Sermons: Recent Episodes
Grace Fellowship Church: Toronto, Canada
We are meant for relationship with Jesus, not with a seductress who’s trying to draw us away and is doomed for judgment.
God's judgment against sin is certain, but those who trust in Jesus need not fear it — their sins were already judged when Christ died on the cross.
The stories of Christ’s victory, the spread of the gospel, and final judgment should shape how you live today.
Satan seeks to destroy Christian faith through both forceful government persecution and subtle cultural pressure to compromise, so stay faithful to the end.
Satan is waging a war against God's people, but his defeat is certain, so stay faithful to the end.
In a time of judgment, hold fast to God and his word, and boldly share the gospel because resurrection’s coming.
The Lord’s Supper is a nourishing experience that communicates our rich blessings in Christ.
Many of us know that baptism is important. But even once you’ve done it, how is it relevant to daily Christian life?
If you don’t know Christ, repent because judgment is coming. If you do know Christ, rejoice because judgment is coming.
God will preserve his own people, and they will enjoy his protection and presence forever.
Jesus Christ is the only worthy Saviour who fulfills God's redemptive plan, inviting believers to worship Him as the Lion of the Tribe of Judah and the Lamb who conquers sin and death.
Living toward God’s promises encourages us to step out in faith, trusting that God can transform our ordinary acts of obedience into extraordinary eternal impacts, even when circumstances seem challenging.
When was the last time you were in awe of the glory of Christ? As 2024 is coming to an end and we celebrate the new year, may we catch a glimpse of Jesus' glory from this passage, and be utterly amazed and transformed.
God works through sacrificial love and seemingly impossible circumstances to bring about redemption through a baby who is born in Bethlehem.
We are helpless outsiders until Jesus, our divine Redeemer, pays the price to give us new life and his love.
God is actively at work in the darkest times and among the most hopeless people, even when it's not obvious to us.
Trade your self-sufficiency for only what Jesus can give so that you will have what you need most: Jesus himself.
Don’t accept pressure to compromise; the consequences can be serious, but following Jesus brings great rewards.
Pergamum was a place filled with hostile influences. When Christians are tempted to let go of Christ, we must learn to hold fast.
When persecuted, take courage because Jesus knows, Satan is limited, and your suffering will be worth it.
To really understand what’s happening in the world, we need to see the presence of the risen and glorified Jesus.
We need to learn what’s really happening in the world so we can live with God’s blessing.
When people oppose you, remember that God is greater and cares for you, and then give thanks to him.
When facing overwhelming trials, find your security in God, focus on your eternal home, and look to Jesus, not your problems.
As recipients of God’s grace and compassion, we are commanded to emulate such hearts towards the poor.
God is active in your life, both providing you what you need and protecting you from evil.
Jesus calls churches to follow godly leaders, guard its teaching, and suffer like Jesus.
The resurrection means that Jesus is vindicated, you are included, and that God’s church will keep growing.
We can keep on trusting God even in our deepest suffering because Jesus has redeemed us completely and effectively through His death and resurrection.
Never try to approach God by trying to be good enough. It will destroy you. Through Jesus, receive his unshakeable kingdom, and then respond in thankfulness and worship.
Eventually, all of us will be afflicted by suffering, burdened with doubts, deceived by sin. We all can be tempted to fall away from God. We need to learn endurance. Hebrews 10:19-39 teaches us how.
Wonder again at Jesus, because the more we wonder at Jesus and his salvation, the less we’ll be tempted to wander from him.
Cling to Jesus under pressure because you can count on his promises, and he will give you the stability you need.
New creation will feature a rejuvenated world, changed humanity, and access to God himself, so take courage!
Israel only got a sample of what we get to enjoy, so don’t miss out on Jesus and all that he's given us.
Jesus is better than angels, so if you’d pay attention to the message of angels, you’d better pay attention to the message of Jesus.
Because Jesus is incomparable, looking at him — really looking at him — can change your life forever.
The antidote to abandoning our faith is riveting our attention on Jesus, because there’s no-one like him.
Ps. 107 is a psalm that draws attention to the steadfast love of God and calls us to give credit where it’s due, but in order to do so, we need to reflect, respond, and repeat.
The privilege of access to God’s glorious presence is what distinguishes the people of God as the people of God. The calling of Samuel proves that God’s presence is restored when His Word is established.
God desires pure worship from his chosen people. God’s house at Shiloh was a spiritual disaster. How can God restore pure worship when it is so defiled? As we see God restore worship for his people then, it will allow us to see the pure worship that God desires from us today.
Like the light piercing through shadows, the justice of God is inescapable. God justly weighs all our actions. As we join into Hannah’s prayer and consider God’s justice, ask yourself: how do I measure up?
1 Samuel 1-3 is about restoration of grand things - injustices of society, abuses of leadership. But God doesn’t over look the small things. This story of restoration starts with Hannah, and her hope to be restored from disgrace.
The letter to the Philippians paints a beautiful picture of a healthy gospel partnership with Paul and the Philippian church. Christians joyfully striving together for the gospel today can find much encouragement from the letter’s conclusion as we put into practice the same key principles in our own gospel partnerships.
There is a pattern to Christian maturity that Paul calls us to follow. Paul has been deeply personal about his walk with Jesus, calling us to keep running the race for the prize of the goal of the upward call of God in Christ Jesus.
There is a surpassing worth of knowing Christ Jesus in all of his beauty and splendor against which nothing or no one else compares. Jesus is all worthy and deserves all worship and praise.
As Paul gets into the main body of his letter, he calls the believers to strive together for the gospel, but our passage shows us that there are a couple of things we need in order to do that.
As we dive into Philippians, we are met with Paul's prayer for them, and we learn that the outworking of the gospel should lead us to partnership, praise and progress.As we dive into Philippians, we are met with Paul's prayer for them, and we learn that the outworking of the gospel should lead us to partnership, praise and progress.
In Romans 8, Paul aims to comfort and strengthen the Romans to help them endure suffering. One potent truth he wants us to be sure of is this: the Spirit prays for us. Not only that, the Father answers the Spirit’s prayers, working in and through our suffering for our good, namely to make us more like his Son.
The story of manna in the wilderness shows us the providence of God for all our needs. Nothing we have belongs to us, but they are from God so that we must trust God in how we manage our money and wealth.
Our mission, to make disciples, is the greatest calling and cause, the greatest message and truth ever known, and we must not fail in our call to guard, proclaim, and live it together.
Prayer is not God’s way to give us what we want; prayer is God’s way to make us want what he gives.
God has called us to stand together with fellow believers in battle, and He has equipped us. But there is something else we need: prayer.
Our enemy is an intelligent, cunning, and resourceful enemy. We need to be aware, but we do not need to be afraid, because God has very well resourced us for the battle.
When Jesus walked out the tomb where he was buried, His people became more than conquerors in the face of persecutions and trials because of the love of Jesus and His victory over Satan and the power of the world.
As we reflect on this Easter season, we consider Christ’s victory over sin and death, and the importance of the resurrection. From our passage, we will see that Jesus is the first man standing, and His resurrection is the substance of our faith, the seal of our hope, and the sign of His victory (and ours).
Trust in authority is pretty low these days. There’s no shortage of data to prove this. Scripture describes the church as God’s house and God has given elders authority in it. What does that look like? How should authority in the church work in a healthy way?
Have you ever made a bad trade? The Bible tells us that Esau traded his birthright for a single bowl of soup. We shake our heads at his foolishness, and yet we do the same whenever we value things like money or relationships more than Jesus and his gospel blessings. All of us have our own bowls of soup to reckon with. In this sermon, Josh warns us about trading our eternal inheritance for the passing pleasures of the world.
In our world today there is no shortage of worry and anxiety. It can often feel like our lives are being driven by emotions and very often Christians are not immune to this kind of anxiety. Paul reminds us that God does not intend for his people to be crippled by worry and anxiety but to be constant in prayer.
Who is Yahweh? What is He really like? In this chapter of Isaiah, we learn who Yahweh is from His own words.
Paul shows that God’s strategy to display his power is through having messengers proclaim it in their weakness. Both Paul and Christ accepted their weakness, so you should too.
In this sermon we will follow Paul‘s directions back to the cross, as he points out three landmarks to guide us along the way in our faith journey.
John 21:1-14 recounts the third time the risen Lord Jesus revealed himself to his disciples. What John reports is quite ordinary and mundane. A small group of men spend all night fishing and then eat breakfast on the beach with Jesus, who prepares and serves them bread and fish. John reminds us that the risen Lord Jesus cares for us in the ordinary needs and concerns of everyday life and carries out his redemptive purposes in the mundane and routine activities of everyday life.
There is none like God, and to prove it, He declares what He will do many, many years before it comes to pass so that when it happens, there can be no debate. In our text, we learn that God works His providence for His people to His praise.
We ought to behold our Holy God and respond to his holiness by repenting of our sin and serving Him.
God’s steadfast love gives us cause to rejoice in the supernatural new birth, it motivates us to grow as God promised, and it reassures us in the safety of our God’s covenantal faithfulness.
Does God love us? Is he with us? While the promise of God’s presence is unshakable, our assurance of it can waver because of our sinfulness. Even through these pains, the tender comfort of God’s presence is secured because of his great mercy.
In Christmas, we celebrate the birth of Jesus Christ because He is the promised King that brought salvation to the world. His kingship requires us to submit to His authority as we seek to worship in His presence. In response to His lavish grace, we are called to present to Him our best offering.
Sometimes darkness can become the new normal. We want the light but don’t know where to find it. Isaiah 9:1-7 celebrates Christ as the King whose light breaks through the darkness light the dawn.
Life is hard. There is just no way around it. This world is not our home. Yet, God has called on us to delight in Him throughout the trials and troubles. How do we actually do that? David lays out an excellent pattern to show us exactly how he learned to rejoice in God, even when life hurt. We do well to learn from his example.
This Psalm is a promise that the God of the Bible will deliver all those who take refuge in him. David wrote this reflecting upon God’s deliverance from the hand of an enemy king. His testimony and instruction lead to assurance in the God who blesses all of his suffering servants.
At a time when the Hebrew church was despairing, God’s Word reminded them to be devoted. The passage explains why and how we must stay devoted together.
There are times when our circumstances in life cause us to confess, “I can’t do it, Lord, I need strength!” In Psalm 81 we learn where we can find strength for the journey.
God has given us an identity and a purpose as His beloved children. We are therefore called to embrace the challenge along the way, and we are given the power to become more like Jesus, who is our hope.
Living in this world can feel a lot like being on a small boat in the middle of a raging storm. When the strong winds and high waves of life hit you hard, what you need to do is hold on to something secure. In this passage, the apostle Paul calls on the Thessalonians to hold fast to the truth of God’s Word. It is the only thing secure enough to keep Christians safe in the middle of the storms of life.
In Psalm 44, as Israel finds itself suffering greatly, despite being true to God’s covenant, they leverage God’s faithfulness in prayer. In their prayer life, God’s people should also leverage God’s faithful acts, his faithful promises and His faithful character.
In Ps. 80, God’s people face an impossible situation and cry out for an impossible solution. We might not be in the same circumstances, but here we learn that in times of trial, God’s people need to seek His face—look up, look down, look around!
Living in a fallen world, lament is the language of Christians to cry out to God, to plead with Him as a child so that we would worship Him joyfully with reaffirmed faith.
Sin leaves ruins. The prayer of Psalm 90 is a primer for restoring the ruin left by sin. Moses’ wisdom offers us insight to make sense of everything and instruction to figure out what we can do about it.
Asaph recognized that God’s people needed some kind of deliverance. He agonized over it in prayer. Nothing seemed to change, like he expected it might. How do you pray when you can’t pray anymore?
David found himself in a place he didn’t want to be. He was forced out and away from where he belonged. It was a desolate place. His prayer in Psalm 61 models for us how we should pray when we find ourselves in desolate places, worlds away from where we want to be.
In times of chaos, Psalm 131 helps us experience the peace of God and learn to trust God in every season.
The effects of sin, and God’s judgement on sin, can cause what feels like waste and desolation in our lives. That’s where God’s people found themselves in Isaiah 24. But then in the hope of the New City and restoration of all things, Isaiah 26:1-6 publishes a song that will be sung in that new city. The song of the new city gives us reason to rejoice even amidst the waste around us.
Jesus offers the blessing of comfort—comfort to those who mourn. Yet not just any kind of mourning will draw the heart of God. Before we mourn the pain and sorrows of this life, we must mourn the sin and depravity of our hearts.
Have you ever had the experience of hearing a eulogy for someone you thought you knew well, but then realized you didn’t know at all? One way for us to get to know prayer better is to consider its birth, life, and death. Let’s consider what a eulogy for prayer might include.
God made a beautiful world for us to enjoy. But just as in Genesis we are often prone to abuse and corrupt it. How can we restore God’s beauty and enjoy it, suitably?
Government, Education, Medical, Religious leaders and the public in general are dealing with new levels of anxiety and quite frankly we are not doing well. Is there a way to deal with this stress? God's care, control and compassion may be a resource that we have been missing ..... let's think about it and address the worry and the anxiety that is so much a part of our lives. "Don't Worry Be Happy" is a good goal but it needs a little more than a snappy tune to make it happen! Let's read and apply what God tells us about the subject.
We live in a society plagued by restlessness; we want to do more, dream more, and be more, but we fail to truly recognize what it’s costing us. We need to believe that rest is a gift from God given for our own good.
Work—the very mention of it makes some of us groan. But what does God have to say about work, and how can we maintain a right perspective on it?
God created male and female in His image, and after His likeness. So what does that say about our masculinity and femininity and how do can we flourish as male and female according to God's design?
Marriage should be honoured by all, says the author of Hebrews, but how do we do that? It starts with recognizing that marriage is instituted by God and it is good. Most of all, it is glorious because it exhibits Christ and the church and it embodies our longing for the end.
How do you handle temptation? Will you believe God or Satan in that moment? Who really wants your happiness? Prepare now by seeing that God is for you, he seeks your joy, he wants to bless you, and he will meet all your longings as you obey him.
In a society where purpose and identity are treated as relative and something found through personal discovery, God’s word in Genesis makes it clear that we were created in a specific way and for a specific purpose. This knowledge has far reaching implications not just on who we are, but how we are to live.
When God created, He did it by putting everything in its proper place. And yet, in our lives we witness so much chaos and disorder. What can we learn from creation about how things are meant to be? How does redemption bring order back in our lives?
We have so many things to do, but so little time. How can we get them all done? In the beautifully crafted poetry of Genesis 1-2, we see what God did in creation, how he did it, and how he is working through us now.
Since eternity past—before anything was—God is. And then, He broke the silence. The story of all creation begins with God’s self-revelation, and how everything else came to be.
The apostle Paul calls all believers to live lives devoted to God because of what He has done. When we truly understand the second, then the first is the only reasonable response.
Shame. We have all felt it, and it began back in the garden when sin entered into the world. Rather than running or hiding, how are we to respond? How does God respond to us?
Everyone wants to belong. It satisfies our desire to be validated in our humanity. It’s good to find that’s from a peer, or a supervisor, or a parent. But it’s something greater for creatures to find it from their Creator. Psalm 15 shows us how we can know that we belong with God.
We are anxious about many things. Often the root of our worry and fear comes from depending on ourselves or other things to protect and provide for us. When we put our trust in the Good Shepherd we will find that he will lead us all the way home and make us all the way whole.
It’s easy to get excited when things are new and amazing. But over the long haul, when things don’t work like we want them to, it’s easy to get discouraged and lose heart. If we’re going to faithfully labour for the kingdom of heaven on earth, we must remember that the kingdom has come and will come… but right now, it comes through us.
The resurrection gives significance, meaning, and purpose for eternity. But the truth that Jesus is alive and has conquered death matters for right now too! What should we do right now with the truth of the resurrection?
Knowing who you are in Christ will help you to know why you are alive. We exist to know Jesus’ love so deeply that it flows through us and is perfected in us. His love is most clearly seen on Good Friday.
As hunger testifies to the reality of food, so our fears testify to the reality of the hell we fear. But as Jesus dies, on a cross, there remains good news for us. He took our hell so that we could not only experience the kingdom of heaven, but help bring it to earth.
We’re all guilty and somewhere deep inside, for those who are willing to admit it, we know it to be true. In Matthew 27 each of the characters in the story must wrestle with their guilt and try to show themselves innocent. What can we learn about our options for finding innocence?
We are living in a world where it’s hard to know who to trust. Political leaders, religious leaders, even friends and family let us down and fail us. In a world of confusion and falsehood, Jesus alone proves ultimately trustworthy.
Elders are a gift to the church. God has designed His church to function and flourish under healthy, humble, Christ-like leaders. As both and Apostle and “fellow elder” Peter writes to instruct believers on the high calling and responsibilities God has given to them. May we be exhorted and encouraged as we hear and heed his words.
Every church has a culture. It’s the lived experience of our community. What shapes the culture of a church? In Ephesians 4:1-16, the Apostle Pauls urges the church to remain true to its calling in the gospel. The church that does this will be a distinguished community that reflects the redeeming power of God to the world.
The unrealized dream of Moses is now fulfill in us: Christ is now in us! He is our hope and He is our power as we toil to proclaim His great name to the world.
As we follow Christ to the cross we observe the only one who obeyed perfectly. Seeing his obedience, rooted in agonizing heartfelt prayer, reminds us that prayer reveals, prepares, and reorients our hearts.
Jesus doesn’t look like much to most people. His name is a curse word or a joke. His followers are written off in the world. And even to our own eyes, we (as his followers) look like failures. Does all this speak to who Jesus really is?
We’ve never lived in a time when more things were uncertain. Yet this one thing is certain. We will stand before Jesus the Judge and King. It is certain that in that moment, all humanity will be divided. Are you ready?
We live in a world where the darkness, hopelessness, and injustice can seem overwhelming. Even knowing where to start is a challenge. What is Jesus’ plan for redeeming the world? How can we be a part?
Growth is hard. It doesn’t happen by accident. But it’s necessary. Many of us know this and are doing what we can. Still, 2 Peter 1:1-15 is an encouragement and warning to keep growing.
The Apostle Paul’s example of evangelism in Athens provides Christians with a great deal of wisdom on how Christians today can courageously evangelize in the city.
Jesus told us to be ready for his return. But what about if we were ready a long time ago? How can we be ready when it seems like he is taking so long to return?
When we worship on Sunday, our priority is the indwelling of the Word, by pursuing to teach and admonish one another through songs with a posture of thankfulness to God.
As Jesus teaches on the kingdom in Matthew 6, He turns His attention to how His followers are to engage in prayer. As Christians, we are expected to pray; indeed, prayer is the very language of our faith.
Why do we spend so much of our weekly time together listening to one person reading and talking? Isn’t this mode of communication out-dated? Aren’t there better ways for a church to communicate and engage with our culture? In 1 Timothy 4 Paul insists that for a local church, her dedication to reading and preaching the Word of God is of paramount importance for salvation.
We love inspirational stories. The best ones often come from obscure places. In Luke 1:26-38 we see God show astounding grace to an obscure girl reveals an inspiring character worth exemplifying.
The Proverb asks, ‘Though many profess steadfast love, who can actually find a faithful man?’ Faithfulness is a problem. Jesus demands it from us, but it seems so elusive, so hard. In Matthew 24, Jesus doesn’t just command faithfulness, he helps us pursue it from here to eternity.
There are some messages even Jesus laments having to preach. This message, announcing judgement for those who refuse to see him as the Greater Son of David, is a message of warning for those who don’t turn. By rejecting him you choose a life of futility now and future judgement to come.
Have you ever wondered why people oppose Jesus so much? It’s the same reason we look for reasons to avoid hard obedience to Jesus in our lives. At a heart-level it’s easy to understand. We can’t honour Jesus as King if we don’t truly see that Jesus is King.
Raising children by our own effort is a vain and anxious task, but when we raise them by the power of God for the glory of God, they are blessings from the Lord.
Are you content with life as it is? Psalm 16:5-6 specifies three things we must believe in order to learn to be content with life as it is.
What do you long for? What do you desire more than anything in the world? Psalm 84 teaches us that God blesses those who long for His presence, rely on His strength and trust in His power.
Searching for satisfaction in things will lead us to... 1. Experience the empty pleasures of play, the empty pursuit of property and the empty promise of possessions... So where should we go to be satisfied?
It’s a terrible feeling to not know what’s required of you. The more important the situation, the worse that feeling gets — and the greater the consequences of not knowing what we need. There is no excuse for us to not know what the Kingdom of God requires of us. Jesus has made it clear.
Does it ever feel to you like God isn’t working things out the way he should? Jesus, the prophesied King is approaching the City of the King in a triumphal procession — which sounds right! But when he gets there, the ‘right’ people reject him; the ‘wrong’ people worship him. Is this really how the kingdom comes, or is it proof that something has gone wrong?
Following Jesus can be hard. We are plagued not only by our own failures, but by the failures of other believers and the opposition of the world. If we are going to faithfully follow Jesus, we need a clear vision of who he is, apart from what we see in others.
“Fellowship” is Christian-ese word that gets tossed around a lot. What is it really? Is it worth it? Paul’s prayer for Philmon in verse 4-7 distinguishes the essential features of effective fellowship that make a real difference in our lives.
Like the people of Israel in Malachi’s day, we are often half-hearted people, going through life like how we live doesn’t matter. No matter how far-away the promised future glory feels, God calls us to faithfulness now.
Zechariah means “The LORD remembers” and his prophecies about events in his near future, the life and death of Jesus, and the end times, remind us that God is in total control of everything that has ever happened or will ever happen. This has very significant implications for our lives. God remembers the future. Are you ready for it?
Haggai delivers the word of the Lord during the rebuilding of the temple (520 BC). God's people are called to consider their ways and to consider the God of promise. Haggai confronts and encourages the people to believe in the God of promise; who declares His peace and blessing through the coming King.
Lamentations gives expression to the sorrow and anguish of those enduring the wrath of God when Jerusalem was besieged. Rightly understood, it can still give us both latitude and language to worship God today in the midst of our own suffering.
Zephaniah is a bracing text where Judah and the nations surrounding her are judged as a foretaste of the Day of the Lord, the final judgment. As divine judgment is a stumbling block for modern people we defend its logic and show how Zephaniah solves a real human problem, namely, personal identity. In all of this, God’s people are called to be courageous.
When the inconsistencies we experience lead to questions, Habakkuk teaches us that the faith of the righteous calls them to trust in God’s purposes, even when they don’t understand His plans. With his example, we learn about what to do with our questions.
God delivers His people, and pours out His judgement and wrath on the people of Nineveh. How can a God of love burn with anger? Can we find deliverance from His wrath? Yes we can! We can be known by Him and find our refuge in Him.
For us who sometimes forget what God wants and are half-hearted, Micah 6:1-8 is written to remind us of the truth that God really cares about how we worship. He wants us to repent from half-hearted worship, remember his great salvation and humbly obey him.
Jonah wants mercy from God, yet he is angry with God for showing mercy to Nineveh. Do you want God's mercy? Then you need to know that mercy is from God and He gives mercy to anyone who asks, but you are called to extend the same mercy to other.
Obadiah's timeless message speaks to sufferers who feel the injustice of the world, and those who feel alone, invisible, and forgotten. He tells us that our God sees—he has spoken promises to us, and he will certainly save.
We can sometimes worship a god of our own creation while missing what the true God requires of us. The message of Amos is clear: Because God is God, sin leads to judgment, but repentance leads to life.
The book of Joel teaches us how to respond in light of judgement and suffering, and how to place our hope in the Lord.
God's love for His people is marked by faithfulness and steadfast love, but what happens when His people turn away from Him? The book Hosea tells us the story of God's love for His people.
What you have on your mind reflects what’s in your heart, and it will come out in your life. In this passage we get to see what’s on Jesus’ mind—and how different it is from what’s on the disciples’ minds.
When it comes right down to it, we often find our hearts exposed when we see God’s generosity toward others. We want it for ourselves, but find others less deserving. Jesus wants to address this problem in our hearts today.
If we come to God believing we have something to give him, we’ll get nothing; but if we come simply to receive, Jesus offers blessings we could never repay. Those blessings often manifest to us in the form of other people.
Our Creator gave marriage with a good heart and a good design; before we enter into it lightly or discard it freely, we need to hear from Jesus about how to think, feel, and act rightly with both our celibacy and our marriage.
If you had to describe the Kingdom community in this world, how would you do it? Jesus doesn’t even pretend; He knows we’ll sin. His vision is that we would be a community of people who forgive as we’ve been forgiven.
As we appoint elders to serve our own local church, thousands of years ago the Apostle Paul gave instructions to the elders of another local church. Our elders are to give their whole selves to the ministry and to God: they are to hold nothing back.
Those who form the Messiah's new kingdom community are to be a community of children who reflect the heart of their Father: a heart that desires for none of his little ones to be lost. So we must go get them.
The Messiah addresses how the people of his new kingdom are to live together and relate to each other moving forward, and he is clear: if they are striving for greatness, it must be greatness in his eyes, not the eyes of others.
Do you know the ‘heaviness’ and ‘weariness’ that comes from living in this world? There is only one solution: the closeness of God. To be close with God in the midst of the brokenness that surrounds us — to know his comfort in the midst of our heartaches — this is to be truly blessed. But how do we get that blessing?
If you’re a normal disciple, you sometimes feel like a failure. Because sometimes you are. It’s all too easy to forget or lose sight of the one in whom we have placed our trust. At root, the most basic thing for us to get right as Christians is that we are disciples by faith in Jesus.
We live in dark days in the midst of a world of darkness. But the glorious light of Christ shines through. It sustains us and gives us hope: if we have eyes to see him.
Who wouldn’t want to live in a world of love. But love can’t be found within ourselves: it comes from God. God is love, and God makes his love visible when he sends his Son to suffer and die in our place. It’s a love we can see, a love that gives us life, a love that will flow through us to others.
We spend our lives planning, striving, working to try to avoid suffering. We long to attain comfort, safety, and pleasure. But some things really are inevitable. Inescapable. What does Jesus say MUST happen?
One day each of us will, with immortal bodies, see Jesus face to face. Each of us will need to give an answer for who we say Jesus is. Are you ready to answer? Who do you say that he is?
Like old age, unbelief happens to us all. How it happens, when it happens, and what we do with it is what Jesus wants to address in our hearts today.
Jesus spends time with the unclean gentiles in their own territory. What kind of a reception will he receive? How will he react to them?
A gentile woman from an unclean place comes to Jesus in desperation. She hopes to find in him the salvation she needs. What he finds in her is the faith we need.
When the Pharisees come from Jerusalem to challenge Jesus and his disciples, it’s clear they have a problem. The problem is different than what they suspect, however. And that problem is one that we all share.
In this one sweet chapter of Matthew’s Gospel, everyone is coming to Jesus. They come with different reasons and discover different things, but they all come. You should join them. Here’s why…
For each of us a time of testing is coming. Jesus and John were both tested with rejection. Sometimes the rejection is existential, other times ultimate and fatal. But the test will come for most of us. Are you ready?
In a world that seems to be degenerating at an alarming rate, what are Christians to do? The answer is to unashamedly proclaim the Gospel! In Romans 1, the Apostle Paul gives us 4 reasons why we should be unashamed of the Gospel.
As we prepare to commission one of our beloved pastors to go serve overseas, what is our charge to him? What is our hope as he goes?
What is so special about being human? What are we made for? An understanding of the Bible's creation story is foundational to how we value ourselves and others.
As we come to the end of our mini-series, we find that the words of the Preacher are coming to an end. What will the final lesson of this book be? We learn that right thinking leads to right living.
As we consider the unsettling truth that life is vanity, what implications should this have in how we live? In our passage today, we consider another key theme of Ecclesiastes: enjoy God’s gifts while you can.
As we begin our mini series on the book of Ecclesiastes, we sit under the Preacher to hear the timely words he has for us, and find that in the midst of the vanity of life, our eyes, hearts, and hands long for more than this world can offer.
As the old saying goes, you can lead a horse to water, but you can’t make it drink. Jesus has led us to the treasures of the kingdom. But have we seen them? Will we treasure his kingdom? If we’ve found treasure, what will we do with it?
When you see the church as small and unimpressive, what do you think? Is it reason to disbelieve Jesus? Or do you see, even in the weakness of his people, the coming of the kingdom of heaven to earth?
Jesus is going to use parables to sift and sort us. This is more important than any personality test we could ever take. Do you know what type of soil you are?
How are you feeling heading into this lockdown? Many of us find our hearts resonating with the psalmist: we are downcast and in turmoil. There are longings unfulfilled. Where can we find hope & joy?
What are we to make of Jesus? Is there enough evidence to really believe? Should we trust someone who keeps telling us of judgement to come?
Jesus has warned us of many times of the danger of judgement. With these startling — and ultimately final — words, he is calling us to sit up, take notice, and take action!
In this passage, the apostle Paul lets us know that even in our suffering, we can be confident that we are "Super-Victors" through Christ who loved us.
Jesus has invited us to come to him for rest. Can we trust him? Who needs this rest? And what kind of rest will he give?
We all desire beauty, but the true beauty does not point us to the creation but to behold the creator who is beautiful. Beholding the beauty of God leads us to worship and delight in His Son Jesus Christ.
We live in a world that wears us down. We’re burdened with worries, fears, responsibilities, and all kinds of things we can’t control. For those who are weak and weary, Jesus offers true rest.
Jesus wants a response from you. So far some people have responded strongly in faith or strongly in opposition to him. But what about those of us who aren’t certain how to respond? What does Jesus want from us?
If it is really Jesus’ desire for the kingdom of heaven to come through us, does that mean we’re doing something wrong if the world is standing against us? How do we live for the kingdom of God in the face of human opposition?
Those who want the heavenly kingdom to come must know that Jesus' plan is to bring it through them. The kingdom of heaven comes to earth through those the King sends.
Blessed are the pure in heart. If we call ourselves disciples, we'll want to grow in purity of heart.
When God performs a true revival in someone's heart, the soul of that person becomes dependent on God. God becomes the source and supply to achieve anything in life. Therefore a person with a revived heart lives in constant dependence on him.
We take a look at the importance of discipling for every member, and why everyone should have a Paul, a Barnabas and a Timothy.
Today we take a look at those who make up the church, and from Romans 12 we see that the church is a mixed group of people saved by mercy, united in the gospel, and living for the glory of God.
As those bought by the blood of Christ, Peter teaches us that God is very intentional about those who he places over his church to care for and guide them. Here are five things elders do.
The New Testament refers to the church as a temple. This speaks volumes about the significance, shape, and function of the church
Jesus has a bride, and he cares for her deeply. How Jesus relates to his bride, the church, should change everything about the way we treat the church as well.
In a world that rejects and topples authority and prizes autonomy and anarchy, Matthew preaches a different narrative. Jesus has the authority to save.
In Matthew 8:18-27, the disciples are confronted with who Jesus is and what it costs to follow him. If we are to be followers of Jesus today, we must also grapple with these same questions.
In the midst of troubling times and a lot of social commentary, Revelation 7 gives us a vision of where we're going, so that we have hope for today.
'What the world needs now is...' How would you end the sentence? As we look at Matthew 8, we find that the needs and hopes of the people hinged on Jesus, and even in our day, that still remains true.
Culture is something that every church has but can sometimes be hard to define. Our culture must ultimately be determined by what we value most and therefore must be intentionally forged. Ruth 4:1-12 instructs us on how to embrace a culture of redemption that displays the beauty and power of the gospel.
We are prone to think that faith is merely passively waiting on the Lord. But in Ruth 3, we are reminded that God often calls us to an active faith that is full of risk and offers great reward. The question we need answered is, what does active faith require?
As the Sermon on the Mount comes to an end, both the audience back then and we ourselves are faced with the same question: What will we do with the words of Jesus?
There are many reasons we give ourselves not to go to God in prayer, but in this passage Jesus teaches us that God is a good Father who wants his children to come to him expectantly.
In the Parable of the Talents, Jesus teaches that you will give an account to him for the knowledge he has entrusted to you. The truth of this parable is light to guide disciples in faithfulness as they prepare for that Day.
In these two lectures, Dr. Michael Haykin explores the perennially important and fascinating issues of love and friendship through the medium of a circle of English Christians in the late eighteenth century: Andrew Fuller and John Ryland, Samuel and Sarah Pearce, all of whom are probably best known for their friendship with William Carey.
We live in a broken world filled with sin. In this passage we will learn what it looks like to treasure the gospel when we are confronted by sin.
Anxious? Worried? In this unprecedented season of our lives we're reminded of the timeless relevance of the word of God. For this season - and every season - Jesus says, 'Do not be anxious.'
Jesus offers us grace to persevere in this world with freedom and joy in serving one master with all our heart. The key to living that life on earth? Placing our treasures in heaven.
Through Jesus, we have access to our heavenly Father. Won't you come to him in prayer today?
Jesus wants you to go hard after a righteous life. If we are careful to avoid imitation righteousness and religious hypocrisy, there are glorious rewards awaiting us.
While we may live in times of chaos, Psalm 131 is designed to help us find peace and learn how to trust God. More importantly, it calls us to share that hope with others.
Our King is coming from an unexpected place to bring us peace. He is coming to rule, and He is coming to raise leaders.