Sermon Podcasts: Recent Episodes
Bethany Lutheran Church - Appleton, WI
This is the weekly podcast of Bethany Lutheran Church in Appleton, Wisconsin. This podcast features sermons preached at Bethany's two campuses in Appleton. Learn more at www.bethanyappleton.org.
Today, we see Jesus revealing his glory, might and majesty—revealing himself as the Son of God through his miracles. Joining Jesus as he displays his power through miracles of healing, we also understand that Jesus has come to bring a much more thorough healing to all of us.
Pastor Dan Johnston preached this sermon at Bethany's Sunday worship on January 21, 2023.
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Today, we see Jesus reveal his glory at the fig tree, calling some of his first disciples to follow him and to see where he would lead them. As we join Jesus at the fig tree, we also see where Jesus leads us—to faith, life and salvation. He turns our doubts to belief and leads us to call others, as we are compelled to say with the disciples, “Come and see.”
Pastor Dennis Belter preached this sermon at Bethany's Sunday worship on January 14, 2023.
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Today, we join Jesus as he comes to be baptized by John at the Jordan River. Here, Jesus steps out of obscurity and into public view—and reveals himself to be someone worth the attention of the people and worthy of glory. When Jesus appears, he not only reveals himself to be God’s own Son. He also invites us to join him in discipleship, to follow him—even into glory of our own.
Pastor Dan Johnston preached this sermon at Bethany's Sunday worship on January 7, 2023.
Learn more at bethanyappleton.org
*In the form of a New Year’s letter from our Savior Jesus, we hear about the “new thing” he has done for us—coming to earth as one of us, living a perfect life, dying for our sins, and rising again to seal the victory over sin and death, and bring us to be with him forever in the glory of heaven.
Pastor Dan Johnston preached this sermon at Bethany's Sunday worship on December 31, 2023.
Learn more at bethanyappleton.org*
*As we celebrate the incarnation of our Savior Jesus, we think about all that this means for us. God, the everlasting, almighty God, who fills the heavens and the earth, becomes flesh and blood just like us. He joins us in this world of darkness as a man—God himself, with us. Today we focus on the name "Immanuel," which means "God with us." This Christmas, we consider what that means for us today and for all eternity—that God is truly with us as his people.
Pastor Dan Johnston preached this sermon at Bethany's Christmas Day worship on December 25, 2023.
Learn more at bethanyappleton.org*
*In his final sermon at Bethany before continuing his ministry with a new congregation, Pastor Brown shares a farewell message of the joy and peace we have in the grace of our Lord Jesus, the love of God, and the fellowship of the Holy Spirit.
Pastor Pat Brown preached this sermon at Bethany's Sunday worship on December 10, 2023.
Learn more at bethanyappleton.org*
*As we look forward to Christ’s second coming, when he will come again to judge the living and the dead and bring his people home, we also remember his first coming into the world at Christmas. Today we remember that we can rest assured in the one who is coming, knowing that he is bringing joy with him.
Pastor Dan Johnston preached this sermon at Bethany's Sunday worship on December 3, 2023.
Learn more at bethanyappleton.org*
*In Jesus’ time, John the Baptist prepared the way for the Lord’s first coming. In our message today, we hear from the Apostle Peter as he asks us what kind of people we ought to be as we prepare for the Lord’s second coming.
Pastor Pat Brown preached this sermon at Bethany's Saturday worship on November 25, 2023.
Learn more at bethanyappleton.org*
*As we celebrate Thanksgiving, we recognize that every good and gracious gift comes from our Father above. So we rightly ought to return our gratitude and thanksgiving to him.
Pastor Dan Johnston preached this sermon at Bethany's Thanksgiving Eve worship on November 22, 2023.
Learn more at bethanyappleton.org*
*For the last Sunday of the church year, we focus on Christ our King and the victory he won for us. Since by faith we share in that victory with Jesus, this time between his first coming and his second coming is a time for us to worship our King.
Pastor Pat Brown preached this sermon at Bethany's Sunday worship on November 19, 2023.
Learn more at bethanyappleton.org*
*Christ came once to accomplish all of his work of salvation. We know he is coming again, but in this in-between time, God has given us important work to do. Today we consider what it means to live lives of faithful service during the time in between.
Pastor Dan Johnston preached this sermon at Bethany's Sunday worship on November 12, 2023.
Learn more at bethanyappleton.org*
*Today, God gives us a glimpse of the saints who have gone on before us into heaven. We know that, through faith in Jesus, we have a place among them as well. Today we will see that this time in between is a time for us to look ahead and focus on the future glory that Jesus has in store for us.
Pastor Pat Brown preached this sermon at Bethany's Sunday worship on November 5, 2023.
Learn more at bethanyappleton.org*
*The Reformation is a very important moment in our world’s history. But the Reformation is not really about a man named Martin Luther or even a cultural revolution. It was about a simple return to the gospel message—a message by faith, through grace, relying entirely on Jesus Christ crucified for our salvation.
Pastor Dan Johnston preached this sermon at Bethany's Sunday worship on October 29, 2023.
Learn more at bethanyappleton.org*
*As we conclude our series on God’s vision for the church, our eyes are pointed ahead to the Last Day when Jesus returns. God wants us to be watchful as we wait for that day—not to be down and out or defeated, but rather to rise up in God’s grace and strength to carry out the mission that he has laid before us.
Pastor Pat Brown preached this sermon at Bethany's Sunday worship on October 22, 2023.
Learn more at bethanyappleton.org*
*God is clear: His church is one that he has commissioned to teach the next generation—to proclaim his saving deeds to the our children, and they to their children … and so on, until our Lord Jesus comes again.
Pastor Dan Johnston preached this sermon at Bethany's Sunday worship on October 15, 2023.
Learn more at bethanyappleton.org*
*This week follows closely on the heels of understanding that God’s church is to be one that values accountability—people who are ready and willing to have those hard conversations when sin gets into the mix of our relationships. But just as we should be ready to do that, God wants us to be ready and willing to then offer forgiveness, just as he has forgiven each one of us in Christ Jesus.
Pastor Pat Brown preached this sermon at Bethany's Sunday worship on October 8, 2023.
Learn more at bethanyappleton.org*
*God’s vision for the church also includes valuing accountability. This may not be a part of our lives as God’s people that we look forward to—calling sin to the carpet when needed. Yet, this is a very important part of the ministry that God has given to the church—and to each of us—as we look out for the spiritual health of one another.
Pastor Dan Johnston preached this sermon at Bethany's Sunday worship on October 1, 2023.
Learn more at bethanyappleton.org*
*As we continue to consider God’s vision for the church, we see that God’s vision is a church that embraces the cross. So often in life, we flee the difficult things. We want to stay far away from the hard or painful things. Yet, very frequently, for the sake of Christ’s name God calls us exactly to those things—as we embrace the cross of Christ, and embrace crosses of our own.
Pastor Dan Johnston preached this sermon at Bethany's Sunday worship on September 24, 2023.
Learn more at bethanyappleton.org*
*As we continue to consider God’s vision for the church, we see that the church is to be a place that is focused on One. We will talk about the wonderful confession of faith that God works in our hearts in his Son Jesus, and our call to share that message with others in this world.
Pastor Pat Brown preached this sermon at Bethany's Sunday worship on September 17, 2023.
Learn more at bethanyappleton.org*
*God’s vision for the church is to be a church that welcomes all people. As we consider God’s Word through the apostle Paul, we’ll see what it truly means to welcome all—by understanding how God has welcomed us into his family through the saving work of Jesus.
Pastor Pat Brown preached this sermon at Bethany's Sunday worship on September 10, 2023.
Learn more at bethanyappleton.org*
*Today we consider the last of our core strategies for living out Bethany’s mission as a congregation: We share the hope of heaven that we all have, by telling others about the grace of Jesus.
Pastor Dan Johnston preached this sermon at Bethany's Sunday worship on September 3, 2023.
Learn more at bethanyappleton.org*
*Serving our gracious God with all that we are and all that we have … it’s something that sometimes feels like a burden or obligation. Sometimes we think of a life of service as a life sentence. But it isn’t—and it also is. Today God lays before us an opportunity, rather than a punishment, to serve him and serve others. A life of service is an opportunity to live out our praise and thanksgiving to our God.
Pastor Mark Henke preached this sermon at Bethany's Sunday worship on August 27, 2023.
Learn more at bethanyappleton.org*
*Today we consider the second of our four core strategies for living out Bethany’s mission as a congregation: We grow spiritually by faithfully studying God’s Word, both at home individually and among our brothers and sisters in Christ.
Pastor Pat Brown preached this sermon at Bethany's Sunday worship on August 20, 2023.
Learn more at bethanyappleton.org*
*Today we consider the first of our four core strategies for living out Bethany’s mission as a congregation: Worship God by coming together around Word and Sacrament. Why do we come to church? Why is it so necessary for our lives to gather as a body of believers around God’s Word? Psalm 84 provides some answers.
Pastor Dan Johnston preached this sermon at Bethany's Sunday worship on August 13, 2023.
Learn more at bethanyappleton.org*
*As we wrap up our Summer School series, we consider the account of the Feeding of the 5,000. Even though we are not physically fed with the same bread that Jesus gave to the people that day, we are still spiritually fed by what we learn about Jesus and about our God in this account.
Pastor Dan Johnston preached this sermon at Bethany's Sunday worship on August 6, 2023.
Learn more at bethanyappleton.org*
*As we continue to learn at the feet of Jesus, we consider three parables telling of priceless treasure. And in these parables, Jesus reminds us of the value, importance and urgency of his Kingdom.
Pastor Pat Brown preached this sermon at Bethany's Sunday worship on July 30, 2023.
Learn more at bethanyappleton.org*
*The Parable of the Weeds gives us a lot of insight into and explanation for all of the evil that we see in the world around us. But the parable especially shows us how God would have us react and respond to all of this as we live as his people—the wheat among the weeds—in this world.
Pastor Pat Brown preached this sermon at Bethany's Sunday worship on July 23, 2023.
Learn more at bethanyappleton.org*
*As we continue to learn at the feet of our great Teacher, Jesus, we consider his parable of the sower. Jesus often used parables as a way to share important truths about faith and salvation in simple and accessible language. Jesus wants us to understand—and in the parable of the sower, we can see and clearly understand God’s activity in his kingdom, and our place in that kingdom.
Pastor Dan Johnston preached this sermon at Bethany's Saturday worship on July 15, 2023.
Learn more at bethanyappleton.org*
*We know that physical rest is important. And we take a lot of steps to make good rest possible—buying the right mattress, keeping the right schedule, taking the right kind of vacations. We place a high value on physical rest. But we need more than physical rest. We need spiritual rest. And the only place to find that true rest is in Jesus.
Pastor Pat Brown preached this sermon at Bethany's Sunday worship on July 9, 2023.
Learn more at bethanyappleton.org*
*As we wrap up our series, we hear the Apostle Paul tell the young pastor Timothy that the gospel ministry will face opposition from the world—and even from within the church. Still, by God’s grace, we see that the gospel ministry is something that will continue among us despite this opposition.
Pastor Dan Johnston preached this sermon at Bethany's Saturday worship on July 1, 2023.
Learn more at bethanyappleton.org*
*The gospel ministry is a gift—and it’s a gift that God has given to us freely, no strings attached. We don’t deserve the love that God has shown to us in Jesus and continues to show to us through the ministry of the gospel. But God has given the gospel to us freely because of his compassion. And because of God’s compassion to us, the gospel is a gift that we also freely distribute to others.
Pastor Dan Johnston preached this sermon at Bethany's Saturday worship on June 24, 2023.
Learn more at bethanyappleton.org*
*Gospel ministry is staffed by sinners. We see plenty of examples of this in the Bible, and we know this is true of our gospel ministers today, as well. Gospel ministers are sinners who are called by God to serve other sinners. Today we will see that through this gift of gospel ministry, God pours out some of his greatest gifts both on those who serve in ministry and on those who are served by it.
Pastor Pat Brown preached this sermon at Bethany's Sunday worship on June 18, 2023.
Learn more at bethanyappleton.org*
*Today, as we begin to consider the great gift that is the ministry of the gospel, we start where all gospel ministry must start—with the Word of God itself. We see that gospel ministry must stand on the truth of God’s Word.
Pastor Pat Brown preached this sermon at Bethany's Sunday worship on June 11, 2023.
Learn more at bethanyappleton.org*
*On Trinity Sunday, we consider one of the great mysteries we find in Scripture: that God is three Persons, yet one God. We call this mystery the Trinity. It’s a truth we confess as God’s people, while recognizing that our finite minds will never be able to fully grasp this great mystery. But we also see in God’s Word everything we need to understand about how our Triune God blesses us with faith, life and salvation.
Pastor Dan Johnston preached this sermon at Bethany's Sunday worship on June 4, 2023.
Learn more at bethanyappleton.org*
*On Pentecost, we look at the work of the Holy Spirit. His primary work is to create faith in our hearts through the gospel. And he also pours out many other gifts on his church, so that we can share with others the good news about Jesus as well.
Pastor Pat Brown preached this sermon at Bethany's Sunday worship on May 28, 2023.
Learn more at bethanyappleton.org*
As we celebrate Confirmation Sunday, our thoughts turn to what it means to live a life of faithfulness to our God. It’s only because of the hope we have in Jesus that we’re able to live a faithful life. It’s this hope that we have in Jesus—the certainty of our eternal future in him—that enables our confirmands to make their promises of faithfulness. And it’s the same certainty of faith that enables us to be prepared at all times to give an answer to the reason for the hope that we have in Jesus.
Pastor Dan Johnston preached this sermon at Bethany's Confirmation Sunday worship on May 21, 2023.
Learn more at bethanyappleton.org
Today, the Apostle Peter tells us about a number of the struggles we face as God’s people in this world. But at the same time, he gives us the sure hope that God will bring us through those things. What’s more, God promises to bring us safely to the other side—to his side in eternal glory.
Pastor Pat Brown preached this sermon at Bethany's Sunday worship on May 14, 2023.
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As God’s special people, we have a secure place in his house. And we also have a call to serve him with our lives in this world. God has selected us to be his own, brought us into his family, and has set us apart for service in his kingdom. This is God’s spiritual building project—and it all rests on Jesus, the Cornerstone of our faith.
Pastor Pat Brown preached this sermon at Bethany's Sunday worship on May 7, 2023.
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For Good Shepherd Sunday, we consider suffering. As the sheep of our Savior’s flock, we sometimes suffer for our faith. But this suffering is proof that we are indeed God’s sheep—brought into his flock through the suffering of the Good Shepherd.
Pastor Dan Johnston preached this sermon at Bethany's Saturday worship on April 29, 2023.
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“Be holy.” That’s the way of life that God has assigned to us. But we know that being holy isn’t possible for sinful people like us. So Jesus had to be holy for us. Through his perfect life, death and resurrection, he has given us a new way of life—one where we have his holiness as our own, and where we empowered to live our lives to his glory.
Pastor Dan Johnston preached this sermon at Bethany's Sunday worship on April 23, 2023.
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The Apostle Peter knew firsthand what the resurrection of Jesus meant for his life and his future. So he’s in a prime position to share with us what the resurrection means for our lives and our futures, too. Today we consider that because Jesus lives, we are reborn to a living hope.
Pastor Pat Brown preached this sermon at Bethany's Sunday worship on April 16, 2023.
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We all have things that are important to us. Our marriage. Children. Health. Career. Finances. The list goes on. But of all these things, what is most important? This Easter, we consider the one thing that the Apostle Paul referred to as “of first importance”—the good news of Jesus Christ, crucified and risen for us and for our salvation.
Pastor Pat Brown preached this sermon at Bethany's Easter Sunday worship on April 9, 2023.
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On Good Friday, some wonder—with so much evil happening on that day, why do we call it good? The answer lies in what Jesus went to the cross to accomplish for us. As we commemorate the Passion of our Lord Jesus and his suffering and dying, today we consider everything that the Passion of Jesus means for us and for our eternity.
Pastor Dan Johnston preached this sermon at Bethany's Good Friday worship on April 7, 2023.
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On Maundy Thursday, we celebrate the institution of the Lord’s Supper. Tonight we consider how the sacrament of Holy Communion is a celebration of the community that we enjoy, both with God and with one another.
Pastor Pat Brown preached this sermon at Bethany's Maundy Thursday worship on April 6, 2023.
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There are a lot of things that we might expect a king to do or to be or to look like. Today, we see a King in Jesus—but he is not like other kings of this earth. Jesus is an entirely different class of King. He is a King who is not only worthy of our service or obedience, but he is worthy of our deepest love and loyalty. As we begin Holy Week, we see Jesus pouring out his love for us in the greatest way imaginable. Because of all that Jesus has done—living, dying and rising again to rescue us from our sins—he is truly the Lamb who is worthy to be called our King.
Pastor Dan Johnston preached this sermon at Bethany's Sunday worship on April 2, 2023.
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Today we see that our Savior is worthy of our honor and praise because he is the one who undoes death’s curse. We’ll consider a couple of resurrection stories—Lazarus being raised from the dead by Jesus, a young boy raised to life through the prophet Elisha. And the point isn’t that God would resurrect us for a few more years of life on this earth, as was the case with these two accounts. Rather, we see that through faith in Jesus we have the certainty that we will never be separated from the God who won our salvation.
Pastor Pat Brown preached this sermon at Bethany's Sunday worship on March 26, 2023.
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As we continue to consider Jesus as the Worthy Lamb, we are once again seeing what it is about our Savior that makes him so worthy—and what he does for us as our worthy Savior. Today we see that Jesus is the Lamb who is worthy to serve as our ransom from sin.
Pastor Dan Johnston preached this sermon at Bethany's Sunday worship on March 19, 2023.
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Today, we see Jesus, the Worthy Lamb, restore sight to a blind man. But in restoring the blind man’s sight, Jesus does so much more—he teaches his disciples, the people around him and us today, a deeper lesson.
Pastor Pat Brown preached this sermon at Bethany's Saturday worship on March 11, 2023.
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What does it mean to be an “insider” with God? Are we insiders? What does it mean to be an “outsider” with God? By nature, we are all outsiders—separated from God by our sin. But God has made us insiders, and now we know what it’s like to live with God’s glorious presence in our lives.
Pastor Dan Johnston preached this sermon at Bethany's Sunday worship on March 5, 2023.
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As we begin the season of Lent, we consider Jesus as “the Lamb who was slain.” In Revelation, we hear all God’s angels cry, “Worthy is the Lamb, who was slain, to receive power and wealth and wisdom and strength and honor and glory and praise!” Jesus is worthy of all of this because of everything he does for us and for all of his people. Today, as we see Jesus doing battle against Satan in the wilderness, we see that Jesus is worthy of our praise and honor because he is the one who overcomes temptation.
Pastor Pat Brown preached this sermon at Bethany's Sunday worship on February 26, 2023.
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Nothing can quench physical thirst quite like water. Spiritually, we all experience a far greater thirst. People search for so many things to try to quench that thirst in their souls. But there’s only one thing that can finally satisfy it—Jesus himself, his grace and the salvation he won for us at the cross and in the empty tomb.
Pastor Dan Johnston preached this sermon at Bethany's Sunday worship on February 12, 2023.
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Jesus says that we are “salt and light” in this world. What does that mean? Jesus is telling us that we have the opportunity to make a tremendous impact in the world around us and to serve a glorious purpose in our lives as God’s people. So he encourages us to simply be who God has made us to be.
Pastor Pat Brown preached this sermon at Bethany's Sunday worship on February 5, 2023.
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What Jesus calls blessed, the world never would. The world praises the strong and self-sufficient. Jesus calls blessed what others would consider weak, unimpressive or unsuccessful. Today, as we consider the Beatitudes from Jesus’ Sermon on the Mount, we learn what a blessed life truly looks like—a blessed life in God’s kingdom.
Pastor Dan Johnston preached this sermon at Bethany's Sunday worship on January 29, 2023.
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We’ve seen Jesus introduced as the Anointed One who came for all people and the Lamb who takes away all sin. Today we see Jesus introduced as the Light who overcomes all darkness. Whether it’s the opposition of a sinful world or the sin and guilt that lives in our own hearts, Jesus comes with his light of grace to shine and drive that darkness away.
Pastor Pat Brown preached this sermon at Bethany's Sunday worship on January 22, 2023.
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Today we see another glimpse of who Jesus is. We are introduced to Jesus in another beautiful way, and we see the meaning that Jesus holds for us. He is our Lamb—the Lamb of God, who takes away the sin of the world.
Pastor Dan Johnston preached this sermon at Bethany's Sunday worship on January 15, 2023.
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Today we see Jesus introduced as the Anointed One, who came for all nations. That truth is a great comfort to us during those times when we might feel a bit like “outsiders” looking in. And that truth is an important lesson for us when we view ourselves as “insiders” too.
Pastor Pat Brown preached this sermon at Bethany's Sunday worship on January 8, 2023.
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In the form of a New Year’s letter from our Savior Jesus, we hear the beautiful truth of why Jesus was born, the work he came to do to save us from our sins, and the heavenly inheritance we have waiting for us as members of God’s family.
Pastor Dan Johnston preached this sermon at Bethany's New Year's Day worship on January 1, 2023.
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In Jesus, God has given to us grace upon grace. Gift after gift. Nowhere do we see this more clearly than in Bethlehem and in the manger. There we see God's gift of Jesus, our Savior. And there we see how gift after gift—grace upon grace—flows to us in Jesus' life, death and resurrection.
Pastor Pat Brown preached this sermon at Bethany's Christmas Day worship on December 25, 2022.
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When you look into the manger, what do you see? A baby? Yes. But there’s more. That is Immanuel, “God with us.” The Son of God became Mary’s son, so that he could do for us what we could not do for ourselves—to save us from our sins and open to us the door to eternal life.
Pastor Dan Johnston preached this sermon at Bethany's Saturday worship on December 17, 2022.
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Many people have different expectations of who the Messiah should be. Today, some want a Messiah who is a good example, a wise teacher or an inspiring leader. In Jesus’s day, many wanted a political Messiah, who would remove Roman oppression and restore the kingdom of Israel to power. Even faithful Christians face the temptation to want a made-to-order Messiah, who turns a blind eye to our sin, doesn’t ask for a life of dedication, or only dispenses blessings as we would like them to be. But the true Messiah defies those expectations. Who he really is, is far better than what any of us could have expected.
Guest preacher Pastor Brad Krause preached this sermon at Bethany's Sunday worship on December 11, 2022.
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“Judgment” is not a word we usually associate with the season of Advent and Christmas. But today, as we hear Isaiah describe who our judge really is—how he judges us and what the result of that judgment is—then we are glad to pray, “Come, Lord Jesus, as Judge.”
Pastor Pat Brown preached this sermon at Bethany's Sunday worship on December 4, 2022.
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“Come, Lord Jesus.” They’re familiar words. You might say them every day at the dinner table. But they’re also some of the very last words in the Bible. Jesus says, “Yes, I am coming soon,” and we respond, “Come, Lord Jesus!” It’s an appropriate prayer as we get ready to celebrate Jesus’s first coming, and look ahead to his second coming. Today, we focus especially on Jesus coming as our King, looking at the kingdom that he establishes in this world and in our hearts through the message of the gospel.
Pastor Pat Brown preached this sermon at Bethany's Sunday worship on November 27, 2022.
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On Thanksgiving, we’re looking at one of the things that often gets in the way of our giving thanks—the worry that so often fills our hearts. But as we listen to Jesus and the promises he gives, we see how he provides the antidote for our worry.
Pastor Pat Brown preached this sermon at Bethany's Thanksgiving Eve worship on November 23, 2022.
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True safety and security can’t be found in earthly rulers—they will always come up short. But in Christ’s Kingdom, we find forgiveness, love and a ruler who directs all things for our eternal good. It’s only under the gracious rule of Christ in our hearts that we find true, eternal safety.
Pastor Dan Johnston preached this sermon at Bethany's Sunday worship on November 20, 2022.
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As we continue to consider God’s grace, we look at the gift of perseverance that God works in our hearts as his people. We know we need this perseverance, especially in these last difficult days as we consider the End Times. But today we see that God brings it to us through an unlikely source. Through the judgment that he warns about on the Last Day, as well as the gracious judgment that he passes on his people today through faith in Jesus, God works that perseverance in our hearts.
Pastor Pat Brown preached this sermon at Bethany's Sunday worship on November 13, 2022.
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As we continue our series Grace Upon Grace, we again see how the grace and blessings of God beget further grace and further blessings. Today, we consider God’s grace in the promise of heaven and what that means for our lives here on earth. We live in a broken world. We see sin and its effects all around us—and we’re part of that problem, too. But God has solved the problem of sin in Jesus, and promises that he has something far better in store for us in heaven. And as God gives us the promise of heaven to look forward to, this gives us comfort in our lives today.
Pastor Dan Johnston preached this sermon at Bethany's Sunday worship on November 6, 2022.
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As we begin a new sermon series, we will see how so often one blessing from God flows directly out of another one of God’s blessings. We see this especially clearly in the Reformation, when God worked through Martin Luther to restore his gospel to the church. By grace, God has revealed to us the saving truth of the gospel. And it’s that truth that brings us freedom from sin, death and the devil.
Pastor Pat Brown preached this sermon at Bethany's Sunday worship on October 30, 2022.
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As we wrap up the series My Faith Looks Up to Thee, we consider a message from Luke’s gospel, in which a rich young ruler asked Jesus a straightforward question: “What must I do to inherit eternal life?” There are many who believe—and many Christians who believe—that the way to heaven lies in our own good deeds. That we’re good enough to earn heaven ourselves. But in this gospel account, Jesus cut right to the heart of this man’s false belief in his own good works. Jesus uncovered the idol that was standing in the way of this young man’s faith relationship with God. And in this interaction, Jesus challenges us to examine our own attitudes, self-righteousness and idolatry. And we see that everything we have and everything that we hope for depends entirely upon the God that we look to in faith.
Pastor Dan Johnston preached this sermon at Bethany's Sunday worship on October 23, 2022.
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There are so many things we have to pray for, both personally and for those around us. But life is hectic and it can be easy to let prayer fall off of our agenda. Hearing our Lord’s word and promise of salvation in Jesus is what encourages us to pray and never give up. Because it’s our faith connection with Jesus that fuels a life of persistent prayer.
Pastor Pat Brown preached this sermon at Bethany's Sunday worship on October 16, 2022.
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We have a God who gives to us very generously. As our faith looks up to him, we not only understand the indescribable generosity of our Lord, but we learn how faith necessarily will respond to God’s generosity. And we will consider how the generosity that God has shown to us in Jesus truly and rightly begets the thanks and praise of our lives.
Pastor Dan Johnston preached this sermon at Bethany's Sunday worship on October 9, 2022.
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As we begin a new sermon series, we consider our life of faith. And we recognize that the faith that we live by isn’t powerful because of who we are or what we can do. Faith is powerful because of the one in whom it rests. When our faith looks up to Jesus, then we are equipped for everything that he calls us to do. Today we see that when our faith looks up to Jesus, we find the strength we need to serve him in whatever way he calls us to.
Pastor Pat Brown preached this sermon at Bethany's Sunday worship on October 2, 2022.
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Last week we looked at our attitudes toward wealth. Today, we see that just as wealth doesn’t provide true fulfillment in life, wealth also can provide us nothing in death. Through the story Jesus tells of the Rich Man and Lazarus, we see that in the end, those who seem to have it all now, may have nothing at all. Yet those who seem to have nothing now, may end up having it all. And the difference is not in the presence or absence of wealth—it’s entirely dependent upon what’s going on in our hearts. Today, we are encouraged to look at our own hearts to see where our confidence truly lies. Because it’s only faith in Jesus that can bring us true confidence in the end.
Pastor Mark Henke preached this sermon at Bethany's Sunday worship on September 25, 2022.
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There are more than 2,300 Bible passages that speak about money. Why? Money is a master Satan frequently tempts us to serve. And that evil foe knows how successful his efforts with money can be. Money provides us with a false comfort and a sense of security. It serves as a source of pride. It serves as a wonderful tool for a favorite pastime: justifying ourselves in our own eyes and the eyes of others. King Solomon knew a thing or two about seeking satisfaction in what wealth could provide. But, as he grew older, he gained some Godly perspective. He asked, what has all this wealth really gained? Through his words in Ecclesiastes, God teaches us the same hard truth—true satisfaction can never come from wealth, but only comes when God is what occupies our heart.
Pastor Dan Johnston preached this sermon at Bethany's Sunday worship on September 18, 2022.
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In two parables from Luke 15, Jesus tells us about things that are lost and the joy of finding them. As we look at these two parables through the eyes of faith, we’ll be challenged with our definitions of what it means to be found and what it means to be lost. But one thing we’ll clearly see is that whether a person seems to be found or lost, every single soul is precious to Jesus. And they should be precious to us, too.
Pastor Pat Brown preached this sermon at Bethany's Sunday worship on September 11, 2022.
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It is an unavoidable hard truth. Our relationship with Jesus will put us in situations where we must decide where love for him ranks compared to love for other people and things. And Jesus is not content to be one of many important things in our life; he wants to be first. He wants us to follow his Word unwaveringly, even when he asks us to do difficult things. In our reading from Deuteronomy, the LORD sets two paths before Israel: one leading to life, the other to death. God also sets this choice before us—but through Jesus he empowers us to choose the path of life, which he has already made ours through faith.
Pastor Dan Johnston preached this sermon at Bethany's Sunday worship on September 4, 2022.
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Everyone knows that humility is a positive trait and pride is a negative one. So, why bother talking about what we already know? Because in spite of that knowledge, we still helplessly fall into the trap of pride. We cannot help but think that our ascent to the exalted status we desire is our responsibility. We even take our exaltation into our own hands, either by treating poorly those we believe we can stand on top of or by showing favoritism to those we believe can provide us with upward mobility. Rather than minimizing pride as a sin that is common or harmless, Jesus’ words today confront us with this hard truth. Those who exalt themselves will be humbled by God. But Jesus also gives us the promise we need to be freed from pride’s trap. Our exaltation doesn’t need to be our responsibility because Jesus has already made it his. Those who humble themselves, Christ will exalt.
Pastor Dan Johnston preached this sermon at Bethany's Sunday worship on August 28, 2022.
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Today we look at the hard truth Jesus teaches us when he says, “Make every effort to enter through the narrow door.” The words “make every effort” may sound strange in light of God’s grace. What may be even more difficult to understand is that Jesus then tells us many will try to enter but will not be able. As we wrestle with this hard truth, we turn to our Savior for guidance—and we’ll see how through his grace, Jesus has not only opened the narrow door for us, but he ensures that we will fit through it.
Pastor Pat Brown preached this sermon at Bethany's Sunday worship on August 21, 2022.
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Today we look at one of the more difficult teachings in Scripture—that a life of faith is a life of struggle. It’s a race, a contest, and it requires perseverance. Jesus tells us that in our life of faith there will be hardship and sorrow, and division instead of peace. He tells us that anyone who follows him must take up their cross. Along the way, we’ll feel pain, discomfort and rejection. We may well become weary. Where do we find the strength to live our life of faith? The writer to the Hebrews tells us, “Fix your eyes on Jesus.” That’s how God trains and strengthens us to persevere toward the goal of faith—eternal life in heaven—won for us by Jesus, who has already run the race perfectly for us.
Pastor Dan Johnston preached this sermon at Bethany's Sunday worship on August 14, 2022.
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Last week Jesus warned us against overvaluing earthly wealth. This week his Word warns against undervaluing heavenly treasure. Through the story of Abraham, recounted for us in the book of Hebrews, we will consider what it means to focus not on the things of this earth, but on the heavenly home that’s waiting for us. And we’ll see how the focus of faith shows us the true value of this treasure.
Pastor Dan Johnston preached this sermon at Bethany's Sunday worship on August 7, 2022.
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Jesus wants focused followers. However, one of the things that can most easily get in the way of our focus is our earthly possessions. Today we look at the parable of the Rich Fool—a man who was blessed with such abundance that he didn’t know what to do with it. His solution? Build bigger barns to hold on to this bounty of earthly possessions while he enjoyed the good life. He stored up riches for himself, but quickly learned how wrong his thinking was. This prompts a question for us and our own lives, too. Are we rich toward God? Or are we just rich?
Pastor Pat Brown preached this sermon at Bethany's Sunday worship on July 31, 2022.
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Today we consider what it means to live a focused life of prayer. In a sense, prayer comes naturally to us. We want so we ask. We hurt so we cry out. We are blessed so we give thanks. So we sometimes define prayer as “speaking to God from the heart.” It seems so easy. What does not come naturally, however, is the focused prayer God wants for us. Prayer that has its basis in God’s grace and the good gifts he wishes to give us. Yes, we can speak from the heart and ask for anything we want. But our Father invites us to pray specifically for the things he wants to give us. Prayer is the opportunity to align our will to God’s will, not the other way around. We have much to learn about prayer. So, along with Jesus’ disciples, we say, “Lord, teach us to pray” (Luke 11:1).
Pastor Dan Johnston preached this sermon at the installation of Pastor Daniel Johnston at Bethany on Sunday, July 24, 2022.
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In this special service, we celebrate the installation of Pastor Daniel Johnston at Bethany under the theme “Christ’s Wisdom in the Word.” As pastors bring God’s Word to his people, we know that they are not just bringing an empty message, but they are bringing us the message of the Savior and salvation itself.
Guest preacher Pastor Jesse Johnston preached this sermon at the installation of Pastor Daniel Johnston at Bethany on Sunday, July 17, 2022.
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Jesus had a single-minded focus on our salvation—a drive to go to the cross to pay for the sins of the whole world. That focus directs us in our lives of serving Jesus and serving others. We want to have a focus on Jesus’ mission and his will for us—and his focus also teaches us to look to the needs of those around us. Today we think about how focused love always finds a neighbor in need. Considering the book of Ruth, we’ll see a wonderful example of how faith can lead us to focus not just inwardly on our own needs, but outward to the needs of others.
Pastor Pat Brown preached this sermon at Bethany's Sunday worship on July 10, 2022.
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For Independence Day, we’re looking at the subject of freedom. As we celebrate the freedom that we have as citizens of the United States of America, we also have a different kind of freedom: the freedom that’s found in Christ. And those two freedoms can sometimes be in conflict with each other. “If the Son sets you free, you will be free indeed”—but that doesn’t mean we’re free to do whatever we want. Freedom without boundaries really isn’t freedom. Today, God asks us to wrestle with how we live out our freedom both as a citizen of the Kingdom of God and as a citizen of the United States.
Pastor Mark Henke preached this sermon at Bethany's Sunday worship on July 3, 2022.
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God's powerful words reign over evil. That’s a hard thought for us at times. We know what goes on in our world. We know what goes on in our own hearts and lives. There are times when it doesn’t seem to us that God and his Word are really reigning over evil. We might even think he’s indifferent, or wonder why he doesn’t take action. But in our gospel reading today, we see Jesus put on a clear demonstration of his power over evil. And through this, he gives us the confidence that his words always have that same power.
Pastor Pat Brown preached this sermon at Bethany's Sunday worship on June 19, 2022.
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The victory Jesus won for us is given to us through his Word. As we begin to explore these powerful words of God, we are also celebrating Trinity Sunday, a day we set aside to contemplate the mystery of our Three-in-One God. This mystery of our Triune God goes beyond our ability to fully understand—but as God speaks to us through his Word, he makes sure that we know exactly what he wants us to know about him. And through the Word, we are assured of the Triune God’s blessing in our lives.
Pastor Pat Brown preached this sermon at Bethany's Sunday worship on June 12, 2022.
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In the final week of our series called Victorious, we also celebrate the day of Pentecost. We will not only look at the work that the Holy Spirit does in coming to give God’s Word to his people, to create and strengthen faith. We will also consider how the Spirit delivers all of the blessings that Jesus won at the cross to the individual hearts of people in this world. The victory that Jesus won is all ours through the Word. And the Holy Spirit is the one who works through that Word to plant it in our hearts.
Pastor Pat Brown preached this sermon at Bethany's Saturday worship on June 4, 2022.
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As we consider the Ascension of our Lord Jesus, there are many different things we could focus on. We know that Jesus is at the right hand of the Father, speaking to the Father on our behalf. We know he is there preparing a place for us, where we will spend eternity with him. We know that Jesus is ruling all things for the benefit of his Church. But what we’ll focus on today is our Lord Jesus’s commission to his church to take the message of his salvation, the message of his Easter victory, to the ends of the earth. And we’ll see how he accompanies and blesses us as we carry out that important work.
Pastor Pat Brown preached this sermon at Bethany's Sunday worship on May 29, 2022.
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Today we consider how we think about the end of our life. Is it going to be fight or flight? Do we not want to deal with it? Or is it something we can embrace, even with contentment and joy? Because of Easter, the answer to that question is yes, we can face even life’s final moments with no fear.
Pastor Mark Henke preached this sermon at Bethany's Saturday worship on May 21, 2022.
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We see that selfless love is victorious over self-glorification most clearly in the saving work that Jesus did for us. But we also see how this has application in our lives as his followers, as we seek to love others just as Jesus has loved us.
Pastor Pat Brown preached this sermon at Bethany's Sunday worship on May 15, 2022.
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In a world where words are often said but not supported by actions, we see in Jesus words and actions that are in perfect harmony. Today we consider not only the miracles that Jesus did, but also the saving work he did on our behalf. All of the works of Jesus show us that his words and his promises are never empty.
Pastor Pat Brown preached this sermon at Bethany's Saturday worship on May 7, 2022.
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Spiritual blindness can come in many different varieties. Beyond the outward, hostile rejection of Jesus, there are things that come up in our lives that dim or blur our vision of God’s love for us. But Jesus’ victory at the cross and the empty grave, clear up our vision so that we always see God’s love for us perfectly.
Pastor Pat Brown preached this sermon at Bethany's Sunday worship on May 1, 2022.
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Today we consider the eyewitness testimony we have of Jesus’ resurrection in his Word. We know that we are victorious with Jesus, and because we have this testimony, we are also victorious over the doubts and fears that often attack our faith as we go about our lives in this world.
Pastor Pat Brown preached this sermon at Bethany's Sunday worship on April 24, 2022.
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We’ve been considering this week how everything Jesus does and gives is for us. We saw on Maundy Thursday the blessings of his supper, which fills our spiritual needs. We saw on Good Friday his work of redemption at the cross, where his punishment brings us peace. Today we see that his Resurrection brings us life, as we celebrate the truth that Jesus’ victory is truly the death of death.
Pastor Pat Brown preached this sermon at Bethany's Easter worship on April 17, 2022.
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On Good Friday, we focus on the cross. We review the events that took place on Good Friday—a day that seemed so wrong in so many ways, but a day through which God made us right with him forever. Seven hundred years earlier, the prophet Isaiah wrote about this day, too. Today we consider God’s words through Isaiah, where he explains what all of the events of Good Friday mean for us.
Pastor Pat Brown preached this sermon at Bethany's Good Friday worship on April 15, 2022.
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On the night Jesus was betrayed, he and his disciples celebrated the Passover meal. And then Jesus instituted a new meal that comes with even greater blessings than the one before it. This new meal that Jesus instituted is entirely different from the previous one—it’s not a law or obligation, only a gift from God. It’s pure grace from him, through which we receive the richest of blessings.
Pastor Pat Brown preached this sermon at Bethany's Maundy Thursday worship on April 14, 2022.
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On Palm Sunday, we focus on Jesus riding into Jerusalem for the final time before his death on the cross, surrounded by the cheers and praise of the crowds who gathered that day. When we see parades, there’s often a star attraction. Palm Sunday is like a parade—Jesus riding into the city on a donkey, the people waving palm branches, spreading their cloaks along the road. Today we’ll consider, who’s the star attraction for us? Who’s getting our attention, worship, praise and respect? Who’s leading your parade?
Pastor Mark Henke preached this sermon at Bethany's Saturday worship on April 9, 2022.
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As we follow Jesus in this world, we know that we will face the same kind of rejection he faced. Jesus has told us to expect this. Yet we also find hope in our own exaltation by God in the exaltation and glorification of our Savior Jesus.
Pastor Pat Brown preached this sermon at Bethany's Sunday worship on April 3, 2022.
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Condemnation comes in different varieties. There’s the condemnation we deserve because of our sins. And there’s the condemnation we often sinfully direct toward others, and even toward God at times. Today we’ll see how God’s grace to us in Jesus crushes all of that condemnation. In the parable of the prodigal son—or perhaps better named the parable of the loving father—we’ll see the grace the father shows to both of his sons, and we’ll understand the grace that our Father shows to us.
Pastor Pat Brown preached this sermon at Bethany's Sunday worship on March 27, 2022.
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We’ve been through a couple of strange years. With all of the things going on with the pandemic, new variants, new wars … we can get to the point where we’re “waiting for the other shoe to drop.” There’s a lot for us to be fearful of when it comes to the uncertainty of what’s coming next. But even in fearful times, we have absolute certainty of God’s love for us in Jesus Christ. Jesus crushes the fear of what’s next, so we can live in the certainty of his promises and his love.
Pastor Mark Henke preached this sermon at Bethany's Saturday worship on March 19, 2022.
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Last week we talked about temptation. This week we see what is at the center of every temptation: a promise of a shortcut to glory. Even in a world as sharply divided as ours, there is near universal agreement that the preferred path to glory is the shortest and easiest. To walk the path our Savior puts us on, one on which the cross comes before the crown, puts us out of step with the world. Thankfully, the determination required to walk this path starts with our Savior and not with us. Because of his determination, we are offered a glory far superior to anything the world can offer.
Pastor Pat Brown preached this sermon at Bethany's Saturday worship on March 12, 2022.
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It was a custom known as “battle by champion.” Two opposing armies would each send out their best warrior to fight each other. That is what we see this week. The demons send their champion: Satan. Humanity’s best warrior, Jesus Christ, steps forward to meet him. In this fight he does not use his divine power. He uses the same weapon we have, God’s Word. Because Christ fought the battle against Satan as one of us, he won that battle for all of us. Jesus is our perfect substitute. Even as the devil still seethes in rage against us, we can face him and his temptations unafraid, confident that our champion has already won the victory.
Pastor Pat Brown preached this sermon at Bethany's Sunday worship on March 6, 2022.
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Throughout Epiphany, we have seen that God must uncover for us the truths that could not be discovered by us. As this season ends, we are presented with a twist. For God's glory to be revealed, it actually must be covered. God's glory needed to be hidden in Christ. It is hidden in the gospel. This is how God enables sinful human beings to see his glory and, rather than turning away in fear, stare at it in wonder for as long as they want. The truth God uncovers for us today: when his glory is hidden, it is most on display.
Pastor Pat Brown preached this sermon at Bethany's Saturday worship on February 26, 2022.
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This week we see that truth in how Christ would have us react to those who wrong us or oppose us. Jesus asks us to befriend our enemies, to love those who hate us, and to repay evil with good. Logic would say that is a recipe for being walked all over. Yet, have we not seen this tactic work? When we were Christ's enemies, he loved us to the point of death. He repays our daily evil with the daily goodness of his mercy. In doing so, he has won us for himself. Following the strategy Jesus lays out today is not a capitulation to evil. It is a means of conquering it.
Pastor Brad Krause preached this sermon at Bethany's Sunday worship on February 20, 2022.
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It does not surprise us that from the beginning of his ministry Jesus demonstrated his commitment to proclaiming good news of the kingdom of God, regardless of whether people rejected his message or embraced it. That was Christ's agenda, and he was committed to it. What is surprising is that, also from the beginning, Jesus demonstrated his plan to carry out this proclamation by sending others to speak on his behalf. More surprising is whom he sends, not angels, but mere human beings. In many cases, it was individuals who seemed to lack the qualifications to speak on Christ's behalf. Yet, Christ equipped and prepared them. Do you feel unqualified to tell others the good news? Then be assured, Jesus plans to use you exactly for that purpose.
Pastor Pat Brown preached this sermon at Bethany's Sunday worship on February 13, 2022.
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Paul wrote to Timothy, “The time will come when people will not put up with sound doctrine. Instead, to suit their own desires, they will gather around them a great number of teachers to say what their itching ears want to hear.” Often, that’s our agenda too—what our ears want to hear. But today God will show us that he has a better agenda. He has given us the charge to say what must be said—the truth of his law and gospel—rather than what is asked to be heard.
Pastor Pat Brown preached this sermon at Bethany's Saturday worship on February 5, 2022.
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When one proclaims God's Word, typically the intentions are good. We want others to know the joy of salvation and the love of Christ. Therefore, it can be surprising to us when God's Word is met with apathy or rejection by those who hear it. It's easy to conclude that when the Word of God offends human minds and hearts (including our own), something has gone wrong. The truth that is uncovered this week is that rejection of Jesus' words is not the exception but the rule. Jesus' words will always offend. However, we will see that God can use even the rejection of his Word for good.
Pastor Pat Brown preached this sermon at Bethany's Sunday worship on January 30, 2022.
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Our theme, the The Value of Every Human Life, calls for us to acknowledge that there is much for which our society needs to repent: the death of countless unborn babies, the elderly treated as burdens to society, the sexual trafficking of young people, the rejection and devaluing of those differently abled, the premeditated ending of life, the gluttony/wealth of some in the midst of another's hunger/poverty, and many other sins against our fellow human beings. At their core, all these sins evolve from a lack of respect for human life, for which God issues a call to repentance. Those who heed the message will always find grace and forgiveness through the Savior, Jesus Christ.
Pastor Mark Henke preached this sermon at Bethany's Sunday worship on January 23, 2022.
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Is the pursuit of God and the pursuit of pleasure two separate paths? Many make that assumption—that life with Jesus is a boring, sterile experience. They are dead wrong. Jesus came to undo everything that is wrong with our world as a result of sin's curse. He also came to multiply our joy and deliver delight beyond our wildest dreams. Note that when Jesus begins to reveal his glory, it isn't by going to a hospital to cure every ailment. Instead, he starts at a local wedding, one of the greatest sources of joy in this life. The truth uncovered for us this week is that life with Jesus is not a life with less delight, but infinitely more.
Pastor Pat Brown preached this sermon at Bethany's Sunday worship on January 16, 2022.
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Our sight tends to be the sense we trust most. We say we will believe something when we see it. That presents a problem when it comes to the work of God. So often what our eye sees differs from what God decrees. This is true of the life of Jesus. In the eyes of the world, he was nothing special. This is also true in the life of the Christian. To the world, the believer does not look more blessed than the unbeliever. In fact, the believer may appear to have more hardships as the devil and his allies attempt to destroy him. So, to assure his children, God connects his grace, power, and blessing to something we can see—a visible sign: the anointing of baptism.
Pastor Pat Brown preached this sermon at Bethany's Saturday worship on January 9, 2022.
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We live in a world that’s divided in many ways. We see it around us every day. Political divides. Cultural divides. Differences in ideologies, customs and beliefs. But only one thing truly has the power to bring people together, regardless of the differences between us—the truth of the gospel of Jesus. That’s true in cross-cultural ministries overseas, and it’s true among us as well. It’s the truth of the gospel that creates unity in Christ.
Pastor John Roebke, a missionary with the One Africa Team, preached this sermon at Bethany's Saturday worship on January 1, 2022.
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Already as a child, Jesus' saving work had begun. His entire life, he served as our substitute, perfectly obeying God's Law. Just think of how we often neglect the study of God's Word. Then look at twelve-year-old Jesus, eager to be in the temple learning more about Scripture. However, he would need to do more than be our substitute. Eventually he would lay that perfect life down as the sacrifice for our sin.
Pastor Pat Brown preached this sermon at Bethany's Sunday worship on December 26, 2021.
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The Lord had told Moses, "No one may see me and live." If sinners cannot even bear to look upon the glory of God, then they certainly could not hope to live with God in the glory of heaven. So, on that first Christmas, God chose to hide his glory under flesh. What child is this? It is God and man in one person, exactly what the human race needed to deliver it from its enemies of sin, death, and Satan. Christmas Day serves up the deep stuff of Christmas: the miracle and mystery of the incarnation.
Pastor Pat Brown preached this sermon at Bethany's Christmas Day service on December 25, 2021.
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What child is this? This Christmas Eve, an angel answers that question. "A savior has been born to you." It is a stunning statement, for two reasons. First, this child looks nothing like what we would expect in a hero-savior. This child is weak, helpless, and mired in poverty. Second, he has come to bring salvation "to you." It is a salvation we all need desperately. It was God's gift to us, given on that first Christmas Eve.
Pastor Pat Brown preached this sermon at Bethany's Christmas Eve service on December 24, 2021.
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A couple of weeks ago, we heard that when the Lord comes near, he humbles his people. In order to truly be prepared for Christ’s coming—both at Christmas and on the Last Day—he has to level the mountains of our arrogance and pride, so we can see our need for God’s salvation. Today, we see that when the Lord comes near, he lifts up the humbled. After God humbles us to see our sinful nature and our need for him, he comes to us with the message of forgiveness and the gift of faith. He lifts us up to live lives of joy and Godly humility as his loved and forgiven children.
Pastor Mark Henke preached this sermon at Bethany's Sunday worship on December 19, 2021.
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When the Lord comes near, he humbles his enemies. He puts out of our way all of the things that interfere with our relationship with him. He clears the path of everything that separates us from him. And he brings us joy and confidence for our lives of service to him.
Pastor Pat Brown preached this sermon at Bethany's Saturday worship on December 11, 2021.
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When the Lord comes near, he humbles his people. He does this through the messengers he sends, and through the message that they proclaim. Today we want to not only consider how God humbles his people, but remember God’s purpose in doing so—it’s to prepare a way for Jesus to enter our hearts and lives and bring us close to himself.
Pastor Pat Brown preached this sermon at Bethany's Sunday worship on December 5, 2021.
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As we begin the season of Advent, we consider the theme, “When the Lord Comes Near.” When the Lord comes near, he humbles his people, he humbles his enemies, and he lifts up the humble. But today we consider that when the Lord comes near, he first of all humbles himself. He humbled himself in order to carry out our salvation. And he continues to come to his people in a very humble way to bring that salvation to our hearts.
Pastor Pat Brown preached this sermon at Bethany's Sunday worship on November 28, 2021.
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Thanksgiving is a time for humble, yet hopeful reflection. There are certain times in our lives when we get a chance to reflect on the incredible blessings God gives. Maybe it’s a pivotal time—a wedding day, the birth of a child, a birthday or anniversary when friends and family gather around and we get a moment to think, “Wow.” Or perhaps it’s just a quiet time when it hits us—just how good God has been to us. As we reflect on that, we want to have a good dose of humility, knowing that we don’t deserve any of these good things. But at the same time, we have a good dose of hopefulness, knowing just how kind and faithful our God is.
Pastor Pat Brown preached this sermon at Bethany's Thanksgiving Eve worship on November 24, 2021.
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The last Sunday of the Christian church year is called Christ the King Sunday. This is the day we celebrate that Jesus came down from heaven, accomplished all that the Father asked him to do, and returned to the Father’s side to rule all things for the good of his church. But sometimes when we think of Jesus ruling over all things, we lose sight of what that means for us personally. Today we want to get a little more specific—and consider how Jesus, our King, is also our source of courage. There are a lot of things in this life that give us reason to worry. But as our King, Jesus comes alongside each of us and gives us the courage to face everything in this life as his own people.
Pastor Mark Henke preached this sermon at Bethany's Saturday worship on November 20, 2021.
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On Saints Triumphant Sunday, we celebrate the victory that God has given to those who have died in faith—the eternal victory of life with him in heaven. We certainly look forward to receiving that reward of faith someday when God calls us home, too. But today we’ll also consider how knowing what God has in mind for us in eternity shapes the way that we live as his people right now.
Pastor Pat Brown preached this sermon at Bethany's Saturday worship on November 13, 2021.
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There are a lot of things about Judgment Day that can be frightening or disconcerting, even to us as God’s people. But we want to walk away with one primary truth—God’s promise that everyone who believes in his Son Jesus shall not perish but have everlasting life. That’s the judgment that we’re looking forward to on the Last Day.
Pastor Pat Brown preached this sermon at Bethany's Sunday worship on November 7, 2021.
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Today we celebrate the Lutheran Reformation of the church. We give thanks to God for that treasure of the gospel that he restored and passed on to us through the reformers. But we’re also going to hear that God’s work of reformation by no means began or ended with Martin Luther. The need for reformation is something that continues as long as the world continues. And since God has entrusted the gospel to us, we know that we have the opportunity for reformation as well.
Pastor Pat Brown preached this sermon at Bethany's Sunday worship on October 31, 2021.
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Ambition can be good or bad. What are we ambitious for? We see people ambitious to do a lot of things in our world, but what they’re ambitious for are not always such good things. But when Jesus captures our hearts as his people, he also captures our ambition—and harnesses it for service to him and for the building up of his kingdom. Godly, true ambition—that’s what Jesus wants to teach us today. Because he has done everything well.
Pastor Pat Brown preached this sermon at Bethany's Sunday worship on October 24 2021.
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The gift of wealth, perhaps more than any other, can become a snare to our salvation. We either treasure too much what we have, or covet too much what we don’t have. Jesus shows us that this is not so much a wealth issue, but a First Commandment issue. It’s a failure to love God above all things. But God’s love for us is so great that even this sin is overcome by his grace in Jesus.
Pastor Mark Henke preached this sermon at Bethany's Saturday worship on October 16, 2021.
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We live in a world where the institution of marriage is under attack from many fronts. What God once included under the pronouncement “very good” is now viewed by so many as not so good at all. Who hasn’t been impacted in one way or another by a broken marriage? The world has plenty of ammunition to use in its attacks on this institution—and their arguments against it can sound compelling. But this relationship between husband and wife, which God established in the very beginning and which is patterned after Jesus’ relationship with us, is just as good now as it was then.
Pastor Pat Brown preached this sermon at Bethany's Saturday worship on October 9, 2021.
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Envy is not just an issue that is dealt with in the secular realm, but in the sacred realm too. The gifts of God to his Church are so rich and varied that the devil uses that very generosity to stir up jealousy and envy. Jesus instead wants us to rejoice that the many gifts God gives serve to further the goal of his kingdom—that Christ is preached. Today, Jesus comes to us through his Word in the example of the Apostle Paul, and helps us when we are tempted to be envious, and when we are hurt by the envy of others.
Pastor Pat Brown preached this sermon at Bethany's Saturday worship on October 2, 2021.
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With Jesus’ words about his impending passion still hanging in the air, his disciples can talk only about which of them is the greatest. Didn’t they get it? Do we? In our world, there are so many different ways we measure greatness. But most of them are simply not in line with God’s Word. What does greatness mean to us, and what should it mean to us as God’s people? Today, Jesus tells us and shows us the path to true greatness in his Kingdom.
Pastor Pat Brown preached this sermon at Bethany's Sunday worship on September 25, 2021.
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Does suffering shock us or surprise us? Jesus (and Peter too) says it shouldn’t. He endured it, so will we. This is life under the cross, life lived in his footsteps. But Jesus has the word to sustain the weary, those who are worn out by the suffering that is part and parcel of a believer’s life in a sinful world. Jesus has done everything well, even when it comes to suffering—both in his perfect suffering for our sake, and in what he teaches us through our own suffering.
Pastor Mark Henke preached this sermon at Bethany's Saturday worship on September 18, 2021.
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“He has done everything well.” We hear that phrase in our gospel reading as we see Jesus address the special needs of a certain man with the special care that only he can provide. And we see Jesus do that for us, too—not only in situations where we’re dealing with health issues or worries or fears, but with so many situations in our lives. Jesus comes to us with his wisdom and his love, and he takes what’s difficult for us and makes it better. He takes what’s confusing and makes it clear. Because he has done everything well.
Pastor Pat Brown preached this sermon at Bethany's Sunday worship on September 12, 2021.
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As we wrap up our series on the wisdom that comes from above, we focus on putting that wisdom into practice in our lives. We’ll consider the words of James, that we should not merely listen to the Word, but do what it says. God’s blessings as you consider with us what it means to live the wisdom of God every day.
Pastor Pat Brown preached this sermon at Bethany's Saturday worship on September 4, 2021.
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Last week we talked about where we find true wisdom—this wisdom is Jesus himself and the saving work he did for us, and we find it in God’s Word. Today we consider how and why we value that wisdom. We’ll look at the example of Moses, who made a conscious decision to value the wisdom from above over all the other things the world had to offer him as a prince of Egypt. We pray that God would give us that same kind of faith to value the wisdom that comes from above.
Pastor Pat Brown preached this sermon at Bethany's Saturday worship on August 21, 2021.
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What is wisdom, and where do we find it? The Proverbs tell us, “The fear of the LORD is the beginning of wisdom, and knowledge of the Holy One is understanding” (Proverbs 9:10). And St. Paul summarized wisdom when he wrote, “In Christ are hidden all the treasures of wisdom and knowledge” (Colossians 2:3). So, the wisdom that will capture our hearts and minds over the next few weeks is, simply put, Jesus himself. He is the centerpiece of God’s gracious plan of salvation for us—the wisdom that is revealed to us in his Word. Today our encouragement is simple: this wisdom, summed up in Jesus himself, is sweet to your soul. Find it, value it, and live it.
Pastor Pat Brown preached this sermon at Bethany's Saturday worship on August 21, 2021.
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Last week we considered how we should look for help in the cross when facing discouragement. In part two of our sermon series, we’re taking a look at help for embracing encouragement. Sometimes we’re not very good at being encouragers—or at receiving and asking for encouragement. The Scriptures tell us over and over to encourage one another. But how often do we take up that challenge—that command—from our Savior? Encouragement is one way God blesses us and allows us to be a blessing to others. Today we’ll wrestle with the challenge of following through on being encouragers to one another.
Pastor Mark Henke preached this sermon at Bethany's Saturday worship on August 15, 2021.
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In this two-week sermon series, we’re looking at discouragement and encouragement. These are things that we often don’t do very well with. Handling discouragement and not letting it pull us down can be difficult for God’s people—especially when we may hear that, as Christians, we should be happy all the time. And then we find ourselves buried in the muck. Today we will consider how God would have us view and respond to the discouragement that is part of all of our lives.
Pastor Mark Henke preached this sermon at Bethany's Saturday worship on August 7, 2021.
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As we look ahead to putting together our ministry plan at Bethany, we have an opportunity to consider God’s generosity to us—and what’s really behind that generosity. God has a plan. A plan that, by being generous to his people, we might then be generous to others. A plan that empowers us to spread his life-saving gospel message to those who don’t yet know it.
Pastor Pat Brown preached this sermon at Bethany's Sunday worship on August 1, 2021.
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As we wrap up our sermon series on powerful statements from Jesus, Jesus invites his disciples—both then and now—to come away with him to a quiet place and get some rest. Of course, rest is something that we all need in life. But it’s not just rest for our bodies that we need, but rest for our souls as well. So today, we look at the way that God uses those quiet times that we spend with him, not only to care for us, but also to help us care for those around us.
Pastor Pat Brown preached this sermon at Bethany's Saturday worship on July 24, 2021.
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Jesus said these words as he was sending his disciples out on a mission trip of their own. He told them to leave everything behind except their shoes and their walking staff … and it might seem like they wouldn’t be very well equipped for the work that God was giving them to do. Maybe we feel that way sometimes too—in our personal lives or in our congregation, do we have what we need to carry out the task that God has given us? Today we’ll see that between the Lord’s care and the Lord’s Word, we have everything we need to do the work he has in mind for us.
Pastor Pat Brown preached this sermon at Bethany's Sunday worship on July 18, 2021.
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Today we hear a statement that Jesus made when he was back in his hometown of Nazareth, “A prophet is not without honor except in his own town.” This statement not only gives us an opportunity to consider how we honor Jesus when he comes to us through his Word. It also shows us some of the obstacles we may face as we seek to share his Word—when we stand in that place as prophet and speak God’s Word to those who need to hear it.
Pastor Pat Brown preached this sermon at Bethany's Saturday worship on July 10, 2021.
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As we continue our series, we look at another powerful statement of Jesus from the gospel of Mark, this time set in the context of Jesus raising Jairus’s daughter from the dead. Jesus comes to the crowded house, full of people mourning the death of this little girl, and he says, “The child is not dead, but asleep.” And in making this statement, Jesus shows us that he has power over death—power that he exercised not just on one occasion for one individual, but power that he promises to all of his people.
Pastor Pat Brown preached this sermon at Bethany's Sunday worship on July 4, 2021.
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Today’s words of the Savior for our consideration are set in the context of Jesus calming the storm on the Sea of Galilee. In this account, Jesus looks at his disciples and asks them, “Why are you so afraid?” If we thought about it for a minute, we could come up with a lot of different ways that we could answer that question. But what we want to consider today is another question—is this a fear problem, or is it a faith problem?
Pastor Pat Brown preached this sermon at Bethany's Saturday worship on June 26, 2021.
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Continuing our series on the words of our Savior, today we focus on the words of Jesus that the Kingdom of God is like a mustard seed. God’s kingdom starts with what may seem like small, even unimportant, things. But as God grows his kingdom, those seemingly small things grow into something huge.
This sermon was shared at Bethany's Sunday worship on June 20, 2021.
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Today the statement of Jesus we’ll focus on is this: “Whoever does God’s will is my brother and sister and mother.” So we will consider what it means to be accepted into God’s family and what the blessings of that really are.
Pastor Pat Brown preached this sermon at Bethany's Sunday worship on June 13, 2021.
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As we begin a new sermon series, we will be looking at a single, powerful statement by our Savior Jesus that speaks to our lives of following him. Today, we focus on the Third Commandment, “Remember the Sabbath day by keeping it holy,” as we consider this powerful statement from Jesus: “The Sabbath was made for man, not man for the Sabbath.”
Pastor Pat Brown preached this sermon at Bethany's Sunday worship on June 6, 2021.
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Today we celebrate Holy Trinity Sunday, the day of the year that we focus on the doctrine that God is one God, yet He is Father, Son and Holy Spirit. It’s something that we hear every time we gather together, “In the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit.” But it’s good for us sometimes to stop and think about what that really means—how profound the doctrine of the Trinity is, what it tells us about who our God is, and what it means for our lives and our relationship with Him.
Guest preacher Pastor Aaron Dolan preached this sermon at Bethany's Trinity Sunday worship on May 30, 2021.
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Today we celebrate the festival of Pentecost, the coming of the Holy Spirit. But rather than focusing on those powerful things that we see on the day of Pentecost—the sound of the rushing wind, the tongues of fire, the speaking in different languages—we want to focus on the quiet but powerful work that the Holy Spirit does in people’s hearts, day after day.
Pastor Pat Brown preached this sermon at Bethany's Pentecost Sunday worship on May 23, 2021.
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As we welcome two young members of our congregation in Confirmation, we also celebrate the Ascension of our Lord. When we think about our Lord’s Ascension, we see in that event the tremendous care and protection that Jesus provides to his people from his position at God’s right hand—both to each of us individually, and to his Church as a whole.
Pastor Pat Brown preached this sermon at Bethany's Ascension Sunday worship on May 16, 2021.
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The message of Jesus with which God gathers his church has the power to bring diverse people together. We see that example in the early church as Jews and Gentiles were gathered together with one common faith. And we see it among ourselves still today—and rejoice that we have the unity we do, even in a world where so many are divided.
Pastor Pat Brown preached this sermon at Bethany's Saturday worship on May 8, 2021.
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As we continue to look at how God gathers his church through the good news about Jesus, today we see how that message enlightens his people. In the well-known hymn Amazing Grace, we sing, “I was blind but now I see.” Through the message of salvation through Jesus, God puts the lights on in his people’s hearts. And it’s also through that message that God keeps the lights on in his people’s hearts. Through his enlightening message, God strengthens and grows our faith so that we might share that message with others as well.
Pastor Pat Brown preached this sermon at Bethany's Saturday worship on May 1, 2021.
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In the gospel, Jesus tells us that he is the Good Shepherd. His sheep hear his voice, and they follow him. As we consider how God gathers and grows his church, we see how Jesus, the Good Shepherd, uses his voice to empower his sheep. It’s through the voice of Jesus—his empowering message of life and forgiveness—that we receive the strength we could never have on our own to live as his flock to his praise and glory.
Pastor Mark Henke preached this sermon at Bethany's Saturday worship on April 24, 2021.
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God’s Word clearly tells us that the only way to salvation is through Jesus—“Salvation is found in no one else, for there is no other name under heaven given to mankind by which we must be saved.” (Acts 4:12). God gathers His Church with an exclusive message. And since it is such an exclusive message, that reminds us as God’s people just how very important it is to share that message with others.
Pastor Pat Brown preached this sermon at Bethany's Sunday worship on April 18, 2021.
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God in his wisdom decided to bring people into his family as believers through his Word. As we begin to look at the different aspects of God’s saving message, we’ll consider how God’s Word enlightens our hearts, empowers our lives as God’s people, and unifies us in faith. Today, we see how that message refreshes us. We’ll hear an account from the book of Acts, soon after the Ascension of Jesus into heaven. As the sin of putting the Son of God to death was still very fresh in the hearts and minds of the people of Israel, Peter came to them with a message of sins forgiven. A message that lifts that weight of sin from the guilty heart. A message of true refreshment.
Pastor Pat Brown preached this sermon at Bethany's Saturday worship on April 10, 2021.
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A theme that needs no introduction. He is risen. He is risen indeed! Today we celebrate the joy that is ours in the resurrection of Jesus, not only in this life but in the life to come.
Pastor Pat Brown preached this sermon at Bethany's Easter Sunday worship on April 4, 2021.
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He knew.
There are a lot of facets of Good Friday that stand out in our hearts and minds. The physical suffering—how Jesus was beaten, whipped, and had nails driven through his hands and feet. The emotional torture—his own people, the soldiers, the criminals on the crosses next to him jeering and taunting. The thought that so few—a handful of women, one disciple—were courageous enough to watch as Jesus suffered and died. But about 24 hours before his suffering, the Scriptures tell us something unique. Jesus knew. This was not an accident. Jesus knew full well what he had to do on the cross. And still he went through with it, because he also knew that it was the only way to love us to the fullest extent.
Retired Pastor Mark Henke preached this sermon at Bethany's Good Friday worship on April 2, 2021.
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“Do this in remembrance of me.” We hear these words every time we celebrate the Lord’s Supper. Tonight we slow down to take a close look at what the Apostle Paul teaches us about the Lord’s Supper in 1 Corinthians 11. For all of us who partake of this meal on a regular basis, Jesus wants us to remember and rejoice in all of the blessings he gives us in the Lord’s Supper.
Pastor Pat Brown preached this sermon at Bethany's Parkway Campus Maundy Thursday worship on April 1, 2021.
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In our final week of the sermon series, The Language of Lent, we look at the word “humility”—not only by watching Jesus as he enters Jerusalem on Palm Sunday, humbly riding on a donkey, but also by hearing how the Apostle Paul describes our humble yet exalted Savior, and presents him as the example for our lives as God’s people.
Pastor Pat Brown preached this sermon at Bethany's Parkway Campus worship on March 28, 2021.
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“Covenant” may not be a word you use in everyday conversation. But there’s a good chance you’ve made covenants—if you stood before the altar and got married, that’s a covenant … if you brought a baby to be baptized, your pastor asked you to make a covenant to raise that child in the one true faith. But the covenant we’re looking at today is far greater—a new covenant of grace that God makes with us, which he cemented in the cross.
Retired Pastor Mark Henke preached this sermon at Bethany's Lynndale Campus worship on March 20, 2021.
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Grace. It’s a word we use all the time in church. But sometimes, perhaps, our view of grace is too narrow—perhaps we forget to see grace as something that extends throughout our entire lives as God’s people. For us, grace is a daily reality. From the time God brings us to faith in him, unitl the time that he walks us into heaven, we live and we stand in that grace.
Pastor Pat Brown preached this sermon at Bethany's Parkway Campus worship on March 14, 2021.
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Week 2: Obedience
The word we’re looking at today is “obedience.” When we hear that word, we often think about obligation and demands. Following the rules. But for the Christian, when we hear the word obedience, the first thing we want to have come to our hearts and minds is God’s love for us in Jesus. Because that’s what truly drives, inspires and enables our obedience in every aspect of our lives.
Pastor Pat Brown preached this sermon at Bethany's Lynndale Campus worship on March 6, 2021.
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Guest preacher Pastor Evan Chartrand of Luther Preparatory School (LPS) in Watertown, WI, shares a message about the gospel ministry, under the theme "Where Are the Workers." Jesus said, “The harvest is plentiful but the workers are few.” His meaning is clear—there are many who need to hear the saving gospel, yet so few to share that Word. So Jesus encourages us to pray for workers to enter the harvest field—pastors, teachers and witnesses to share the good news of forgiveness, life and salvation through Jesus with all who have not heard the message. But where do those workers come from? How does God supply them for the good of his kingdom? And what role does each of us play in bringing in that harvest of salvation?
Pastor Evan Chartrand of LPS preached this sermon at Bethany’s Lynndale Campus worship on February 27, 2021.
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Week 1: Temptation
We’re beginning a new sermon series called The Language of Lent, where we’ll be considering certain words that capture the essence of the season—words like humility, suffering, or today’s theme, temptation. And so we look at not only the temptations that were present for Abraham when God commanded him to sacrifice his only son, Isaac—temptations that we also face every day—but we also consider how Jesus, tempted in the desert and throughout his life on earth, was not just an example for us of how to fend off temptation. He was there fighting the battle for us. Where we fail, Jesus succeeded, and his perfect track record in the face of temptation is credited to our account through faith in him.
Pastor Pat Brown preached this sermon at Bethany's Parkway Campus worship on February 21, 2021.
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Jesus Is, Week 6: Jesus Is the Savior We Need
Over the last several weeks, we’ve looked at a number of different ways that we can finish the sentence, “Jesus is.…” Today we look at the ultimate way to finish that sentence, “Jesus is the Savior we need.” As we consider the glorious scene on the Mount of Transfiguration where Jesus’s divine glory came shining through for a time, and as we think about his willingness to leave that glory behind to carry out the work of our salvation, it becomes clear that Jesus is indeed that Savior we needed.
Pastor Pat Brown preached this sermon at Bethany's Parkway Campus worship on February 13, 2021.
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Jesus Is, Week 5: Jesus Is the One Who Heals and Helps
What a comfort it is to know that our Lord has the power to heal, no matter what illness or affliction we face. But even more than that, we have his promise to help in all situations—to be with us and bless us, and use things for our good—no matter what.
Pastor Pat Brown preached this sermon at Bethany's Parkway Campus worship on February 6, 2021.
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Week 4: Jesus Is the One Who Has Authority
What a tremendous comfort it is that when we hear Jesus speak his promises in his Word, he does it with ultimate authority. When he goes to work to fend off our enemies, he does it with a Word that cannot be challenged. As his people, we go about our lives here on earth safely and confidently—because we know that we are protected by our Savior, the one who has true authority.
Pastor Pat Brown preached this sermon at Bethany's Parkway Campus worship on January 31, 2021.
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Week 3: Jesus Is the Only One Worth Following
The question we’re asking today is, “Why do we follow Jesus?” We’ll see the example of Elisha leaving his previous way of life behind to follow the call God had given him through Elijah. We’ll see the example of some of the first disciples—Peter and Andrew, James and John—leaving behind their life and career as fishermen to follow Jesus as his disciples. And here we are, continuing to follow Jesus in his Word and in regular worship. Why do we do it? The truth we’ll consider in this message is that Jesus truly is the only one worth following.
Pastor Pat Brown preached this sermon at Bethany’s Parkway Campus worship on January 24, 2021.
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Jesus Is the Stairway to Heaven. No, not the song. In this week’s message, we’ll be thinking about the incredible dream Jacob had in the wilderness, where he saw a stairway that led down from heaven to earth. And we’ll see how Jesus is the ultimate fulfillment of that dream—that Jesus is the stairway that connects his people to God on high.
Pastor Pat Brown preached this sermon at Bethany’s Parkway Campus worship on January 17, 2021.
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As we start our sermon series, "Jesus Is," there are so many ways we might end that sentence. But in this series we look at a number of gospel accounts and let God finish that sentence for us, in amazing ways. For our first message, we consider the Baptism of Jesus, and remember the words that the Father spoke on that day, “This is my Son whom I love. With him I am well pleased.” We consider what it means that Jesus is God’s beloved Son, and what that means for us as well.
Pastor Pat Brown preached this sermon at Bethany's Lynndale Campus worship service on January 9, 2021.
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In a rare account from his youth, we have a unique opportunity to see Jesus’s dual nature on full display—how Jesus was obedient to his parents here on earth, while remaining perfectly obedient to his Father in heaven. In this account of 12-year-old Jesus staying behind in his Father’s house, we learn exactly where we can still find him. And we learn exactly who he really is.
Guest preacher Pastor David Wenzel preached this sermon at Bethany’s Parkway Campus worship on January 3, 2021.
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In the story of Joseph—sold by his brothers into slavery, imprisoned in Egypt, raised to second in command to oversee preparations and administration of food during a time of famine—we see more than just a coincidence of being in the right place at the right time. We see God's plan unfolding before us. A plan that shows us God's own heart. Through Joseph, we see a reflection of God's heart of forgiveness in how he treated his brothers. We see God's rescue for his people in a time of need. And we see God's preservation of the line of the Savior to bring that same forgiveness to everyone in the world.
Seminarian Jeremiah Wallander preached this sermon at Bethany's Parkway Campus worship on December 27, 2020.
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With a word, God created the heavens and the earth. With a word he promised salvation. With words of hope God spoke through the prophets, giving glimpse after glimpse at the redemption he had planned for us.
And when the time had fully come, God spoke his greatest Word—the Word made flesh, God’s own Son born a human child. Born to save his people from their sins. "In the past God spoke to our ancestors through the prophets at many times and in various ways, but in these last days he has spoken to us by his Son." (Hebrews 1:1-2)
In the Scriptures, we have God’s Word of grace spoken to us directly and revealed to us entirely. His plan of salvation, laid out before us in the life, actions and words of Jesus himself. Today we celebrate the birth of Jesus, and see in him God’s Greatest Word.
Pastor Pat Brown preached this sermon at Bethany’s Christmas Day worship service on December 25, 2020.
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We’ve heard the threat—the destruction that sin brings, and the cause of our need for deliverance. We saw God’s early warning, given throughout history through his Word and Prophets. God showed us a preview of the rescue he has planned for us, and implored us to make final preparations for his perfect plan to come to fruition.
Now we see God put his perfect rescue plan put into full effect—we see God send his Son Jesus into the world as the child of Mary. Born into our midst. Laid in a manger. The perfect answer to the ultimate problem. Our Savior and our substitute. We see God’s perfect rescue plan, executed perfectly.
Pastor Pat Brown preached this sermon at Bethany’s Christmas Eve worship service on December 24, 2020.
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As we get ready for the Lord’s coming, we look at the final preparations that God wants us to have in place as he puts his rescue plan into full effect. We all have lists around this time of year—children making lists of everything they hope to receive, adults taking inventory of everything to be done before their Christmas celebrations. But God tells us to slide those lists off the table and focus simply on this: that we would be ready to receive in faith the gift that he brings at Christmas. That should be our final preparation.
Pastor Pat Brown preached this sermon at Bethany’s Lynndale Campus worship on December 19, 2020.
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Proceed with caution! The rescue God promised and provided at Christmas is not always the thing for which people are looking and hoping at Christmas. Sadly, at this time of the year, many have their hearts and hopes set on things far less precious than the rescue God sent in his Son. But God doesn’t want us to settle for anything less than the very best. So, through the Prophet Isaiah, God provides us with a beautiful preview of the rescue and salvation that Jesus brings. We can proceed with confidence knowing that the gift of salvation that God presents to us in the manger is the one we need most and is far more valuable than anything else for which we could hope.
Pastor Pat Brown preached this sermon at Bethany’s Parkway Campus worship on December 13, 2020.
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We heard last week that Jesus is coming—coming to bring destruction to those who are unprepared and deliverance to those who are watching and waiting in faith. So, we must be ready. And God wants us and all people to be ready!
And so, he sounds the alarm. Like the severe weather alert that scrolls across the bottom of our TV or pops up on our phone. Like the ear-splitting siren that blares at the approaching tornado. This week we’ll consider and rejoice in the Early Warning that God provides to people of every generation. The Old Testament prophets and prophecy. John the Baptist—that voice crying out in the wilderness. The New Testament Scriptures and the messengers who share them with us.
God provides all sorts of Early Warning because he doesn’t want anyone to miss the first or second coming of his Son. The question, however, is this: Are we listening?
Pastor Pat Brown preached this sermon at Bethany's Lynndale Campus worship on December 5, 2020.
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