Gospel for life with Nathaniel Timmermann: Recent Episodes
Nathaniel Timmermann
Does anyone want me? Do I belong anywhere? For many of us, there is a real sense of alienation in life. Jesus uses all of his authority not to make war, not to get rich, but to be with us and bring people together. A sermon on Matthew 28:18-19 on April 26th, 2026
We don't deny all the bad in life when we follow Jesus. The first thing in the Easter story is this: the women went to the tomb. Evil and death is seen and known by us. That leads to the bold statement: there is still good news. Jesus lives! A message for Easter at Peace Lutheran Church, Otsego, MI preached on April 5th, 2026
Washing away what's outside is God's way, in part, to wash us clean within. When we see what God does to get rid of all the false worship in the world, we are going to be a bit shocked about how far he goes. But that action alone cleans our hearts to love him.
Want to see life differently? Gain spiritual sight. We get eyes but even more we live in the dark. We live without light, and that is how we get sight.
A sermon on John 9 on March 22nd at Peace in Otsego.
We are physical and spiritual beings, and as such, need to feed our souls with spiritual food. We tend to think that we are using the wrong thing to get our spiritual food - a different spouse, a different car, a different job will fix us. What we need is a different place to put our bucket. A sermon on John 4:5-24 on March 8, 2026
Our champion has come rushing in, and we hold on to him. We don't live as people who are fixing everything and fighting our way forward, or as people who are drowning in the river. We live as people who are clinging to the one who has grabbed on to us and is saving us. A sermon on John 3 on March 1st, 2026
Each of us has 2 messages or forces or energies coming into our life, and those shape us. At the least, we have the message of disobedience and punishment. We hear that all the time. There is a champion out there who brings us a different message: gift and approval. Is that message working in our lives? A sermon on Romans 5:13-18 on February 22, 2026
Whether we are wrecks or we've got our act together, the Lord sees the state of the church and the gathered believers and says, "Return to me". He'll never forget you. This is the beginning of his work to remake us. We need to go back to him. An Ash Wednesday sermon on Zechariah 1:1-6
A better spiritual life and spiritual practices is often recommended to improve our lives. But God didn't send us an angel and better spiritual practices for Christmas. A sermon on December 14th 2025 based on Hebrews 1:1-9.
Christmas is great, right up until it isn't. Over the years, the work, the anxiety, and the loss start to add up leaving us with a nagging question - do we really need Christmas? Maybe we would be better off without it. We do that with other dates. We stop celebrating birthdays. We skip over anniversaries and first dates.
While many gifts have downsides, some gifts are truly, and other gifts don't last, there are a few gifts that make a lasting difference. They are truly good gifts. A Thanksgiving sermon on November 26th 2025.
"the deepest principle of Human Nature is the craving to be appreciated, and I left it out altogether from the book, because I had never had it gratified till now." William James Favor is fabulous, but we need to receive it the right way. God teaches us this in Genesis 4, Jacob and Esau. A sermon on November 23, 2025
Can you and I even know the truth anymore? It seems so twisted and unclear. But beyond it all, Jesus triumphed over the twists and the tricks so that some truth remains. People will be cut as we come to the truth, just like he was - cut to untwist the truth. A sermon on Genesis 3:1-13, November 9th 2025
We have mastered freedom from certain restrictions, rules and laws, but I would argue that all this freedom has left us just as burdened. With Jesus we can regain a freedom that allows us to live out of faith - a freedom for faith. We have to continually go back to his rescue from evil. Sermon on November 2nd, 2025 on Galatians 5:1-6.
What an awesome marvel it is that God gave humanity a role to play in his work. We are not supposed to lay back and coast and just consume all this stuff, nor are we supposed to condemn the world and the good God put in it. We are supposed to craft it. To work. And God gave the woman to the man to help him in that task. Genesis 2:18-25 , October 26th 2025
Many myths present us with a "tree of life". But Genesis 2 goes beyond to present us with a sacramental life with God (the tree of life) - living with him and his promises and his grace; or living on our own with the many good things that can either ruin us or wow us. If we make the gifts our god, what will that do for us? A sermon on October 19, 2025 on Genesis 2:8-17
The Christian funeral of Mary Wright embodies for us the great truth that God brings joy after sorrow because of his immense delight in rescuing us. Sermon on Psalm 126:5
Who am I? There is no way to entirely answer that question in a few minutes with theology. But the basics will give me so much for my life. A sermon on Genesis 1:26-2:7 on October 12, 2025
It's not enough to describe the world we live in, the world that was created as "perfect". Genesis 1 shows us at least three good things about this world - its real, it's ordered, and it's good. It's a home, and that is what is should feel like. That uncanny feeling that you don't belong can only get fixed with the stranger who made this place his home. A sermon on Genesis 1:3-25 on October 5th 2025
Genesis 1:2 is a strange verse; it basically announces chaos after creation to the world. There are at least three ways to handle it. I argue that it is the creation of substantive stuff that can be filled with something. A sermon on Genesis 1:2 on September 28th 2025
What's the story you are part of? And who is the center of your story? The story begins at the beginning, Genesis 1. A sermon on September 21st, 2025
What an awesome thing that the God of heaven and earth wants us, wants to find us, and looks for us. However much you and I have messed up our lives or done our own thing, we don't have to work our way back or fix things to be with God. He comes for us. A sermon on Luke 15:1-10 on September 14th, 2025
Do you love your vocation? Which one? Do you see the Lord working through your vocation? I find it both incredibly convicting that the Lord would work through me (he certainly could do much better) and also very encouraging. Wrap up on vocation. A sermon on September 7th 2025
Everything has its setting or context where it flourishes. Plants flourish in gardens; football teams flourish in schools with equipment and fields. Where do humans and humanity flourish? An answer from 1 Timothy 6 and Michael Berg's "Vocation" on August 31st 2025
Paul sows us that the most practical activities of our lives - eating and marriage - are spiritual. He lays out ow these are the areas for spiritual warfare. A sermon on 1 Timothy 5 on August 24
We've got the awesome privilege that God is working through us. We are his masks. A sermon on 1 Timothy 3, 5 and Michael Berg's "Vocation" on August 10th
The people of Peace want to build a good congregation in Otsego-Plainwell that lives well for the people around us. We want to know the people around us and build better relationships because there is one mediator and not just because we share other common interests. A sermon on August 3, 2025 for Friendship Sunday.
The question, "What should I do with my life" is constant refrain. We graduate from high school - what should I do with my life? Finish college - what should I do with my life. Don't like our career - what should I do with my life? Have kids - what should I do with my life? Retire - what should I do with my life. Over the next few weeks, we'll try to answer this question through the lens of "vocation", the Christian answer to "what should I do with my life". Vocation means we are "saved to serve". This is the first sermon on July 20th, 2025 from 1 Timothy 1:12-20.
Charles Taylor explains that while 500 years ago it was almost impossible to NOT believe in God, now it is almost impossible TO believe in God. In so many ways, we've built a life that can be meaningful, rewarding, and successful in some ways without God. Then we use little salvations to fix the problems we still have. But what if each of those little salvations simply pointed to the bigger salvation that was already won for us in Jesus Christ? A sermon on Acts 4:1-22 on June 15th, 2025
For someone who takes the time to investigate the issues related to the Bible, they will likely discover hundreds of questions and problems. There are reasonable answers for many of these questions. The real question is, what is the Bible? Is it data or information? Is it a rule book? if it is these things, it will disappoint us. But if it is something more.... a sermon on June 1st, 2025
Can a book so old be reliable? Can we trust it and learn from it? What about all the problems in the Bible? This week we consider whether the Bible is reliable. A sermon on Acts 17:10-15.
A common problem with Christianity is that it ruins the fun in people's lives. Whether intentional or not, it becomes something of a "straitjacket" that people simply have to put up with. What do we do about this? Why does Christianity take all the fun out of life? A sermon from Acts 11 and other lessons on May 18th 2025
The first Christians dealt with some of the hardest questions. One of them - what do we do about suffering? They faced so much. Then they healed. Acts Answers - a sermon on May 11th 2025.
There are plenty of arguments that Christianity does good things in the world. See Confronting Christianity or Alvin Schmidt How Christianity Changed the World. But Jesus doesn't say Christianity is good because it makes the world a better place or because people do good things because of Christianity. Rather, he says Christianity is good because Jesus died and rose. A sermon on Acts 9:1-22 on May 4, 2025
We still ask a lot of questions of Christianity, and so did the ancient people. Acts answered a lot of the same questions. Lets find out what they said. First study - is Christianity legitimate? is it valid? Should we keep it around? Acts 5:17-34
Peeps. Crème filled eggs. Chocolate. Bunnies. Chicks. Lambs. Lilies. Tulips. Daffodils. They’re all fun things that are part of spring. But they actually take us back to the real Easter. While the religions of the East speak of dissolving into the ocean of being, and while Islam and the Christian cults portray an otherworldly future, the Bible promises resurrection. This is different. It’s this life laid hold of and turned around. Resurrection is Jesus taking us through the valley of the shadow and out into a happily ever after, complete with best wedding ever. Without Jesus, life ends with a funeral. With him, there is a never-ending feast. A sermon on Easter Sunday April 20th, 2025
Repentance can be difficult, almost terrifying. Yet it is renewing, and God is desperate to renew us. A sermon on Psalm 51:10-13
Don't murder - protect human life. But we can't imagine our desire for violence. We've got to see the incredible value and worth we have from the one who gave up his life for us. The 5th Commandment.
Do we really know ourselves well enough to tell the truth? Death and resurrection can firmly ground us and give us a place to build from. Sermon on April 6th, 2025 on the 8th Commandment
We've been convinced that consumption is the way of life. It is a spiritual practice that fills our souls. The 7th Commandment points us to a different way. We stop living off the backs of others and consuming everything we can get, and start constructing lives. A sermon on the 7th Commandment on March 30, 2025.
If sexuality is something sacred to be stewarded, how do we steward it? How do we manage it and care for it and let it be something that leads to flourishing? We have to begin by not just expressing our sexuality. A sermon on the 6th Commandment, March 23, 2025
There are a couple of different stories you and I can choose to live with our sexuality - and we should choose a good one, because it is an incredibly powerful force. Which are you living? A sermon on March 16, 2025
To modern ears, "honor your father and mother" and it's implications sound crazy. 'I owe someone respect not because of their accomplishments or their status?" That's what the gospel wants from us because Jesus gave up his authority. We can respect people who stand in God's place. A sermon on the 4th Commandment, March 9th, 2025
There are a lot of questions to ask about repentance. One place to start: do we even need it? Do we need to practice repentance? This isn't a great answer, but part of the answer comes from the Great King David. He models repentance in Psalm 51.
Have we lost glory as we've closed down our world? How has that hurt us? Let's reclaim glory for our lives. Sermon on Luke 9:28-36
We've got a lot of different games and rules that we can play to prove our worth and value. There were at least two specific ones in the Bible - ethnicity and obedience. Those are still popular today. Jesus sets up a different system in the sermon on the plain, one were we can still get a win. Luke 6:17-26 on February 16th, 2025
We rarely feel wanted in life. It turns out that a lot of people aren't actually wanted in life. It makes sense that we wouldn't feel wanted. It's quite rare. It testifies to the fact that we are sinners. But Jesus wants sinners. A sermon on Luke 5:1-11, February 9 2025
It's really hard to get our beliefs and behavior to come together. Some people might say it doesn't matter, but it shows up in so many ways. Why? Jesus gets at the root problems and brings our life back together today. Sermon on Luke 4:38-44.
We've all been rejected at some point. We were all rejected from Eden, our eternal home. But Jesus was kicked out of his hometown so he could make us the favorites. We are the chosen. We are the outsiders he has made insiders. A sermon on January 19, 2025 based on Luke 4:14-30.
What's your identity? How do you identify? Look at the baptism of Jesus and see how he identifies himself. A sermon on Luke 3:21-22, January 12 2025
What does it mean to really have life? Christmas gives us life. A sermon on John 1:1-5 for Christmas Day, 2025.
Do you feel like Christmas and the holidays are chaotic? You are on to something. God captured the chaos of our lives with his Christmas invasion. But Christmas also remakes the chaos through his creativity.
A Christmas sermon on Philippians 2:6-8, December 24, 2024.
Christmas is wonderful, but it definitely makes us ask if we're doing enough - do I have enough gifts, nice enough gifts, have I given enough. John makes us ask the same question and points to a different answer - making the fruit of a new person. A sermon based on Luke 3:7-18
Somehow, Christmas manages to bring out some of the most romantic stories of our lives. How? Check out the source of love. A sermon on December 8th 2024 based on Philippians 1:3-11
For Christmas to be real for you and me, we have to see we lack. We might want all kinds of things. But the fact that God sent his Son, not a pot of money, not a new set of laws, and not a new family, means that we don’t just want all kinds of things. We need something that we have no idea what it is. Real Christmas means you say I lack. I lack and only God can give what I need. A sermon on December 1, 2024 based on 1 Thessalonians 3:9-13
It can be easy to be thankful for the good and easy people in our lives. Most of us have to plenty of project people - imperfect people who we work and live with. Can we be thankful for them too? Sermon on November 27, 2024 for Thanksgiving 2024
There's 8 billion people on this planet, and he is calling each of them to himself in his own way, there's been many billions more in the history of all humanity. God has not forgotten each of them, either. He makes a difference in their life, just as he did in Abraham and in Noah and in Isaac and in Jacob and in David and in Solomon and Saul and Elijah and Elisha and Peter and Andrew and James and John and Paul and Augustine and Martin Luther and Calvin and John Wesley. And in you and in me, he's the God who makes a difference for all eternity. I pray that he would be your God. A sermon on November 24, 2024 on Revelation 22:1-5
Whether we know it or not, recognize it or not, we want to be right. We are desperate to be right. We are eager for the day when we will be right forever and shine. A sermon on November 17th, 2024
Do I actually want to go to heaven? For so many people, heaven doesn't actually seem like a good place to be. We have to learn to long for a distant country that we've never been to and have no idea what it is like. If it is a great place, you can learn to like it. Sermon on Isaiah 35:1-10 on November 10th, 2024
I've seen plenty of examples of the destructive effect of marriage. Nevertheless, God says and shows that marriage is the path to flourishing, for most people. A sermon on genesis 2:18-25 on October 13.
Every believer should work for the good of neighbor. Through the work of Jesus, we have been made priests of God. That doesn't minimize or eliminate the work of pastors. We benefit each other when we work together in love. Sermon on September 29th, 2024.
Being loved does some great things for us. But it isn't easy to be someone who can be loved. It means being vulnerable and dependent. That's what someone else has done exactly right for us. Sermon on Sept 22, 2024, 1 John 4 and others.
Christianity has something to give. Whether you know it or not, feel it or not, or even have the right thing, whatever sickness, hardship, or trial you run up against in life, the gospel gives you something to give. A sermon on Act 3:1-10 on September 8th, 2024.
Kids know the importance of giving honor and glory to someone else. They boast about their parents at school. We give glory and honor to things to by our lives - perhaps to money, or family, or our career. But do we honor good things? Do we glorify the right things? And what could it do for us if we honored someone else who honored us first! A sermon on Deuteronomy 4:1-9 on September 1, 2024.
Our age pressures us simultaneously to be both filled with faith and to turn away from faith. We aren't going to get away from that pressure. The only thing we can do is press into it. We can do that because Jesus pressed on to push back against sin, death, and the devil. A sermon on Hebrews 11:24-28 on August 25, 2024
The solution for days of wild weather is not to try to tame it, control it, or somehow think we are gods. It is to get a king who is truly as wild as the weather is. A sermon on Mark 4:35-41.
A good life has to navigate the stages and transitions of life. Relationships are central to both the stages and the transitions. One relationship needs to stay at the center. June 25, 2023, Sermon 2
We say good things about the importance of relationships, but we're wired personally and culturally, in so many ways, to resist relationships. In order to love, we will rebelieve relationships. Matthew 19 June 11, 2023
There are a number of practical reasons to be part of a local congregation. It is frequently difficult to be part of congregation and go through the experiences, on a regular basis, that will really form us into God's people. But Jesus was crushed so that even if we are hard pressed, we will never be crushed and destroyed. He is a foundation so we are better built. 1 Peter 2:4-10
There are so many good things in our world, but there is plenty too that we'd like to be rescued from. There is an offer to make us new people in this world; and there is an offer to give us a new world. But Christian salvation offers us salvation as a new person into a new world. It's better than we could imagine. Acts 2:32-41
After the disciples thought they saw Jesus dead and risen, the whole thing almost came to a halt for various reasons. They were stuck in the mess of their time. They were changed, and they went forward with fresh confidence and boldness. Will we get past all the mess of our time, or we will be stuck for our own reasons? Peter assures we can receive the mark of "genuine". We can pass the test. 1 Peter 1:3--9
Everything in life has results and consequences. Some we like, some we don't. If we go to school, we can probably get a job and make a living. If we find a spouse, we can have kids. One action had more consequences than anything else in life - the resurrection of Jesus. If Jesus lives, _____________. How do you fill in that blank? John 20:1-18
The struggle with evil, with pain, with difficulty, with challenge is real. We sit and wait for deliverance, freedom, and liberation. While we sit, we eat. This is food for the fight. Not burgers, but the food of Christ, the true Passover Lamb. Mark 14:12-17
Maundy Thursday 2023
Even the Bible does not always seem to tell the truth or the facts. Did Jesus tell the truth? There is a lot that we need to investigate and search out. But there is a depth to the truth that we cannot imagine. Darkness fell on Jesus so we can always have the light of truth. John 8:12-20
Life is filled with tough questions and difficult, dangerous situations. God provided a tabernacle for the people to provide security and safety for their difficult journey. Jesus is the true tabernacle for safety and security on our trip. Ask the tough questions and find that every path in life leads to him. John 7:1-52
Jesus meets a man paralyzed for 38 years. He doesn't just heal him. He stops sin in its tracks. Will we? If he has stopped sin, will run the other way and keep away from sin? John 5:1-15
I marvel that the woman talked to Jesus about so many problems in her life and still went away saying, Come and see. That's not how we tend to feel. Jesus might not always make us feel good. But he will give us something different than we can get anywhere else. The gospel will fill us up, even if we don't always like the fact that we need it. John 4:1-26
Religious people often have the impression and give the impression that God wants better people. It's true Jesus teaches basic principles and truths to live better lives. That isn't the main thing. Chiefly, Jesus wants us to have a new life. A different life. John 3:1-17
The temple was established by God as a way to get near God. Jesus came in and rejected the conveniences it offered in an attempt to help people get God's gifts. None of it could get people close to the holy, consuming God. What are we relying on to get us close to God? Do we have anything better to keep us in the presence of the holy, good God? Jesus offers a better temple in John 2:13-22.
There is really only one gift of true love for this world - Jesus. If you feel the pressure to love everyone around you well enough that they can finally enjoy life again, let his love be the love of their (and your!) life.
Merry Christmas
1 John 4:2-12
It's easy to tell people who are waiting for someone else compared with people who don't. If you're waiting for grandpa and grandma to visit, you might clean the house quickly and excitedly watch from the window. If you're waiting for a new baby, you've bought the car seat and crib and are just a little anxious. If you're waiting to get a new job, you're learning new skills. We do specific things when we wait. Christians cry, "come and help". That is just the beginning of our waiting. Like Joseph and Mary, we return home and wait for God to come to us. Matthew 1:18-25, Luke 1:26-38
Just what are we saying when we say, "Come and help"? Certainly we do a lot of good and there is a lot of good about our lives. There is also a lot of good in the world. When we say, "Come and help", we are saying that nothing else in the whole world can rescue us from both the personal issues we face and the systemic corruption and destruction the world experiences. As good as hospitals, financial counselors, therapists, doctors, coaches, trainers, and everyone else is, there is only one Savior. And repentance on our part reveals who that one Savior is.
Matthew 3:1-12
God shows us what a great helper we can expect. That's why we say, "Come and help". Matthew 21:1-11
We normally give thanks for good things we get. But there are lots of things that even God gives us that we don't think are good things - when God doesn't do what we want, or when God doesn't tell us why, or even weakness or pain.
These unexpected things are causes for unexpected thanks. Let's add them to our thanks.
1 Thessalonians 5:16-18
There are all sorts of rulers and powers that claim control and influence over our lives. Most of them end up destroying our lives as much as helping them. The Son is different because he holds all things together.
Colossians 1:15-23
Everyone recognizes that there is a kind of slavery only truth can get us out of, and that slavery runs deep. Scripture tells us a story that can break the slavery of lies. John 8:31-36
We can either live a live that is lived through faith or through our works and performance. There are good reasons to live through faith. Romans 3:19-28
Most relationships are dictated by laws and our adherence to certain standards - performance standards, relational standards, behavioral standards, etc. How amazing to have a relationship with the king of the universe based on grace.
Romans 6:15-23
Somehow or another I'd like to get what I want in life. What will get me what I want? Money? Miracles? Jesus tells a powerful story to help us get what we really want.
Luke 16:19-31
If we are just trying to be famous as a congregation, we'll do big stuff. If we're just trying to have a good reputation, we'll be good and nice and never rock the boat. But if we're working for the glory of someone else, we'll do whatever it takes so that God is spoken well of. That is what Jesus has done in our place. Haggai 2:6-9
To build God's congregation and house requires that we do things that seem abnormal to us or are so unusual that it is hard to imagine they will lead to a great place. This challenge rings out to us, and we obey, only to discover that God really is our father and he will do for us what we ask in his name. Haggai 1:12-15
The people of Israel returned to Judah and found a land in shambles. Surprisingly, they had the courage, the heart to stay. When there is lots of work to do, will we stay? This is a time to live out of grace. This is a time to be bold builders.
Haggai 1:1-11
If we don't see the level of the spiritual fight we are in, we won't see the unique way that the armor of God equips us for this fight. F18s, M1Abrams, and other serious equipment might seem the best fit for the fight, but we are really properly equipped when we can ask God for what we need.
Ephesians 6:10-20
In 1 Kings 21, powerful officials use a weak system to take advantage of a citizen. The failure of corruption destroys not only the citizen, but eventually the officials too. Where is justice? At the cross.
The story of Abraham and Abimelek, Genesis 20:1-18. Abraham did not just tell a version of the story. He himself first believed a version of the story. That was the start of his failure.
God's response to the spiritual crisis in our lives is not to say he is done with us, or to get rid of us, but to do a new thing for us. He turns sin into our salvation. He turns death into our deliverance. He makes the broken into a blessing.
Isaiah 43:16-24
You can't be encouraged without facing the reality of who you are and what is going on. That's why Jesus' encouragement always says woes and difficulties. Then he has opened up his heart and poured it out, so our hearts can be full.
Enjoy Luke 6:17-27
Land can be more than just a place to call home or make a living. Land can be a symbol of something far greater. Land is a place where God lives and God's people live with him.
It stinks to go it alone when there are so many difficult things to do in life, and nothing is better at giving us a great group of people to work with than a just judge.
God envisions a new way for us to handle our finances. It's not equality of opportunity or equality of outcome. It's economic impartiality. It's driven by the judgment that Jesus experienced for us, so that everyone benefits, no matter what we've done. Enjoy James 2:1-13.
There is a certain kind of good that Christians do. It's not driven by a need for acceptance or approval. It's driven by a rich appreciation of everything God has done. It's gospel good.
We can bring one thing with us in a messy, chaotic, and troubled world that will really make a difference. The gospel can turn this upside down world back around. Let's bring the gospel with us this fall!
Whether we are single or married, God warns us about hard hearts. With hard hearts, we are not whole people - we're frustrated, bitter, and hurt. God wants to make two people into one, which is the same thing he does for one. He makes us one whole person. Let's pursue that and enjoy it.
If we follow Jesus, there are consequences. We can see that from Jesus himself. He died for bringing good news. We've can be ready to endure whatever consequences come our way because Christ experienced the worst consequences for us.
Jesus brings his new kingdom with his life, death and resurrection. It's a life of forgiveness, deliverance, and renewal. Since he has fed our souls, we join him in his new work.
A sermon on Mark 6:30-44
A great group is amazing - motivated by a common cause, united around a common creed, developed by common tactics - a great group impacts people. The greatest group is gathered by a supernatural spirit. God gathers such a group.
Safety is an understandable, basic human need. We want to be physically and emotionally safety. Jesus does not deny this need. He risks everything he is and has for us, so that we are guaranteed an eternal safety. What risk will you take?
Love is the most important or essential part of our security. It's the one thing, more than anything else, that enables actual living. Only the love of Jesus - a love that is so great that he calls us friends - is great enough to fill our lives. John 15:9-17
Sometimes nonreligious people are better at doing good than even religious people. Simon recognizes the incredible power of the Holy Spirit and he wants it. But only the power of the Holy Spirit in him can change him so that the Holy Spirit works through him.
The story of Easter, the story of the death and the resurrection of Jesus, is the one story that speaks to all of us. Jesus both confronts us and raises us up through it. No one is excluded. We can all celebrate this story.
The resurrection of Jesus from the dead gives incredible hope for this life and a life to come.
There is a big difference in how you treat an acquaintance, a friend, and a partner. You don't make a partner dig into your life or wait to find out what is going on. Your spouse or best friend gets to know what is going on because you need help. That's what a priest does. That's what Jesus does. Check out Hebrews 5:7-10
John 13:21-30. Tonight we watch Judas' hands as they begin to weave a web of deceit and lies.
It's one thing to be convinced that the Lord provides our food, drink, and shelter. It's another thing entirely to be convinced that the Lord can provide identity, belonging, goodness, acceptance, approval, and forgiveness. Today we're in Genesis 22:1-18 to see that the Lord will provide.
God's glory is not simply something to be adored, loved, or upheld. We receive God's glory. To the extent we receive it, we get strength and grit.
The group norm in America today is overload and exhaustion. Jesus gives both physical and spiritual truths to power us for our work.
If you know for whom you are working, that gives so much clarity to your work. Join Jesus in Mark 1:21-34 and see for whom he works.
So many things happen that make our work not feel worth it. While we can't always change how we feel about our work, working with Jesus will make our work worth it.
Modern work faces many problems. It is hard, frustrating toil. It is fruitless. It is pointless. We typically offer the wrong solutions to work. Jesus in his baptism sets up the right solution.
The struggle over evil and difficulty has been long and we seem to make so little progress. Christmas promises that we can conquer, even if it won't be right away. We can join in the struggle and make progress.
What is the greatest gift you've ever given? What is the greatest gift you've ever received? Let's enjoy the greatest gift.
You can almost tell what a gift is by how people respond. A book provokes a boring response from everyone but the most bookish person; trash provokes disgust. How will you respond to the great gift of Christmas? Watch Mary and Elizabeth (Luke 1:39 -45).
Who are you? A great question. How are you answering this question? In John 1:19-28, we watch John do something amazing. He doesn't get full of himself and claim to be someone he is not. He is humble but strong. He is a voice - someone who gets to make someone else larger, greater, and more wonderful. Who are you?
It is certainly possible to imagine a world without forgiveness. I can imagine that everyone has problems so no one needs to be forgiven. I can also imagine that we just accept everyone, no matter what. Forgiveness is an essential part of a life where everything counts - where right and wrong actually matter. That makes forgiveness a great gift for a new world.
Some stand firm on their own strength. Others don't have any idea how to stand firm. God lays out a way for us to stand firm based on someone else's strength.
The ability to distinguish between others making mistakes and genuine deceit is vital. The apostle Paul makes the case that someone or something out there is working to deceive us. As disappointing as that is, the splendor and glory of Jesus can enable us to hold the deceiver back. We can stand firm and powerfully hold the lawless one back.
A sermon on 2 Thessalonians 2:1-12
The hope of Christians is eternal glory, which already breaks into the present reality. Every time we see the dead live and the smallest of absurd events take place, we see the new world that is to come.
Our families are dysfunctional to varying degrees, still, we need our families so much that we can really impart wisdom to them. Jesus sets us free from our families by placing us in an eternal family, a place where we can get healthy again. This is the power of baptism and his sacrifice of his own place in the eternal family. Lord, renew us.
Friendship is a great relationship to picture the gospel. God freely chooses to be with us, forgive us for the sake of his son, and welcome us. Great friendships then form from the gospel.
Humility is fleeting; as soon as you start to talk about it, it's gone. That doesn't make it any less necessary for a good life. Listen to this sermon for grace for humility.
I tend to think good people get good lives, but that's just not the case - all sorts of people experience bad things. This truth reminds me that everyone needs to accept correction and discipline in life. What gets me through correction is the delight I experience from God.
What piece of wisdom do you think best encourages and promotes a good life? The first wisdom from God tells us that a positive fear of him is the one thing that will start to help us make good decisions in the many situations where there are no rules in life.
Confessing Christ as Savior and Lord doesn't just change us individually. This basic confession changes the people of Jesus into a powerful force to fight evil.
It's one thing to know what to do for the people around us. It's another thing to get past all our concerns and fears to actually do them. Courage has at least 2 parts that move us to action. Let's check it out in Matthew 14:22-36.
The Christian thinking about the human heart is radical. First, good or real religion deals with it - not just with our actions or thinking. Second, the gospel is for every heart, no matter who you are or what your background. Third, the gospel gives a new heart.
The world experiences so much suffering, especially as we go through COVID-19. Suffering threatens to overwhelm and crush us. The infinite depth of Jesus' suffering takes on all suffering and even begins to overwhelming the suffering we go through.
Jesus offers spiritual life because he is the giver of real, physical life. As long as we consider ourselves the lord of our lives, we won't experience the joy and pleasure of physical life. There is a lot of pain and suffering in life, but we have every reason for life. Let's live!
I struggle to overcome the sense of meaninglessness and lack of purpose that can easily invade my days. I might think that my work or skill could give me a sense of purpose, but what about when my work ends or my skill isn't needed anymore? And I resist anyone else - a boss, even parents - pushing a sense of purpose on me. Something about Jesus fills my life with purpose. The lasting purpose of life.
If you've ever struggled to see who you are and the impact you have on others, then you need to go with Jesus in John 9. Jesus helps us move from spiritual blindness to spiritual sight.
Everyone lives for something. Is it something physical? It needs to be something inside you, something you can't touch or feel. Something that goes beyond what we think, or what we feel, or even what we desire. When we empty ourselves of our own push for life, we can be filled with the life of the one who gave everything for us. Let's get into John 4:5-29
What's the biggest threat to you and I experiencing a new life? Age? Morality? Religiosity? Education? Nope. Jesus shows us, and delivers a new life this week. Enjoy! John 3:1-16
There are so many places in life where I live inconsistently - and other people see it! If often wonder what life would be like if I could like consistently. Peter invites us to discover a life where we could live more consistently. Let's get into it in 2 Peter 1:16-21
I think sometimes that I wouldn't mind knowing real privilege. I'd like to stand out from the crowd and be recognized as different. But I know that I don't want to stand out for a lot of the same values that others appreciate. In Matthew 5, Jesus holds out a picture of a new life and says, you can have the privilege of this new life. In this sermon, we walk the first four steps (Matthew 5:1-6) on the path to privilege.
Listening is a basic skill in any relationship. Listening builds connection. It places the hearer in the shoes of the speaker so their life is validated, justified. The marvel is God invites us to listen to him and to receive everything he has. We are shaped, molded, enveloped and changed by the forgiveness, approval, and grace he expresses.
God wants to use you to preserve the world around us. In order for us to be much help, we need to be changed deeply. What a miracle it is to see renewal happen in us and around us!
Relationships are filled with assumptions, expectations, and stories we tell ourselves about people. That isn't all bad. We expect love, kindness, generosity, honesty, and trust from certain people in our lives. But we need to take steps to change those expectations and that starts with our behavior.
Matthew 4:12-23
Relationships are hard. They can be really hard. Loving others and loving God go hand in hand. In this first message on relationships, we seek (and God willing discover) the key to pleasing relationships.
If Christmas is true, then it changes everything about the way we behave. First and foremost, instead of receiving gifts, we become great gift givers.
We resist a new status. How many of us like to be called Mr or Mrs so and so? God calls us to claim our status as his son and experience. The Spirit works in us so we can powerfully experience our status as a son of God.
There is no doubt that this baby (Jesus) is a big deal. But the really great part of Christmas is that you are a big deal. And when you realize you're a big deal to him, this baby will be your big deal.
In Joseph, Jesus shows us a new way of living. We are faithful. Even more, we leave the blame, guilt, and shame where it should be.
Job suffered everything. His loss prepared the way for the joy he would soon experience from the gospel of Jesus.
Sadly, we experience plenty of pain, difficulty, and even broken-heartedness. It is in those moments we can be filled with the peace that only the presence of Jesus gives.
"Be you." How is that going for you? It's a lot harder than I ever thought it would be. Step by step Jesus has paid the price so that you and I are free to be the people God made us to be, Jesus has redeemed us to be, and the Holy Spirit is changing us to be.
A group of people become a group of believers by the Word of God and baptism. Really becoming a group of believers is about more than just keeping obvious sin away. It means taking away shame. It means incorporating people into a group where there is no fear of death. Jesus makes the church a place where we can ask for help with our hearts.
Faith is an unbelievable thing. It's remarkable that faith is so powerful, so effective. Faith also has incredible value. It gives us a new home, a new family, a new people, a new country, and therefore a new name. Have you experienced the value of faith? Your faith increases in value as you want to pay the price for others. Then your faith rockets in value.
Equality is good. Fairness is a wonderful thing. I'm glad that Christians and others have worked hard to develop equality in our world. There is something better, something that makes a greater difference in our world and the world of others.
It doesn't seem possible to be too strong, but it is. Strength often wrecks things - just ask the countless dads and amateur mechanics who have stripped a bolt! When we give up our strength and become weak, Jesus has a perfect power and superhero strength for us.
Too often, we give to get. If we do give, we give out of our margin - our richness, our prosperity. We need to give up control of everything, even our lives. When we see Jesus give up everything, that moves our hearts and changes and finally we can give something.
It's easy to see that many people act irresponsibly or in an untrustworthy way with their possessions. Should I trust someone who simply can't stop spending money? If you send money to random people in Africa or China, should you really have access to our bank account?
The problem is, most of us are blind to the fact that we are not trustworthy. We don't see it. And very likely, money itself has made us blind. It has that power. We can become so focused on it, we don't see what it is doing to us.
We need something or someone that will change the way we see money and all our possessions. The gospel does that for us. Listen to what God says to us today about our use of our possessions.
I imagine we'd all like to be generous givers. Very few people think that generosity isn't important or helpful. What will it take to begin to be a giving person?
The Christian idea of acceptance is different. It's not narrow mindedness or open-mindedness. It's drawing in someone who is weaker, who is different in a specific way, and making space for them in our lives.
How do you stay safe? How do you know when you're connected to someone that might here? In modern terms, such people might be abusive or toxic. They're dangerous to ourselves and the people around us. Sadly, we might be those people sometimes, but Jesus gives us a great resource to stay safe.
It's great to connect with someone because we share a common interest or a hobby. What if we could connect with them on a much deeper level?
We love to celebrate deeper, more meaningful connections with people. Often those connections are weak and unhealthy. It takes more than nice thoughts and good intentions to make stronger, healthier connections.
Love tells us we're accepted and approved whatever sin and mistakes we've gone through. The gospel promises us love no matter our lives. This was the good news we heard for the Christian funeral of Ken Kling.
There are a lot of things in life that we could see that wouldn't make us very amazing. But there are certain sights that when we see them, we become amazing ourselves. Let's see the needs and lacks, stop excusing ourselves from the tough stuff, and be amazing.
Work is good. It has been part of life since creation and some sort of work will remain part of eternity. We can only enjoy rest from our work when we work for the pleasure of someone far greater.
Everyone needs a home - a place where our heart rests. It doesn't work out to make the space around us be our home. Our heart and the space around us are in conflict. If someone else were to give us a home, then we could find ourselves at home. God's heart provides us a home.
Is there someone in life that you would like to say something to? Fear often drives what we say and how we say it. But the gospel makes wonderful witnesses - people more filled with wonder than fear.
Are you together, really together with other people? When you see how much Jesus is devoted to you, you can't help but be devoted to other people.
Everyone has a battle, a war raging in our hearts. That explains a lot of what we do. A way to handle it is to let Jesus take the fight. Then we can live with whole hearts.
Do you long for a new day, a new dawn, a fresh start? Easter promises us forgiveness, hope, and a new life as the death of Jesus drives death out of us!
What project to fix your life are you carrying around? What is the work behind your work that is driving you? Write it down, mark it finished.
How much is Jesus worth? When we see how much he treasures us, that will make him our greatest treasure. Our praise and worship will come from everything we are.
How much has your life changed by key truths and ideas? To the extent you see the Bible as God's Word and not the word of people, it will influence your life.
What makes it hard for you to be reconciled with people around you? I find it hard because it costs too much. Check out Luke 15:11-32 to see who is willing to help with the cost.
Whether life is good or bad, there is one way to process it or handle it if we intend to grow closer to God. That is repentance. It is the conviction of two realities: that we deserve as much as death, but God is committed to saving us from what we deserve. Now is the time.
Do you rest in the Lord? Or are you worried, anxious, and doing life on your own? It's time to rest in loving union with the Lord God.
How do you practice your Christian life? There are some common practices of the Christian life. One of those practices is resisting sin. Are you up for the fight?
Is your life filled with light, or does darkness threaten to overwhelm you? Leave your shadow and darkness at the cross and the light from him give you light within.
In this age of outrage (see Jonathan Haidt) some find it hard to sit down with someone and have a good conversation. It doesn't need to be that way. Jesus stood in the middle of an age of outrage and welcomed sinners. He feeds us with a meal as the eternal host.
In tense moments, do you have something to say that will help build everyone up and help us grow? A truly spiritual life does. Speak to help us grow.
One of the great things in life that gives us purpose is to be part of something greater. But since we're so empty, the Spirit fills us with spiritual gifts. This way we're well equipped to be part of something far greater - the body of Christ.
Who do you honor? This makes all the difference in the world. If you honor the wrong person, it will destroy you. But honor the true king and he will give you life and everything good. Honor the true and right king!
I spend way too much time saying, "I'm not enough". And so I'm afraid to get connected to other people and I even fear we're disconnected. Jesus Christ became vulnerable to connect himself to us and reconnect us to one another.
Where do you look for God when he seems missing? What could it do for you if you could find him? To find him, mind the gap.
Can all the lights and the presents and the gifts and the cards be true and real and good? Can Christmas be real?
When you see your sin, what do you do? Do you run away from God or towards God? If you want to live, you'll run toward God. It is the one place where you can have life. That is how much God loves you.
Countless people will tell me that they discover joy in doing the simplest things in life: giving food to people, sharing clothes, and just doing their job. How can that be? How can they do such simple stuff and still expect themselves and others to get better? They have experienced something special: the power of repentance. Repentance lets us expect to get better. Then the simplest stuff can do the most good.
I would suggest that peace is not tranquility, but it is wholeness. It is healthy relationships with the people around us and the rest of the world. Such peace is only possible through purification. Purified people experience peace with the people around them.