking with Nicodemus in John 3, reminds Nicodemus that we do not know where the wind has come from or where it is going – but we can see its effects all around us. We know that the wind is there, for we see the results of its presence. Today, while we don’t see God, we see the effects of his presence all over Esther 6, especially in the working out of his justice. How do we know that God is truly there, even when we can’t see him? What does such presence tell us about the God that we serve? Let us press into these questions today, as we consider God’s beautiful and just work in Esther 6.
Jesus often tells us very difficult things. One of the most difficult sayings that Jesus gives to us is found in Luke 16 (the parable of the dishonest manager). Shall we also be dishonest as this man was? What does Jesus want us to do? At the very least, I think, he desires for his people to be as Esther, who shows great deftness and savvy in how she handles the king. At the same time, the pride of Haman makes him fragile, forgetful, and foolish. Therefore, as we travel through the story this morning, let us follow the course set down for us in the person of Esther, who expertly deals with the problems before her, and find the repentance that escaped Haman.
There are many times that the Bible speaks to us about things that, if we’re being honest, have no immediate application for us. Many of you have no children, yet we still think it wise to read and preach passages related to parenting from Proverbs and Ephesians. For many in America, passages dealing with persecution and suffering are the same. We might not experience those problems right now – but they serve as warnings to prepare us for times of trial, if they come. We may be like Esther, separated from the evil that befalls others, but that should not mean that we cannot respond! What is our response to suffering?
We have all had those kinds of days – where nothing seems to be going right, and the dominoes of misfortune seem to fall one after another on top of us. Mordecai, at the end of Esther 2, seems to be riding high. Esther appears to be well taken care of, and he himself has thwarted a plot to assassinate the King, which certainly will come with a reward! Yet, by the time we get to the beginning of chapter 4, a mere chapter later, we will find Mordecai weeping, laying on the ground, covered in dust and ashes. How fleeting are the times of plenty in this life! Yet, even in times like that, there is much hope in God. Let us consider that hope this morning, as we read from God’s word!
There is no doubt that the people of Persia had different standards of right and wrong then we do today. Their relationship to authority, individual and social rights, government, and even God would have been so radically different from our we likely have a hard time even understanding how deep the differences go. The same would be true for those living in the Persian empire who were Jews. The difference between God’s desires and the culture in which they lived was vast. How could they be expected to navigate such a context in purity? How can we? Today, let us try to find some hope even as we live in a foreign land.
Esther is a strange book. Out of the 66 books of the Bible, it is the only one not to mention God, or use his covenantal name. It mentions nothing of the law, Torah, the history of the Jewish nation, or its hope for the future. Yet, this is part of its beauty and genius. Esther desires to show us how God’s power, even when unseen and unspoken, is still stronger than the mightiest of men. While it seems, on its surface, to be simply a story of how a feast came to be celebrated, we will hopefully see that it is much more than that. Let us begin by today looking into Esther 1, and how humans wrongly relate to power.
Today, we reach the end of John’s Gospel. We will attempt to summarize the teaching of John’s lifetime of reflection on the wonder of Jesus, fine-tuned and clarified over decades, compiled in 21 chapters and some 866 verses. Surely, that is a tall order! And while any summary is bound to be, by nature, reductionistic, we can hit the highlights of John’s vision into the wonder of Jesus’ life and ministry. The ending of the book itself shows us that even John has summarized in order to write his Gospel! Let us, then, do the same, and recount what his Gospel has given to us, ponder it anew, and praise God for the wonderful gift that we have in Jesus!
What glory there is in our salvation! Christ has indeed saved us from our sin, freed us from our destiny to death, delivered us from the power of the Devil! There is glory in our salvation, but there is also the great need for humility. After all, our sin is detestable, and it comes with a great cost. Today, we see how deep the care of our Lord is for us, seen through his own care and concern for Peter. Although Peter’s denial was public and clear, Jesus loves him all the same, and here re-establishes him as the head of the apostles. What does Jesus do, what does he say, to affirm Peter’s forgiveness and appoint him to lifelong service?
Have you ever been to a movie you think should end, but it seems to have an extra 20 minutes of extra, and seemingly unneeded, material? Many scholars think that is what John 21 is like. The ending of chapter 20 wrapped up both the book and the resurrection appearances nicely. Yet, after that summary and purpose statement, we have yet another resurrection appearance! Why would John include this story? Today, we hope to find the answer to that question, and see something of the necessary relationship between Jesus and the Church.
We live in an age of skepticism. We find there to be much merit, even virtue, in thinking that if we can’t see it, if there is no overwhelming proof, then we won’t believe it. This attitude of skepticism has obvious trouble with the claim that Jesus was resurrected from the dead. How can we be sure? There are many answers to this question, but the most important is simply the mercy of Jesus our Lord. It is his mercy that allows us to truly see and believe. Today, as we look at the last two of his four resurrection appearances, let us see the mercy that Jesus shows in calling to belief those who are his!
Mary's Magnificat is oneof the best known songs in Scripture. It is a song that magnifies what God has done in her; indeed, it magnifies the very work that God typically does. He magnifies the lowly and humble, and brings down the mighty and proud. This is not just a pattern of God's work, it is the very work of the gospel! So, let us sing with glad rejoicing, and in humility, for our great Savior!
The Christmas season is one made for families; many of our best and strongest memories of this season are of time spent with family. Yet, this year, many of us are saddened to only see family distantly, via phone or video. This sadness makes good theological sense, for the entire reason for the season is that God came to be near us, Immanuel! Today, we remember not the birth of Jesus, but the resurrection of Jesus, and his beautiful and varied work in moving his people to belief. We might think that belief would be easier if he would only be with us, physically. Yet, Jesus provides us with what we need to believe, physical presence or no.
Last week, we began our look at the passion and death of our Lord Jesus Christ, and noted some of the ways in which his death and its effects were pictured and prophesied already in Scripture. The suffering and vicarious death of our God in the person of Christ was on display in David’s life, in the Passover, and through the prophets. Today, we continue to look at how the OT is fulfilled in the death of Christ, how all things are summed up in him, and how we can better know the work of our Lord when we understand the pictures given to us in the OT. Today, let us consider the fulfilment of Scripture in the death of our Lord Jesus Christ.
Post Thanksgiving, we have entered into our Advent season, where we celebrate the coming of our Lord Jesus as a humble child in a manger. Yet, as we work through John, we seem to be at the opposite end of the spectrum, reading and thinking through his trial, crucifixion, and death. However, in God’s providence, these two realities are not random separate events, but all part of a long plan to save sinners by the work of the Son. Today, even as we read how Jesus’ birth fulfilled God’s plan through Scripture, let us consider the multitudinous ways in which his death does precisely the same. Jesus is the culmination of all of God’s revelation to us!
God has been incredibly kind to us in the smallest of things, many of which we are so accustomed to that we typically miss them entirely. How difficult would life be without the slight delay, the filter, between what we think and feel and what we say? How would others view us if the thoughts of our hearts escaped immediately upon their thought? If we are honest, such a reality would be a dreadfully painful one, both for us and others. Here, at the end of the trial of Jesus in John, we have a picture of that moment when our filters are thrown off, our pretensions are eliminated, and we stand bare before God. What do we see in this text?
Many philosophers throughout the ages have considered an interesting thought-experiment: how can we prove the existence of other minds? How do you know that what is around you is real? Or, is there some better, truer reality lurking just behind what you can see? Descartes thought about this in the 17th century, and the film The Matrix considered it popularly just 20 some years ago. What if I told you that there is a deeper, truer reality lying all around you, unnoticed? What if you have been blind to it your whole life? Today, let us consider how so many miss this greater and truer reality; let us see how so many miss the Kingdom of Christ.
We find many great examples of righteous courage throughout Scripture. Joshua took over the promised land with a rag-tag army; David faced the monstrous Goliath with five small stones; Esther faced her death simply to pose a question. These are valuable examples for us to follow. It is, however, perhaps better not to look at the positive examples of courage, but also at the negative examples of the cowards, for one suspects that we are nearer to the later rather than the former. Peter's failure is the prime example for us, and the one that we get to consider this morning. What can we learn from Peter's faithlessness?
The great liberal scholar project was to search through the rubble, remains, and ramblings of the Bible and to try to reconstruct the picture of the “real” Jesus. Certain that what we have in the Bible is skewed history (at best!), liberal scholars sought to find out who Jesus really was and what he really taught. Today, let us do better, and try to find something about the “real” Jesus of Scripture! As Jesus begins the march toward his trial and crucifixion, we have a nice series of contrasts between him and the principle characters of that scandalous event. Today, as we begin to read through John 18, let us see how Jesus is indeed greater than them all.
Unity and togetherness are concepts that occupy much of the world’s attention. That our country, indeed our world, is fragmented, and that such a fragmentation is a bad thing, is readily understood. The church should be a place for unity and harmony. None of these things is widely debated. But, how ought the church strive for that unity? Should we pursue it by removing obstacles? Ought we be less concerned with “truth” and more with relationships? Should we strive for a unity in name, if not in doctrine? Today, we hear of Jesus’ prayers for our unity, as we get insight into what our unity ought to be.
This life is hard to keep balance in. Sin so affects us that we have a difficult time not over-adjusting to the problems that we face. We often see our problems in life, and think that Jesus is the easy solution to them. But, in doing this, we often just use Jesus as a holy talisman, a trinket used to get us what we really want. Or, reacting to that, we show Jesus as the high and mighty God, but forget that he doesn’t just demand our obedience, but wants our love and affection in light of the good he offers. In John 17, Jesus offers a prayer that helps us walk this fine line. As he prepares to leave the disciples, Jesus prays for his own glory, which is also for the good of us all.
Humility is the corrective for an adulterous heart, an aspersive spirit and an arrogant mindset.
Those who profess God should control their tongue. Earthly wisdom is jealously self seeking but, true wisdom shapes the wise. Teachers should continue in humility and in a spirit of a learner.
If you watch many medical mysteries, you find something of a well-worn pattern in them. Something goes wrong medically which is hard to explain. Yet, the symptoms, seemingly random, point to something more sinister lying just below the surface. The rest of the show is, of course, getting at that underlying cause. In our passage this morning, the symptom of idleness, of the avoidance of work, is a clear problem that Paul needs to address. But under this symptom is a much more dangerous and cancer-like problem that might well metastasize to all the Thessalonian believers if it is not removed. Let us see what our Physician, Paul, says about this situation today.
We are taught, if we listen well, how to pray by our Lord. This instruction, found in the Sermon on the Mount (Matt 5-7) as well as Luke 11, provides a template for faithful prayers, given in a memorable, if general, fashion. We do well to memorize this prayer, but we must realize that it was always meant to guide our own personal, heartfelt desires and needs. We can see something of how this was meant to work this morning as we turn to 2 Thessalonians 3. Here, Paul follows the Lord’s prayer well, whether intentionally or not, and helps us to see how to contextualize this model prayer for our own situation.
Balance is difficult to achieve in this life. Given a beam on the ground, many of us would be able to walk over it with no alarm or problem. But placed over the Grand Canyon, with certain death below, and balance seems hard to come by! Christians realize the dangers and death that surround us and know that to fall on either side of many issues is to fall into death. Here is legalism – there is licentiousness. Here is a holding to obstructive traditions – there is a rejection of that which is helpful and good. How might we achieve balance in our Christian walk between the reality of justice and grace?
We live in the end of days. While there is much to be said for this, it is clear that we are not alone in thinking so. We often say this, in Scripture, about the fact that the last age is here, that Jesus has come, died, and been resurrected, and will one day come again for his bride. But, many use the term in another way, thinking not just that we are in the last epoch, but in the very last days, and based on what we see in the world that we should expect Jesus’ return any day now. This is true! We ought always be looking for our Savior’s appearance. But, today, let us look soberly at what Scripture says about that day, and the events that surround it.
Justice gets much focus today. Many speak of justice for the oppressed, others for the upholding of order in our streets. But, even in the best of cases, we ought to humbly admit that we do not have all the information that we need to understand the events perfectly; that our justice, even when blind, is still partial and ignorant. Yet, there is a perfect justice, given by one who sees all and knows even the very hearts of men. Today, we hear from Paul about that justice; a justice that is meted out by Jesus Christ to all – to those who believe and to those who stand opposed to the gospel. Let us hear what Paul has to say to us about the justice of God.
We often speak of the need to read both broadly and deeply in the Bible. Reading widely takes in large portions of Scripture at a time. Doing so gives you a good understanding of the layout and structure of Scripture; it's big patterns and major ideas. But we also need depth. This means looking closely at texts, taking in and thinking through every blessed word saved for us by the Spirit, that we may understand not only the forest, but also the trees. Today, we come to what might look like a meager introduction -- but don't be fooled! From it we can glean much about who we are, and the God we serve!
We have come to the end of Paul’s letter to the Thessalonians. It is a tremendously positive letter, filled with love and encouragement. Nevertheless, Paul does have instruction and admonition for the young congregation. Here, Paul rifles through final exhortations, leaving for the Thessalonians a compendium of items that they need to pursue. We would do well to listen to this list, to pursue these items with fervency and delight. We can and should do these things, not because it wins us our salvation, nor because we are able to in our own might, but rather because it is the will of God for us, and the God of peace himself will sanctify us completely!
This week, even today, we remember the bombing of Hiroshima and Nagasaki. Perhaps these two events, as well as a smattering of others, have prompted our great desire to think about and ponder the end of the world. Yet, our generations are not the first to be preoccupied by such things. For Christians, these “things” primarily swirl around the return of the Lord – when and how he will return for his people. Today, we come to a text that deals directly with that day and moment. But while we may have many questions about the end, what does God deem best for us to know? What must we actually know and do to prepare for the end?
Death is hard to reckon with. It is a great unknown, and brings in its wake trepidation and uncertainty. We will face it someday, and probably have already faced it as we have lost others. The Thessalonians have great cause for grief, as several of their own have died. Their grief, however, is somewhat misplaced, and their misunderstanding is causing them harm. Today, Paul seeks to encourage the Thessalonians in the Lord, giving them, even in their grief, a sense of hope in the gospel. Let us take these words to heart, learn from them, and use them well in our lives. Death might come for us all, but we have reason to hope even in our sorrow because Christ himself lives.
Love is not an off-shoot of the Christian life; an accidental by-product of Christ’s sacrifice for us. Rather, it stands as the center of our whole purpose and being. Of all the things to be applauded for, the Thessalonians find themselves to have gotten the major parts right: they need no instruction about brotherly love. Yet, Paul is not out of words to say to them, as he will press them to excel in their love for one another, so that Christ might be preached more effectively to the outside world. Let us consider our own love before the world today, as we hear Paul’s helpful admonition to the Thessalonians.
Our culture is always standing against God. One of the chief ways in which many of us see this today is in its attitude towards sex. All things, they say, are good so long as it is consensual, and no physical harm comes to others. It is, after all, a private matter. As Paul seeks to lead the Thessalonian church in such matters, he confronts just such opinions. Sex is, in Christian understanding, truly profound and important. To think that we ought not live out this portion of our being under the instruction and wisdom of the Lord is foolish and unfaithful. Today, let us come to our text and see the manifold wisdom of God where so much of the world might reject it.
We live in an age when good news seems mighty hard to come by. What's more, we live in an age when good news is hardly waited for. If we want to hear from our loved ones, they are hardly ever more than a button push away. We find the lag time on email difficult to bear, let alone letters that need to be physically delivered. Paul had no such luxuries. He likely waited for months for the news of the Thessalonians to be delivered by Timothy, and he was not disappointed. It was good news all the way around. In Thessalonians 3:6-13, we see Paul's thankfulness in God's kind provision, and see that we have much to gain from imitating him.
There are many passages to think through when elders are being considered. Of course, 1 Timothy 3 comes to mind, but others are just as important. 1 Peter 5; Titus 1; even OT passages relating to the failure of Israel's shepherds and the calling of Peter to "feed my sheep" by Christ are worthy of our consideration. Yet, I have always been drawn to the brief yet wisdom filled Hebrews 13:17. This one verse does not tell us everything that we need to know about elders - but it does well to briefly sketch the beautiful relationship between an elder and his congregation. Tonight, as we consider this verse, I want to show how it answers three questions for the congregation and the pastor both: What, How, and Why.
We always have much to learn from Paul’s life and ministry. There is treasure in his theology, his grasp of the Old Testament, and his understanding of the church, to mention only a few. Yet, we have much more to learn from Paul than simply what was stuffed in his head – we ought to also learn about that which filled his heart. Paul lives consistently: his confession matched his practice. But he doesn’t do this simply out of shear duty; serving the churches, ministering to new believers, was his profound joy. He loved them deeply.
Paul lived a certain kind of life. No doubt, he knew not everyone was cut out for that kind of life. He had a calling, a gifting placed upon him before he was ever born. Yet, while we might not have the same calling and gifting that Paul had, it is clear that much of the way that he lived his life was shaped and fashioned by the same thing that our lives should be shaped by: the gospel. Today we see something of a continuation from last week. Paul earnestly pleads with the Thessalonians that he was this, wasn’t that; today, Paul lets us know why these things were so.
We are told by our Lord that our mission in the world is to make disciples. Yet, for many of us, this is a task that is done best by the professionals. Pastors, teachers, missionaries: these are the ones who are really expected to make disciples. Yet, in this small overlooked book we find a young church that nevertheless flourishes not only in being disciples, but in making them as well. Their example is one for us to follow. Let us see how we can become better at both ends of this mission for the church, turning to ! Thessalonians to become better both at being disciples and become disciple-makers.
We at Crossway have rightly used the phrase, "the gospel is Trinitarian, and the Trinity is the gospel." We believe that the gospel is ultimately about God revealing himself and showing his mercy to sinners for his glory. Here, we come to a passage in John that will help us see that the gospel is indeed, rightly understood, standing as the center and foundation of our salvation.
The church is left with a daunting task - to persuade a world that hates God and loves their sin to leave their sin and love God. How are we to persuade the world to give up what they love and embrace that which they despise? What logic, what reasons, what beauty can we portray to the wide world that might lead them to Christ? There is none, really. No mixture of words, no special music, no stirring of the heart, can effect the change that the world needs. But we have good news, there is a helper sent to us: the Holy Spirit, who convicts the world and leads them to the repentance and faith that Jesus requires.
Today, we look at John 13:21-30, as Jesus predicts Judas' betrayal of him, and begin to think about what this might entail for us as we face an unusual global crisis. Jesus is good, friends, and we can trust in him even in the darkest of times!
The Bible often uses everyday language and pictures to help us understand the reality that lies behind not only our lives but also our salvation. Jesus has shown us his power and identity as God-incarnate through the signs of his miracles. These displayed the reality of who Jesus was. As Jesus washes his disciples’ feet, he gives us a sign that is meant to display the reality of what Jesus does. Whereas we might expect to see a picture of the Passover Lamb, John gives us instead a foot washing. Buy why? Today in John 13, we have a wonderful picture of the great work of Jesus in our lives: his unmatched ability to cleanse us completely from our sin and guilt!
In the two millennia since Christ died and rose again, we see the promise of Jesus to build his church has been largely fulfilled, even if there is much more to go. Yet, at the end of his earthly ministry, Jesus' mission does not seem to have been fulfilled. The leaders hated him and the crowds were not fully swayed by him. Indeed, in a short time, so many would turn against him that he would die an agonizing death as a traitor and a heretic. John, knowing these things, steps in today to help us rightly understand the success of Jesus' ministry, as it is tied to God's glory, and the afterglow of that glory in our own lives.
Our Scripture today deals with two main ideas, the sin of partiality, and, faith without works is a dead faith. What connects both of these topics together, I believe, is our faith in Christ and our response coming from that faith. The relationship of faith and good works is one that may be distinguished but never separated. A right understanding of works is crucial to understanding saving faith.
James, the Lord's half brother, is known as a pillar of the early church who wanted to be known as a servant of God and the Lord Jesus Christ. James' epistle gives a number of insights into the attributes of God: faithfulness, generosity and truth as seen in chapter one.
There is much to admire about Jesus. He is a wonderful teacher, able to take the mundane things of life and demonstrate the beautiful picture that they weave about life with God. He is a powerful healer; not even death is beyond his ability to make right. He is a forceful leader; standing up to those in power for the good of those under their boots. But none of these things is enough. Ultimately, we need someone to take away our sins and make us right with God again. In his death, Jesus does this. Today, as Jesus begins to speak most clearly about his impending death, we have 11 reasons why Jesus needed to die. Let us consider them briefly this morning!
Jesus' miracle in raising Lazarus continues to spread, for those who have been witnesses of it cannot help but speak of it. For many, this implies one thing: Jesus is the long-awaited King of Israel, sent to liberate her yoke of the foreign nations, and to rule over them in peace. In fact, Jesus is precisely this! He was indeed the much-anticipated King, filled with glory and spledndor. Yet, even in all this, there is room for us to grow both in our understanding and in our trust of this great King. Today, as we consider John 12:12-19, let us prepare our hearts for this great king, and trust him in all our ways.
In our baptism, we are buried with Christ in his death and raised in his life. We are with him, united to him, tied to him. But is this just passive? In a certain sense, yes; we rely fully and finally on God's abiding presence with us. After all, the Son took on flesh to save us -- we didn't come to him. But these realities do not mean that we have no responsibility in our union to Christ. John 12:1-11 shows us something of what it means to know and belong to Christ; to love him and revere him.
We are all wrong at some time in our lives. Whether we admit it or not, it is a typical state of affairs for most of us. To err, after all, is said to be human. However, there are some things that are more important to get right than others. For most of us, whether we have gotten a math problem right or wrong is not a life or death decision. When it comes to how we respond to Jesus’ miracles, however, a wrong response might not just cost us our lives here, it may just cost us eternally. Today in John, we get to see some of the worst responses to his miraculous work that the Gospels record; mistakes we can hopefully avoid, as they
The death of Lazarus has affected many. Crowds pour out of Jerusalem and the countryside to be with the family, but that comfort must come to all differently. Martha has questions; her sister has emotional needs. Both seek out Jesus. In our passage today, we learn of Jesus' great concern for us, and for us as whole beings. He is not just a shoulder to cry on, but one who knows and arranges all things for our good. He is also not just a cold reactionary, but one who feels deeply the pain of his people. Today, in John 11, we see how Jesus responds to both of these concerns, as he once again shows himself to be a great and perfect savior for his people.
Written in 1984 and released in 1991, the popular Christmas song Mary Did You Know? has reached the top ten songs on two different Billboard charts. But it is an odd song – the questions don’t really ever get answered and some are not even worth asking! From a biblical perspective, it is a better option to ask of her questions we already have answered. What did Mary know? In Luke, Mary’s praise of God in the presence of Elizabeth demonstrates a surprising depth of faith and biblical acumen. She might not have known everything, and certainly had many lingering questions, but we can learn much from what Mary knew.
Pain is a part of life. This world is filled with sickness, sorrow, and at times it is hard to understand why. Why doesn’t Jesus intercede? Why doesn’t he, sovereign as he is, stop it? John 11 is a picture of our salvation, and a picture of Jesus’ sovereign control over the world. We get some insight, for those with the faith to see, why the world looks like it does, and why Jesus delays in his salvation. Friends, it is out of love, not animosity, not apathy, not anger, that Jesus delays. Today, as we focus in on this important text and this wonderful miracle, let us consider the strange love of our Savior.
Often has man dreamed of having the rights and privileges of God. Men dream of having unlimited creativity, of having unsearchable power, of having unrestrained authority. Christians instinctively know that such things are not ours to have. Yet, in John 10:34 we have one of the oddest passages in Scripture quoted and affirmed by Jesus. Here, we are told, God has looked at us and has said “you are gods.” What does it mean to affirm it, not allowing Scripture to be broken? And how do we make sense of it in John? Today, we have the opportunity to look at this difficult passage of Scripture today, and to see once again the brilliance of our Christ.
Jesus is our Good Shepherd. This means his love is best seen in his laying down his life for us. Last week, we spoke of the loving side of Jesus as the shepherd, today we look at his strength. A shepherd must be willing to fight for his sheep, to lay down his life and risk his limbs to fight away the predators that assail them on every side. In this world, we will have many seeking to harm and destroy us – if not our bodies than, more importantly, our souls. Yet, we fear not, for we have a good and mighty shepherd, one who is more than ready to fight our enemies and make us dwell in security! Today, let us meditate on the strength of Jesus.
Shepherds were not how we might picture them today. We often think of shepherds as being somewhat soft or effeminate, but they were hardly that. Shepherds are much closer to our modern myth of the cowboy than to the gentle pictures of a smiling, clean man holding a luxuriously soft sheep in his arms. In both pictures, the weak and the strong, are wrong in certain respects, yet speak the truth in others. How are we to think of Jesus as our Good Shepherd? Today, as Jesus furthers his instruction from the metaphor of 10:1-6, we can see how a Good Shepherd loves his sheep.
When people today call others sheep, they typically mean it as an insult. It is meant to indicate someone who is only capable of following, unable to lead or to have original thoughts on their own. Biblically, though, while sheep were known to be dull and helpless, being called the sheep of God's pasture was not meant as an insult, but rather as a comfort. Truth is, we are fairly dull in knowing how to handle the world, and what's more, we need a great deal of protection and care. Jesus in John 10 provides us with a metaphor, a figure of speech, that we will explore, that we may learn how Jesus protects us and his great love for his people.
The man born blind has stood his ground in John 9:13-34; confronted with harsh and unmoving Jewish leadership, he refuses to throw Jesus under the bus, and instead rightly confesses the truth, as far as he understands it, before the hostile leaders. And yet, when we look closer at his confession, it is filled with necessary truths, but it is still insufficient as a true and real confession. So, what must happen for this man, so aided and healed by Jesus, to become a full disciple? What must happen for him – and, more importantly, what must happen for us to become full disciples of the risen Christ?
Jesus’ parables are treasure troves of insight and knowledge. For the first hearers, they may have been difficult to comprehend. And not always just for the first hearers! While John doesn’t include Jesus’ parables, in John 9 we can see the parable of the soils acted out in the characters and groups engaged in a battle over the healing of the man. The word, Jesus himself, has been thrown into their midst. What will they do with him? How do they respond? Indeed, these are the same questions we should ask ourselves, and daily: What will we do with Jesus? How do we respond to his commands and his presence? Let us briefly examine our own soil this morning!
While the process of writing a great story might be difficult to detail and describe, the results of a great story are easy to spot. Great stories bring you back to them again, and always reward another reading. John 9, the story of a blind man given sight by Jesus, is perhaps one of the greatest stories in the Bible. It stands as a symbol off our salvation, an encapsulation of the very act of Christ that gives us our freedom and mission. Today, we get the chance to look at the beginning of this story. It rings with many themes that are clear to us, and many that might be a surprise.
C. S. Lewis famously stated the argument that Jesus never wanted to leave us with the possible idea that he was just a nice moral teacher, however misunderstood. Either he was a lunatic, a liar, or our Lord. Possibly nowhere in the Bible does this truth become more apparent than here at the end of John 8. Jesus, charged with having a demon, continues to press those around him to have faith in him and his incredible promises. But, how are we to know that Jesus wasn’t just insane? How are we to believe that he truly was the Son of God, the image of the living God, and not insane or a liar?
What if we are just living in a simulation? What if some being, brighter and bigger than us, is just pulling the strings and making us dance in some complicated computing scheme? While such problems and ideas have long been addressed by philosophy and science, we know that these are best addressed by religion. Jesus has come to help us understand the very nature of reality as it truly exists. But, because our eyesight is so limited and our understanding so poor, the adjustment to the truth of reality is daunting. Nevertheless, our good Lord Jesus has come to our aid! Let us consider the real reality today from John 8:31-47.
In John 8:12-20, we considered the fact that Jesus was indeed the light of the world. Today, in a continuation of that theme, we get to consider more carefully what Jesus might mean when he says that he is the “Light of the World.” Jesus is not one who will allow us to be confused about who he is. He is indeed the servant, send to achieve the salvation of the world; yet, he is not just a servant sent, he is the creator who stands above all other created thing. And that sets him quite apart from us, who are fallen and wretched. Let us look to John 8:21-30 and see what a great salvation has been afforded us by such a great Savior!
John’s gospel is unashamedly about the nature and wonder of Jesus Christ. He began his gospel with the most theological of all origin stories, as he told of the Word in/as God before time began. Yet, as Jesus comes on the scene, we expect more reaction than we actually get. His glory as God is covered, muted, hidden. But for those with eyes to see, Jesus is the light of the world. Today, we get a chance to ruminate on this truth. What does it mean for Jesus to be the light of the world? Why should it matter to us? And, perhaps most importantly, how do we know that it is true? In order to rightly consider these things, let us turn to John 8, and listen to Jesus himself!
This chapter in Acts is not the first time Paul has had occasion to defend himself. It tells of a man who is bold to point to Christ for a life that has been changed. His testimony is not that of a man who is giving witness in his own defense, but that of a man who can only give public profession of what Christ has done is his life. His example is worth a good look - not only to encourage us but also to show us how we too can be a witness for Christ..
The central focus of 1 Timothy has been the pursuit of godliness in the lives of the people of God. The church, in all her functions and usefulness, is the means on the earth that God has provided to help his people rightly pursue godliness in an ungodly age. Here we have a summary of the journey God's church is continually on, and what we must be aware of along the way.
Many heros of our faith have put up with extraordinary circumstances. These simply stand in a long history of Christian patience and longsuffering, starting with Jesus and continuning through the apostles, including Paul. Jesus instructed us not to be anxious about anything, even clothing nor food - a tall order indeed! This is not really our experience, as we are told by our culture that the best way to be successful is to never be content, to work and strive to get all we can, to keep your foot on the gas. But discontentment can be a rot in God's house - here, we have the opportunity to think through why.
God cares about how we interact with authorities in our lives, and true Chrisstian obedience adorns the gospel and glorifies God. The passage today outlines the ways in which God expects us to interact with authority.
We are said to relate to God in many ways. He is, simply, our God and Creator, the great Potter, who forms us and fashions us. He is our King, and we are the citizens of his realm. Yet, God is also (amazingly) our Father, who provides and prtoects us against the hard that others might wish to inflict. He is our brother, who lays down his life that we might be co-heirs with him. So, then, we are family as well, bonded by the blood of Jesus together in covenant. This train of thought has many implications for how we are to love and take care of one another. Here we think through the applications of this text.
Our God is the same yesterday, today, and forever. And while he never changes – we do nothing but change! It is in the very nature that God has given to us. We are forever learning, experiencing, morphing. Given that, what kind of assurance do we have that we won’t fall away from the God who has saved us? While we know that Jesus holds fast all who are his – what is the human side of that equation? What is our responsibility before the Lord? Shall we simply “let go and let God” or is more required? Let us consider this today, as we look to Paul’s advice to his young protégé Timothy, and how Timothy ought to work in God’s grace.
God has given you something of infinite value. How do you guard and protect that? As we see in our passage today, God has instituted the church for this purpose. The church is a communty formed by God to guard and uphold the truth.
Great movements typically have at least one thing in common: great leadership. This is the ultimate secret behind the success of the Church: we have a wonderful leader in Jesus Christ our Lord! But all great movements need more than one great leader; it needs others to step up to make it successful. The church is no different. While Christ rules from heaven, he must also have his people rule well here on earth. Today we get the chance to think through what makes for great leaders in the church as we think through Paul’s directions on the qualification for both elders and deacons. Let each of us heed well Paul’s words on these two important offices.
Gender is a problematic and difficult issue in our day. It is a point of contention in the secular world and in the church. But such contentions are nothing new. Paul knew of the difficulties that were brought about any time that roles for men and women were addressed. And because of this, he has some difficult things to say to both his culture, and ours, even as each stand likely opposed to one another. Here in 1 Timothy, we have one of the most controversial passages in Scripture. Today, we will try to understand what Paul is saying, in context, and how to not only rightly apply it to our own situation, but how to avoid misapplications as well.
Paul’s gospel was summarized in the brief but memorable phrase “Jesus Christ came into the world to save sinners.” It was the goal of Christ, the proclamation of which became the goal of Paul, who passed the torch to Timothy. As we open chapter 2, then, we would be right to expect something about evangelism, especially as Paul begins by stating “First of all, I urge you…” Instead, what we get is a somewhat unexpected call to prayer. And prayer for what might be the most unlikely of people. What are we to make of this call to pray for kings and prominent people, and how does it shape our evangelism?
Last week we ended in 1 Timothy with Paul’s statement that sound doctrine was in “accordance with the good news of the glory of the blessed God.” Good news can mean so many different things. We declare good news when babies are born, promotions are gained, games are won, dinner is served. This good news is not just any news, though: it is the good news of the glory of the happy God. It is the announcement that speaks of the most glorious, happy being of which we could ever conceive. What does such good news mean for us? What does such news even have to do with us? Let us consider today the kind of good news Paul was entrusted with:
Paul often tells us of the importance of every believer, sets forward the need for communal submission, and tells us that gifts are given for the mutual edification for all people. So why do we need elders? What purpose do elders serve if, as we would rightly confirm, all are equal at the foot of the cross? Paul insists on having elders to ensure right teaching within the church. Doctrine is not an unimportant matter to the church – good doctrine sets the tone and the direction of good practice, and is a reliable map for us to set forward the glory of God. So today, let us consider the nature of elders within a church – their position, purpose, and power.
We are often told that certain activities are bad for us: if we continue smoking, drinking the wrong things, or eating poorly, we face the prospect of early death. But these warnings are often blunted by the fact that we are always promised death – and what is a couple of years spent not doing what you love? Jesus promises something better, and thus his warnings have teeth, an edge that other warnings in our lives do not. Today, Jesus gives us a glimpse of the great things that await those who trust in Jesus, things that are available to us here and now. Let us today see these great promises of Jesus and hear the warnings of turning away from them.
John routinely presents Jesus speaking over the heads of his hearers, as if he is in on a joke no one else in the narrative gets. Yet, all the while, John seems to expect that we are in on the joke, understand its background, and laugh at its punchline. Here, that routine occurrence happens again in Jesus’ enigmatic statement that he will be leaving, and we will neither find him nor are able to follow him. Today, we will try to unpack this statement, to see in it many warnings against unbelief. Much like an inside joke, we can also see the layers of this statement, and see how it means different thing to different groups.
We would like to think that we are part of the most knowledgeable time in history. We have the facts of history at our fingertips; we have pictures of matter from billions of light years away; we have the ability to take pictures of atoms and watch the movement of light; we can hear and watch news, instantaneously, from across the other side of the world. We know the big and small, the far and near, with more accuracy and depth than ever before. And we still know next to nothing. Friend, our lack of true knowledge means we must be shown what is truly good and truly true; and that in being shown, we must believe.
If you were to ask the man on the street, or the people in the pews, or the scholar in the University about Jesus, almost universal recommendation would be given to his teaching of love, kindness, and forgiveness. His miracles? Not so much. Our culture would be quick to distance themselves from his miracles, but just as quick to affirm his role as one of the great teachers in history. Ironically, for the culture that knew Jesus best, this was precisely the opposite. They, having seen them, were sure of his miracles, but suspect of his teaching. How, according to Jesus, can we spot a good teacher? What characteristics should we look for? How does he commend himself?
As we look again at John 7:1-13, let us see a warning about our own times, as we think through how we live out our faith in this world. How should we walk faithfully in the world?
Jesus has claimed great things in the last two chapters of John. In chapter five, he was shown to be God, while in chapter six shown to be all that mankind could ever need. Given these things, his brothers plead with him to make himself known. But such requests (demands?) are not the marks of faith. How should we speak to Jesus about what he has claimed and promised? Should our prayers be marked with language of “claiming promises”? Or, rather, is there a more faithful way to think about how we understand God’s promises and trust in his word? Today, let us think through why the language of “claiming” promises from Christ is a mark of unbelief.
Gospel is meant to be “good-news”; it is meant to be a comfort to restless souls, water for the thirsty, and food for the hungry. But this does not mean that the gospel doesn’t come with difficulties. For many, the best way to deal with these trouble spots is to ignore them. But this is unthinkable for us, if for no other reason that Jesus refused to do so himself! The gospel proclaims good news, but it is only good to those who are willing at accept the bad news of reality. Today, we get to see how Jesus deals with the rejection of his own proclamation of good news, and through this we will hopefully find some help for our own evangelism.
Jesus said, "Whoever feeds on my flesh and drinks my blood has eternal life." Such a thought is difficult to digest but, we believe what the Bible says, and so we believe that this is true, in some sense. But how?
Jesus is hard to present as just a normal guy. After all, he did wonderful acts, was brilliant in response, holy in spirit, and loving to all. For anyone who has spent any time dealing with people, or ourselves, we know that such qualities are rare indeed. Yet, Jesus is much more than just a good man – he is God Almighty, Maker of heaven and earth; the Great I Am. His presence as a man, no matter how great, makes such statements difficult to grasp. His countrymen had problems with this as well, and their grumbles were loud and clear. Yet, Jesus is undaunted. Grumble not!
Jesus is presented in John 6 as the provision of God for us. But this provision is not just to give us life as we might conceive of it. Rather, to understand what the symbolism means we must understand the picture that it is derived from: the wilderness wanderings of the Israelites. If the picture that Jesus intends to place in our mind is of the exodus from Egypt, what does that symbolism mean for us? While it is true that it is an old picture, it is still relevant for us today. Let us consider the importance of Jesus being the bread of life from these six small verses of John today.
Christ is risen! This statement is simple, and yet for Christians since that fateful morning some 2,00 years ago, it is the most profound thing we can utter. It is the core and center of our faith, and thus of our salvation. But if this is true, why is it such a New Testament phenomenon? The Old Testament didn't make much out of the resurrection, did it? Today, we think through the nature of the promises that God made to Abraham, and what it was that Abraham believed in. Abraham was not just trusting in any God, but a God who "gives life to the dead" (Romans 4:17). Today, we see how Abraham's faith is indeed our faith, a faith in the resurrection.
We have gathered to celebrate and remember Good Friday, the day that the Lord of life was crucified and killed. It is, admittedly, an odd day to celebrate, but we understand by faith the life giving power and the sin cancelling nature of his death. Tonight, as we look at the four words Jesus uttered on the cross in Matthew 27:46, “Eli, Eli, lema sabachthani” we have a chance to think through the grave problems this declaration gives to us, and a chance to wonder in amazement at the cross.
Everyone does what they think will give them the most pleasure, given the limitations of the options before them. You may find owning a yacht pleasing, but given the $5 in your account, you are unlikely to have one. Yet, you still spend (or save) that $5 in the way that you think will bring you the most happiness and satisfaction. Given our limited resources, where are we to find satisfaction? Or, perhaps a better question would be: where do we find satisfaction, and how deep and abiding is that satisfaction? Today, Jesus wants to press upon many who seek him to find a greater satisfaction, not in what he can give to them, but in Jesus himself.
If we were to summarize John 5, we might say that it presents Jesus as our rest; Jesus gives us healing and life. Like any beautiful jewel, though, Jesus is best viewed in multiple lights. In John 6, John switches perspectives on Jesus, and instead views his glory through the lens of provision. In Jesus, God has given us what we all lack, and our lack is great indeed! Beginning John 6, we have the great miracle of the feeding of the 5,000. Here, Jesus gives us just a taste of the great provision he gives to mankind, miraculously multiplying a small supply of bread and fish to feed multitudes.
In John 5, Jesus has claimed some great things: not only equality with God but the accompanying power and authority. Such claims are naturally wild - what kind of man claims such things? And, more importantly, what proof does he have? No doubt these were the questions that were floating through the heads of the Jews which stood before Jesus. Great claims need great evidence! Fortunately, those of us who believe have three grand sources of evidence to support the claims that Jesus makes. Today we get to think through these witnesses, and how we can use them for encouragement and evangelism today.
Jesus has implied that he is equal with God, something that he has then clarified (while not backing down from) in 5:1-24. Here, having mentioned the resurrection, Jesus gives some more elaboration on the nature of the resurrections, and his authority to give life to whom he will. To speak of the resurrections, plural, is important as an implication of this text. We are not simply waiting for the resurrections on the final day, but we have already experienced something of a passage from death unto life with our faith in Christ. What does Christ seek to teach us about the resurrections today?
The Jews rightly realized Jesus’ claim to equality with God. But Jesus wants to make sure that all might know rightly his relationship to his Father. So today, we look at what it means for Jesus to be the true Son of God, how this impacts his relationship with the Father, and how this makes him equal with God. Such teaching will touch at the very heart of the Trinitarian relationships and essence, and as such is difficult and challenging. However, desire to know the nature of God should not be viewed as crass intellectualism, but rather a act of faith by which we love God with our minds. Today, then, let us consider the equality of the Son by looking at . . .
The Sabbath has a controversial history. Does the Sabbath translate to the “Lord’s Day” in the New Testament? Are we supposed to keep it still? What would “keeping” the Sabbath look like today? How does the work of Christ fit into our understanding of the Sabbath? While such questions abound, my guess is that many of us have given little thought to the Sabbath, other than assuming it was another way the hypocrisy of the Jews was made evident. But it has great symbolic importance and tells us much about the purpose of our God and Savior, Jesus Christ. Today, as we think again on John 5:1-18, let us try to answer three basic questions about the Sabbath.
Money is a touchy subject for many people. We are told the best things in life are free, which is often true, but the basic necessities of life often are not. Money is essential to life, even if it comes with many dangers and difficulties. Many of us struggle with money, regardless of how much money we make. Unsurprisingly, the Bible has much to say about how we think about, use, make, and esteem our money. Now, as we turn to Proverbs again, let us try to think through how to best steward our money wisely.
We are said to be made in the image of a God who creates using just his words; it should come as little surprise that Scripture has much to say to us about the nature of our speech. What’s more, given that the fall has marred the image of God placed in us, it is also unsurprising that we struggle to speak rightly before God and the world. Proverbs, as the very wisdom of God, seeks to help us understand how to speak better, applying wisdom to the use of our lips. Today, let us consider how to speak more faithfully, and what the effects of that speech might be.
Sex seems to linger close to the center of most of the greatest points of contention in our country today. These divides typically occur over the nature and purpose of sex, spilling out into issues over LGBTQ and transgender rights, divorce law, and further downstream, abortion. This is not a modern issue, arising because of the decadence of our land in an age of prosperity. These issues seem to be fundamental to who we are. We would be right, then, in assuming that the Bible has much to say about these things! Let us listen well to the wisdom of our God.
Wisdom is something that everyone desires. No one wants to be seen as naive, simple, or as a fool. And the world is full of ways to gain knowledge and wisdom. We push for education as a means of liberation for all people. We think that simply gaining age, knowing how to maneuver oneself through the world, is enough to gain wisdom. But what does Scripture actually say that wisdom is? What is its value? Why should we pursue it? How should we pursue it? Here we begin to think through these great questions as we enter into a study of Proverbs.
Because of Haggai’s message from the Lord to the officials and the people, “The people feared the Lord.” (v12) Then, chapter 1 ends with “And they came and worked on the House of the Lord of Hosts, their God.” (v14) This week we will see the encouragement of those who are building the temple.
Like God's people after the exile, God has called you to consider your ways - to consider how it is you have lived before him - and he compels you to respond in grace-filled, spirit-fueled obedience.
Our salvation ought to be a dear thing to us. We ought to never tire of hearing of how Jesus has saved us from hell and our sins! It is the new song that we will sing with one another forever! Today, we have a wonderful, and helpful, picture of our salvation played out in the interaction between a sick man and Jesus. As Jesus heals him, we get a glimpse at our own problems, our own needs, as embodied by this lame man who awaits a healing that he knows he will never gain. But, while his superstition cannot make him well, Jesus can. Let us see ourselves in this text, as we look at the three major characters of John 5:1-18.
Sin is very deceitful. It is good to be reminded of this fact – we are easily led astray by our sin into thinking that we are alright with God, even as we linger in our sin. Do we really exhibit the kind of faith to which the Bible calls us? The kind of faith that upholds the greatest commandment “to love the Lord your god with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind” (Matt 22:37, ESV) – or, in other words, to honor Jesus? But what does that look like? How can we keep ourselves from being misled into thinking that we love God, when we only love the idol of God we made? John here helps us to see how to rightly honor Jesus.
We gather today to commission the Brubakers for work in China. God has opened doors for them to strengthen relationships between Crossway and our mission partners in China, and to forge new relationships as well. So, today, we gather to bless them on their journey. But we are not just laying our hands on our friends and commissioning them for the work on the field. In a very important way, we are commissioning ourselves this morning. We are commissioning ourselves to the Brubakers, to the work that they have taken up, and to take upon ourselves the very work that marks their lies.
We have reviewed the necessary importance of mission, and implored all to be involved fully in missions, whether through praying, sending, going or giving. Yet, all this is lost if we don't understand the mission of Jesus in coming in the first place. We are sent out by Jesus as Jesus has been sent out by the Father, so what was Jesus' mission?
We hope that it is clear to all who come into this place of worship or interact with the people of Crossway that we are a missions minded people. That is, we understand that God has put us on mission with the gospel, to make it known to the farthest reaches of the world as well as next door. This is indeed our hope. But we are not there yet. Today, as the second half of the story of the woman at the well unfolds, we will see what it means for us to be missions minded, and what it takes for us to understand the mission that Jesus Christ has left us with.
In Acts 13, we see an example of the New Testament church putting the Great Commission into action. They have taken the command from our Lord seriously, and fulfill his directions by praying, sending, and going to the unreached with the gospel of Christ.
We do not stray far this morning from our text last week. The story of the woman at the well is told well by John. It is a poignant story of God’s love for those who are cast off by society, and Jesus’ love for those that many would consider unlovable. But the story does not end there. Woven into the fabric of the story is another story, one that plays out below the surface of the text and is a rather revolutionary retelling of the nature of Israel and of God’s people. Today we will examine this deeper level of John’s story, for in it we find much to consider and to give God praise for! Within this story, we will see John compare: Jesus and Jacob; Nicodemus and the Woman.
There are many famous passages in the Gospel of John. the raising of Lazarus, the miracle of wine in Cana; but perhaps the most famous story in the gospel is Jesus meeting with the woman at the well. This passage is rich and deserves more detailed look than one sermon can provide. Today, we will start our several week study in this important passage with a brief overview. In this passage, Jesus shows us how the gospel spreads. By doing so, John provides us with another profound example of how to evangelize, while at the same time reminding us of some very important truths about the gospel. So, how is the gospel spread?
John the Baptist's disciples get in a conversation with a fellow Jew about a purification ritual - which turns their attention to Jesus' actions in baptizing. they seem to be quite shocked that he is doing precisely what John was (quite literally) known for doing. But John's answer is what we have come to expect from him: humble and Christ glorifying. Friends, Jesus is better, more important, and worthier of every good thing than you. Whether God puts you in palaces or in prisons, he does so for the sake of his only-begotten Son, Jesus Christ. Here we examine John's response, and see why the Baptist thinks that Jesus is better.
I was deadly afraid of aliens as a child. This fear led me to come up with elaborate plans to avoid their detection, and even to reasons why they can’t exist. So, why do some people believe in them? Why should we believe their reports of seeing them? In some ways, this is close to what we have in Christ: a man, fully human, but sent from a place outside of this world, who we are told to believe in because of eye-witness accounts. Why do we believe in Christ? Why do some others not believe? And, for all that, why did Jesus even come? Today, we get to think through what John states as the reason for our belief in Christ, and why others refuse to believe.
If there is one thing that Christianity, in all its various stripes and manifestations, can agree on is the refrain from 1 John 4:8, 16 - "God is Love". He is the essence of what love is, his actions define love, and love is only knowable by us because God manifests himself to the world. But, the manner and means by which God loves the world, a world filled with sin, hatred, jealousy, and spite, is quite another thing altogether. John 3:16 is perhaps the best-known biblical verse of all time and is able to be repeated by people who have never broken open a Bible, never heard a sermon, and have never darkened the door of a church. But what is John saying in this verse?
What is it that is wrong with humanity? It is likely that each of us has realized that something has gone wrong. Perhaps not with you, but at least with the person next to you! We have shootings and bombing, indiscriminate acts of terror and words of violence permeating our lives. How do we fix these things? Is it just education and sympathy? Do we need to find the fixes ourselves? What does Jesus and the Bible have to say about the problem and how to fix it? Today we get to listen in as Jesus explains to Nicodemus that he must, if he wishes to see and enter the kingdom of God, be born again.
We live in a time where belief is an easy thing. It's not that there are not challenges to our belief, but that our belief costs us very little. We are told by many that all we need is to confess once, to pray once, and that we are sealed forever in the grace of Christ. But is this true? Can there be a faith in Christ that doesn't save? John apparently thinks so. In our passage today, we are told that many believed in Jesus' name, but Jesus apparently didn't believe in their beliefs! Les us, then think through what we must have to have true belief; a trust in Christ that is mirrored by his entrusting himself to us.
Our God is gracious and merciful, allowing sinful people to come to him through the work of his Son without accomplishing any merit on their own; yet he is also holy and righteous, desiring us to recognize that we cannot come to him on our own terms. We ought to feel that tension each time we walk into a worship service. We know that we may come to him free of charge, so to speak, but also must come in spirit and truth. These realities are not new to us but existed since the first time God called his people to him. Today, as we think through Jesus’ cleansing of the Temple, let us reconsider the nature of our worship of God.
John’s Gospel is meant to assure us that Jesus is the Messiah, and that we might believe in his name. Today, we have the first of seven signs recorded for us so that his purpose might be achieved. But what an odd, and if we can be honest, such a meager miracle to start with! Turning water into wine is certainly miraculous, but its purpose seems small compared to healing limbs, giving sight, and raising the dead. Yet, the miracle itself has more meaning that just extending a party. It tells us, if we have eyes to see, that the promised Kingdom is at hand.
Last week, we examined the wonderful example of John the Baptist’s ministry. He, like us, was put on this earth to point people to Jesus. But this is not where we stop – this is not the fulness of what we are called to do. Jesus didn’t tell us to evangelize the world only, but to make disciples. What does that look like in our lives, and what are we striving to see in others’ lives? Today, we look at the nature of a disciple, as Jesus begins to call the first disciples to himself.
As we learn, it is especially important to have examples. Watching others do things often makes them much easier to do ourselves. Evangelism is no different. So why not learn from one of the best when it comes to pointing people to Christ? John the Baptist was sent from God for this very purpose, and the witness of the Scripture is that he did it well. Today, we will attempt to learn from John’s early run-in with some in authority in Judaism, and attempt to learn how we might more effectively share Jesus with those around us.
There are many things in this world that are precious and good. We think of the people in our lives: our spouses, our children, our friends. We think of the value of medicine to heal and technology to ease, of governments to promote freedom and books to impart knowledge. But Jesus is better, far better, than all these. Today, as we end John’s prologue to his wonderous Gospel, we hear of the wonder of Jesus, for he himself is the most precious, best, and most awesome thing to behold in all of the world.
In this psalm, David speaks to us in a way that is very relatable. He is facing severe difficulty from his enemies, but trusts the Lord and praises his holy name throughout.
There are many people in the world who see doctrine simply as a divisive activity. They see that creeds and dogma as the very things that have sown discord amongst the people of God, and that for the sake of unity, we must discard it. Some, perhaps with greater humility and less extravagance, desire to avoid doctrine because it turns people off, and is difficult. Yet, doctrine is necessary and, against much of what popular preaching states, immensely practical. Today, we have the great pleasure of looking at the nature of Christ himself: how the Word became Flesh.
There are many ways to view the world in which we live. Some try to be optimistic about our world, seeing the silver lining in the clouds. The Bible shares some of this optimism, but not the way that most do. John begins by showing us how dark the darkness actually is – that while God’s fingerprints, indeed even his very presence, is all around us, we continually neglect it. Yet, even so, that same God will to make himself known to us – he comes to us to redeem us! Yes, it is a bad, bad world, but Jesus has come that we may have the light of life.
Codes are used all around us; we make use of them on our phones, with every acronym we employ, and even in passing conversations when trying to keep things private. John's symbolism is much like a code, while it is not breakable in through the use of math or logic. Rather, John's symbolism provides insight into his Gospel, into the nature of who Jesus is and what he has come to do. Today, John allows us a glimpse into the nature of the symbolism that he will use throughout his Gospel, so that we might read and believe that Jesus truly is the Christ.
Today we are beginning a new sermon series through the Gospel of John. John’s Gospel stands in startling contrast of style and, frankly, substance to the other three Gospels. What made John want to pen his gospel? Is the message he is trying to communicate that much different from the others? No, indeed, John understands well that no three writings could ever grasp the fullness of who Jesus was or what he did. Rather, John writes to make explicit themes left implied by the other three – specifically the deity of Christ. Today, we introduce the Gospel according to John.
Today we are finishing our sermon series on prayer where we started it some two months ago. We started this time of looking at prayer with Jesus’ words of wisdom for us from the Sermon on the Mount. There, we found the reason for our prayers; today, we find the model of our prayers – what our prayers, in their various forms and foci, should look like. The model prayer provides a simple basis for our prayers, yet allows us to build on that basis prayers that fit our various trials and tribulations, times and circumstances.
If we are honest, the majority of our prayers consist in attaining good in the here and now. We pray for jobs and relationships, health and contentment. We are told, in many quarters, that God is always desiring to give these things to us, if we just ask. Indeed, Jesus says as much! If we have faith, we are told, all these things are ours. But what if our greatest blessing comes not in health, comfort, contentment, but in strife, difficulty, pain and suffering? Would this change how you pray? Today we look at Paul's prayer for provision from suffering, and God's strange comfort.
Our culture, largely spurred on, even without notice, by Christian ethics, largely supports the idea of love conquering all. We are all sure, no matter what else separates us, including what “love” is supposed to be, that it is the thing that should define us. After all, as we have recently heard, it is the fruit of the Spirit in the lives of Christians. Yet, today, we read of a passage that appears to drip with violence, vengeance, and vitriol. Should we pray like this? Why are such passages even in the Bible, if God is a God of love?
We are a happy people, or we think that we should be. The nature of our worship songs set the tone for our attitudes of what God should want from Christians: upbeat, thankful, rejoicing. Yet, at many times, and for many people, the sinfulness of the world sets the tone of their song. Their lives ring out with a pitiful dirge, not a playful ditty. Today, we turn to the nature of lament, a prayer of grief and frustration to the Lord. And, in doing so, there is no better place to turn than to the book that carries the name “Lamentations.”
Last week we looked at the thankfulness of David, even in the midst of unmitigated evil. Today, we will try to address how we can be thankful even amidst prosperity. While this is a slight departure from looking simply at prayers through the Scripture, the purpose of the text is to ground the greatness of God over all things. If our prosperity blinds us to the reality of God’s goodness, the remedy is to have placed before us always the greatness and centrality of who God is, and what God has done.
We are continually told in Scripture to give thanks to God for the good things that he gives us. Simply being created beings makes us accountable to be thankful to the one who has created us (Rom 1:18-21). But often, the nature of our sin, and the world around us, makes being thankful hard. Sometimes, we find it difficult because of prosperity, but more often because of difficulty. Today, we have the chance to look at a difficult time in David’s life, and see how he was thankful to God regardless.
While we should pray for others, and especially for their great need of salvation, we cannot think that we are outside of such needs. We, too, are miserable sinners in need of saving grace! How ought we to go about asking for God’s help, when he is the one against whom we have sinned, and the judge who stands to condemn us? In Psalm 51, David writes of his experience praying for this very thing – and he provides for us a helpful model of what it means to be truly repentant for our sins.
When we pray, we often do not just pray for ourselves. Part of being a Christian is recognizing the great needs of those around you. When we pray for others, our prayers are called intercessory prayers. While there are many ways to pray for others, today we look closely at how Moses interceded for the Israelites before God and attempt to think through how his prayer ought to be imitated by us.
David says to God, vindicate me, or judge me. Effectually saying – judge so as to defend me. There is only one who has the right to judge and defend and that is God and David knows that. David offers his heart and mind to God to be tested - David can do this only because they both belong to God.
Today we are starting a new sermon series pointed at deepening our knowledge of prayer, that we might be more faithful in prayer, and better understand the immense importance of our prayers. This series will look at several diverse types of prayer made by God's people both in the New and the Old Testaments; but before we look at those prayers, it is important that we understand correctly why we pray. We pray because God rewards the prayers of the humble in faith. Here we will look at five major words in that reason in some detail: God, rewards, the prayers, humble, faith.
Today we finish our study through the book of Galatians. As Paul wraps up his letter, we see a review of the most basic points that Paul makes to the Galatians. The gospel is the center of our lives before God, it alone has the power to justify us through the proclamation and our personal belief in Jesus' work on the cross. The wonderful news of Galatians is that this is all you need: trust that Christ has taken the penalty for your sin and provided you with his righteousness, that you might live in freedom before God?
We are told that, in order to be civil in public and in private friendships, we ought to avoid speaking on politics and religion. How much more, then, should pastors who earn support from church avoid speaking about that kind support! Yet, Paul insists that such giving is not just for the benefit of the pastor (which, indeed, it is!) but it also benefits the congregation that generously supports him. In this sermon, we will think through how you might make the harvest of your giving as fertile as possible!
Paul has started to fill in what it means to love our neighbors as ourselves, calling for us to walk by the Spirit by cultivating fruit in our lives. This focus was mainly on who we were to be and the kind of characteristics that we ought to have. Now, Paul wants to fill that picture in even further, and lead the Galatians in how such fruit is to be used amongst the body of believers known as the churches in Galatia. A healthy body needs the fruit of the Spirit.
We are caught in a time between the times. Paul has encouraged us to know that we are free from the law, a thought that he will come back to in Galatians 5:16-24, because the law was from a former time, dominated by the flesh. Yet, Paul has also pushed us to see that our struggle against the flesh is not over. Being justified in Christ, cleared before the courtroom of God through his sacrifice, does not mean that our flesh has given up. No, our real fight has only just begun.
One of the toughest commands placed upon us by Christ our Lord is to love our enemies. It is only by not thinking through what is being asked of us that many of us don’t balk more at the request: given that the same Christ said in the same sermon that persecution was to come our way, how are we to love those who seek our harm, even to our deaths? Although slightly eased, the same question applies to our neighbors – what empowers us to act in this way?
Human wisdom is not a gateway for spiritual decisions. Past faithfulness is not a guarantee of future devotion. Small steps are not guards against great distances. 1 Kings shows that apostasy does not happen overnight. Small steps of disobedience eventually leads to a big departure from the faith.
The Galatians had been duped. Almost led astray by a false doctrine, they had listened to others they had no right to listen to. Sheep with pointy teeth are always a dead giveaway. Yet, we struggle to see them for who they are, and can be led astray by their false doctrines and the itching of our ears. How are we to protect ourselves? What kind of things ought we be persuaded by?
The idea of "firstfruits" is lost on many. An agricultural reference, it refers to the offering usually given during the first part of the harvest - but it means much more than that. The firstfruits were not just fruits, but the best of the produce of the land, given to God as an indication that all of it belonged to him, to secure his blessing on the rest of the harvest. When Paul calls Christ the "firstfruits" he has all of this in mind, and likely more. What, then, does this term add to our understanding of Jesus' resurrection?
The death of Christ has a temporal and eternal impact on the believer in Christ as he is united to him in his death. Paul connects Christ’s death directly to the believer. The Christian is dead to sin, dead with Christ, and dead no more.
In 5:2-6, much like 2:21, Paul brings his argument to its conclusion. Faith in Christ is all you need; not only does circumcision avail you nothing, but it puts you under the obligation of the law and separates you from the benefits of Christ. Therefore, do not turn to the law, but believe. But what is the nature of this belief, this faith?
Many questions surround the text of Galatians 4:21-5:1, from its placement in the letter to the nature of its argument. Why does Paul include something that is so difficult as the last argument in his epistle? The passage is not meant to be difficult but illuminating to both the Old Testament and Paul’s argument in Galatians.
We love reason, and appeals to cold logic seem to be the order of the day. We are continually told of reason’s importance: from the need for math and the scientific method as modes of knowledge, to our love of court-room dramas, logic and reason are seen to be the arbiters of truth in our culture. But humans are not computers; we are not beings who act and respond to logic alone. God often appeals to us through our emotions. Therefore, Paul does the same. What can we learn from Paul’s appeals in Galatians 4:12-20?
The theme of Galatians rolls on in chapter 4: God’s work in Christ means that believers no longer need the law and are justified freely by Christ’s work on the cross. Paul reminds the Galatians of the slavery that existed before Christ for all people, so that all must come to God through the foot of the cross (cf. Gal 3:28). Here, however, Paul pushes further into our redemption, now focusing on our adoption in Christ. What does our adoption mean for us?
This passage is a beautiful, comforting passage. In it we hear about the love of God, the power of this God, and what he willingly, lovingly, and mercifully does for his people. It is a well known passage because it truly is a powerful passage. Psalm 22 is a vivid description of how the shepherd died for this sheep. Psalm 23 describes how the Lord lives to care for the flock.
It has been said of this Psalm that it was to be used as a song. But for what occasion, there is not complete agreement between Commentators. Some would say it was to be sung when the Ark of the Covenant came in or out of the Temple. Some would say it was sung at the dedication of the Temple, another thought of it as a song of triumph – of those returning victorious from war. It surely speaks of the spiritual Kingdom of God. Not just a physical kingdom, like an earthly king would possess but the domain that God commands. This Psalm contains a blessed prophecy respecting Christ and the glory of His Kingdom.
The problems that have surfaced in Galatia are not problems that are limited to first century believers. The Galatians are essentially seeking assurance; they are seeking a way to make sure that they will be a part of God's people, considered fully justified, and escape the coming wrath. These are assurances that we long for as well. The question that confronts us all is how and where we are to find that assurance. Paul has been pushing us to see the central importance of faith, but here in 3:24-29, we can also helpfully see that there are many ways we are not to be affirmed.
We have, for several weeks now, considered the depravity of man in Sunday School. We at Crossway believe that mankind is enslaved in sin, what has historically been called "total depravity." The "total" here means "thorough" not "complete." We are not as bad as we could be, but we are sinful through and through. The biblical image of this varies; sometimes it is spoken of as death, but often as slavery. Here, we look at this metaphor as Paul presents it in Galatians.
Why, if the promise is central to all of Scripture, and therefore the law cannot change or amend it, did God give the law? Or, perhaps a more relevant question for us today, what good is the law? Why should we take our time and read carefully through Leviticus, if Leviticus is not how we come to know God and his blessings? Today we address these questions, as Paul seeks to demonstrate why God gave the law to his people.
While it should be clear that those who are building their identity on the law are not inheritors of the blessings of Abraham, being under a curse, Paul will start to turn to explain the law to the Galatians, beginning with its relationship to the promise. Paul was not intent to tell believers what to believe, and leave them in the dark as to why. Before turning fully to the law, however, Paul fills in some background information for us, telling us something about the nature of the promise.
Paul has argued that the experience of the Spirit should have been enough to clue for the Galatians to know that they belong to the people of God. Why, then, is he so against the idea that some want more assurance? What if circumcision helps the weak in faith; what is so wrong with that? It this practice not a helpful way to encourage them in the faith, to keep them assured of their inheritance from Abraham? Paul has argued positively, that the Spirit is assurance enough. He will know begin to argue negatively that any mixture of works stands against faith. Works and faith are incompatible.
As Paul leaves his defense of the origins and authority of his gospel, he turns now to argue against the Agitators’ position; specifically, that circumcision is needed to be truly considered part of the people of God. While Paul will argue against such a position in a number of ways, the first argument is from experience. While we have looked at a portion of this argument last week, this week we will look at the larger argument from 3:1-9.
Galatians 3 begins Paul's main argument in the letter. This argument starts not with an appeal to Scripture, nor an appeal to pure logic, but rather to experience. The Galatians had clearly received the Spirit during Paul's missionary journey to their area. Today, before we look into the importance of this event within the epistle, we will study the background and NT evidence about the importance of the Spirit, and its relationship to us.
On the eve of the celebration of the birth of the Lord, we turn finally to speak about the peace that this child will bring us. The world is much confused about peace – viewing it typically as a trite statement about the absence of strife and war. But biblical peace is much more than that; it is a peace that outweighs personal circumstances and pursues good. As the angels announced to the shepherds just after Jesus’ birth, with the coming of this child there is good news of great joy – “peace on earth among those with whom he is pleased!” What is this peace, and how can we experience it?
There is much to be joyful in the world. We live in a time of unknown prosperity; financially, technologically, medically. We should have untold amounts of joy in our lives. Yet, we instinctively realize that this is not the case. We, like every culture and human that has come before us, taste of grief, loss, despair, and pain. Even as we know joy, we also feel its inevitable loss. But we are to always remember that the coming of Christ was to bring unmerited and unspoiled joy to his people. The message of the gospel is the message of a kingdom without end, filled with joy for the humble.
Last week we focused on the role of Prophecy, it highlights the nature of the gospel we believe and is reliable because it is an act of God and gives hope to those who have faith. This week we reflect on Faith. Not all that God’s Word says about faith because that would be a message series. Rather, we will look at the faith of Joseph, Jesus’ earthly father.
There are many things that vie for our attention this time of year. Schedules, trips, presents, family get-togethers. The one thing, though, that we need to focus on is often the one thing that we push to the background. That is precisely why we celebrate the advent throughout December: that we may drink deeply at the mystery and wonder of the Son of God becoming human for our sake. To that end, we start where the NT starts, with the fulfillment of prophecy. But why do we have prophecy? Is our understanding of prophecy just a specific case of confirmation bias? With these questions in mind, let us today look at one of the most important passages surrounding the birth of Christ: Isaiah 7-9.
There are many times when people place faith against logic and reason. Faith, they say, is outside of logic. We walk by faith, not by sight. Perhaps this is true; but often times, we are told to think through our faith, to reason out what we are to know and how we are to act. As Paul confronts Peter, he does not ask for Peter to simply believe him, but rather to think through his faith, seek to understand the implications of what he knows is true. Here, we get to see the logic behind Paul's central conviction of vv. 15-16: we are only justified in Christ.
It is vital to know what is of central importance in your life. What is the one thing that you are unable to give up? What is the one thing that holds everything you know and believe together? For Christians, as it certainly was for Paul, Galatians 2:15-16 seems to be that answer. These verses contain the central and core confession of Christians, it is here that we find, above all other things, what Christ has done for us.
Many times, we enter into the middle of conversations and don’t know all the background we’d like. Galatians 2:11-14 is one of those times. To best understand what is going on, there are some questions that need answers. While these questions are important, and do greatly affect our understanding of the passage, they cannot be answered with compete certainty. Therefore, the following points, while reasonable, should be understood as likely, not certain.
Paul now reports to the Galatians, and us, of his longest and to that point most important trip to Jerusalem. The threats facing the Galatians are not new; Paul has seen them before. Here, he informs the Galatians of this fateful trip to Jerusalem, provoked by God, so that Paul might show them the threats and dangers the gospel has already faced.
Part of the attack on the gospel that happened in the Galatian churches was pointed at the apostleship of Paul. If Paul was not an apostle from God, then his gospel could be doubted. Paul does not defend his apostleship to ground his authority, but the truth of his gospel. Paul asserts that he received the gospel directly from God, not from man. To defend this claim, Paul turns to his own testimony, and his former life filled with rage and violence. And, ironically, it is these sins themselves that help prove the goodness and truth of the gospel.
While we are instructed to walk by faith, not by sight, we instinctively know how difficult such walking is. Our reality is often shaped by what we see and know. We are drawn to the things of the world, not necessarily because they are more precious, but often simply because they seem more real. Paul seeks to win the Galatians back to the true gospel, to a faith that is based on a proclamation, not in the reality of works of the flesh. Like Paul, we should fight for people’s hearts and minds, just as Paul does even here for us. We should be won to the gospel, and the gospel alone.
In the book of Galatians, there are three primary actors. We have already been introduced to Paul and the Galatians. This week, we are introduced to the Agitators, those who pervert the gospel of Christ, and are leading the Galatians away from his grace. Before we can understand the perversion of the gospel, however, we need to understand the true gospel.
In this Psalm, King David beautifully records heartfelt words regarding his trust in the strength and power of the almighty God. Throughout history, God has faithfully delivered his people, he has relentlessly defeated his enemies, and has called mankind to trust in his mighty power.
In the book of Galatians, there are three primary actors. We have already been introduced to Paul, the apostle commissioned by God, who preaches God’s gospel to the nations. Today, we are introduced to the Galatians. The Galatians are shown to be models of how not to proceed in the faith. Paul, skipping his normal thanksgiving, dives directly into the problems confronting the churches. If we are to avoid the problems faced by the Galatians, let us: be planted, be growing and be thick-barked.
There is a problem in the Galatian churches. Paul senses that they are being swayed away from the truth of the gospel by those who would have them accept circumcision in order to be thought of as the people of God. For Paul, this is a concession that nullifies the cross of Christ, and threatens the Galatians with condemnation. Rather, Paul sees the gospel as something that is done fully by God for us: the good news is God’s wholly, and while it is given to us, it is not accomplished by us. In this brief introduction, Paul notes three things that are wholly a work of God: the message of the gospel, the merit of the gospel and the meaning of the gospel.
The book of Joshua has much to say to us today. While primarily focused on the promise-keeping God, and his faithful servants, it was likely written at a time when those promises were somewhat in doubt, and servants to the most high God were few to be found. Therefore, the book isn’t just about building up faith in God, but about how the people of Israel were to maintain their relationship with this merciful and gracious God. To that end, the last three chapters surround three important meetings with the people and Joshua. In these meetings, we find that while the warriors have largely returned to their farms, the fight is not over.
It has been said that the best description in all of the Old Testament of Jesus Christ’s crucifixion is found in Psalm 22. The Psalm is written by David centuries before the crucifixion took place. Any personal suffering, pain, abandonment, hopelessness or illness that David personally ever felt could not produce this Psalm. It is unmistakably the account of a crucifixion. Crucifixion was not practiced in David’s time and would not be for many centuries. Also, it was a Roman not Jewish form of punishment. David would have had no more knowledge of this form of death than if he would have tried to explain death by lethal injection.
We are twenty chapters into the book of Psalm. We have read and spoken of many different topics so far. We started with the purpose of the book which is a manual for living the Blessed Life. The writers of the Psalms have written of the refuge we find in God, His majesty, feelings of lament which leads to deep confidence in God, psalms of praise, thanks, and meditation to name some topics we have discussed.
Last week we thought through what having a promise-making, promise-keeping God meant about that God. This week, we look at what that means for those of us who call themselves his children. The divvying out of the land in Joshua 13-22 is interrupted by two brief stories; one of the noble Caleb, the other of the fainthearted people of Joseph. These two examples, one good, one bad, help us to see how God wants us to respond to his promises. From Caleb, we learn that a true child of God learns from past experiences, stands up for what is right and encourages others to fulfill God's will.
Last week we thought through what a right-response to God’s promises were. While faith is certainly front and center, often faith and trust in God’s promises require action and provide meaning and courage for those actions. We will extend these thoughts this week, and even into the next. If it is true that there are right-responses to God’s promises, it would be right to ask ourselves what it says about God that he is promise making in the first place.
The people of Israel are experiencing the victories of the promised land; watching as God’s promises steadily become reality. One by one, the kings and cities that stand in Israel’s way fall. The anticipation of the fulfillment has now become reality. We can often be confused as to how the promises of God become fulfilled in many of our lives, taking a “let go; let God” approach to his promises. But God’s promises don’t quite work like that.
The OT is known for having passages that can make us squirm. Passages filled with blood and violence, wrath and judgment. Often, these passages leave us uncomfortable with the actions of our forbearers, and, in the worst case, they leave us questioning the character of our God; a God who not only condones but also sanctions and commissions such actions. The taking of the promised land is especially difficult: God has called for the blood of all the inhabitants of the land, whether old or young, women or men. What shall we say to these things? Is God wrong to act this way? What does this tell us about God, and how should we react to these thing?
Christians often run to one of two wrong conclusions. The first is that if there is indeed grace, and we can do nothing to earn our salvation, that obedience is obsolete, a remnant of a by-gone time of sacrifices that we must shun. The second is that obedience is still necessary to gain salvation, that grace is somehow a help, but not itself sufficient to secure us before the Lord. Today, we see that the narrative of Joshua will help us balance both grace and obedience, and help us to see how the two work together to make us God’s people, holy and blameless.
Often, when new leaders take over, they seek to make an immediate impact, demonstrating their leadership and their control. Joshua has no need to worry about such things; as God’s chosen leader, God will make his impact for him. While Joshua 1 demonstrated to Joshua that God was with him, God will make it obvious to everyone in Joshua 2-5:12. In these chapters we see God prove that he will be with both Israel and Joshua just as he was with Moses (3:7).
Moses is dead. The Israelites find themselves entering the promised land, a land fraught with enemies and dangers, without the only leader they have ever known. Yet, God demonstrate that his promises do not rest on the back of Moses’ leadership, but that he is able to raise up another to take the people into the promised land. As the book of Joshua begins, it is this void in leadership that is focused upon. And it is here that we see precisely what God wants out of the one who will take his people into the land.
Given how the last several chapters of Deuteronomy have gone, it may be assumed that Moses’ pessimism about the people’s ability to maintain the law borders on anger and his desire for the righteous judgment of God to fall on them. But this is far from the truth: Moses finishes all of his words to Israel by blessing them (Deut 33)! Moses doesn’t want their destruction, but he knows very well that it is only by remembering the instruction he has provided the Israelites that they can keep God’s law. Therefore, in the final chapters of Deuteronomy, the Lord provides for their remembrance in four distinct ways:
As Deuteronomy comes to a close, we have noticed the two major arcs fall into place. First, Moses has explained the nature of the law to the people, calling for a radical obedience to God from the heart. Second, he has noted, most fully in chapters 27-29, that the people will fail in the law. Nevertheless, Moses is certain of God’s promises to bring his people, righteous and holy, into the Promised Land. Today we see the final portion of this second arc; God’s sure promises and our responsibility to respond.
We often think of “curses” as simply four-letter words, used to express opinions in a rather rudimentary, and rude, manner. Spiritual, or even supernatural, curses are something for fictional works of mysticism, conjured up by a previous generations belief in the supernatural powers of the world. But the bible speaks candidly of curses, not from nefarious witch-doctors or ill-willed eastern mystics, but from God himself. Today, we look at the blessings and the curses of the covenant given by God to Israel, and think through the implications for our lives and faith in Christ.
“Some people's sins are obvious, preceding them to judgment, but the sins of others surface later” (1 Tim 5:24). Some people are easy to understand; they cannot help but wear themselves on their sleeves, showing their emotions and, sometimes, sins in the open. Others, however, are quite able to keep their sin inside, and take on a form of outward holiness that is at odds with their hearts. God warns us that it is not just what we do, but who we are that matters. Therefore, he commands us “do not covet.”
In this Psalm, David reflects upon how it is that we can know about God. And he is not merely discussing how it is that we know God exists, but more than that he is unpacking how we can know God personally and what implications that has on our lives. Through God's creative action and his revealed word, mankind can know about the creator God, can know personally the covenant-keeping God, and can be reconciled to him through the promises of God.
We tell our kids not to lie on the regular. We often wonder whether others are telling us the truth, without keeping from us an important detail or fabricating a separate reality altogether. God has clearly outlined for us the fact that telling the truth is instrumental in our walk with him. Today, we begin to look at why this is so, and the most important ways in which we speak the truth today.
Don’t steal. It seems easy enough, and most of us can manage it well on any given day. Yet, the truth is, that not stealing means much more than just making sure that you don’t steal cars, lunches, or pencils from work. We steal from others when we don’t let them have what is rightfully theirs. In Deuteronomy 25, Moses provides for us some ways in which we can think through our stealing from others.
Sex is pervasive in our culture. From the wide acceptance of pornography, to the cheeky double-entendres in children’s movies, our culture is obsessed with sex. Sex is neither as important nor as seemingly unimportant as our culture makes it out to be. Rather, understood biblically, it is a good gift from God to be enjoyed inside of marriage, and helps us to understand something of the nature of our relationship with God.
The injunction to not commit murder is fairly clear, so that little needs to be said concerning its merits or application. However, the command means more than just not ending life, but also in supporting life and upholding and honoring the image of God within humans. We are not fulfilling this command simply by not taking life; we must be those who fully support it.
As we have worked through Deuteronomy, looking at how Moses has explained the 10 Commandments to this point, many of the links between the commandments and the explanations have been clear. Not necessarily today, however. How do instructions for submission to judges, a future king, the giving to Levites, and the determination of true prophets relate to honor your father and mother? The family is the basic structure of society, and therefore the most basic and natural form of honor is due to parents. But Moses implores us to see that this honor naturally extends to other authorities in society.
The Sabbath is one of the most divisive theological issues in Christendom. Believers throughout time have disagreed on whether we are to keep it today; some believing that the mandate is as old as creation, while others see it as a ceremonial relic from the law. Today, we look at the fourth commandment as it is explained in Deuteronomy 15-16:17, and attempt to focus on the hope this command is meant to foster in us.
The command to no take the Lord's name in vain means much more than simply using his name flippantly. It means that God's name is being given to his people, and as such, they bear a grave responsibility to model his nature to the world.
Jesus is risen! This truth is the bedrock of Christian belief and of Christianity since its first days. It is the reason Christians are reconciled to God, the assurance of things not seen, the justification of the work and life of Jesus Christ. We have many reasons to believe that this event is not a mere work of fantasy, a nice myth that helps us with our pain and provides hope to the hopeless. We have many reasons to believe in it, but what does it mean? In some senses, this is the more basic question, and one that we will focus on today.
In Mark 15 we see an unjust trial against a perfect king, a sinner set free, and the wrath of God satisfied.
As Jesus faced the last week of his life, he entered Jerusalem during the Feast of Unleavened Bread, a week-long celebration about God’s deliverance of Israel during the Passover. It is no accident that Jesus would give his life during this week, and we ought not to miss the significance of this great act. Much can be learned from the themes of God’s act of deliverance, and both the way it was to be remembered and the ways in which Christ modified the feast. While not exhaustive, the following are themes of the Passover from Exodus 12, and what they mean for us now.
Psalm 19 is David’s Testimony of God’s faithfulness in his life. David is not speaking as a king and a man of many accomplishments but as a servant, a humble servant, of the one true God. His direction for this Psalm is to the Choirmaster so that the Nation of Israel may sing this Psalm as a song of praise to their God.
The second command seems far from us today. We are unlikely to make graven images in the form of God, so that we might bow down to them and worship them. But thinking this way shows a fundamental misconception about the nature of the commandments, and the importance of loving God above all else. Israel's worship of idols was more than just a breaking of a commandment, it demonstrated first and foremost their lack of love for the Lord.
Today we begin to look in earnest at the explanation of the law given by Moses in Deuteronomy. The major sermon of the book, spanning from chapters 6-26, seems to be difficult to outline, switching between groups of related laws and miscellaneous laws without much hint about their connection. Today, we will begin to outline how these chapters explain the law (the 10 commandments) by looking at the first commandment: You shall have no other gods beside me.
The relationship between the NT and the law is often very difficult to comprehend. We see that God has given the law to his people, and specified that the taking of the land, and thus the truthfulness of his promises, was dependent upon them being faithful. Today we look at how God can be true to his promise, even though Israel was doomed to fail in keeping the law.
We find ourselves in a similar position to the Israelites: hearing the promise of God about a kingdom, waiting on the precipice for it to come. Therefore, we understand the words of Deuteronomy, here primarily concerning the promise of God, to be a word for us as well. Moses relates Israel’s history, not simply to set a context for the Israelites, but to remind them of God’s already fulfilled promises, and to encourage them that they can be sure of his faithfulness as they move forward.
Today, we start a new sermon series looking at the book of Deuteronomy. This sermon, then, will be slightly atypical, as it serves primarily to introduce the book of Deuteronomy to us, along with its themes.
Jude, who wants to write a letter of encouragement, must instead write a strong letter of warning, because some false-teachers are “perverting the grace of our God into sensuality.” These teachers have made grace into a non-stop party for the flesh. Such teaching has threatened the hold that the gospel once had on these believers.
Last week we considered the need for care when considering who we supported. We cannot lend aid and support to those who preach a false gospel, no matter how loving it seemed, as it slandered the truth. Today, John warns us about keeping our support back from those who do deserve it.
We are often told that love rules over all – that if we were more concerned with love that the world would be a better place. Science screams for truth – so that if we were more dedicated to the truth, the problems of the world would be eliminated. Both are wrong without Christ, and in Christ both are true. If God is love (1 John 4:8), and Jesus is the truth (John 14:6), then truth and love must exist together.
We are a church that steadfastly believes that the Bible is God’s word revealed to us. We believe that each word was carefully written and preserved for us by the Holy Spirit. We are stretched by passages like Colossians 4:7-18, as this passage seems so personal and dated that it holds little for us. But this is not so! We can learn much from Paul’s emphases in this section of Colossians.
God cares very much how we speak. God has spoken to make all things, through his Word he has created all that we see; it makes sense then that we, who are made in his image, should also be careful with our speech. Paul instructs us today about our speech, both before God in prayer and before humans in evangelism.
One of the chief complaints that people tend to lay against Christians is that we simply nit-pick from Scripture the things to which we adhere. Homosexuality? No, the bible denies it as a valid way of life for a child of God. But, they ask, “What of slavery? It is rampant in Scriptures, never forbid, and yet Christians today are directly (and rightly) against it? How is this not like homosexuality?” What shall we do with this argument? What help does Paul provide to us in thinking through the difficult issue of slavery and the Christian’s righteousness is an unrighteous world?
The people in your family are sometimes the most difficult people you will have to deal with. They are people who are supposed to love and care for your the most, which makes their failures (and yours!) all that much more difficult to withstand. How are we to best arrange our families, to avoid many of the pitfalls and difficulties that damage and destroy lives?
Today we celebrate the birth of our Savior, Jesus Christ, to the virgin Mary. The incarnation of the Son in flesh can hardly be overestimated in either its importance or in its miraculous power. We have been preparing for this celebration by observing advent – the preparation for the coming of Christmas. Today we will look at the importance of advent by looking back over the Scriptures that were highlighted over the past four weeks.
Introductions are important things. They set the place, time, themes, and genre of both literature and film. We typically gather a lot of information from them, even though we might not notice it. What does it mean, then, that Matthew’s Gospel starts with a genealogy? What does Jesus’ family tree tell us about the promised child, laying in a manger?
When God names someone or something, he is not naming it for what it is, but rather, for what it will be. Here we look at the name "Jesus" and seek to determine what it means to "do everything in the name of the Lord Jesus."
People spend quite a lot of time worrying about how they present themselves to the outside world. Whether in dress, the avoidance over embarrassment, or even just the keeping up of appearances, people generally care a great deal what others think of them. Such instincts can be bad when used solely for self-aggrandizement, but those same instincts can be helpful for our pursuit of holiness. Paul, moving from the negative assessment in 3:5-11 of who we shouldn’t be, begins to tell us who we should be in Christ.
Paul has emphasized the Christian's union to Christ, both throughout the second chapter of Colossians and, especially, in 3:1-4. It is from this union that Paul turns fully to imploring the Colossians in holiness. It is this union that makes such holiness both necessary and possible. Therefore, before speaking about what we are to do, Paul speaks of what we must never do. We must kill sin!
Having exhorted the Colossians to not look to regulations and asceticism to aid them in putting to death sin, Paul turns now to the positive: they are to look at the things which are above. The problem, however, is that it is not clear what “the things above” are, or how they are to help Christians avoid “the indulgence of the flesh.” Today, we will try to explain this passage through the use of an allegory, built off of the image of sin as a slave-owner in Romans 6.
Paul has written to the Colossians with one goal in mind, that the Colossians might growing in faith and godliness. He has stated this in several ways: that they walk in a manner suitable to Christ Jesus (1:10), that they be presented mature (1:28), that they might be rooted and built up in Christ (2:6-7). So far in chapter 2, Paul has mentioned several things that the Colossians can avoid. Now, however, Paul warns the Colossians about things that might disqualify them from being reconciled to Christ and part of his new creation (1:23).
Christianity is correctly understood as the fulfillment of the Jewish religion; its purpose and its rightful end. Its connection to Judaism, however, was a source of much confusion in Christianity's early days, not to mention today. We ourselves are at times perplexed about how to handle the OT; how much more those who knew of no other Scripture, and knew of no other life before God than that lived under the law? The use and place of the law for Christians is then a delicate matter. We cannot divorce ourselves from the law; but neither can we use it in the same manner that the Jews did now that Christ has come. Here, we look at the nature of the law, and its fulfillment in Christ.
Paul has urged the Colossians to “continue in the faith” (1:22), and to not be taken captive by the thoughts and schemes of men (2:4, 8) because Christ is where “all the treasures of wisdom and knowledge” (2:3) are. Christ is all the Colossians need in their life. Such a claim is huge, especially for people who are used to turning to separate gods for their every need. Paul would say nothing different to us today: to live a fulfilled life, all you need is Christ.
The next passage (2:9-15) introduces two major biblical themes, circumcision and baptism, that require a closer look. Some denominations, based on the similarities of baptism and circumcision, baptize infants (paedobaptism). Colossians 2:11-13 closely relates the two rites, and provides some credence to the paedobaptist theology. But baptism is not limited to the symbolism of physical circumcision, and is best saved for those who provide a credible confession of faith. To establish this, and to highlight the role that baptism plays in a New Testament church, we must first turn to the nature of circumcision in the Old Testament.
We are stuck as sojourners and aliens in a foreign land (1 Peter 2:11). This land, filed with a strange mixture of blessings and curses for us, has pitfalls everywhere we turn. How then, are we to keep ourselves from, like Joseph, being tossed by the world into a pit (Genesis 37:12-24)? What advice would Paul give us?
What we do on Sunday mornings is odd, at least to outsiders (and sometimes to us!). We gather, pray, sing, and then open a 2,000-year-old letter, from someone we have never met to people we know little about. And we think that this has meaning for us! Why do we care what Paul says? What good is Paul for us? Much, in every way, as we will hopefully see today.
While Paul is insistent that Jesus Christ has reconciled all things to himself, both the things in heaven and on earth, he is just as insistent that such a cosmic act has come to make an impact in Colossae. Paul provides insight into that reconciliation in Colossians 1:21-23, as well as a warning for the young congregation.
The text of Colossians 1:15-20 is most assuredly poetic, and could very well be an early Christian hymn dedicated to the supremacy and deity of Jesus Christ. In this second sermon about the poem, we will look at how Paul links Jesus' saving work with the Son's creative work.
The text of Colossians 1:15-20 is most assuredly poetic, and could very well be an early Christian hymn dedicated to the supremacy and deity of Jesus Christ. In this first sermon about the poem, we will look at the nature of the divinity of the son, and try to clarify some confusion that surrounds the first verse, namely that Christ is the "firstborn of all creation."
It is commonplace for Christians to wonder what God desires for their life. Should I get a new job? How do I deal with my boss? What should I say to my Friend? Yet the Bible simply does not, and cannot, address these specific questions. Yet that does not mean that we do not know what God wants from us! Here Paul tells the Colossians what he prays for them, and give us a glimpse of what God's will is for our lives: to live as an image of Jesus in the world.
Paul's letter to the Colossians is filled with joy and warning. He presses upon them to live lives "worthy of the Lord" and to be "mature in Christ." He also warns them against being deceived into following earthly patters. Thanksgiving plays a large role in that maturity, both as demonstrated in Paul's life and in what he desires for the Colossians.
This Psalm has something of David in it, but much more of Christ. It starts with expressions of devotion to God which may be applied to Christ but ends with such confidence of a resurrection, a resurrection that prevents corruption, that it must be applied to Christ and Christ alone. Both Peter in Acts 2 and Paul in Chapter 13 take note of David’s words yet speak of how they can not apply to David because his life ended in death, but the life of Jesus Christ did not.
David begins this Psalm with a question, an important question. He asks the most important question that you will ever ask. He asks God who will sojourn in his tent, and who will dwell on his holy hill. Who can be in the presence of the Lord? It is the one whose life has been forever changed by the grace of God.
In our study of Psalms - since Psalm 3, David has been the Author. In Psalm 3 through 13 with Psalm 8 being the only exception, David’s theme has been the same, persecution and oppression of good men. David has been complaining of those who hated and persecuted him. Now, here in Psalm 14 he traces all those bitter actions to one source. And, he sees also that it is not only his enemies that have this condition but all the children of men, all are corrupted.
Here we look at Psalm 13 and see suffering. As we walk through suffering, we should cry out to God for help, and rejoice knowing that he lovingly cares for his children.
It is supposed that David wrote this Psalm during Saul’s reign. Times were not good because the leadership of Saul was not good. Honest and personal integrity were in decline. David was under personal threat from his false friends and sworn enemies. It was hard for any man to know who could be trusted, Psalm 12 is a reflection of David’s heart.
Calling Christian leaders "pastor" or "shepherd" has a long and rich biblical tradition. In calling our leaders shepherds, we both unite them with the Lord Jesus Christ and indicate the nature of their ministry. Shepherds are to serve the flock of God, both by feeding them in the word and tending to their well-being. When pastors fulfill their calling, they both model the goodness of the Lord and embody the redemption afforded in Christ.
Though we are tempted to flee in the face of earthly trials, we seek refuge and find our confidence in the Lord.
Today we conclude our study in the scriptural writings of the Apostle Peter. It has been evident Peter has a great love for his fellow believers. He is a contender for the true gospel of Jesus Christ, and he has sounded a loud and sure warning to believers to be on guard for false prophets and teachers. So, what does Peter do with his final words? Just say goodbye and say “see you soon!” No, he continues to equip the saints. He makes four points, I believe, as he closes. They are: Remember, Consider, Avoid and Pursue.
According to God's timing, Jesus Christ will return to judge the world. Therefore as His people, live godly lives.
This is how Paul ends what might be the greatest work of theology ever written. He shows us deep, rich theology is centered on Christ and is for the edification of his people. Specifically, his people gathered together as the Church. And it happens all to the glory of God.
Peter contends for the faith, a gospel message that is all the work of Jesus Christ and has backed up that truth with eyewitness accounts and the infallible Word of God.
Paul ends his teaching on the Christian life and begins sharing about his own ambitions for the gospel of Christ. What binds together these two sections of Romans 15 is the common concern they show for the partnership of God's people.
Peter continues to herald the truth of the glory of Christ in personal witness and prophetic word. This is a declaration of the certain truth and divine origin of the gospel of Christ.
God's sovereign calling and election of His people unto eternal life necessarily leads to lives of personal holiness and brotherly love.
In Christ, we have great freedom in many areas of our life. But that freedom should not be fought for at all costs. What we should see is this great truth: Christian fellowship is more important than Christian freedom.
As Christians, we have certain responsibilities that direct our lives. Rather than live aimlessly or selfishly, we are called to be God's people in the world. That entails certain duties and obligations in how we go about living our lives, not just in the church with one another but also in the world.
Here we see how to live out the Christian life in devotion. The kind of devotion that God's people should display. How to live out their faith before God.
We are reminded that Christians are exiles in this world. Here we look at a very important character quality required for the Christian life. It reminds us of our calling to honor Christ and to understand God's unending grace that is shown to us in every aspect of the Christian life.
Here we see the remnant of Israel, the Gentiles grafted in and the mystery of Israel's salvation.
God, in his wisdom and grace, has given the church servant leaders to shepherd his people, and has called the church to humbly submit to God-given authority.
This sermon is about a man who died and came back to life. Not just any man, but the Son of God, Jesus Christ. Jesus is not just an idea. Nor do we merely follow his teachings. It is essential for the Christian faith that Jesus was a real person who walked the earth. He had a public ministry and a public execution. But after that, he had a public resurrection. The entirety of the New Testament is written either by those who saw him alive after being crucified, or those who came to faith by their eyewitness testimony. Christianity is a religion rooted in history yet we also want to see that Christianity is a religion driven by preaching.
We look at Jesus' last day on earth as it leads Him to the cross and brings good news by faith alone.
From the first spread of the Gospel, there has been hostility, even violent opposition in many places brought about by: unbelieving Jews, local officials, whether by political purposes, or, because of false accusations from Gentiles whose profits from sin were threatened. Even if Peter did not have recent news of actual persecution currently being endured by Churches and Christians in a spread-out area, the Apostle would write as though some form of formal or informal persecution were possible.
As redeemed sinners, rescued from eternal punishment and waiting for the return of Christ, we are called to imitate our King.
Peter has concluded the Section of his letter that encouraged Christians to display their freedom in submission for Christ’s sake, as Citizens, Servants, Wives, and Husbands. He encouraged them to bear unjust treatment as part of their calling.
God has designed specific roles in marriage that adorn the gospel and bring him glory. That is the overarching theme that Peter is putting forward today.
Referred to by many as the greatest chapter of the Bible, Romans 8 is filled with assurance and comfort for God's people.
God has chosen us to be his people, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, so that we will make his name famous by spreading the gospel. And, so we will live lives that are obedient to his word. We will see this week in our text Peter’s instruction to that holy nation how to live and suffer in an ungodly world.
What we see here in these verses should give us great joy, and should inspire us on to further service to our king. God has saved a people for himself so that, through the church, he is glorified.
How important is prayer to us? How important is it for us to come before our God and Savior with praise, confession, thanksgiving, and concerns? Can we get along in life and ministry without his help? Here we continue our sermon series, considering the twin pillars of the Christian life—the word of God and prayer. In the past our Pillar series as largely focused on the Word and prayer for our lives individually. But today, we focus on what it means to pray together with God’s people.
There are two pillars that are most important yet most most neglected in Christianity. The Word of God (the Bible,) the means by which God speaks to us, his people; and prayer, the means of our speaking back to God. Without these two pillars, our fellowship with God becomes weakened and sickly and less than what it should be. Here we think about what it means to be together under the Word.
As Paul shows in the opening verses of chapter 2, part of living a life worthy of the gospel means striving for spiritual unity with the Church. That is God's concern in these verses, which means that it ought to be our concern as well.
To summarize the sermon in one sentence, we could say this: because you've been freed from sin, fight for righteousness. Or, even simpler: as a disciple of Christ, become what you are. This is what God wants us to see this morning from Romans 6. He wants us to understand the why and how of sanctification.
What is the basis of justification? It's imputation. Justification is the legal word, but the word counted is a banking word. And this is at the heart of the doctrine of imputation.It's not our righteousness that makes us right before God, but the righteousness of Christ. Just as someone else might make a deposit in my account and the deposit would then be counted as my own money, so God counts - or imputes - Christ's own righteousness to us when we put our faith in him.
Paul shows how everyone - Jews and Gentiles - are justified by faith alone. What is justification? In Biblical terms, it speaks to God's legal declaration of our status before him. Though we are condemned for our sin before God, he declares us to be righteous in Christ.
As we continue through 1 Peter, remembering our message from last week was, “Jesus Christ – The Hope of our Salvation”. Now Peter starts his instruction to the exiles of the importance of leading a life of holiness. This theme will continue though almost all of Peter’s letter.
The book of 1 Peter calls us to stand firm in a living hope, the salvation that is only found in Jesus Christ. This gives Christians hope during persecution, even as Peter calls them to a life of holiness.
This is the glorious truth that Paul highlights in this passage: in Christ we have the propitiation we need. In him, we can be made right with God apart from any religious or moral duty on our part. But before he unfolds that good news of the gospel, he needs to bring to a close his argument for why we need Christ.
God's judgment isn't a popular concept. It probably was never very popular. Paul wants to know why God's judgement is just. In the last chapter he focused on the Gentiles just condemnation, here he focuses on his own people, the Jews.
In Christ, the righteousness of God is put on display for the world and made available to those who turn toward him in faith.
We want to make clear why we do the ordinances of the church and what we believe about them.
David Roberts, our Associational Minister shares the truth of the gospel message. These verses mention five (5) things that are "new" in our lives because of what God did for us through Christ on the cross.
In his wisdom and sovereignty God is at work in the lives of his people. He discerns the heart, elevates the lowly, and empowers his anointed.
Here, David shows that despite the oppression of God's people, we can pray with confidence to God, the just and eternal King.
In this scripture we see some of the characteristics of David as well as God. This helps us to better understand this man who wrote so freely of God's love and faithfulness in the Psalms.
God's consistent character, not only fuels the praises of his people but gives hope and confidence to those who would call out to him for mercy and justice.
2 Corinthians - God's Power Displayed in Man's Weakness In this text, Paul paints us a clear picture of Christian suffering, godly comfort, and our response. He shows through his experience what God has been doing, and why he has been doing it.
The greatness of God is magnified by looking at the greatness he has given to humanity. In other words, when the graciousness of God towards us is seen, his own greatness is seen even more clearly. Though the glory of humanity is seen, that view is meat to bring us to our knees in worship at the greatness of God himself.
How do you deal with injustice? WE have some indication of what is going on in David's life, but not enough detail to know everything. At the same time, we don't need to. We can see from David's prayer how we ought to respond to the difficulty of injustice in our own lives. At is simplest, we remember to bring our problem to God!
Here Jesus answers the question, will He return? This is something we need to understand in order to disciple others.
Here Jesus tells us why he came, what he did for us and what he continues to do for us today that still makes him important to our lives.
Here we look to Jesus as the master disciple-maker. We look to him in faith, as our Savior and our example. So, what did it look like for Jesus to train his disciples?
Here we see another side of Jesus the disciple maker. He not only calls sinners to conversion, but he encourages believers to maturity. Jesus shows us just what it means to love and treasure him above all else. As he does this, we get to see the proto-disciple maker in action. We also see the method that Jesus uses in leading these disciples to further maturity and faith.
Here we see how God’s Word portrays an Evangelist as we see Jesus’ life lived out among sinners. Much like our lives today.
Here we want you to see what the task of disciple-making looks like lived out in the person of Jesus. From Matthew 9, we see that Jesus doesn't ask perfect people to be his disciples, but those in danger of hell. He doesn't seek righteous people but sinners who need his forgiveness.
God's people should not be afraid of corporate worship when their lives are less than ideal. We shouldn't be worried when life brings sorrow and pain. Still yet, there must be a place of the people of God as a whole to gather with the weak and struggling in worship. Do we -- individually and corporately -- have a category whereby God can still be praised in the mist of the storm? If not, then we need to listen to this psalm.
This Psalm has much to teach us about what God's people ought to pray, why they ought to pray, and how they ought to pray.
Pastor Jun Taguinod shares about his mission calling and how to stand firm in the faith.
Instead of stress and anxiety, we should be able to have joy and peace because we are confident in God. Is this how you sleep at night? Even when you feel pressed in on all sides? Learn how to find rest for your soul - not with a confidence in anything you have done, but in God himself. NOTE: a technical difficulty resulted in a loss of audio for about 1 minute. This occurs around the 13:40 mark.
How do we make it through the pain and despair? In the end, David shows us that it's our confidence in God that will lead us through. He shows us he dealt with troubling times and how we can as well.
Psalm 2 points out the Kingship of God over all nations and shows us that the only way to find escape from his judgment against our sins and true joy in this life is to humbly submit to his authority; to bow the knee to the Lord and his Anointed King.
This is the first of a new series through the book of Psalms, one of the most important, and certainly one of the most dearly loved, books in the Bible. Buy why? How are they so valuable to us? Here we'll look at four reasons.
More than anything today, we want to walk away encouraged. We want to leave Luke’s Gospel with a deepened faith in Christ and an optimistic willingness to see the news of Christ spread to the world through us. Confidence that this will happen, doesn’t come from what we see in us, though, but what we see in Christ.
This encounter between the risen Christ and the apostles is what we will see as we walk through our passage. Here we see Luke’s account of the great commission—the assurance and mission of the Church until Jesus' return. It’s a central passage for how we ought to live out our lives today.
Here we're both confronted on our faithlessness, yet also provided comfort and encouragement in the risen Christ. So, let's journey with these men to Emmaus that our eyes might be opened and our hearts might burn with a changed life in the presence of the Lord Jesus.
The resurrection of Christ is not an optional belief for those who call themselves Christians. For those who want to be saved - to experience forgiveness of sins and new, spiritual life with God - then the resurrection of Christ is just as important as the death of Christ.
On Good Friday we are reminded of the atoning work of Christ on the cross. Here we see Peter using this example of the Suffering Servant as our example on how to face suffering.
All of Christianity hinges on the events of these verses. They happened in history but what do they mean? What is their enduring significance?
Luke is not only walking us through the terrible events of Jesus' life, but showing us how these events took place by the sure and certain word of God. At the same time, Jesus continues to reveal his own righteous character and Kingly way, but in unexpected ways. Thus, all throughout this passage, we see both the excepted plan of God as well as the surprising grace of the crucified King.
The biblical authors want to be clear that they are not writing about empty philosophies or vain ideas. This is history. This is the acts of God in the course of real life. This is why the earliest Christians didn't simply preach or confess that Jesus died, but that he "suffered under Pontius Pilate." Jesus' suffering and death was a real event that involved real people. And those historical events still have consequences today.
Here is the story about Abraham and Issac. The familiarity of the story can cloud our understanding if we don't look closely. Here we review the text in the order God gives it to us. The text teaches us something about the relationship between faith and works.
Here we begin to see the treatment Jesus experiences after his arrest. And we see not only the terrible sinfulness of humanity but also the patience and grace of the living God.
Before Jesus' atoning, salvific pain at the cross, he would first suffer the indignity of betrayal and false arrest. And as he does, Jesus gives us a glimpse of his glory which should help our own faith in him. He shows us the kind of Savior he is that we might not fail to pray and enter temptation. Yet, when we do fail, we are here assured of the Savior who will forgive us and bring us back into fellowship with himself.
As we look at Christ in the garden, we should walk away seeing clearly how utterly dependent we are on him to be our Savior. We should see the depth of despair and temptation he endured as our Savior. We want to come as close as we can to Christ in Gethsemane so that we leave with a deeper sense of awe and affection for him as our Savior.
What does true greatness in Christ's kingdom look like? The great temptation - the great failing - of the church, has been, continues to be, and will forever be, to look at the world and follow its example. In this regard, we are no different than the apostles in this passage. They faced all of these same pressures and temptations. And if we are to be successful in putting to death that mindset, we must heed Jesus' words in these verses. Here, Jesus not only defines but illustrates what true greatness looks like in his kingdom.
In this passage Jesus explains his fulfillment of the old covenant in the new. It also sets before us the basis for one of our most cherished Christian practices - The Lord's Supper.
Jesus' words here draw us up into the larger issues of the end of all things - about his return, the final judgment, and the recreating of the universe. This passage in particular can be hard because Jesus brings together two related but distinct events - the temple's destruction and the time of his return. It's meant to teach us, not just what is ahead of us, but how the Lord Jesus should be honored in our lives today.
Jesus despises the sorts of hypocrisy described in this passage. Every disciple of Jesus is called to follow after his example. And in this context, that means living with our external actions authentically reflecting the desires and intentions of our hearts.
We want to consider our intake of Scripture and how it benefits the people of God around us. To bring into focus what we will see here in one sentence, a quote from author Gordon Cheng, in his book, Encouragement, he says, "God's word changes us, and through us it can change others too." That's what we see here from Colossians 3.
Here we look again at one of the Pillars of the Christian Life. The Pillar of Prayer. More specifically prayer for the Church, the body of Christ.
Jesus says, "I am the Alpha and the Omega, the first and the last, the beginning and the end" (Rev. 22:13). Alpha and Omega are the first and last letters of the Greek alphabet. If you say something is the ABC's you're saying it's the basics. But if you say that is the A to Z, you're saying that's everything. It's complete. The same was true in Jesus' day. Thus, he is saying, "I'm everything.' And, here we see in this focus of the gospel, Jesus is the Alpha and the Omega and everything in between.
At this time of year, we love to hear words like joy, peace and glad tidings of great joy. Especially if we are Christians, we love those words because we know what they mean for us. But we also need to be reminded of the great cost by which we have joy and peace and experience glad tidings of great joy. Our passage opens with unexpected worship of Christ, the newborn King . . . but ends with weeping, sorrow, and fear. It is these things that foreshadow the means by which God provides ultimate joy for every believer and hope for those not yet believing.
Here we see the Sadducees asking their question about the resurrection, mocking Jesus' belief and authority. We also see how and why Jesus emphasizes the importance of the resurrection.
What does it mean to live as a citizen of Caesar and a servant of Christ? Just days before he went to the cross, Jesus was confronted with this question. Here we see how we should live as a Christian and a citizen of this nation.
The theme that runs through this passage is that of authority. If we're honest most of us don't care much for authority. We even struggle with God's authority over every part of our lives. Here we see four themes of the authority of Christ.
This passage begins what we call the Passion Week as Jesus enters Jerusalem, dies on the cross, and is raised back to life. This is the most important week of Jesus' life and you cannot rightly understand the rest of Luke's Gospel, even the rest of Christianity, apart from this week.
In the midst of those who were following Jesus but who couldn't see with clarity what his mission was, nor how he would bring about this kingdom, Jesus drew on a striking cultural image to make things clear. This parable can help us think rightly and live for Christ and his kingdom.
This story of Jesus and Zacchaeus is a true, historical event. But it's also exemplary. There is a pattern here Luke has been repeating over and over again throughout his Gospel. He is not only showing the power of Christ to save and change lives, but also the basic response of discipleship that should follow.
Luke tells us about a group of people who are spiritually blind but think they can see. At the same time, he tells us about a man who is physically blind but can spiritually see. There's a great contrast in these verses between blindness and sight and it all revolves around the gospel of Jesus Christ.
By God's grace, the Reformers recovered a sharper vision of the gospel itself, and from that gospel clarity came a reformed Church; a Church that better knew God and his saving grace, allowing its people to better live according to his ways.
How will Jesus respond to the question, "What must I do to be saved?" The answer is important even because the question is still important today? How will anyone be saved from their sins? The answer comes down to this question: what do you really love? What do you really trust? Are you willing to leave behind everything and follow Jesus? Or are there some things you cannot leave behind?
Here we see the picture of what discipleship should look like for those who believe the gospel message. In fact, it's actually from the picture of the gospel we see here that Jesus makes the application that he does. From these verses we see why we should imitate Jesus and his attitude toward children.
Doug Brubaker exposits the letter from the Apostle Paul to his brothers in Christ. His reason for writing is to rebuke the people infiltrating the church with a false message.
Here we look at what God's Word says being anxious looks like and why not to do it. Jesus gives us reasons not to be anxious.
Jesus tells us a parable that reveals hidden attitudes and lifestyles that stand contrary to God's will and word. In this short parable, Jesus makes clear the way of salvation.
Jesus tells another parable. Why? To encourage us to always pray and not lose heart. Here is see how this is meant to be applied to our lives, how we're supposed to think about God in prayer.
How you think about the coming of Christ should affect how you live. Jesus is coming again. Here we see the truths that Jesus tells - what his kingdom will be like, when it will come, and how we should live in it.
These verses center around one thing: faith. Specifically, Jesus is showing what the life of gospel faith looks like. By using the term "gospel faith" we distinguish the vision of life before God that Jesus presents - against the fruit of false faith seen in the lives of the Pharisees.
As we hear Jesus' words, we see important truths that should make us reflect on our own hearts and consider our own ways. Then in light of all this, we should respond in two ways.
From the outset of this passage, we are reminded not only of who Jesus is but we also see the dangers of money and how Jesus' disciples should not only regard money but use money wisely for God's kingdom.
From the outset of this passage, we are reminded not only of who Jesus is but why he has come. Three stories intended to come together to teach us the same truth. How will we respond to Jesus' search and rejoicing? Will we stand back like the Pharisees, wanting to avoid sinners? Or will we join in the work of Christ in searching for the lost and rejoicing when they're found?
When we come to passages like this, we face the temptation to lower the intensity of Jesus' words until it is more tolerable to us. If we had to summarize the passage in one sentence, I think it would be this: Salvation is free but discipleship will cost you everything.
The U.S. State Department says that more than 60 countries are hostile to Christians. How should we think about these things? What should we do about the situation believers face? Hebrews 10 can help us to have a better understanding, a better way of thinking about the suffering church today. It will help bring clarity not only to the kinds of things that they go through, but how we should respond to the plight of our brothers and sisters around the world.
Jesus shows us the kind of life that should mark those that are part of God's kingdom. Furthermore, Jesus also shows how a failure to embrace this kind of selfless life can keep us from the kingdom altogether.
Here we look to God's Word to discover the condition of man and God's plan to remedy that condition.
In these verses, we see the emphasis on the Sabbath. Jesus' concern was to correct the misunderstanding and even hypocritical ways that some viewed this day. In doing so, he not only shows us how God is welcoming of sinners, but how God's people should see their day of worship, even in this new covenant.
In Luke 13, Jesus has just explained the coming of the kingdom, then he explained what the kingdom is like. Now, at the prompting of a question he explains how to enter the kingdom. Everything in these verses point us to the door of salvation.
This sermon focus' on life in the local church. Paul understands that God's aim is the sanctification of his people and the church should be a part of it.
Here, the Apostle Paul serves as a God-ordained guide and mentor for us as we seek to be recalibrated and reinvigorated about our own efforts at evangelism.
Here we tackle an ongoing issue and one that is easily overlooked - the purity of a holy life.
Here we are thinking about the use of our time and resources this summer. We begin by thinking about the fundamental part of our lives as Christians, namely, our ongoing relationship with God.
In this passage, we find Jesus asking this question, "What is the kingdom of God like?" This question brings together the story of the healing in the synagogue and the parables that follow. Luke puts these things together because he wants us to see this emphasis on the kingdom. Jesus has come to establish the kingdom of God.
God is speaking, God is calling to us, but have we made ourselves impenetrable to his voice? Jesus looks at those who have insinuated themselves from hearing God speak, and says 'You'd better listen carefully. You need to repent, for all of the reasons you think you're safe and in no danger from the judgment of God are wrong.'
Jesus' saving work will divide humanity. It will be divided by thoses who experience salvation because of their faith in Christ and those who put not faith in Christ. Therefore, we must not reject him.
Ever since Jesus was raised from the dead and ascended back to the glory of God in heaven, his disciples have been wondering. 'When will he fulfill his promise and return?' This is not just the great theological hope of all real believers, but the great motivating hope of all mature believers. What should we do in the mean time? We are to be ready for his return and that readiness is most clearly seen in our ministry for Christ.
As we hold the glorious calling in our minds, we feel the weight of the life we've been called to in Christ. As we feel the weight of that calling, we ask, "Who is fit for this task? How can I do this?" Hebrews give us practical encouragement. And, we're told not just what the life of those in the community of Christ should look like, but how we should actually go about living that way.
What does it mean if the resurrection of Christ is true? What difference should it make in our lives? We want to think through what life is meant to be like under the Shepherd of the Church, the Lord Jesus who died and was raised back to life.
Good Friday—a day we set aside to remember the death of Jesus on the cross. And most the important question we can ask today is, “Why did Jesus die on the cross?” If you read books and newspapers or watch documentaries today, you’re likely to get all kinds of answers.
But the Bible itself is clear and consistent when it comes to answering this question: Jesus died on the cross to save sinners. This wasn’t a message human writers made up but a message that Jesus himself taught before his death.
We want to look at a passage that show this to be true. We want to look at a passage that shows how Jesus himself understood what his death was going to accomplish for the salvation of humanity.
As we are trying to better understand who we are as the People of God, our source of understanding in these weeks has been from God's Word in the book of Hebrews. We really don't want to hear about sacrifice. Our thought is, it is unpleasant, it denies us of something we want or too much work and, it must call us to make choices. But, that is what we are called to do and Jesus Christ is our example.
God is the one who makes us Christians, he chooses us, redeems us, and sanctifies us. Because of Christ's work we have access to God and a great High Priest over the house of God. In response, we are called to live a life of worship, truth and community.
The book of Hebrews reminds us who we are as the Community of Christ. The author reminds the Christians then and us today that the old covenant was just a shadow of the truth and that the true substance of God's plan of salvation has come in the person of Jesus Christ. Over and over in the book of Hebrews we are told, Jesus is better.
A study in the letters to the Hebrews - Jesus came as a human, to die so that in dying he defeated death and delivered his chosen from the fear of death. Jesus was not only the perfect sacrifice but became our High Priest. He is a merciful High Priest who is able to remove our fears, share in our sufferings and supply our strength.
What do you worship? Whom do you serve? That's the real question behind these verses. That's the underlying current that runs deep beneath the waters of Jesus' teaching here. We need to be on guard against the sin of covetousness.
Jesus set his face towards Jerusalem, he purposed in his heart to begin going to the cross just as God his Father planned. He set himself with fierce determination to go to his death that he might rescue sinners from death. That's what the cross is all about. It's about him bearing God's wrath. Just as Jesus was intent on fulfilling God's will, so Satan was intent on stopping him. Jesus must prepare his disciples for the heat they will face.
The clear theme of Jesus' instruction here is exposing and condemning hypocrisy. He does this in light of two groups among the Jewish religious leaders, the layers and the Pharisees. But this problem isn't long gone. Hypocrisy is still a problem for God's people today. It reveals that some who say they are part of the Church aren't what they claim to be, and it reveals that those who are really part of the Church aren't what they should be.
Jesus says that wickedness is seen in rejecting the Word of God when it's before you. Here we find a warning for ourselves today. Are we listening to the Word of God? Are we willing to sit under and hear from God or do we expect something else? How do we hear his Word? In this passage Jesus is pretty clear in answering that question.
In these verses, we see the power of God on display through Jesus. Luke is writing to to his friend, Theophilus, to remind him to cut the chute and pull up the anchor. He's telling him, "Look everything you heard about Jesus, everything you first believed about Jesus is true." And for us today, that which we need to believe again is the power Jesus wields in our life.
Jesus wants his disciples to be a people of prayer. In this passage, he encourages us to pray by telling us who God is. And he wants to show them that indeed, God is a Father to his people - a loving and generous Father who delights to pour out his gifts of blessing on his children.
Here Jesus himself tells us how to pray. It's a passage that returns us to basics, yet at the same time refreshes our souls with the reminder that God both commands and invites us to pray.
In Luke's Gospel, this is an important passage on the nature of discipleship itself. Regardless of your gifting - or your gender, for that matter - this is a crucial passage on understanding what it means to be a disciple of Jesus. Specifically, it's about making sure that we have right in our minds, our hearts, and our priorities the one thing necessary to grow and mature as Jesus' disciples.
Most people recognize this story, but it is also very often misunderstood. Context is essential. This story is in fact given by Jesus to show a lawyer, a deep deficiency in his own heart, and his need of saving grace. This parable is really about the gospel itself.
Prayer is one of the most precious privileges of the Christian life. But what happens when God fails to heed our prayers? Where does the problem lie - with God or with us?
Jesus prays, "Sanctify them in the truth; your word is truth" (17:17). What does it mean to be sanctified? In praying for believers to be sanctified, Jesus is praying that they be holy; that they be set apart.
What is the gospel? And, why is it important that we get these truths right, and if we are already Christians, why is it so important that we keep talking about this Gospel? Here we find the answers we are looking for.
Here we have the Christmas story with a new spin. We'll think about the same story - the birth of Jesus as the Savior of the world - but we'll look at it from a different perspective.
Now, today, we want to see how Luke ends this section by telling us about the return of the 72. And the theme we see here is joy. It’s a wonderful reminder that the hard call to follow Christ and leave everything else behind, never ends in misery but joy.
This message from Jesus is one to embrace with obedience and faith and consider how to speak to the calling Jesus has placed on our lives. Specifically, the calling to be sent on mission, making disciples of Christ for the fame of his name.
Luke reminds us that we must count the cost. We must consider what it will cost us to follow Jesus as his disciples.
As we think about Jesus' words and actions here, we need to understand that Jesus is pointing us toward a life of gospel humility. That is, humility made possible by and empowered by the gospel; the good news of Jesus' salvation for sinners.
How do we deal with our unbelief? First, we humbly admit to God that we do not believe as we should. From this passage, we want to think about how we can cultivate a real, steady, consistent faith in this life, and arm ourselves in the fight against unbelief.
As we seek to understand and apply this passage for our lives, we want to behold the glory of Jesus. When we do that, we will see how everything else pales in comparison to him.
From these verses we see the essence of Christianity itself. One of the most important passages in the entire Bible.
As we think about the Reformation of the Church in the 16th century, as we hear about men like Martin Luther, John Calvin, Ulrich Zwingli, and John Knox, we can appreciate their efforts and acknowledge our deft to them because we know who stood behind all their accomplishments. It was God himself.
Here we come to a story that is well known but perhaps is not well understood. It's an important story because it appears in all four Gospels of the New Testament. We not only see a miracle of Jesus, but one that gets to the very heart of who Jesus is as the Savior of the world.
From this first mission of the disciples, we not only see the beginnings of their future apostolic ministry, but the same essential principles for our own ministry today.
Here Paul describes his apostolic ministry to the Colossians. This description serves as a pattern for us today for all Christian ministry.
This passage is all about the faith of people who encounter Jesus and how their faith in him changes their lives. As we unpack this passage, the point is that Jesus is the one in whom we should put our faith and we will look at what that faith should look like.
Luke is showing us again and again his power and compassion to bring salvation and change to the lives of sinners. He wants us to bask in the glory of Christ and come to an ever-deepening love and appreciation for his work.
The question that faces us: do we have a fair-weather Christianity? Or, will our faith prevail throughout all circumstances. Luke continues to show who Jesus is and why we should put our faith in him.
What happens when Jesus preaches the gospel? What effect does it have in the world? We should ask ourselves the same question, when we tell the good news of the kingdom, what is the effect?
It was this extraordinary behavior that not only revealed the hardened heart of the Pharisee, but the heart of this forgiven woman. Two people have encounters with Jesus; two people are eager to be with him, but only one shows any signs of having been changed.
This scripture will answer the following questions: Is obedience to God always a clear path? What if God says no to your request? What should be the response of a servant?
John asks, "Are you the one who is to come, or shall we look for another?" In these verses we will see that Luke is answering that question this way: 'Jesus is the promised Savior of faith.'
God isn't looking for good people, he's simply looking for faith. He's looking for people who will believe in him; specifically, people who will believe in his Son, Jesus Christ. Luke tells us why we should put our faith in Jesus.
After looking at Jesus' Sermon on the Plain - his teaching for his disciples about what life in his kingdom should look like, there is the temptation to listen, nod, and go away unchanged. Here we come to the conclusion of that sermon and see Jesus press home to us the importance of hearing what he says and what we should do in response.
We are often blind to our own sin. Jesus teaches his disciples, who live and serve in his kingdom, how they must live.
Here we come to the Mount Everest of Jesus' commands. It is the command that many find most difficult to embrace. It stands at the heart of what it means to be a disciple of Jesus for it stands in the heart of God himself. What is this difficult command? That we should be a loving people. Jesus defines for us the kind of love that should mark us out as his people.
It's been called the greatest sermon ever preached. Jesus redefines life for his disciples.
Over the last few weeks we have seen Jesus' life and ministry and how that provoked many religious leaders to be his enemies. Yet, what Luke now highlights for us is that just as Jesus had enemies, he also had followers. From these followers, Jesus was going to gather together a new people of God.
What does it mean to keep the Sabbath? On the simplest terms, it meant to rest. Certainly, there is some practical element to it. God knows his creation, and taking a break is good. But there is a deeper reality to the principle of rest. The Sabbath was meant to point people back to God, that they might find rest of their souls in him.
What Jesus brings is so new that nothing old can compare. This was true for the ancient Jews and it's true for us today. Jesus offers a new relationship with God.
In the previous section, Luke shows us what kind of Savior Jesus is - a Savior who can meet our deepest spiritual need and who is willing to save. Luke continues this theme as we see Jesus call yet another disciple to himself. From these verses, we see how Jesus still calls disciples to himself today.
Here we read about two times Jesus healed. In looking at these stories, we want to see what they tell us about Jesus and what they tell us about ourselves and the healing we still need today.
Spiritual warfare is a gospel-centered war. This spiritual war is not just a war in our hearts and our churches, but a war of advancement. The kingdom of Christ is meant to grow and expand and bring new citizens into its realm of salvation.
Every day we face the temptation to sin. How are we going to say "No"? Do we even understand how temptation works? Here we look to the Word to understand temptation and how to defeat it.
In the deepest parts of our heart, we daily experience the turmoil of gods at war. Everyday numerous idolatrous gods battle against the one true, God for the affections of our hearts. How can we know what real worship of the living God should look like? And, how is it achieved?
The real power of spiritual warfare lies - not with us, but with God. And the way to receive that empowerment is through prayer. Prayer is essential for spiritual warfare.
In this day and age, it's not that there's more sin in the world or more temptation than there's been before, but it seems today that that exposure level is higher. The war for us is to walk in the spirit and not in the flesh and to believe that what God has given us now is sufficient.
Our cultural focus on individual liberty brings not just occasional temptations, but in many cases ingrained patterns of spiritual destructive behavior. How do we stop the impulses that so powerfully war against us and our resolve to live a righteous life?
Here we see further how to stand strong in the Lord and how we can fight this formidable foe. Though, in order to fight we must walk by faith in Christ alone. Guest Speaker is Deacon Jason Skidmore
In Ephesians 6, we see that we are engaged in a spiritual warfare, and our enemy is very real. He is powerful and he is dangerous, and we would be wise to listen to what God has to say. Guest speaker is Deacon Doug Brubaker.
Here we see both how we become disciples of Christ and how we continue to live as disciples of Christ. In these verses, Luke lays out for us the basics of discipleship.
Seeing Jesus' authority gives us confidence in him. Seeing his authority will give us confidence that he is able to save us from our sins and care for us now.
Jesus preaches about his work as the Messiah and how he will bring the salvation of God to sinners. We see how Jesus viewed his own life and ministry and purpose. Here we see exactly what Jesus thought and taught about himself and what it meant for him to be the Messiah and how he would accomplish that great ministry.
Here will see Jesus venture out into the wilderness where there is not only wild animals lurking but an ancient foe who led the first man to bring sin and death into the world. Luke shows us that Christ is the perfect Savior for all people. Because of his saving work we are assured of victory on the last day, but more than that, we can have victory now over sin.
From John's words and Jesus' genealogy, four pictures emerge that tell who the Christ is and how he is superior than John.
John receives the word of God. See the effects in John's day and the saving purposes of God. Also, sets a pattern for the word's effect today.
Luke makes it clear that Jesus was just like any other boy, yet he was more than any other boy. He was the Son of God and, even at twelve years old, was growing into the perfect Savior of the world.
When Christ is born, Luke is clear in showing that the new age has dawned and the glory of the old covenant is fading away.
Zechariah, the priest, is blessing - or, praising God for what He has done. We see here what Zechariah was doing then has implications for how we should live today.
God has given us instructions about what kind of speech should characterize our words and why we should speak that way.
When we look to the Bible, prayer is all through it. Why is such attention given to this religious practice? Because it's more than just a religious practice. For Christianity, prayer is more than duty to do, it is part of the way we cultivate a relationship with God. Here we see what it means to pray according to the instruction and hope in God's word.
At its simplest: the word of God (the Bible) is the means by which God speaks to his people. Without regular Bible intake and prayer, our fellowship with God becomes weakened and sickly and less that what it should be. Here Jesus shows us how the Word of God is the means of creating and cultivating our fellowship with God.
Jesus Christ humbled himself to take on human form and make himself nothing. His obedience to the cross is a sure token of his deity and authority.
The story of the first Christmas is an amazing one. Not just because of what it means - that God the Son took on flesh to be the Savior of the world; that's amazing - but more amazing is how that actually played out in the course of human history.
How the Gospel Helps Us Makes Sense of Newtown. When we see suffering around us we often ask, "Why?" Here we find the foundational truths about God and suffering.
Who was this man, John, and how did his birth provoke such joy and fear in this small town? Through these events we want to see God himself, his character, his power, his glory.
To magnify something is to emphasize its greatness. Here we see Mary putting God on display for what he has done. We should follow her example. We should seek to magnify God in our own lives.
In this passage, we see the visitation of the great and the greater. And in this scene, what we see more than anything is what it means to encounter the Lord Jesus Christ.
Here, we come to one of the most important passages in all of the Bible - the coming birth of Jesus, the Savior of the world is announced to a young peasant girl. It's an announcement that not only changed the world but should change our lives.
Given who this book is about - namely, Jesus Christ - this book starts off in an unexpected place. We're told about two people, a husband and wife, named Zechariah and Elizabeth. As seemingly insignificant we come to understand that it takes on greater significance.
These verses tell us why Luke wrote his Gospel, what his Gospel is all about, and what spiritual benefit we can hope to gain by reading it.
In these final verses, Paul builds on everything else that he has touched on in this letter, showing how to further gospel ministry. He envisions Christians investing in the lives of other Christians who in turn invest in the lives of others.
By God's grace, we are to respond to the calls we hear to godliness. We do it, remembering God's grace, remembering that we are not accepted because of our godliness. But because we are already accepted in Christ, we should pursue godliness and good works.
Grace brings us to salvation, trains us for godliness, focuses us on the future and prepares us for ministry
The threat of conformity to the world is all around us. Here we will see that Paul's concern is that we live a life shaped by the gospel, not the culture.
Why are godly pastors needed to shepherd the church? Because there are false teachers leading people astray. This message gives us a description of false teachers, and helps us to understand what we should do to protect the church from them.
Paul gives Titus his instructions for the work he is to do in Crete: a work that will establish godly leadership in the church.
What Christians believe and how they live is important. Bridging the gap doesn't come by new ideas or methods, but by remembering, reclaiming and refocusing ourselves around the grace of God in the gospel of Christ.
Fast from food in order to feast on the Word amidst your time in prayer. Why? Because God’s Word is our lifeline to God himself.
Religious hypocrisy has no part in the kingdom. Jesus give his disciples some specific directions for fasting.
Here we see just one example of how prayer and fasting have been an integral part of the fulfilling of God's purposes in the world, as he advances his plan to redeem and preserve his people for the glory of Christ.
In these final verses we see Daniel being given his final orders. God's final vision to Daniel brings together all that he has seen before and ensures he will be encouraged on to the very end of his life. Our passage shows us how we can take comfort and refuge in God when we encounter adversity.
Daniel is again being shown that there will be a never ending conflict between God's people and the sinful kingdoms of the world. Yet, in the end, it is the kingdom of God and his people that will endure, leaving the world's kingdoms broken and fallen.
Here, God gives Daniel yet another vision, bringing a greater understanding of the spiritual realities behind the everyday coming and going of God's people in the world.
Here, God gives Daniel a greater understanding of how he will fulfill his promise of the new covenant. Promises that are fulfilled in Christ.
The Christian life is never meant to be static; we're not meant to stay in the same place, but to be growing. Prayer is an expression of what we know of God and of ourselves. We might be able to fake and fudge the truth in public, but there's no hiding in secret. Here we find an example for how we should pray for the church and ourselves.
Daniel receives another vision about events that are to come in his life and the life of his people Israel. Likewise, as the people of God today, we can draw certain spiritual truths from this vision given to Daniel, that show us how to wait for the return of Christ, our King.
This section is full of what scholars call "apocalyptic literature." In these visions and dreams, God gives us a vision of the future - one where the present conflict in the world comes to an end so that everlasting peace can take its place.
What happens in Daniel's life here is the result of his faith in God. Daniel reveals the characteristics of a life of faith?
The more we understand God, the more we will come to understand ourselves. But the question before us is this: will we like what we find?
King Nebuchadnezzar learned three simple, yet profound truths about God. A pagan king who worshiped the gods of Babylon finally gives praise to the King of Israel. He declares that God alone is great enough to have an everlasting kingdom.
God’s people are in a constant spiritual battle. Here we see an example of faithful devotion by God's people.
Mark and Wendy Hoshizaki who serve as Missionaries in Japan for the International Mission Board.
The king of Babylon has a dream which disturbs him so he calls for all of his advisors to give him both the dream and its interpretation. This message affirms our belief in the sovereignty of God in all things, showing how he wisely rules over all kingdoms, even establishing his own.
In the midst of circumstances that could have easily meant his death, Daniel resolved to remain faithful to his God. In return, he finds a God who is faithful to him.
Daniel opens by reminding us of the reality of Israel's exile. Here we are given a spiritual mirror to see our own situation today.
The climax of God's saving work is seen in the resurrection of Christ from the dead. It's the final proof that has fulfilled his promises in his Son.
The cross of Christ brought to fulfillment the promises of God and won salvation for his people.
How does Jesus' s last supper with his disciples speak to his fulfillment of God's promises?
When the veil is pulled back on Jesus' glory, what do we learn about his ministry and his fulfillment of God's promises?
The first sermon in a series that looks at the highlights of Jesus' life and ministry as he fulfills the promises of God.
As God’s people, we have to be more than consumers in the church because every believer is called to be servant and ministers in the kingdom of God.
Why is the word of God so important? How do you bring it to people? And what should the results look like?
Because God's agenda for the world is making known the gospel of Christ, then our agenda should be making known the gospel of Christ—to one another and the world.
The first message in a series showing how every one of Christ's disciples should be working at making disciples.
Not everyone can be at the center or the forefront of ministry but everyone can have a part in ministry.
How should Christians think about their employers? How should Christian employers think about their employees?
As God's people, we are to live lives shaped by the gospel. So what will it mean to live in a gospel-shaped family?
If we are truly Christians, then our lives should be very different from the world. And as new people in Christ, we should get rid of old ways, living in light of the gospel.
Paul has shown the supremacy and sufficiency of Jesus Christ in chapters 1 ans 2. Based on that, Paul begins showing how Christ alone should be the person by whom we recalibrate our lives.
Let no one insist on a program of spiritual growth that doesn’t focus on the person and work of Christ. In him there is the fullness of spiritual life.
Paul wards off false teaching about attaining spiritual life by showing what Christian already have because of their union with Christ
How do you care for the church with prayer? What should you pray for? What should you pray for those you’ve never seen? What should you pray for and work for with those that are in this room and in your life?
Paul lays out the characteristics of his ministry as an apostle of Jesus Christ, and provides a pattern for all Christians ministry.
Paul shows how the glorious, incomparable Christ and the work he accomplished gives us hope that God saves sinners. Because we have been redeemed, we are not what we once were.
Grasping the glory of Christ will free us from our idolatry and cause us to rest in one, true God.
Jesus says the mission of the church will be complete before he returns. But what how will it happen? What does it look like to finish the mission?
Paul says that one of the things he regularly prayed for the Colossians was that they would live a life in keeping with the gospel of Jesus Christ.
Paul’s prayer life and how it can and should affect ours as well. In these verses, we specifically want to see how the gospel teaches us to be thankful in prayer.
Jesus comes in fulfillment of Psalm 23 as the Good Shepherd who lays down his life for the sheep.
God keeps his covenant with his people, offering even more than we could ask for; even the giving of his own son, Jesus.
This Psalm is very much about showing us the way to worship: how to respond to the Word of God.
The end of our series, here we walk through the book of Jonah and see how Jesus came in fulfillment of all we read. Jesus is the good and better Jonah.
Will we repeat the sins of Jonah? Or will we pity the great cities of the world and take the gospel to them?
Suddenly the whole book makes sense. The prophet himself tells us why he didn’t want to go to Ninevah in the first place and the reason it this: Jonah is an idolater. And so are we.
What happens when Ninevah hears the message of God? The miraculous conversion of an entire city, as they respond in repentance and faith.
What does God's forgiveness look like? How do we receive it? Does God's willingness to forgive mean that he takes sin lightly?
Have you become bored with grace, taking your relationship with God for granted? What do you do? Seek more grace.
Salvation belongs to the Lord--it is his to give. But what does it look like? How does it comes to us?
It's easy to criticize Jonah, but the reality is, we are far more like him than we want to admit. Yet, Jesus is better than us all.
Why does a good and sovereign God send storms into the lives of his people? Sometimes it's an act of grace to get our eyes off of ourselves and back to God.
The first of a series in the book of Jonah. Here we see the God of sovereign grace and the prophet who ran from it.
Inspired by the Austin Stone Community Church (http://www.historyofredemption.org), this is an overview of the Bible's story using the words of the Bible only. It's the story of God redemption of sinners through Jesus Christ
Jesus Christ is the risen King over all things! But do you worship him as God? Are you sure what your god is?
The story of God's redemption comes to a finale in Scripture with an unyielding, all-glorious vision of Jesus Christ, the victorious Lamb!
In 2 John we saw the relationship between truth and love. Now, John provides some practical examples of what that relationship looks like in the lives of God's people.
Are truth and love enemies? If not, then how do they relate to one another in our life with God and his people?
How can you know if you really have fellowship with God? How can you know if you're really one of God's people?
2 Timothy is Paul's final letter before his death. As he finished his race, he tells Timothy how he should work to preserve the gospel that has been entrusted to him and work to help the church preserve it as well.
Peter explains to Christians how, in the midst of suffering, mockers, and a society that love sins, they can be faithful to the end.
How are we to preserve the church until Christ returns? By fighting for the faith. We must fight for the truth and against false teaching, all the while loving sinners and fighting to see them right with God
And the one thing he emphasizes, the overriding concern in this letter is that there is an unbreakable link between belief and behavior, between faith and life. At the center of that link is a life lived by Christians is to be lived by the grace of God.
How is the church to be preserved from one generation to the next? Paul says it happens by holding on to the gospel. We must guard the deposit of faith that has been entrusted to us.
The author of Hebrews is writing to show that the all of the old covenant was just forms and shadows but Christ is the substance. Thus, he tells his readers over and over again to stand firm in their faith for Jesus is better.
How should Christians respond to persecution, or even suffering in general? Peter says that Christians can persevere with joy and holiness because they have an assurance of their present and future salvation.
How does the gospel affect our relationships with other people? How does it affect our responsibilities towards them? Paul shows us in his letter to Philemon.
Our hearts long to be legalists. We look for all kinds of big and small ways to add to the work of Christ, trying to do something, anything that will make us more acceptable to God. But we can't. All our efforts fail because Christ has done it all.
Who does the work of ministry? Paul says that God gives leaders to the church to equip every believer to do the work of ministry.
The gospel is not just for the lost. God intends the gospel to be for his people as well. Hearing the gospel again and again encourages growth among God's people. So how do we share the gospel with other Christians? How do we encourage their growth?
The first step in the process of gospel growth is actually sharing the gospel with unbelievers. It's through the gospel that God gives spiritual life and forgiveness to sinners.
How do you grow a church? Well, you can't--God does that. But you can be used by God to grow his church, by focusing on the gospel, for unbelievers and believers alike. Gospel growth is real, healthy, biblical church growth.
Philippians about partnering together for the gospel. This is also what flows out of an understanding of Christmas' true meaning.
In Ephesians, Paul is offering basic training for Christians: showing them the realities of life in Christ that should help reorient our thinking, our living, our loving as God's people.
Some have called this the greatest passage in the Bible, others have called it the very heart of the Bible. What is here, spoken of over and over again is the righteousness of God. And it's in the gospel—the very message of this passage—in which we most clearly see the righteousness of God.
What role does suffering play in this life of ministry? How are we to minister in the midst of suffering? Even suffering that comes as adversity to our message?
Lots of people talk about being spiritual. But what does the Bible say about authentic spirituality? What will a truly Spiritual church look like?
In the midst of difficult times and uncertainty, how do you stand firm? How do you maintain spiritual stability in an unstable world?
Lots of books are written about how to grow a church. But what does the Bible say about church growth?
Why is it so important to get the gospel right? How do we ensure we get it right and keep it that way from one generation to the next?
What is required to live for God with single-minded obedience? A single-minded faith that flows from a deep love for God.
Acts shows that the work of the Church is the continuation of Christ's own ministry through the power of his Spirit.
Luke was a doctor, historian, and theologian writing to give certainty that what had been taught about Jesus and the salvation offered to sinners is indeed true.
Crossway Christian Church turns 50! But what can we do be a God-honoring people that last another 50 years?
Over 1900 years ago, John wrote the book you have in your hands so that people might believe that Jesus was the long-awaited Christ. He wrote that people might believe he was more than just a man but the very Son of God.
Mark shows us that Jesus is the Servant King who not only sets an example for the disciples he calls to follow him, but also serves them supremely by dying for them as ransom to God, securing their salvation.
The long-awaited Messiah is Jesus Christ. He is the fulfillment of God's plan, purpose, and promises. What implications does that have for our lives today?
How could Israel have hope after the exile? Because God reigns over all things and was faithful to his promises.
What happens when God's people forget his grace? What happens when their worship becomes indifferent? How do you rekindle a passion for God?
How does a book that doesn't mention God come to be all about God? How do people who don't seem to care much about God come to serve him in mighty ways?
God has renewed and rebuilt his people after the exile, but are they really ready to be God's people? How can sinful stand before and serve a holy God?
Israel was sent into exile because they moved God himself out of the center of their life. Are we making the same mistake?
God will be victorious over sin, and he show himself to be just and merciful in his triumph. This is meant to be a comfort to his people.
Everything God is doing, the story he is writing, is not moving towards an end. Rather, it's moving towards a new beginning.
God saves sinners, gathers his people into one body, then send them out in mission to see others become disciples of Christ. Are you living up to the mission of God's people?
God does more than save sinners, he gathers them together into one people: the Church. It's only the gospel that breaks down every human barrier between God and man, and man with man.
How does God justly deal with sin, yet show mercy to sinners by forgiving them? We see the answer in the cross of Christ.
How did the Triune God bring all things into existence? How does God's creation of the world affect how we should live today?
There are only two ways to live--one leads to death, the other leads to life. Which way are you living?
Who is the Holy Spirit? Is he a mysterious force, or God? What role does he serve in bringing God's salvation to sinful people?
Who stands at the center of all things--your life and creation itself? Jesus Christ, the Son of God.
The God who exists is unapproachable glory is also a God who reveals himself to sinful people in gracious fellowship.
What is the nature of God? Why is it essential to understand that the one, true God exists as three Persons--Father, Son, and Spirit?
What do Christians believe about the Bible? Why is it important to read it, understand, and live it?
What is there anything more tragic than calling out to a god that isn't real? How about rejecting the one, true God who is real?
What were Jesus last words of instruction to his disciples before the cross? Do we follow them today?
Why is the gospel so important? Why must it remain at the center of every church and its ministries?
How do you live a life of faithfulness to God and courage in the face of difficult circumstances? Daniel learned how through God's revelation of himself--a revelation ultimately fulfilled in Christ.
After seeing nearly unimaginable horrors, Jeremiah shows how he, and we today, can still hope in God.
Jeremiah was more than a "weeping prophet." He was a man who trusted God in the face of adversity and proclaimed an uncompromising message of judgment and hope, ultimately fulfilled in Jesus.
Just the prophet warned Israel that judgment was coming on their sin, so also today, God's people live in light of the final day of the Lord. How should we live in light of the coming of Christ?
When it seems like sin and evil are winning, what do you do? God showed Nahum, and us today, that sin has not gone unnoticed. A day of judgment is coming and God
Israel rebelled, and God in holiness would not only bring judgment for sin, but also salvation to sinners. Centuries later, ultimate judgment and salvation came in the cross of Christ.
How can Jesus' disciples live the way Jesus calls them to? Through the strength Jesus himself provides!
Jesus continues to reveal the glory of his person and mission, showing here that no one comes to God except through Him.
What does it mean for Jesus to say He is the resurrection and the life? It means he alone is able to give spiritual life to sinful hearts, and resurrected life to long-dead bodies.
Jesus says that he is the good Shepherd of God's sheep. He alone provides perfect care for the sheep--care that results in salvation.
Jesus taught that he was the door of the sheep--the only way that the lost sheep might come to God.
Jesus presented himself as the light of the world. What does that mean? Here we see how Jesus presents himself as the only Savior for sinful humanity.
What does it mean for Jesus to be the bread of life? How does he sustain and nourish our souls?
Why is Jesus unlike anyone else in religion and the world? We begin a new series seeing the foundation of Jesus' uniqueness--He is the great 'I AM.'
Israel has been sinning for hundreds of years, and in Micah's day, were acting like it didn't matter to God. But it did matter and Lord said judgment was coming. Even still, in the midst o fhis wrath, he would show mercy.
God has been patient with his people despite their unfaithfulness. He promises judgment will come, yet he also gives hope of a renewed life for Israel--life as a faithful people. This hope is ultimately fulfilled in Christ.
What happens when God's patience runs out? God speaks to his people through Amos, telling them he will tolerate their rebellion no longer--his judgment is coming. How can we escape the judgment of God?
Throughout the Bible, God is revealed to be a missionary God. He is seeking sinners with this message of grace. But as his people, do we share his passion? Are we a missionary people or are we like Jonah who refused his calling?
Even as God's people, sin requires repentance. This was the lesson Joel conveyed to Israel. Apart from repentance, God would be bring calamity to get his people's attention
Why did God design humanity to experience love and romance? How are we to wisely embrace this gift from God?
What does a wise life look like? How do you ensure that your life is ultimately meaningful and not wasted? The Preacher of Ecclesiastes tells us.
What does wisdom look like? The Bible says that wisdom is the ability to live skillfully in God's world. Such wisdom can be learned but not without a right relationship with God.
Why did Israel go into exile? It may be hard for us understand, but it was an act of God's mercy to discipline his people, calling them back to himself.
What is Christian Baptism? Why is it important and who should experience it? This message looks at the New Testament to answer these and other questions about baptism.
The elders' vision for BBC's future ministry and recommendation for BBC's future building plans.
How pervasive is idolatry in your life? Idolatry isn't limited to stone statues that we bow down to. Idols are anything we think we need apart from God. Elijah had a strong message for those who worshiped idols, revealing why there is only one, true God who alone deserves to be worshiped.
In 2 Samuel, God demonstrates his faithfulness to his promises to his people, especially his choice of king, David. This faithfulness culminates in the coming of David's Greater Son, Jesus Christ.
Why was it a sin for Israel to want a king? Why is it that we often commit the same sin today?
What is the ultimate goal of making disciples of Christ? Jesus himself told us as he prayed to God the Father - it's about glorifying Him.
If we are going to fulfill Christ's command to make disciples of all nations, then we will have to do it according to his plan. That includes loving another as Christ's people.
Fulfilling the Great Commission requires that we sacrifice our comfortable lives and go outside the camp with Christ.
People were amazed at Jesus' teaching, wondering where he came up with what he said. Pastor Richard shows more of the glory of Christ in this follow up to last week's message.
Where does hope come from in dark time? God! Despite the spiritual darkness of the time of the Judges, God brings hope to his people and continues to fulfill his plan to bring about a Messiah.
Why are idols so bad? Israel learns the hard way that idols aren't just powerless, they enslave. As they turn away from faithfulness to God, God shows himself faithful and saves them by his grace.
How do you prepare for a seemingly impossible task that God calls you to do? How do become courageous in the face of life's challenges? God speaks to Joshua and so us today, showing us how to have courage in conflict.
What does it mean to live as the people of God? Deuteronomy is the final sermons of Moses to Israel before they cross into the promised land. In them, he reminds them of their covenant with God and encouraged them to keep it. Those instructions are remarkably relevant today as Christians seek to live as God's people in the 21st century.
How does a holy God respond to a faithless people? Judgment and mercy. The Book of Numbers shows how God continues to fulfill his promises to Abraham despite the faithless grumbling of Israel.
In the Old Testament, God's people were called to holiness. Nothing has changed in the New, except that our holiness is rooted in Christ
Israel were God's people because he redeemed them from Egypt. This redemption sets the pattern for the salvation God's people have in Christ.
The book of Genesis is a book of beginnings. It shows the beginning of all things as God's begins writing the story of human history. Genesis also shows us how all of us even today fit into God's story.
The Bible is more than a book, it's a story. Over the coming weeks we will see the unfolding story of God's redemption of sinners--a story that unfolds according to God's wise and sovereign plan in Christ.
What will the end of our salvation be? What future glory awaits those who now put their faith in Christ?
What does it mean for Christ to be lifted up on the cross?
(NOTE: The first minute or two was cut-off during recording).
Although Christ has freed the Christian from the guilt and power of sin, sin's pollution remains so that we struggle with sin. How can we have victory over sin? How can we put it to death in our lives?
It has been said that the primary blessing of the gospel is justification, but that that greatest blessings is adoption. What does it mean to be God's sons and heirs?
At the heart of the atonement is being "at one" with God - being in right relationship with him. This is part of our salvation and our calling to take the message of salvation to those not yet reconciled to God.
When God justify sinners, he forgives their sin and declares them to be righteous. But how can God justify sinners - people who are not innocent or righteous, but guilty before him?
On the cross, Christ redeemed sinners by offering his life as a ransom. What were sinners redeemed from? What difference does that redemption make in our life?
Christians often say they are saved, but saved from what? This message goes straight to the heart of the gospel and answers the question, 'What are we saved from?'
What does it mean to be born again? Jesus explains that being born again means God has given spiritual life by the power of his Spirit through the gospel of Jesus Christ.
The Bible teaches that God's plan for salvation began long before we were born. In his sovereign grace, God displayed his love through the election of his people. This doctrine is meant to provide encouragement and assurance, not controversy and confusion.
Why do we need salvation from God? The Bible shows that we need salvation because we all stand under God's condemnation for sins.
The last message of the Resolved sermon series looks to 1 Peter 4 see how Christians can and should glorify God with their involvement in church.
How can you bring glory to God as a family? God tells us through the apostle's teaching to the family in Ephesians 5-6. Each role is addressed - husbands, fathers, wives, mothers, and children.
Why is Jesus so important? How did his birth reveal something of his glory and mission?
How are Elders and Deacons to serve the local church? How is the church to follow their leadership? By following the example of Christ.
Luke ends his record of the life and mission of the early church with an open-ended description of Paul's life. The point - that God's unstoppable mission of sending the gospel to the nations still continues in the church today.
Why would Christians try to spread the gospel all over the world? Why would Paul endure suffering and hardship for the gospel? Here Paul gives his defense of Christianity and reveals something of the essentials of every Christian testimony.