Intown Lutheran Church: Recent Episodes
Pastor Lucas Bitter
A new sermon each week from Pastor Lucas Bitter of Intown Lutheran Church in Atlanta, GA. Discover a God worth knowing, a city worth loving, and a life worth living.
You’re not adopted into God’s family as an only child. You’ve got lots and lots of brothers and sisters! And God did this on purpose, so that we can all walk together on the road that leads to heaven.
The post Thankful for One Another appeared first on Intown Lutheran Church.
“It is by grace you have been saved, through faith – and this not from yourselves, it is the gift of God – not by works, so that no one can boast.”
The post Reformation Sunday appeared first on Intown Lutheran Church.
Christ died for us and was raised to life – and now he has raised you also, from sin and death to perfection and life. Christ makes all things possible!
The post Christ Makes the Impossible Possible appeared first on Intown Lutheran Church.
“In all these things, we are more than conquerors through him who loved us.”
The post I Control appeared first on Intown Lutheran Church.
When God’s people are overwhelmed; when God’s people are at the point of despair; God doesn’t say “Dig deep, you’ve got this!” Instead he says “Be still… and let me do my thing.”
The post I CAN’T appeared first on Intown Lutheran Church.
God’s One and Only Son fearlessly hurled himself into trouble – in order to meet us where we are, and make us his brothers and sisters, and rescue us, and save us.
The post God the Son appeared first on Intown Lutheran Church.
Patiently, calmly, God just keeps steering. Again and again he puts us on paths that we didn’t ask.
The post God’s Plan v. My Plan appeared first on Intown Lutheran Church.
Faith in Jesus, producing fruit in our life, makes a huge impression on the world! “Faith” that doesn’t impact a person’s life in any way, is actually no faith at all.
The post Faith that Works appeared first on Intown Lutheran Church.
You don’t have to wait until you get to heaven to start acting more like Jesus. Now is the time to begin living like the Child of God that you are!
The post Remember Who You Are appeared first on Intown Lutheran Church.
With the perfect life of Jesus already on our record, now we can look at trials and temptations in a completely new and positive way
The post Trials and Temptations appeared first on Intown Lutheran Church.
God knows what he is doing, even when we don’t. And he promises that none of the storms in our lives will be useless. “In all things God works for the good of those who love him, who have been called according to his purpose.”
The post Peace Amidst the Storm appeared first on Intown Lutheran Church.
In the end, spiritual rest is kind of like physical rest. You don’t get it by running around and doing things. You get it by sitting still, and receiving things… like free forgiveness from a God who loves you unconditionally. Like the joy of getting to live your whole life in his presence. Like the certainty of eternal life that is coming in heaven.
The post A Life of Rest appeared first on Intown Lutheran Church.
Planting seeds in God’s Kingdom is slow, and unpredictable, and challenging – but it’s also incredibly rewarding, to sit back and watch how God in his wisdom uses the simple gospel message to transform human hearts.
The post Small seeds, big harvest appeared first on Intown Lutheran Church.
Unexpected grace flipped Isaiah from fear to confidence, and had prepared him for a “Life with God.” And unexpected grace does the same thing for you and me.
The post From Fear to Confidence appeared first on Intown Lutheran Church.
Jesus’ ascension wasn’t the end; it was the beginning! It wasn’t a step back; it was a huge step forward! The same one who died on the cross for our sins here on earth now sits at God’s right hand in heaven, making sure all the events of the universe turn out for our spiritual and eternal good.
The post Christ Ascends in Power appeared first on Intown Lutheran Church.
Jesus wants his brand of truly selfless, unconditional love to flow into this world through Christians – because when it does, the world gets a glimpse at the very heart of God himself.
The post Love One Another appeared first on Intown Lutheran Church.
In a dark, twisted, and confusing world, Jesus is the best Shepherd and guide that we could ever have.
The post A Very Good Shepherd appeared first on Intown Lutheran Church.
Jesus has forgiveness for every single person in the world. But not every single person in the world has Jesus. And that’s where you and I come in…..
The post The Daily Value of Easter appeared first on Intown Lutheran Church.
The post Resurrection Proof, Resurrection Peace appeared first on Intown Lutheran Church.
For all those who have been touched by Jesus, death is no longer permanent. It’s something you wake up from, and put behind you, and move on to eternal glory.
The post Christ Has Indeed Been Raised From the Dead appeared first on Intown Lutheran Church.
Just as Jesus was strong enough to carry the full weight of all our sins to the cross, so also he is strong enough to carry the full weight of worry and concern for a world full of people who are living and dying without him.
The post Jesus Has a Heart for the Lost appeared first on Intown Lutheran Church.
The reason Jesus remained silent during his trial – the reason he didn’t defend himself – was that he wanted to defend you instead
The post Jesus Knows Injustice appeared first on Intown Lutheran Church.
Jesus had his chance to abandon you, in the Garden of Gethsemane. Instead he chose to be abandoned, to be arrested, and to go to the cross carrying your sins upon his shoulders. If Jesus did all this already, there’s no way he will ever abandon you now!
The post Jesus Knows Abandonment appeared first on Intown Lutheran Church.
Jesus’ grace was so completely unexpected that Judas didn’t even see it. But by God’s grace, we do. By God’s grace we see Jesus’ forgiveness not only for Judas’s betrayal, but also for our own.
The post Jesus Knows Betrayal appeared first on Intown Lutheran Church.
Jesus’ suffering ended up being incredibly good, as it brought him close to us, and paid for our sins, and opened the door to eternal life in heaven. And God, in his grace, makes our suffering good, too.
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Paul knew that all of his inconsistencies, failures, and sins were covered by the perfect life and death of his Savior Jesus. And brothers and sisters, so are yours.
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It’s not offensive to direct people to a solution that works. And as it turns out, Jesus – the Way, the Truth, and the Life – is the very solution that our world needs.
The post One Option Among Many appeared first on Intown Lutheran Church.
God’s grace overcomes our sinful blindness and allows us to see Jesus as true God and true man, our perfect Savior.
The post Son of God and Son of Man appeared first on Intown Lutheran Church.
At Christmas, we long for physical peace on this earth. But through faith in Jesus, we get something even better: a peace with God that lasts beyond this broken world, and into eternity in heaven.
The post Peace on Earth appeared first on Intown Lutheran Church.
The post The King Shall Come… to solve our problems appeared first on Intown Lutheran Church.
Even though we have the discomfort of struggling against sin every day… we rejoice in the deep comfort of a Savior who makes us right with God, eternally.
The post The King Comes… to Comfort the Uncomfortable appeared first on Intown Lutheran Church.
The King of the Universe took the mess of our sin upon himself and cleaned it up fully and completely. And he won for us a home in heaven where there will be no more messes, ever again.
The post The King Shall Come to Save Us! appeared first on Intown Lutheran Church.
On the Last Day you are not going to be judged based on the imperfect life you have lived. Instead, you will be judged based on the perfect life of your perfect Savior!
The post Jesus Provides Hope on Judgment Day appeared first on Intown Lutheran Church.
When Jesus calls us into his family, he makes every single day of our earthly lives meaningful.
The post Work While It Is Day appeared first on Intown Lutheran Church.
Knowing that heaven is coming doesn’t remove our earthly troubles, and temptations, and problems… but it does put them all into the right perspective.
The post A Glimpse of Heaven Puts Things in Perspective appeared first on Intown Lutheran Church.
No matter the age of history, God never stops working – to protect his people, and to preserve his promises.
The post The Time In Between appeared first on Intown Lutheran Church.
God is constantly working to carry out his gospel mission in the lives of people that we know. He simply wants us to keep our eyes open and look for opportunities… opportunities to show love to others just as love has been shown to us.
The post God’s Mission to Your Neighbor appeared first on Intown Lutheran Church.
“Being a missionary to your neighbor is not about pretending to be perfect, or claiming you have it all together. It’s simply about sharing with others some of the same selfless, unconditional love that Jesus shared with you.”
The post A Little Love Goes a Long Way appeared first on Intown Lutheran Church.
“God is working, every day, to help us be a major, game-changing character in someone else’s story.”
The post Seeking What’s Already Happening appeared first on Intown Lutheran Church.
Jesus has shared his salvation with us… but now he wants us to feel the joy of sharing that salvation with someone else.
The post Joining Jesus On His Mission appeared first on Intown Lutheran Church.
The post God, You’ve Done Amazing Things for Mankind appeared first on Intown Lutheran Church.
The concept of grace and forgiveness that we find in the Bible is a game-changer for the entire way we think about God. It moves us from fearing God, and resenting God, and explaining God out of our story, to wanting God’s presence to fill every last corner of our lives.
The post God, You Know Everything About Me appeared first on Intown Lutheran Church.
The only kind of trouble God will ever let happen to you, is a trouble that he plans to use for your spiritual and eternal good.
The post God, You Keep Me Safe appeared first on Intown Lutheran Church.
God already did the most dramatic thing possible for you - he sent his own Son to be your Savior! There’s no way he’s going to give up on you now.
The post God, I Look to You for Help appeared first on Intown Lutheran Church.
Even the very best things in life are not things we have earned or deserved. All of them, without exception, are gifts from a gracious God.
The post God, You’re Amazing appeared first on Intown Lutheran Church.
There is nothing in the world so refreshing, as the message of free grace and forgiveness found in the Bible.”
The post God, I’m Exhausted! appeared first on Intown Lutheran Church.
Following Jesus doesn’t mean “missing out” on the joys of this life. Instead… it means enjoying them in the way they should be enjoyed, while at the same time embracing the true eternal treasures that only God can provide.
The post Follow Me… To The Life That Lasts appeared first on Intown Lutheran Church.
Is it true that in order to be a Christian, in order to follow Jesus, you first need to get your life together?
The post Follow Me appeared first on Intown Lutheran Church.
In the Last Days,” God says, “I will pour out my Spirit on all people… and everyone who calls on the name of the Lord will be saved.
The post Pentecost Sunday appeared first on Intown Lutheran Church.
With a changed view on death, we also have a changed view on life…
The post Jesus Changes Everything, Even Death appeared first on Intown Lutheran Church.
In our baptism, God gives us an unshakeable identity as a redeemed child of God and an heir of eternity in heaven.
The post First Jesus, Then Us appeared first on Intown Lutheran Church.
Full and free forgiveness of our sins is not a side teaching of Christianity. It is the entire point of Christianity! Likewise, the resurrection of the dead is not a side teaching of Christianity. It is the entire point of Christianity! And that’s why we’re studying this chapter…
The post The Key Truths of Christianity appeared first on Intown Lutheran Church.
Today, we join with Christians around the world to commemorate the great acts of love through which our Savior Jesus saved us from sin and rescued us from death. Hosanna to the King!
The post Holy Week Sunday appeared first on Intown Lutheran Church.
There is no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus. There is no condemnation for you… and that’s because Jesus, the Prince of Heaven, went into exile for you and absorbed every last ounce of God’s condemnation in your place.
The post His Royalty for My Rebellion appeared first on Intown Lutheran Church.
Jesus made a great exchange: His victories for our losses. And in this way, he undid all the damage that Adam had brought to the human race through that first Fall Into Sin.
The post His Victory for Our Losses appeared first on Intown Lutheran Church.
“We don’t have to keep trying to make bad trades in order to convince God to love us. He already loves us, fully and completely. And we know this, because he was willing to exchange his own Son as the ultimate sacrifice for us.”
The post Great Exchange appeared first on Intown Lutheran Church.
We have been rescued from sin by a Savior who was willing to endure the ultimate injustice for us. Are there perhaps ways that we might be able to endure some small injustices for the sake of others?
The post Love Your Enemies appeared first on Intown Lutheran Church.
“As Jesus preached, common, everyday people began to realize that the path to heaven was easier than they thought. They did not need to be like the Pharisees, following insanely meticulous laws of every possible kind. All that they needed was Jesus. And that’s all that we need, too!”
The post The Pursuit of Perfection appeared first on Intown Lutheran Church.
When we stop competing and trying to prove how good we are, and instead simply rejoice that we’ve been declared righteous by a perfect Savior, it brings us incredible peace and freedom.
The post I Will Give You Rest appeared first on Intown Lutheran Church.
Jesus was not just another religious teacher. The whole point of Jesus’ entire life and ministry was his claim to be the actual Son of God! So was he?
The post Son of God and Son of Man appeared first on Intown Lutheran Church.
By coming down into this temporary world, Jesus connected us with the One who lasts forever. So now, as time passes and this temporary world fades around us, we know that our souls will get to live forever with God in heaven.
The post New Year’s Perspective appeared first on Intown Lutheran Church.
One thing is for sure. When our plans change, it’s because God is working! And in the end, all our little plans – whether they succeed or fail – are incorporated into God’s great eternal plan for our salvation, which never fails.
The post The High Point appeared first on Intown Lutheran Church.
Like Abraham, God calls us to be different from our culture, in ways that will not always be comfortable…
The post The Early Generation (from Abraham to David) appeared first on Intown Lutheran Church.
The Bible covers many, many generations of human history… and yet they’re all connected. They’re all part of one big story - the story of God’s love for the whole human race.
The post The God of All Generations appeared first on Intown Lutheran Church.
When life is disappointing and frustrating, it’s OK to long for something more. But don’t settle! Don’t long for a marginally better life in this sin-corrupted world… long instead for an eternal life with your God, the one who says “Behold, I am making everything new.”
The post Reality: Your Eternal Victory appeared first on Intown Lutheran Church.
We believe, and therefore we speak… so that the grace that is reaching more and more people may cause thanksgiving to overflow to the glory of God.
The post Reality: Your Mission appeared first on Intown Lutheran Church.
The love of Jesus enables us to look at all people across the world - even those on the opposite side of the political or ideological spectrum - and to say, “We’re all in this together!” We all have been tricked into Satan’s rebellion - but we all have been rescued by the Son of God himself.
The post Reality: The Battle Between Good and Evil appeared first on Intown Lutheran Church.
Through Jesus, God teaches us a whole new value system: a system where gains are losses, and losses are gains. It makes no sense from an earthly perspective, but from an eternal perspective it is the highest kind of wisdom.
The post Being Found Means Loss (and Gain) appeared first on Intown Lutheran Church.
The father’s love is outrageous in this parable - even more outrageous than the sin of his child! And with that very sentence, we have a perfect summary of the gospel…
The post Everyone Needs God’s Mercy appeared first on Intown Lutheran Church.
29 “Truly I tell you,” Jesus said to them, “no one who has left home or wife or brothers or sisters or parents or children for the sake of the kingdom of God 30 will fail to receive many times as much in this age, and in the age to come eternal life.
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Lord, fill us with your burning passion to reach the lost, and with your excitement and joy at every last person who is found!
The post The Joy of the Finder appeared first on Intown Lutheran Church.
You and I have experienced the most dramatic rescue story in the world. We were so incredibly far from God….We were heading further from God…. we did not want to be found… And yet God, in his grace, found us anyway.
The post Lost and Found appeared first on Intown Lutheran Church.
Christ set you free from condemnation and that changes everything! Christ has now set you free to go and serve God with your new life.
The post Christ Sets You Free appeared first on Intown Lutheran Church.
The kingdoms of this world thrive primarily on ruthless, selfless achievement. But in Jesus’ kingdom, all those priorities are flipped upside down. ‘The first shall be last, and the last shall be first…
The post Time to Serve appeared first on Intown Lutheran Church.
We need to be filled up and encouraged in our own faith, before we set out to encourage and fill up others.
The post Time to Grow appeared first on Intown Lutheran Church.
Come to me, all you who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest.
The post Time for Rest appeared first on Intown Lutheran Church.
The night is nearly over; the day is almost here. So let us put aside the deeds of darkness and put on the armor of light.
The post Time to Reach the World appeared first on Intown Lutheran Church.
No matter where you go, no matter what you’re doing, as a baptized child of God you are ascribing worth to him with your very existence! Flawed and sinful though you are, you are God’s child, shining God’s light into this world. And that means the very breath in your lungs is an act of worship.
The post Time for Worship appeared first on Intown Lutheran Church.
We know we will be spending all eternity with God, safe and secure in heaven… but right now is the only time we will ever get to do the gritty, exciting work of serving God in a still-very-much-fallen world.
The post Making the Most of Every Opportunity appeared first on Intown Lutheran Church.
As a Christian, you know you have an eternity of perfect time waiting for you in heaven… and that means you can thoughtfully embrace your limited time here on earth.
The post Living on Borrowed Time appeared first on Intown Lutheran Church.
God’s Word gives us a framework for processing suffering, that the rest of the world simply cannot provide.
The post God’s Word Turns Suffering Into Blessing appeared first on Intown Lutheran Church.
During the hardest times of life, God’s Word helps us to survive. It does this by lifting our eyes off of our own problems, and fixing them on the only One with enough power and love to handle all the problems of the world.
The post God’s Word Sustains Us in Times of Trouble appeared first on Intown Lutheran Church.
Who could ever have guessed that this is what God would be like? Who could ever have guessed that God would have this kind of love for sinful people like you and me? No human mind could ever have conceived all the things that God has prepared for those who love him… but God has revealed it to us, in his Word.
The post God’s Word is our only Lasting Source of Grace appeared first on Intown Lutheran Church.
"The more we understand God's unconditional love, the more we recognize it for the wisdom that it truly is.... and the more we start to appreciate the incredible treasure store of wisdom that God has given us in his Word!"
The post God’s Word is our Greatest Source of Wisdom appeared first on Intown Lutheran Church.
Which of these three do you think was a neighbor to the man who fell into the hands of robbers?" The expert in the law replied, "The one who had mercy on him."Jesus told him, "Go and do likewise......
The post Love Finds a Neighbor Instead of Avoiding One appeared first on Intown Lutheran Church.
God’s Word is not just something that guides us on the path of life…it is also the actual weapon that we bring along with us on that path, so we are prepared to fight our battles against temptation.
"In Christianity, we don’t have to HOPE that God will forgive us for our sins. We KNOW that he already did – through the life and death of our Savior Jesus."
“The man from whom the demons had gone out begged to go with him, but Jesus sent him away, saying, “Return home and tell how much God has done for you.”
“God could reach the world any way he wants to, but he has chosen to reach it through you.”
“We are all witnesses of God’s grace in our own lives. So now God simply calls us to take the next logical step… and witness about God’s grace to someone else.”
“My mouth will speak in praise of the Lord. Let every creature praise his holy name, for ever and ever.” (Psalm 145:21)
Our relationship with God is unlike any other relationship in our lives. When we break something, God fixes it. When we cause a problem, God solves it. And when we feel absolutely certain that we have lost God’s trust… he still gives us another chance.
“When Easter ends, regular, boring lives take over pretty quickly. But Jesus doesn’t leave us alone in our regular, boring lives….. Instead, he bursts in and surprises us with his grace and goodness, just like he did for his disciples.”
“Jesus’ resurrection appearances were miraculous. But he does something no less miraculous for us today…when we gather around God’s Word and Sacraments, Jesus is here with us. Encouraging us and strengthening us and letting us know that our faith is not in vain.”
Jesus didn’t give up on Thomas, even when he doubted. Instead he bent over backward to give him all the proof he could possibly need… turning his doubt and skepticism into confidence and joy. Through his powerful Word, Jesus does the same thing for us today.
“The resurrection of Jesus not only gives us hope for our own resurrection to eternal life one day… it also brings meaning and purpose to our lives right now.”
"As we view the events of Holy Week, we are shocked and awed by Jesus' commitment to carry our sins to the cross, and rescue us forever. Our savior will do whatever it takes."
“Having God as your #1 priority doesn’t mean saying good-bye to all the things you love in this world! It simply means using them in the way they were meant to be used…”
"No matter what we have done… no matter what sinful actions have been seen by the world, or what sinful thoughts lie at the bottom of our hearts invisible to all but God… No matter what we have done, Jesus is not afraid to be associated with us, to stand by us, and to take our condemnation upon himself."
“Jesus turns all Christians into first responders - not running from those who are guilty, or hurting, or suffering, but running TOWARDS them, to share and reflect the love and compassion that our Savior has shared with us.”
“Jesus knows exactly what is waiting for him at the cross. But his love for human beings is so great that he cannot bring himself to take a shortcut. He is determined to die, with the sins of the world upon his shoulders - because he so deeply longs to gather us into God’s family.”
Jesus’ perfect life in our place not only sets us free from sin - it also sets us free to chase greater heights of godliness, without being crushed by guilt & pressure… “
God uses suffering to change our perspective. Through pain, suffering, and bearing the cross, he forces us to release our death grip on the things of this world - so that instead we hold tightly to him, the only one who can bring us to heaven.
“As we love our enemies and pray for those who mistreat us, God uses our lives to preach a sermon that impacts the world far more deeply than we could possibly imagine.”
As Jesus spread his gospel message to the ends of the earth, he wanted his disciples to be a part of it. And he wants us to be a part of it, too
No matter how far we stretch, we will never be able to reach all the way to God and connect ourselves with him. The only way we can ever get connected to God is if he, in his grace and mercy, decides to reach down to us. Are we willing to admit this?”
Anybody can CLAIM to be God, saying “I forgive your sins…. But when it’s backed up with a miracle, people start paying attention."
Jesus’ baptism marks the official start of his public ministry, which quickly launched him from relative obscurity to become the most influential, polarizing, and important figure in the history of the world.
“Jesus woke up every morning of his life ready to listen and learn. Jesus laid down to sleep each night of his life, having accomplished another day of perfect obedience. And all of it counts for us!”
“Running through the center of our world, and running through the center of every human life, is a God-shaped hole that only God can truly fill …”
“Appearances can be deceiving. That quiet little bundle in the manger is actually a gritty, powerful warrior, sent from heaven to earth on a valiant, soul-saving mission...”
“Today we take a close, hard look at the gift God gave to us in the manger on Christmas. And the better we understand that gift… the better we understand our God.”
What is this that God has sent to us, lying in the manger? It’s not just a man. And it’s not just the Son of God. It’s YOUR RIGHTEOUSNESS. It’s the only life in the history of the world that is perfectly straight, perfectly aligned, perfectly in tune. And it is going to be lived for you.
“While we were still sinners, Christ died for us… It was the unlikeliest of motivations, but this is why God did it. He came into this world to sacrifice himself for us.”
This is the present that is lying in the manger, for me, for you, at Christmas time. It is something better and richer and deeper than anything else going on in the world out there. At Christmas, God reaches specifically to you and says “Here is forgiveness. It’s full, it’s free, it’s complete… and it’s all yours.
From the very time his family tree began, Jesus did not surround himself with “good people” who had their lives together. Instead, from the very start, “the Son of Man came to seek and to save what was lost.” Including me. Including you.
Life can feel so heavy sometimes - but in the midst of a flawed, heavy life in a sin-broken world, Jesus comes to us in his Word. And there he offers us something beautiful, and refreshing, and new...
God is teaching us to look at all the people we know and like… all the people we know and don’t like… all the billions of other people out there that we have never even met… and to love each one of them so much that we desperately want to see them in heaven someday.
“All of our stories are different, but they all contain the same vital element: A God who saves us from our troubles and delivers us from our fears. A God who holds on to us with all his might and refuses to let us go…”
Until this world finally ends and all God’s children are safe in heaven, there will be times when things get dark and scary. But in those times, we have God’s promise that there will always be an angel with the everlasting gospel to proclaim – reminding us that with our eternal salvation secured by Christ, everything is going to be OK.
“Therefore put on the full armor of God, so that when the day of evil comes, you may be able to stand your ground, and after you have done everything, to stand…”
“The most exciting part about mission work is actually the uncertainty! We already have certainty on all the big things (we know Jesus is with us, we know our sins are forgiven, and we know we are going to heaven, etc.) The only thing we don’t know is what people we will find to bring with us along the way.”
“Then Agrippa said to Paul, “Do you think that in such a short time you can persuade me to be a Christian?”Paul replied, “Short time or long—I pray to God that not only you but all who are listening to me today may become what I am, except for these chains...” (Acts 26:28-29)
“As human beings we tend to spend way too much time on the things that benefit us in the short term, and way too little time on the things that benefit others in the long term...but thank God that our Savior Jesus did the exact opposite for us!”
You never know who’s spiritually lonely. You never know who’s spiritually hungry. You never know who’s spiritually hurting, and broken, and sad. But when you show love to strangers – when you reach out and establish a connection with people whenever you can – it’s amazing how God uses those opportunities (and uses you) to share the peace and comfort and connection that comes from Jesus.
"We need a break! We need a refresh! We need a reminder of who we are, why we are here, where we are going someday, and how because of Jesus it is all going to be eternally OK. And we find those reminders in God’s Word."
"Jesus’ pure, selfless love covers over our flawed, loveless lives, and it does something for us that we could never do for ourselves. It makes us worthy to inherit eternal life in heaven."
“Peace I leave with you; my peace I give you. I do not give to you as the world gives. Do not let your hearts be troubled, and do not be afraid….”
God has such a deep-seated need to forgive sinners that he came into our world and took our sin and its punishment upon himself, leaving us to experience his compassion and love. To God, this was the only possible solution. There was no other way. He abounds with so much love and compassion that it has to come out somewhere. God has to forgive people, because this is who he is.
When your sin and mine goes up before God in heaven, Jesus does for us what Moses did for the Israelites. He INTERCEDES….
The whole point of what happened on Mt. Sinai was to prepare people for what would happen 1500 years later on another mountain (Mt. Calvary)... where Jesus took our sin upon his shoulders, and placed his perfect obedience upon ours.
You are the people who get to go into a world that is absolutely drowning in bad news - more and more every day - and give people the best news they could ever possibly hear: ‘God has provided free salvation, for all of us, through the perfect life and death of Jesus!'
"The person with the Spirit makes judgements about all things, but such a person is not subject to merely human judgements, for, "Who has known the mind of the Lord so as to instruct him?" But we have the mind of Christ."
1 Corinthians 2:6-16
God doesn’t want us to sit on the sidelines and assume that he will find a way to reach the people he wants to reach with the gospel. Instead, God wants us to assume that we are the way for him to reach the people he wants to reach with the gospel. We are the ones who have been told to “Go into all the world and preach the good news to all creation.”
Exodus is not a book about Moses or the Israelites; it is a book about God. A God who is consistent when his people are inconsistent. A God who is faithful when his people are faithless. A God whose mercies are new every morning and whose love never, ever fails.
When it comes to life’s biggest problems, we are not in control - but God is. God fights our battles for us! All we need to do is be still.
Forgiveness, as it turns out, is the LORD’s specialty. While it is true that the LORD crushes his enemies when he has to… what he loves to do more than anything else is to save his people.
As I hear this part of the story… as I see God dealing with Moses in grace, and patience, and love… I start to say ‘Wait a minute, I know exactly who this is in the burning bush.’ This is my God! And I know this, because he deals with me in the very same way.
EXCERPT: “On the cross, Jesus solved our biggest problem of all. And he did it not with violence, but with peace… not with hatred, but with love.”
If you are getting exhausted by the pain you see in the world around you, and the pain you see in your own life… Take a moment to remember all the promises God has made you, and to appreciate the fact that where you are right now is just one stop along a journey that ends in heaven.
The Early Christian churches were not groups of Christians who were trying to take other people’s money. Rather, they were groups of Christians who were giving their own money to help other people learn about Jesus. And when they are functioning correctly, churches do the same thing today…
Jesus’ death and resurrection means God’s total victory over Satan, and your total victory over Satan. “Satan” means “Accuser” – but because of what Jesus did for you on the cross, he has no power to accuse you anymore.
Grace is the great equalizer. And because of that, grace is also the most powerful uniting force in the universe. There is just something about this message – the message of a God who loves all of us equally, even though none of us deserve it – that is able to overcome human divisions and unite people from every nation, tribe, and language under heaven.
Science and technology are wonderful blessings. They provide us with all sorts of knowledge. But they cannot provide us with wisdom - that is,with a deep framework for answering the biggest questions of all (What is the meaning of life? How should we treat one another? How does God feel about us?) These are wisdom questions, not knowledge questions, and the answers come from a different source altogether: the Word of God….
God didn’t send his Son into the world to reward people who think they deserve it. He sent his Son into the world to forgive people who KNOW they DON’T deserve it.
There is no foolproof argument to convince people that really God exists, or that he really loves us, or that the Bible is really his Word. But God convinces people of these things, every day, as they encounter the beauty of his love for them on the pages of Holy Scripture.
God’s solution for pain is not to tell you to lower your standards, or that it’s all your fault, or that you should stop complaining if you don’t want to fail the test. God’s solution is to sit beside you in your pain, take that pain upon himself, and win for you eternal life in a place where there will be no pain ever again.
Jesus discourages doubt. But he doesn’t discourage doubters… Instead, Jesus draws near to doubters. He comes to us in his Word. And there, he not only provides proof and eyewitness testimony for events like the resurrection - but he also provides an unexpectedly beautiful look in to the love of God for his human creatures.
God has not “cheated death.” God has not “robbed the grave.” God has not “found a way around death,” or “provided an alternative option to death.” God has swallowed up death forever! Death is gone… because sin is gone.”
Lord Jesus, you are my righteousness, I am your sin. You took upon yourself what was mine, and set upon me what was yours. You became what you were not, so that I might become what I was not.
In the sacrament of Communion, Jesus takes the spiritual and makes it physical. He takes the unseen and makes it seen. He takes his true body and blood, the forgiveness of sins he has won for all mankind, and makes it into something we can touch, and hold, and taste, and see….
When times get hard, it is far too easy for us to slide off the bandwagon, and step quietly away from Jesus. But thankfully we have a Savior who never steps away from us…
If you have ever suffered from deep sadness… if you have ever suffered from crippling anxiety… if your soul has ever been overwhelmed with sorrow to the point of death… you have a Savior who sits beside you in that suffering. Jesus knows how these things feel.
2,000 years after God dramatically provided a ram to take Isaac’s place on the altar, he just as dramatically provided the Lamb of God to take our place upon the cross! And in so doing God saved not only our lives, but also the lives of our children and their children and everyone else in the world who believes in him.
God’s love is the greatest gift he has ever given to us. And understanding God’s love is the key to understanding everything else about him… including why he looked so weak on the cross. He was taking our sin to give us his holiness. He was taking our weakness to give us his strength. He was taking our death to give us his life.
Jesus took the hardest thing in this world - the problem of suffering - and turned it into the very means by which he saved us! Jesus will take the scariest thing in this world - the day of our death - and turn it into the gateway to eternal life! What a powerful God we have…
Do you ever get exhausted from fighting Satan’s temptations. Do you ever feel burned out and just ready to give up? It is for these exact times that God sends you his Word - to remind you that Jesus knows what you’re going through, to remind you that in Jesus the battle against temptation has already been won, to silence the devil’s lies and to remind you of the truth.
This side of heaven, suffering is necessary. It was necessary for Jesus, to actually pay for our sins and rescue us eternally. And it’s necessary for us, to raise our eyes up from this world and make us long for something better. But suffering doesn’t forever. In fact, in the grand scheme of things, it doesn’t last long at all...
Spiritually speaking. . . if you’ve got nothing but the Savior, you’ve got everything. But if you’ve got everything but the Savior, you’ve got nothing.
Through Jesus’ many miracles, God proved that he was legit. He really was who he said he was. He really was the Son of God! And the reason this is so important is that only the Son of God can help us with our very biggest problems...
As we hear God’s Word over and over, it continually reminds us of two things: 1.) We are forgiven, and nothing and nobody can take that away from us. 2.) The most important thing we can ever do in life is to share that forgiveness with others.
What we see happening through John the Baptist is an inevitable trend that happens in the hearts of all believers. When Jesus’ light shines TO you…the logical next step is that it shines THROUGH you. When you understand the beautiful good news of the gospel for yourself, you naturally want to share it with others.
It is during the hardest, darkest times that God reaches the most new people with the gospel… and it is during the hardest, darkest times that God helps those who already believe to appreciate his gospel the most.
What happened on Christmas frames the way we view our world all year long. On Christmas, God’s Son chose to become our brother. And he lived, he died, he rose, so that we get to be part of God’s eternal family
The sending of Jesus establishes God’s track record. No matter how many promises God has made, all of them are ‘yes’ in Christ. And that’s the comfort we can take with us as we move from 2020 into 2021….
The message of Christmas gives us strength to endure all the trials of life. We know that God loved us enough to enter our world in human flesh, so that he might rescue us and bring us to a better world someday!